Subject: Can a person lose salvation? |
Bible Note: Dear New Creature, "If I believed that my salvation rested on a decision of mine, then I could see the writers point. But, because I believe my savlation was a decision made by God." What many christians fail to realize is the utterly hopeless condition of unregenerate mankind. The Bible says: Eph 2:12 "remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." We were dead in trespasses and sins and had no desire for God.(Romans 1 and 2) We could not even comprehend spiritual things: 1 Cor 2:14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised "Were you saved before YOU repented and believed?" When I recived the gospel call the Holy Spirit took away my heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of faith: Ezek 36:26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." As apart of this "new heart" was the gift of faith: Eph 2:8,9 Did God repent for you? No, God did not repent for me, but I was unable to repent until He had granted repentance to me. Acts 11:18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life." "Did God believe for you?" No, God did not believe for me, but He gave me the gift of faith that made believing possible. "Is it possible for one to be saved without repenting and believing?" No. But as the Bible plainly teaches, it is God who grants us the ability and the desire to repent along with the gift of faith so that we can believe. My theology is based on what God, rather than man, has done: John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day." It is God who draws; God who gives faith and repentance; and it is God saves spiritual corpses and raises them to eternal and spiritual life. For us to claim any credit at all is obnoxious as well as unscriptural. I hope this helps, John Reformed |