Post by DrGadget on Aug 20, 2014 17:15:47 GMT -5
ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED
In my conversations with Ron, he said to me that it was possible to lose your salvation if you fail to stay faithful to Jesus. Is that true?
I pointed out to him John 3:16 in that we have everlasting life. If this new life can be taken away, then it’s really not everlasting, is it? He pointed out that John 3:16 says we SHOULD have everlasting life, not that we do. Fair enough. But really, John 3:16-18 is a set. Let’s look at all of them together.
John 3:16-18
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
[18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
In verse 18, there is no “should”. There’s no wiggle room. If you believe, you are not condemned. If you don’t believe, you are condemned already. God can’t send you to Hell unless you’re condemned. You are either saved or condemned. Period. Cut and dried. Plain as day.
We are saved by faith (believing in Jesus). This means we will not perish but have everlasting life.
To which I repeat the question. If God gives you everlasting life, and then decides to take it away from you, then was it ever really everlasting? No, it was temporary. This reminds me of a Rush song – “learning that we’re only immortal for a limited time…” This is a contradiction. Although it makes for an interesting lyric in a song, it does not make for sound Biblical doctrine.
John 3:36 says the same thing. Notice there is no “should” or might. It’s definite.
[36] He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
This leads me to believe that the “should” and “might” in John 3:16-17 translates more as “for the purpose of”. Both of them indicate a reason behind God’s actions.
John 3:16-17
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:18 and 3:36 do not include God’s reasons, and on our end the results are concrete.
[18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
[36] He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
There is no room for interpretation in these. You believe on Jesus Christ to have everlasting life, or you don’t believe and are condemned.
As a test, let’s see what happens if there were no should or might in verses 16 and 17.
John 3:16-17 (theoretical – do not quote)
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that EVERYONE IN THE WORLD WILL DEFINITELY not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the ENTIRE WORLD THROUGH HIM WILL CERTAINLY be saved.
These verses instantly become bad doctrine. The flaw here is immediately obvious. By making them both definite, these verses would now tell us that everyone’s salvation is absolutely certain because of Jesus. And that’s not true. Many will refuse salvation. Many will refuse Jesus. Salvation is conditional upon believing in Jesus Christ.
Now let’s put it back the right way.
John 3:16-17
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
The “should” and “might” are conditional words, but they don’t mean your salvation is conditional once you’re already saved. They mean your salvation is conditional upon accepting Jesus Christ. It reflects the wording of the time. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you ARE saved. It doesn’t mean that now you SHOULD go and do the next thing to get saved. You’re already saved. The belief is all that was required of you.
Compare this to John 1:12.
[12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
What a wonderful verse! If you receive Christ, even if you so much as believe on His name, you become a son of God. We don’t become angels when we die. We are sons of God. We out-rank the angels. They are below us. Jesus is still the Messiah, and the only begotten Son of God. But we also become adopted sons of God. Jesus is now our big brother. The Father of Jesus is now “Our Father”. We have been grafted into the Family of God Himself! How? By baptism? By keeping the Law? No, by believing on His name.
The gift from God is everlasting life. We obtain this by faith (by believing). We pass from death to life. Notice that the only requirement for this is hearing God’s Word and believing.
John 5:24-25
[24] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
[25] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Why must we “hear and believe”? Because faith comes by hearing. It’s the faith that saves you, but if you won’t hear the Word of God, you will never come to a saving faith. Hearing doesn’t save you. But it does get you to the place where you can make a decision for Christ.
Romans 10:17
[17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
And what about this word “everlasting”? What does it mean?
Isaiah 9:6
[6] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
The Bible uses the same word to describe Jesus. We don’t just get any old life. We get the same kind of everlasting life as Jesus Christ! As eternal as Christ, so are we become.
Our God is mighty to save. Healing the sick and giving sight to the blind were wonderful miracles, but these pale when compared to giving us eternal life. Jesus can save sinners to the uttermost.
Hebrews 7:25
[25] Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Isaiah 63:1
[1] Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
Show me the man who thinks he has committed so great a sin that he can’t be saved. Abraham was an idolator. So was Solomon. Moses murdered an Egyptian. Peter denied Jesus three times and cursed like a sailor (he was a sailor). Paul’s job was to imprison and execute Christians. He was consenting unto Stephen’s death for preaching the Gospel. David committed adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and then when she became pregnant, he had Uriah killed.
