DOCTRINE of CHASTENING

This gets personal...

Remember that God doesn't mark time the same way we do(2 Peter 3:8-9) and wants all to come to repentance. Thank God, He is a longsuffering God!

This gets personal for me because I got badly out of fellowship with the Lord and stayed out of church for many years after going through a bad marriage and being divorced BY my 1st wife.(I don't even believe in divorce) My life just fell apart and I wandered for nearly 14 or so years knowing all the time that I'd find nothing that would solve the problems or give me peace in the world. It was a terrible time in my life and all the entertainment in the world did nothing to help me past the guilt and shame I often felt. Happiness can be experienced short-term or momentarily but it passes quickly and there is no true joy to be found when you try to control your own life ands "do your own thing". I paid an even higher price for those years of sin (with the scars to prove it) than I ever did before I got saved in 1977. MY CHILDREN ARE EVEN TODAY PAYING SOME OF THE PRICE FOR MY DISOBEDIENCE. If I could give anybody any advise it would be TRUST THE LORD and NEVER LOOK BACK or TURN AWAY FROM HIM. I gave up on Him for a time.....but Thankfully...He never gave up on me. I am living proof today that our God is forgiving, longsuffering, (I don't deserve to be alive today) merciful and full of His marvelous grace. I never set out to deliberately turn away from God but sin will overtake you and TRAP you quickly if you let down your guard and don't walk closely with Christ. I also found out that part of the problem was that I was prone to being willful and rebellious. I pray that none of you will ever get in that condition. It will make you too PROUD to even turn around and PRIDE WILL MAKE YOU FALL.

In closing, many times during that time I doubted and wondered if I had ever been truly saved. I would wonder how I could live that way and be truly saved and at the same time,in almost the same breath, I would remember (as it says in 2 Timothy 1:12) in whom I had sincerely believed in on October 13,1977 on a thursday nite in Greenville SC and pray for God to help me get back to Him. I KNEW He was faithful....it was ME that was the problem but I was so weak. I'm just thankful to be back in fellowship with Him and that I can now walk in real hope. Brothers and Sisters...WALK CLOSE TO Christ with all your heart. The path is narrow and Satan loves nothing better than to pull/knock people off of it as often as He can because he hates God and he hates us too. I've probably said too much but I hope my words can be a help and encouragement to someone.

Bro.Greg (John 14:6)

 

Chastening....?

Chastening....? Yeah....I think I could say I've experienced some of that...and I deserved every bit of it and by God's grace I pray the lessons I learned from it are permanent.( and I'm still learning some of them) Bad things happen to saved and lost people alike but the kind of chastening that God puts His children through is intended to be corrective and ultimately bring about true REPENTANCE and SURRENDER to His will and ways in our lives. I pray that each of us is truly tenderhearted and willing to obey or Lord. I have no doubt that that is the way to true peace,joy,happiness and fulfillment in our lives.

Bro.Gregraying::thumbs:

 

My answer is yes, but the discipline WILL bring forth the peacable fruit of righteousness. Depends how hard your clip around your ear is. The problem with this once saved always saved teaching is it can make a sinner take for granted. I don't believe you can lose Salvation but man you can have a hard time if you don't abide. To the fire to be burnt. Once your bought at a price, God loses nothing but you will have a hard time if you listen to Christ and don't put it into practice. Read the Scriptures. Read Bunyans Pilgrims progress and the man in the iron cage, I don't believe he is lost but you do not want to be in that situation with the Living God. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, this a trusted saying said Paul. Not lose them.
Judas, well, the Scripture was written.

 

By the way, if your sinning and have no discipline from the Father. Beware. You are probably not even a Christian at all.