Mary the Queen of Heaven

Non-sequitur. Baptism is but one step toward salvation (though one of the most important ones). Salvation is a lifelong process. OSAS and predetermination are man-made, non-biblical, non-Christian doctrines.

The word "salvation" is used in various ways in the Bible. Sometimes it refers to ultimate, final, salvation from punishment for sin on Judgment Day, which is a yet future salvation. Sometimes it refers to salvation from sin's power and effects right now, as an ongoing process. Sometimes it refers to what has been accomplished already on the cross, not as a process, but as an already completed event.

So what you said is true depending on what sense of the word you mean to use, which doesn't clarify anything.

However, if we want to get precise, and to agree with what the Bible says on the matter consistently, all who have ever been saved in that past tense sense (or justified, to use the word I used earlier), will without exception be saved from God's wrath in that future sense and spend eternity in Heaven (or glorified, to use the word I used earlier). When you pay attention to these distinctions between what has already been accomplished for the believer and what is yet to be accomplished, you will see how consistent the Bible is on this.
 
I don't consider myself a "protestant."

Same here. What defines my beliefs, and determines where I stand on the points where I differ with other professed Christians, is not defined by my protesting against anything. My faith is the faith of the apostles, centered on the message that was the heart of their preaching, the Gospel, without adopting much later innovations just because various individual human beings claim them to be Christian beliefs. So it's much more accurate to call the brand of Christianity apostolic, or evangelical.
 
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Incorrect, most likely. You would have had the opportunity to join the Old Covenant (as many did). You could have availed yourself of it or not. You also could have been saved by Grace.

Source?
 
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wrong, deadly so. No one is saved under the OC since Jesus came. No one.

No one was ever saved under the Old Covenant before Jesus came either, nor did the terms of that covenant, written in Exodus through Deuteronomy, ever say that anyone could be. The blessings and curses of that covenant were earthly ones not heavenly ones. Spiritual salvation from sin for those living before Jesus, just as much as those living since his time, has only ever been by grace through faith, where sinners are forgiven on account of Jesus's sacrifice for them.
 
to be under grace is to endure

Correct. Ergo, those who do not endure were not under grace in the first place. Those who are under grace will endure.

Your belief is often called "perseverance of the saints," which is a form of OSAS.

According to this doctrine, you cannot accept Christ and then go on the rest of your life sinning deliberately, bearing no fruit of the Holy Spirit having changed you from the inside out. It is the exact opposite of what you said. Anyone who does that (as judged by God's eyes, not mine) did not really accept Christ in the biblical sense.
 
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I don't consider myself a "protestant." I don't have to agree with everything that the "reformers" believed, because I never identified myself as a protestant, or as belonging to any denomination. I'm just a Christian. A born again Christian, an adopted child of God. I'm someone who went through such a profound change in my heart/mind and life, that I devoted the rest of my life to serving God, using my gifts and talents for His kingdom.

I read and study the bible on my own, prayerfully, asking the Holy Spirit to be my teacher. I listen to what people I respect and trust have to say, but I don't believe that simply having the title of "pope," "priest," "deacon" or whatever automatically makes someone trustworthy.

As for the other stuff you brought up.... let's talk about it another time. We'll probably have to agree to disagree overall, because it seems that I disagree with the EO (and the Roman Catholic Church) on numerous things. But especially on the focus and emphasis you guys place on religion and the "church" - and by church I don't mean the worldwide church that some of us have been talking about, but the EO church.) Catholics do the same thing. They put so much emphasis on the Catholic church, to the point where they seem to think of themselves as "Catholic" rather than just Christian. I know this, because my mom is Catholic, as are many of my relatives on her side of the family.

I agree with you that we are all not spiritually called to the same ministries, works of faith and labor of love in the Lord. The word tells us that we are the body of Christ made up of many parts, each having their own function and purpose wherever the Lord will have us go with our witness and works that we're called to do. In that I can not tell you that you are wrong in following your own spiritual convictions. We all grow in faith at different paces in our journey towards the kingdom of heaven.

