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Once Saved Always Saved? — 58 Comments

1. Thanks William. Salvation is a process and I think the Gospel of once saved always saved is a masterpiece of the arch deceiver. The Bible plainly teaches the steps to salvation: -justification
   -sanctification
   -glorification
   These stages are gradual and interconnected. As humans, we're prone to sin so much the more that being baptized today is just but a step in our spiritual walk and does not qualify us without santification if I die today.I can be baptized today and when my actions are not in line with God's requirements then I've lost it all without sanctification.

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   • The steps in Christ are important to reach salvation. However, the thief on the cross had few minutes to regreat and be saved. Even though the life in Christ is crucial to eternal life, the real fellings in the heart will lead someone to salvation.

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   • Thanks Simeon. Once saved,always saved is wrong and false. Why would Jesus die on the cross if it was not to save us from our sins. Baptism does not guarantee that we will go to heaven unless we live according to God's standards (the ten commandments). The good news is that redemption has been made possible through the cross for those who have through rebellion, separated themselves from Him. Our salvation is lost if we don't hold fast to what we believe and receive (1 Cor.15:1-2). Hebrews 3: 14 also states it very clearly that we can only continue as partakers of Messiah if we hold fast our confidence and our faith firmly until the end. Other scriptures clearly state that after we have been grafted in we can still be cut off unless we continue to walk in faith and obedience. Why are we warned not to drift away if there are no consequences of drifting away? This warning is clear, if we neglect our salvation we will not escape judgment.

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2. Salvation by Grace means even though God's grace is sufficient, He requires us to obey His law always because to obey is better than sacrifice.

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   • Nidungu,so we sustain our salvation by obeying the law? This is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ! By faith we are justified and as long as we continue to hold to that faith, our salvation is secured regardless of our obedience to the law. Who can keep the law to the satisfaction of God? If that was possible there was need for Christ's righteousness.

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     • Jesus didn't teach 'justification by faith alone'. Among other things he taught that if we forgive others, we will be forgiven (nothing about faith there), if we don't judge then we won't be judged (nothing about faith there) and that if love God totally and our neighbor as ourselves then we gain eternal life (Luke 10:26-28)(nothing about faith there). James teaches that faith without works is dead (James 2:20) while despite his teaching about faith, Paul himself says that both faith and works without love are worthless (1 Cor 13:1-3). John teaches that a person without love does not have eternal life (1 John 3:14-15) but that if we repent our sins we will be forgiven (1 John 1:9) (which is the same teaching as Ezekiel 18.) The doctrine of 'cheap grace' (as Bonhoeffer put it) has plagued Protestantism from the beginning but when the whole teaching of the Bible is considered God requires nothing less than total commitment from us. If only faith was required, why did Jesus say "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt 28:20). In John 14:21 we read that "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me" while in 1 John we read that "Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (2:4) but that "Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him." (3:24) If 'faith' means fidelity to the will of God there this would make sense, but simply 'believing' has no value. As Jesus said "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt 7:21)
       BTW: People did keep the law to God's satisfaction - read Luke 1:5-6. And if it were not possible to not sin why did Jesus say "Go and sin no more".

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     • None of us can keep the law. We will never keep the law. This is why the Son died on the Cross. We needed a sacrifice for sin because we kept screwing things up and were not worthy of Heaven. Guess what, we are still not worthy but by accepting Christ as our savior and trusting in His Word, we are pardoned. Does this mean free for all to sin? No. We grow closer to God and share the Gospel. This is what we were created to do. Do we lose our salvation if we backslide back into sin? No. We are saved through faith and abundant grace. Will God remove us from the Earth if we continue to dwell in sin and claim to know Him? Yes. We are to grow and be examples for others to be saved and grow with God.

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     • We can only keep the law of God by the power of the Spirit of God which is in us, because we hzvd made the choice to be led by the Spirit. In our carnal self, we cannot keep the law of God. But we can keep the law in Spirit.

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3. What an incredibly sad story. I don't know if their neighbors son's parents held the same beliefs but if so it makes me wonder if this man would have received more warning from them if they knew he could choose to be lost. Perhaps that wouldn't have changed things but then again perhaps it would have (Ezekiel 3:17-19).

