What's the problem?

As a former Roman Catholic, I began my personal relationship with Jesus with several preconceived notions. I'll admit that my religious education in my all girl Catholic High School was liberal, but I graduated with my virginity in tack and an award for Excellence in Theology, and proud of it.
The first time I ever heard anyone say "Once saved, always saved!" it floored me. Could this be true? The woman, a co-worker, was explaining to me why it was ok for her to be having an affaire with a married man. She was using terms like, under the blood and predestined...it was God's predestined plan for this wonderful man to come into her life at such a hard time. It didn't matter to her at all that adultry was a sin, after all the wife wasn't even saved. And as a born again Christian she wasn't under the "law".
Could it be that someone could turn their life over to Jesus, and go out and committ a blatent sin, with out remorse and still go to heaven?
That was 20 years ago. I have a better understanding of certain Christian mantras now.
Once saved always saved...
It's under the blood...
Salvation through faith not works...
my favorite is "Faith with our works is dead" but I don't hear that one very often.
Over the past few weeks, as the summer in the Four Corners gets hotter and hotter...
I've encountered several wounded individuals, who seem very lost in the dark perversness of this age. Each one of them has been able to spout out the salvation message, the Roman road if you will. Each one of them has been to the alter. And although they know enough scripture to prove that they've been to church, it seems they never got the "go and sin no more" message.
They'd been promised that God would change their lives, they'd be healed of their addictions and their poverty, if only they came forward and said yes to Jesus. But without proper discipleship, when the matters of the world, the temptations, attacked them, they fell away...and their response now is "I tried the Jesus way, but it doesn't work for me" or worse...
"I guess I just wasn't predestined for salvation."
What does it do to someone who is struggling with matters of faith, when they hear that God has a certin elect few that are predestined for salvation, and the rest...actually the majority if you miss interpret the message about few finding the narrow path...are born to spend eternity in a devil's hell?
The devistating concept of Manifest Destiny, which led to the slaughter of the native americans just 150 years ago was birthed in the doctrine of Predestination. The idea of Divine Election fed the mistreatment of "inferior" races of humanity, who were born savages and heathens. Surely, these creatures were not part of God's elect.
How does one preach the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ to a people group, who will also be told that all their ancestors, all those loved ones who have gone before them will be burning in hell because they never had a chance to say yes to Jesus.
God is Good...God is Love...God is all powerful...there is Evil in the world.
Those facts can only be reconcilled if we
#1. stop trying to limit God to our human understanding of all knowingness and sovereignty.
#2. acknowledge that all human beings are born with a divine plan, and God wants all of them to be saved, but has given them the right and responsibility to choose.
#3. there would be much less evil in the world, and much better ways to address the problems of evil, if the people who named the name of Jesus would live the life he put before us...
Faith without works is dead...can dead faith heal?
I've recently confessed on this blog a "hidden" sin. I am not the only "good" Christian who has something in their lives that is hidden, dangerous - distructive. None of us is actually good, right? In publishing it on my site, I made myself vulnerable to people who know me personally, as well as bloggers, some of whom already think I am a liberal, unsaved heretic. I am greatful to those who have prayed for me. To some of the readers of this blog, the theology I express here is all off...but I feel good about my convictions...and the fog I've been in for some time is beginning to lift. Time to go on with my day.
By the way, for those of you who do pray for me...next Tuesday I have to go to court to testify in a civil suit for my son. I am not happy about that. Ugg!