"Do you believe in 'once saved always saved?'" I can't tell you how many times I have been asked this question. Once Saved Always Saved is a belief that once you accept Christ, it is impossible to fall away. Your "saved" forever regardless of how you live or what you believe. This has led to a popular question; can a Christian lose his/her salvation?
To me, it seems like a rather ridiculous question. I mean, sure it's possible. If a Christian were to completely renounce Christ, reject the Gospel, reject the Word, and deny God, then yeah, they could lose their salvation. But who in their right mind would do that? The question just seems way too theoretical for me with almost no practical value to warrant such a debate.
Now, I have noticed when I respond this way people say, "well, what I mean is can you lose your salvation by sinning?" In other words, how much sin is too much sin before you stop being saved? That's a very dangerous question. The moment you begin to answer that question, you are automatically talking about a works based, performance based Gospel.
There's no way around it. If there is an affirmative answer to the question" how much sin is too much sin before you lose your salvation?" then our salvation is dependant if only by a small portion, on our own goodness. We know that salvation by works is the greatest heresy in the New Testament. We know that claiming to made right with God by our own goodness is harshly condemned ins scripture. That's why this is such a dangerous question.
What people really want to know is, can a person get saved, go and live their life how they want too, and still be saved. I think this is another ridiculous question. There's no merit to it because no Born Again Christian is going to accept Christ, then go out and just live it up, party like rock star and sin like heathen... Now I know that raised some major doubt eyebrows and I'm sure many of you wonder whether I live in the real world, but let me explain.
When you are born again, there is a change that takes place. You receive a new heart with new desires. Your going to want to live for Christ. It's just part of your new identity. Sure, you may do some things you shouldn't do, get involved in things you shouldn't get involved in, even go down a road that you shouldn't go down.... maybe two or three times. But at the end of your life, the sum of who you are, is a person perusing Christ. Despite your failures and wanderings, you never said, "Forget it, I'm done. Forget God, forget Christ, forget the Word. I reject it all want nothing to do with it."
That's what I mean. No human being, is going accept Christ as the savior then immediately Turin around and say, "Okay, got that over with. Now let's ditch this stupid Jesus stuff and go live it up!" If someone ever did, they clearly never were saved to begin with and therefore couldn't lose their salvation since they never had it to begin with.
Like I said, it's a ridiculous question. Can a Christian lose his/her salvation? Sure... in theory, but why would they?
That's a really interesting point you make, brother. I have honestly been struggling with trying to answer that question over the last few years, and you're right. Answering it gives merit to the idea, and thus should not be addressed, at least not directly. Like you said, or at least were driving at, is we should respond by redirecting the question to the heart issue "Did you really accept Jesus?" And if you did, you wouldn't want to keep on living a life of sin. Thanks again, stand strong, brother!
ReplyDeleteinteresting post, but I think I disagree in some parts, I don't really agree with the born again movement/ idea/focus on the gospel because someone could very sincerely turn their life over to christ, then slowly but surely slip from that path, completely and utterly, until they don't believe in God anymore. To say that they didn't truly believe and confess Christ in their hearts is kind of an unfair assumption trying to make them look clueless in my opinion. Anyone who turns away from that light does so because of small consistent steps they take away from the light they have received.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the doctrines that will cause many to fail because of false promises. First off salvation is a gift from God, its not on obligation, its not mandate, but a gift. Man is a free moral agent both before and after salvation. Salvation never removes an individuals right to be a free moral agent. And being a gift, like something physical, the receiver can return it per se maintaining his free moral status. If one reads 2 Peter 1:4-8, you find a great insight into this issue. Peter tells the believer that if they strive to add to their faith that they should never be barren nor unfruitful. This implies that both barrenness and unfruitfulness are real possibillities . Compare this with the acts of Jesus in Mark 11:12-14, 19-20. Again we see a direct reference to backsliding in the message to the church of Ephesus in Revelations 2:4 when they are admonished because the left their first love. Notice closely, the verse says left not lost. What we forget is that while salvation is a free gift, when allowed to flourish within the believer, it promotes good works and the Word is clear in that faith without works is dead.
