Dear Susan,<br><br>IRT:<br>"Nothing can separate us from the love of God, including yourself!"<br><br>As I stated previously, the meaning of "separate" in this passage specifically means to "pull apart by force." If something is by force, it is against the will. I can not force myself to do anything against my will, so I definitely cannot "separate" myself in the sense this passage speaks of. But as I have seen from the rest of scripture, this does not preclude me from departing from God of my own accord. Thus, no matter how passionately it is argued, this passage provides no evidence for unconditional perseverance of the saints.<br><br>If a believer does grow cold to God and quits hearing Him, then the only thing that can separate him or her from Christ is God the Father.<br><br>"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15:1-2)<br><br>He doesn't exactly fall into that "any created thing" category.<br><br>Please understand that my understanding is based on the whole of scripture, not one or two specific passages pulled out of context. If you think I am adding to or misconstruing God's word to justify my position, then I must ask exactly how do you explain my original post about Revelation 22:19?<br><br><br>In Christ,<br>Josh