   "Once saved always saved" is the equivalent of saying "there is no morality, all things are permitted." Because if the outcome is always the same then the input doesn't matter. If two basketball teams playing a game are both declared winners at the end irregardless of the score then it doesn't matter if one team was "good" and the other "bad". And if it doesn't matter then why try so hard to be "good"? Such a teaching makes people apathetic towards morality.

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   • God formulated and established a Salvation plan that included the death of His Only Begotten Son. This was established before the foundation of the world. We are amazed by the power, glory, authority, and love that it reveals. Christ declared after His resurrection, “All authority in Heaven and on Earth is given to Me. Go and make disciples...” What we teach is despite Christ’s claim of “all authority” and power to save, it is our “CHOICE” or “WILLINGNESS” that actually saves any being! Do we actually save our selves? This awesome salvation plan of God is nothing without man’s “willingness” or “choice”.
     What does God say about man’s will and choice: “You DID NOT CHOOSE ME, but I CHOSE you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in my Name He may give to you.”(John 15:16)
     “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were begotten, not of bloods, NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN, but of GOD.”(John 1:12,13)

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     • I'm not sure that this is a correct exegesis of John 1:12,13 which was addressed to the Apostles whom Jesus clearly chose from among all of his followers (Luke 6:13). While what John Wesley called 'prevenient grace' is given by God to everyone (John 1:9) so that they can make a free choice as to whether to accept or reject the salvation offered by Jesus, it is always our free choice whether or not to be saved. Jesus stands at the door and knocks, he doesn't break the door down.
       We are still not saved by our own effort. If you are stuck in a well from which you can't get out by your own efforts and someone offers you a hand, you can either take the hand or not, but if you do take it you still did not rescue yourself. But neither were you saved without your participation.

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       • Ian, what if you are unconscious in the well! There’s a scenario that is closer to the sinner’s condition before God. Should the “savior” first rouse you to consciousness and politely ask if you desire to be rescued? or ask you to extend your arm? Rom 3 gives a partial account of the sinners condition. To a great extent we don’t acknowledge our natural condition before God: “none seeks after God etc.” A parent, learning that their child is in some room that is on fire would destroy every obstacle in the way to get to that child, even if they had had a fight one minute before this. What does God do for His sons and daughters.
         Take Paul formerly Saul. He surely got zapped or whacked on the road to Damascus. That was a smack of Love! What did God say to him? “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” In other words it was futility Paul resisting God. Nebuchadnezzar and Jonah got some good whacks of Love. The thief on the cross. They were God’s and He delivered them just as He promised.

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         • Dear Kenny,
           John 1:12 "But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become the children of God" I think this very same verse explains there is a need to "receive Him" thats the human choice then you are "given the right" that's God's own provision, something that humans cant make on their own. There is always a way to make an appeal here 'faith comes by hearing' after you hear then you chose whether to receive the "right" or not, the right given to us requires that we walk in the "light" rest the darkness comes and you're no longer children of the Light with the right. Thanks Brother.

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         • To extend the example then: In Calvinism, it is as if a parent decided before their children were even born that if their children were caught in a house fire then they would save only the girls but not the boys (by analogy with the Calvinist doctrine of predestination of the elect). On the other hand, the Bible says that God does not will that any be lost, so in the Calvinist view of Divine Sovereignty this would logically lead to universalism since for any to be lost would void divine sovereignty. But then if that was the case there would be no reason for mission or evangelism. However, the Bible also makes it clear in numerous places that some will be lost. Under the Arminian view, this is not a problem since God also wills that whether or not someone is saved is a matter of their personal free choice in accepting his grace and restrains his sovereign will in the interest of human free will. So far as 'none seeks after God' it needs to be kept in mind that when the Bible uses absolute terms, a lot of the time it is hyperbole and not intended to be taken literally: for example, if Romans 3:10 "None is righteous, no not one" were to be taken literally then Luke 1:6 would have to be false: "And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord". [ There have been whole books written about hyperbole in the Bible ]. In Romans 3, Paul is using the example of the Jews just before the Babylonian exile and applying it to the Jews of his time (3:9 "What then, are we Jews any better off?".)

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4. Disobedience has consequences. Once we decides to sincerely confess and repent of our sins, there is hope. choosing to walk with Jesus and to let him direct our pathway is a much better choice. spending time getting to know Jesus is such a wonderful thing.

