Have you heard anyone say, “Once saved, always saved?” Today we are going to talk about this comment and the danger we are in if we believe this lie.
Do you remember the Not of This World bumper stickers? Years ago, when I was growing up, Christianity was held in high esteem. We knew when someone called themselves a Christian it was because their lives reflected what they said. There was no doubt in our hearts they were who they said they were because everything they spoke of and did was Christ centered. Growing up that became my model to distinguish between the true and false Christian. I was not looking for perfection, but I knew there was a standard that had to be met. If what they said matched their walk, then I knew they were truly Born-Again and were going to heaven. What do we see now? A world filled with darkness, confused about what Christianity is. Satan has come to deceive many in thinking they could never lose their salvation. Indeed, Jesus has paid the price for our sins. Yet, in scripture, He encourages those whom He has saved to strive to live without sin. Today, many people are disillusioned because they were told the same lie. They sinned, repented, but instead of stopping, they continued to sin, believing that’s all they had to do. Hebrews 10:26 tells us – “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, and verse 27 says: “but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.” You may be thinking, I am not God’s enemy. But we forget what James 4:4 tells us – “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” This is why prayers haven’t been answered, and prophecies fulfilled. Isaiah 59:1-2, tells us: “See, the LORD’s hand is not so short that it cannot save, and his ear is not so dull that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” God is neither helpless or deaf. If He does not hear His people and work on their behalf the fault is not His but theirs. Sin separates us from God’s fellowship and is the reason for much unanswered prayer.
Sin has no place in the life of a believer, and if we are sinning its time to repent. The Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God is a God of reason, and He has made us with a mind and ability to reason. He wants us to stop and think about Him, about ourselves, about our course in life. He wants the dispute that is brought on by sin to be settled. He wants to forgive, restore, and bless a repenting people. If this spoke to your heart today, and maybe you have lived thinking the same thing, there is still hope. If you have never accepted Christ into your heart, today is the day to do it, because tomorrow is not promised. Isaiah 1:18 says – “Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool.” Receive His forgiveness today.
Sources Cited
Bible Gateway online