ReplyDeleteUh,I've listened and I'm impressed;now lets see,yes when one does accept Christ ,it's a complete change,old things passed away (all) things become new,and like the bible says shall we continue in sin?God forbid.Though, we will not practice sin,one cannot deny that persons do backslide, when driven away by their own lust,which is what you did not really touch on to in light of losing one's salvation topic;persons wants to know; ''say i backslide and i die before making things right can i loss my salvation? would i go to heaven?
ReplyDeletein any case i do believe once saved always saved,there are indeed enough scriptures to back it up and further more God is not a man that he should lie,he says we will have eternal life and eternal is forever.
I agree, in general, with most of what has been posted and commented here. We are advised to 'count the cost' before making a commitment to follow Christ. Paul says we are to press on, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling; to stand, and having done all, to continue to stand; as well as other phrases that imply or blatantly state that our life is not an easy ride. Above all of that, Scripture is very clear that we are to be ever diligent, to abstain from evil, and as JLurice quoted, to not live in sin. (Rom 6.) but at the end of that chapter, Paul says the wages of sin is death. Even though he follows that with the promise of eternal live, that is not obtained until the rewards are given, at the end, They are given to 'overcomers', those who have finished the course, stayed on the path till the finish line. This is what I believe contradicts Janice: (by her words, she says:) "...we will have eternal life and eternal is forever." However, and even though Paul says we 'have passed from death unto life...', we are still in a carnal existence, with free will. Therefore, if 'we willfully sin, there remaineth no more sacrifice'. All this is depicted with the allegory of being planted. (Rom 6, 8, et al.) Again, sin kills that life. And to Mr. Reeder's point, why would anyone want to do that? The terrible part is, people have been deceived into thinking that they can do what they want, and God will wipe their slate clean, (either daily, or on the last day, regardless), and so they are not earnestly contending for the faith, not running the race to win.
ReplyDeleteI believe RefGlenn is correct in what he says, as well as Chad and Dave. However, there is another aspect that has been overlooked, or at least has not plainly pointed out. That aspect is the person who enters into the covenant, and relies on handed-down doctrine, trusting someone else to be their eyes and ears and brain. Israel at Sinai was exactly like that, and the rest is history. But in this age, there are too many Christs being preached; too many different faces being shown, too many 'names' being voiced in churches. Israel in His day, (when Christ walked among them), was as guilty of this blindness, as christianity is today. They were looking for a 'savior' to redeem them from the Romans; they had their religion that bound them to a doctrine totally foreign from what was given at Sinai, corrupted and profaned so that every, (repeat every), interaction Jesus had with a religious person, He tongue-lashed them for their unbelief, for their blindness to what the 'spirit of the law' was, and their rejection of His teaching truth.
There is not difference today. So many voices preaching another Jesus, preaching another Gospel than what the apostles spread, it no wonder so may are deceived.
(though it seems like I went off on a tangent), what I am trying to say is, just like Israel rejected their messiah, because they weren't attentive to their obligation to have a relationship with their God, (and thus they would be 'His People'), and lost their inheritance, the promise to be 'kings and priests', so too, if we do not attend to not just living day to day in the spirit, but also endeavor to grow in wisdom and knowledge of Him, His Word, and His understanding, then we too will be rewarded, along with with the goats, and be told "i never knew you". That is what Scripture says will happen to all those who think they are religious, and saved, but don't know God, or rather whom God doesn't know. Paul says being 'apprehended is more important than apprehending...'
Sounds dire, eh? Who said, 'its a terrible thing to fall into the hands of a just and righteous God"? We ought to give more earnest diligence to those things that are above.
So, 'once saved, always saved'? in reality, its what !should! be, Scripture doesn't say it, so we shouldn't take it for granted.