Posted on 10/20/2013 11:29:26 AM PDT by CHRISTIAN DIARIST
Once upon a time, Groucho Marx hosted the popular game show, “You Bet Your Life.” At the start of the show, a “secret word” was revealed to the studio audience. If a contestant said the word during the course of the show, a reward would descend from the rafters (a one hundred dollar bill).
Whether we know it or not, we are all, Christians and non-Christians alike, contestants in the spiritual equivalent of “You Bet Your Life.” If we bet wisely, our reward is eternal life. But if we bet foolishly, we condemn ourselves to eternal damnation.
That brings to mind Pascal’s Wager, credited to the seventeenth-century French philosopher, mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal. He famously posited that every human being bets his or her life on whether or not God exists.
“Let us,” he wrote, “weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is.”
To put this in terms to which most of us can relate, even if the odds of God’s existence are, say, 1 in 175 million – the odds of winning Powerball on a single ticket – it is worth the wager.
Because, if we have bet on God, and God does not exist, we lose nothing. That is, save for indulging in certain behavior proscribed by God, including sexual promiscuity, idol worship, adultery, homosexuality (and other sexual perversions), thievery, greed, substance abuse, slander and robbery.
But if we bet against the Almighty, and indeed He does exist, we shall be cast into the lake of fire, eternally separated from God. We shall be condemned to place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Where we will be burned with unquenchable fire. Where we will be tormented day and night forever and forever.
Most of us are rationale. So we heed Pascal’s advice.
Even if we are uncertain there is a God, we hedge our bet. We respond to an altar call at some point in our lives. We say we accept Jesus as our personal Savior. We get baptized.
In so doing, we believe we have ensured our eternal security. We believe that, because we went through the ritual of being “saved,” we have a lifetime “Get Out of Hell Free” card. And that we can live our lives as it pleases us – not God – with impunity.
But what if we are wrong? What if this doctrine of “Once Saved, Always Saved,” espoused by many Godly pastors, preached in many purpose-driven churches, is errant? What if it actually is possible for us to forfeit our eternal salvation, to condemn ourselves to hell, by living brazenly and unrepentantly in defiance of God’s law?
That presents a corollary to Pascal’s wager, one that has not been considered by those who profess themselves Christ followers, but who are not truly leading a Christian life.
Let us call this corollary the Salvation wager, in which we weigh the gain and loss in betting on “Once Saved, Always Saved.”
Those who reject the doctrine, who believe those of us whom the Son sets free, must go and sin no more, must faithfully strive to live in obedience to God, have everything to gain if the doctrine is wrong and nothing to lose if the doctrine is right.
But those who subscribe to the doctrine, who believe that, having been saved, they can commit any and all manner of sin and it doesn’t matter in the eternal scheme of things, have hell to pay if they are wrong.
So what might Pascal advise?
That even if it’s more likely that once a person is saved, there is absolutely nothing they can do to lose their salvation, and that even if the odds are, say, 175 million to 1 that the widely-accepted doctrine of “Once Saved, Always Saved” is right rather than wrong, it still is wise to bet against the doctrine.
Because there are many who claim themselves Christians, who think their names have been written in the book of life, who will appear before the great white throne of judgment, who will find themselves sinners in the hands of an angry God.
They will look to Jesus and say, “Lord, Lord,” hoping He will spare them from punishment. But He will declare to them, “I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice wickedness.”
That’s a warning to those abiding unabashedly and unrepentantly in sin. They have bet their lives on “Once Saved, Always Saved.” And if they are wrong, eternal torment awaits.
Every sin, i.e. any and every act of volition not according to God's Plan, is an unrepentant brazen act in defiance to God. There is not a sin performed, while in fellowship with God.
Of one disagrees with OSAS, then they are simply now qualifying what in addition to faith actually saves.
Fundamentally, adding anything to faith disqualifies it as a saving faith.
Like most of the internecine religious wars fought in Europe (note: most, not all) between Christians, there was always a little bit of nationalism involved, especially from the 14th century onwards
Take this case, the Czechs: in the 8th and 9th centuries, the West Slavic peoples (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Kashubs, Sorbs, etc) split from the East Slavic people, but they didn't differentiate among themselves until well into the late middle ages
are you sure your reply is to my post or to someone else?
The relationship is not only personal, but like the wedding feast of Jesus Christ and the Church, it is in communion with others.
But don't place the onus on God who saves whom He wills and no one can take them fom His Almighty hand. If you think you can "lose" you salvation it's because you think you're saving yourself, an even greater delusion hand in hand with the first delusion.
So what's that got to do with praying the rosary for me???
It should be pointed out that since the Bible had been translated into common languages, the political power of the Church had indeed been diminished, showing that their opposition to Hus and Wycliffe was well-founded from a political aspect. Yet it defied the spirit of Christ and who He was to those He served. The veil was torn, giving everyone equal access through Christ to the throne room of the Most High. In the centuries that followed, the Church put that veil back up. Hus and Wycliffe tried to tear it back down again, thus the reaction from the Church.
