"If he dies in this rebellion, he'll go to hell forever."
How it sounds in your head: This is the terror that wakes you at 3am. What if there's a car accident tonight? An overdose? He's openly rejecting God right now—if he died TODAY, would he be lost forever? The stakes feel impossibly, eternally high.
"And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."
-- John 10:28-29Enemy fear + religious teaching that makes salvation performance-based and revocable.
He's not living like a believer. He's mocking God publicly. Traditional teaching says 'backsliders' are in danger. The thought of eternal separation is unbearable, so the fear feels protective.
Peter didn't just backslide—he DENIED Jesus THREE TIMES with cursing and swearing after walking with Him for three years. Jesus told him BEFORE it happened: 'I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail.' Peter was restored instantly after the resurrection—Jesus didn't wait for penance, just asked 'Do you love Me?' three times.
I REFUSE the lie that my son can be snatched from God's hand. IT IS WRITTEN that NOTHING can separate him from the love of God—not rebellion, not denial, not even death. If he ever belonged to Jesus, he STILL DOES—the prodigal was still a son in the pig pen. IT IS WRITTEN that Jesus gives ETERNAL life and they shall NEVER perish. Peter DENIED Jesus with CURSES and was restored instantly. My son is sealed by the Holy Spirit. I trust the Father's grip more than my son's wandering. The BARAK covers my household.
The Father's grip on your son is stronger than your son's rebellion. If he ever truly belonged to Jesus, he STILL does—the prodigal was still a son even while wasting his inheritance with prostitutes. God doesn't disown wandering sons.