Once a Son, Always a Son

[Wilber]

The New Testament left us with detailed explanations of how one becomes a child of God. Don't you think that if that process could be reversed, it make sense that it would have gone into equal detail explaining that as well?

One defense for OSAS That I've seen repeatedly is the parable of the lost son. It's interesting to note the way that parable applies to this topic is that he was never really lost as far as his salvation goes. The relationship with his father was damaged but it wasn't destroyed.

Here's how Charles Stanley explains it:

A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.”—Luke 15:11–12

With those words Jesus had His audience’s undivided attention. From what we understand of first–century Jewish culture, no son with any respect at all for his father would dare demand his share of the inheritance. It was customary for the father to choose the time for the division of the inheritance. To make things worse, the younger son was making the request. What he did was unthinkable!

Jesus continued,

And he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.—Luke 15:12–13

Not only did he demand his share of the inheritance, the younger son left town with it. Apparently, he had no concern for his father’s welfare. He was concerned about only himself. So he took the money, went to a distant country, and partied it all away.

No doubt Jesus’ listeners were all rehearsing in their minds what they thought the disrespectful brat deserved. How dare he take such a large portion of his father’s hard–earned estate and throw it away! According to the law, a son who cursed his father or was rebellious and stubborn was to be put to death (see Lev. 20:9; Deut. 21:18–21). The death penalty was the most likely verdict reached by many who listened that day.

But then the story took a surprising turn: (Could it be God's hand was on the situation?)

Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need. And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he was longing to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. —Luke 15:14–16

The crowd must have become almost nauseous as Jesus described the condition in which the boy found himself. The Pharisees would not even go near swine, much less feed them. By their definition, the young man was hopelessly ceremonially unclean. That is, he would probably never get clean enough to enter the temple and offer sacrifices. And to think he would even consider eating with the pigs. To them, he had gone over the edge, but then, he deserved it.

At the same time, however, many who stood there that day could relate to the story of the prodigal son. They had abandoned their heavenly Father. Like the lad in the story, they were in situations that caused them to be alienated from the religious community. By the practiced standard of the day, they were unacceptable to God. They listened carefully as Jesus went on,

But when he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.’ ” And he got up and came to his father.—Luke 15:17–20

I imagine everyone who heard Jesus that day had an opinion about what the father should say or do when the boy began his speech. At the same time, I doubt any of them would have ended the parable the way Jesus did:

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him.—Luke 15:20

The Pharisees must have cringed at the thought of embracing someone who had spent time feeding swine. Jesus then added,

And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.” —Luke 15:21–24

A Worst Case Scenario​

Culturally speaking, what Jesus described in the parable was a worst case scenario. The boy could not have been more disrespectful. He could not have been any more insensitive. And he certainly could not have been a greater embarrassment to the family.

No one would have blamed the father if he had refused to allow the boy to join up as one of his hired men. The son didn’t deserve a second chance, and he knew it. He recognized how foolish it would be to return with the notion of being allowed back into the family. That was not even a consideration. In his mind, he had forfeited all rights to sonship. He was of the conviction that by abandoning his father and wasting his inheritance, he had relinquished his position in the family.

His father, however, did not see things that way at all. In his mind, once a son, always a son. The father’s first emotion as he saw the son returning wasn’t anger. It wasn’t even disappointment. He felt compassion for him. Why? Because the young man was his son!

The father said: “This son of mine was dead and has come to life again” (Luke 15:24). He did not say, “This was my son, and now he is my son again.” On the contrary, there is no hint that the relationship was ever broken, only the fellowship. By “dead” Jesus meant “separated.” That was clearly a figure of speech since the son did not physically die in the parable.

Christ’s next words have been used by some to argue that salvation can be lost. He went on to say, “He was lost, and has been found” (v. 24). To say that “lost” and “found” refer to eternal salvation is to assume that they are being used figuratively. But there is no evidence for such a use from the immediate context. The son was literally lost. That is, the father did not know where he was. When the son returned, he was found.


Charles F. Stanley, Eternal Security: Can You Be Sure?

 

[Ahar]

I've often used this parable when explaining eternal security.

I like how The Prodigal Son when he came to his senses he realized he'd be better off being a slave at his father's house then doing his own thing. It's interesting to note that in this parable Christ had the perfect opportunity to explain how one could lose his or her place in the family of God—if such were possible.