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5. When I was very little, learning to swim, I ventured out of my depth and was drowning so my teacher dived in and saved me.
   However when I was a little older I swimming in the sea, when up to the fixed shark nets and held on, but the tide came in and I was out of my depth and in danger of drowning, so the life saver same and saved me.

   Now I don't go out of my depth and I don't drown anymore.

   When we surrender our lives to Jesus we are saved and stay saved so long as we surrender our lives to him every day.

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   • Shirley I am very glad you are more careful swimming now!

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6. What does a "person is saved" mean? Do we take into consideration the "WHO is doing the saving"?
   The quoted text says, "My sheep HEAR my voice, and I KNOW them, and they FOLLOW ME..." That is an exact definition of GOD'S SHEEP. It is not "if they follow Christ"; it is "His sheep follow Him". That is the identification of His sheep.
   Jesus said to those who were professing to believe in Him, "If you continue in My word, you are truly DISCIPLES OF MINE." (John 8:31,32) Jesus is saying you can identify His disciples by the fact that they continue in His word, and are therefore sanctified in the process.
   What conclusion can we draw from these facts?

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   • In v.27, the Greek verbs are rendered in the present tense, thus the English translation should read "hearing" and "following." It is descriptive of only those sheep who are "continuing" in their obedience to God. This verse does not refer to a past moment or state of obedience. Therefore, those believers who no longer follow the shepherd do not have the assurances of vss.28-30.
     Similarly, "if you continue in my Word" is a conditional clause denoted by the word "if." Only those believers who continue in the word are disciples. Those who choose not to are not disciples. The conclusion is that salvation is a process that requires obedience and perseverance and not just a one-time moment of belief. That is why we are instructed to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and are encouraged to fight the good fight and to finish the race.

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7. “Once saved always saved” is not a doctrine taught per se in the Scriptures. But as Adventists we have surely heard about it. We have learned that Calvin is at least one of the originators. I have never read Calvin and I am sure more than 90% of us have not read him. I wonder what might have influenced him to that conclusion.
   Christ has said, with respect to salvation, that what is impossible with man is possible only with God. The condition of fallen man, caused by Adam’s sin, is such that only God can “save” him.
   What we do know is that God’s salvation plan is not the “crap shoot” that some teach. God didn’t through out a hook or a net with a hope and a prayer he’d find some fish in the net or one on the hook. The disciples fished like that one night and they caught not a one all night, even out in the deep. They approached the shore in their boat with their empty nets trailing. He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find.”(John 21:3-7) We know the result. Do we learn anything from that event? What was Christ teaching? He told his disciples that He would make them fishers of men. You know they counted the fish caught. They numbered them. What does that mean?.
   He later with divine confidence declared, “ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS ... AND LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE.”(Matt 28:18-20) The New Covenant declares a sure and complete salvation by God.
   If “once saved always saved” is talking about GOD’S SALVATION, I will agree with that. Jesus says, ALL that the Father gives me will come to Me” and they are all saved. Not one is missing. Is that “once saved always saved”? If it’s a reference to the QUALITY of the salvation, then it is viable since God is the Savior who is bringing Salvation.

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   • "Once Saved/Always Saved" (OS/AS) theology can only survive by equivocation. Suppose someone makes a public commitment to Christ but later on becomes an atheist or a Satanist even - are they still saved? Some extreme OS/ASers will say yes but most will say "well if that happens then they weren't 'really' saved in the first place" - in other words someone is only 'really' saved if they die in Christ. The Biblical arguments for OS/AS are fairly weak (I've looked on a couple of their websites). On the other hand 2 Peter 2 makes the truth clear: "20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” - you can't get much clearer than that!

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     • Wouldn't the story of King Saul be another example that would dispute the "once saved, always saved" theory? When he was chosen, he was empowered by the Holy Spirit, who he later in life grieved away and had a miserable end. I wonder how believers of this concept would explain, concerning Saul's life in his later years of rejecting God's counsel and thus God having no choice but to reject him.

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       • Heidi,
         In my opinion Saul is a very good example to bring up!

         The prophet Samuel had said to him, "...the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man... And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day." 1Sam 10:6-9

         Saul was "turned into another man" (spiritually speaking), and God "gave him another heart"! Saul was a converted man. But I cannot imagine anyone saying that he died a saved man. Saul is a good example of once saved -- finally lost.

