We are all fine...just testing beliefs.
We just need to keep calm and debate on...
I Am New here so I do not know anyone yet as to what they believe or do not believe. I Want to show you a way to resolve a long standing conflict in the churches which is the debate between eternal security and conditional security. I do not know if this has been brought up here or not, But it is a good one to use as an example. There are Christian Brothers and sisters on both sides of this debate, and Both sides have ample scriptures to support their side of the debate, which I will not get into here but you can look them up yourself.
Anyway, what if both sides are right, and both sides are wrong.... what if each side knows in part, But not the whole and until those sides have a dialogue they will be unable to come together. What if the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost put those passages pointing to conditional security there on purpose that a New believer will work out their faith with fear and trembling? What if the doctrine of Eternal security taught as a doctrine rather than an experience we must arrive at on our Journey of faith is just as detrimental to the Christian walk, turning the grace of God into Lasciviousness?
What if the Narrow way is for every Christian to arrive at the full assurance of the faith By travelling through the wilderness of Doubt, that we may then fully know of our eternal security, not by taught doctrine but by a vital relationship with the living Christ? Most in both camps when confronted with this will in pride resist this notion, for one side leans on the crutch of legalism and law keeping and the other on the crutch of textualism and neither side has taken this journey to full assurance of the faith, a vital experience that we all must arrive at in our journey of faith which comes by walking through the wilderness of doubt (Conditional security) till we finally give up our own attempts at righteousness by our will and strength and fully rest in His righteousness which is imputed upon us.... this not being a mere doctrine, but a Known and shared experience of all the brothers and sisters in Christ.
This sort of thinking can be used to resolve some of the other conflicts in the church such as Calvinism and Arminianism.... what if both sides are right and both sides are wrong and the solution is in unity and admitting we Know in Part. The resolution to this latter conflict is far more complex than the conditional security and eternal security debate, But the solution is still there. The same can be applied to the Cessationism Continuationism debate, and even the whole works vs faith debate. A hardened heart and a carnal mind cannot grasp this, but a heart searching for the truth and hungering and thirsting for righteousness will.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of
our faith without wavering; (for he
is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some
is; but exhorting
one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10: 22-25)
