Mike,

I do not believe that the backslider is lost.

His fellowship with Christ is broken but he is still a son of God.  He has 
slid away form God but his relationship is still that of a son.

The prodigal son never ceased to be a son in his father's family, even when 
he was in the pigpen.  The prodigal's father never cast away or rejected his 
son.  When the son returned to his father's house, the father was looking 
for him and saw him at a distance. The father "ran" to embrace and kiss his 
son.  Note:  the son never lost his sonship, even when he was away from his 
father and his family.

Jesus uses this story to illustrate the Father's love for us, even when we 
sin or stray from the fold.  God is always eager to recover us to intimate 
fellowship with Him.

The Father God does not expel His son  from His family because he has 
sinned.

To believe that He does is to believe in performance- based salvation or 
salvation based on works.

There is no example in the Scriptures of a person being saved, losing his 
salvation, and then being saved again.

Jerry




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike" <drmike1@...>
To: <pastorsforum@...>
Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 1:46 PM
Subject: Re: [PastorsForum] Is there free will to unchoose God?


> That's correct.  He came home.  He made a
> change.
>
> That's different to staying in the pig pen.
> If he had stayed in the pig pen, he could not
> have been at home.
>
> Mike
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jerry" <jlew@...>
> To: <pastorsforum@...>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 10:07 AM
> Subject: Re: [PastorsForum] Is there free will to unchoose God?
>
>
>>
>>
>> Mike,
>>
>> The Prodigal son came home because he still had a love for his father.
>>
>> Jerry
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "MICHAEL SHARON TITTLE" <drmike1@...>
>> To: <pastorsforum@...>
>> Sent: Friday, April 13, 2007 11:45 AM
>> Subject: Re: [PastorsForum] Is there free will to unchoose God?
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Jerry wrote:
>>> A person may make a foolish decision to turn away from the Lord because 
>>> of
>>>> mental instability or the pressure of temptation.  He is "backslid."
>>>
>>> To an old fashioned Pentecostal preacher, Backslid means you've
>>> missed the boat.
>>>
>>> Are you saying that  a person may yield to temptation and start to live
>>> a life of blatent,  and intentional sin, and still be saved.  This is to
>>> say
>>> a person can get saved one day and then down the road of life he may
>>> return to the old life style and steal and rob and lie and cheat and do
>>> all the old things, and still be saved just because he walked the aisle
>>> and repeated a prayer with some preacher standing in a church.
>>>
>>> God did not make me get saved, He allowed me the opportunity
>>> to receive the plan of salvation.
>>>
>>> I don't think He will make me stay saved.
>>>
>>> If the prodigal son had not come home he would not have been
>>> burried in the family cemetary, he would have remained with the
>>> pigs.
>>>
>>> Mike
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> [Original Message]
>>>> From: Jerry <jlew@...>
>>>> To: <pastorsforum@...>
>>>> Date: 4/13/2007 10:33:37 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [PastorsForum] Is there free will to unchoose God?
>>>>
>>>> Can a person choose to be unborn????
>>>>
>>>> No.
>>>>
>>>> A person may make a foolish decision to turn away from the Lord because
>>> of
>>>> mental instability or the pressure of temptation.  He is "backslid."
>>>>
>>>> Also, .... a person who has had a "counterfeit conversion" has no
>>> spiritual
>>>> life within him and does not possess genuine salvation.  He is 
>>>> religious
>>> but
>>>> lost, unregenerated.  He can very easily "lose his religion" and cease
>>>> pretending that he is a Christian.  He has no compunction about living 
>>>> a
>>>> sinful lifestyle because he does not have eternal life.
>>>>
>>>> Jerry
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>> From: "Derick Dickens" <Derick@...>
>>>> To: <pastorsforum@...>
>>>> Sent: Friday, April 13, 2007 7:15 AM
>>>> Subject: [PastorsForum] Is there free will to unchoose God?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> >I am curious on where our non-reformed brethren stand on this issue.
>>>> > Does a person have free will to unchoose Christ after choosing 
>>>> > Christ?
>>>> > What say ye?
>>>> >
>>>> > Derick
>>>> >
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> ----
>>>>
>>>>
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>>
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