Posted on 06/27/2010 3:10:25 AM PDT by GonzoII
Scenario:
You're discussing religion with an Evangelical friend. For 20 minutes you've responded as best you can to her pointed arguments against Catholic doctrines like Mary's perpetual virginity, praying to saints, venerating statues, and purgatory. She's unconvinced. You're frustrated. It doesn't look like there's much of a chance you'll agree on anything.
Then comes the jackpot question. "Look," she says earnestly, "we can disagree about many things, but what's most important is that we know we can be saved by Jesus Christ. Tell me, if you were to die tonight, do you know for sure if you'd go to heaven?"
This is the "all-important" question for Evangelical and Fundamentalist Protestants. Although your friend is completely sincere in asking this question (as she's been coached to do by her pastor and the anti-Catholic radio preacher she listens to in the afternoon), you realize that if you don't answer correctly, you'll walk into a sort of theological ambush.
If you respond that Christians can't, apart from a special revelation from God, have metaphysical or absolute certainty concerning their salvation, a completely biblical and theologically precise answer, your Evangelical friend will gleefully spring a "trap" on you, based on 1 John 5:13: "These things I write to you, that you may know you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God."
"See?" she smiles confidently. "The Bible disagrees with you!" She then proceeds to inform you that if you "confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For, with the heart, we believe unto justice; but, with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:9-10).
(Excerpt) Read more at envoymagazine.com ...
Don’t confuse justification with salvation.
Romans 3:20 -
20because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:28 -
28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
Galatians 2:21 -
21"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
Ephesians 2:8 & 9 -
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Titus 3:5 -
5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
Keeping the commandments is important, (Eph. 2:10; John 14:15). They are the proof of salvation not the means of it.
Christ specifically said that he who does not keep the commandments the truth (or faith) is not in him:
John 14:21 - " He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
John explains in I John 2:4 that those who DON'T keep the commandments aren't really in the faith - "The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;"
Once you add keeping the commandments (faith + works) as a means of justification (rather than their intended function of sanctification) you've just slapped Christ in the face and told Him his shed blood wasn't good enough.
True genuing saving faith will ALWAYS be accompanied by 'works' or keeping the commandments (James 2:18.... I will show you my faith by my works). That section doesn't mean we are 'saved' by keeping the commandments, it means we prove we are not saved if we don't!
Don't confuse sanctification with justification. The verses I posted above (along with the entire books of Ephesians, Galatians and Romans) prove your belief that its not faith alone that justifies to be error. Either that or you're going to have to get a pair of scissors and start cutting out huge hunks of Scripture.
Interesting! Thank you for telling me. :) I have never really conversed with anyone of this religion. I am not sure how to word this, but I’ll give it a try...what geographic region does the Eastern Orthodox church consider to be where it originated? And to which Apostle do they attribute their beginning? Also, are congregations independent of each other? And do Bishops serve in the capacity as described in Titus 1? I understand now, what you meant about the church related to scripture and authority. I’m just very curious about details. I hope you don’t mind me asking! :)
If you 'opt out' you were never IN the faith to begin with:
I John 2:19 - They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
I do not mind the asking. But, I won’t do your research for you. You obviously have a computer equipped with a web browser. Everything I could tell you is a Google (or a bing) away.
In reality, even under the old law the Jews were not saved by perfect adherence, that is, they were saved by faith as well. But in neither the old law or the new law is obedience optional. We are saved by works in the same way we are saved by grace, faith, confession, repentance, baptism, and hearing.
Or do you suppose that someone can be saved without repentence? Of all we must do, that is probably the hardest, harder than probably any other command.
Those who preach faith only need to take a long hard look at James 2, espcially James 2:24 where James explicitly says that we are not saved by faith alone. You must look at Paul's writings with James 2 in mind, just as you must look at James 2 through Paul's writings.
Far too long we have simply pulled Paul out of context because it suited the televangelism gospel of "pray and pay (me)".
That is indeed the error of Rome, that the faithful “by those very works which have been done in God,...have truly merited eternal life.” While faith without works is dead, it is God-given faith out of a poor and contrite heart, which exalts God and debases man, which results in righteousness being imputed to the believer.
As man has a sinful proclivity to suppose that his works will merit him eternal life, or that a faith that has no works will save him, the Bible establishes that one is justified by faith thru grace alone, but not by a faith which is alone.
