Re: ES Is Attested to By Bible & Ancient "Church Fathers"
Atwood commented on how to live the Christian LIfe:
"It starts with faith & continues by faith."
this is a quote from your statement above. Why do you not follow this statement, scriptual and a direct denial of OSAS. You have some misunderstanding that this supports OSAS/ES and it does not. It is as direct a refution of OSAS as there can be in scripture.
False Cassian, I was not discussing how to obtain eternal life. Eternal life is something that is attained the moment one trusts Christ as Savior.
Eternal life is something Christ gives His sheep, and they do not perish. Having a new nature & Eternal Life (security) does not obviate the need to trust the Lord in concrete situations, nor does it ensure that we never sin in this life.
As I posted, neither salvation to being born again, nor living the Christian life, is lived on the power of exerting one's will to do commandments.
If the Christian life begins & continues by faith, that says nothing about "losing salvation" or failing to obtain eternal life. There is no refutation of eternal security in that. And no verse in the Bible speaks of losing salvation.
Now you run on making dogmatic assertions without quoting one verse of scripture. This is Sola Cassiana, and falls like a thud.
Many believers have fallen as scripture proclaims
No verse ever says that a man who believes in the Lord Jesus as His Savior for eternal life ever stops believing in Christ as His Savior for eternal life. And you don't quote one.
Back to Soteriology 101: INSTANT SALVATION
Instant Salvation in Past Tense
“Your faith
has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)
th Zacchaeus.
Jesus said to him, “
Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” (Luke 19:9)
Evidence of Zacc's instant salvation is found in his instant statement:
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:8)
Cornelius was
instantly saved when he trusted the Lord Jesus, and no water baptism was needed nor
joining any Eastern or Western organization. (see Acts 10:43-48). Compare this to what Peter said in Acts 15:11: We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that
we are saved, just as they are. (Acts 15:11)
Consider Eph 2:5 [God] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace
you have been saved.
Is there any hint of an extended process between dead & alive? Salvation is a change from death to life, with no intermediate zombie state. 2 Cor 5: Old things are passed away, behold all has become new. It is all or nothing here.
In addressing Tim on common salvation, prophet Paul remarks to Tim how the Christian's salvation is past. There is no future to transpire before Paul and Tim should call themselves saved.
[the Lord God]
who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, - 2 Tim 1:9
Again, prophet Paul wrote in Titus the truth that we presently regard ourselves as saved in the past.
he [God]
saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5)
The future continued salvation state after belief is guaranteed by the past justification by the blood of the Lord Jesus.
Since
we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Rom 5:9) Now how is anyone going to be half-way justified? You either are or you are not. The transition must be instante.
Instant Salvation Is Realized in Present Time
John 5:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes [present tense] him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but
has passed from death to life.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may
know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:12,13)
There is a clear dichotomy: You either have or have not the Son of God with eternal life. The change must be instantaneous. Eternal life is a present possession for the believer, not just a future reward.
Salvation is clearly presented as a present reality:
Men are divided clearly into two groups, believers and non-believers, the saved & the perishing.
he who believes has everlasting life. (John 6:47)
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18)
For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those
who are being saved and those who are perishing. (2 Cor 2:15)
It is clear the whosoever believes in Him has everlasting life and does not come into condemnation. This salvation must be instantaneous in that it is a new birth, a recreation and only depends upon trusting the SAvior (not the chance-giver). One either is a saint or an ain't. The moment a non-believer becomes a believer, he must be saved, for scripture guarantees salvation to the believer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. It is clear that the Philippian jailer was at once saved, for he believed.
Soteriology 102
INTRO TO DOCTRINE OF SALVATION (SOTERIOLOGY)
A. IMPORTANCE OF CORRECTNESS
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
B. TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN Rom 1-3
Much of our understanding of salvation is influenced by our understanding the man is totally depraved. There is none who does good, no not one. Even the ploughing of the unsaved farmer expresses his sinfulness because of his selfish motive, not done to glorify God. Total Depravity does not mean that every man is as evil as he cud be, but that all of his being is affected by sin & nothing he does is good before God. < Rom 3: "There is none that doeth good, no not one."
C. GOD'S PROVISION IS TOTAL & COMPLETE
On the cross Christ said, "It is finished."
Romans 8 ends with an unbreakable chain:
"For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
Romans 8: "He who spared not His own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things."
Gal: "Grace to you..from God the Father & our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, THAT HE MIGHT DELIVER US OUT OF THIS PRESENT EVIL AGE, according to the will of our God & Father"
D. 3 TENSES OF SALVATION: past, present, future.
1. Past Salvation.
Believers were saved from the guilt & penalty of sin.
The Christian can rightly say after He trusts Christ as savior, "I was saved."
2 Tim 1:8-9 For God did not give us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power & love & discipline. Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, not of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of
God; who SAVED us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose & grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal,
Eph 2 "God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead thru our trespasses, made us alive together w/ Christ (by grace
you have been saved) & raised us up w/ him & made us to sit w/ him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace
you HAVE BEEN SAVED thru faith; & that [salvation] not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not of works that no man should glory.
2. Present Salvation:
We have deliverance from the Power of Sin.
1 Cor 1:18: ""For the word of the cross is to them who perish foolishness; but to us who
ARE BEING SAVED it is the power of God."
2 Cor 2:15: " For we are a sweet savor of Christ to God, in them WHO ARE BEING SAVED, and in them who arfe perishing; to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ."
While a depraved child of Adam inevitably sins, a born-again Christian does not have to sin. A way of escape is always made for him. 1 Cor 10:13: There has no temptation taken you but such as man can bear; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
3. Future Salvation:
We shall be saved from the presence of indwelling Sin, be glorified, and live in bliss with the Lord forever.
But God commendS his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood,
we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life;
Rom 8 He Who spared not His Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him
freely give us all things.
This, beloved, is eternal security!
Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.