The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Falling away from what?

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]Hi Jason, My belief is that for someone who is saved the possibility is there that they can lose that in one of two ways. One way, and the quickest, is to simply renounce Jesus Christ as Savior and proclaim Him an imposter. This would be committing the unpardonable sin and what John spoke of. <br>(1Jo 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. )</font><hr></blockquote><p><br><br>What about Peter's three denials of Christ? Not quite the same situation, but did he lose his salvation, even for a moment? Furthermore, there's nothing to suggest that a person who is saved can commit the unpardonable sin. Only unsaved people were ever accused of having committed it.<br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]I would say that it is extremely rare for that to happen. One case might be Ananias and Sapphira. They trusted the god of mammon, more than the Word of the Lord and consequently lied about their gift. Since scripture does not record anything else about them we can not know if they were saved or not or how they came to be a part of this company. Another case is Simon the sorcerer. He appears to have effectively been saved, (Acts 8:13) but when he attempted apostasy by offering Peter money was told “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.” (v21)</font><hr></blockquote><p><br><br>I would suggest that the faith they exhibited was the kind without works which James rebuked. It is a faith that does not save.<br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]The other way, which is the slow way, is for a person to just drift away from his walk and relationship with the Lord and His people, eventually returning to their old ways and habits. What happens to this person is not for the Church to decide apart from someone getting a specific word of the Lord as how to deal with them. We are to be always seeking to restore such a one, and as long as there is some action and repentance on their part, they can be restored. (Mat 18:22; Isa 42:3)</font><hr></blockquote><p><br><br>Again, what I said above would very easily apply in this situation.