And it is not enough to simply hold to this doctrinally, as due to man’s Adamic proclivity, the sinner must be convicted of his utter inability to justify himself, and desperate need for salvation. Treating souls as Christians based upon their infant baptism, and fostering hope that the power of the church will help to finally gain them eternal life, is not what Biblical preaching manifests.
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Soteriology “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,” (Romans 4:3-6) When James states that Abraham was justified by faith, he refers to this fulfilling Gn. 15:6 which Gn. 15:6 indicates was a present condition prior to Gn. 17 and his offering up Issac in manifesting that faith, and Gn. 15:6 is seen to confirm Paul here, but there need be no real contradiction. Paul is dealing precisely with the issue of the basis for justification, that of the merit of works versus imputed righteousness, appropriated by God-given faith. James is dealing with the antinomian misconstruance which Paul protests against in Rm. 6, and elsewhere makes clear that while one is saved by grace thru faith, the manner of faith which justifies is of a confessional quality. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10) But what if someone is mute? The idea is that faith in the heart will be expressed if it is salvific, and baptism is the initial ordained means of confession. This does not militate against the doctrine of salvation by grace, which some suppose negates any cooperation in salvation, and thus make grammatical arguments about Acts 2:38. However, even in a silent "sinners prayer" the heart/mind makes an active response, and there is no real difference between moving your tongue in confessing Christ versus moving your legs in confessing Christ by the body language of baptism. However, this is not saying that one must be baptised to be born again - Cornelius and household were born again by faith, which confessed Christ, before baptism, (Acts 10:43-47; 11:8; 15:7-9) but that the faith which that body language confesses and demands, (and can be a catalyst to bring forth) must be present, and which faith, and repentance, is a gift of God, (Eph. 2:8l; Acts 11:8) and is to result in being baptized, if possible. Thus while salvation is by faith, and which God sees in the heart, it must be of a quality that will result in "the obedience of faith", (Rm. 16:26; cf. Hebrews 5:9; 6:9) or in the case of deathbed conversions, be one that would. This correlation between faith and works is the reason why there are verses which seem to contradict the clear and unambiguous verses which affirm that it is "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost", (Titus 3:5) and which takes place upon faith conversion, (Acts 15:7-9; 1Cor. 6:11; Eph. 1:13) and instead state such things as that women "shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety", (1 Timothy 2:15) this denoting the normal manner in which women lived out saving faith, but by no means restricting it to that maternal mode. (1Cor. 7:32-38) But while Scripture establishes that faith that is without works is dead, and the works here are not simply good deeds, but those which are a result of faith in Christ (1Thes. 1:8,9) and His work as the basis for salvation, neither Paul nor James render the works themselves as meriting salvation, even if done by God's grace, but the faith which is expressed in faith-works appropriates imputed righteousness, this faith being utter reliance upon the mercy of God in Christ crucified, and risen again. In contrast, as the Bible and the issue of the Jews, JW's, etc. testifies, the normal disposition of man is that of justifying oneself, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." (Romans 10:3) Versus, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" (Philippians 3:8-9) Unless this normal proclivity of man is confronted, and preaching convicts souls of their utter inability to escape their just punishment in eternal Hell-fire, no to merit eternal life with God, then souls will find some way of so doing. The error of Rome her (and she is not alone) is that of officially teaching that (nothing further is wanting to the justified, to prevent their being accounted to have, by those very works which have been done in God, fully satisfied the divine law according to the state of this life, and to have truly merited eternal life." — Trent, 1547, The Sixth Session Decree on justification, chapter XVI) and overall effectually fostering confidence in one's merit, and the power of the church to achieve salvation, rather than abasement and contrition before God, and casting all faith and reliance upon Christ and His sinless shed blood (Rm. 3:25) for salvation (which relative few Catholics and mainstream Prots seem to testify they have), resulting in regeneration of the Holy Spirit, and a new life in Christ, and fellowship of the Spirit (Phil. 2:1) with those who do, and walk therein. To the glory of God alone. |
Ah, so now you imagine scripture is errant? What do you base your faith on?
See the Pharisee and the tax collector. Which one was really obedient? Which one felt like God owed him salvation?
The Catholic perspective is he( Paul)is talking about old mosaic law and sacrifice as he was writing the epistles. Meaning during his era the Hebrews were still sacrificing with works. A good book is James Akin’s “The Salvation Controversy”.
Assurance of Salvation?
There are few more confusing topics than salvation. It goes beyond the standard question posed by Fundamentalists: “Have you been saved?” What the question also means is: “Don’t you wish you had the assurance of salvation?” Evangelicals and Fundamentalists think they do have such an absolute assurance.
