All the parables of Jesus portray the fact that consistency and faithfulness to the end constitute who would finally be rewarded with eternal life. Read up on the parables of Jesus. You will be amazed. You think the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent God will risk the holiness and joy of sinless, heavenly beings by allowing even one sinner to enter and mar the heavenly abode? No, He wouldn't. See Nahum 1:9.

Mk 13:13 Jesus said "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." [NIV] This denotes that there will be those who will not stand firm to the end; therefore, they will not be saved.

While surfing the net, I found this:

"Jn 15:1,2 - Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away..." ~ Note: This is someone in Christ who gets taken away because they did not bear fruit. The word for fruit means that which originates or comes from something, an effect, result; or, work, act, deed; or, praises which are presented to God as a thank offering. This is obviously something a servant of God personally needs to have or else God will take that person away. The word for takes away here means to take off or away what is attached to anything; to remove. So this Scripture is about God removing someone from being in Christ. Clearly, this is about someone losing their salvation."

I also found this:

"Jn 15:6 - Jesus said, "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered (Note: in order to be cast out, one must first be in Christ); and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." ~ Note: The word for abide also means remain, continue, endure, not to depart, to continue to be present, to remain as one, not to become another or different. Surely, this is a warning to stay in Christ, which means it's possible to not do so. To be thrown into the fire and burned is clearly about God casting someone to hell where they will be consumed with fire. This will happen to a former branch in Christ. This is a clear teaching of Jesus that it is necessary for us believers to continue to walk in the sanctification given us at the new birth. We must keep believing and obeying His word (Jn 15:9,10), or we chose to stop our relationship with Him. That would be some of us not bearing fruit, which stems from not obeying Him, that causes some to be cast out."

That's talking about fruit bearing not loss of salvation.

Fruit bearing is very much related to salvation. It is interesting how many of Jesus' parables start out with "For the kingdom of heaven is like to... OR the kingdom of heaven is likened unto, etc." This tells us that the lessons in the parables are heaven-endorsed. In the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30), the non fruit-bearing servant was cast into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This place of outer darkness couldn't possibly be Heaven. It sounds more like hell. In fact, Matt 25:46 confirms it's hell. The non fruit-bearing servant lost his salvation!

Here's more from my search in the Internet:

"Jn 14:16 - Jesus said, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever." ~ Note: The word may is NOT will. There is the possibility of it not happening. Plus when Jesus started with "and I will" means there is a condition for us found in the previous verse. "If you love Me, keep My commandments." (Jn 14:15). So if we keep His commandments, then He will pray for us that the Holy Spirit may abide in us forever. All the exhortations in Scripture for us to live right are not there for nothing.

"If we are once saved always saved, then there is no need for most of God's word. Scripture shows we can stop doing His commandments, and we can grieve or quench the Holy Spirit. That's forcing Him out. 1 Cor 3:13-15 - each one's work will become clear; for the Day (the final Day when Christ returns) will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

"Note: This is not about sin nor the backsliding Christian who is back being a slave to sin again. This is about the lousy works that some do in trying to witness for Jesus Christ...

"Not every act of sin makes you lose your salvation. It's the wilful practice of sin that makes one an unbeliever. ~ Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God (1 Jn 3:10). It does not go both ways. One is either practicing righteousness or they are practicing sin. Are you set free from sin or are you set free to sin? It's ridiculous to think this Scripture means once-saved always saved because it's about works, not about sin. Yet, perhaps you should check out Rev 3:1-5."

More thoughts on this:

In times of trouble the real nature of the faith of God's professed children will be made manifest. If they are truly converted and have been thoroughly indoctrinated with the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, the fires of persecution and trial will only cause their faith to grow stronger and their love for the Lord to shine out more brightly. If, on the other hand, they have received faulty instruction, composed of a mixture of human philosophy and worldly compromise, their faith will not stand the test of trouble, and they will fall away from Christ and His church. Only those who have built faithfully on the true foundation, Jesus Christ, and have used durable materials will see their work endure to the end.

