If saved person commits sin after he was saved, does he remain saved to the end? Is his name not written in the Book of Life at his salvation? Can his name be stricken from the book? If so, for what reasons? If he simply repents can his name be added back at that moment? Or, does he have to be judged on the day of judgement to be added back? I am truly lost on scriptures regarding once saved, always saved! After judgement, then Jesus makes the final decision right? How does this all work?
There are no temporary Christians.At the point you trust Christ to have paid for your sins,you are forgiven of all sins,past,present and future.I liken salvation to a person who is crossing a busy road.At some point between the curbs the person is suddenly hurled forward and out of the road.When they turn back to see what has happened,they find that someone has pushed them out of the path of a vehicle that would surely have killed them.Where they were,is the body of that person who gave his life for them.Recognizing that person was gracious to them and saved them,they want to know more about him and revere him in their life as gratitude for what he did.There is no doubt in their mind about what it was he did for them,as the experience was real for them.Despite their recount of the event,other people who never had that happen to them,question the verity of the story.It is not until they themselves are saved,no longer between the curbs on a road,can they lend some understanding to the truth of the story.
There are two judgements from God in the future.One is at the Great White Throne,where unsaved people answer to God for the life they lived.( Revelation 20:11-15)The other judgement is for Christians,called the Judgement Seat of Christ.( 2Corinthians 5:8-11 & 1Corinthians 3:9-15)) At that judgement,Christ will examine the" works"of believers and reward them accordingly.Saved people,in their desire to repay God for salvation,will do many things,only some of which are indeed what God wants them to do.Other things are their own works,which will never measure up to the standard of,being of God,and the rebuke of Christ then,is gladly received,only this once,and never again to be judged.Corinthians 6:1"We then,as workers together with him,beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. In vain,would be to minimize Christ's work,by adding yours to it so as to save your soul.
"I know whom",1Timothy1:12,and I pray that you do, or will come to also.
I do agree with Adam over many things he's shared & respect him as a dear brother in Christ, but on this point, as he knows well, I would differ. And so feel that you should have another side to consider.
My view of the true Christian's walk is not one of uncertainty, allowing for the possibility to veer off the path leading to Heaven, whether to exit off completely or to bring ourselves back onto the correct path. I understand, that to be a Christian has & will always be a work of God. If we fail to 'stay on the true path' preferring to exit off it, then we haven't been saved through the Cross, that we haven't come in true repentance & full faith but for some other reason (of which there are many). So the Scripture that tells us, "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." ( Mt 24:13), is of course the ultimate proof of one's salvation but not to cause us to wonder whether we're actually saved in the meanwhile.
One of the greatest deceptions in Christendom is that of what all other religions preach: i.e. 'one cannot be certain of being acceptable to God & only the final day will reveal this'. The power of the Cross gives a sinner both a complete forgiveness of sins & also a certainty of Heaven - there is no possibility that whom God forgives, saves, seals & accepts as His very own, will ever be lost back into the world, nor would the Christian ever contemplate leaving what God has done in him. If the Christian should err into sin, he knows it & turns away - no Christian can live a life of sin - he would have to do a re-examination of his life or if he continues in disobedience, that he be "delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." ( 1 Corinthians 5:5).
Scriptures are numerous which assure a Christian of the certainty of his salvation: not what he has done to get to God, but what God has done to secure a lost life. 1 John 5:13 is the surety we have to always belong to Him.
There is no such thing as once saved always saved, this is an excuse people uses to try and cover up their sinful ways! If you are a born again Christian, repented of your sins, and been baptized then you are saved, but if you sin and do not repent and are truly sorry for that sin, you are a backslider. I see a lot of coverups and excuses about the Word of God on here for sin: Jesus don't take excuses he takes a blood-bought church that's unspotted and without sin. Put your faith in no man word, go to Jesus because he is the way, the truth and the life!
your absolutely correct and I believe this would be some scripture to support this, just as Lot's wife looked backed so are we vulnerable to look back also, and we must be on guard from satan's influence at all times.
Genesis Chapter 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
And you're right Ronnie: there is an element in the Church who believe that sin no longer matters, since we're "once saved, always saved". But let's not assume that these are believers, who flout the Word of God & shame Christ with their lives.
