Post by Les Brewer on Feb 10, 2012 14:01:26 GMT
Good morning to all,I pray that today finds you in good health and true happiness.May God richly bless you all! Of late there has been a lot of buzz,at least from my perspective,about whether or not a christian can backslide.The question is:Can a born again christian ( there's only one kind of christian,the born again ...kind) backslide into a sinful lifestyle again,and continue in this way,even to the point of dying,and still make it into heaven? The correct question should be: Is salvation conditional or un-conditional? Which leads to another question: Is man truly a free moral agent? According to the Hyper-Calvanistic view,man has no choice in the matter when it comes to his being chosen by God to be saved.They teach that we are secure in the choice God makes,and therefore,do not need to worry about whether or not we live a godly life or a life of sin and debauchery.Following this train of thought,if God chooses a person to be saved,and they are saved,this same person could even go as far as becoming an atheist in his life,or a Satan worshipper,or any other kind of reprobate,and in the end still go to heaven when they die.Because "once saved always saved" is the mindset.The question then becomes: Does the Bible really teach,"once saved always saved"? The second question of whether or not man is a free moral agent,will ultimately become part of the first contention,or question.Is salvation conditional or un-conditional?Common sense must lead us to one or the other for an answer,but it cannot be both.Does man play a part in his salvation,and if so,what part does he play.What,if any,is man's part of the responsibility in the matter? Another question that could be asked is: Which person in the Scriptures is described as a tyrant,one who forces his followers to submit to his will,and which person in the Scriptures is a kind,benevolent master who wills us to follow them,but does not force them against their will? According to the Armenian view,salvation is a choice of the individual,once God has dealt with their sinful condition,covicted them of sin and the need for them to choose Jesus Christ,man is given the choice to follow God in a voluntary relationship,enjoying all the benefits afforded to them,through the atoning sacrifice of His Son. The Hyper-Armenian view is,everytime a person commits a sin,they are lost again and need to be saved all over again,or,be born again again.Is this view based in Scripture? I would like to address these questions and a few of my own in several posts,for the purpose of stimulating thought in others,and to possibly clear up some error concerning these views and to hopefully expunge the character of God which ultimately is affected when we have a misconception of the truth of God's word.I will quickly add,God does not need me to defend His character,His is spotless,mine is not. These questions are food for thought,so until tomorrow,God bless you all and have a great day!..........JW
