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To: restornu

What they are refering to is often called “once saved always saved”. The idea behind that is once you are born again, spiritually reborn, any sin you commit is forgiven by the Blood of Christ, by grace. You do not have to ‘work it off’ or you do not ‘lose your salvation’.

Even if you ‘backslide’ (say fornication for example), it doesn’t mean you lose your salvation, but it also does not mean you are walking with the Lord (showing proper love and respect for Him and His sacrifice) and it does not mean that you do not need to repent from your sin. Grace does not give you a license to sin. To say that it does, spits on Christ.

There is some debate about those who completely turn their back on God and Christ and deny Him after truly being born again. While this is rare, it does happen. More often, however, true believers may remain backslidden for a long period of time and still not lose their salvation. Some were never really Born Again to begin with, God knows who they are. But just because you sin doesn’t automatically mean that you were never born again. We ALL WILL SIN CONSTANTLY, it is human nature.

However, IMO - and there is some scriptural evidence for it - we can blaspehme the Holy Ghost and possibly lose our salvation. But this is VERY VERY VERY hard to do to the point most Christians do not worry about it, I have no fear of it. Christ has changed my heart, my soul, washed me clean in ways I cannot express and I could no more deny Him than I could deny the Sun in the sky.

But for the vast, vast majority of Christians, we see that we are secure in Christ, that no outside forces or sin can separate us from Christ or His love. Nothing we really do, will make Him no longer love us, or make us no longer His children. Once adopted always adopted.

God knows how and when we are going to sin long before we were ever born. And Christ died for us anyway, knowing and paying for our sins on the Cross.

True born again Christians have a deep love and gratitude for the Sacrifice for all our sins and do not wish to grieve him. We know when we sin we grieve him. We are not ‘earning’ contributing or anything else to our salvation, “it is finished”, salvation is here and it is free.

What we are doing is growing in our love and walk with Christ, WE don’t do anything, He does it all. “Once saved, always saved” is a great security for believers because we know we WILL sin (whether we want to or not - we will) but we will not be condemned or lose our salvation for sinning against God. When God looks at us He sees the righteousness of Christ, not our sins OR ‘good works’. He only sees if we are covered in the Blood of Christ shed on the Cross.

God invites us to His mansion, rent free, debt free and gives us riches beyond belief and heals us. All we have to do is trust Him. Would you spit on your host? Would you trash his stuff? No, you would be grateful and thankful even though it will not change your situation or position or get you anything more. God will not ‘kick you out’.


4 posted on 05/25/2010 10:23:04 PM PDT by reaganaut (Ex-mormon, now Christan - "I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see")
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To: reaganaut

Your post is well written, I just might add some scripture -

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Romans 8:35

“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those -that thou gavest me I have kept-, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.” John 17:12 (emphasis mine; Jesus keeps us faithful)

The point of once saved always saved is: God is more powerful than your sin and unbelief. He saves you, and He keeps you saved. It does NOT mean that you can pray the Jesus prayer and then go live a life of licentiousness.

If you are living a life of licentiousness, it is evidence that you were never saved to begin with.

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1st John 2:19


13 posted on 05/25/2010 11:48:36 PM PDT by Persevero (If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?)
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To: reaganaut
We ALL WILL SIN CONSTANTLY, it is human nature.

Does Scripture say that?

20 posted on 05/26/2010 2:22:52 AM PDT by Need4Truth (the just shall live by faith.)
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To: reaganaut

“You do not have to ‘work it off’”

We are saved and our sins are forgiven, not because of what we are but because of what whp Jesus is and what He did.


54 posted on 05/26/2010 7:30:01 AM PDT by Grunthor (Faster than the speed of smell.)
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To: reaganaut

Amen. I’m saved by God, not by me. I’m reconciled to God by God, through His Covenant, through His Word, His Son. Amen.


56 posted on 05/26/2010 7:33:51 AM PDT by hocndoc (http://www.LifeEthics.org (I've got a mustard seed and I'm not afraid to use it.) (RIA)
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