Did you have a ‘church experience’ as a child or youth – repentance, confession, accepting Christ, baptism – then for some reason or another – feel you failed to ‘live up’ to the required life-performance to maintain or measure up – so ‘lost your salvation’ – or feel that experience just was not the real salvation experience? (And maybe now, in your ‘more advanced age’ you feel you ‘have finally had a real salvation experience’ – but deep in your heart are ‘questions’ about those previous experiences.)

Well, I don’t claim to know the mind of God – or the condition of your heart – then or now – but would like to present some things for your consideration that may help you ‘sort it out’ a little bit better – trusting the Lord’s Spirit to illuminate it for you in truth.

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The “War” is not about ‘Religion” – but about the Person of Jesus Christ – and His being who He claimed to be and is – the Son of the living God – Deity – Perfect God and Perfect Man.

How often in America, with all its ‘religions’ do we hear anyone or the media ‘attacking or demeaning these other religions?’

We never see ‘supposed exposes’ of the ‘messengers of other faiths and religions’ which, in my opinion are ‘counterfeit’ to the revealed Word of God – such as an in depth study of Mohammed of the Muslim religion, or Joseph Smith of the Mormon religion, or Mary Baker Eddy of Christian Science, or L. Ron Hubbard of Scientology – and the life they lived compared to the life lived by Jesus Christ – or even in direct comparison to the ‘religion’ they created – along with their ‘book’ of their faith – which then becomes a ‘higher authority’ than the Bible, or even claims the Bible to be ‘corrupted or false’ or completely invalid – and then somehow attempts to demean or reduce Christ to be ‘less than revealed as God’s only Son – and deity’ – even though historically they recognize Him, just as does Satan and his demons – but they do not worship Him or acknowledge Him as truly God.

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This morning in my quiet time with the Lord, I was brought to Psalm 63 – and I love the Psalms – if ever the cares and troubles of the world – or strife in our lives – anything is creating problems – and hinders our focusing on the Lord in worship – going to the Psalms and reading them always will ‘re-direct’ our hearts and minds to the Lord, and to His Person in worship. So often we need ‘to step back’ and again ‘realize He is God’ – He is my God – He is our God! He is Sovereign, and ‘in control.’

In many ways, it seems we have ‘lost touch’ with ‘true worship of Him.’ We get ‘so busy’ or ‘distracted’ or ‘involved’ in everything – often even in ‘kingdom work’ for the church – that we ‘wander away from our very first love’ – which should be to ‘worship our God, our Lord and our Savior.’

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Some of the most troublesome thoughts are concerning ‘our understanding’ of God’s total sovereignty – especially in the concept of ‘predestiny’ and ‘our salvation.’ I am not trying to ‘convince you’ of anything on this, and get into a dialogue on predestiny versus man’s freewill and freedom of choice – but to just present some thoughts for your stimulation.

I have a good friend who says it something like this: “When we go through Heaven’s Gates, on one side we’ll see ‘Predestiny’ and on the other side we’ll see ‘Whosoever Will.’ In fact, it may be like standing on some railroad tracks and looking down them for as far as you can see, and at some point the tracks ‘seem to come together’ in our mind’s eye, and the limits of our vision – but in reality, we know they are still at least 3 feet apart.”

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Some of the most troublesome thoughts are concerning ‘our understanding’ of God’s total sovereignty – especially in the concept of ‘predestiny’ and ‘our salvation.’ I am not trying to ‘convince you’ of anything on this, and get into a dialogue on predestiny versus man’s freewill and freedom of choice – but to just present some thoughts for your stimulation.

I have a good friend who says it something like this: “When we go through Heaven’s Gates, on one side we’ll see ‘Predestiny’ and on the other side we’ll see ‘Whosoever Will.’ In fact, it may be like standing on some railroad tracks and looking down them for as far as you can see, and at some point the tracks ‘seem to come together’ in our mind’s eye, and the limits of our vision – but in reality, we know they are still at least 3 feet apart.”

This Scripture should first always be considered: Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

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This certainly is a question some may use to ‘prove their concept that one can lose salvation.’

To me, it does NOT.

First, we cannot fully and completely understand God. And, He has ‘taught us time’ but He is not restrained by time….He is without beginning and without end. So, He knows the beginning and the end.

Isa 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

He is ‘the potter’ and we are ‘the clay’ – and some vessels are made for blessing and some for wrath.

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Why add to the joy of salvation by creating a burden of fear, insecurity, and loss – ‘ that even after a person is saved,’ they can then ‘lose their salvation?’  I believe ‘once saved, always saved.’

Again, my passion concerning this may make my writing seem ‘so authoritative’ – like I have ‘special insight or illumination’ – and thus am a scholar or religious leader. That is not my intent. I am a sinner, a trophy of His merciful grace, who has lived 67 years and experienced so much that the Lord has used to ‘form me’ on the anvil of life – and then shown me ‘in relationship’ and ‘by His word’ and the words and understanding of saints I hold dear and as ‘authoritative’ in the prophecy of God’s truth – teachers – that I share this from my heart to stimulate your own search of God’s Holy Word for His truth.

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More dialogue on ‘once saved, always saved’ versus ‘loss of salvation’ in answer to a dear brother’s thesis yesterday – with their name removed for the obvious reasons. This I hope, also stimulates your heart and mind – to search for God’s truth – and not to ‘just accept’ my thesis. Forgive my passion.

First, thank you for your call. And thank you for ‘sharing’ that the Lord is ‘pricking your heart’ to ‘seek His truth’ as to ‘assurance of salvation’ – ‘that once saved, always saved.’ (And I fully realize you are ‘not accepting that yet’ – but are seeking to have clarity on this important issue. I trust God will use His Spirit to illuminate your soul on this, so you can be a ‘vessel for Him’ in giving others this precious truth and security.)

And, especially when one is ‘immersed’ in a ‘denominational doctrine’ that promotes ‘loss of salvation,’ it can really be a challenge – if we just look at ‘what Luther’ went through when he realized how wrong the Catholic Church was in the 15^th century – concerning ‘man’s performance’ and ‘the Pope’s authority’ in order to ‘maintain one’s salvation’ or ‘even their church membership’ – and the concept of the grace of God versus ‘the ever repeated cycle of conviction, repentance, confession, then doing penance, etc., being advocated’ – which created an impossible expectation and failure cycle – and even ‘their own declared differential in the weight or seriousness of sins.’ And of course this was all ‘allowed’ because of them ‘recognizing’ a ‘higher authority’ than God’s Word – and allowing that to ‘over ride’ His truth. Conviction, repentance, and confession is good and also Scriptural – and is integral to our first ‘being saved – and also to our continuing relationship with the Lord — but it not in relation to ‘loss of salvation’ as 1 john 1: 8-10 which is written to believers shows. (And also, I want you to completely understand that ‘I felt’ I had ‘lost my salvation’ – and it took years and years for me to grasp ‘once saved, always saved.’)

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