Once Saved, Always Saved - Not According to This Lady Who Went to Hell

[claysmithr]

claysmithr wrote:
How about this logic: Only God knows the future and who will apostatize. We are spiritually alive until we are spiritually dead. A Christian possesses eternal life and if they finish their race they will inherit it. A Christian who doesn't finish the race and dies spiritually will not inherit it. Mystery solved.

RickD wrote:
So, in this scenario, what exactly does one have to do, or not do, to “finish the race”.

claysmithr wrote:
Die as a Christian to finish the race.

What I mean is how in this scenario, does one remain a Christian? What does one have to do, or not do, to insure that one remains a Christian until death?

Keep the faith and not apostatize, it's really quite simple.

So, in other words, your view of (keeping)salvation is based on our performance, not on God’s promise to keep us secure?

Not performance, as if it was something we can earn, faith is a gift, but in order to receive the gift you have to accept it. It's a matter of spiritual life and death. If you are a Christian and renounce the Christian faith before you die and never return to the faith as a prodigal son, that's spiritual death that will lead to the second death. While the person is alive there is always hope for their life. After death, the deal is sealed. The bible calls us to keep the faith until the end, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, and to run the race until the finish line.

[claysmithr]

See what Dr. Michael Heiser thinks about this debate about whether salvation can be lost: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=43450

[RickD]

claysmithr wrote:
Not performance, as if it was something we can earn, faith is a gift, but in order to receive the gift you have to accept it.

Faith is a gift? The Bible says that eternal life is a gift, but faith?

If you are a Christian and renounce the Christian faith before you die and never return to the faith as a prodigal son, that's spiritual death that will lead to the second death.

So, you’re saying that our sin of renouncing the Christian Faith is more powerful than God’s promise to keep those who are his? If God can’t keep those that He said he would, is God a liar?

The bible calls us to keep the faith until the end

This is a cherry picked verse that has nothing to do with individual salvation/eternal life.

to work out our salvation with fear and trembling

This verse doesn’t mean we have to work to KEEP our salvation. God has already done everything to accomplish that, through Christ’s atoning work.

and to run the race until the finish line.

Again, this isn’t about keeping ourselves saved.