Matthew 24

What, exactly, are you trying to tell me?

I understand if you don't want to talk about it anymore. Some people just don't like to probe issues as much as others.
"I understand" as in "no problem".

Theoretically speaking here, Nothing found in the literal Word of God should ever deceive a true Follower of Christ. And that Truth has been evident for the past 2,000 years. But, within that past 2,000 years, and even more recent within the last 500 and 200 years, Doctrines not found discussed by Christ, the Apostles, even the Church Fathers have been popping up left and right. And then more recent, within the past 50 years, we've seen Doctrines that dealt with Wealth, Healing, Name it Claim it, the revived Grace Message [License to Sin/God created 2 types of people, 1 for Heaven, 1 for Hell]. And most recently, the Seeker Friendly Movement has swarmed to the surface.

Now, those ^ Movements have been extremely damaging.

Grant it, we have the New Age Movements, the Universal Love Movement, and Scientology, but those fade and you don't hear of them for awhile.

Then we have Mormonism and Jehova Witnesses, but they don't recruit well and are only continuing because people are born into it and remain and have children and the cycle continues.

But no doubt, there is a Movement coming, that will shake the Core and Thin the Ranks. Time will tell, but I believe we won't have to wait very long for it to birth itself onto the scene.

But no doubt, there is a Movement coming, that will shake the Core and Thin the Ranks. Time will tell, but I believe we won't have to wait very long for it to birth itself onto the scene.

I love all that you wrote. Your words are smooth, soft, and gentle. That is an amazing quality . . . BTW: My "Good grief" was not directed to you." I see that you're a "new member." Welcome!

After claiming that we are Saved by Christ, our lives dive deeper into depravity (we become worse than before we were "saved") such as frequenting strip clubs, getting drunk wasted while there, being emotionally abusive to our wives and children . . . porn addiction etc . . .

Would you say that this is a failed test? Would this mean that a person remains deceived, that they are actually [not] saved?

Thank you for your warm welcome and kind words! I hope that my posts will continue to be inspiring to those who read them.

Speaking of inspiration, here is a quote that has stuck with me from a sermon I heard once:

"When I look to Jesus I cannot be lost, but when I look to myself I cannot be saved."

We as human beings get very distracted by looking at ourselves and can easily lose sight of what actually saves us. It is not our own effort, but the gift of God working through us each and every day. It is that relationship we develop over time with Jesus as we read the Bible and pray and get to know Him better.

Salvation is not just a one-time decision. There are several steps involved. First there is the conversion experience where we are saved from the penalty of sin. This is the point when we realize what Jesus did on the cross for us and decide to start a life-long journey with Him out of gratitude. Then comes the lifelong process of being saved from the power of sin. This is where developing that relationship with Jesus changes our attitudes from just gratitude to something much deeper where we want to do everything in our power to please God. In return God gives us that sweet freedom of no longer desiring those sinful habits that used to hurt us. This is a daily process with lots of falls and bumps along the way as we learn to let God handle our weaknesses on our behalf. Just because some bumps are encountered along the way does not mean that salvation is automatically off the table for us. It is the overall journey and willingness and trust in Jesus to allow Him to pick up the pieces that makes the difference in the end. The third step happens after we go to heaven and are saved from the presence of sin. This is where we have the assurance of never facing that enemy again. The choice of salvation can be made at each step along the way and God will never override that decision. Imagine what heaven would be like for people who don't want to be there and don't want to have anything to do with Jesus. It would be a miserable place and a life of eternal torment, which is not salvation at all for anyone.

In short salvation is comprised of the 3 ps: Salvation from the penalty, power, and presence of sin.



Salvation is a gift that is freely offered to each and every one of us. But it is our choice to make every day if we want that gift. If we consciously and persistently choose to no longer pursue that relationship with God, than we are no longer experiencing salvation; not because that is what God wants for us, but it is what we want for ourselves.

Good good. I'm glad to see that it wasn't a "jab."

By the way, I grew up on 8th street, just up from the Guemes Island ferry terminal. Cruise up the hill, turn right on 8th and I was in the third house on the left. Love that place.

Bible

The OP was a copy...paste job from some thing, what was it? The Bible is not written that way......sorry

The OP was a copy...paste job from some thing, what was it? The Bible is not written that way......sorry

It seems to reason that a person who realizes they could be wrong . . . well . . . they are after the Truth. Nothing should be more important than possessing the Truth. Being correct in our understandings of our Powerful God is infinitely more important than simply being right.

The difference is capitalization and punctuation.

I'm certain you intend to imply more, but you haven't stated it, so I'll state it for you: someone who has not put their faith in the Person and finished work of Jesus Christ is not a Christian. Openness to explore controversial ideas is not among the criteria.

Christians may be open- or closed-minded about many things, without being deceived. Christians may also be deceived about many things. Emotionally mature Christians are more likely to tolerate discussion of controversial ideas without getting emotionally involved. Unfortunately, many people mistake openness to discussion for assent or agreement.