Happy Monday! I thought it best to add an addendum to my post on Can you lose your salvation? The purpose of that post was simply to list scriptures from the Bible on both sides and allow you to read, ponder, pray, and decide for yourself. I think the problem with many of these issues is we've been indoctrinated in church to believe a certain way, and we never really take time to study the Bible for ourselves. There are many great Bible teachers in this country, but the best one of all is the Holy Spirit. So, if you have a question or a confusion, open your Bible and call upon Him.
There are dangers for believing either way. If someone believes that once they are saved, they can never lose that salvation, it gives them license to do anything they want, lie cheat, steal, murder. It doesn't matter. They will still end up in Heaven. Of course they won't receive any rewards when they get there, but is that enough incentive to keep fallen man in line?
If you believe you can lose your salvation, you run the risk of getting ensnared in legalism, trying to earn your way to Heaven by doing good works and always worrying if you will make it. Jesus came to set us free from this type of fear.
So which is it? Perhaps it's somewhere in the middle. I encourage you to search the scriptures I already gave you and find your own and then have a conversation with God about it. He will let you know the truth as far as we can understand it. Perhaps in our limited human minds, we simply can't grasp it.
You may ask what the big deal is? Why am I bringing this up? Because it is one of my biggest fears that many Christians who believe they are going to Heaven because they said a prayer once, answered an alter call, go to church on Sunday and believe in Jesus, are the ones Jesus is speaking about in Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws
Or James
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead James 2:18-20
On a personal note, as many of you, this topic touches deep in my soul. I have children and other close relatives who once said a prayer of faith but who now are living away from God. I pray with ALL My HEART that once saved always saved is true, for their sakes. But if it isn't, if I can wake up one slumbering Christian, one person who professes to know Christ but who is living a life of sin, if I can encourge them to come back to the narrow path by my books or this blog, then I am one Happy lady!
That is the reason I write novels and my motivation for these posts.
great blog, please enter me into the drawing for the free book. May God bless
ReplyDeletemamat2730(at)charter(dot)net
Maybe those verses in Matt. and Jms. don't necessarily refer to Christians losing their salvation, but show that those who claimed to be saved never really were saved. I mean, even if they prayed a prayer and go to church every now and then, if they don't seem to show much difference in their lives from the world, if they don't think about God and godly things, then maybe they never really got saved in the first place. ( 1 Corinthians 5:17)
ReplyDelete* Honey
I found a few article on this subject if you'd like to read them. These are some that support 'once saved always saved.'
ReplyDeletehttp://www.allaboutgod.com/once-saved-always-saved.htm
http://www.gotquestions.org/once-saved-always-saved.html
And here is one that refute it.
http://www.anointedlinks.com/once_saved.html
Personally, I agree with the first two. They seem to stay more in line with the loving God in the Scriptures. They just make sense.
~Sasafras
Oops! Just read over my last comment. I meant 2 Corinthians 5:17
ReplyDelete* Honey
hi
ReplyDeleteum this has absolutely nothing to do with this blog, but i have been a huge fan of the books you wrote about charlisse and merrick for a very very long time, and recently on a trip to new york, i took the books with me and re-read them. I completely fell back in love with the characters. I'm sure your other books are absolutely as wonderful as these, but i can't seem to bring myself to read them because of the love i have for the characters of merrick and charlisse, and i was just wondering if you were ever going to write any more books continuing their story, because that would absolutely be a dream come true for me.
by the way, i also want to thank you for the integrity you put into those books. It is a blessing for a seventeen year old girl like me to be able to enjoy such action and adventure and such wonderful characters, and still read about our Lord.
thank you,
brittany
I keep going back to John where is says "no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand" I truly believe that once saved, always saved. I think that many "profess" Christ, but it's like the seed that falls on the thorny soil, once hardship comes, they fall away. I believe that if you were truly saved, that when the hard times come, you'll lean more heavily on Christ rather than fall away. Oh, you might despair for a time, but "my sheep hear my voice and they follow me" - you'll always come back to Jesus if you are truly a child of God.
ReplyDeleteYES you can loose your salvation, BUT God is ALWAYS waiting to forgive you with His everlasting and all powerful love. No, you won't fall from His hand, in the sense meaning nothing can desroy His love and protection from you. But if you choose to walk away from God, He will respect that, because of freewill. He wants you to come to Him freely and not to be coerced.
ReplyDeleteGod's word is true, do not let the world seep their lies into you, do not let become like them and "let them hear what their itching ears want to hear." It is a lie from the pit of hell.
Go to www.evangelicaloutreach.org and read the truth and meet the people who are trying to make a difference. God bless you and your lost family members will be in my prayers
Thank you everyone for your thoughtful responses. This is a tough subject and I appreciate all points of view. Ultimately, I think we each should "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling" as Paul says and allow God to be sovereign.
ReplyDeleteBritany, thanks for your post and your kind comments! At this time, I have no sequels planned for my pirate series, but who knows what the future holds.