Then I will leave it to God to determine if they were ever saved in the first place.
I also believe that people, even after choosing to believe in Jesus and accept his grace, can still choose to walk away, or apostatize, if you will.
I guess we disagree. As I think I mentioned previously, I believe once one has been saved, that person has received eternal life, not life as long as they do the right things.
“I guess we disagree. As I think I mentioned previously, I believe once one has been saved, that person has received eternal life, not life as long as they do the right things.”
Yes, of course we disagree. I don’t know if you mentioned it that way, but it is a given, considering your OSAS position. However, your assessment of my position is still wrong. I don’t believe eternal salvation is something that occurs as one experience in time, as in the utterance of the sinner’s prayer. It is not a past tense issue. Salvation is something that is happening from the moment we believe in Jesus Christ, and start following his commandments. Jesus said it first when he told us who his brothers and sisters and mothers are. Saving faith is something that continues as we follow his commandments. It isn’t a works test. It is a decision to remain faithful.
“Then I will leave it to God to determine if they were ever saved in the first place.”
This sounds good, and it is certainly true that God makes that determination, but it shouldn’t be used as an excuse to reject the negative to a positive. For instance, when a Christian goes astray, and a brother brings him back to the fold, the angels celebrate, and a multitude of sins are covered over. Why? If not for the possibility of the brother being lost? The master leaves the whole flock to find the one lost sheep, risky business if the one sheep couldn’t really be lost. However, if it is comforting to you to say that that sheep was never really a part of the flock, so be it. I think God is a real God who has created a real universe and made us real, able to make real choices, have real freewill, so our relationship with Him will be real. The nature of that relationship can be summed up by what Jesus said when He told us who his mothers, brothers and sisters are.