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My contention is that faith takes action. I do not believe that by simply reciting the sinner's prayer at one time in one's life, that there will be an eternal reward. One has to actively practice that faith throughout one's life by developing that relationship. Without it, how will Christ be able to intercede for us as we sit in the Judgment Seat since we never took the time to know Him?

The Law was put into effect to lead us to Christ, to show us that we CANNOT do it ourselves.

He judges us on whether we believe Him and in Him, not on our works, which are all tainted with sin even on our best day.

God did for us what we cannot do for ourselves because we CANNOT do it ourselves.

That's the greatness of the mercy and grace of God.

He does it for us, and then offers it to us as a free gift, simply for the taking.

The actual words, like in the sinner's prayer, are not important. It's the heart that counts. Someone can recite the sinner's prayer and still not be saved if all they're doing is counting on having done a work to get them in.

There's a difference between intellectual assent and saving faith that produces works.

God did for us what we cannot do for ourselves

lol, I think I've heard that phrase somewhere else.

The actual words, like in the sinner's prayer, are not important. It's the heart that counts. Someone can recite the sinner's prayer and still not be saved

Yes, that is my contention. Or they can recite it and actually mean it at the time, but never develop that relationship, or even worse, become anti-God. I would contend that these individuals lost their salvation, hence once saved, not always saved. Matthew 7:21-23 tells of those who did wonders in His name, yet never developed that relationship. Jesus says, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness". I would surmise that these are people who accepted salvation at one point in their lives, but at the end were not secured in it.

Matthew 13:19-23 describes those who received the Word, yet for one reason or another it did not take hold. Matthew 10:21-22 says that he who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:45-51 describes one who is caught doing evil on the day the Master shows up - one who was already invited into the Master's household.

Hebrews 12:1-2 describes Christ as not only the author of our faith, but the finisher as well. So if we reject Christ as the finisher of our faith, is our salvation lost? In 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Paul declares that he has finished the race - he has kept the faith. Why even enter the race if once saved, always saved?

And finally, Revelations 3:1-5. Christ describes how names of people who had already received salvation (i.e. their names appeared in the Book of Life) were subsequently blotted out (i.e. their salvation was lost). I think it is pretty clear that there is a very real danger to treating salvation as the finish line instead of the starting line. There are many who have recited the sinners' prayer and truly believe that they will spend eternity with God, yet they have not taken a single moment to learn who God is.