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Fruit-bearing takes time and time is short.

The fallen angels had no excuse. They Gazed upon the glory of God unfiltered. If they had an excuse, why were they cast out of Heaven with Lucifer? If they had an excuse, do they still have one now? Why was there a lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels?

If I were calling winners...

The Gospel is always best served by Jesus, I always say. :)

Not me, Brother. The Word. Men lead men astray. Usually, when I start to feel a kinship with a teacher or preacher, I move on. Some are undeniably sound. But even those have flaws. It's to be expected. If I find one who appears to have none, I will run!

Sounds awfully Pauline-centric.

Not always. But the chapter is about novices who remain novices by not getting the basics down. The way we get them down is by comparing Scripture with Scripture, not parroting our favorites and our teachers' favorites.

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little. (Isaiah 28:10)

This is the best one yet, folks!

Yeah, you said that already. I would never say such a thing. You've got me confused with someone else. You'd better hope it's on grace through faith or faith by grace. The distinction is important for those who are off the milk. Agreed Nothing ever can. Most emphatically agreed!

And, again, I'm no interloper. You just rest to your heart's content. I'm a common seed-sower. If the seed is good and falls on fertile ground, God will give the increase.

For every man-made doctrine there are 100 proof texts to support it. It either harmonizes with the entirety of scripture or it doesn't. God has always allowed freedom of choice to his beings with reasoning powers. God is not interested in obedient robots. If it were not so we wouldn't be in...

But aren't you claiming a little more than that when you say can never be lost under any circumstances. (Please forgive me if I have you confused with someone else.)

Still haven't found what I'm looking for. Someone, please say something that only you would say.

That's quite a stretch. Besides, God doesn't remove salvation. He's not willing that any should perish. He simply allows them to go, just as he allows many to reject Him from the start. Not so complicated. God is a Great Lover of religious liberty issues.

So we're dictating terms to God now? Sorry, Lord, they won't buy it?

Forever? It doesn't say. It means other men. How could they pluck themselves out of His hand? If it's okay with you, I'm no interloper, but my assurance of abiding in Christ has got to be (and is) a lot stronger than that.

I know you can come up with more than one verse to constitute a key theme of an entire 5-chapter epistle. I propose that the early Christian church was not obsessed with selfish pursuits like "Am I, Oh, am I really saved?" but that they were more captivated with Christ's matchless, unfathomable...

Not much but I'm a member in good standing (8 years now) of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers' Club.

You might want to double-check on that. I've been a Christian for 48 years. I've never had enough faith in my sincerity to give me any comfort. All is of grace. Why is John's first epistle to be cherished above other Scripture? The Bible says that man can live only by every word that proceeds...