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     • With salvation a transformation takes place. There was no change with the dog. The SAME dog went back to his vomit. If God saves you, you are well saved, my friend.

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     • I encourage you to consider the context of 2 Peter. 2 Peter 1 is encouraging believers to stick to the teaching they have received from the apostles and to seek Christ's power to become more like Him so that they " Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;.." 2 Peter 1:10 Here he speaks of assurance of salvation for what a greater gift than to be certain you have been saved, you havd been chosen. Then he goes into chapter 2 warning of false teachers and deceivers in the midst of the church. Here is where he speaks of those who are cunning deceivers who look good by day but are hypocrites in their sinful hearts.

       It does not say they were chosen, accepted God's gift of faith and then walked away. It says they know the truth. And the more fully they know the truth and misuse it, the worse off they are. Demons know the truth.

       If people are intellectually enlightened and learn the way of salvation in full, change their life morally to look saved and then try to twist the truth deceptively to bring others down with them, they will not endure because they were never saved. False teachers and deceivers can only get away with the game for so long and they will end up returning to their vomit even with all the knowledge of Christ's gift of salvation understood.

       "For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit ,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
       2 Peter 2:20‭-‬22 NASB

       My heart is for no Christian to be bogged down by subtle pride or keep someone from salvation completely believing they have the ability to keep their own salvation. As a preacher who has spent 50 arduously studying the Word said, "If I had the ability to lose my own salvation I would have done so 1000 times already."

       Context is key. Much prayer for us all to understand the Word of God as He intends.

       Sincerely,

       Linda

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       • God’s Grace is indeed relentless making it harder to be lost than to be saved. Hopefully we all heard the words of inspiration.

         “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?”
         ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬
         https://www.bible.com/116/heb.2.1-3.nlt

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         • When you say we must listen to the truth, are you talking about the Catholic truth, Mormon truth, seventh-day Adventist truth Baptist truth, Protestant truth the Christian community has a hundred different truths and each congregation builds their faith on their doctrine. So I humbly ask, out of all of these different truths which one is the truth? Just go to church, it doesn't matter which church you go to just go to a church, that makes about as much sense as take a prescription, it doesn't matter which prescription you take just take a prescription.

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           • The various denominations share a lot more common ground than you might think. I don't think that there is any denomination which teaches that God (however conceived) should not be worshiped, that we shouldn't pray, that we shouldn't seek to do good and avoid evil or that we should not have faith in Christ. So a more apt comparison might be a medicine which is designed for a particular disease but which comes in a range of formulations which share a common efficacious ingredient along with other ingredients which for the most part are either harmless or beneficial where different formulations may be suitable for different people.
             Back in the 17th century, the English Puritan philosopher John Locke wrote a book called "The Reasonableness of Christianity" in which after deep engagement with the Bible he came to two major conclusions: the first was that the ONLY requirement to be saved is belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who God raised from the dead. THAT is the gospel, not belief in creeds or catechisms or Calvinism or any other of the isms, dogmas or doctrines that divide the denominations but simple heartfelt belief in that one fact. Basic John 3:16 Christianity, the good news that Jesus brought to the poor, the ignorant, the marginalised and the uneducated. The second conclusion was that after being saved, we are called to strive to live lives of moral purity and love. I think that whatever else they may believe, almost any denomination (including those you list) would affirm these.

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   • Danger of drawing back.
     Hebrews 10:26. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.

     29. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

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8. I think the whole 'once saved, always saved' doctrine comes from Calvinism in which those who are saved were predestined to be saved even before they were born. But as Jesus said "Those who endure to the end will be saved'. Anabaptists teach that "saving faith is, a conscious exercise of the will to always do what we believe the Bible teaches. It is also obeying the voice of the Spirit in areas where the Scriptures are silent." The Arminian view ( e.g. the view of churches that came out of the Wesleyan tradition such as Methodist and Holiness Churches) is similar. And when you consider all of the verses in Paul's letters where he talks about 'striving' and 'enduring' as being part of living a Christian life, it is clear that the work of salvation does not end at conversion, but is a continuing work. Even Jesus' parable of the Sower says the same thing, that people may accept the word but then fall away either when things get too hot (e.g. persecution) or when they get too involved in the things of the world. The last word goes to Paul: "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling'

