It also gets into the doctrine of once saved always saved. If you are washed by the Blood of Christ, nothing can change that, not even the devil himself. If the sacrifice is ongoing then it is not a stretch to conclude that salvation and grace can be lost.
That’s what the Greek behind it is finished means.
If the sacrifice is ongoing then it is not a stretch to conclude that salvation and grace can be lost.
Actually LukeL, Jesus cannot be anyone’s Saviour if He is not their Lord. THAT is, I believe, the missing element in many Christian’s lives, be they Roman Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant.
‘Once saved, always saved’ is correct, if and only if, Jesus is a Christian’s LORD as well as Saviour. If someone merely recites a ‘sinner’s prayer’ and does not build a relationship with the Lord, they are fooling themselves.
We were created for relationship; relationship with each other AND most importantly, with God. Saying a ‘sinner’s prayer’ is merely an introduction to such a relationship.
Reading the Bible is a good start, but it is also about meditating on His Word and listening to His direction for applying it to our lives. It is also about prayer and meditation class on that prayer and listening for ‘His still small voice’. Like all relationships, it takes time and lots of effort.
The key question for a Christian to ask is, “Is Jesus REALLY Lord of my life?” Is my job more important? my career? my ‘toys’?, my family? etc. ANYTHING that takes priority over God is an IDOL and MUST be made second (or third, or fourth, etc.) to the Lord. If He is not, it is time to work on that relationship. I have work to do.
I was just reading about Jesus’ teaching that if you forg8ve, you will be forgiven; nut if you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven. He repeated that several times; he seems quite definite on that point.
So, can salvation and grace be lost? I conclude that if you forgive, you will be forgiven. If not, not.
In direct contradiction to the Bible which states in multiple places that Christ died once for all and took His place at the right hand of the Father.
Catholics believe the sacrifice of Christ is of a perpetual nature. Protestants believe it was a one time deal, when Christ said “It is finished” He meant the blood atonement had been paid and it was over.
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Haven’t read any of the replies so far, so maybe someone already made the point.
Anyways, Lutherans believe what you said too, but we also believe in the Real Presence. Just not in the same way that Catholics do, and not for the same reasons.
We believe that it’s Jesus’ true body and blood, but not that it’s a re-sacrifice. The sacrifice part is already done; the meal is a gift to Christians in order to take part in that sacrifice and to lay hold of the grace of God through it. (Not to say that believing in Jesus isn’t enough, because it is. But rather that the Lord’s Supper is an additional gift because God wants to continue to pour more and more grace upon us.)
But it all points back to Jesus’ death and resurrection, once for all. If you lose that, you lose everything.