If Paul is warning, it must be important.
I agree that Hebrews 6 is for the Jews going back to Judaism; however, we can also go back
to our previous unsaved life. There are some that do this.
I disagree and I believe the scripture does also
A dog returns to his vomit (unsaved life) a dog was always a dog. and like the jew who trusted the law could not come to faith in Christ and returned to what they were, the dog (sinner) returns to what he really is, a sinner.
John said whoever sins (whoever lives in sin) has never seen or known God. so if a Person could go back to sin, then there will be people who did know God (when they were saved) and now, are living in sin again, Which makes John a liar. John also said they were never of us,,
The same author of Hebrews makes it clear, we are not of those who return to perdition.
Hebrews 10:39
But
we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but
of those who believe to the saving
of the soul.
Again, the argument in Heb 6 is against those who say we can lose salvation and be saved again, by what we do (in this case, the animal sacrifice) the argument is one, they can not lose salvation, if if they COULD, they could never be saved again.
So what do you think persons are MOVING AWAY from?
Obviously it's their faith.
Its the gospel They never had faith, if they did, they would not move away, which is my point, and believe the author of Hebrews point.
People change their mind for many reasons.
But let's use scriptue:
We are talking about our eternal destiny here, Not about our faith that if I sleep with this or that person outside of marraige I will be struck dead or something.
People do not come to the point they are totally broken, receive their salvation by calling out to God as the tax collector. experience the love of God by the spirit coming into us, and having his word revealed to us and opening our eyes. only to change our mind and all of a sudden say they did not really believe they were really broken or needed saved., and tell God never mind, they do not need saved they got it.
Here Paul is speaking of THE CHOSEN (us):
2 Timothy 2:10-13
10For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.
1. Paul said he is enduring for the sake of the people who need to hear the message and be saved themselves. working out his salvation as he said in another passage
11It is a trustworthy statement:
For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
Take a look at this, when did we die with him? Was it not back when we were saved? And what does it say, if this happened WE WILL LIVE.
That is eternal security
12If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
Yes, If we endure WITH HIM, we will REIGN
This tells me there may be some in heaven that will not reign, they will be relegated to lower positions.
But again, Look at what he said first. I died the moment I was saved and was born again, I will live, there is no conditions there, it is a promise, a statement of fact.
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
If we deny him, we are an antichrist, what is an antichrist but one who deny's christ.
John tells us this in John 2: 22
Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
And what did he say about them?
again in 1 John 2: 18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the[
d] Antichrist is coming,
even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
These people who were with us in the chuch, who have left, and deny Christ, were never of us, they were never saved.
John even says we are not of them We have the anointing they did not recieve
1 John 2: 20
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you[e] know all things. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
so these people will be deny's by christ, because they were never of him, they rejected him and never came to saving faith.
13If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Here again is key, If we become faithless, he remains faithul, He can not deny himself. If he would deny us salvation after giving it to us based on his grace and mercy, then deny it, He would deny himself. Because he went back on his own promise.
John meant the gnostics EG.
Let's be intellectually honest here.
He was concerned about gnosticism before he died, it had already crept into the church.
If you want to hold to this view. you will not understand John at all.
He was honest about the truth, What he says applys to us today, and every day, just like what Paul said to the jew applies to us.
The gnostics claimed they had no sin, they were decieved. Yes, But I know christians who claim they have no sin, they are just as guilty and decieved as the gnostics were
This is NOT what Jesus taught.
Jesus taught that persons could BELIEVE FOR A WHILE and then fall away:
Luke 8:13
13“Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.
Did they produce fruit? No
Did they have true saving faith? No
Were they saved? No.
A person who is truly saved will work, they will produce fruit. because they have been born of God.
non of the other three were attached to the vine, their root was dry because it had no root to establish their faith. their faith was dead.
The above is your PERSONAL experience.
Not everyone has YOUR experience.
Some fall away from their faith, as the NT teaches.
Then as John says, they were never of us,, If they were of us, they never would have left.
I cannot make the word contradict itself.
Paul and Jesus are not speaking about falling away from THE CHURCH.
There was no church at the time.
The church has been in existance since the begining of time, the word church comes from the word Ekklesia, which means a gathering, Israel would be called the oT church, People were gathering together in Pauls and Jesus day, that is the church.
sadly the church has forgot its own roots. Church is not a building, jesus said where two or three are gathered there I am also
They teach about not falling away from faith because our very soul is at stake.
James 5:19-20
19My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Then we are saved by works. If you think you can earn salvation. I guess go for it
I cannot make the word contradict itself. And I will never look God in the eye and say I am worthy, Because I woukd be the most decieved person alive
We have eternal life for as long as we remain in Christ.
Then we do not have eternal life, we have conditional life, In another thread I spoke of how we need to look to the definition of the word.
The word eternal life literally means I will live forever.
I gave you verses up above.
Responded
Exactly. You must reconcile verses that SEEM to be different.
I have,
I do this, but it makes no difference to you or anyone that believes in OSAS....
however, it's a very dangerous teaching.
You have not. In your interretation words do not have their same meaning, and the word contradicts.
John said we have etrrnal life. You said we may not have eternal life or we have conditional life. just one example.
You cannot earn it,
but you must take care of it.
Taking care of it would be earning it.
I wish I could convince you of that basic truth.