All of us are sinners. All have fallen short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
[23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
I may not know how big a sinner you are, but I know how great a Savior He is. Jesus saves people to the uttermost.
It is God’s will that you be saved. God wants every sinner to repent and be saved. We’re all equally undeserving of life, Heaven, redemption, and peace with the Father. But God loves us so much that He wants us to be saved.
2 Peter 3:9
[9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
If I believe on the Son of God (John 3:36) then I have everlasting life. But let’s say tomorrow I have my moment of weakness and doubt. I no longer believe in Jesus. It doesn’t affect my salvation because yesterday God gave me everlasting life. If He takes it away, then it was never really everlasting, was it? That makes God a liar.
Trust me when I say that you will never be able to make God a liar. God doesn’t allow you to have that power. If you could, then Satan would make sure of it, and then Satan wins. That makes God no better than Satan. God is a liar and no longer worthy to judge Satan for his sins. And because God has sinned, now God Himself needs a Savior.
This. Can’t. Happen. God will never lie. God will never sin. God is holy, holy, holy. If He says it, then it must happen. If he gives you everlasting life, then that life is by very definition everlasting. It can’t be extinguished. It can’t be taken away. It’s forever. It’s permanent.
To make things clearer, look at the situation from God’s point of view. Doing this usually boils away all the petty divisions and brings the truth to the surface. God created a perfect world. Man was the crowning achievement of all creation. Satan corrupted Man and Man fell. God is not willing that ANY should perish, but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). To this end, God sent His only Son to die for Man’s sins. For every soul that fails to accept Jesus, God is disappointed and must send that person to Hell, to maintain His own perfection and holiness. God is not pleased at all by sending people to Hell, but there is a great celebration in Heaven for every sinner who repents and is saved (Luke 15:10). If one person is saved, it makes Christ’s sacrifice on the cross worth it all.
This is where you come in. You get saved. Tomorrow you have your moment of doubt and die as a non-believer. Do you seriously think God would say, “I guess there’s nothing I can do about that…” and let Satan win?
No. Jesus Christ Himself will stand forth and say, “I died for your sins! I sacrificed much for you, and I will not let you go. I will never cast you out.”
But how can this be? We are saved by faith, are we not?
True, we are saved by faith. But we are not kept safe by faith. We are kept saved by God’s faithfulness. God keeps us safe through His own power, not by our power.
1 Peter 1:3-5
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
[4] To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
[5] Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Jude 24
[24] Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
2 Timothy 2:13
[13] If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Our faith is necessary for initial salvation, but it is not necessary for continued salvation. We are born again. An umbilical cord is necessary for our initial birth. Without it, we would have become a miscarriage and never experience life. But an umbilical cord is no longer needed once we are born, and is actually the first thing removed. The second birth (being born again) is similar. You need that initial faith to be born again, but then you are a new creature. You don’t have to be repeatedly born again. You don’t have to repeatedly accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. It’s already done.
Hear what the Bible says about losing your salvation.
Romans 8:38-39
[38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
[39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 10:27-30
[27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
[28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
[29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
There is no ambiguity here. There is no “should” or “might”. Jesus gives us eternal life (in case “everlasting” wasn’t good enough). They shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of Jesus’ hand. The Father gave you to Jesus and is greater than all. No man is able to pluck us from God’s hand either.
If no man can pluck you from God’s hand, this means you can’t pluck yourself from God’s hand. You’re in a double lock. You are locked in Jesus’ hand and locked in the Father’s hand. There’s nobody strong enough to pluck you from this double lock, and God will not willingly throw away your eternal soul, which He sent His only begotten Son to save. There is no vault, no safe, no hiding place more secure than this double lock.
It doesn’t get any better than this for the believer. Your salvation is sealed.
Ephesians 4:30
[30] And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ephesians 1:13-14
[13] In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
[14] Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
But what if you sin? What if you backslide? You will suffer loss, but you will still be saved.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
[11] For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
[12] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
[13] Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
[14] If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
[15] If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
But what if you sin really bad and Jesus decides to cast you out just because He feels like it? NO! It won’t happen. Hear what Jesus said.
John 6:37-40
[37] All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
[38] For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
[39] And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
[40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jesus will not cast you out. Jesus doesn’t want to cast you out. The Father doesn’t want to cast you out. If you came to Jesus (verse 37) then Jesus will never cast you out. Jesus will lose nothing (no people – verse 39) but will raise us all up on the last day. This is the resurrection. Everyone who sees Jesus and believes (verse 40) will have everlasting life and Jesus will raise you up on the last day.
