When I first joined the church I found I was not able to understand the Scriptures. I believe that all men are born with bias to conditionalism. This was "the first liquor put in the pot" and "the odor of it is often hard to get entirely rid of." It was so with me. "Choose this day whom ye will serve." (Joshua 25:15) It was some time before I saw that this text could be harmonized with the views we hold. Also "Work out your own salvation." (Philippians 2:12) I applied this to all men and it was hard for me to see that this text did not support the conditional theory. "Whosoever will" (Mark 8:34) was hard for me to see. I studied hard and things came right to me. I believe that the idea that there are two salvations helped me much to harmonize the Scriptures. "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you shall never fall." (II Peter 1:10) When I saw that these words applied to the children of God and not to the world it was all plain to me. I saw how it agrees with the doctrine of salvation by grace. "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered his son Isaac upon the altar?" (James 2:21) Had Abraham done this while unconverted it would teach different to what it does. "We see how then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only." (James 2:24) In some sense the people of God are justified by works. It took me some time to fully get this distinction but when I did get it, it served as a key to many texts.
