the perseverance of relationships

while i am not an extreme calvinist, i believe in the perseverance of the saints.

'once saved, always saved' is true by definition. however, 'once saved, always saved' does not mean that we are saved as long as we have committed to God before. getting saved only happens once, but being saved is an ongoing process.

'once saved, always saved' means that if we are truly saved, then we will persevere until the end. if we do not persevere until the end, then we are not truly saved in the first place.

"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." - 1 John 2:19 (NIV)

if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'yes' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'yes' again, then it shows that you truly believe.

if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'yes' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'no', then it shows that you think you believe, but actually do not truly believe.

if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'no' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'yes', then it shows that you think you do not believe, but actually truly believe.

if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'no' - and later on i ask you whether you believe and you say 'no' again, then it shows that you truly do not believe.

if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'yes', then you could either have said 'yes' or 'no' if i had asked you earlier on.

if i ask you now whether you believe and you say 'no', then you could only have said 'no' if i had asked you earlier on. you could not have said 'yes' if i had asked you earlier on, for if you had said 'yes' if i had asked you earlier on, then you would say 'yes' if i ask you now.

as i believe in the perseverance of the saints, so do i believe in the perseverance of relationships. after all, relationships are founded on the profound mystery of God and Israel, of Christ and the church, of biblical complementarianism in the Lord.

"The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."

"So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you.

"For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days." - Hosea 3 (NIV)

'once together, always together' is true by definition. however, 'once together, always together' does not mean that two people are together as long as they have committed to each other before. getting together only happens once, but being together is an ongoing process.

'once together, always together' means that if two people are truly together, then they will persevere until the end. if they do not persevere until the end, then they are not truly together in the first place.