Hello, John and Doves,

 

A word of encouragement about your salvation:

 

For those who have considered that,

    "...[I]t may be possible to backslide (a major understatement!) to such a degree that someone does not want to keep the priceless and everlasting gift that the Lord has given, so if that person chooses – because of free will – to actually give it back and be in a state of rejection of all that God is at the point of death, that person will not go to heaven,"  [See my highlighting in Steve's post, below.]

 

I would like to remind you of the words of Jesus

that He spoke before He went to the Cross of Calvary:

 

    "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."  John 10:29

 

This means that the person who is saved cannot himself snatch himself out of the Father's hand.

"No one" means not one.  Not you, not me, not Slewfoot-hoof-in-mouth, not your parents, not your childhood enemy, not the Antichrist, not Obama, not Prince William, not Santa Closet [the bogeyman], not King Herod, not Captain Kirk, not Scotty, etc.,etc..  Period.  End of story.

 

For it is written,

    "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me

I will in no wise cast out."  John 6:37

 

The top secret, for eyes only, meaning of eternal security of the believer is......wait for it.........

"eternal security of the believer."

 

If you are merely hanging onto The Branch [Jeremiah 33:15] in a rain-swollen river, then you are

"standing firm."  Standing firm means "Who's you're Daddy [read:  Abba, Father]?"

 

Jesus says,

    "I and [my] Father are one."  John 10:30

 

Also,

    "At that day ye shall know that I [am] in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."  John 14:20

 

Talk about Nirvana!!!

 

Nirvāna (Sanskrit: निर्वाण; Pali: निब्बान (nibbāna); Prakrit: णिव्वाण) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering (or dukkha). In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha. The word literally means "blowing out" — referring, in the Hindu context, to the supreme state free of suffering and individual existence^{[citation needed]}, and in the Buddhist context, to the blowing out of the fires of greed, hatred, and delusion.^[1]  [from Wikipedia]

 

Is this hidden proof that Yom Teruah [Hebrew, lit:  Day of Blowing] will be our Nirvana [Sanskrit,

lit:  blowing out]?

 

 

In HaShem,

Mike C.

________________________________________________________________________________

 

Steve (3 March 2011)
"Holiness, salvation, grace...."

---

Dear Doves

 

I am so grateful to Ola, Charmaine and Cary  because they reflect God’s word and His righteousness so well.

 

I have no doubt at all that we are SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH and NOTHING CAN EVER CAUSE US TO LOSE THAT SALVATION.

 

In my opinion, this presupposes that however sinful we have been since the moment of our salvation, we actually want to remain saved in spite of our inability to avoid succumbing to temptation.

 

However, I think it may be possible to backslide (a major understatement!) to such a degree that someone does not want to keep the priceless and everlasting gift that the Lord has given, so if that person chooses – because of free will – to actually give it back and be in a state of rejection of all that God is at the point of death, that person will not go to heaven.

 

Of course it is possible to say such a person was not really saved in the first place, or that it simply can’t happen, but this then begs the question: what category of person is being talked about in the bible, where Paul says that some people (eg Gal 5 v19 – 21) will not inherit the Kingdom of God..... Are they all unregenerate? I don’t think so, given the context in which he is speaking.

 

What about Mark 13 v13 where “all who stand firm to the end will be saved”

 

Love to my brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

Steve