Dear VCO,
I did not read all of your post as I said I did not have much time. I have more now. My apologies for my lack of time.
Now, you are in my age category which is nice. In those many decades of being among Christians, do you see that they keep the commands of God and the are not a burden? Do you see a greater degree of keeping the commandments, that is, the ones who have been saved decades find it easy to keep the commandments and this is noticeable? If your position is correct, this is what we ought to see in all Christians. Do you see this?
I am not far behind you in age and I am sorry about the loss of your wife, by the way. I have not seen an increase in holiness or sanctification in the older believers. I am trained in science and so test theories in real life. The OSAS idea that believers simply WILL love God and really want to do the commandments in real life is not something that stands out from observation. The responses I get from OSAS believers has been demonstrated on this site already. Their posts to non-OSAS believers is very nasty and personally insulting. There is no love nor forgiveness nor tolerance and I can only say I am glad we are not in the same room together. They come at me with a verbal 2 by 4. And this is the most common response.
What does it show me? The fruit of OSAS is bad. If one thought about it, one can see why. Make God responsible for our obedience (sanctification) and, of course, obedience is rare. (He does not accept that responsibility.) If there were no penalty for breaking traffic laws or we lived by the idea that when you get a license you will naturally want to follow the traffic laws, well, you can imagine the outcome.
You seem rather civil so I will point out that I am not talking about working for salvation but for some reason, the OSAS believers think that anytime anyone suggest one needs to obey God, that is what they instantly jump to and accuse me of saying. My conclusion is OSAS builds up a blindness in those who embrace it such that they can only see Once Saved Always Saved or Works Salvation. That is it. If one is not in one category then one is the other. This too is a bad fruit of the theology.
Well, thanks for taking time to read this. Again, I have never told anyone in my life to work for salvation. What I say is that one will never know God unless there is obedience in the life. If one is not submitted to Him in real deeds and words done and left not done, He will not share his ways with that person. They can go to Heaven but they will not understand God. I have no idea what kind of label is to be put on that but it is not Works Salvation.
Wow, every step you said about OSAS Christians, is absolutely TRUE from my experience, about those who want to WORK for they SALVATION, and that is FUTILE. The Multiple Evangelical type of Churches teach OBEDIENCE is a By-Product of LOVING HIM WITH AGAPE LOVE. I have never found an evangelical type of CHURCH that teaches it differently. I have been here almost three years, and most are Evangelicals. I go to a Conservative Evangelical Community Church that teaches OSAS. Look at how means pages we have had in the last for years. You seem to be almost a OSAS believer, incognito. LOL, either way you do not seem to be like the off the wall, disciples (only Followers), who think their OBEDIENCE EARNS THEIR RIGHT TO SALVATION. I have no problem talking to them about Obedience, but I always like it to the AGAPE LOVE that HE PUT IN OUR HEARTS. Salvation happens in an instant, and Sanctification takes a lifetime.
Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)
6 I am sure of this, that
He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3:5 (HCSB)
5 ⌊It is⌋
not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.
Philippians 2:13 (HCSB)
13
For it is God who is working in you, ⌊enabling you⌋ both to desire and to work out His good purpose.
I think you got off on the wrong foot, and they perceived you as one teaching works Righteousness. We have had a LOT OF THEM, and their bad theology, gets very repetitive and sickening at times.
I need to figure where you are come from, so what type of Church do you attend ?
You believe a Christian has a sin nature in them, don't you?
I prefer to confront this will, who think they quite sinning:
1 Peter 2:13-17 (NKJV)
13 Therefore
submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and
for the praise of those who do good.
15
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--
16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
17 Honor all
people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
James 2:10 (NIV)
10 For whoever keeps the whole law
and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
AND THAT IS THE one point of SIN, according to James 2:10, that makes you GUILTY OF ALL THE LAW.
No quicker way to convince them they are still sinners, with a sin nature.