Like I told mailmandan 10,000 times, I am not saying the Galatians have lost their salvation, yet. Obviously, since Paul is trying to bring them back to faith in Christ, God has not cast them away, yet. But they have definitely fallen away from their faith in Christ. There is no doubt about that. Paul plainly said that:
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. - Galatians 5:4
If they resisted Paul's call for them to come back to faith in Christ, that is when God would have turned them over to their unbelief and closed the door to them coming back to Christ. One day we will see if they came back, or not..
They've fallen away from GRACE, not their faith in Christ.
They've tried to ADD to the work of Christ in order to be MORE Righteous or MORE Saved.
They've walked away from the continuing power of Christ in order to establish their own works.
A
TRULY saved person will recognize instantly the error of this way.
Otherwise, there would be no point in Paul instructing them.
No, actually, what it is I'm just reading the plain words of scripture.
OSAS is the doctrine that requires so many scriptures to not really mean what they say.
That's a big reason I finally abandoned that doctrine altogether. I couldn't honestly continue to say so many scriptures don't really mean what they say..
You couldn't honestly understand what the Scripture says as a whole. And so you twist it continually to try and make scripture go against God and faith in Christ.
You have been programmed by OSAS to only be able to think that anyone who says you can lose your salvation has to believe that salvation is earned by works. But I've made it very clear that what I'm saying is you have to continue to believe in Christ to continue to be saved. And last time I checked, believing in Christ is not among the works that Paul said can not justify. But if you want to set me straight on that, please do, with chapter and verse..
You have to?
How could a person stop believing in something that they truly believe in?
Have you tried it?
Just as an exercise, stop believing in Gravity. Even though you know all the evidence for gravity existing, just try to stop believing in it. Tell me what happens.
Don't tell me. Tell whoever these people are that say salvation is earned by works.
I'm saying salvation is secured and kept by continuing in the believing you started out in.
And Paul made it abundantly clear that believing in Christ is not a work for which God owes you payment.
Believing in Christ for salvation is not the works gospel.
But, like I say, if I'm wrong about that, set me straight with chapter and verse.
You're wrong about your assertion that a person that is Saved by Christ could just stop believing one day.
Salvation is NOT kept and secured by an act of YOUR will. Salvation is kept and secured by an Act of Gods Will.
Huge, giant difference.
Romans 9:16-21
16 So then
it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore
hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Ephesians 2:4-9
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
If you are Saved, that Salvation came from God. Everything that is required for that Salvation is provided by God as His Gift. Including belief in and perseverance in Christ.
OTHERWISE, you have people saving themselves by an act of their own will.
EXTREMELY SIMPLE.
I suppose if you understood even the simplest of scripture I wouldn't have to keep showing you.
How about this one. Just try to focus on this for a few minutes and see what you come up with;
Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
You know the flesh, right? Your understanding. Your will. Your work.
The correct understanding of just this ONE verse should show you WHO is responsible for Salvation and who Keeps you Saved.
By having the understanding that there is something IN ADDITION to Christ that YOU need to do in order to stay saved is the SAME MISTAKE that those who fell away from Grace made.
1