What I want to stress and not just to you here is that I don't think that many Christians fully comprehend just how much our Father in heaven is willing to over-look as far as our inability in our corrupted human state of flesh to grasp the fullness of His truth in the message of salvation. God is patient, merciful and forgiving understanding fully what we are battling against here in this world in our flesh.

When the Apostle Paul said that God is able to make the children of the Lord stand--despite their traditions and practices--he wasn't lying or being facetious--Paul was telling the truth there. God knows the hearts of every single believer and their intentions despite whatever they might believe or do otherwise that isn't consistent with what we have been told we should be doing. This is also why the Apostle Paul said that we are never to judge another brethren based upon their practices or traditions. Where this becomes a problem is when believers fall short in their understanding on exactly what does save mankind. Beliefs matter because we are what we believe and that is either we're saved or we're not because of those same beliefs. Because we will inevitably always act on those beliefs or we do not act upon those beliefs.

Confessions of belief mean nothing without an action prompted by the Holy Spirit to do what we have been called to do in Christ. Gods grace is His empowerment and the vehicle which empowers the believer to either act upon his/her belief or not. Faith is the fuel that moves the vehicle of grace forward. Faith is what we do--a physical reaction to grace and our belief. The Apostle Paul calls this a "work of faith" and "labor of love" of which both Paul and James tell us without--our faith dies and it's possible to then fall from grace if we remain in this state of mind for too long--ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 1:2We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God



We are the "Elect" of God only as long as we walk in the spirit and continually abide in Christ--those are the terms that our Lord has set forth and paramount to maintaining our faith. Without abiding in Christ and doing these "works of faith"--we have no faith--we are ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit.

This is what the EOC teaches and is right on the mark in accordance with the word of God. This is the Gospel truth that saves mankind. Our beliefs and works of faith are absolutely essential for salvation--otherwise we can and people do fall from grace and can no longer remain of the "Elect". The Apostle Paul most certainly tells us to hold fast to our Christian traditions. These *are* physical traditions and the worldly evidence to the unbelievers of this world that God exists and that He's real. They are the provocation that draws mankind to God in this world. It is the physical evidence of the hope and the salvation to those who are lost, hurting and suffering.

So you say that you don't feel that the worldly church is that important? I can tell you just the opposite and this world of so many lost souls absolutely need that physical evidence to draw them into the body of Christ. It's far more important than many realize.

There is no such thing as a one time confession of faith that saves people no matter how they choose to live their lives after this confession. We are accountable for everything we say and do in this life.
 
"running the race" isn't salvation, only sanctification. You can add nothing to Jesus' perfect, once for all finished work. Salvation is freely given to all, but only those who accept Jesus as their Savior recieve the free gift. No one can save themselves.

This teaching is what has infected the protestant churches. OSAS is a deadly doctrine created by the reformers--mainly Calvin with his "perseverance of the saints". I have a very good example that just recently happened.

A woman I know who attends a Baptist church here and is also a legal guardian of her father in law and her brother in law. Every time you would meet this woman, she would greet you with these words that came out of her mouth--"praise Jesus--God is good!" She would greet you with a strong hug and a sweet smile and quote scripture all day long. She is also a believer in the OSAS doctrine.

What we just discovered about her is that she's been living a secret life beyond her marriage to her husband. She'd been seeing another man for years and went through hundreds of thousands of dollars that she was entrusted with by her father in law and her disabled brother in law and supporting this other man in some apartment. When the money was finally questioned because not only had she spent it all on this guy, but she was now writing bad checks on their accounts as well. She was physically abusing the father in law as well and they were now bankrupt and unable to pay their bills because she had spent all of the money. Her husband was unaware for years that she was carrying on this relationship with another man also.

Long story short here--when she finally got caught--she had no remorse for what she had done. When she was confronted about her Christian life as opposed to her secret life--all she said was that she was still saved no matter what she did or how she lived her life. And she's still running around spouting the words "praise Jesus!" without so much as a worry as to whether she's accountable or not for what she's done.