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   • In order to know if one saved always saved is a true doctrine or not first we have to establish what salvation is, if we are safe now in this moment why did the believers in Matthew 24 have to endure unto the end to get saved? Matthew 24 does not read, whoever endures unto the end is already saved, it reads that they shall be, future tense. There are 19 different literary devices employed throughout scripture some of these devices will suggest that something is now and in the present when in reality it is in the future, kind of like God calling things before they happen, jesus, crucified before the foundations of the world, when salvation is correctly defined it equals eternal life, at this present time we do not possess eternal life therefore we cannot be saved, we can be in the process of being saved and eventually if we endure unto the end be saved. Eternal life is our inheritance, it is reserved in heaven ready to be revealed at the last time, 1st Peter 4,1 that little phrase, that passes not away, is a description of eternal life, eternal life does not pass away. At the last time is a reference to the 7th trumpet of Revelations, the time that the dead should be judged and given reward. It's impossible to have a logical and reasonable debate if the parties do not agree on the definition of what they are debating, it's just confusion.

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   • Jehovah's Witnesses & Mormons believe in faith towards Jesus as the son of God, but they are not born again Christians. There are many other cults who reject the deity of Christ; not all denominations are true Christian denominations.. Once saved is always saved comes from the Bible, from God Himself. In Ecclesiastes God says, "Whatever God does, He does forever."

     He is not a quitter or liar; when He says the He will never leave us or forsake us, that is an unconditional promise, meaning that even if we try to leave Him He will not let us go, because the only way for a lost person to get saved is for them to ask Christ to come into their hearts forever to stay. Either He says yes or no. If He says yes, then He cannot deny Himself. The belief is better expressed by "once He saves, He always saves." A lost person is saved by putting their little faith, which does not save, into His big faith, which does save & keeps a saved person saved even if he loses his faith. He remains faithful.

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9. I am surprised that the "once saved, always saved" notion has so much traction in some parts of the world. I don't seem to hear of it much in Australia (apart from its denial).

   As I have to remind myself every day, being saved is not a celestial retirement plan. It is a strategic plan for every day living. If we carry the idea that being saved means we are going to heaven, we are little better that the cargo cultists. I am not denying that there is a heaven to look forward to, but in the meantime we have to put "being saved" to work in our lives now. Once we understand that being saved applies now, it changes the perspective. And yes you can choose not to be saved now too.

   Jesus talked a lot about his Kingdom in his ministry. Read what he says carefully because most of what he says applies to the present and not to a future kingdom in heaven. We can be citizens (saved) in God's kingdom now. That is a citizenship with responsibility.

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   • Yeah, I'm Australian too and I haven't ever heard 'once saved, always saved' here. "Once saved, always saved" reminds me of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about 'cheap grace':
     “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

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     • Cheap grace is still grace..there is nothing cheap about the death of Christ upon the cross..but what you are referring to is whether a born again saved Christian is a spiritual Christian or a carnal Christian..if you are trying to deny that there are carnal Christians on this earth or carnal Christians in heaven..then how do you explain a sin unto physical death for carnal Christians?..God kills them in their sin & they backslide into heaven..they lose their faith..but not their Saviour..carnal or backslidden or faithless Christians will be weeping & gnashing their teeth in heaven..in outer darkness..at the end of the marriage supper of the Lamb..just eating crumbs..for 1007 yrs..until they get a new memory..when all their tears will be whipped away.. when there will be a new heaven & a new earth...Charles Stanley of Atlanta & Tony Evans of Dallas can tell you that..thank you.

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10. I think people are confused,"being saved" is not a one time event.
    I believe it is a choice and an ongoing process of being transformed into Jehovah's likeness. The process can be stopped and even re-versed, we need to daily re-confirm our choice to surrender our will, heart, mind and body to be conformed & transformed & re-created to have character like Him.

