Salvation: Lost and Found
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I recently posted and article about the basis of salvation and faith. And this is the point I was seeking to make:
” So in part, establish your faith on your salvation and you will not waver nor will you stumble. If you can trust Christ to save you from the wrath of God and the fires of hell, if you can have enough faith for salvation then how much more faith can you have in Him to follow after Christ? To follow after Christ is to live for Him, to allow Him to live through you and for you, to yield to the Holy Spirit and to know without Him you were dead in sin on your way to hell. All of that seems a little more challenging then anything we will face on earth.”
But from that spawned questions of losing one’s salvation. From the out set let me start by saying that I’m not attacking anyone but seek to make it clear.
So, let us start by examining the possibility of the Elect of God losing their salvation. To say that a true Christian can lose their salvation doesn’t just effect a person but takes into question the character of God. Looking at the sacrificial system setup by God for the people of Israel, who had to offer sacrifices every time they sinned intentionally and unintentionally. In addition to these sacrifices they had Yom Kuppur once a year. They did this because no man could keep the law (Ten Commandments). If God was pleased with this then why send Jesus Christ?
Hebrews 10:1-10 (New International Version)
Hebrews 10
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
1The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, O God.’ “[a] 8First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). 9Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Psalm 51:16-17 (New International Version)
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are [a] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
How can God get a broken spirit and heart through a mindless sacrifice? To say that something can be lost is to say that it must be earned or that a person has to work to get it. Then how can we earn something that is a free gift? To believe this is to put us in the position of the rich young ruler, it puts us in the position of the pharisees. It tells us that if we are not perfect that we go to hell which is true but also damns us with no hope. It takes away Christ righteousness and makes us depend on our own righteousness. We say that what God has said about our own righteousness to be untrue (Isaiah 64:5-7). To say that I can fall into sin and go to hell destroys God’s power and calls Christ weak. (I’m talking about God’s elect not non believers). Christ came to establish eternal salvation and not temporal salvation. The new covenant is not like the old. To say a true Christian who falls is forever lost is to say God is powerless and Christ atonement is not as good as He says it is. Now seeing that to say a elect of God can be lost questions the Cross. It also calls into question how a believer is called out from the world and cast doubt on God’s grace and sovereignty.
John 6:37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:43″Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.'[d] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
So it is God who calls us just like it was Christ who chose the 12; it wasn’t the 12 that chose to follow Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit blessed them with that revelation to follow. Even our faith is a gift and without that faith we can’t believe. It is the faith in the one person who pleases God that saves us.
Romans 12:3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
So how does a just and righteous God take back a gift? To say that we earn it is to run after it as works just like Israel did by the law: Romans 9:31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” 33As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”[a] There are some who say once saved always saved and others who hold on to lordship salvation. Even though God forgives us of our sins, it doesn’t give us a licenses to sin because we are new creatures who hates their sin (Romans 6:1-4). And even though we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, it doesn’t mean that we do nothing and don’t bear fruit (Colossians 1:9-11). We are not saved by works as those of lordship salvation would say but our faith should bear witness by our works (James 1:19-27 and James 2:14-26).
The real reason for these debates of who is saved and who is not as well as working for salvation has to do with our pride. Some of us want the benefits of Christ but are still in love with our old life as a sinner or natural man. Others take pride in all of their works and desire everyone to be like them and not Christ. They are like the Pharisees and the scribes; always running around talking about their pastor as if he was god. They challenge everything that is not according to their way. Their love of God is hollow just like the rich young ruler; as they are not serving God but themselves, their knowledge and leaders. But the question that should be asked is this… If you have come to Christ and you have denied yourself, taken up your cross and is following Christ (Luke 9:23) then your old man has been crucified with Him and died. The new man has been risen with Christ as well. You are now a slave to righteousness, no longer chasing after the desires of the flesh. But when you fall into sin and there is no repentance and the conviction of the Holy Spirit no longer drives you to the feet of Christ, there is a problem. If you have honestly, tasted the goodness of the Holy Spirit and now lust after sin there is a serious problem. Can you still be a Christian? What I’m about to say is hard for people to say because we don’t like to judge nor do we like to correct because our current culture does not allow it; not even in our churches (1 Peter 4:17). It is that there may have never really been a true conversion in a person. That person who can turn their back on Christ, was never really saved. And when I say turn their back on Christ I mean seriously turning away not only from Christ but from correction from those of the faith. They have rebelled and there is no hope for them in their denial of Christ.
1 John 1:5-10
5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
1 John 2:1-6, 15-19
1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for[a] the sins of the whole world.
3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love[b] is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
18Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
The above scripture goes on to talk about those that deny Christ also denies the Father and has neither. I say that so that we all will be careful. There are so many who say “Thank God” but how many give glory to Jesus Christ? If we don’t have faith in the Son we have no justification, righteousness, redemption, atonement and with all that no hope of salvation.
Hebrews 3:12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15As has just been said:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion.”[b]
Turning away from Christ is rebellion! We must understand that if someone leaves us don’t be quick to judge either way. God knows their true heart and if they truly have left the faith; they were never apart of the family. So how can you lose what you never had? No person who is called by God by His glorious grace can turn from His love; it is impossible! To say its possible is to call God a liar! He said in His WORD not ours that all that He calls come and He will lose none! If you see your brother fall, pick him up and bear with him don’t cast him out. Take it to God in prayer. Don’t act as if you have never sinned, cause then again you call God a liar! Have confidence in your conversion and your salvation. We don’t have to offer up bulls and goats every time nor do you have to crucify Christ over and over again; He died once and for all. Yield to the Holy Spirit and walk after the spirit while renewing your minds (Romans 8).
God bless you & may the Holy Spirit lead you
Rev. W. R. Martin Jr.
visit me at: https://anointedplace.wordpress.com
follow me at: http://twitter.com/refreshinDsaint
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Anointed Place Ministries 
Amen. I thank God for your obedience.
It is sometimes hard. The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak… and I hate it. I sinned this morning. I confess. But, I keep doing the same sin.. thus trampling the blood of Christ underfoot. I’m in bondage even though the prison doors have been opened for me.
I find myself as a Christian who knows the truth, but does not always obey. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. A hearer, not a doer. I have faith, but I do not obey all the time. Lord have mercy on me.
Here’s my challenge – The Lord has set me free as a slave is set free. But, even though the prison doors are opened in front of me, I do not walk through the door. I cry out to the Lord, “Kill this flesh! I hate it!! I want out!” and He says “already done at the cross”. But.. my feet don’t move..
Please see my blog comments lately… (http://www.serious-things.com). He’s showing me, He’s teaching me.. but I act as if I’m still in bonds. No idea what freedom is or what to expect. I’m comfortable in my jail cell.. No different than a slave, who once set free, wants to stay with his master. Afraid of the unknown? I don’t know… but something inside of me is holding me back from walking through the door.
I covet ur prayers and insight.
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