So, today is the day for talking about whether Christians can lose their salvation. Can we? Depends on what a "Christian" is. Someone who walks, talks, and even acts like a Christian might not really be one. (1 John 2:18-19) "False sons in her pale," indeed. But we are assured over and over in Scripture that we will not fall away on account of God failing us. (John 6:37-40, Ephesians 1:13-14, John 10:27-30) Nor can we commit any sin so great that we cannot be forgiven if we truly repent (1 John 1:8-9). The real theme of Romans 8-9 is not election, but rather assurance. The same could be said for the first two chapters of Ephesians. How did we get where we are, and where are we going? Will God lead us out of the slavery of sin to perish in the desert of our own efforts? Surely not! The same grace that called us out of sin and death will sustain us. If we were dead in our transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1) and we were made alive with Christ (Eph. 2:5) surely He is strong to hold us. For that grace is not haphazard, and it is never withdrawn. Philippians 2:12-13 reminds us to fear and tremble, not in terror, but in awe because our God is at work in us (and through us) and He will not fail!
What of those warning passages like 2 Peter 2:11-22, or Revelation 2? What do you feel as you read them? Do they cause repentance, or are you unmoved? Do you sense Jesus' deep love, or do you feel nothing? If we want to follow Jesus, we will not "accidentally" fall out of His grace. If we live in complete willful disobedience all the time, however, should we not fear that we are lost? But Christians today need assurance more than they think. "Once saved, always saved" doesn't do this assurance justice at all; it reduces everything down to a moment, or a decision. But God's people endure, and grow. They do not believe in Christ, and never think of him again. They must be sanctified, made more like Christ. Jesus prayed this for the apostles and for us in John 17:17. He said we must stand firm. And by grace, we will.
What of those warning passages like 2 Peter 2:11-22, or Revelation 2? What do you feel as you read them? Do they cause repentance, or are you unmoved? Do you sense Jesus' deep love, or do you feel nothing? If we want to follow Jesus, we will not "accidentally" fall out of His grace. If we live in complete willful disobedience all the time, however, should we not fear that we are lost? But Christians today need assurance more than they think. "Once saved, always saved" doesn't do this assurance justice at all; it reduces everything down to a moment, or a decision. But God's people endure, and grow. They do not believe in Christ, and never think of him again. They must be sanctified, made more like Christ. Jesus prayed this for the apostles and for us in John 17:17. He said we must stand firm. And by grace, we will.
Comments