Can we lose Salvation?

[finney]

Once saved always saved is oft used as an excuse for the flesh, is an (among Christians) emotionally loaded sound byte that really doesn't say anything (or else says it all) and the question can be asked or answered by better means than an adage.

Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles and it was to Paul that the mystery of the church was revealed. Why are you using a verse from a book written to the Hebrews to try to force a doctrine onto the church? Look at Hebrews; if this and if that. Let's take "if we hold on to the end" for example. The end of what? "If they shall fall away" from what? See anywhere in there that the writer of Hebrews is talking about falling away from salvation? That's Hebrews 6:6 and just four verses later the writer of Hebrews declares that "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." What work are you doing? What work are we to do? It's in John 6 about a third of the way through, but I'll let you go look for it. Hebrews is not a gospel of grace or "the gospel of Christ" book, it's a kingdom gospel book for the people it's addressed to; the Hebrews. Find in the writings of our apostle where we're to repent of something as a condition of our salvation. Peter preached "repent" to the Jews but Paul does not. His proclamation is not "Repent" (both since the Gentiles were never under the law to begin with and since all sins for the whole world for all peoples are forgiven) but "Believe".

You will not "achieve" that Sabbath rest spoken of in Hebrews. It is obtained through labor if the words in the verse mean anything. If the word rest means rest then the word labor means labor. Whatever works you're doing to "acheive" in this dispensation of grace given to Paul are of reward and not of faith. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Thank God our sins are gone forever or we'd all be done on that one.
Oh.. By the way... you can't have eternal life if you'e sinned even once after being born again 'cause the wages of sin isn't "Forgive me" nor is it "I'm sorry" nor is it "I repent." It's death. The only way you could have eternal life is if the sin issue has been dealt with decisively and completely, not only in it's effects but in it's continued imputation. There remaineth no more sacrifce... Remember that? Are you going to stand there and tell me flat-footed that you have NEVER sinned willfully (I don't actually know what other kind there is now that the law's been done away with as a means of judging whether one's sinning or not) since you were born again? What do you do with Hebrews 10:26 and 27?

That rest is available right now, for free, by faith in Jesus Christ and his death, burial and resurrection. You ain't gonna see it through any effort of your own, but most folks need to dash themselves against the rocks for a while 'fore they can figure that out.

finney