Bible Question: once saved always saved..how can that be possible.If you get saved as a child in ss but as a adult live in sin.would you go to heaven? |
Bible Answer: dave525: This issue has been so debated to the extremes that believers have become hateful to each other in their belief in eternal security or in the possible loss of salvation. However this IS NOT about ARMINIANISM or CALVINISM. The Study Bible Forum has made this debate off limits to debate about. However, I want you to cansider some Scripture that I have found to help me come to a conclusion that neither ARMINNANISM or CALVIINISM has addressed correctly. If one should think he or she can suffer loss of eternal security then that presents a problem in the understanding of the meanings of words used in Scripture. What is "eternal life" and exactally what does the word "eternal" mean? Eternal life is NOT a lifetime of probation. When God says "eternal life" He means ETERNAL life, not probationary life. In Hebrews "eternal salvation"(5:9) "eternal redemption"(9:12) "eternal inheritance"(9:15). Now you can see the word "eternal" in almost every book in the New Testament, so what does eternal mean? In Colossians 2:13, 14 our sins have been nailed to the cross, our debt or pinnishment has been canceled out. In Romans 3:24,25 we have been redemption through His blood. The error that Christians make is in believing that Salvation only provides forgiveness for sins committed before conversion. Partial forgiveness is totally foreign to the Bible. There is no time limitations in the Biblical declarations of forgiveness. So will future sinfulness nullify a Christian's salvation? The Bible gives us eaxmples of true believers who did not continously believe and confess Jesus Christ. Peter denied Christ three times. Did Peter lose his salvation? NO the Lord Jesus Christ restored Peter to fellowship. Justification by grace through faith alone is but one reason for believing in eternal security. When we intrude our performance into the issue of our complete salvation then we change the meaning of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone by Jesus Christ alone. Here is a question to chew on and think about. How can we trust a heavenly Father whos love for us is conditioned upon our performance until the last breath of life? Is it possible to have fellowship with God if there is always uncertainty about where we really stand with Him? How can we live a stable Christian life if we constantly fear that God will disown us? In 1John 1:9,10 John makes it abundantly clear that Jesus Christ does forgive us of future sins when we confess our sins. He is faithful. When we say we have no sin we make Jesus to out to be less than God. The bottom line is God's plan of salvation is the confident assurance that we will get to be with Him in heaven with confidence. That is "eternal security" for me and all who have surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord. Blessings, and I hope this will give you and others a chance to consider what the Bible assures us of. justme. |