Think on these questions people have struggled with: When we accept Jesus into our hearts, does salvation stick? Do we always have the hope and security of salvation, or can we lose our salvation?
And if once saved, always saved, what about the Christians who leave the faith? Did they always have Jesus in their hearts, or did they fake-it-till-they-make it?
No doubt, many of us have wrestled with these questions, especially people who abandon their faith after they had accepted Jesus into their hearts.
Once people have accepted Jesus into their heart and have committed to making him Lord and Savior of their life, they are saved. But this doesn’t answer the main question: can people have that salvation removed?
Let’s analyze the origin of the phrase “once saved, always saved.” We don’t stumble across that exact phrase in Scripture.
There are verses that point to assurance of salvation once saved.
And there are verses that appear to point to the opposite?
Verses that appear to point to once saved, always saved:
John 10:27-30; Ephesians 1:13 “
Verses that appear to say that a believer can lose their salvation:
Hebrews 6:4-6 ; 2 Peter 2:20-22; Proverbs 26:11
Christians can assert that there’s a difference between a person praying a sinner’s prayer and having no effect on their life, and a person dedicating their lives to Christ and receiving a transformative grace that bears fruit in their actions, thoughts, and words.
A person cannot just pray a prayer and then continue business as usual.
The prayer is only just the start. We must continue to allow the Lord to transform us sanctification. We call it our Christian walk, journey, or pilgrimage.
Does This Mean I Can Do Whatever I Want?
Where are the boundaries? Can we go about living how we please; knowing that Jesus’ death on the cross will “take care” of our sins?
By no means, Romans 6:1. If we have truly experienced the transformative salvation of Jesus, we need to put to death our old way of life. We have understood the corrosive effects of sin and we cannot return to that way of living.
Does this mean if I slip up that I automatically lose my salvation? No. We have grace for a reason. After all, even Paul continued to do the sinful actions he didn’t want to do Romans 7:15-20.
OK, you may say, what about those who leave the faith?
Can I Lose My Salvation? No doubt, almost all Christians have known at least one person from a part of their church or community who fell away from the faith.
Scripture appears to say that once a person has experienced the genuine transformative of salvation that they cannot be snatched out of God’s hand. So, with those who commit apostasy, do we simply throw our hands up and say, “Well’ were they truly saved in the first place”?
What about those who truly appeared as though they were saved?
It’s a tough question to answer, as only God can know the heart of a person. Someone may appear to have their lives together but may not be saved. They can put on a good show and even convince themselves that they have assured salvation, but as we witness in the parable of the seeds, trials and tribulations often have a way of revealing one’s true character and inner condition (Matthew 13).
In short, if a Christian has been genuinely saved, living a life that bears fruit due to the inner workings of the Holy Spirit, their salvation is real.
Only God can judge the heart. But if a Christian does not appear to be bearing fruit, if they continue to live an unrepentant lifestyle or their Christianity has no bearing on their actions, thoughts, or words, it could be possible that they have not experienced true grace or salvation.
People have wrestled with this one: “saved always saved.”
With that being said, if a person experiences a genuine, transformative salvation, justification and the Holy Spirit continues to work in their lives to help them grow to be more like Christ, sanctification that person can be assured of their salvation. If we mess up or sin, this does not mean that we forfeit our salvation.
Test Your Own Faith. “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? – Unless indeed you are disqualified” 2 Corinthians 13:5.
Have you tested yourself? There are ways to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are born again. First, do you have the witness of the Spirit? In other words, does the Spirit of God in you align with your spirit that you are God’s child? Here is the change test. Has your life changed? Have your thought patterns, your speech and your desires been altered by the Spirit of God? This is what will happen when you are born again.
In conclusion, we are not to determine who is saved and who is not. Only God knows who is saved and who is not. We are commissioned to go to the highways and byways to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. It is not our job to figure out “once saved always saved.” I leave that job to God Almighty. We are to be a witness for Christ. You work out your salvation!
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
WHOSOEVER WILL WORSHIP MINISTRIES
www.wwwmjesus.net
Associate: Pastor Wesley Fulton
429 Bayou Rd, La Marque, Tx.77568
Need prayer Ch. Ph: 409/933-9878
