what is your take on the subject?
Some believe you can be saved one day and lost the next.
Others believe once your saved you are sealed for life.
I personally feel that when you believe... It makes you want to live right and do the right things to please the Lord. But others believe that God can take your name out of the book of life. I dont believe this, but what do you all think and can you provide scripture either way.
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Yesterday was the past, Tomorrow is the future, but today is a Gift, that is why it's called the Present.
Once a person is saved are they always saved? When people come to know Christ as their Savior, they are brought into a relationship with God that guarantees their salvation as eternally secure. Numerous passages of Scripture declare this fact. (a) Romans 8:30 declares, "And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified." This verse tells us that from the moment God chooses us, it is as if we are glorified in His presence in heaven. There is nothing that can prevent a believer from one day being glorified because God has already purposed it in heaven. Once a person is justified, his salvation is guaranteed - he is as secure as if he is already glorified in heaven.
(b) Paul asks two crucial questions in Romans 8:33-34 "Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." Who will bring a charge against God's elect? No one will, because Christ is our advocate. Who will condemn us? No one will, because Christ, the One who died for us, is the one who condemns. We have both the advocate and judge as our Savior.
(c) Believers are born again (regenerated) when they believe (John 3:3; Titus 3:5). For a Christian to lose his salvation, he would have to be un-regenerated. The Bible gives no evidence that the new birth can be taken away. (d) The Holy Spirit indwells all believers (John 14:17; Romans 8:9) and baptizes all believers into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). For a believer to become unsaved, he would have to be "un-indwelt" and detached from the Body of Christ.
(e) John 3:15 states that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will "have eternal life." If you believe in Christ today and have eternal life, but lose it tomorrow, then it was never "eternal" at all. Hence if you lose your salvation, the promises of eternal life in the Bible would be in error. (f) For the most conclusive argument, I think Scripture says it best itself, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). Remember the same God who saved you is the same God who will keep you. Once we are saved we are always saved. Our salvation is most definitely eternally secure!
The Bible teaches "once saved, always saved" -- that we can be saved once and for all only through a repentant, saving faith in Jesus Christ. Once a person has accepted Christ as Savior, they may wonder if it is possible to lose that salvation. What if they commit a sin? What if they commit a lot of sins? What if they do something very, very wrong? Is it possible to be saved, and then lose that salvation? Fortunately, the answer is a resounding "no." Once a person has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, he/she is forever saved. This fact is referred to as the doctrine of "eternal security," often summarized as "once saved, always saved."
There are several reasons why a person can be confident in their "eternal security." First and foremost is the evidence of Scripture. John 3:15-18 says about Christ: "The Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
In John 10:28-30, Jesus says: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." The forgiveness of God through Christ is sufficient to cover all of our sins -- past, present, and future. There is nothing a person can do that God cannot forgive. This doctrine is supported by Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 4:30, and Jude 24, among others.
Once Saved, Always Saved " The Logical Evidence
As with many other scriptural doctrines, the idea of "once saved, always saved" is also supported logically. Eternal security is consistent with everything else the Bible teaches about mankind, and God. Examining the doctrine in relation to the rest of Scripture demonstrates that it is consistent with all other biblically sound teachings. The idea of losing our salvation is not only unscriptural, but it creates monumental problems with other doctrines, including salvation by faith, the sin nature of man, and the purpose of Christ"s sacrifice.
The Bible teaches that man is inherently sinful -- that a sinful nature is a part of all of us (Romans 3:10). This means that even after being saved, every single believer is going to sin from time to time. Thinking that we can live a perfect, sinless life after our salvation is not only unscriptural, but arrogant (James 2:10). If we are not eternally secure, this sinning will cause us to lose our salvation, but how much sin is too much? There is no scriptural "yardstick" given to tell us how many or what kind of sins are enough to void our salvation. Without eternal security, the Bible would describe a situation where Christianity is a perpetual game of Russian Roulette; a life in which condemnation and salvation alternate every time we sin and confess, and we never know if we"re saved or not.
Scriptural passages (Ephesians 2:8-9, Isaiah 64:6) indicate that our attempts at good deeds will never earn us a place in heaven. We cannot make up for our past, present, or future sins by doing good works. A saved believer will, as a natural product of their faith, shun sin and practice good works (James 2:18). If "once saved, always saved" is not true, then by necessity we are saved both by our faith and our works. If we can do sinful things, or not do good things (James 4:17) and lose our security, then our good deeds are a part of our salvation. This is concept is contradictory to Scripture. It also creates an unlivable scenario where we have to try to do enough good to outweigh our sinful natures. The doctrine of "eternal security" goes hand in hand with the doctrine of "saved by faith alone." To deny eternal security is to endorse a "faith plus works" salvation system.
Jesus Christ made some powerful statements about morality during His earthly ministry. In those three short years, He talked the talk and walked the walk of the toughest moral and ethical system in human history. Most religions focus on the external actions, but Christ took the concept of sin and holiness to a much deeper level. For example, most religions are satisfied to condemn the physical act of adultery, but Christ said "Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28).
Christ set the bar for holiness at a level all Christians are called to aspire to, but none can ever fully live up to, because of our sin nature. Just as the law of Moses was meant, in part, to demonstrate to Israel how impossible it was for mortal man to obtain the moral perfection of God, the standards of Christ also remind us of how shallow our best efforts at goodness really are. Thankfully, God has always provided a way for us to be forgiven for our shortcomings. Christ"s sacrifice on the cross served the same purpose for all mankind that the sacrificial lambs did for specific families before His ministry. Christ was a sinless, blameless substitute for our sins. The Bible clearly tells us what Christ"s moral expectations are for us. If we lost our salvation every time we fell short of those ideals, then none of us would be saved for more than a few minutes at a time. If that were true, what purpose was there in His death?