If she was truly walking in the spirit of the Lord and in faith--she would have never committed these crimes thinking that she is not accountable and needing to repent. Because as far as she's been taught in her Baptist church--she can do anything she likes and still be saved and obtain the kingdom of heaven. This is what OSAS does and the effect it has on those who believe it.

Jesus finished *His work on that cross to enable us to believe in such a way that now we have the hope of salvation. Yes--salvation is a gift, but we are required to live a Godly life with the full understanding that this gift can either be accepted or rejected at any point and time throughout our entire lives. "Elect" is a spiritual state of being that is not permanent upon a one time confession of belief. Being of the "Elect" of God is a continual reaction in faith and abiding in Christ in this life and to the very end of it.

This is also what the EOC teaches and is the saving Gospel message of truth. There are many people running around thinking that they're saved and they are indeed NOT saved at all. And this is where our Lord tells them---"I never knew you". OSAS is a very dangerous belief my friend.
 
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Of which part? Exodus 34 lays out the conditions of the Old ("renewed") Covenant which includes making "covenants" with Perizzites, Canaanites, etc. Converts would have to observe these. IDR now, there is another place in the OT where converts had to be circumcised to intermarry or otherwise join the Israelites. The bit about Grace I learned so long ago that IDR the exact passage. :/

Time to go to liturgy, but I hope to talk with you again soon! ~hugs~
 
This teaching is what has infected the protestant churches. OSAS is a deadly doctrine created by the reformers--mainly Calvin with his "perseverance of the saints". I have a very good example that just recently happened.

A woman I know who attends a Baptist church here and is also a legal guardian of her father in law and her brother in law. Every time you would meet this woman, she would greet you with these words that came out of her mouth--"praise Jesus--God is good!" She would greet you with a strong hug and a sweet smile and quote scripture all day long. She is also a believer in the OSAS doctrine.

What we just discovered about her is that she's been living a secret life beyond her marriage to her husband. She'd been seeing another man for years and went through hundreds of thousands of dollars that she was entrusted with by her father in law and her disabled brother in law and supporting this other man in some apartment. When the money was finally questioned because not only had she spent it all on this guy, but she was now writing bad checks on their accounts as well. She was physically abusing the father in law as well and they were now bankrupt and unable to pay their bills because she had spent all of the money. Her husband was unaware for years that she was carrying on this relationship with another man also.

Long story short here--when she finally got caught--she had no remorse for what she had done. When she was confronted about her Christian life as opposed to her secret life--all she said was that she was still saved no matter what she did or how she lived her life. And she's still running around spouting the words "praise Jesus!" without so much as a worry as to whether she's accountable or not for what she's done.

If she was truly walking in the spirit of the Lord and in faith--she would have never committed these crimes thinking that she is not accountable and needing to repent. Because as far as she's been taught in her Baptist church--she can do anything she likes and still be saved and obtain the kingdom of heaven. This is what OSAS does and the effect it has on those who believe it.

Jesus finished *His work on that cross to enable us to believe in such a way that now we have the hope of salvation. Yes--salvation is a gift, but we are required to live a Godly life with the full understanding that this gift can either be accepted or rejected at any point and time throughout our entire lives. "Elect" is a spiritual state of being that is not permanent upon a one time confession of belief. Being of the "Elect" of God is a continual reaction in faith and abiding in Christ in this life and to the very end of it.

This is also what the EOC teaches and is the saving Gospel message of truth. There are many people running around thinking that they're saved and they are indeed NOT saved at all. And this is where our Lord tells them---"I never knew you". OSAS is a very dangerous belief my friend.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Terry1 again.
:(
 
Of which part? Exodus 34 lays out the conditions of the Old ("renewed") Covenant which includes making "covenants" with Perizzites, Canaanites, etc. Converts would have to observe these. IDR now, there is another place in the OT where converts had to be circumcised to intermarry or otherwise join the Israelites. The bit about Grace I learned so long ago that IDR the exact passage. :/

Every part.

