Thank you for your wonderful site and the effort and Christian care you put into it.

But now I am confused about the OSAS answer you gave to the recent question posted about that. I always thought that if a person does not experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit about their ongoing sins after saying the prayer that maybe they said it flippantly and did not really mean it.

Of course I know that it’s not up to me to determine whether they meant it or not – that’s God’s job as he sees the heart and we can’t. But it seems as if there is no change in behavior or consciousness, that there is little evidence that they truly have been saved. Please help.

You are an amazing man of God and I appreciate what Christ is doing through you and your ministry. My question or comment is on eternal security, also called once saved, always saved: OSAS.

Let me first state that I fundamentally believe that we are saved by what we believe and not how we behave. I think that scripture makes that pretty clear.

But I believe we have to be careful how we disseminate that truth to others, and I think that is what has been the BIG problem in the OSAS doctrine. People have put it out there like, “Hey, say a prayer, you’re saved, and live the way you want. Don’t worry, God has forgiven you.”

We have to make sure that people understand that God paid a price to make a change in us “a new creation” and that is something special and beautiful. Does the change take some time and work? Yes, but that is where the Holy Spirit comes in to help us – to convict us! If the person is not feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit, then all they did is rattle off a prayer and there was no change.

OSAS should not be used as a scapegoat for their behavior. That is making a mockery of our Lords gift. Yes, I believe OSAS if there is a true confession and conversion!

Do you believe that the OSAS doctrine has been misunderstood, and if so what can we do as literal bible believing followers of Christ to change that misunderstanding?

When Adam and Eve sinned, did God consider them to be His enemies?

Your definition of what an apostle is (“In the early church an apostle had to have been taught directly by the Lord, and had to have personally seen Him in a post resurrection appearance.”) seems to say that Paul is not an apostle. Am I right with my understanding of your statement? If I am right, how is it then that Paul defend very much his apostleship?

Please explain what you mean about the two extremes in Christianity,the dead orthodoxy of mainline Protestantism, and the zeal without knowledge Charismatics?

Do you think the rapture happens as the dragon is cast out of heaven? I wouldn’t want to be around when he is cast down and confined and angry. It’s interesting that Jesus comes with the archangel but it doesn’t say with a great host of angels. Perhaps the angels are kicking butt and clearing the rebel angles out and getting things ready for us. When Jesus said He saw Satan fall like a lightening bolt, how does that fit in to the war in heaven when He is confined to earth?

I have a question about something that was thrown into the middle of the conversation between Jesus and the centurion in Matthew chapter 8. In 8:11 and 12, Jesus goes from marveling at the faith of the centurion to telling His followers about people eating with Abraham Isaac and Jacob (the Jewish people) in the Kingdom of Heaven but those that already live there (the children of the Kingdom) will be tossed out. Is this referring to the angelic realm? I’m really confused.

The Bible says, “In my Fathers house are many mansions.” Who lives or will live in those mansions?

I was wondering your thoughts on God testing us. I’ve only heard this taught one time, Deuteronomy 8:2 says that God tests us in order to know what is in our heart, whether or not we will keep his commands. If taken literally, or at least the way I take it, the LORD brings things across my path to see how I will respond… Will I chose to act in faith on his word, or be in fear. Will I choose to obey or not and so on and so forth. Is this correct? If so it would give a different outlook on “problems” we encounter on a day to day basis.

It seems to me that Jesus gave up his divinity when He became a man. He was still God and man but in order to pay the price to redeem us he had to do it as a sinless man. I don’t believe he ever used His divine power to do any of the works that He had done, but that He operated only in faith. Otherwise Satan could have said he (God) was operating illegally in the Earth.