CAN A REFORMED BELIEVER FALL AWAY FROM FAITH?

[Jethro Bodine]

The gospel is not hidden from anyone.
Men just have to believe it.

Nothing happens until God calls a person.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

God's plan for us is to preach the Gospel and win souls for Him.

That's part of it. The main reason you exist is to live a life of Christian character according to the fruit of the Spirit. Your service to the gospel is secondary to that. The most important thing is that you live out the truth, then share it with others according to whatever gift and calling you have received. Obedience is better than sacrifice. The Israelites are our example of being occupied with careful service to the temple while not doing that which matters most.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I'm thinking : -
1) The elect are already with the Lord.

No, the elect who are still in the body are here on planet earth.

2 John 1:1
1The elder, To the chosen lady and her children

2 John 1:13
13The children of your elect sister send you greetings.

He's speaking of the church, the elect.

 

[jasonc]

I see things here .I know wondering doesn't agree .either I attend the arminist church where women are pastors ,theology is often shallow .

Or mine .sure there are great churches that aren't returned but I am called to this.

Worship here is very intent on God as the center .other churches may have done that I went to but I notice it more .

 

[Hopeful]

It is hidden from those who repeatedly and knowingly reject it.

If they rejected it, it must have been shown to them.

 

[Hopeful]

No, the blame for not believing the gospel ultimately lies with the individual themselves. I believe God is faithful to call the many. So there is no lack in God's responsibility to testify in the world to the truth and reality of the gospel of Jesus. It is incumbent on men to believe what God faithfully shows them to be true about the gospel.

I suppose I should have said "The doctrine of the reformed makes it God's fault so many will not be saved."

 

[Hopeful]

Not always...

Philippians 1:15-18
15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.c 17The former, however, preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can add to the distress of my chains.

18What then is the issue?d Just this: that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached.

Agreed.
I wonder how many of the folks who walked away laughing told their friends and neighbors about what I had said to them.
A lot, I hope.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I attend the arminist church where women are pastors ,theology is often shallow .

Or mine .sure there are great churches that aren't returned

Okay, buddy, keep your hands where I can see 'em. Do you know why I pulled you over? It's 'Arminian', not 'arminist'. And 'reformed', not 'returned'.

Grammar Popo, Badge #536


Oh, and your passenger side brake light is out, too.

 

[Cooper]

No, the elect who are still in the body are here on planet earth.

2 John 1:1
1The elder, To the chosen lady and her children

2 John 1:13
13The children of your elect sister send you greetings.

He's speaking of the church, the elect.

The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; (2Jn 1:1 KJV)

The word elect, “eklektos” in the Greek means to be chosen, or selected, for God’s divine purposes. A very special appointment in the early church and before.

Now then. The elect person in the quote you gave is a lady, so I need to ask how you get round that, bearing in mind your view of women in the church?
.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

If they rejected it, it must have been shown to them.

That's the way I look at it.
If God's gonna condemn someone for calling the Holy Spirit a liar surely He showed them what they're saying He's lying about.

1 John 5:10
10...whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given about His Son.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; (2Jn 1:1 KJV)

The word elect, “eklektos” in the Greek means to be chosen, or selected, for God’s divine purposes. A very special appointment in the early church and before.

The 'elect lady' is the church, the bride of Christ. Individually, we are 'her children'. The church is portrayed in scripture as a wife. A wife in submission to her husband, Christ. That is the order of headship defined in scripture. The woman never has authority over the man.

Now then. The elect person in the quote you gave is a lady, so I need to ask how you get round that, bearing in mind your view of women in the church?

'Elect lady' is not an individual. Her children are.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

The word elect, “eklektos” in the Greek means to be chosen, or selected, for God’s divine purposes. A very special appointment in the early church and before.

All believers are chosen/elected. Some among us have been chosen to fulfill a special calling and gifting, like Paul, and Jeremiah, and so on. But we are all of the elect.

Romans 12:3-6
3Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you (to walk in a gift, vs.6-8). 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another.

6We have different gifts according to the grace given us.

 

[Cooper]

The lady has a name, and she is elect.
.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

The lady has a name, and she is elect.
.

The 'lady' is the church. You know that, right?

