Thanks Mike,
Right division is the probably one of the most difficult truths for me to grasp, and it took years for me personally to fully re-learn what I had  thought was required of me. I battled with self-loathing and self- condemnation to the point of losing all hope...i knew something about this was dreadfully wrong, but we trust those sometimes that we should not be trusting with something this important.
Most people would think that believing in once saved always saved is akin to a school kid who pulls straight " F 's " and still passes all grades ( and probably does anyway in our liberal pamper them and let them do-nothing school system), but anyway I felt led to share a helpful( hopefully) section that I believe supports our view.
2 Ti. 2 : 10- 15

10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.


Paul basically preached the cross and Christ crucified..get 'em saved, and let The Lord sort 'em out. He knew that so many lives depended on his faithfulness and stewardship of the gospel of the grace of God.


11 [It is] a faithful saying: For if we be dead with [him], we shall also live with [him]:


Obviously when we're saved the Spirit regenerates us so that where we were spiritually dead in Adam, we have we have newness of life and redemption through His blood NOW from all sin, having been declared dead with Him( sin has no power over a dead man) & sealed with the Holy Ghost, our soul no more is vulnerable to condemnation.

The difference for them in the early Acts period before Paul and the Gospel of Grace of God, which is the same as the great Tribulation, is that  1 ) The Kingdom was / will be at hand.  2) They only had/ will have remission of sins of the past. 3) they were not/ will not be sealed( except the 144, 000). 4 ) Their soul had not/ will not be circumcised from their flesh, they can fall away, lose the Spirit, and be condemned if they do not endure, bear fruit, obey, bless Israel, etc.


Their benefit is they will have Angels, signs and wonders and miracles and manifestations of The Lord helping and empowering them. All we have now is faith( which is in part a gift), the written word, the witness of the indwelling Spirit, and the body that surrounds us..but faith and division of truth are vital.

   

12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with [him]: if we deny [him], he also will deny us:


Obviously suffering and performing gets you greater status and authority in heaven and earth. Denial for a lost man is obvious, denial for a believer is unclear, but probably won't get you an atta boy .


13 If we believe not, [yet] he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.


So if He cannot deny Himself, it would be a given that if we have His Indwelling Spirit( sealed, non-remissible ), we will not be denied access nor entrance.



14 Of these things put [them] in remembrance, charging [them] before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, [but] to the subverting of the hearers.


15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.


Thanks for the great letters and corresponding support Mike


Lord Bless, and please come soon


Alan T