Now here you're just changing the subject. In the post in question you made a claim about what would happen after someone died, saying they could either join the Old Covenant or be saved by grace. What's your source for that idea. Nothing you refer to from Exodus 34 has anything to do with it.
 
I agree with you that we are all not spiritually called to the same ministries, works of faith and labor of love in the Lord. The word tells us that we are the body of Christ made up of many parts, each having their own function and purpose wherever the Lord will have us go with our witness and works that we're called to do. In that I can not tell you that you are wrong in following your own spiritual convictions. We all grow in faith at different paces in our journey towards the kingdom of heaven.

What I want to stress and not just to you here is that I don't think that many Christians fully comprehend just how much our Father in heaven is willing to over-look as far as our inability in our corrupted human state of flesh to grasp the fullness of His truth in the message of salvation. God is patient, merciful and forgiving understanding fully what we are battling against here in this world in our flesh.

When the Apostle Paul said that God is able to make the children of the Lord stand--despite their traditions and practices--he wasn't lying or being facetious--Paul was telling the truth there. God knows the hearts of every single believer and their intentions despite whatever they might believe or do otherwise that isn't consistent with what we have been told we should be doing. This is also why the Apostle Paul said that we are never to judge another brethren based upon their practices or traditions. Where this becomes a problem is when believers fall short in their understanding on exactly what does save mankind. Beliefs matter because we are what we believe and that is either we're saved or we're not because of those same beliefs. Because we will inevitably always act on those beliefs or we do not act upon those beliefs.

Confessions of belief mean nothing without an action prompted by the Holy Spirit to do what we have been called to do in Christ. Gods grace is His empowerment and the vehicle which empowers the believer to either act upon his/her belief or not. Faith is the fuel that moves the vehicle of grace forward. Faith is what we do--a physical reaction to grace and our belief. The Apostle Paul calls this a "work of faith" and "labor of love" of which both Paul and James tell us without--our faith dies and it's possible to then fall from grace if we remain in this state of mind for too long--ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 1:2We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God



We are the "Elect" of God only as long as we walk in the spirit and continually abide in Christ--those are the terms that our Lord has set forth and paramount to maintaining our faith. Without abiding in Christ and doing these "works of faith"--we have no faith--we are ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit.

This is what the EOC teaches and is right on the mark in accordance with the word of God. This is the Gospel truth that saves mankind. Our beliefs and works of faith are absolutely essential for salvation--otherwise we can and people do fall from grace and can no longer remain of the "Elect". The Apostle Paul most certainly tells us to hold fast to our Christian traditions. These *are* physical traditions and the worldly evidence to the unbelievers of this world that God exists and that He's real. They are the provocation that draws mankind to God in this world. It is the physical evidence of the hope and the salvation to those who are lost, hurting and suffering.

So you say that you don't feel that the worldly church is that important? I can tell you just the opposite and this world of so many lost souls absolutely need that physical evidence to draw them into the body of Christ. It's far more important than many realize.

There is no such thing as a one time confession of faith that saves people no matter how they choose to live their lives after this confession. We are accountable for everything we say and do in this life.


Hi Terry. I just want to say a couple things right now. And later, if you want, we can discuss this in more depth. You've made your thoughts on salvation (the position of the EO church) clear, in a number of posts. So I'm well aware of your viewpoint.

I'm not sure why you felt it was necessary to post all of that to me. Can I ask you a favor? I really want to cut to the chase, so can you please sum up what you really were trying to say to me, in 1 or 2 sentences?

The reason I ask is because I don't want to assume. I could do that, but it's better that I let you speak for yourself, in a very concise, in a nutshell sort of way.

Thanks!
 
thanks Lily; our eternal security is about Jesus' (finished) work at Calvary, not on our work (s).
 
No one was ever saved under the Old Covenant before Jesus came either, nor did the terms of that covenant, written in Exodus through Deuteronomy, ever say that anyone could be. The blessings and curses of that covenant were earthly ones not heavenly ones. Spiritual salvation from sin for those living before Jesus, just as much as those living since his time, has only ever been by grace through faith, where sinners are forgiven on account of Jesus's sacrifice for them.

