[scott]

I've enjoyed reading these posts, and I think George did a wonderful job of answering the question with many great Scriptures. The Bible was given to us for a reason, and so it is all important for us to study and learn. This young man is in a condition where, if he truly is saved, he is deceiving himself and trying to make himself feel good about living in sin. When dealing with people who have "backslidden" and have their minds made up about things, this verse comes to mind:

Proverbs 27:22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

In other words, Brother, he's going to have to figure it out himself. [although there are many times I'd like to give the pestle a try!! ]

The big dilemna for Bro. Pbiwolski is that this man is somewhat of a leader, and he has the capacity to "lead others astray". I've seen this "backsliding" technique many times. The next thing you know he will find something more important than Wed. night, then Sunday night, and if the Lord doesn't get hold of him [and He will] he'll start missing some Sunday mornings every now and then. The reason why he is getting out of his ministries is because he'll have no "ties that bind him there" to keep him from missing when he "needs" to.

There are far too many people who profess this doctrine in many of our churches today. This hyper, ultra position is one reason why so many people grasp the holiness movement or John MacArthurs Lordship doctrine.

The Scripture George brought up and you can slice it any way you want, it is a universal law to the saved and unsaved [Dr. Ruckman preaches a wonderful sermon on this verse!!]

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

I am learning so much about dispensationalism, and I have a long way to go, but there is something I know to be true: we cannot confuse salvation and fellowship. Salvation is eternal AMEN!! Fellowship is day to day moment to moment--this is not a doctrine of works, this is truth, and there has to be ways to keep ourselves in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and 1 John explains this issue quite well as we have already read and I republish these gems from the Lord:

1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I don't care what dispensation this is, I want to walk in the light!! I want to have fellowship with him [not walk in darkness], and I want to have fellowship with God's people as well, and I'm thankful the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from my sin [past], and my confession of my sins [present] keeps me in fellowship with Him--AMEN!!

If that young man is saved, the peace and happiness in the Lord that he has had will pass, and he will find himself wondering where the "joy of his salvation" went, and he will miss that, and repent, we hope and pray. One thing for sure, he is on a slippery slope to punishment [sounds like he is already had some], and all we can do is pray that the Lord opens his eyes when he gets there.....God bless, Scott