“Now, can a Christian “backslide” into a sinful way of life? Yes, they can and some do, but it is not a denial of their faith rather it is a case of taking our eyes off Christ and slipping into the deep. But God is never going to forsake us or lose us or cast us out, he will always be drawing us back to him ready to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. No sin is so grave that cannot be forgiven by a merciful and gracious God.
And, in anticipation of your next challenge, if a Christian dies in a state of unconfessed sin, will he STILL go to heaven? The answer is YES. We are not saved by our good works and sinless living and that means we are not kept saved by those same deeds. God is THAT merciful. What a Savior we have!!! “
So you believe in once saved always saved? Do all your fellow non-Catholic posters here believe the same?
The first person to espouse the idea of “once saved, always saved” was John Calvin in the mid-sixteenth century. Even Martin Luther didn’t subscribe to the theory. Prior to Calvin, the unanimous consent of the early Christians was that a person is capable of losing his salvation by committing mortal sin, as John spoke about in 1 John 5:16–17.
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0203sbs.asp
So when nothing unclean can go to Heaven, what does that mean? Rev. 21:27
Joh 5:24 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.
The Apostle John says you are wrong...You wanna try again???
First of all, yes, I do believe in the doctrine of Eternal Security. It is based upon clear and numerous Scriptures that state a person is saved by God's grace APART from their own works. When God says he cannot look upon sin and sin will have no place in Heaven, then the real question MUST be, "How do we get cleansed of our sins so that we can enter Heaven?" The answer is, we are cleansed of our sins by the precious blood of our savior, Jesus Christ. Only by the shedding of blood were the sins of those in Israel covered when the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies once a year and offered the blood of a spotless animal upon the Mercy Seat. This was a sign of the Messiah, who would shed his blood for the sins of the entire world and it would no longer be only a covering, but a payment in full. By his shed blood for our sins, those who received him, believed in him, were cleansed of all sin.
God said over and over that it is only by blood that atonement is made. So when we meet the Lord in Heaven, we have already been made pure and clean from any stain of sin. If it was based upon our own works like, holy living, confessing our sins, receiving communion and other good deeds or refraining from sin, then the whole purpose of Jesus shedding his blood would be in vain. In Galatians 2:21, we read, "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”. We are NOT saved by our merit but by the sacrifice of Christ for us by which we receive the righteousness of God in Christ. His blood is what makes us clean and that cleansing is satisfactory in the eyes of God.
Isaiah 1:18 18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.