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Question: Do You Believe That A Christian Can So Sin As To Lose His Salvation? John 5:39, "Search the scriptures; for ... they ... testify of me." --- Jesus |
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"... the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Neh. 8:10)
As I began to read all the e-mails concerning whether a child of God could so sin (suicide or other sins) as to lose his salvation, I was quite amused. However, this amusement quickly turn to sadness when I realized that there are so many:
1. Preachers Who Have Such A Low, Contemptible, And Despicable Opinion of The Redemptive Work of My Saviour.
Do you believe that when a person is saved, he is truly born again into the family of God and becomes a child of God? If so, is he only born into the family of God until he commits a sin? If he loses his sonship after he sins, is he unborn out of the family of God? If so, must he be born again and again and again every time he sins or was he saved by the new birth the first time but saved back into the family of God the second, third, fourth, etc. times by a different plan of salvation? Please do not think this is silly. It is not. I believe very strongly that what God does is much stronger than what man does. In other words, you cannot get unborn spiritually any more than you can get unborn physically. You family may disown you, but nothing can alter the fact that you were born of them and are their child, no matter what. Where in the Bible do you find that anyone is ever unborn out of the family of God? If not, then you would have a born again child of God in hell. Is this what you believe? How many times must you be born again into the family of God before you have eternal sonship?
What Jesus did on the Cross is complete (finished). He does not need your help any more than your mother or father needed your help in giving birth to you (physical birth). You hath He quicken (make alive) who were dead in trespasses and sins. I don't know of much that a dead person can do to help himself.
To think that God needs your help is to believe that Christ was a failure.
Remember, Salvation Is A Gift of Grace. Anything that must be earned is not a gift.
2. Preachers Who Have Such An High, Exalted, And Magnificent Opinion of Themselves, So As To Think That They Could Do By Their Own Efforts What The Son of God Could Not Do On The Cross of Calvary.
One wrote, "... to take this view (once saved always saved) is to be granted a blank ticket under the cloak of salvation to commit further sins". Another person wrote, "If once saved always saved is true then we can all go out and become serial killers, rapists, and kidnappers with the assurance that we will never have to pay." Still another wrote, "If Christ comes back while you are in your sin don't you believe that you are going back with him because sin can not enter into heaven. Now, if you can repent in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; then you are good and you need to go with him."
It is so ridiculous to think that this view (once saved always saved) would be granting a blank ticket, under the cloak of sonship, to commit further sins. Does the fact that your child is still your child, even if s/he sins, grant them a blank ticket to sin or do whatever they wish? Oh, I forgot. We have a double standard here. You love your child more than God loves His and you would never do to your child what you accuse God of doing to you.
One person put it this way to me, "If I believed like you do, I would go out and sin all I wanted to." My answer surprised him when I stated, "I not only sin all I want to, I sin more than I want to." What many people do not seem to understand is that when a person is truly born again, he is changed. 2 Cor. 5:17 tells us that if anyone is in Christ (not just in the church or have religion, but truly saved) he is a new creation and old things have passed away and all things have become new. You may be in the church or have religion and not be a changed person, but you cannot be in Christ and not be changed. A fish would die if taken out of the water. However, changed it's nature (new birth) to that of a dog and he would no longer want to live in the water. Praise God, a true Christian has been changed. This was even true of the early church (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
Also, the teaching of "once saved always saved" does not give a person a license to sin. In contrast, it is your teaching that does so. Those of us who believe in "once saved always saved" also believe very strongly that God disciplines His children. On the other hand, you seem to believe that you can sin all you want to so long as you repent, even if its in a twinkling of eye at the last trump, and everything will be OK and you will be good. Sounds like Catholicism to me.
As far as, "... if you can repent in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; then you are good and you need to go with him." I am truly sorry that you believe that. You see, there is none good except God. When I stand before God at the Judgment, I will not plead, "Lord, I know I lived in sin all my life but I repented in a twinkling of an eye at the last trump, so therefore I am good, I am good, I am good." Some seem to think that its OK to sin so long as you repent before you die or before Christ comes. This teaching that it is OK to sin, so long as you repent came from Catholicism. Friend, when I stand before God at the Judgment, I will not plead my goodness (which are as filthy rags), I will not plead that I was a preacher for well over 40 years, nor anything else that a person might think of. I will plead the blood of Jesus. And you know what, I am going in. Not because of who I am but because of who He Is.
3. Preachers Who Have Achieved A Much Greater Love For Their Own Children Than God Was Able To Achieve For His Children.
I suppose that if some of these preachers caught their son or daughter in an act of disobedience, they would not allow them to come home. They would disown s/he. That is, unless they have greater love for their child than God has for His, because, according to them, that is what God would do. My question is this, "When your child disobeys you, why do you not take them into the kitchen, heat the stove to over 400 degrees and stick your child's head in it for an hour or so, because of their disobedience to you?" You must be thinking now, "That is the most stupid, asinine, absurd, preposterous, and ridiculous thing I ever heard of, " and that is exactly the way I feel about your suggestion that my Heavenly Father would do that to me (for all eternity) if I made a mistake and disobeyed Him in some area. Friend, it takes a great deal of arrogance to believe that you love your children more than God loves His. You say, "But I would discipline my child if they disobeyed me." So does God.
By the way, Yes, I believe in repentance. The goodness of God leadeth me to repentance. Instead of trying to find an excuse to sin, "once a son always a son" makes me want to do more, not less, for my Saviour. His love for me constrains me to serve Him. In other words, I am not serving God in order to try to make it to heaven. I am serving God because I am going there and I want to take as many as I can with me.
In conclusion, allow me to answer the statement, "If Christ comes back while you are in your sin don't you believe that you are going back with him because sin can not enter into heaven."
Are you trying to say that you are so good and sinless that God will welcome you into heaven because you are so great. Sounds like the Pharisee to me. I would rather base my salvation on the attitude of the Publican. In case you have failed to read or understand, let me point out that flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Sin certain will not enter into heaven because we will all be changed in the resurrection. This corruption must put on incorruption, this mortal must put on immortality. But, if you think that sin not entering into heaven has reference to your flesh (the life you are now living), you need to read what Paul said, "In my flesh dwelleth no good thing." I sorry, but I don't want to base my salvation on that type of attitude. I would rather have the attitude of the Publican and go down to my house satisfied (assured of my salvation).
I was taught years ago how to detect the difference between heresy and truth. "Heresy exalts man and his faithfulness, Truth exalts Christ and His faithfulness.
May God Receive The Honor And Glory.
For A More Detailed Study On This Subject:
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There Is No Second Chance After Death!
Hebrews 9:27
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