There is a resurgence in the lie that the Gospel is still conditional.
These adherents will declare that people can lose their salvation. In one of the churches I used to attend, the pastor affirmed vehemently that Christians could lose their salvation.
"I (so-and-so) and declaring this fully, and I don't care what anyone says. Yes, you can lose your salvation!"
Why do so many Christians believe this? They are convinced that if people here the unadultered Gospel of Grace, that they will go out and live like sin. "If you tell people that all their sins are forgiven--forever, past, present, future--they will go out and live like sin!"
Yet what does the Bible say about this challenge?
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Romans 6:1-2)
The very idea that people would go out and sin up a storm after hearing the Gospel was just plain preposterous to Paul, and most importantly to the Holy Spirit, who quickened Paul to pen the New Testament epistles.
Keep in mind also that Grace is not license to sin, but the Teacher who leads us to behave in a godly manner:
"11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:11-14)
Grace teaches us to live righteous lives, because Grace is a PERSON!
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)
But, I want to get back to the fundamental point of contention: Can Christians lose their Salvation?
No. Once you are saved by grace through faith, you cannot lose it. You did not earn it, but received it as a free gift! How can you lose something that you did not earn? Once you receive the gift, you have been received by the Gift Giver!
For the record, I am not interested in the protests and the concerns of weaker Christians who feel that providing full revelation of the Grace of God will give people license to sin. We should always start with the truth of God's Word, and then allow the Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us into all wisdom (John 16:13).
So, let's start with an elementary verse, one which every child knows, even which unbelievers know:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Jesus declares to one of the Pharisees of Pharisees that if we believe on Him, we have everlasting life.
Take a look at that word "everlasting" one more time. Meditate on that word as long as it takes. Everlasting means ... ever lasting. Never-ending, not changing, unchanging, not bound to fail, lose, or fall away.
Eternal life does not turn away, change, or end. It's eternal life, folks! That verse could not make it clearer!
In the Old Testament, God prophesies of our everlasting righteousness, too!
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9:24)
Jesus brings everlasting righteousness, just as He gives us eternal life. Eternal is eternal. Does not end, does not change. We cannot lose it, we cannot abuse it to our loss.
And why? Because we receive the GIFT of righteousness!
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)
It's a gift! Under the New Covenant, righteousness is not something we earn, not something we fight for, not something that we have to hold onto with our own might. Righteousness is something that God gives to us, and Daddy God gives us righteousness through His Son!
"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1:30)
and
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Too many Christians don't have the proper understanding of how big God is. They don't see Him taking care of everything. They don't see Him holding everything together, and too many Christians have an understanding of God based on what a bad pastor, or their hurting parents, or their own bad experiences have told them.
We are not supposed to base our revelation of God the Father and Christ Jesus His Son on our experiences, our parents, our pastors.
But on God's Word!
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
and
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God [lit. Christ]." (Romans 10:17)
People don't have the proper understanding of how big Daddy God is!
"He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." (Job 26:7)
The same God who hangs the world on nothing holds you and me with both hands, those of the Father and the Son!
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30I and my Father are one." (John 10:27-30)
Notice that Jesus talks about His hand, and He talks about His Father's hand!
We have two eternal hands holding onto us, and no one can take away out of their hands!
Of course, those who still claim that salvation can be lost, who insist that grace is conditional will charge, "Yeah, but you can jump out!"
Is that true, though?
Turn to Psalm 139, and consider this passage:
"7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand
shall hold me." (Psalm 139:7-10)
Notice the progression of distance for the Psalmist. If I go to heaven, God, you are there! If I got hell, you are there.
And notice the furthest distance, the remotest regions of the sea, the "uttermost parts," notice that God is leading the Pslalimst by the hand, and His right hand holds him.
This verse is an amazing revelation of God's loving omnipotence not just for being there with us even when we try to run away from him, but the fact that the more that we try to get away from God, the closer we end up getting to Him, or rather He ends up holding us even more!
You can't "jump out" of His hand, Beloved Believer! Even if you try to run away, you will see Him GUIDING you the whole time, and His Right Hand (a picture of Jesus), is holding you!
And let's take a closer look at that world "hold."
Here's the original word:
Original Word: אָחַז
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: achaz
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-khaz')
Definition: to grasp, take hold, take possession
And let's take a look at the first mention of this word in the Old Testament!
"And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught (אָחַז) in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son." (Genesis 22:13)
What do we see here?
First, let's take note of the literal, physical scene. Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, and God calls out and tells Abraham to stop. Then he sees the ram, the replacement offering that will allow Abraham to spare his son.
Now, here's the thing about rams:
1. They are big
2. They are strong
3. They do not get caught easily
4. They do not get caught by their horns.
If you have ever scene arms battle with each other, you will notice that they fight headstrong with their horns bashing against each other. They know how to use their horns, and they have incredible strength.
Yet for all that strength, this ram cannot--CANNOT--break free from the thicket!
That same kind of grip, one which is so strong that the object held in its gasp cannot escape--that is the same kind of grasp that our loving Heavenly Father has on us.
You cannot lose your salvation! You cannot lose your love place of wonderful grace in the presence of Daddy God in His Gracious Son!
I don't know about you, but this revelation was just amazing to me. I couldn't help but meditate on it for days, months, and now a few years have gone by!
Connect the scene of the trapped ram with the Psalmist on the Run in Psalm 139. He keeps trying to get away, jump away, flee from God--and God does not let him.
It's your own fault: you believed in Jesus, you did the one work which Jesus told the Israelites during His earthly ministry needed to accomplish, and there is no going back!
Once saved .... ALWAYS SAVED!
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