Under the OC, believers were saved by faith in God but by keeping the Law. Jesus' sacrifice was CREDITED to them, as it was still yet future.
 
That wasn't what stunned me about your post.

Was it when I asked who your Bishop is? I ask that, because by knowing your Bishop I can know what your Church believes and confesses and can then understand what your beliefs and traditions are.

And I don't reject the teaching of God's "saints." (I don't even agree with the idea of special saints, if that's what you meant) I just don't put them above what the bible says.

You put your interpretation of the Bible over theirs, so in that way, you are rejecting them.
 
I agree with you that we are all not spiritually called to the same ministries, works of faith and labor of love in the Lord. The word tells us that we are the body of Christ made up of many parts, each having their own function and purpose wherever the Lord will have us go with our witness and works that we're called to do. In that I can not tell you that you are wrong in following your own spiritual convictions. We all grow in faith at different paces in our journey towards the kingdom of heaven.

What I want to stress and not just to you here is that I don't think that many Christians fully comprehend just how much our Father in heaven is willing to over-look as far as our inability in our corrupted human state of flesh to grasp the fullness of His truth in the message of salvation. God is patient, merciful and forgiving understanding fully what we are battling against here in this world in our flesh.

When the Apostle Paul said that God is able to make the children of the Lord stand--despite their traditions and practices--he wasn't lying or being facetious--Paul was telling the truth there. God knows the hearts of every single believer and their intentions despite whatever they might believe or do otherwise that isn't consistent with what we have been told we should be doing. This is also why the Apostle Paul said that we are never to judge another brethren based upon their practices or traditions. Where this becomes a problem is when believers fall short in their understanding on exactly what does save mankind. Beliefs matter because we are what we believe and that is either we're saved or we're not because of those same beliefs. Because we will inevitably always act on those beliefs or we do not act upon those beliefs.

Confessions of belief mean nothing without an action prompted by the Holy Spirit to do what we have been called to do in Christ. Gods grace is His empowerment and the vehicle which empowers the believer to either act upon his/her belief or not. Faith is the fuel that moves the vehicle of grace forward. Faith is what we do--a physical reaction to grace and our belief. The Apostle Paul calls this a "work of faith" and "labor of love" of which both Paul and James tell us without--our faith dies and it's possible to then fall from grace if we remain in this state of mind for too long--ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 1:2We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God



We are the "Elect" of God only as long as we walk in the spirit and continually abide in Christ--those are the terms that our Lord has set forth and paramount to maintaining our faith. Without abiding in Christ and doing these "works of faith"--we have no faith--we are ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit.

This is what the EOC teaches and is right on the mark in accordance with the word of God. This is the Gospel truth that saves mankind. Our beliefs and works of faith are absolutely essential for salvation--otherwise we can and people do fall from grace and can no longer remain of the "Elect". The Apostle Paul most certainly tells us to hold fast to our Christian traditions. These *are* physical traditions and the worldly evidence to the unbelievers of this world that God exists and that He's real. They are the provocation that draws mankind to God in this world. It is the physical evidence of the hope and the salvation to those who are lost, hurting and suffering.

So you say that you don't feel that the worldly church is that important? I can tell you just the opposite and this world of so many lost souls absolutely need that physical evidence to draw them into the body of Christ. It's far more important than many realize.

There is no such thing as a one time confession of faith that saves people no matter how they choose to live their lives after this confession. We are accountable for everything we say and do in this life.


Yes there is. We are accountable at the Bema Seat Judgment, but not a judgment of our salvation, as our salvation was secured the MOMENT WE ACCEPTED JESUS as OUR PERSONAL SAVIOR. We are accountable for our works our lack of. Our salvation is never in question. Our sanctification is measured and we will be rewarded or lose rewards. The reason every Believer will have different rewards and levels of authority will be because we all live our own lives and each one of us is "graded", but we ALL get a PASS, because of Jesus' free gift of salvation- that no man could earn or add to. You cannot mix grace with works.
 
