Think you answered that one yourself within the context;
[b]come unto[/b] the knowledge of the truth."
No such thing as a 'forced conversion' in this estimate.
[b]we have obtained an inheritance[/b], being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"
Who receives an inheritance? Hint, 1 John 3 through 5 has a repetition emphasized.
[i]O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not![/i]
Mat 23:37
[i]And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.[/i] Joh 3:19
[i]I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.[/i] Luk 13:3 (and all the surrounding context)
Both, but a son can still leave home ... As was mentioned, there is a great deal spoken to this throughout the site, try a search on OSAS. My simple argument would be that of [i]continuance[/i], believing is an action, a response, a love, a joy, an obedience, you could say it is a marriage of these, amongst many;
[i]My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.[/i] Joh 10:27-28
[i]Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.[/i] 1Pe 1:9
And in John, "I, My, them, they" are very explanatory. Just as 'sheep nature', if you are familiar with sheep is. Not known for their keen intellect for one thing ... ;-)
Au contraire!
[b]Except[/b] a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:3
Salvation [i][b]is[/b][/i] to be reborn, born from above;
[i]Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot [u]inherit[/u] the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.[/i] 1Co 15:50 (Note the underscored word again.)
[i]Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, [b]Except[/b] a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he [u]cannot[/u] enter into the kingdom of God.[/i] Joh 3:5
Not exactly sure of your intentions or motivations here nor will I pry into them, but on this point there is an unnecessary dividing, make that a impossible dividing. Something that occurred to me hinges around;
[i]That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.[/i] Rom 10:9
One of the great dangers that I think we have fallen into in this day is to excerpt without context and to exegesis in isolation. This verse above often used in such a pretext fashion as to forgoe all that surrounds it in it's context and displace it from the whole of the scriptures.
The underlying assumption that seems to be taken from it is the emphesis on "confess". The "sinners prayer" in our parlance is not outright useless, but is often bandied about too casually in my honest opinion. There is something of a suspicion that I have wondered about; That the one 'leading a sinner' in this fashion is possibly doing just that, [i]leading[/i] ... The question, "Have you led anyone to the Lord before?" can carry with it the self satisfaction that can often be heard by some with their attributes of "thousands", even the few, that [i]they[/i] have done this great and mighty thing. Please don't misunderstand, there is nothing more incredible than to have part in seeing another's eye's opened, planting, sowing, all the illustrative and expressive words used of workers. What I am alluding to is the pride of "I".
Maybe if there was more attention paid to what a 'birth' is by definition, it would stop the idea of putting the end in the middle of a progress, if not right at the beginning.
I don't know, there is something of our meddling that is bothersome on this point. Must we be present and the 'hearers' of confessing? More so the judges of purity of the words uttered; "Is he\\she sincere?" or just the group think manipulation of 'decision cards' to sign en masse.
[i]No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.[/i] Joh 6:44
Is this ultimately not personal, intimate? We can and do confess all kinds of things casually, unthinkingly, stirred up by the emotions, prompted by the 'moment' and not all of that is by necessity ... [i]off[/i]. What is revival but God entering into our midst and causing a reaction by evidence of His Presence? What took place on the day of Pentecost but the same, surely it wasn't just clever words or Peter's natural ability that manipulated a 'confession'.
[i]And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee ... And he taught in their synagogues ... And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears... And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth... And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.[/i] Luke 4
[i]And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:[/i] 1Co 2:4
If this ended up being a launching pad to just get out a bothersome element, my apologies for going off track. But to confess is to confess continuously, to believe is to go on believing, to be born anew is for something to actually take place, not some illusionary or arbitrary, abstract notion.
What is the real definition of salvation? Saved from what, saved unto ... what?
