We often hear the statement: "Once Saved,
Always Saved," which I believe 100%. God is NOT a liar who breaks His
promises as men do. God gave us the rainbow as a token of the fact that He
keeps His promises. Once a person is saved, they are forever saved, no matter
what sins they may commit.
However, I like the statement "If Saved,
Always Saved" better. Most professed Christians have never been saved.
They may have "invited Jesus into their heart" or "prayed the
salvation prayer"; but they are not saved. Many people deceptively think
they are saved because they "invited Jesus" into their heart or said
a "salvation prayer"; but they have never repented concerning their
sins.
Please understand that repentance is NOT
forsaking one's sins; but rather, acknowledging one's guilt before God for
violating His holy Law (Romans 3:19). Biblically, "repent" concerning
salvation simply means a "change of mind." The notion that a person
must cease from committing sin as part of saving faith is a damnable heresy
called Lordship Salvation. However, repentance is very much necessary for
salvation and you've never been saved if you haven't repented.
God's Plan of Salvation
First, in order to be saved, the Law of God
must be taken into account, which condemns us ALL as being GUILTY sinners
(Romans 3:19) who deserve to be punished in the fires of Hell for all eternity
(Romans 6:23; 2nd Thessalonians 1:8,9; Revelation 21:8). You are a worthless
sinner, and so am I. We deserve for the ground to open up immediately and
swallow us alive into Hell's fury to be tormented by God, day and night
forever. That's what we deserve for violating God's holy Law. If you don't
think you deserve to go to Hell, then you haven't repented and are not saved.
Repentance is NOT forsaking the act of sin to
be saved; rather, it is acknowledging that you are a helpless guilty sinner
under the wrath of God because of the sins that you've committed throughout
your life. Even committing one sin makes us GUILTY of violating ALL of God's
Commandments (James 2:10). The reason is because committing even one sin is
enough to condemn us to Hellfire for all eternity. The reason why many people
have difficulty grasping this is because they fail to understand the holiness of
God. God is 100% morally perfect, without flaw, perfect in every conceivable
manner. And His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is also perfect in every way
and is precious.
Second, if you acknowledge to God that you are
a dirty, rotten sinner, deserving of punishment in Hell, then all you need to
do to be saved is to believe (i.e. trust) upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save
you (Romans 10:13), i.e., to forgive and wash away your sins with His precious
blood (1st Peter 1:18,19). Acts 10:43 states, "To him give all the
prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall
receive remission of sins." We are saved BY grace THROUGH faith in Jesus
Christ... "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast."
If Saved, Always Saved
"If" one is truly saved, then he or
she is always saved, eternally secure in the everlasting arms of God. This does
NOT give anyone a license to sin (Romans 3:31). God will judge believers for
the sins they commit during this earthly life (2nd Corinthians 5:10). However,
there's no such thing as a believer who doesn't sin every day, in one form or
another. Christians at best are people, and people at best are sinners.
Most professed "Christians" nowadays
have never been saved. They have churchianity without Christianity. They
worship God falsely, not having truth (John 4:24), or the Spirit which only a
born-again Christian can possess. The teaching of "Once Saved, Always
Saved" frustrates many people, because they misunderstand it to mean that
a person can believe on Jesus and live in gross immorality at the same time,
with no remorse, no conviction, and no regard for God's Law. Nothing could be further
from the truth of God's Word! Hebrews 16:5-8 plainly teaches that God chastises
His children when they sin. And carefully notice that they DO SIN, which is why
God must chastise them.
"Once Saved, Always Saved" only
applies to those who truly have been born-again. No believer can ever lose what
was not theirs to give in the first place. Salvation is of God alone (John
1:12,13). Man's part is simply to trust upon the Lord Jesus Christ to have his
or her sins forgiven. Some people may prefer to say, "If Saved, Always
Saved." But in essence, both statement are equivalent. The big concern
here is to examine your heart and ask yourself, "Am I a born-again
Christian?"
Are you saved? If you are enjoying living in
sin, with no guilt before God, and you don't see yourself as a hell-deserving
rotten sinner, then you've not saved my friend. Repentance brings about a
change of mind concerning one's sins. Although forsaking one's sins is NOT a
part of saving-faith; coming before God as a guilty sinner in need of
forgiveness most certainly is. We are sinners and Jesus is the Saviour.
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