An Attempt to Move the Issue from Prooftexting to Texts which Sustain the Argument Introduction to the Theological Debate For 500 years, much of evangelical Christianity has been split on the issue of whether a…
Security
Never Really Saved to Begin With?
This post attempts to put the Calvinistic “never really saved to begin with” view of apostasy to the test when reading select passages relevant to the topic of apostasy. The results speak for themselves.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. [proving that he was never in Christ to begin with, making it impossible to ‘remain’ in Him or be ‘cut off’ from Him] Jn. 15:3-6
Perseverance of the Saints Part 12: Examining Passages Commonly Appealed to by the Advocates of Unconditional Eternal Security
For the rest of the series, see 5/6/2008-5/9/288, 5/12/2008-5/16/2008, 6/16/2008, 7/23/2008 Having examined the primary passages that teach apostasy we now examine the passages that the advocates of unconditional eternal security believe clearly support their…
Can Salvation be Lost?
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let…
Once A Son Always A Son?
It is a popular teaching today that once someone becomes a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, he or she will never cease to be God’s child regardless of behavior and continuance in saving faith.
In order to express this teaching, it is reasoned from human experience to that which is spiritual and a strong distinction is made between “fellowship” and “relationship”. It is said that a believer can harm and even sever one’s fellowship with God while somehow maintaining a saving relationship. The only way to express this concept is through human analogy.
Neil T. Anderson gives us the basis of this argumentation in Stomping Out the Darkness, co-authored by Dave Park. Under the heading: There’s A Difference Between Relationship and Fellowship, Anderson writes…
Perseverance of the Saints Part 11: Can Apostates Be Restored?
For the rest of the series, see here. Is Restoration Really Impossible? After studying the warning passages in Hebrews the question naturally arises: can an apostate ever be restored again to salvation? Is the repudiation…
Randolph S. Foster, Objections to Calvinism as It Is
http://www.gospeltruth.net/foster_on_cal/otc_index.htm This link will take you off site. Please come back here for more reources on soteriology.
1 John 3:1-3; A Devotional
Know how great the love the Father has given to us, in order that we would be called the children of God, and we are. Through this the world does not know us, because it…
Perseverance of the Saints Part 10: Examining Wilderness Typology in Hebrews
Some Calvinists have argued that the frequent references to the wandering Israelites in the desert suggest that the writer of Hebrews is not addressing apostasy from true faith. It is assumed that the wandering generation…
Perseverance of the Saints Part 9: Hebrews 10:32-39
We finish our exegetical examination of the warning passage in Hebrews 10 with verses 32-39: [32] “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, [33] partly by…
Perseverance of the Saints Part 8: What Kind of Sanctification is Being Described in Hebrews 10:29?
We now examine another interpretation that looks to make this sanctification merely outward with no internal reality. It looks to compare the sanctification described in 10:29 with the outward ceremonial cleansing referred to under the…
Perseverance of the Saints Part 7: Who is Sanctified in Hebrews 10:29?
The content of this post was authored by Ben Henshaw and is posted on his behalf. We will now examine one of the alternative interpretations offered by the proponents of unconditional security concerning the apostate…
Perseverance of the Saints Part 6: Hebrews 10:26-30
The content of this post was authored by Ben Henshaw and is posted on his behalf. We now examine what I consider to be the most significant warning against apostasy in the entire Bible: Hebrews…
Perseverance Of The Saints Part 5: Hebrews 6:4-9
The content of this post was authored by Ben Henshaw and is posted on his behalf. Audience: There is general agreement that this letter was written to Hebrew believers who were in the midst of…
Perseverance Of The Saints Part 4: Again Entangled In Corruption
The content of this post was authored by Ben Henshaw and is posted on his behalf. We will now examine 2 Pet. 2:20-22: [20] “For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world…
Perseverance Of The Saints Part 1: Definitions
The content of this post was authored by Ben Henshaw and is posted on his behalf. My next several posts will be dealing with the topic of perseverance. Perseverance of the saints is represented in…
Recent Posts
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Adam Roe, “The Crucial Thread of Prevenient Grace: A Wesleyan Perspective on Divine Drawing”
Video: Joel Korytko, “How Romans 9 Doesn’t Support Calvinism”