God is not looking for people He can throw out of His family. He is looking for people who are willing to be included. And once they are included by faith, He continually looks after them through all their ups and downs. He is the Good Shepherd, the compassionate Father. He is love.

 

[Doug Brents]

Let's look also at the parable of the soils in Matt 13:18-23.
"Listen then to the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road. 20 The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”"
The one who does not understand the Gospel (the Word of the Kingdom), Satan snatches it out of his heart and it does not result in salvation.
The one who has no root in the Word becomes saved (receives it with joy), but has not had time to allow it growth, and/or has no protection from other saints to allow him time to grow. This one falls away from salvation and is (potentially) lost.
The one in the weeds begins to grow, but allows the cares of the world to choke it so that it does not produce fruit (also see John 15:2a).
So then, the first is not saved, but two and three are saved but fall away, and the fourth is saved and remains saved.

Let's also look at 2 Thes 2:3.
"No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,"
The day of the Lord will not come until some who are in the Church fall away.

Let's also look at James 5:19-20.
"My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."
James is speaking to those in the Church (already saved). If the one who strays is turned back then his soul will be saved from death. Meaning that he has gone back into condemnation from salvation. But he can be reclaimed if he is willing to turn back to repentance.

Let's also look at 1 Tim 4:1.
"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons"
You cannot fall away from something that you were not at one time a part of.

Let's also look at 2 Pet 2:20-21.
"For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them."
If you have escaped the world, then you have been saved. So it would be better not to have been saved in the first place, than to be saved and have experience the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit (Heb 6:4-6) and to turn back and become entangled in the world again.

There are many more passages that show salvation can be lost, but these show clearly that salvation can be lost, and that there must be some who fall away before the return of the Lord.

 

[Theophilus]

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
John 6:47

Abide in Christ and you will not fall away. Falling away from the faith doesn't mean you were actually part of the Faithful believers in Christ. It could mean you were just a Groupie.

Same goes for strange from the truth. You can know the truth in your head but not forward in your heart.

That's what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

There are lots of people in the church that fall away. Jim Jones, David Koresh, Susan and Delaine Alamo in the list goes on. The question is were they ever really saved in the first place?

The key is John 6:47 where Jesus tells us if we believe in him we have everlasting life. How long is everlasting life? If you believe in Jesus you don't go from life to death.

God Does not want us to be in doubt about the most crucial issue of our lives—the certainty of our eternal standing, our adoption Into his family.

 

[Doug Brents]

The key is John 6:47 where Jesus tells us if we believe in him we have everlasting life. How long is everlasting life? If you believe in Jesus you don't go from life to death.

Everlasting life is not received until after we leave this world. No one in this life will live eternally. But those who are in Christ when they die will receive eternal life. Those who are not in Christ when they die will receive eternal death (continual, eternal, torment in Hell).

God Does not want us to be in doubt about the most crucial issue of our lives—the certainty of our eternal standing, our adoption Into his family.

I agree, and there needs be no doubt: one can remain faithful, endure to the end, and continually walk in the Light.

 

[Wilber]

The good soil brought forth fruit unto perfection

3 And He told them many things in parables (stories by way of illustration and comparison), saying, A sower went out to sow.
4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and ate them up.
5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil; and at once they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.
6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they dried up and withered away.
7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out.
8 Other seeds fell on good soil, and yielded grain—some a hundred times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some thirty.
9 He who has ears [to hear], let him be listening and let him consider and perceive and comprehend by hearing.
10 Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables?
11 And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12 For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
13 This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand.
14 In them indeed is the process of fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: You shall indeed hear and hear but never grasp and understand; and you shall indeed look and look but never see and perceive.
15 For this nation’s heart has grown gross (fat and dull), and their ears heavy and difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed, lest they see and perceive with their eyes, and hear and comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp and understand with their heart, and turn and I should heal them. [Isa. 6:9, 10.]
16 But blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.
17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men [men who were upright and in right standing with God] yearned to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18 Listen then to the [meaning of the] parable of the sower:
19 While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside.
20 As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy;
21 Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] and he falls away.
22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit.
23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty. Matthew 13:3–23

The wayside soil, the stony soil, and the thorny soil represent three classes of persons who make improper responses to the preaching of the word and so do not become Christians.

he good soil represents the class of persons who do make a proper response to the preaching of the word and so do become Christians. Just as the seed in the good soil was nourished by nature until it brought forth fruit unto perfection, even so is the seed (the word of God) in the Christian nourished by God until it brings forth fruit unto perfection.

