Former Eternal Security Proponent Testifies
Let me begin by giving a summary of my introduction to Christianity. I was born and raised in a very unique home. My father is a born again
Jewish Believer and my mother grew up in a
strong Catholic background but became a Christian as well. My family moved here from Holland in 1980. Therefore I have a very different background when it comes to Christianity. Because of my jewish father I have had the opportunity to learn fully how the jewish religion works, including the need to live a holy lifestyle. Because my family is so unique I have never considered myself very Baptist or very attached to any American Church. I grew up in the Baptist church but that was only because that was the most comfortable environment for my parents. They did not know very much about other denominations.
I first really came into contact with
eternal security in college. I had never really been exposed to it or its dangers. I was challenged by my professors and friends and I did not know how to answer their question without giving them the pat answers that have been around for years.
I was challenged by a friend to really look up the issue and to decide on my own what I believed. I embarked on a 4-5 month study and that is when I came in contact with the book,
The Believer's Conditional Security. I was offended at first at the accusations to who I thought were great Christian leaders. Then I began to dig a little deeper into the real issuses at hand.
I simply could not believe the sheer number of scriptures that specifically talked about this issue.
I began to track everything that had to do with conditional security -- Scriptures, sermons, evangelical tracts -- everything. I personally found over 85 passages that specifically delt with conditional security. I was blown out of the water. I decided after much hard prayer that I had to believe what the scripture taught. It was an extremely hard decision because everything I had known to that point in life had eternal security written all over it. My friends, my family, my mentor, my college, my youth pastor, my pastor, my whole church experience. I was so ingrained with eternal security I didn't know if I
could leave it all behind.
One Sunday I was in a youth meeting (I worked with youth at the time) and
I heard the youth pastor tell the kids that once they were saved no matter what happened they would remain saved. I was shocked.
He mentioned all kinds of terrible sins listed specifically in the Bible as characteristics of a lost person. I realized that
the Bible does not specify sin to two categories like it is taught. There is the lost characterized by sin and the saved who win the battle over sin through Christ. I realized that Paul was not warning us without reason to finish the race. We have the power through the Holy Spirit to win our fight but if we give up we will end up in Hell.
I anguished over my decision. I knew that if I chose conditional security I could lose a lot. I had been working in the Baptist Church at the time and I knew that I could never work there again. I knew that I would be mocked by my friends because I had heard how they treated others who believed in Conditional Security. I went and spoke with some of
my most respected mentors and one even stated that the bible supported conditional security strongly but he just couldn't believe it. I was shocked.
I finally came to my conclusion. Many people have been deceived but I would not be one of them. In fact I would openly
unashamedly talk to anyone about conditional security.
I had learned much during my personal study. I learned even more by looking at Judiasm in the Old Testament and then applying it to the New Testament Gospel. I knew that I could not sit and say nothing. I recently attended a spiritual emphasis gathering with several thousand students where I heard the speaker tell the audience, "I don't care what you do, I don't care how much you sin, you will still be saved, I guess that is the grace of God, I don't understand it." This type of teaching leads to destruction and I will fight it till I die.
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