My view is that this OSAS vs non-OSAS nonsense is just like the baptism debate, its a SELF-INFLICTED wound on Christianity.
The baptism debate stems from people not getting baptized right away, as was the case in apostolic times. If we baptized immediately, the debate would die down, but sadly its like being in a deposition to get baptized in some churches.
The OSAS vs non-OSAS debate stems from a MISUNDERSTANDING of descriptive vs prescriptive texts. Example verse:
Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Prescriptive reading goes: "You have to hold fast to be saved, you have to do that to become His house"
Descriptive reading goes: "Those who are of the house WILL indeed hold fast the confidence they have"
Instead of being a condition, its an ENCOURAGING passage of HOPE if read in the descriptive way.
For anyone who wants to argue that its the WRONG way to read texts like these: It CANT BE, because God knows the future, we can all agree on that. Why would God bother giving eternal life to someone who wont "make it" in the works salvation view of things? Plus, this reading is the only way to reconcile John 10:28, Romans 8:28ff, John 5:24 and many more eternal security verses. Those verses CANNOT be reconciled to the prescriptive reading of DoItYourself IKEA salvation!
The baptism debate stems from people not getting baptized right away, as was the case in apostolic times. If we baptized immediately, the debate would die down, but sadly its like being in a deposition to get baptized in some churches.
The OSAS vs non-OSAS debate stems from a MISUNDERSTANDING of descriptive vs prescriptive texts. Example verse:
Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Prescriptive reading goes: "You have to hold fast to be saved, you have to do that to become His house"
Descriptive reading goes: "Those who are of the house WILL indeed hold fast the confidence they have"
Instead of being a condition, its an ENCOURAGING passage of HOPE if read in the descriptive way.
For anyone who wants to argue that its the WRONG way to read texts like these: It CANT BE, because God knows the future, we can all agree on that. Why would God bother giving eternal life to someone who wont "make it" in the works salvation view of things? Plus, this reading is the only way to reconcile John 10:28, Romans 8:28ff, John 5:24 and many more eternal security verses. Those verses CANNOT be reconciled to the prescriptive reading of DoItYourself IKEA salvation!
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