In other words, God nourishes the seed sown in Christians until a harvest is realized. All Christians are fruitful but some Christians, being more yielded to God than other Christians, are more fruitful than other Christians.

 

[Theophilus]

Everlasting life is not received until after we leave this world. No one in this life will live eternally. But those who are in Christ when they die will receive eternal life. Those who are not in Christ when they die will receive eternal death (continual, eternal, torment in Hell).

I agree, and there needs be no doubt: one can remain faithful, endure to the end, and continually walk in the Light.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. Present tense.
John 6:47

 

[Doug Brents]

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. Present tense.
John 6:47

Absolutely, those who believe in Jesus have eternal life. But those who stop believing (Matt 24:10) will forfeit having eternal life. There is a difference between having eternal life and eternally having life. In this life we can have eternal life (but we can lose it if we cease to believe in Jesus). In Heaven we will eternally have life (for Jesus is LIFE).

 

[Wilber]

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The gift of God is abundant spiritual life—a life with meaning, purpose, and joy—from the moment of salvation and for all eternity

Before salvation, we were slaves to sin and destined for death. But through faith in Jesus Christ, we received the gift of God, which is salvation... eternal life.

We're born again, Old things have passed away and we are a new creation. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us and we're being transformed into Christ's image.

Paul explains it perfectly in Romans chapter 6

 

[Wilber]

Absolutely, those who believe in Jesus have eternal life. But those who stop believing (Matt 24:10) will forfeit having eternal life. There is a difference between having eternal life and eternally having life. In this life we can have eternal life (but we can lose it if we cease to believe in Jesus). In Heaven we will eternally have life (for Jesus is LIFE).

LOL... If you can lose it it's not eternal. You would have to have brain damage to meet the Creator of the universe and the author of salvation and have his holy spirit deposited inside of you and taste the goodness of God. Be set free from sin shame and condemnation. And then all of a sudden one day to stop believing. How does that happen?

 

[Doug Brents]

LOL... If you can lose it it's not eternal.

Wrong.

You would have to have brain damage to meet the Creator of the universe and the author of salvation and have his holy spirit deposited inside of you and taste the goodness of God. Be set free from sin shame and condemnation. And then all of a sudden one day to stop believing. How does that happen?

Scripture is very clear about that: Matt 13:22, "And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.", and Matt 7:9, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.", and John 15:2, "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away". You must believe to get "into Christ", but if you stop believing you stop (or fail to) bear fruit, and the branches/trees that do not bear fruit, that are cut off, are thrown into the fire (Hell).

I agree that it amounts to brain damage, but then, mankind is brain (soul) damaged because of the taint of sin. And sin remains in the world, continually trying to tempt even the saved back into condemnation.

 

[Bronson]

I love parables. These three talk about what condition are salvation is in. The Lord looks at backslidden Christians as yet being Christians

So He told them this parable:
4 What man of you, if he has a hundred sheep and should lose one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness (desert) and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his [own] shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he gets home, he summons together [his] friends and [his] neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 Thus, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one [especially] wicked person who repents (changes his mind, abhorring his errors and misdeeds, and determines to enter upon a better course of life) than over ninety-nine righteous persons who have no need of repentance.
8 Or what woman, having ten [silver] drachmas [each one equal to a day’s wages], if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and look carefully and diligently until she finds it?
9 And when she has found it, she summons her [women] friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the silver coin which I had lost.
10 Even so, I tell you, there is joy among and in the presence of the angels of God over one [especially] wicked person who repents (changes his mind for the better, heartily amending his ways, with abhorrence of his past sins).
11 And He said, There was a certain man who had two sons;
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the part of the property that falls [to me]. And he divided the estate between them. [Deut. 21:15-17.]
13 And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose [from restraint] living.
14 And when he had spent all he had, a mighty famine came upon that country, and he began to fall behind and be in want.
15 So he went and forced (glued) himself upon one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed hogs.
16 And he would gladly have fed on and filled his belly with the carob pods that the hogs were eating, but [they could not satisfy his hunger and] nobody gave him anything [better]. [Jer. 30:14.]
17 Then when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have enough food, and [even food] to spare, but I am perishing (dying) here of hunger!
18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] make me like one of your hired servants.
20 So he got up and came to his [own] father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him [fervently].
21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son [I no longer deserve to be recognized as a son of yours]!
22 But the father said to his bond servants, Bring quickly the best robe (the festive robe of honor) and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet. [Gen. 41:42; Zech. 3:4.]
23 And bring out that [wheat-]fattened calf and kill it; and let us revel and feast and be happy and make merry,
24 Because this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! And they began to revel and feast and make merry.
25 But his older son was in the field; and as he returned and came near the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 And having called one of the servant [boys] to him, he began to ask what this meant.
27 And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed that [wheat-]fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and well.
28 But [the elder brother] was angry [with deep-seated wrath] and resolved not to go in. Then his father came out and began to plead with him,
29 But he answered his father, Look! These many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me [so much as] a [little] kid, that I might revel and feast and be happy and make merry with my friends;
30 But when this son of yours arrived, who has devoured your estate with immoral women, you have killed for him that [wheat-] fattened calf!
31 And the father said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
32 But it was fitting to make merry, to revel and feast and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!
Luke 15:3–32