That's right, the works are just evidence of our eternal security.

The doctrine and tradition of eternal security (or the perseverance of the saints) is not an apostolic doctrine. No Church Father taught that in the history of the Church and this doctrine arose from the teachings of the later Reformers such as John Calvin. Martin Luther did not teach it, and he is the father of Protestantism.
 
Correct. Ergo, those who do not endure were not under grace in the first place. Those who are under grace will endure.

Your belief is often called "perseverance of the saints," which is a form of OSAS.

According to this doctrine, you cannot accept Christ and then go on the rest of your life sinning deliberately, bearing no fruit of the Holy Spirit having changed you from the inside out. It is the exact opposite of what you said. Anyone who does that (as judged by God's eyes, not mine) did not really accept Christ in the biblical sense.

I would argue all sin is deliberate. The Holy Spirit lives on the inside of us and testifies to truth or sin.
 
This teaching is what has infected the protestant churches. OSAS is a deadly doctrine created by the reformers--mainly Calvin with his "perseverance of the saints". I have a very good example that just recently happened.

A woman I know who attends a Baptist church here and is also a legal guardian of her father in law and her brother in law. Every time you would meet this woman, she would greet you with these words that came out of her mouth--"praise Jesus--God is good!" She would greet you with a strong hug and a sweet smile and quote scripture all day long. She is also a believer in the OSAS doctrine.

What we just discovered about her is that she's been living a secret life beyond her marriage to her husband. She'd been seeing another man for years and went through hundreds of thousands of dollars that she was entrusted with by her father in law and her disabled brother in law and supporting this other man in some apartment. When the money was finally questioned because not only had she spent it all on this guy, but she was now writing bad checks on their accounts as well. She was physically abusing the father in law as well and they were now bankrupt and unable to pay their bills because she had spent all of the money. Her husband was unaware for years that she was carrying on this relationship with another man also.

Long story short here--when she finally got caught--she had no remorse for what she had done. When she was confronted about her Christian life as opposed to her secret life--all she said was that she was still saved no matter what she did or how she lived her life. And she's still running around spouting the words "praise Jesus!" without so much as a worry as to whether she's accountable or not for what she's done.

If she was truly walking in the spirit of the Lord and in faith--she would have never committed these crimes thinking that she is not accountable and needing to repent. Because as far as she's been taught in her Baptist church--she can do anything she likes and still be saved and obtain the kingdom of heaven. This is what OSAS does and the effect it has on those who believe it.

Jesus finished *His work on that cross to enable us to believe in such a way that now we have the hope of salvation. Yes--salvation is a gift, but we are required to live a Godly life with the full understanding that this gift can either be accepted or rejected at any point and time throughout our entire lives. "Elect" is a spiritual state of being that is not permanent upon a one time confession of belief. Being of the "Elect" of God is a continual reaction in faith and abiding in Christ in this life and to the very end of it.

This is also what the EOC teaches and is the saving Gospel message of truth. There are many people running around thinking that they're saved and they are indeed NOT saved at all. And this is where our Lord tells them---"I never knew you". OSAS is a very dangerous belief my friend.

there is so much wrong with your post, I'll just reply to this. Jesus isn't talking to Believer's here. He is speaking to FALSE teachers (who preached in His name, cast out demons)- even the devil can do that. Jesus says I NEVER knew you. Meaning He never knew the person. If you are saved, He sure does know you!
 
The doctrine and tradition of eternal security (or the perseverance of the saints) is not an apostolic doctrine. No Church Father taught that in the history of the Church and this doctrine arose from the teachings of the later Reformers such as John Calvin. Martin Luther did not teach it, and he is the father of Protestantism.

it sure is. OSAS was taught by Jesus Himself.

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
(John 10:28).


Jn.10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”
Rom.6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


Jn.3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.


Jn.5:24 “He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” One is made spiritually alive by having true living faith.

Romans 5 is all about eternal security.
 
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