I'm in protestant circles mostly, so that would be different than you, but the interpretation we place on it is about rewards....that there are varying rewards in heaven.
Our interpretation would be as follows: A man's WORK is tested by fire. As the scripture says, if his work survives that test of fire then he receives a reward. If a man's work is unworthy, then he does not receive a reward. My guess is that in the same way as there is a hierarchy of angels that there will be those lower and higher in heavens rewards, perhaps in hierarchy. However, as David said, "better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness"
You said that my time would be better spent studying scripture. The Rosary contains verses from Luke, and Matthew and Mark as well. The Rosary is the most scriptural set of prayers there is. It is a meditation on the entire life of Christ.
I pray it hoping that all you protestants will come to love Jesus as much as Catholics do.
They usually do not, as the " in the classic Calvinistic TULIP doctrine means the saints will persevere to die in faith at the end, not as an impenitent sinner.
However, the camp that holds that faith in the Lord's promise of eternal life saves one regardless of what they do is growing, as if faith in the Lord Jesus is valid even if it does not effect one's life.
I even know a brother in a Fund Bap. church that, while teaching and exampling a holy standard, tells souls they can be perfect with God no matter what they do wrong, as long as they believe in Jesus and His promise to give them eternal life. But which "belief" that allows one to call himself a Christian not matter what he does or is doing wrong is a contradiction of what it means to Scripturally believe.
Which effects characteristic "obedience of faith'," including repentance when convicted of not obeying God. King David sinned grievously, but repented the moment he was fingered by God.
Under salvation "no matter what you do wrong" practicing adulterers who yet profess faith in Christ are saved, yet paradoxically, those who who believe a real believer is only those who have "things which accompany salvation," (Heb. 6:9) and thus God chastises believer as needed so that they are "not condemned with the rest of the world" (1Cor. 11:32) and that believers can depart from the living God - not ultimately holding the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end, but drawing back in unbelief, (Hebrews 3:12,14; 10:38) falling from grace and making Christ of none effect, to profit them nothing, (Gal. 5:1-4) all of which Scripture warns believers against - are said to be lost due to holding that belief, no matter hoe much they manifest fruits of regeneration.
Then you have those who believe any who struggle against a besetting sin such as cigarettes. have lost their salvation (though sins of the heart may not be mentioned).
At the least, both camps should be able to acknowledge that we need to believe that Christ not only redeems us, but works to preserve them, while Scripture does contain the aforementioned warnings.
And that Catholics who believe they were justified due to ue to the interior holiness one gains (usually) thru infant sprinkling in recognition of proxy faith, and which salvation by merit (usually) ends with enduring suffering in purgatory to become good enough to enter Heaven, are not in danger of losing salvation, as you cannot lose what you never had, but need salvation.
sorry, but Czech nationalism had a lot if not everything to do with it — Czech is not comprehensible to Germanics and vice-versa
That is the single unavoidable conclusion to all Biblical study. So, yes, once saved always saved. The only other option is God is not capable of saving. What God gives cannot be taken away. Calvin is correct.
Wycliffe wasn’t Czech.
Jesus used the term ‘born again’ on but one occasion, and in that instance it was not in reference to salvation. Just saying.
And who shall explain ‘The Mystery of Godliness’, to settle this silly debate?
It’s not mind reading as much as using His name in vain, but that’s the whole point
Have you ever been to a Biblical dinner? The Pastor has you sit like they would have at the last supper and through various Bible quotes and the tradition of the times he determines who sat where.
While "Da Vinci's Last Supper may be great art even after they destroyed it 'restoring it' it is technically wrong.
At the real last supper they sat at a triclinium table which is like a v and where you sit is based on who is being honored and where Peter was sitting was the place where he was the one who was supposed to wash everyone's feet. He didn't do this so Jesus did as a mild rebuke.
I highly recommend attending a Biblical Dinner if one is available in you area. Typically, they are held around Easter. The Pastor is careful to note the tradition of the time as well as Scripture to support his conjecture on table settings. It's really cool and the food is awesome.
On another note, someone questioned whether Judas was judged for what he did when he actually facilitated what had to happen. I've asked more than one Pastor this question and the best answer is I don't know.
You said that my time would be better spent studying scripture. The Rosary contains verses from Luke, and Matthew and Mark as well. The Rosary is the most scriptural set of prayers there is. It is a meditation on the entire life of Christ.
You said you would offer the rosary for me...How is the rosary going to help me???
I pray it hoping that all you protestants will come to love Jesus as much as Catholics do.
That's just goofy...You don't know how much anyone loves Jesus, even other Catholics...
Don't leave us hanging...What's it a reference to???
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