But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Those who draw back to perdition do not believe to the saving of the soul and those who believe to the saving of the soul do not draw back to perdition. Those who don't believe to the saving of the soul were never saved.
It's not sufficient to give mere lip service to Christ. Doing what Jesus says after we have been saved through faith is our reasonable service and is the RESULT of salvation, not the cause. A tree is known by it's fruit. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. Romans 10:9 - If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Such a person does not sit around and never do anything that the Lord says. So "saved but never do anything that Jesus says and He is not your Lord" is an OXYMORON.
To "sin willfully" in the Greek carries the idea of deliberate intention that is habitual, which stems from rejecting Christ deliberately. This is CONTINUOUS ACTION - A MATTER OF PRACTICE. Now we don't walk along our daily life and accidently fall into a pit called sin. We exercise our will but, the use of the participle clearly shows a CONTINUOUS ACTION. The unrighteous practice sin - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21 not the righteous, who are born of God - 1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 John 3:9. Hebrews 10:39 - Those who draw back to perdition do not believe to the saving of the soul and those who believe to the saving of the soul do not draw back to perdition.
All I hear from Jason is "do this don't do that, performance based, revolving door salvation." Prior to my conversion to Christ, while still an unbeliever attending the Roman Catholic church, I lived in fear and bondage to IN-security with absolutely NO assurance of salvation and I was MISERABLE! Only after my conversion to Christ did I experience true freedom in Christ with absolute assurance of salvation (1 John 5:11-13). Praise the Lord!![]()
The "just" shall live by faith but drawing back is not living by faith. Those who draw back did not believe to the saving of the soul. An unbeliever can draw back instead of believing to the saving of the soul. Once these Hebrews received the "knowledge" of the truth (Hebrews 10:26), they were at a crossroad and had a choice to make. They can choose to either "accept the knowledge of the truth" and believe to the saving of the soul or "reject the knowledge of the truth" and draw back to perdition.Read the passage. It says the just shall live by faith, but if any man draws back, His soul shall have no pleasure in Him. An unbeliever cannot draw back in living by faith that He never had.
Amen! I think we all agree on that. Faith is the root and works are the fruit of salvation. No fruit at all would demonstrate that there is no root.As I said before, I believe if one has the LORD (Which means they have salvation), then there will be a RESULT or there will be FRUIT of righteousness.
Did I specifically accuse you of saying that we "earn" salvation? I don't recall those exact words.I never said we earn salvation. That is your false assumption.
BECAUSE we are saved. To abide in Christ is to continue, remain.When I say we have to obey God's Commands in the New Testament it is in context to abiding in Christ and allowing Him to do the good work in you according to His Word.
How is that working out for you? The last time that I checked, you said that you have not yet overcome all sin in your life.Also, a believer is supposed to stop sinning. See 1 Peter 4:1, Galatians 5:24, Romans 6:14.
As I said before, Jesus cannot compromise His perfect, holy standard so of course He is going to say go and sin no more and not just go and sin a little bit. That is the goal to strive for but how many of us have arrived at sinless perfection? I don't hear anyone making excuses to sin all they want and think that God is okay with it.For the moment you say you won't stop sinning is to make an excuse to sin some time in the future as if it is okay to God. For Jesus said to sin no more. You either believe Him or you don't believe Him.
A drunk that wants nothing but another drink. Not interested in the bible or God. Just give me another bottle. And I don't go to the hospital, I ran out of potassium, (which put me a day or two away from death, according to the doc) and let's say I died. You're telling me God would have welcomed me into heaven?Of coarse you would of went to heaven Phil....................................
Did you really say that?You wrongly assume that the New Covenant is an agreement between God and the believer in Christ.
It's not.
The New Covenant is an agreement between God and Himself.................................