The lost sheep was yet a sheep, the lost coin was yet a coin, and the prodigal son was yet a son. God looks at backslidden Christians as yet being Christians, if the sheep had died in the mountains, it would have died a lost sheep and not a goat; if the prodigal son had died in the hog pen, he would have died a prodigal son and not a hog; if a backslidden believer dies in his backslidden condition, he dies a backslidden believer and not an unbeliever.

Here's the key.

9 But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God].
Romans 8:9

When you have the holy spirit dwelling inside of you, controlling you, you will not stop believing in Jesus.

 

[Wilber]

Wrong.

Scripture is very clear about that: Matt 13:22, "And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.", and Matt 7:9, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.", and John 15:2, "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away". You must believe to get "into Christ", but if you stop believing you stop (or fail to) bear fruit, and the branches/trees that do not bear fruit, that are cut off, are thrown into the fire (Hell).

I agree that it amounts to brain damage, but then, mankind is brain (soul) damaged because of the taint of sin. And sin remains in the world, continually trying to tempt even the saved back into condemnation.

Those are warning passages. As in "You will know them by their fruit"

Most people think Jesus is talking about how we identify born-again people. Actually the people Jesus is talking about are not believers, but false prophets!

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:15–16

False prophets “come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” They look good on the outside, but looks can be deceiving.

The fruits of the false prophets are their words, their teachings. That is how you identify a false prophet or a false teacher. This is confirmed by a passage later in Matthew where Jesus, again talking about fruit, “a tree is known by its fruits”), says “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”.

Matthew 7:15–20 ends with a repetition of the statement “by their fruits you will know them.” This is then followed in verses 21–23 with an account of how false prophets and others will try to defend themselves at the Great White Throne Judgment. Yet these people will not get into the kingdom, for they never believed in Jesus.

By their fruits you will know them is never used in the Bible in reference to believers. It is used only of unbelievers. This supposed “proof” is no proof at all.

You can also see the same idea in The Parable of the Four Soils.

 

[Wilber]

Wrong.

How can it be wrong? It's Jesus says that if you believe in him he gives you eternal life. Then because of some bad fruit that eternal life is taken away, It wasn't eternal. Jesus should have said if you believe in me you may someday have the opportunity to have eternal life unless of course you're messing around that bad fruit. But that's not what he said.

 

[Doug Brents]

Those are warning passages. As in "You will know them by their fruit"

Most people think Jesus is talking about how we identify born-again people. Actually the people Jesus is talking about are not believers, but false prophets!

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:15–16

False prophets “come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” They look good on the outside, but looks can be deceiving.

The fruits of the false prophets are their words, their teachings. That is how you identify a false prophet or a false teacher. This is confirmed by a passage later in Matthew where Jesus, again talking about fruit, “a tree is known by its fruits”), says “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”.

Matthew 7:15–20 ends with a repetition of the statement “by their fruits you will know them.” This is then followed in verses 21–23 with an account of how false prophets and others will try to defend themselves at the Great White Throne Judgment. Yet these people will not get into the kingdom, for they never believed in Jesus.

By their fruits you will know them is never used in the Bible in reference to believers. It is used only of unbelievers. This supposed “proof” is no proof at all.

You can also see the same idea in The Parable of the Four Soils.

While that is also true, it does not change the fact that Scripture says we can, and that some will, lose their salvation; it is a condition that MUST happen before the "day of the Lord" can (2 Thes 2:3). And one cannot fall away if they were not "in" first.

