I edited out the majority of Robert's post to address just this one thing :
Robert, your arguments are good in this thread up to page 7.. I could not read any more, but need to bring this to everybody's attention:
Hebrews 6 and 10 are part of your arguments, and I think these passages are far different than the others you use, because Hebrews 6 and 10 are not about fleshly sins.
I do acknowledge that they are extreme and valid arguments against once saved always saved. It's just that everyone should be aware that apostasy is in view here which is different than fleshly sins.
Hebrews 6 (and by extension to chapter 10) is addressed to the Hebrew Christians that were close to forsaking Jesus and turning to a different religion (Judaism) due to a new wave of persecution, and thus holding Christ up to contempt.
The sin addressed in Hebrews 6 is apostasy, which is far different than fleshly sins.
Definition of apostasy:
noun, plural a·pos·ta·sies.
-- a total desertion of or departure from one's religion, principles, party, cause, etc.
Fornicating, masturbating, getting drunk, gossiping, all fleshly SINS (they are indeed sins) can be repented of every day, as many as 70 times 7 per day. And must be repented of.
But turning away from Christ to a different religion is apostasy (and a far greater evil than fleshly sins) which is what the writer of Hebrews is addressing.
The total lack of hope and despair that comes from turning from Christ and spurning the Gospel of Grace as is recorded in Hebrews 10 is a very fearful thing, but it is not fleshly sins that is being addressed here. Otherwise what Jesus proclaimed and taught about never forsaking His own, and forgiving sins as often as the penitent asks for forgiveness, would be nullified.
I appreciate your honest effort here, but you need to provide Scripture for making difference between apostacy and returning to riotous living.
So far, all you offer is your interpretation, which I don't see.
Scriptural apostacy is just of the heart and mind but is also of the body and life on earth:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
We see there is no distinction between apostacy of mind vs body: God gives people over to their own mind full of vain imagination,
to do the filthy things of the world, and also to become
reprobate unto every good work.
They cease doing any good and the righteousness of God, and return to live as they please with the flesh, no more pleasing God in any way.
This is the state of putting Christ to an open shame, crucifying Him afresh by open sin without shame, so that God gives up on us, and it is impossible then to even repent:
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost...If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance.
Otherwise what Jesus proclaimed and taught about never forsaking His own, and forgiving sins as often as the penitent asks for forgiveness, would be nullified.
The error here is that apostacy is the condition where God no longer draws us to confession and repentance. Being convicted of sin and drawn to repentance
is the grace of God, Who has yet to give up on us, even after 70 x 7 times. No man confesses sin from the heart, except the Spirit convicts the heart and draws to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and washing clean of sin:
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.
The total lack of hope and despair.
Nothing about this says anything of having no hope and being in despair. They have no more hope in Christ, but certainly can have their hope in a false christ, and have nothing to despair about. Which of course is the definition of unconditional grace and salvation.
There are plenty of people in vile affections being taught that God does not judge them for it. In fact, He doesn't even see it because of 'grace'.
Nothing in Scripture says the reprobate from God is crying in despair of their filthy living. They could be just as happy as a lark in 'celebrating' their 'grace'.
But turning away from Christ to a different religion.
And the different religion is what they still call Christianity. Once again, no Scripture speaks of going to a 'different religion', but only turning from God to such a degree of vain imagination in the mind and filthiness of the flesh, that He gives up on them and turns them over to what their souls truly lust after.
Hebrews 6 (and by extension to chapter 10) is addressed to the Hebrew Christians that were close to forsaking Jesus and turning to a different religion (Judaism) due to a new wave of persecution, and thus holding Christ up to contempt.
While the book is called Hebrews by man, it does not mean the book nor any part was only addressing 'Hebrews Christians'. I do not ascribe to that way of reading Scripture. Every part and Scripture of the NT is written by God to me, and I read it as such. There are no Hebrew, Jewish, Gentile Christians, but only Christians that obey Jesus as Lord, and them that turn back from doing so.
Now, there was no doubt persecution, but that would only be one cause for the greater error: turning back from the righteousness and love of Christ to the sins and enmity of the world with strong delusion of a reprobate mind.
The result being a once fruitful ground becoming rejected
thorns and briers. The lead into this state is Heb 5, where certain babies were refusing to grow up and go on to perfection, and so became castaways, like the ancient practice of exposure of the rejected child.
Sinning willfully in Heb 10 is just that: willfully sinning by doing the evil we know not to do, and not doing the good we know to do. Nothing in Hebrews even hints at the cause being persecution, or that it is only a warning not to go to false religion, but is all about not returning to the old life of sin, resurrecting the old man of the corrupt heart.
The only cause for it mentioned in Scripture is of babies refusing to grow up, and never moving on from
continual repentance of dead works, that continue to show themselves unrepented time and time and time again. Maybe 70 x 70 times.