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    • For a lost person..being saved is a permanent experience..because he has asked Christ in prayer to come into his heart forever to stay..
      either Christ agrees to do that..or He doesn't..if the lost person has saving faith, then Christ cannot deny him..justification is a once in time experience..it occurs in heaven when the Father..sitting upon His throne in heaven..sees Christ & the Holy Spirit applying the blood of Christ to the heart of a lost person..cleansing him. All in one moment of all of his sins..past & present & future..this happens in the spirit of a newly born again Christian..his mind & body may still be addicted to cigarettes or porn or alcohol..so..in his body & mind, there needs to be a transformation also..that is called sanctification..that takes time..& it is a up & down & in & out experience..justification remains the same & can never change..but sanctification is a growth process..God created humans in His image..we are body & soul & spirit & the 3 are separate..our spirit is justified..but the mind & body is being sanctified.
      baby Christians who never grow in the faith are still precious in His sight..God the Father has no aborted children of God..He keeps them all safely in His hands forever..they cannot escape from his lovingkindness & mercy.

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11. The OT sanctuary service confirms our position on this subject. The altar of sacrifice was not the one and only stage in the process of salvation for the Jewish people. OSAS advocates claim that once one accepts the blood of Christ and asks Jesus into their hearts, they are saved. But in the sanctuary service the blood had to be applied to the tabernacle inside. In other words, the blood needed to be applied to the life of the individual. This is akin to the process of sanctification. Only when the High Priest emerged from the sanctuary at the conclusion of the day of atonement could Israel finally say "we are saved". (At least for the time being). With the blood of the Son of God however, we may with confidence claim we are being saved, and when Christ comes again, we can then shout from the depths of our hearts, we ARE saved. Forever!!

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12. Thanks everyone for your thoughtful comments! May we all continue being saved.

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    • Yes,

      "the Lord bless you and KEEP you" (Num 6:24). This tells me what God would love to be able to do for everyone. But His blessing [once gained] can be lost, and His keeping [once enjoyed] can be rejected. In the end many people will understand "how often" Jesus would have gathered them under His wings, but they would simply not let Him. Some come and go from under His wings so often - but they grow weary of His protection, and are finally caught outside. They cannot get back.

      There is "One who is able to save and to keep saved all who recognize their dependence on Him." (EGW, 6T p.240)

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13. To my opinion,saying,"once saved always saved"is a device used by the devil to acquire many to perish with.This saying makes those saved to relax confidently knowing that the work of salvation ended once they rennounced their wicked ways.As we know,no difficult times as those after baptism,we become more and more prone to temptations from the devil,here those trying their best in the flesh to overcome all these find themselves being failures and preys to the devil,but if we acknowledge that we are ALWAYS weak and we can't without the help of the ALWAYS able hand of GOD,the we are able to Overcome these temptations through GOD. Paul himselfs says,"I can do all things through whom helps me". So salvation is a daily process no an instant one,we should always seek righteousness daily by repentance and confession daily

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14. thank my Adventist faith that I now know this truth! I used tobelieve that falsehood long ago and would have been lost.

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15. I am just a little confused,i would appreciate anyone who could enlighten me with this question.
    ''We can know God's plan for our life by inner impressions, regardless of what the Bible instructs.''?is this true or false?
    It would be a pleasure too if you can help me explain it,i am just starting my Bible Study lesson.
    Thank you.

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    • We come to an understanding of God's will for us from several sources including but not limited to; The Bible, our inner voice, and our community of believers. When we see these sources in conflict with one another, then we know that something is wrong. Sometimes are are strong-willed enough to ignore the plain teaching of the Bible. That is a serious problem and that is where it is useful to have a strong community of believers with whom we can discuss our views. The real issue with inner feelings is that we sometimes let those feelings over-rule what the Bible says and that should never happen. A balance is needed and the willingness to let God change our hearts and feelings.

      It is helpful to understand that sometimes coming to an understanding of God's will for us is a slow learning process for us. God is patient with us and is a thorough teacher and he will use multiple agencies.

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    • Then our feelings and impressions become another bible. That is rendering the Word of God irrelevant. Only in the absence of a clear instruction in the Bible can we follow our feelings and impressions. Stick to the Bible at any time for guidance.

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16. It is sad that so many people are confused about salvation. What it means and when it happens. The confusion begins in John 3 the misinterpretation of the two births. These two births have been interpreted as being symbolic. This is a great error because it puts salvation before its proper time. You must be born again. What you are born again you are saved and cannot lose that salvation. The question is when is one born again. There are two bodies found in 1st Corinthians 15 verse 35 to 55. A natural body and a spiritual body. These two bodies are the product of the two births mentioned in John 3. And this is why out of thousands in the New Testament that received Christ and the Holy Spirit not one individual is referred to as being born again. Born-again does not happen until the last trumpet 1st Corinthians 15 verse 52. If a birth does not produce a body it is a analogy.