All they have to do is “accept Christ as their personal Savior,” and it’s done. They might well live exemplary lives thereafter, but living well is not crucial and definitely does not affect their salvation.
Kenneth E. Hagin, a well-known Pentecostal televangelist from the “Word Faith” wing of Protestantism, asserts that this assurance of salvation comes through being “born again”: “Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Though much of Hagin’s theology is considered bizarre in Protestant circles, his explanation of being born again could be endorsed by millions of Evangelical Protestants. In his booklet, The New Birth, Hagin writes, “The new birth is a necessity to being saved. Through the new birth you come into the right relationship with God.”
According to Hagin, there are many things that this new birth is not. “The new birth is not: confirmation, church membership, water baptism, the taking of sacraments, observing religious duties, an intellectual reception of Christianity, orthodoxy of faith, going to church, saying prayers, reading the Bible, being moral, being cultured or refined, doing good deeds, doing your best, nor any of the many other things some men are trusting in to save them.” Those who have obtained the new birth “did the one thing necessary: they accepted Jesus Christ as personal Savior by repenting and turning to God with the whole heart as a little child.” That one act of the will, he explains, is all they needed to do. But is this true? Does the Bible support this concept?
Scripture teaches that one’s final salvation depends on the state of the soul at death. As Jesus himself tells us, “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:13; cf. 25:31–46). One who dies in the state of friendship with God (the state of grace) will go to heaven. The one who dies in a state of enmity and rebellion against God (the state of mortal sin) will go to hell.
For many Fundamentalists and Evangelicals it makes no difference—as far as salvation is concerned—how you live or end your life. You can heed the altar call at church, announce that you’ve accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, and, so long as you really believe it, you’re set. From that point on there is nothing you can do, no sin you can commit, no matter how heinous, that will forfeit your salvation. You can’t undo your salvation, even if you wanted to.
Does this sound too good to be true? Yes, but nevertheless, it is something many Protestants claim. Take a look at what Wilson Ewin, the author of a booklet called There is Therefore Now No Condemnation, says. He writes that “the person who places his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his blood shed at Calvary is eternally secure. He can never lose his salvation. No personal breaking of God’s or man’s laws or commandments can nullify that status.”
“To deny the assurance of salvation would be to deny Christ’s perfect redemption,” argues Ewin, and this is something he can say only because he confuses the redemption that Christ accomplished for us objectively with our individual appropriation of that redemption. The truth is that in one sense we are all redeemed by Christ’s death on the cross—Christians, Jews, Muslims, even animists in the darkest forests (1 Tim. 2:6, 4:10, 1 John 2:2)—but our individual appropriation of what Christ provided is contingent on our response.
Certainly, Christ did die on the cross once for all and has entered into the holy place in heaven to appear before God on our behalf. Christ has abundantly provided for our salvation, but that does not mean that there is no process by which this is applied to us as individuals. Obviously, there is, or we would have been saved and justified from all eternity, with no need to repent or have faith or anything else. We would have been born “saved,” with no need to be born again. Since we were not, since it is necessary for those who hear the gospel to repent and embrace it, there is a time at which we come to be reconciled to God. And if so, then we, like Adam and Eve, can become unreconciled with God and, like the prodigal son, need to come back and be reconciled again with God, after having left his family.
You Can’t Lose Heaven?
Ewin says that “no wrong act or sinful deed can ever affect the believer’s salvation. The sinner did nothing to merit God’s grace and likewise he can do nothing to demerit grace. True, sinful conduct always lessens one’s fellowship with Christ, limits his contribution to God’s work and can result in serious disciplinary action by the Holy Spirit.”
One problem with this argument is that this is not even how things work in everyday life. If another person gives us something as a grace—as a gift—and even if we did nothing to deserve it (though frequently gifts are given based on our having pleased the one bestowing the gift), it in no way follows that our actions are irrelevant to whether or not we keep the gift. We can lose it in all kinds of ways. We can misplace it, destroy it, give it to someone else, take it back to the store. We may even forfeit something we were given by later displeasing the one who gave it—as when a person has been appointed to a special position but is later stripped of that position on account of mismanagement.
The argument fares no better when one turns to Scripture, for one finds that Adam and Eve, who received God’s grace in a manner just as unmerited as anyone today, most definitely did demerit it—and lost grace not only for themselves but for us as well (cf. also Rom. 11:17-24). While the idea that what is received without merit cannot be lost by demerit may have a kind of poetic charm for some, it does not stand up when compared with the way things really work—either in the everyday world or in the Bible.
