Well, thanks for that info, I have taken it into account, and have also had this same discussion on various forums recently a few times.
So I'll let you know a few things that I have noticed too, so you can see the reasons:
- Jesus said that those who departed from Him, were never truly "Born From Above" in the first place.
- He also said that no one could ever snatch his followers out of His hand.
(And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand John 10:28)- God will finish the work he has started in a person, unto the day of redemption.
- There has to be a difinitive moment of complete Permanent and Radical change when someone comes to salvation, a complete u-turn of the life, so that your friends and family, and loved ones wonder what happened to you. People can't just say they're suddenly a "Christian". Its a very noticable change.
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come"Thats just a few things off the top of my head, but the whole of salvation brings testimony to this. Thats what salvation is, to be saved. Not to be saved for a while, but to be saved Permanently. The storms come, but nothing shakes you.
There is also this verse:Quote
Romans 8:39-40
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And most of all just from personal experience. A butterfly never turns back into a caterpillar. For example, there is no way I could ever go back to the old man, the old sinful lifestyle. No matter what happens to me, nor what life could possibly throw at me, will ever move me. The foundation is on the solid rock.
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Last but not least, Jesus says it clearly Himself:
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." (1 John 2:19)
Hopefully that helps you see where I'm coming from. I believe in predestination.
This post was edited by Torm1 on Feb 8 2011 12:25am