I have yet to be convinced that those who have been cleansed by Christ's Blood, sealed with the Holy Spirit & brought into the family of God, can ever be lost, whether through an initiative by God or from oneself. I guess that my understanding of who a child of God is & to what another might consider him to be, is at variance here. I never take a wide view of what it means to be a Christian - I believe that the nature of our salvation is extremely narrow in its meaning & application ('many are called but few are chosen'): the Gospel may go out to all, but to express faith in the Cross as a result of the burden of great sin, is a place of healing for a very few.
And for a 'backslider': as one preacher I heard say, "Probably that such an one has never 'slid forward' in the first place". Can we have a backsliding Christian, if by that we mean, a Christian can revert back to his old life of sin, rather than slipping into a snare from which he finds recovery through repentance? That is a matter of personal opinion, I suppose.
And for "a blood-bought church that's unspotted and without sin": if you mean that Christ sees His Church that has been forgiven & restored into a right relationship with the Godhead, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, yet still earth-bound & sin-affected, then I agree. If however, the Church is seen as "not having spot or wrinkle..without blemish" as being sinless (free of sin), then I sense we do injustice to the Word ( Ephesians 5:27), where the reference is to 'Christ loving the Church, sanctifying & cleansing it by the washing by the Word'. And this Church returns back to Him as one which has been clothed in His Righteousness & Purity & with even the smell of sin finally eradicated from her.
Hi Betty, many people have different opinions on this subject, but really, no one's opinion matters. You should just read God's word directly and pray to God for understanding. He wants you to seek Him and He will reward you through that effort. Ask for wisdom and He will grant it.
I will offer my opinion. Even in the days when Paul wrote the letters there was confusion, which is why Paul wrote so much about the subject of salvation, works, and grace. People often take one portion then draw assumptions, while forgetting the rest. It all needs to be taken as a whole for a proper perspective, in my opinion. Either extreme side can be abused- someone who claims he's saved may intentionally sin and claim it's ok, which is contrary to what Jesus said. Jesus, however, also got upset at the pharisees who were extremely law abiding, while missing the whole point about loving God and loving others, so they were wrong too.
I might also challenge the assumption of someone being 'saved'. Are Christians truly saved now before judgment day? I think people are judged on judgment day THEN saved. What is a Christian? A Christ-follower. What does that mean? It's an action- a verb- to actively follow Christ. That involves movement, growth, change. The Bible is filled with challenges for ourselves to constantly improve our Christian walk. So, I look it as someone driving down a freeway heading in a certain direction- toward Jesus. We may hit bumps in the road, we may swerve, we may even get a flat tire and stop temporarily, but if we still continue toward Jesus then we are a real Christian with our sins covered by grace. However, if we as a Christian get deceived and exit off, turn around and start heading the opposite direction to the world of sin and evil, and intentionally denounces the faith, then I no longer believe a Christian is covered by grace or saved.
Romans 9:15 For he saith to Moses, (I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy), and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Revelation 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Luke 18:2-5 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
If saved person commits sin after he was saved, does he remain saved to the end? Is his name not written in the Book of Life at his salvation? Can his name be stricken from the book? If so, for what reasons? If he simply repents can his name be added back at that moment? Or, does he have to be judged on the day of judgement to be added back? I am truly lost on scriptures regarding once saved, always saved! After judgement, then Jesus makes the final decision right? How does this all work?
There are no temporary Christians.At the point you trust Christ to have paid for your sins,you are forgiven of all sins,past,present and future.I liken salvation to a person who is crossing a busy road.At some point between the curbs the person is suddenly hurled forward and out of the road.When they turn back to see what has happened,they find that someone has pushed them out of the path of a vehicle that would surely have killed them.Where they were,is the body of that person who gave his life for them.Recognizing that person was gracious to them and saved them,they want to know more about him and revere him in their life as gratitude for what he did.There is no doubt in their mind about what it was he did for them,as the experience was real for them.Despite their recount of the event,other people who never had that happen to them,question the verity of the story.It is not until they themselves are saved,no longer between the curbs on a road,can they lend some understanding to the truth of the story.
There are two judgements from God in the future.One is at the Great White Throne,where unsaved people answer to God for the life they lived.( Revelation 20:11-15)The other judgement is for Christians,called the Judgement Seat of Christ.( 2Corinthians 5:8-11 & 1Corinthians 3:9-15)) At that judgement,Christ will examine the" works"of believers and reward them accordingly.Saved people,in their desire to repay God for salvation,will do many things,only some of which are indeed what God wants them to do.Other things are their own works,which will never measure up to the standard of,being of God,and the rebuke of Christ then,is gladly received,only this once,and never again to be judged.Corinthians 6:1"We then,as workers together with him,beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. In vain,would be to minimize Christ's work,by adding yours to it so as to save your soul.