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17. Consider the mystery of our salvation. We are predestined, chosen yet fully responsible. We are made alive by the Holy Spirit to respond to the gospel gift with acceptance. If we have the ability to unwind the adoption when our eyes are opened and by the gift of faith we accept Christ as our only way of salvation, then we are a heavy participant in our salvation alongside Christ. It takes belief and elevates it to some inate goodness that would cause a human being to stay faithful to God or not. But scripture says He calls us, He redeems us, and He keeps us until that day. If someone turns away from the faith, that faith must have never been the gift of faith from God. Scripture talks of so many deceivers and the deceived thinking they are saved but most often trusting in their own merit along with Christ in order to be saved, their faith is a shallow human generated faith that like the parable, will be choked out by the worries of the world etc. John 4, Jesus speaks of the gift of faith that is from God that one must ask for. Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith. It leaves no room for human effort or pride, Ephesians 2:8-9 but the evidence and assurance of salvation will always be tied to the endurance and fruit of the saints. My heart is for no Christian to be bogged down by subtle pride or keep someone from salvation completely believing they have the ability to keep their own salvation. As a preacher who has spent 50 arduously studying the Word said, if I had the ability to lose my own salvation I would have done so 1000 times already. Love and prayers in Christ,

    Linda

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    • Truly we cannot be saved by our own efforts yet we can work for our own destruction.

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18. I just tried to leave a comment..it was erased before I was finished with it..what can I do to finish it?

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    • Hi Charles, that sometimes happens to me too. Here is what I do - it saves a lot of frustration. I type my comment up in Word (or any handy word processor) and then copy and paste it into the comment space. That trick will save you from thinking evil thoughts about your computer! (grin)

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19. I am going to try to recreate my original post.. I just read all 40 of the posts.. only 5 out of 40 seemed to have saving faith.. the other 35 seemed to be lost in ignorance of the real plan of salvation..so I hope to present the real Jesus and the real plan of salvation for their sake.. here it is..

    when you come to Christ as a lost sinner.. knowing that if you don't become a Christian that you will have to go to a burning painful hell fire forever if Christ does not come into you heart to cleanse your past, present and future sins in one moment..so to Accomplish this.. the lost sinner only has one choice - that is to ask Christ to come into his heart forever to stay.. either christ responds yes or no.. if he says yes.. then He will keep His word.. He is not a liar or a quitter.. He is faithful and dependable.. He is the good Shephard.. He always retreives His wandering sheep..without fail..

    if you do not have that kind of shephard or if you have not had that type of faith or prayer, then you need to believe in the real Christ now and put yourself in His hands completely.. so that you cannot get out.. you have to die to yourself 100% to get saved.. everything else is fake and is a scam.. He cannot save a person 1/2 way.. the only way to get saved is to be saved forever.. any other plan is from satan.. you have to repent of having a false Jesus and a false plan of salvation..

    I am southern Baptist.. we believe that there is a sin unto physical death.. a Christian can backslide and lose his faith and not repent.. if he dies like that.. he loses his fellowship with christ.. but not his relationship.. what saves a lost person is the blood of Christ.. once He puts His blood in our hearts.. we cannot get it out.. He comes in as Savior and Lord.. He is Lord of our future.. our future is in His hands... the Father Surrounds the son's hands with His hands..so we are doubly secure in Christ..

    we are body, soul and spirit.. justification only occurs in our spirits.. our body and soul has not been saved yet.. when we pray as a lost person.. our prayer enters His ears.. if pray an incomplete prayer.. He then vomits our prayer out of His mouth.. but if we pray. " help thou my unbelief".. then He will give us saving faith so that now our prayer will enter into His ears AND His heart.. then we are born again and are part of His body.. . we are seated with Christ in heavenly places.. . of course..in that same moment, He comes into our hearts,too..so He sits upon the throne of our heart.. as Saviour and Lord... He can shorten our life if necessary to keep us from going to hell..He demonstrated upon the cross the extent that He will go to keep us saved..

    all godly parents love their children and protect them.. Christ does, too.. there are no exceptions to this rule..it is not our faith that saves us..it is Jesus perfect faith that saves us.. we put our limited faith into His perfect faith..
    the expression that those who endure unto the end refers to tribulation saints.. who already saved spiritually.. that they will be rescued if they continue under the protection of moses and elijah.. until Christ returns ..that they will be rescued from the antichrist and his hatred...the passage is not telling them how to be saved.. they are are already saved forever in Christ..