Compare this to David, the man after God’s own heart.
1 Samuel 30:1-8
[1] And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
[2] And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
[3] So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
[4] Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
[5] And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
[6] And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
[7] And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
[8] And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
In this passage, we saw a great loss. The enemy took much, including David’s two wives (verse 5). What did David do? He called upon the Lord and obtained a precious promise. He would without fail recover all. Let’s see how this all went down.
1 Samuel 30:1-8
[17] And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
[18] And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
[19] And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
David recovered all. What an inspiring message! If David could recover all, how much more will Jesus recover all? God said it, and it will be done. Jesus will recover all.
John 6:39
[39] And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
DOUBTNG SALVATION
So then why do people doubt their salvation?
They trust their feelings instead of the Word of God.
Proverbs 28:26
[26] He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
They get confused by the simplicity of salvation.
2 Corinthians 11:3
[3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
They trust in the traditions of men or the teachings of their church rather than the Word of God.
Mark 7:13
[13] Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
They trust in their own righteousness or in their pride. But our own righteousness is insufficient.
Isaiah 64:6
[6] But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
They have never been saved.
Matthew 7:21
[21] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
There is no need to doubt. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Admit you are a sinner, and see the need for a Savior. Jesus Christ is that Savior. He lived a sinless life. He died for your sins, not His own. He died, was buried, and rose again. This is the essence of Gospel. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven with all power and authority. He can save them to the uttermost. He wants to save you. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. And when you do, know for a certainty that He will not reject you or cast you out. You now have everlasting life and a place reserved in Heaven. This is fact, not wishful thinking. You have assurance in Scripture.
Stop doubting. This isn’t just a promise. It’s a contract, written in the blood of Christ. If you believe in Christ and He sends you to Hell, you have grounds for accusing Him of being an unfit judge. Again, this can never happen. Jesus is the perfect judge. Above all, God is holy. He would make you ruler over half of Heaven before He allowed you to have just cause to call Him a liar.
Let every man be a liar, but God is true.
Jesus saves. And not just temporarily. He saves eternally. Once saved, always saved.
In my conversations with Ron, he said to me that it was possible to lose your salvation if you fail to stay faithful to Jesus. Is that true?
I pointed out to him John 3:16 in that we have everlasting life. If this new life can be taken away, then it’s really not everlasting, is it? He pointed out that John 3:16 says we SHOULD have everlasting life, not that we do. Fair enough. But really, John 3:16-18 is a set. Let’s look at all of them together.
John 3:16-18
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
[18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
In verse 18, there is no “should”. There’s no wiggle room. If you believe, you are not condemned. If you don’t believe, you are condemned already. God can’t send you to Hell unless you’re condemned. You are either saved or condemned. Period. Cut and dried. Plain as day.
We are saved by faith (believing in Jesus). This means we will not perish but have everlasting life.
To which I repeat the question. If God gives you everlasting life, and then decides to take it away from you, then was it ever really everlasting? No, it was temporary. This reminds me of a Rush song – “learning that we’re only immortal for a limited time…” This is a contradiction. Although it makes for an interesting lyric in a song, it does not make for sound Biblical doctrine.
John 3:36 says the same thing. Notice there is no “should” or might. It’s definite.
[36] He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
This leads me to believe that the “should” and “might” in John 3:16-17 translates more as “for the purpose of”. Both of them indicate a reason behind God’s actions.
John 3:16-17
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:18 and 3:36 do not include God’s reasons, and on our end the results are concrete.
[18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
[36] He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
There is no room for interpretation in these. You believe on Jesus Christ to have everlasting life, or you don’t believe and are condemned.
As a test, let’s see what happens if there were no should or might in verses 16 and 17.
John 3:16-17 (theoretical – do not quote)
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that EVERYONE IN THE WORLD WILL DEFINITELY not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the ENTIRE WORLD THROUGH HIM WILL CERTAINLY be saved.
These verses instantly become bad doctrine. The flaw here is immediately obvious. By making them both definite, these verses would now tell us that everyone’s salvation is absolutely certain because of Jesus. And that’s not true. Many will refuse salvation. Many will refuse Jesus. Salvation is conditional upon believing in Jesus Christ.
Now let’s put it back the right way.
