Lisa
Superstar
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2017
- Messages
- 20,288
I know we have gone around and around on this but I think that I have tried to present falling away scripturally. If the scriptures didn’t indicate that a falling away happens and then also indicate that once you fall away you aren’t saved, I wouldn’t believe it. But like I said, I do believe that when someone falls away they have lost their salvation.You are mistakenly equating believing bad doctrine with losing salvation. If the "faith" we fall away from is our salvation, there is no hope for any of us. As @TokiEl said, we are all deceived in one way or another.
I know we've gone up one side of this and down the other on other threads, but if we are talking about a falling away, logic and the evidence in front of us would indicate that it's a departure from good doctrine.
Apostasy is a rejection of the truth. The Catholic church doesn't qualify, because it started out as apostate. No, the falling away is happening in mainstream, Protestant churches. Prosperity gospel, acceptance of homosexuality, replacement theology, "New Age" gospels, etc.
The only thing I’ve said though is that it’s not a one time you were deceived so you’ve lost your salvation. I have repeatedly said that it’s a gradual thing in that you are deceived and God tries to get you to come to the truth and you reject Him and the truth repeatedly. After awhile God gives you over to it doesn’t He? We still have free will here and we can follow what we want to follow, hear what we want to hear...those itchy ears? That’s why God tells us to be on the alert. Test yourselves that you are in the faith. Why the warnings if it doesn’t matter? That doesn’t make sense to me. God warns us but it really doesn’t matter because we can never lose our salvation? Does that make sense to you?
And if you aren’t in the faith anymore if you have been deceived enough that you believe in lies rather than the truth then haven’t you walked away from God? Would you still want to be with the one true God in heaven? He isn’t the God you are worshipping anymore so how would that even work out? Talk about awkward...
Isn’t that what happened to Adam and Eve? They walked away from God, believed lies about Him? What happened to them? They were separated from God. When God talked to them about it, they couldn’t even own up to what they had done. I don’t even think they were reconciled to God, I could be wrong but I think if they had been God would have told us.
And you may be saying that that’s something different but is it?
Yes God saves us but you have a responsibility to stay in the truth. To continue in the faith or you will be cut off. God hasn’t changed who He is. He will keep working to bring you back to Himself but when you won’t return then you again have made your choice to reject Him. God is the same yesterday, today and forever, He has never promised anyone ever that they are saved if they separate from Him so why should we believe that now? Especially when scripture tells us that’s not true.
I can again post the scriptures that I believe tells us we can fall away and the consequence of falling away if you want and you can take a look at why I believe the way I do. Just let me know if you’d like to see the evidence I have because I didn't just come up with this out of thin air.
I agree about the catholic church, but what do you think about the denominations that took a step away from the catholic church? I think the more you walk with God the more you walk away from false teachings and doctrines. I think of...
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
That says a lot don’t ya think?