Religiondumb

[Saxon]

Hello Saxon,

I must first say that I believe that when a person is truly born again it is eternal, no losing your salvation. What happens if a Christian stops doing what God expects him to do? It's a hard question to answer, if you are ***uming disobedience then fellowship with God is affected and perhaps we have a situation similar to the prodigal son, still a son but no longer receiving the benefits normally given to one in the family.

The prodigal son is an excellent situation that answers the question. Disobedience to God is sin. The wages of sin is still death unless Romans 6:23 has been rescinded. When the son took his part of the inheritance and departed from the Father he was not being obedient to the will of the father and sinned against him. Luke 15:24 is clear that the son was not simply out of fellowship, but he was dead. He may have still been a son but he was a dead son. His act of repentance restored him to life and to the Father.

Two questions for you; When you get saved, what is eternal, life for you? Ultimately, what is Eternal Life?

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

Luke 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

[disciple]

Originally Posted by Saxon

The prodigal son is an excellent situation that answers the question. Disobedience to God is sin. The wages of sin is still death unless Romans 6:23 has been rescinded. When the son took his part of the inheritance and departed from the Father he was not being obedient to the will of the father and sinned against him. Luke 15:24 is clear that the son was not simply out of fellowship, but he was dead. He may have still been a son but he was a dead son. His act of repentance restored him to life and to the Father.

Two questions for you; When you get saved, what is eternal, life or you? Ultimately, what is Eternal Life?

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

Luke 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

I will try to answer both your questions. First we are told in John 17:3,"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Eternal life can be thought of as something that Christians experience now. Believers don’t have to “wait” for eternal life, because it’s not something that starts when they die. Rather, eternal life begins the moment a person exercises faith in Christ. It is our current possession. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” Note that the believer “has” (present tense) this. The focus of eternal life is not on our future, but on our current standing in Christ.
There is absolutely no evidence in Scripture that the Lord has ever taken back the gift of salvation once it has been given. His love and His promise keeps Him from doing so. Remember, Christ came to seek and to save the lost. Why would He take back what He came to provide? It is obvious that if we could lose our salvation we would, all of us. Even as Christians we are not perfect and could never be trusted to keep ourselves, so it is Him who keeps us. Jude 1:24-25 tells us,"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

[Saxon]

I will try to answer both your questions. First we are told in John 17:3,"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Eternal life can be thought of as something that Christians experience now. Believers don’t have to “wait” for eternal life, because it’s not something that starts when they die. Rather, eternal life begins the moment a person exercises faith in Christ. It is our current possession. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” Note that the believer “has” (present tense) this. The focus of eternal life is not on our future, but on our current standing in Christ.

I can agree with what you have said about eternal life. I do believe that a clearer understanding of eternal life will include what you have said but is much more than what you have said.

Eternal Life is a condition that exists in Christ alone. Only those that are “in Christ” are experiencing Eternal Life. The following verses are all ***ociating (Eternal) Life to Jesus Christ. So the answer to the question, what is ultimately Eternal Life? Would be that Jesus Christ is Eternal Life.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

John 6:48 I am that bread of life.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him

1John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1John 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

1John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

There is absolutely no evidence in Scripture that the Lord has ever taken back the gift of salvation once it has been given. His love and His promise keeps Him from doing so. Remember, Christ came to seek and to save the lost. Why would He take back what He came to provide? It is obvious that if we could lose our salvation we would, all of us. Even as Christians we are not perfect and could never be trusted to keep ourselves, so it is Him who keeps us. Jude 1:24-25 tells us,"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

The reason that there is absolutely no evidence in Scripture that the Lord has ever taken back the gift of salvation once it has been given is because there is nowhere in scripture that this has never happened. I find that there are a lot of people that read where it is written, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (See Hebrews 13:5) and immediately forget it and start to argue that he will never leave you or forsake you. This is not the problem. The problem is the believer that leaves and forsakes the living God. (See Hebrews 3:12 and Ezekiel 18:26) You will notice that the problem is not the Lord leaving or forsaking us, but us leaving and forsaking him.

I do disagree with your statement, “It is obvious that if we could lose our salvation we would, all of us.” 1John was written to Christians and tells us what we must do if we find ourselves in sin. Contrary to popular belief, salvation is conditional. The IF condition in 1John 1:9 is one of the many conditions of salvation in scripture. If we follow the lead of the majority and ignore these conditional statements we will surly find ourselves in a surprising situation. If we believe the conditions and warnings in scripture then we shall not find ourselves with this problem. It is the very warnings that keep us from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Ezekiel 18:26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.