Also, according to the Bible, if we could lose our salvation, then it would be lost forever, because Christ only died once. Hebrews 6:4-6 is an often misunderstood passage, which strongly supports the doctrine of eternal security in two ways: it implies that Christ"s sacrifice must be sufficient for all sins, and states that if it were possible for a person to lose their salvation, it would be forever lost. According to this passage, if a person could do something that cost them their salvation (which they cannot), then it would be "impossible" for them to be re-redeemed.
Once Saved, Always Saved " The New Creation
Critics of the "once saved, always saved" doctrine claim that it gives Christians a license to sin. They presume that those who believe in eternal security intend to accept salvation, and then continue to willingly sin. This is inaccurate, because anyone who has been truly saved is a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17), has the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 1 Thessalonians 4:8), and now wants to live for Christ. Someone who continues to willingly and blatantly live in sin has not truly accepted Christ (1 John 2:19; 1 John 3:6; James 1:26). While this false belief may be held by some, it is not a part of the teachings of any true Christian church (Romans 3:8).
A person who willingly, humbly, repents of sin and turns towards the cross, trusting Christ as their Savior, will be saved (Acts 16:31; John 6:37; John 14:6). That salvation is once and for all, eternal, and secure. Those who truly trust in Christ are saved once, and saved always.
The Bible is clear when you take it for what it says. Galatians 5:4 clearly says you can fall from grace. By grace we are saved through faith--if you are saved by grace, and fall from it, where does that leave you?
I John 1:7 says as long as we walk in the light, His blood continually cleanses us. What happens if you leave the light?
One's soulis not eternallysaved or lost until they die. Until then, there is hope--see the parable of the talents. Some come early, some come later, some come in the last hour, all recieve the same reward.
Quote:
John 3:15 states that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will "have eternal life."
Sorry, but that is mis-stated. In John 3:16, Christ said "should not perish"--He didn't say "shall not", "can not", "will not", etc. If a parent tells their child to do something, then the child should do it--that doesn't mean they will.
If we want to stretch the Truth just a bit, we could say that anyone that lives in a God-fearing nation issaved, based on Acts 10:35--but would anyone argue that just living in a God-fearing nation is all you have to do? The Bible says it, but weknowthat even though each and every verse is 100% true, we cannot get 100% OF theTruth from just one verse.
James 2:19 takes it a step further, stating the devils believe, and tremble. They will not be rewarded with eternal life, yet they believe to the point of trembling.
The Bible tells us that nobody can take salvation from us. We are never told that we cannot throw it away--actually we are warned against it, such as in the parable of the prodigal son. The son left the father, was considered lost anddead, etc., but he was allowed to come back and then was considered alive and found.
We can't take one verse, one chapter, or one book and expect to find the whole truth--if that was all we needed, that would be all God would have given us. We have to believe what Christ said in Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 and accept every word from God, not just the parts we want to agree with or follow our traditions or our favorite book or verse.
John 3:16, in my opinion, is the most mis-quoted and mis-used verse in the Bible. Some call it "the Gospel in a nutshell"--that is doing the Gospel a great disservice--no oneverse can cover the "good news".
God is not the author of confusion--if all we needed to do is believe, that isall we would have been told to do. We are commanded to hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized, and continue on in Christ. Not my words, not my traditions, not my commands--just plain and simple scripture.
I don't have the time or inclination to argue the point, so I'll try to leave it at this. Every man has to decide for himself--either accept the whole gospel, or reject it. We aren't given the option to take what we want or like and ignore the rest.
Chad
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"We can have no '50-50' allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all."-- Theodore Roosevelt
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Ecclesiasties 10:2
The last four letters in American..........I Can
The last four letters in Republican........I Can
The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats
Critics of the "once saved, always saved" doctrine claim that it gives Christians a license to sin. They presume that those who believe in eternal security intend to accept salvation, and then continue to willingly sin. This is inaccurate, because anyone who has been truly saved is a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17), has the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 1 Thessalonians 4:8), and now wants to live for Christ. Someone who continues to willingly and blatantly live in sin has not truly accepted Christ
I agree with this 100%.
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Yesterday was the past, Tomorrow is the future, but today is a Gift, that is why it's called the Present.
28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Just my opinion.. and for the record i do not want to make this a debate so dont debate with others just give your own opinion, no need for a argument.
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Yesterday was the past, Tomorrow is the future, but today is a Gift, that is why it's called the Present.
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Key word doeth or doeth not...obedience or disobedience.
This is what "Once Saved, Always Saved" means to me.......
A personcan not go to the convenience storeafter churchservices and buy a 6 pack of Beer because the pastor said that"Whosoever believeth shall not perish but have everlasting life".
To be a Christian and not perish and have everlasting life, means a True Loving Believer Of Christ and aTrue Obedient Follower OF Christ...........Amen
Noscripture in the bible give us Carte Blancto act as we want and still not perish and have everlasting life, because many interpret "Once Saved, Always Saved" as having Carte Blanc and don't have to everworry about what we do or don't do......
John 3:18
[18] He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
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Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
Live Life in such a way that those who do not know Christ will come to know Him because they know you
28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Yes Only if themlive by these Convictions!
To be a Christian and not perish and have everlasting life, means a True Loving Believer Of Christ and aTrue Obedient Follower OF Christ...........
John 3:18
[18] He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Matt. 7:21
[21] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
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Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
Live Life in such a way that those who do not know Christ will come to know Him because they know you
If you are truly saved then you will strive to live by those convictions right? And God's not going to keep you out due to a sinful nature instilled in us all.
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Yesterday was the past, Tomorrow is the future, but today is a Gift, that is why it's called the Present.
Saved one day Lost the next...
