August 15, 2015

I have grown up in church pretty much all my life.  I remember hearing the Bible stories, singing the songs, and the overall “church routine.”  One particular phrase and thought that has truly stuck with me forever is the idea, “Once Saved, Always Saved.”  I remember a particular pastor saying this and it became ingrained in my mind and it altered the way I thought and lived.  People get this idea, myself included, well I’m saved and Christ will forgive me, so I can do whatever I want to do.

Now as far as answering that question, “Once Saved Always Saved,” I believe that if you were “truly” saved that can never be taken away from you.  So the better question is, are the people who think they are saved “truly” saved?

Hebrews 10:26, Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.  If we deliberately keep living in sin, we are not going to be perfect, but we realize that we messed up or wronged someone, and we confess that sin and repent from our wrongdoing.  The knowledge that we received of the truth is our salvation that the Lord gives to us.

Hebrews 6:4-8, For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened – those who have experienced the good things of Heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the power of the age to come – and who then turn away from God.  It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing Him to the cross once again and holding Him up to public shame.  When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing.  But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless.  The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.  This passage is a little bit longer, but what it’s saying is that for someone who was saved or has been saved and then turns away from God, cannot find repentance, cannot find forgiveness.  It goes on talking about our lives, the fields (talking about our lives), and what they produce.  The field that has God’s blessing produces good crops.  However, the field that has thorns and thistles (living a life without God), is useless the Bible says.  The farmer (God) will soon condemn that field and burn it (hell).

2 Peter 2:20-22, And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.  It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.  They prove the truth of this proverb:  “A dog returns to its vomit.”  And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.”  

Mark 13:13, And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  Once you become saved, it doesn’t end there, your life changes, your outlook on everything changes.

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 judgement 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 breaks God’s laws.’  This is what we have condensed salvation down to.  People saying a few words and praying a prayer but they don’t truly believe, that don’t truly accept what God has to offer them.  You can’t get much more clear than this, “not everyone who calls out to me, ‘LORD! LORD!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

So again, once you are saved, the Lord won’t take that away from you.  But, if you were truly saved, then you will have a change in your heart and in your mind that will cause you to want to be completely different from the way the old you was before Christ.

Kyle Idleman says this in his Not a Fan book, “Jesus has defined the relationship He wants with you.  He is not interested in enthusiastic admirers (fans) who practice everything in moderation and don’t get carried away.  He wants completely committed followers.  Don’t be a fan of Jesus…be a follower of Jesus.