Subject: "Once Saved Always Saved" |
Bible Note: No no no. Romans 4. Go read it. Abraham was decalred righteous not because of the good things he had done, but rather his faith in God's promise to Him. No, he did not have the name of Christ to trust in, but what was revealed to Him by God is what he placed his complete trust in. This was the Gospel, although not in its fullness. The Gospel was first proclaimed in Scripture in Genesis 3:15, right after the fall, and the only way that people have been saved from their sins in human history is by God's grace alone through faith alone in God's gracious deliverance through a Redeemer. Understanding that we are not saved by our goodness, but rather God's mercy through Christ, is the only way to be saved (Titus 3:5). The Gospel is not a "New Testament" thing any more than the law of God is an "Old Testament" thing. Both are interwoven throughout the canon of the Bible. The elder brother was wrong to get upset, but there is only one way that one can come to the Father (John 14:6). That is Christ. Romans 1:18 ff. says that because of God's revelation of Himself in creation, everyone is without excuse for rejecting God the Father. Even Hindus. Even the savage in the deepest, darkest jungle of Africa. God graciously saves some of these people; but he does so by bringing them out of Hinduism or tribal beliefs and causing them to embrace Christ. Why? Because salvation is clearly through Christ alone. Deny that, and you might as well throw out your Bible, because no message is proclaimed more clearly than that one. --Joe! |