My Point that Behold disagrees with is that I see conditional security as a stage in our Christian walk, a "valley of doubt" that we must walk through in order to arrive at the full assurance of the Faith.
I appreciate this clear statement from you.
I find this idea of "conditional security" as not only a contradiction in itself, as you are secure, but maybe not, but as directly against teaching faith in Christ to be all things to us, including sanctification. It throws the responsibility for our so called "progressive sanctification" onto ourselves. As if we are lacking something from God, and we are required to make up that lack. That God leaves us short of holy, and we have to make ourselves more holy.
I don't find that in the Bible, and I haven't found it in my life. When I tried that way, though it seemed smart and wise to exert my will to deny myself, my flesh, to set my bounderies, all that, though it may seem wise, it was actually no help against the flesh.
Help is found in every case in trusting Jesus, what He did on the cross, that this means we are fully and truly reconciled to Him, and knowledge - faith - liberates us from the after-effects of the flesh, which now has no power over us.
We're not trying to make the flesh more dead, it's already dead, we are alive, now we are to live that life, the just shall live by faith.
If in fact we believe that all sin was removed in Christ's death, then that is what we should teach. I'm having a difficulty thinking of this idea that we should mar from the beginning the new believer's faith with this legalistic mindset, that they aren't really secure, regardless of the promises of the Bible, NO! Teach the promises of the Bible, teach faith, and the faithfulness of God, Who has promised us, He will do it.
Condemnation in the child of God does not come from God. Justifying self-condemnation as a neccesary part of Christian maturing is like saying we have to have cancer to grow up. Condemnation is against life.
This is known theologically as "textualism" and makes the Christian life and the process of Growth a set of doctrines that must be agreed upon mentally rather than lived and experienced in our Christian journey.
You won't do something you don't think in your mind. Look at how Scripture describes our changing for the better,
Romans 12:2 KJV
2) And be not conformed to this world: but
be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Colossians 3:10 KJV
10) And have put on the new man,
which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Ephesians 4:13 KJV
13) Till we all come in the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Ephesians 4:22-24 KJV
22) That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts;
23) And
be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24) And that
ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Because you don't have the experience of something does not mean you do not have that thing. You may have a very immature walk in Christ, and you may even think that is normal, but that does not mean that, if Christ does indeed live in you, that you have somehow "less of Christ", or "a lesser Christ", as if such things could be.
Renewing the mind is learning to think according to this new reality, that Christ live in you, that your sins are removed from you, that you are a child of God. That you will be transformed to be like Jesus. Having that expectation in your mind. Your heart set on your expectation of the resurrection, of living forever with our Creator, of living in His transforming love today.
You've heard the idea, I expect, of a new Christian "honeymooning", right? An emotional high, but then they kind of come back more down to earth? That happens as they start hearing, You've gotta WORK . . . You'd BETTER . . . You CAN'T know . . . all the things people tell themselves when they feel defeated in their own lives. As if it were true of the spiritual Christian walk.
Or perhaps, we don't have that second baptism yet, or, it's not the end of the age outpouring yet, or, any other reason as if the death of Jesus on the cross, how we are justified by His death - separated from sin and guilt of sin forever - as if this were somehow lacking for us. As if we will crucify ourselves more than God did by placing us into Jesus' death? Is that the idea here?
Much love!