Literary Discussions

Peter Priel raises an important question. I see Sole Fides and "born again" and "the eternal security of salvation" as the satanic spawn of the Reformation headed by a lecherous and morally bankrupt Martin Luther.  Luther of his own free will took lifetime vows of obedience, chastity and poverty as a Dominican and yet he totally ignores verse like "better never to vow and all that to vow and not pay" and "make your vows and pay them to the Lord." Luther ignores the clear teaching of Jepethah who vows if granted victory in war to sacrifice the first creature he sees upon return to home and it is his daughter that he sees and she FORCES him to carry out his vow, since a vow is very serious. By Luther own argument the Eastern Orthodox church had survived without a Pope so Luther could have retired to the Greeks to live out his monastic vows but instead Luther rewrites religion to condemn celibacy as something demonic and unnatural even though Jesus says "some men make eunuchs of themselves for the sake of the kingdom of heaven."   Now with regard to rebirth, it is EXPLICTLY STATED that God gave Saul "a NEW heart" and yet it is also stated that God regretted having made Saul a king. David in Psalm 51 said "create in me a new heart and renew a right spirit within me."  There was none greater than Moses and Elijah and yet we see no hint of a rebirth. On the other hand we know that prophet Jeremiah as well as Samuel were sanctified in the womb so apparently they were "born again" before they were ever born." Adam and Eve were never born and yet we assume they were forgiven and saved when Christ broke the bonds of hell asunder. I think it is Ezekiel where we read "if a man lives all of his life in righteousness but in his last days turns to wickedness then all of his righteousness will be counted for nothing but if he lives his days in wickedness but in his last days repents and turns to righteous then his iniquities will be counted as nothing." All this seems to indicate that it is our final estate which determines our eternal estate.  Nothing could be more demonic than to tell someone that their salvation is eternally guaranteed because then they become complacent. Charles Stanley is famous for his doctrine of "Eternal Security of Salvation." One depressed parishioner asked his pastor "If I commit suicide will I go to hell?" and the pastor answered that his salvation is assured so he will not go to hell even if guilty of suicide. So the man when home and ended his life.