"I know whom",1Timothy1:12,and I pray that you do, or will come to also.
My view of the true Christian's walk is not one of uncertainty, allowing for the possibility to veer off the path leading to Heaven, whether to exit off completely or to bring ourselves back onto the correct path. I understand, that to be a Christian has & will always be a work of God. If we fail to 'stay on the true path' preferring to exit off it, then we haven't been saved through the Cross, that we haven't come in true repentance & full faith but for some other reason (of which there are many). So the Scripture that tells us, "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." ( Mt 24:13), is of course the ultimate proof of one's salvation but not to cause us to wonder whether we're actually saved in the meanwhile.
One of the greatest deceptions in Christendom is that of what all other religions preach: i.e. 'one cannot be certain of being acceptable to God & only the final day will reveal this'. The power of the Cross gives a sinner both a complete forgiveness of sins & also a certainty of Heaven - there is no possibility that whom God forgives, saves, seals & accepts as His very own, will ever be lost back into the world, nor would the Christian ever contemplate leaving what God has done in him. If the Christian should err into sin, he knows it & turns away - no Christian can live a life of sin - he would have to do a re-examination of his life or if he continues in disobedience, that he be "delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." ( 1 Corinthians 5:5).
Scriptures are numerous which assure a Christian of the certainty of his salvation: not what he has done to get to God, but what God has done to secure a lost life. 1 John 5:13 is the surety we have to always belong to Him.
Genesis Chapter 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Luke 17:32 "Remember Lot's wife."
I have yet to be convinced that those who have been cleansed by Christ's Blood, sealed with the Holy Spirit & brought into the family of God, can ever be lost, whether through an initiative by God or from oneself. I guess that my understanding of who a child of God is & to what another might consider him to be, is at variance here. I never take a wide view of what it means to be a Christian - I believe that the nature of our salvation is extremely narrow in its meaning & application ('many are called but few are chosen'): the Gospel may go out to all, but to express faith in the Cross as a result of the burden of great sin, is a place of healing for a very few.
And for a 'backslider': as one preacher I heard say, "Probably that such an one has never 'slid forward' in the first place". Can we have a backsliding Christian, if by that we mean, a Christian can revert back to his old life of sin, rather than slipping into a snare from which he finds recovery through repentance? That is a matter of personal opinion, I suppose.
And for "a blood-bought church that's unspotted and without sin": if you mean that Christ sees His Church that has been forgiven & restored into a right relationship with the Godhead, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, yet still earth-bound & sin-affected, then I agree. If however, the Church is seen as "not having spot or wrinkle..without blemish" as being sinless (free of sin), then I sense we do injustice to the Word ( Ephesians 5:27), where the reference is to 'Christ loving the Church, sanctifying & cleansing it by the washing by the Word'. And this Church returns back to Him as one which has been clothed in His Righteousness & Purity & with even the smell of sin finally eradicated from her.
I will offer my opinion. Even in the days when Paul wrote the letters there was confusion, which is why Paul wrote so much about the subject of salvation, works, and grace. People often take one portion then draw assumptions, while forgetting the rest. It all needs to be taken as a whole for a proper perspective, in my opinion. Either extreme side can be abused- someone who claims he's saved may intentionally sin and claim it's ok, which is contrary to what Jesus said. Jesus, however, also got upset at the pharisees who were extremely law abiding, while missing the whole point about loving God and loving others, so they were wrong too.
I might also challenge the assumption of someone being 'saved'. Are Christians truly saved now before judgment day? I think people are judged on judgment day THEN saved. What is a Christian? A Christ-follower. What does that mean? It's an action- a verb- to actively follow Christ. That involves movement, growth, change. The Bible is filled with challenges for ourselves to constantly improve our Christian walk. So, I look it as someone driving down a freeway heading in a certain direction- toward Jesus. We may hit bumps in the road, we may swerve, we may even get a flat tire and stop temporarily, but if we still continue toward Jesus then we are a real Christian with our sins covered by grace. However, if we as a Christian get deceived and exit off, turn around and start heading the opposite direction to the world of sin and evil, and intentionally denounces the faith, then I no longer believe a Christian is covered by grace or saved.
Hebrews 10:26
God bless you!
Revelation 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Luke 18:2-5 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
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