    Justification occurs in the spirit and is permanent.. but sanctification occurs in the body and soul... it could go forward but can go backward also.. if we sin out of ignorance.. He will tell us that it is wrong.. if we do not stop, He will chastise us.. we are still not sure if sin is really sin.. but if we continue after we know that we are sinning and making Him look bad.. He will kill us..

    He saves us to lead others to Christ.. if we begin to live a life that makes a lost person looking at a Christian and saying "if that is a Christian.. I do not want to be one".. . instead of letting that happen.. He just takes the Christian off of the earth.. He keeps His children safe and saved.

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    • Dear Charles,

      Thank you for visiting our blog and going to the trouble of reading all the comments on this post.

      I believe we all agree that we are born separated from God and thus lost. And there's only one way out, as you put it "the lost sinner only has one choice & that is to ask Christ to come into his heart forever to stay."

      That is a summary of how salvation works. It's very simple, even if it is hard to give up on self. As you point out, no half-way effort will save us. We are all Christ's or we are not His at all. There is no middle ground or neutral ground.

      You also wrote that when a sinner asks Christ to come into his heart, "either Christ responds yes or no." Ouch! I do not find such a prospect very reassuring. I believe that the weight of evidence in the Bible is that Christ always responds with "Yes!" when we ask for forgiveness and when we ask Him to come into our heart. We do not have to wonder. We can rest secure in the knowledge that when in sincerity of heart, we give ourselves to Christ, He accepts us.

      However, if I read you correctly, we may differ on whether it is possible to be lost after having once come to know Jesus. I believe that Christ always respects our choice. If we grow cold-hearted and no longer want to walk with Jesus, He respects our choice and regretfully lets us go, still drawing us back to Himself.

      Paul refers to the possibility of him being lost in 1 Corinthians 9:27. But the bottom line is that if we trust Jesus to save us and live out that trust in our lives by obeying Him, we can rest assured that no one can take that salvation from us.

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      • Why are some saved now but the believers in Matthew 24 had to endure unto the end to get saved? Why the double standard?

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        • Salvation is an equal-opportunity affair. There is no double standard. We are all called to endure temptation and trial. I believe that when we cave to temptation and indulge self without repentance, we lose our salvation. That's what Matthew 24:13 refers to. Even Paul indicated that it was possible for him to be lost. (1 Cor 9:27)

          Salvation is found in an ongoing relationship, not in a once-in-a-lifetime commitment which may or may not be kept. We need to dedicate ourselves to the Lord anew every morning.

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      • Jesus says " All who come into Me I will in no wise cast out". Whom the Father gives into Me shall come into me.

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20. I am sorry that was so long..I hope that whoever reads it can follow it..I
    wish that I could make it shorter and more simple..

    if someone else gets the gist of what I am saying.. maybe they can chop it up into pieces using their own words.. I am not a calvinist or Armenian in my beliefs.. I like Jerry Vines or Adrian Rodgers.. I also like Dave Hunt and his thebereancall.org ..I can mention others later..

    I hope that I have not offended anyone.. I am just trying to be honest and truthful.. hank you.

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21. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." John 6:37 NKJV

    I am so glad that, when we sincerely ask Jesus to come into our heart to stay, He never says "No!" And He's too courteous to stay when, sadly, He's no longer wanted by some.

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22. God saves us before we even accept the saving. Biblically from the beginning, God saves Adam and eve from their Shame by providing a covering for them even before they thought about it. God saved the israelites from Egypt before they themselves could accept the saving, God tried to save the people from the flood before the flood, they refused , God saved lot and his family and many more, but the others refuses to be saved. Jesus saved all of us from eternal death! Some have accepted, many don't even want.we are saved by the grace of God, a benevolent gift that we don't deserve, but we want to be saved until when calamity comes and overtakes us.

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