Philip wrote:Jac, B.W., so glad you guys weighed in on this - it's absolutely amazing how often the belief that one can lose their salvation comes up. And it both scares, worries and takes away the confidence of so many believers. And it plays right into the devil's hands - as he wants us to doubt our salvation and eternal security. He wants us to pay more attention to our feelings than we do to what God's word tells us about this. And so often, our feelings are all over the map. So, one not feeling as spiritual one week, may worry what that might mean. Alas, WHOSE salvation was it to begin with - certainly not ours - we're, as previously poor beggars, merely the beneficiaries of a magnificent and eternal inheritance, given by grace, through faith!
What gets me are these three scriptures:
Eph 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God..." NASB
Rom 11:29, "for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." NASB
Eph 1:13, 14, " In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory." NASB
It is about God's eternal security and not about once saved always saved. Once saved, always saved (OSAS) is a doctrine leading to an abuse of grace and fairy tale believism. It is OSAS is what I have found that most people disagree with. Eternal Security on the other hand changes a person by God's grace and gives a Christian rest and confidence in the Lord that he will not let them go. When sin enters the picture, they know it will be exposed and God's grace will deal with it, justly and soon the sin loses its hold upon the Christian. It provides endurance during times of chastisement from the Lord and build ones faith in God in ways, well, unexplainable.
With eternal security, the constant struggle between the works of the flesh and walking in the Spirit becomes easier for the walk in the Spirit to win out more. Eternal security also dispels fears and makes the principles found in 1 John 2:6 and Isaiah 61:1-4 come alive in one's life. As for keeping the commandments, a Christians learns to discern the voice of the Lord from the wide array of ways and means that He speaks, properly test these, and obey what He says. If you stumble, eternal security from God picks you up again, ask you what you learned, and lets you proceed to the next lesson. In fact, it is easy - trust Him who said, no one is able to snatch you out of His hands, including yourself.
The lose you faith crowd do have valid points, however, taking certain scriptures interpreted out of a pretext does not nullify what Jesus said in John 10:27-30 and the verses I cited above as well as a few more not mentioned. Verses from Hebrews 6:4-10, Hebrews 10:3, 26-29, Revelation chapters two and three, Matthew 25:1-13, and Matthew 7:22 seem to suggest that one can lose salvation but a further study reveals something else entirely.
The chapter six and ten verses referring to falling away from book of Hebrews basically are telling folks not to resort to the animal sacrifices of the OT due to peer pressure and persecution. Those that do, well, were never Christians in the first place. Being a member, or born into a church, does not make one a christian anymore than living in a garage makes a person a car. The foolish bridesmaids in Jesus parable may have hung around long enough to think themselves something they were not but their fairy tale believism cannot sustain them in the darkest hours. Likewise, how could they be true Christians as such are actually sealed by the Holy Spirit and God reneges on no gift, including salvation? Also the folks mentioned in the Revelation chapters on the 7 Churches - were they really saved? Some might be but due to dullness and worldliness, they are left behind to endure a time of great woe. Only one group out of the seven is promised to escape - not all. Others mentioned may never have been saved.
The crowd spoken of in Matt 7:22 spoke with pride that declares -
look at what WE have done - it was all about them and their ministries and nothing to do with Christ. If they known Christ, really known him, them they would never boast like that because for a true servant of God it is about him working in them and none of themselves. For such, they would would be saying, "we are unprofitable servants - just doing our job because we love the Lord." People like that would never say, WE have done this or that great task. Instead they would probably say, "Look Lord what you have done, my that was a great sermon you preached Lord, thank you for doing these things through a wretch like me... amen"
Paul writes for us in Philippians 2:12 to work out - exercise - our own salvation not to stay saved but rather as a testimony to those around that you reflect whom you follow, Christ Jesus - live out your faith, not hide it under a basket. Someone who knows they are eternally secure in Christ will engage in such endeavor living the 1 John 1:9 life, and doing good service for the Lord to glorify him quite naturally and easily. Simply stated, eternal security has you rely on the Lord and rest in what he has done and will do for you. What Jesus said in Matthew 11:28,29,30 is true. The losing your faith doctrine provides no such rest as it is not possible. It weakens faith and has one rely upon self and not God.
The once saved always saved doctrine (OSAS) is based upon easy fairy tale believism that has a tendency to make lazy bridesmaids and false believers who abuse grace and mix worldly ideas into their Christianity such things as Chrislam, diversity at the exclusion of identity, and political correctness to rule the church and not the word of God. It makes sanctification an separate option from salvation not part of the same coin. It uses the shotgun effect - have as many people pray a simple prayer in hopes a few get on board, then leave them all to just flounder about while priding oneself on the number of conversions.
God knows who are his and he will never let them go and in doing so, his hold will change a persons life in due time and see each through the roller coaster ride of faith. It is always good to examine oneself to see if they are in the faith. You know you are his by how often you spend time in God's woodshed because his chastisement lets you know for certain you are his... Now if one could lose salvation then why would God even bother to take you to the woodshed?
Why I believe in eternal security is because it is firmly fixed in the bible and provides balance to the passages that folks often cite as a case for losing one's salvation. I am even thankful for those that teach one can lose salvation, why, because it at least has one going to God's woodshed. Amen...
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Finally someone get's it. Except for the part about following His commandments.. We will still most likely sin in our lives, but we do our best to uphold them and ask forgiveness when we do sin. We follow His commandments BECAUSE we are saved, not to get saved..