Regarding the issue of whether Christians have an “absolute” assurance of salvation, regardless of their actions, consider this warning Paul gave: “See then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off” (Rom. 11:22; see also Heb. 10:26–29, 2 Pet. 2:20–21).
Can You Know?
Related to the issue of whether one can lose one’s salvation is the question of whether one can know with complete certainty that one is in a state of salvation. Even if one could not lose one’s salvation, one still might not be sure whether one ever had salvation. Similarly, even if one could be sure that one is now in a state of salvation, one might be able to fall from grace in the future. The “knowability” of salvation is a different question than the “loseability” of salvation.
From the Radio Bible Class listeners can obtain a booklet called Can Anyone Really Know for Sure? The anonymous author says the “Lord Jesus wanted his followers to be so sure of their salvation that they would rejoice more in the expectation of heaven than in victories on earth. ‘These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:13).’”
Places where Scripture speaks of our ability to know that we are abiding in grace are important and must be taken seriously. But they do not promise that we will be protected from self-deception on this matter. Even the author of Can Anyone Really Know for Sure? admits that there is a false assurance: “The New Testament teaches us that genuine assurance is possible and desirable, but it also warns us that we can be deceived through a false assurance. Jesus declared: ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord” shall enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt. 7:21).”
Sometimes Fundamentalists portray Catholics as if they must every moment be in terror of losing their salvation since Catholics recognize that it is possible to lose salvation through mortal sin. Fundamentalists then hold out the idea that, rather than living every moment in terror, they can have a calm, assured knowledge that they will, in fact, be saved, and that nothing will ever be able to change this fact.
But this portrayal is in error. Catholics do not live lives of mortal terror concerning salvation. True, salvation can be lost through mortal sin, but such sins are by nature grave ones, and not the kind that a person living the Christian life is going to slip into committing on the spur of the moment, without deliberate thought and consent. Neither does the Catholic Church teach that one cannot have an assurance of salvation. This is true both of present and future salvation.
One can be confident of one’s present salvation. This is one of the chief reasons why God gave us the sacraments—to provide visible assurances that he is invisibly providing us with his grace. And one can be confident that one has not thrown away that grace by simply examining one’s life and seeing whether one has committed mortal sin. Indeed, the tests that John sets forth in his first epistle to help us know whether we are abiding in grace are, in essence, tests of whether we are dwelling in grave sin. For example, “By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:10), “If any one says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20), “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).
Likewise, by looking at the course of one’s life in grace and the resolution of one’s heart to keep following God, one can also have an assurance of future salvation. It is this Paul speaks of when he writes to the Philippians and says, “And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). This is not a promise for all Christians, or even necessarily all in the church at Philippi, but it is a confidence that the Philippian Christians in general would make it. The basis of this is their spiritual performance to date, and Paul feels a need to explain to them that there is a basis for his confidence in them. Thus he says, immediately, “It is right for me to feel thus about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (1:7). The fact that the Philippians performed spiritually by assisting Paul in his imprisonment and ministry showed that their hearts were with God and that it could be expected that they, at least in general, would persevere and remain with God.
There are many saintly men and women who have long lived the Christian life and whose characters are marked with profound spiritual joy and peace. Such individuals can look forward with confidence to their reception in heaven.
Such an individual was Paul, writing at the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day” (2 Tim. 4:7-8). But earlier in life, even Paul did not claim an infallible assurance, either of his present justification or of his remaining in grace in the future. Concerning his present state, he wrote, “I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby justified [Gk., dedikaiomai]. It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Cor. 4:4). Concerning his remaining life, Paul was frank in admitting that even he could fall away: “I pummel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27). Of course, for a spiritual giant such as Paul, it would be quite unexpected and out of character for him to fall from God’s grace. Nevertheless, he points out that, however much confidence in his own salvation he may be warranted in feeling, even he cannot be infallibly sure either of his own present state or of his future course.
The same is true of us. We can, if our lives display a pattern of perseverance and spiritual fruit, have not only a confidence in our present state of grace but also of our future perseverance with God. Yet we cannot have an infallible certitude of our own salvation, as many Protestants will admit. There is the possibility of self-deception (cf. Matt. 7:22-23). As Jeremiah expressed it, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). There is also the possibility of falling from grace through mortal sin, and even of falling away from the faith entirely, for as Jesus told us, there are those who “believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8:13). It is in the light of these warnings and admonitions that we must understand Scripture’s positive statements concerning our ability to know and have confidence in our salvation. Assurance we may have; infallible certitude we may not.
