A dog returning to it's own vomit reminds us of our own free will and the absence of eternal security.
I believe that you can fall from the road, but once you have been saved and accepted Jesus Christ, you have been re-borned. We may fall from everything good and get lost out of our own will (which in this case you have choosen a different path than the one leading to salvation).
However through Jesus we find salvation, and those that understand know that only through him we will achieve this. In short, remember he tells you that he is a forgiving God, and my favorite part, no matter what, Jesus makes ALL things new!![]()
ONCE SAVED!!! ALWAYS SAVED!!!
I THINK NOT!!!!!
AUUUGGGGHHH!!!!!!
Gee, I wonder why he was banned?
While I agree 100% with you Duckie, there are traps and pitfalls that can rise from this thought process. One, I can speak for myself and say many times when I have sinned while sinning or thinking of sinning I have thought well if I sin God will always forgive me anyways so I don't have to worry or but God always forgives. Now if that's my thought process have I come to a form of REPENTANCE? The key word is repentance for without it you will continue to do what you do and come back with the (once again speaking for myself in the past) Oh crud sorry God forgive me! The next day, darn God I did it again! Next week oh no there I go falling again I might as well get used to it God always forgives! An interesting point in sermons by James MacDonald (I really want to Change so Help me God) I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! It's been life changing for me. But anyways He mentions a point is there ever a point where you can no longer repent? And interestingly he makes the point of Yes! He mentions the story of Esau when he haphazardly sold his birthright for a stew dinner! After his father gave Jacob the inheritance the birthright blessing could he ever do anything to get that back? Is there any way he could repent and fix that of which he did? The answer is no. Does that mean that he was not forgiven? No of course not, but could he repent and change his mind of what he did? No he could not. Its a strange analogy and thought process but I do not believe can imagine that God will sit there and beam out forgiveness when we truly have not come to a repentance of it. The bible does say God forgives but it does also say to not make God into a fool. If you ask for forgiveness and continue to live in that sin then you have not come to repentance! If you divorce a husband or wife out of selfishness or other nonGodly ideals and they remarry, can you repent on your actions? Tough questions.
Its not necessarily about being saved its not a one and done. Its not about I am saved now let me live my life the way I want and Christ will always forgive me no matter what I do I can keep on sinning! It's not how it works! Paul's letters say that whenever sin abounds grace over abounds, but he quickly covers his tracks and says does that mean that I should keep on sinning so that grace can continue to overabound? He asks BY NO MEANS! or NO WAY JOSE! haha
Do what?
A dog can be trained to do certain things. much like a non believer can be trained to look and act like a believer. But a Dog will always be a dog. and return to his own vomit. Just like a non believer will return to his old way of life. Because he is still a non believer.
Not to mention. what is the context of the whole passage? Who are the THEY being spoken of here??
2 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. [SUP]2 [/SUP]And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. [SUP]3 [/SUP]By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
[SUP]9 [/SUP]then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, [SUP]10 [/SUP]and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority.
They (false prophets and teachers) are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,
[SUP]12 [/SUP]But these (false prophets and teachers), like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, [SUP]13 [/SUP]and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime.
They (false prophets and teachers) are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, [SUP]14 [/SUP]having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls.
They (false prophets and teachers) have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]They (false prophets and teachers) have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; [SUP]16 [/SUP]but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
[SUP]
17 [/SUP]These (false prophets and teachers) are wells without water, clouds[SUP][b][/SUP] carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.[SUP][c][/SUP]
[SUP]18 [/SUP]For when they (false prophets and teachers) speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped[SUP][d][/SUP] from those who live in error.
[SUP]19 [/SUP]While they (false prophets and teachers) promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. [SUP]20 [/SUP]For if, afterthey have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. [SUP]21 [/SUP]For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
[SUP]22 [/SUP]But it has happened to them (false prophets and teachers) according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,”[SUP][e][/SUP] and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
You people picking and choosing verses out of a passage and distorting it to your own interpretation to fit your faulty belief is disgusting..
Yep, I guess God makes mistakes.. Poor God.. Saved people he knows will walk away, sin themselves out of earning salvation, or whatever it is people think will cause God to take his GIFT back..
ONCE SAVED!!! ALWAYS SAVED!!!
I THINK NOT!!!!!
AUUUGGGGHHH!!!!!!
Gee, I wonder why he was banned?
Terrible grammer
too many !!!!!!!!!!!!'s
And his letters took up too much space on the internet !
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and that Sarah is the million dollar question! How many people are saved or believe they are "saved" because in their understanding its as easy as saying Jesus I accept you as my Lord and savior with the escape clause *BUT I WONT CHANGE BECAUSE YOU FORGIVE ME REGARDLESS OF WHAT I DO* that's false teaching and its leading many astray!