I live and breathe these scriptures. As you have said they only have application to those who are elect.
It applies to all of God's chosen but generally only those who KNOW they are chosen and who understand what being chosen means [as opposed to those who choose themselves] only these tend to make fair weather of these precious truths.
If someone is resting upon God's choice he is steadfast and sure for God makes no mistakes, if he is resting upon his own choosing this is sinking sand for we choose one day and choose not the next. Double minded, tossed to and fro, unsure, unstable. Planted one day but uprooted the next. Saved today but come Christmas who knows?
No wonder such folks as these fall at every obstacle.
That's why I said "KNOW"
amen brother I never have doubted that about you can tell from reading your posts where you stand
I agree with what you had said I was just adding to it .
this part
“Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”
1 John 3:2-3, 6-10 KJV
is not where one begins it’s the result of what you began saying because as you know it’s also a process Christ called any and all by sending out the gospel to all People
those who reject his calling and those who receive his calling with joy and peace in our hearts is the difference
we do have a choice that it’s capacity grows each day we have been made free now and can choose the good
Christ has given us a choice in choosing us so we then have a choice between spirit and flesh as
free men
“For, brethren,
ye have been called unto liberty; only
use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
Galatians 5:13
we are free to use the linerty we have been given to serve God or serve the flesh it becomes a choice once one receives the spirit we can heed and follow or reject and stifle our own growth and destroy our own soul.
“Dearly
beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
…For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.”
1 Peter 2:11, 15-16
I believe we’re meant to be growing and following after these perfect things in our life though we will never actually attain perfection we always will
Have another step to take
It doesn’t matter how far we actually get what matters is we begin to recognize satans voice and Gods voice both are calling us as we recognize who’s who believers are going to choose the right path we become followers of the lord