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NASB | Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; |
Bible Question: Is once saved by Jesus meant always saved for eternity ? |
Bible Answer: Good that the question was asked: “What is salvation?” To be saved means many things, including being forgiven, being adopted into God’s family, becoming God’s possession by the process of redemption, being sealed with the Holy Spirit, and such other things as are mentioned in Ephesians 1. It means to be washed, and sanctified, and justified, as in 1 Corinthians 6. It means to become dead to sin, as in Romans 6. But in relation to the question of possibly losing one’s salvation, we might consider that salvation means to be changed. We are born again, as in John 3. We have become new creatures, as in 2 Corinthians 5. In answering the question whether we can lose our salvation, then, we are considering whether that process, that change, can be reversed. With all the encouragement to continue, with all the warnings of the consequences if we don’t, is there anything in Scripture to suggest that the process of being born again can be reversed? We do not save ourselves. According to John 1, and in relation to the question of how it works, it is God who saves us. According to 1 Peter 5, it is God who keeps us. But also, in light of the aspect of salvation noted here for emphasis, it is God’s nature that has been imparted to us (2 Peter 1). John says that God’s seed is in us, and it remains (1 John 3). Can our new nature then be changed? To ask the question another way, one may borrow the words from Jeremiah 13: Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? They would have to change their genes! And we are speaking of a person’s nature here. It is appropriate that we keep the focus on the nature of salvation. And keep in mind that in salvation, God changes our nature. A person who has done this and that may stop doing this or that. But if God has changed my nature, and he has, then I cannot reverse the process. Let me hasten to admit that our behavior can change. In a saved person, it should continually change for the better. But people who are saved can do wrong things, and they do, sometimes. Even the apostles sinned (1 John 1). But sin is contrary to our new nature, and we do not make it a practice. John says that we cannot (1 John 3:9). People who practice sin should question themselves whether they are saved. The lifestyle should suggest to them that they are not. People who are saved and know it find it impossible to imagine becoming unsaved again. Scripture encourages us to live in accordance with our new nature, but it does not teach us to fear losing it. If any of us thinks we can lose our salvation, then we should ask ourselves if we really understand what salvation is, a change in nature, and whether we know God has engendered it in us. |