 

[Cooper]

The 'lady' is the church. You know that, right?

The elect lady is the person he writes unto; by whom is designed not the church of Christ, since such a way of speaking is unusual; and besides, he speaks of coming to see her face to face, and of the children of her elect sister: but some particular person, some rich, as well as gracious woman of John's acquaintance; and these words, "elect lady", are neither of them proper names of the person: some think that the word "Kyria", rendered "lady", was the name of the person, as "Domina" with the Romans, and answers to the Hebrew word "Martha"; for as מר, "Mar", signifies lord, so מרתא, "Martha, lady"; and then the inscription runs, "to the choice" or "excellent Martha"; and the Syriac and Arabic versions read, "to the elect Kyria": and others think that the word rendered elect is a proper name, and that this person's name was "Electa", as "Electus" (d) is a man's name; and then it must read thus, "to the lady Electa"; but her sister also is so called, and it can hardly be thought that two sisters should be both of a name; neither of them are proper names, but characters and titles of respect and honour: she is called a "lady", because she was a person of distinction and substance, which shows that God sometimes calls by his grace some that are rich and noble; and also that titles of respect and honour, where flattery is avoided, may be lawfully given to persons of dignity and wealth; so Nazianzen (e) calls his own mother by the same title; and it was usual to call women by this name from fourteen years of age (f): and this person also is said to be "elect"; either because she was a choice, famous, and excellent person, not only for her birth, nobility, and riches, but for her virtue, grace, and good works; or because she was chosen unto eternal life and salvation; and which the apostle might know without a special and divine revelation, by the Gospel coming with power to her; by the grace that was wrought in her; by the faith of God's elect, which she appeared to have, seeing it worked by love; and which may be, and ought to be concluded in a judgment of charity, of everyone that professes faith in Christ, and walks according to it; and this also makes it appear that election is of particular persons, and not of nations, communities, and churches, as such; nor is it unusual to salute single persons under this character; see Rom_16:13, this epistle is inscribed not only to this lady, but also to "her children"; who were not infants, but grown up, and had made a profession of the truth, and walked in it, 2Jn_1:4, and both the mother and the children the apostle represents as the objects of his love: (John Gill)

Others have a different view.

 

[gordon777]

There is one role for all who believe in Jesus Christ, to love one another. Many deceivers want us to lose that reward, of the true knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Who transgresses ( commit sin) does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, to abide in the doctrine of Christ is to have the Father and the Son ( to abide in love.)

Many then come and do not bring that doctrine, their deeds are evil deeds.



2 John 1: 5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

 

[jasonc]

Okay, buddy, keep your hands where I can see 'em. Do you know why I pulled you over? It's 'Arminian', not 'arminist'. And 'reformed', not 'returned'.

Grammar Popo, Badge #536


Oh, and your passenger side brake light is out, too.

Lol

 

[Cooper]

There is one role for all who believe in Jesus Christ, to love one another. Many deceivers want us to lose that reward, of the true knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Who transgresses ( commit sin) does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, to abide in the doctrine of Christ is to have the Father and the Son ( to abide in love.)

Many then come and do not bring that doctrine, their deeds are evil deeds.



2 John 1: 5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Well said.
.

 

[GodsGrace]

Are not the elect, elected or chosen by God.
Clearly, we cannot elect ourselves from the foundation of the earth, only God can do that.
Anyway, let's leave it there.
.

The elect are chosen by God...correct.
But based on whether or not the WANT to be a part of God's family.
God knew who would want to be with Him...
and chose them.
But we also choose...

 

[GodsGrace]

God's does the calling and the choosing, not us. And so implicit in the fact that he does the calling and the choosing is that happens when and where he initiates it. But I understand what you mean when you say we choose him. We decide whether or not we're going to believe and receive the gospel when and where he reveals it to us through the word of faith, calling us to salvation.

That God picks the where and when is an interesting idea.
Biblically it seems to me that God pours His grace (mercy) out on everyone.
The first step is always taken by God...He must reveal Himself first and then we reply.

I always believed that His grace is always present and when WE'RE ready (for whatever reason)
then we'll respond to it.

Of course if we continue saying no, our heart will become hardened more and more.

It seems that most persons find God when they're at the bottom of the barrel.