Ernest T. Bass
Well-Known Member
If OSAS were true, and salvation were completely totally UNCONDITIONAL then what those Baptist preachers I quoted would be 100% accurate and this is why OSAS is a very vile, false teaching.These vile extremes do not represent Baptists or other Christians in general in the OSAS camp, so it's an unfair label. There are folks in the NOSAS camp who teach the extreme that if you don't live a sinless, perfect life 100% of the time after conversion then you will lose your salvation, which is also not a fair label to place on people in the NOSAS camp in general. Now those who are truly born of God have received a new nature, a divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and have been transformed from pigs and dogs into sheep. The change is more than just cosmetic, as in 2 Peter 2:20. These cleaned up on the outside dogs and pigs were never sheep.
It's not about losing our free will but about being new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) being sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30) and saints being preserved by the Lord. (Psalm 37:28; Jude 1:1)
Works-salvationists cannot understand this because they have not experienced the new birth. (1 Corinthians 2:14) "Nominal" Christians have merely experienced moral self-reformation (instead of regeneration) and condition their salvation on works righteousness based on the merits of their performance. From beginning "have been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8) to end "receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:9) salvation is conditional on grace through faith and not works. (Romans 4:5-6; 5:1; 11:6; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9 etc..).
In regard to Hebrews 4:11, in context, we read in Hebrews 4:1-2 - "For indeed the gospel was preached to US as well as to THEM; but the word which THEY heard did not profit THEM, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For WE who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest," although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Obviously, not all of these Hebrews were genuine believers. Notice that verses 2-3 make a distinction between US who have BELIEVED and do enter that rest and THEM who heard the word but did not mix faith with what they heard and will not enter that rest because of UNBELIEF.
In regard to 1 Timothy 5:12, in context, starting in verse 5, we read - "NOW SHE who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day" and verse 6, "BUT SHE who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. This means dead (spiritually) while living (physically). Paul said in verse 6, But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. He also said in verse 11, But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married. "Lives in pleasure," "sensual desires." Are you sure they were genuine believers who lost their salvation? If they really were genuine believers, then there would not have been a problem with whether they should or should not be admitted.
Since being saved does not cause loss of free will, then those who choose to believe today can turn and choose to go into unbelief tomorrow hence the warning to those Hebrew Christians about leaving NT Christianity and backsliding to the law of Moses....
Those Hebrews were warned:
Heb 2:1-4 about drifting away from the truths they had heard
Heb 3:12 departing from God due to unbelief
These warnings would be lies if OSAS were true. One cannot drift away from what they never had, one cannot depart from God if one were never of God.
Those Hebrew Christians current state was Heb 5:11 dull of hearing for they had regressed. Heb 6:4-5 speaks of those who were Christians but have "fallen away" (past tense) (v6). If OSAS were true then it renders the words "fallen" and "apostate" meanings for these words show a change of position, a change of location for a fallen person cannot fall for he already is fallen. Falling applies to those who were once saved but have fallen from that standing. Apostate means to move away from a previous standing....
646 apostasía (from 868 /aphístēmi, "leave, depart," which is derived from 575 /apó, "away from" and 2476 /histémi, "stand") – properly, departure (implying desertion); apostasy – literally, "a leaving, from a previous standing."
The "never really saved" excuse ignores and tries to nullify the words "fallen" and "apostate".
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(1) Eph 1:13 the Greek word for sealed as used in Eph 1:13 is also used about the tomb of Christ (Matt 27:66) and Christ's tomb was unsealed, hence the idea of "impossible to be unsealed" is not inherit in the meaning of the word.
(2) being sealed and remaining sealed is CONDITIONAL upon faithful obedience to God, NO VERSE teaches the idea of being sealed unconditionally regardless of how a Christian lives
(a) being sealed is found in the OT. The same Greek based word sphragis Paul used for sealed in Eph 1:13 is found in Rom 4:11
"and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned unto them;"
Hence OT circumcision was a seal of one being in an OT covenant relationship with God. Yet this seal would be broken if the Jew did not remain faithful and obedient to God "For circumcision (the seal) indeed profiteth, if thou be a doer of the law: but if thou be a transgressor of the law, thy circumcision is become uncircumcision (seal is broken)." (Rom 2:25)
From the OT we see the Jews did not remain faithfully obedient to God therefore that seal was broken due to their unbelief (Romans 11:16-23) the fleshly Jews were broken off and no longer God's people. Those Jews grieved the Holy Spirit (Isa 63:10,14 cf Eph 4:30)..."But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.....As the cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of Jehovah caused them to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name."
As a result of their disobedience to God the seal was broken and the Holy Spirit left them (Psalms 51:11) and became their enemy fighting against them. Those Jews were cut off from the "rest" the Holy Spirit gives. Heb 3:6-19 the Christian likewise can grieve the Holy Spirit and miss out of that rest..."And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it.....Let us therefore labor to enter into that rest, that no man fall (move from previous standing - apostate) after the same example of disobedience," (Heb 4:1,11)
(b) being sealed in the NT is a corporate sealing. The group Christian is sealed therefore one must obediently become a Christian and faithfully remain in that sealed group. If one becomes unfaithful, disobedient he will fall from the group. The group remains sealed but the individual who falls from the group no longer is sealed for the Bible does NOT teach the idea of indvidiuals being UNconditionally sealed APART from the group. About 25-30 years after Paul wrote his Ephesian epistle, the congregation at Ephesus was warned about falling from this sealed group (Revelation 2:1-7) for they had left their first love, they were FALLEN (change of standing) and commanded to repent else their church (candlestick, Rev 1:20) at Ephesus would be removed by God. If they did not repent they would fall from the sealed group and no longer be sealed and the congregation at Ephesus would no longer be recognized by God.
Thus becoming and remainig sealed in both the OT and NT is CONDITIONAL upon faithful obedience to God.
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