 

[Theophilus]

Eternal life is something you inherit and a reality that begins the moment you believe in Jesus Christ. Eternal life has less to do with the duration of time than it does the quality of life you are living. The day I received Jesus Christ into my life by faith, my life shifted to a higher plane and my eternal life began.

 

[Rockson]

One defense for OSAS That I've seen repeatedly is the parable of the lost son.

And many would say it's a defense for not believing in OSAS. My son which is lost is now found. If one has gone to a state of being lost then what are they. ;Wouldn't' that be lost?

It's interesting to note the way that parable applies to this topic is that he was never really lost as far as his salvation goes. The relationship with his father was damaged but it wasn't destroyed.

You're right the parable used the rhetoric "My Son" Not sure we can say as an absolute he was in precise terms speaking the the way of a theologian on exact definitions of who and what are a son of God. We see Paul didn't always do that either. In Acts 17:28 he said in a sense that unsaved people are sons or offspring's of God. Indication of this with Lk 15 (parodical story) is you can never say it's apply then to any unsaved individual. I think you'd be saying well they're not his sons. Has the history of Christendom really went that direction with this passage.

I'd say not. It's always if you don't know God he loves you and wants you as a part of his kingdom. "Son" would be used therefore meaning if you were in actual relationship with God or not. In one sense we all were for we were in Adam in the begging who was.

His father, however, did not see things that way at all. In his mind, once a son, always a son.

Would that negate however the thought that son could mean to say once an offspring of God, always an offspring of God as Paul stated the similar thought in Acts 17? And also again if it was as you say that'd mean everyone is amiss by even using Lk 15 to encourage those who have never known the Lord to come to him. Did Jesus really have that in mind.....I think not.

The father’s first emotion as he saw the son returning wasn’t anger. It wasn’t even disappointment. He felt compassion for him. Why? Because the young man was his son!

In the context of how you're using son? Well again that means God doesn't have compassion on the sinner. Problem is you're using the text as a proof text for OSAS. I'd say it wasn't mean to be used for anything like that.

The father said: “This son of mine was dead and has come to life again” (Luke 15:24). He did not say, “This was my son, and now he is my son again.”

And he wouldn't have to If you can accept that sons or offspring of God was used in a certain context to yes meaning sons he would not have to say this was my son and is my son again. .

 

[Doug Brents]

How can it be wrong? It's Jesus says that if you believe in him he gives you eternal life. Then because of some bad fruit that eternal life is taken away, It wasn't eternal. Jesus should have said if you believe in me you may someday have the opportunity to have eternal life unless of course you're messing around that bad fruit. But that's not what he said.

The second half of my response explained that. It is not about getting, or messing around with, bad fruit. It is the fruit that your life produces. If you are in Christ but not producing good fruit, then you will be cut off from Christ.
Rom 11:19-22 explains it very well. Paul is talking to those who have been grafted into Christ by God (God is a great gardener, and every one of His grafts takes hold). And Paul tells believers in Jesus:
"You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22 See then the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; for otherwise you too will be cut off."

 

[Wilber]

While that is also true, it does not change the fact that Scripture says we can, and that some will, lose their salvation; it is a condition that MUST happen before the "day of the Lord" can (2 Thes 2:3). And one cannot fall away if they were not "in" first.

Sure you can. You can fall away and not be a True Believer, It's in the Bible. John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” How does that happen? Like this... Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. John 6:64

They fell away because they were not really "in"

 

[Wilber]

In the context of how you're using son? Well again that means God doesn't have compassion on the sinner. Problem is you're using the text as a proof text for OSAS. I'd say it wasn't mean to be used for anything like that.

The reason for using the Prodigal Son as an example of being backslidden and returning to abiding in Christ is how it shows that when we think we can do our Old life before we get saved we end up squandering everything we have and feeding pigs. The part I like is the verse that says when he came to his senses he realized that he would be better off being a slave in his father's house. So he went home and his father welcomed him prepare to Feast for him. Got him all cleaned up.

That's how I see God dealing with backsliders.

Then take the other parable of the lost sheep. Jesus didn't go oh well I have 99 here why worry about that one loss lamb. Nope he went and got the one last lamb.

Again that's how I see God dealing with backsliders.

You brought up a lot of good points in your post and I plan to go over them. I'll have to take a good look at how I inferred That God doesn't have compassion on the sinner. As I certainly didn't mean to do that. I mean Christ died for us while we were yet sinners right? You can't get more compassionate than that.