John 3:16-17
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
The “should” and “might” are conditional words, but they don’t mean your salvation is conditional once you’re already saved. They mean your salvation is conditional upon accepting Jesus Christ. It reflects the wording of the time. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you ARE saved. It doesn’t mean that now you SHOULD go and do the next thing to get saved. You’re already saved. The belief is all that was required of you.
Compare this to John 1:12.
[12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
What a wonderful verse! If you receive Christ, even if you so much as believe on His name, you become a son of God. We don’t become angels when we die. We are sons of God. We out-rank the angels. They are below us. Jesus is still the Messiah, and the only begotten Son of God. But we also become adopted sons of God. Jesus is now our big brother. The Father of Jesus is now “Our Father”. We have been grafted into the Family of God Himself! How? By baptism? By keeping the Law? No, by believing on His name.
The gift from God is everlasting life. We obtain this by faith (by believing). We pass from death to life. Notice that the only requirement for this is hearing God’s Word and believing.
John 5:24-25
[24] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
[25] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Why must we “hear and believe”? Because faith comes by hearing. It’s the faith that saves you, but if you won’t hear the Word of God, you will never come to a saving faith. Hearing doesn’t save you. But it does get you to the place where you can make a decision for Christ.
Romans 10:17
[17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
And what about this word “everlasting”? What does it mean?
Isaiah 9:6
[6] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
The Bible uses the same word to describe Jesus. We don’t just get any old life. We get the same kind of everlasting life as Jesus Christ! As eternal as Christ, so are we become.
Our God is mighty to save. Healing the sick and giving sight to the blind were wonderful miracles, but these pale when compared to giving us eternal life. Jesus can save sinners to the uttermost.
Hebrews 7:25
[25] Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Isaiah 63:1
[1] Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
Show me the man who thinks he has committed so great a sin that he can’t be saved. Abraham was an idolator. So was Solomon. Moses murdered an Egyptian. Peter denied Jesus three times and cursed like a sailor (he was a sailor). Paul’s job was to imprison and execute Christians. He was consenting unto Stephen’s death for preaching the Gospel. David committed adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and then when she became pregnant, he had Uriah killed.
All of us are sinners. All have fallen short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
[23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
I may not know how big a sinner you are, but I know how great a Savior He is. Jesus saves people to the uttermost.
It is God’s will that you be saved. God wants every sinner to repent and be saved. We’re all equally undeserving of life, Heaven, redemption, and peace with the Father. But God loves us so much that He wants us to be saved.
2 Peter 3:9
[9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
If I believe on the Son of God (John 3:36) then I have everlasting life. But let’s say tomorrow I have my moment of weakness and doubt. I no longer believe in Jesus. It doesn’t affect my salvation because yesterday God gave me everlasting life. If He takes it away, then it was never really everlasting, was it? That makes God a liar.
Trust me when I say that you will never be able to make God a liar. God doesn’t allow you to have that power. If you could, then Satan would make sure of it, and then Satan wins. That makes God no better than Satan. God is a liar and no longer worthy to judge Satan for his sins. And because God has sinned, now God Himself needs a Savior.
This. Can’t. Happen. God will never lie. God will never sin. God is holy, holy, holy. If He says it, then it must happen. If he gives you everlasting life, then that life is by very definition everlasting. It can’t be extinguished. It can’t be taken away. It’s forever. It’s permanent.
To make things clearer, look at the situation from God’s point of view. Doing this usually boils away all the petty divisions and brings the truth to the surface. God created a perfect world. Man was the crowning achievement of all creation. Satan corrupted Man and Man fell. God is not willing that ANY should perish, but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). To this end, God sent His only Son to die for Man’s sins. For every soul that fails to accept Jesus, God is disappointed and must send that person to Hell, to maintain His own perfection and holiness. God is not pleased at all by sending people to Hell, but there is a great celebration in Heaven for every sinner who repents and is saved (Luke 15:10). If one person is saved, it makes Christ’s sacrifice on the cross worth it all.
This is where you come in. You get saved. Tomorrow you have your moment of doubt and die as a non-believer. Do you seriously think God would say, “I guess there’s nothing I can do about that…” and let Satan win?
No. Jesus Christ Himself will stand forth and say, “I died for your sins! I sacrificed much for you, and I will not let you go. I will never cast you out.”
But how can this be? We are saved by faith, are we not?