For example, Philippians 2:12 says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” This is not the language of self-confident assurance. Our salvation is something that remains to be worked out.
What To Say
“Are you saved?” asks the Fundamentalist. The Catholic should reply: “As the Bible says, I am already saved (Rom. 8:24, Eph. 2:5–8), but I’m also being saved (1 Cor. 1:18, 2 Cor. 2:15, Phil. 2:12), and I have the hope that I will be saved (Rom. 5:9–10, 1 Cor. 3:12–15). Like the apostle Paul I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ (Rom. 5:2, 2 Tim. 2:11–13).”
You are not comprehending my argument. Scripture is not errant, but James would be contradicting Genesis 15:6 (And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness,” and Paul “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, (Rom 4:6) by stating “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only”, (2:24) IF that is understood to mean that works of faith merit eternal life, rather than teaching what manner of faith is salvific, that being one which will confess/evidence saving faith, and which works “fulfill” or manifest that he possessed a complete, saving faith.
Romans 4:5 -
5But to the one who does not work(Old Law ), but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,-
Romans 3:20 -
20because by the works of the(Old ) Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the(Old) Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:28 -
28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from (Old)works of the Law.
Galatians 2:21 -
21"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the(Old) Law, then Christ died needlessly."
Ephesians 2:8 & 9 -
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of(Old) works, so that no one may boast.
Titus 3:5 -
5He saved us, not on the basis of (Old Work)deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
Please read all my prior posts before you address me as a staunch defender of OSAS or close to an antinomian. I reject the latter, and can make a better case against the former than you have, yet believers can trust that God will perfect that which concerneth them, (Ps. 138:8) and that is able to keep that which we have committed unto him against that day. (2Tim. 1:12) To God be glory.
As for assurance, God does sanction subjective assurance, as “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God”, (Rom 8:16) and provides objective means ( “these things” of 1Jn. 5:13) for the same, and the former is tested by the latter. If one is fully trusting in Jesus and His sinless shed blood to save him/her as an unworthy, damnable sinner, and sees the Lord leading and working through them, with fruits which accompany salvation, and a poor and contrite heart which repents of sin when convicted, they should have assurance, according to the Bible. Rest in the Biblical Lord Jesus Christ as savior, and you will follow Him as He is Lord. According to Biblical faith be it unto us, while God is even greater than our hearts.
But Rome fosters confidence in one’s works and her power for finally gaining eternal life, which is both officially and effectually attested to, typically treating infants as Christians (as do some Prots), rather than laboring to convict such of their destitute condition, and need for personal repentance and rebirth, which multitudes of Catholics have found by hearing the gospel thru evangelical channels, which her apologists oppose.
Be back later.
No way. If we 'are bound to keep' anything we don't need Christ and His sacrifice was pointless (Galatians 2:21). And with that teaching you are preaching a different Gospel (Galatians 1:9).
Being 'bound to keep' anything also returns us to the old law. It is in Christ that we are freed from the law by grace through faith. Why anyone would want to return to the law when we have freedom in Christ is beyond me.
However, if you're going to seek to live by the law you'd better be 100% perfect and not screw up at any point from the time you were BORN. James 2:10 - "10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all."
Good luck with that.
If you can lose your salvation, that implies that you can earn your salvation.
And that implies that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was indeed not sufficient to reconcile us with God.
Ah, but Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient.
1 John 5:13 "I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life."
How can I know I have it if I can lose it and how can I lose it if it's eternal. The apostle Paul also states that "what God has begun, He will finish." God began the work of salvation in me and He will complete it. Receiving salvation is not dependent on my works; neither can keeping it be by my works.
The new man created by God in righeousness and holiness at the new birth cannot sin, it is of God. The old man who is corrupt is the one who sins. The new man will eventually overcome the old man in Christ. "Greater is He that is within me, than he that is in the world." It is God who saved us, and it's God who keeps us.
I once believed one could lose his salvation until through study of God's Word and the Holy Spirit set me free from such fear. "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind." I am completely secure in Christ.
Salvation is a gift from God. One can receive it but reject it later. Just as Paul told us.
"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12).
Had I wanted pat website answers, I would have researched immediately. I was looking for first person thoughts. But I understand that don’t wish to share. No problem.
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