He who does not build wisely by following closely the instruction of the Master Builder will see his work destroyed (see Matt. 7:26, 27). He may repent of his poor workmanship and be accepted by God, but the results of his faulty work will not be changed. They will remain, an eternal loss to the unfaithful builder. By his words and deeds a man may misrepresent the teachings of Jesus and thereby sow seeds of doubt, evil surmising, and love of the world. By his influence he may cause many souls to turn away from the pure gospel and accept error. He may later recognize the wrong he has done and repent sincerely. God will forgive him and save him. But because of his faulty building, souls will be outside the kingdom. Thus even though he is saved, others will be eternally lost (see Gal. 6:7).

A superficial reading of verses 12-15 of 1 Cor 3 has led some to the erroneous conclusion that Paul here teaches the individual predestination, irrespective of personal choice. That such is not the case becomes evident upon a careful reading of the context (verses. 3-15). The apostle here discusses his labors as an apostle and those of other "ministers" (v. 5) who had served the church at Corinth. The "reward" here spoken of (v. 8) is a reward for service rendered in the gospel ministry, not for one's personal life as a Christian. See also Jn 3:17:20; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4-6.

The man who builds on the foundation of wood, hay, stubble, may at the last moment of probation repent and be saved, but how tragic his wasted life. The eleventh-hour repentance of the lifelong blunderer may be accepted but what a poor, maimed offering he has to present. Literally, "through fire," here apparently a figure representing a narrow escape.

You did not answer 2 Jn 2 - "For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever."

The word "for ever" does not necessarily mean unending, unlimited duration, eternal, as can be seen in the following texts:

Jonah 2:6 - "I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God."

Was Jonah in the belly of the fish forever? No. Forever just means a duration of time.

Ex 21:6 - "Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever."

Here, for ever means a lifetime.

So, the misunderstood text above in 2 Jn 2 means so long as we stay in a saving relationship with Christ (that time frame) the truth dwells in us. When we change masters and we no longer respond to the continual wooing of the Holy Spirit to come back to the Fold, then the truth no longer dwells in us. We are joined to our idol, and God says: Let him alone.

As a Once Saved, Always Saved advocate, Marc, how would you explain Eze 18:24?

Eze 18:24 - "But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall be die."

OR

Eze 3:20 - "Again, When a righteous man doeth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand."

This pertains to their physical life.

I do not see it that way. If the gift of God in Rom 6:23 is ETERNAL LIFE, then the penalty of sin is the opposite--ETERNAL DEATH. The once-righteous man died in his sins; therefore, the penalty incurred is eternal death. He will be resurrected with the wicked at the end of the thousand-year millennium.

Sometimes we dwell only on the love and mercy of God not realizing that He is also HOLY and as such, sin is an abomination and abhorrence to Him. God is a holy God and we need to obey Him. Yes, He is loving and merciful, no question about that, but He is also a CONSUMING FIRE to those who wilfully disobey and hang on to their cherished sins crucifying their Lord afresh. What a shame! What a shame that we should continue sinning when Christ died on the Cross to obtain VICTORY OVER SIN. Because of Calvary we can be victorious over sin HERE AND NOW, and, if faithful to the end, will receive the future heavenly reward--the immortal crown.

1 Jn 1:6 states, "If we say that we have fellowship with Jesus while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth."

Liars are hell-bound. Rev 21:8.

I would question if you were ever saved to begin with (1 Jn 2:19).

I have the assurance of eternal life TODAY because TODAY Jesus is my personal Lord and Saviour. His precious blood has washed my sins away. I love Him with all my heart and show my love to Him by being obedient. I pray for the Holy Spirit to be my teacher always. I go to church to worship Him in spirit and in truth. TODAY, with the Holy Spirit dwelling in my heart, He helps me to overcome sin and character flaws in my life. He helps me to grow spiritually. TODAY, He helps me to be loving and kind. He helps me to be faithful and loyal. Yes, TODAY, He does all this for me.

However, five, ten, fifteen years from now, I do not know what's going to happen, but I do not worry about it. I live for Him one day at a time. He will give me the strength and the power I need to overcome sin and the trials of TODAY. He never gives power today for the trials of tomorrow. I pray that I will be faithful and loyal forever (until I die), but I am a free moral agent. He created me with a freewill and, therefore, I can choose anytime to sever myself from His love and fellowship. I could choose to be joined to my idol like Ephraim did. God forbid that that should happen. We are free to leave God and His Church because God respects our will and does not coerce us to love, worship, and adore Him.

