BreadOfLife - "Remember, sparky - Salvation is a CHOICE - not a sentence . . ."[/QUOTE]
Salvation is an eternal sentence. Also, no sinner in the flesh would ever choose God unless the Holy Spirit convicts them. Why would God convict a person to repent and be saved just for them to lose it when He already knows whether or not they would be lost? God does not temporarily redeem people. Salvation is strictly the work of God and no human effort or work
John 1:13 - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
A Christian has already passed from death to life. (John 5:24)
You were blind and God gave you sight, you were drowning and God saved you, you were lost and God found you, you were dead in sin and Christ gave you freedom. We do nothing at all to maintain a piece of salvation, nothing at all even comes close to the blood of Christ which pardoned us. Works based salvation is like God throwing you a raft with no air in it while you are drowning and having you blow it up yourself. It does not work like that, God redeemed and sealed His children, we are His. He fully provided the means for salvation. As I said before, works (fruits of righteousness) only demonstrate salvation, they're not the foundation of it.