Hi Catholic Crusader,This is the first time I have replied to one of your posts. It's nice to have the opportunity to discuss our faith and our understanding of the Word of God. We certainly must be students of the whole Bible, since the Bible teaches the meaning of the Bible.I'd like to respond to these words in you recent post:"The Bible makes it clear that Christians have a moral assurance of salvation (God will be true to his word and will grant salvation to those who have faith in Christ and are obedient to him [1 John 3:19-24]), but the Bible does NOT teach that Christians have a guarantee of heaven. There can be no absolute assurance of salvation. The Bible says, "See, then, the kindness and severity of God: severity toward those who fell, but God's kindness to you, provided you remain in his kindness, otherwise you too will be cut off" (Rom. 11:22-23; Matt. 18:21-35, 1 Cor. 15:1-2, 2 Pet. 2:20-21). "1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Paul is simply supporting the Bible teaching of the resurrection. He is not saying anything about losing justification (salvation) once it has been effected in the soul by God. Romans 8:28-30, "And we know for those who love God all things work together according to his purpose. For those who he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those who he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."Sounds like a permanent salvation to me.Romans 11:22-23 that you have used here have both a positive and a negative connotation. Of course, we know that we are still sinners even though we are saved. Those verses simply describe God's dealings with us according to our determination to love Him with our whole heart or not. If we don't, he will chastise us to show us our sin and awaken us to the need to repent (turn away from that sinful habit). It does not mean we will lose our salvation. God is simply being a good Father.Matthew 18:21-35 is a parable intended by Jesus to show that we must take to ourselves the same spirit of forgiveness that we have so graciously received from the heart of God. It does not speak of losing our salvation either. It is saying that a truly forgiven heart will also be a truly forgiving heart. Jesus is teaching how complete our spirit of forgiveness must be.2 Peter 2:20-21 says that it is crucial to remain committed to what we have received. Any truly saved person would heartily agree with that. As Peter said in John 6:68, "Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.' " Peter is teaching and calling the Christian to a total change of heart in his lifestyle.I would like to leave you with John 10:28-29, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand."I see in these words a predestined covenant between the Father and the Son made before the foundation of the world. His gift of salvation cannot fail and is completely guaranteed by the Sovereignty of our God.waynemlj