"We have nothing of our own but our will. It is the only thing which God has so placed in our own power that we can make an offering of it to Him." --St John Vianney.

If God didn't want us to be able to choose He would not have given us the gift of freewill. It is this gift which places us above the animals. It is this gift which allows us to choose to either worship God or not worship God. It is this gift, and only this gift, which allows us to truly love Him like a son. It is this gift which proves that 'once saved, always saved' must be wrong. If we are saved in spite of ourselves then there is no freewill. If there is no freewill then the Bible is wrong! I don't believe that the Bible is wrong... --Graham Pockett.

1 Jn 2:19 -"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

The text is often cited by advocates of the once-saved, always saved doctrine to point out that those who went out from Christ were not genuine Christians to begin with.

But notice Matt 7:21. This text is talking about Christians. These people believe Jn 3:16. They are church members in good and regular standing. They are happy in the Lord. They are active in His service. Some probably are the pillars of the Church. They are definitely of Christ's but they are not saved!

Here's Matt 7:21 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (did you notice the condition here?) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Iniquity means sin or lawlessness. 1 Jn 3:4. While all the time they are supposedly working for God, they are committing fashionable sins--greed, pride (spiritual), lust, backbiting, selfishness, covetousness, etc. etc. They might keep the letter of the Law all right, like the rich, young ruler in Jesus' day, but they fail miserably to carry out in their lives the spirituality of the Law. Their lives were not transparent as sunlight.

This class of people is not obedient to God. It doesn't matter if they are pillars of the church for God looks at the heart to see if LOVE is there for Him. Love will manifest itself through obedience and works of righteousness. "IF you love me, keep my commandments." Love to God is a great motivator to keep His commandments holy, to love Him and our fellowmen.

The following was your response when I wrote that in Zion (God's people/church) there are two classes--the washed and the unwashed.

All who are God's people are God's people by faith not lineage.

I agree. Lineage has nothing to do whatsoever with salvation. However, the bottom line of what you have been saying in these last two emails is that "the son was always the son", "God's people are always God's people", and it doesn't matter whether they are washed or unwashed, whether they are saints or sinners, they will all go to heaven because they are not the Devil's son or the Devil's people. They are God's people. All will be saved in spite of themselves.

Sorry, Marc, but, while I respect your belief, I cannot conscientiously withhold God's warning. With love, I give you this warning: This teaching is delusional. It's a carnal security for sinners looking for an easy religion with no cross to lift. The religion of Christ has always been a cross-bearing religion. Nothing has changed. The Once-Saved, Always Saved teaching is spiritually dangerous. It allows for people not to live their lives circumspectly (as living in the presence of a Holy God). In other words, why trouble themselves with scruples when they could live as they please and still go to heaven at last. This teaching is nothing but a license to sin. It's erroneous, Marc, as proven by 100% of the teachings of scriptures.

The scriptures that on the surface appear to support the Once-Saved, Always-Saved theory (notice I said theory, because that's what it is--just a theory) are just misunderstood scriptures because the preponderance of scriptures all point to the fact that salvation, though FREE, is something that Christians in the race for immortal life, are STRIVING for to obtain the victory or else lose out. And many will lose out because they fail to endure to the end. Life is a battle and a march! The fight is on. It's fierce. We must put on the whole armour of God continually. Salvation is free, yet we are to buy of Him gold, white raiment, and eye-salve. We sell all that we have to purchase the ONE Pearl of Great Price--Jesus Christ. He is the author and finisher of our faith, and the end of our faith is SALVATION. 1 Peter 1:9.

One cannot based a whole doctrine on one or two verses of scriptures. Gather all the scriptures that pertain to a particular topic and weigh all the thoughts, the merits, the evidences, etc.--line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little, and the Holy Spirit will point and direct you to the right path. The Holy Spirit will teach you the TRUTH about JUSTIFICATION, SANCTIFICATION, and GLORIFICATION. All three, NOT TWO, NOT ONE, are involved in SALVATION. Here's a poem:

The Church and the World