This is a logical fallacy called argumentum ad poplum and it does not carry any true weight in an argument. The bulk of the world was once accepting that the earth was flat and that blood letting was the proper way to rid the body of disease due to the majority believing these things.
Do we need to follow in the footsteps of the foolish or trust in God's Word?
Many people are doing this today without first studying it thoroughly on their own.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (1 Timothy 2:15).
Christians need to stop doing this and stand within their own faith and study for themselves what the word of God actually says instead of being spoon fed the nonsense that they get from the pulpit.
Here is my coming to the discussion with scriptures.
OSAS? How does this following passage fit into this current, modern day doctrine?
Round peg, square hole...
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:11-12
Context is this, the children of the kingdom are thus within the kingdom but have now found themselves cast into outer darkness (Hell). OSAS states that once in the kingdom you cannot be removed or leave.
I suppose that any response to this will include some serious contextual acrobatics that I had been guilty of for most of my life.
More:
There are little to no church fathers that held to the concept of eternal security or preservation of the saints prior to Calvin, expect perhaps Augustine, who should never be consulted upon regarding scriptural truths in my opinion. Remember that man is not the final say in this. The Bible, God’s Word is the final authority on the matter. One must first come to terms with these verses within context and without the typical “theological gymnastics” to get around these. Typically they are just avoided or passed along as not being literal, etc.
One cannot fall from something if he were not first in it...
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. Galatians 5:4
One cannot depart from someone if they were never with them.
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. Hebrews 3:12
And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book Exodus 32:31-33
To add emphasis to this God repeated this concept once again at the end of the Bible. You cannot blot out something from a book if was not in the book in the first place. This is the clear context not trick grammar...
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Revelation 3:5
A branch cannot be cast forth (away from the vine) if it was never attached in the first place.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:5-6
These next verses in Hebrews chapters 6 and 10 tend to drive people either mad or into hyper-dispensationalism. Either way you must consider them with much prayer and fasting as they are difficult for sure. Read the Bible cover to cover in a month’s time and with deep prayer you will see the end to end context much more clearer than anyone can deliver it from a pulpit...Let the Holy Spirit guide you on these and not men. I will not even put my two cents in here as this is a matter of the heart and spirit for the individual reader.
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. Hebrews 6:4-6
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Hebrew 10:26-27
You cannot be a castaway from something you were not a part of in the first place. Paul was a believer and alluded to the potential of him being a castaway...
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Corinthians 924-27
You cannot depart from something you were not in in the first place...
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 1 Timothy 4:1
Same idea here, if you continue in the faith grounded and settled you will not be moved away from the hope of the gospel. Not as strong in language but it dose support the idea that people can choose to walk away and leave the faith they were once in.
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Colossians 1:21-23
Some people try to explain this away via dispensational thinking but God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His Spirit can be taken and King David was well aware of it when he prayed in Psalm 51 for God not to take it away from him.
And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 1 Samuel 10:6, 9
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. 1 Samuel 16:14
And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 1 Samuel 28:6
The righteous here and elsewhere in the Bible, when in this context, refers to a saved soul...also, the death here is a spiritual death, not a physical like some try to state...you will also find a repeat of this in chapter 33 which adds to the emphasis that God has intended for us. We ought not miss this concept.
Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. Ezekiel 3:20-21
You must realize what Peter is saying here. A believer going to heaven is not going experience something worse in heaven than what they were destined for and experiencing prior to coming to Christ...This is in line with what the writer of Hebrews was talking about in chapters 6 and 10.
For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 2 Peter 2: 20-22
Today we see many accepted doctrines that the first century true church up to the time of Constantine did not accept. The remnant continued to hold to the biblical doctrines as passed to them from Christ through the Apostles and they still do through today. As usual the majority mocks and persecutes them for holding fast to the true doctrines of Christ.
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 Peter 2:1
Not of works as only the blood shed by Jesus on the cross can save a repentant heart but we must not ever take our salvation for granted.
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:1-11
Again, the context states that "If you do these things, ye shall never fall". This dictates that if you do not do these things you will.
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:7-11
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