True, we are saved by faith. But we are not kept safe by faith. We are kept saved by God’s faithfulness. God keeps us safe through His own power, not by our power.
1 Peter 1:3-5
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
[4] To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
[5] Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Jude 24
[24] Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
2 Timothy 2:13
[13] If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Our faith is necessary for initial salvation, but it is not necessary for continued salvation. We are born again. An umbilical cord is necessary for our initial birth. Without it, we would have become a miscarriage and never experience life. But an umbilical cord is no longer needed once we are born, and is actually the first thing removed. The second birth (being born again) is similar. You need that initial faith to be born again, but then you are a new creature. You don’t have to be repeatedly born again. You don’t have to repeatedly accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. It’s already done.
Hear what the Bible says about losing your salvation.
Romans 8:38-39
[38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
[39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 10:27-30
[27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
[28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
[29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
There is no ambiguity here. There is no “should” or “might”. Jesus gives us eternal life (in case “everlasting” wasn’t good enough). They shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of Jesus’ hand. The Father gave you to Jesus and is greater than all. No man is able to pluck us from God’s hand either.
If no man can pluck you from God’s hand, this means you can’t pluck yourself from God’s hand. You’re in a double lock. You are locked in Jesus’ hand and locked in the Father’s hand. There’s nobody strong enough to pluck you from this double lock, and God will not willingly throw away your eternal soul, which He sent His only begotten Son to save. There is no vault, no safe, no hiding place more secure than this double lock.
It doesn’t get any better than this for the believer. Your salvation is sealed.
Ephesians 4:30
[30] And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ephesians 1:13-14
[13] In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
[14] Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
But what if you sin? What if you backslide? You will suffer loss, but you will still be saved.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
[11] For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
[12] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
[13] Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
[14] If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
[15] If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
But what if you sin really bad and Jesus decides to cast you out just because He feels like it? NO! It won’t happen. Hear what Jesus said.
John 6:37-40
[37] All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
[38] For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
[39] And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
[40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jesus will not cast you out. Jesus doesn’t want to cast you out. The Father doesn’t want to cast you out. If you came to Jesus (verse 37) then Jesus will never cast you out. Jesus will lose nothing (no people – verse 39) but will raise us all up on the last day. This is the resurrection. Everyone who sees Jesus and believes (verse 40) will have everlasting life and Jesus will raise you up on the last day.
Compare this to David, the man after God’s own heart.
1 Samuel 30:1-8
[1] And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
[2] And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
[3] So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
[4] Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
[5] And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
[6] And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
[7] And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
[8] And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
In this passage, we saw a great loss. The enemy took much, including David’s two wives (verse 5). What did David do? He called upon the Lord and obtained a precious promise. He would without fail recover all. Let’s see how this all went down.
1 Samuel 30:1-8
[17] And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
[18] And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
[19] And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
David recovered all. What an inspiring message! If David could recover all, how much more will Jesus recover all? God said it, and it will be done. Jesus will recover all.
John 6:39
[39] And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
DOUBTNG SALVATION
So then why do people doubt their salvation?
They trust their feelings instead of the Word of God.
Proverbs 28:26
[26] He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
They get confused by the simplicity of salvation.
2 Corinthians 11:3
[3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
They trust in the traditions of men or the teachings of their church rather than the Word of God.
Mark 7:13
[13] Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
They trust in their own righteousness or in their pride. But our own righteousness is insufficient.
Isaiah 64:6
[6] But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
They have never been saved.
Matthew 7:21
[21] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
There is no need to doubt. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Admit you are a sinner, and see the need for a Savior. Jesus Christ is that Savior. He lived a sinless life. He died for your sins, not His own. He died, was buried, and rose again. This is the essence of Gospel. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven with all power and authority. He can save them to the uttermost. He wants to save you. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. And when you do, know for a certainty that He will not reject you or cast you out. You now have everlasting life and a place reserved in Heaven. This is fact, not wishful thinking. You have assurance in Scripture.
Stop doubting. This isn’t just a promise. It’s a contract, written in the blood of Christ. If you believe in Christ and He sends you to Hell, you have grounds for accusing Him of being an unfit judge. Again, this can never happen. Jesus is the perfect judge. Above all, God is holy. He would make you ruler over half of Heaven before He allowed you to have just cause to call Him a liar.
Let every man be a liar, but God is true.
Jesus saves. And not just temporarily. He saves eternally. Once saved, always saved.