The "just" shall live by faith but drawing back is not living by faith. Those who draw back did not believe to the saving of the soul. An unbeliever can draw back instead of believing to the saving of the soul. Once these Hebrews received the "knowledge" of the truth (Hebrews 10:26), they were at a crossroad and had a choice to make. They can choose to either "accept the knowledge of the truth" and believe to the saving of the soul or "reject the knowledge of the truth" and draw back to perdition.
Sometimes when we want just a life of comfort and security, we condition ourselves to see what we want to see.
For Picard said,
"What I didn't put in the report was that at the end he gave me a choice - between a life of comfort or more torture. All I had to do was to say that I could see five lights when, in fact, there were only four."
The counselor replied,
"You didn't say it?"
Picard replied,
"No! No. But I was going to. I would have told him anything. Anything at all! But more than that, I believed that I could see five lights."
Amen! I think we all agree on that. Faith is the root and works are the fruit of salvation. No fruit at all would demonstrate that there is no root.
Did I specifically accuse you of saying that we "earn" salvation? I don't recall those exact words.
How is that working out for you? The last time that I checked, you said that you have not yet overcome all sin in your life.
As I said before, Jesus cannot compromise His perfect, holy standard so of course He is going to say go and sin no more and not just go and sin a little bit. That is the goal to strive for but how many of us have arrived at sinless perfection? I don't hear anyone making excuses to sin all they want and think that God is okay with it.
Surprising the number of folks on this board that appear to physically mature, from an age standpoint, and yet are not mature in the word much.
John 4:22-24 "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Sort of like 95% of "Christians" KNOWING they have "Discernment."Sadly.
Many people think they are in spirit. and think they have truth.
Saying you worship in spirit and truth, and even believeing you are. does not make it a reality.
Agree all you want, but that's incorrect. I speak from personal experience.
After I got saved I had many prayers answered. I had several very specific personal miracles done for me. There was no doubt in my mind, nor anyone's that knew me, that I was a believer.
Several years later, against God's advice, I remarried. 6 years later I drank myself into a coma and then spent a year in a convalescent facility.
While in that home I was able to renew my desire for His word and, thanks to His longsuffering towards me, become a member once more of the only flock that matters - Christ's.
Tell me Jason, do you think that a man that ingested nothing but whiskey for 6 weeks...no food, couldn't keep water down...no bible reading, no praying, no church, no one welcome to discuss the word in this house at that time...do you think that had I died I would have gone to heaven? Of course not. I had backslidden.
Thanks for you testimony Phil as many on here and about need to hear stories like this to understand God's grace.
He never left you nor forsake you which is why you were openly welcomed back into His fold when you gave your life back to Him. Yes what you say is very true, that if we chose to walk away from Him we are making that decision to not remain in His grace during that time. I think to many are focused or taught to only see it from one side, but refuse to look at the passages that show we make decisions regarding our salvation as well by continuing/remaining in the faith or not.
Of course you would have went to heaven.
1. Did God love you any less than when he saved you? how could he, when he saved you, you were his enemy, you were farther away from him than you would ever be the rest of your life before this time. God would have loved you even more (if you were really saved) because he already had a relationship with you.
2. Did you surprise God, and do something he did not know you were going to do when he gave you his gift of eternal life? Of Course not. God saved you KNOWING you would be a prodigal son. (if you were saved at all)
3. finally. Do you not think rather than do what Jason, KennethC and others enslaved by legalism would tell you, God would have corrected you and chastened you to bring you back to him (which is seems, this MIGHT be what he did)
Remember, God chastens those who are his. Not those who are illegitimate. (of course, you could also have just suffered from the sin of drunkenness, and punished yourself, if you were not his, and this led you back to seek him out.
The question is, if you have not found him yet, are you still looking? or do you think you already found him?
the fact you think God, as a loving father, who saved you at your worse, would not kick you out of his family when you are down in the dumps. would make me wonder seriously if you know God at all.
Number One, ask if someone on the Bridge has an Advil.
some people will just never get it, their pride is too deep.![]()