Christian Living

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I often hear this statement right after the words,"My Bible says". I usually ask where in their Bible do they find that statement or some variation of it. I know that it doesn't have to say those exact words so I always follow up with the question: Where do yo find the scripture that has led you to that belief? I have almost always gotten the same answer. Usually it is something like,"well, I know it's in there I just can't remember where." Some times I get the broad statement of,"the whole Bible shows that." I have, on rare occasion, found an individual willing to go to the Bible and show me some scripture which really does show us there is an eternal security for those who believe in Jesus Christ. Yes, there is security for those who believe in Jesus Christ.

The statement,"Once Saved Always Saved" is however, an inaccurate statement. I know I just lost some of you. Some of you just thought,"oh no, this guy is off his rocker". The Bible upon a superficial reading will show you that there is a condition to your eternal security. Yes, I hear some of you screaming at your computer. Just settle down a moment and let me explain.

Here comes the fun part. We all need to go get our Bibles before we proceed. What, you don't have time to spend researching your eternity? Before we look up any scripture I will tell you that if you are saved and you commit a sin or even fall into a season of sin God is not going to jerk your salvation out from under you. I do NOT believe, as some do, that you sin you lose salvation.

Let me pose this question to get you interested. If once your name is written in the Lamb's Book Of Life it cannot Be taken out, why does the Bible say in Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. This plainly states that a name can be blotted out after it has been written there. If you want to make sure I'm not using this verse out of context read the whole chapter.

The condition here is overcoming. Some are thinking that you overcome at the time of salvation. Let me point out that at salvation is when your name was initially put in the book. So, the "overcoming" must follow salvation.

Now, let us look in a few other places. Look in these verses and surrounding verses for their proper context: Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13, James 5:11. We find in these verses the condition is "enduring". Understand that to endure is to overcome. Do you see the harmony of the Bible? It is glorious. Don't give up on me, I am going to make my point.

Now let us look in these verses. Once again, make sure you read the surrounding text to keep everything in context. Look in: 2 Peter 2:20-22, Revelation 2:26, Revelation 3:21.

In 2Peter 2:20-22 we see a different angle on overcoming. Here it is the world overcoming the believer. The Bible plainly states that it would be better for you to never have known the truth than to know it and turn back to the world.

I know that in 1 John we are told a lot about overcoming. It speaks of having overcome as done by belief and faith in Jesus. It speaks to our overcoming because God dwells within us. This is all very true and as long as the condition spoken of there remains you have overcome and are overcoming. How glorious!

I know you are tired of all this and want to know what in the world I'm talking about. I am telling you that in order to stay saved you must continue in the faith(Col. 1:23). In other words if your faith remains in Jesus Christ and Him crucified, in that His work on the Cross was complete and finished, you will remain saved. But, if you turn from your belief in Christ and His finished work and you turn back to the world and are sucked in and you do not repent and return to your first love, you have just forfeited your salvation. God did not take it from you, you gave the gift back to Him. There is no other sacrifice the world can offer you that will appease the wrath of God. Salvation is in the Cross, sanctification is in the Cross, victory is in the Cross, everything you get from God comes through The finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Now I know that there are some that believe if you are saved you cannot turn your back on Jesus and His sacrifice. I ask you, why then did the Holy Spirit see fit to put in the Bible so much warning against doing just that?

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