Posted on 05/31/2017 1:41:09 PM PDT by ealgeone
Question: "Can a Christian lose salvation?"
Answer: First, the term Christian must be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer or walked down an aisle or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what makes a Christian. A Christian is a person who has fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior and therefore possesses the Holy Spirit (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8–9).
So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation? It’s a crucially important question. Perhaps the best way to answer it is to examine what the Bible says occurs at salvation and to study what losing salvation would entail:
A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). A Christian is not simply an “improved” version of a person; a Christian is an entirely new creature. He is “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new creation would have to be destroyed.
A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18–19). The word redeemed refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid. We were purchased at the cost of Christ’s death. For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to revoke His purchase of the individual for whom He paid with the precious blood of Christ.
A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). To justify is to declare righteous. All those who receive Jesus as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what He had previously declared. Those absolved of guilt would have to be tried again and found guilty. God would have to reverse the sentence handed down from the divine bench.
A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is the promise of spending forever in heaven with God. God promises, “Believe and you will have eternal life.” For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have to be redefined. The Christian is promised to live forever. Does eternal not mean “eternal”?
A Christian is marked by God and sealed by the Spirit. “You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14). At the moment of faith, the new Christian is marked and sealed with the Spirit, who was promised to act as a deposit to guarantee the heavenly inheritance. The end result is that God’s glory is praised. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to erase the mark, withdraw the Spirit, cancel the deposit, break His promise, revoke the guarantee, keep the inheritance, forego the praise, and lessen His glory.
A Christian is guaranteed glorification. “Those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). According to Romans 5:1, justification is ours at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30, glorification comes with justification. All those whom God justifies are promised to be glorified. This promise will be fulfilled when Christians receive their perfect resurrection bodies in heaven. If a Christian can lose salvation, then Romans 8:30 is in error, because God could not guarantee glorification for all those whom He predestines, calls, and justifies.
A Christian cannot lose salvation. Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive Christ would be invalidated if salvation could be lost. Salvation is the gift of God, and God’s gifts are “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). A Christian cannot be un-newly created. The redeemed cannot be unpurchased. Eternal life cannot be temporary. God cannot renege on His Word. Scripture says that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).
Two common objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation concern these experiential issues: 1) What about Christians who live in a sinful, unrepentant lifestyle? 2) What about Christians who reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these objections is the assumption that everyone who calls himself a “Christian” has actually been born again. The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a state of continual, unrepentant sin (1 John 3:6). The Bible also says that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he was never truly a Christian (1 John 2:19). He may have been religious, he may have put on a good show, but he was never born again by the power of God. “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16). The redeemed of God belong “to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4).
Nothing can separate a child of God from the Father’s love (Romans 8:38–39). Nothing can remove a Christian from God’s hand (John 10:28–29). God guarantees eternal life and maintains the salvation He has given us. The Good Shepherd searches for the lost sheep, and, “when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home” (Luke 15:5–6). The lamb is found, and the Shepherd gladly bears the burden; our Lord takes full responsibility for bringing the lost one safely home.
Jude 24–25 further emphasizes the goodness and faithfulness of our Savior: “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Unless you PFRESUME that an ancient, soiled 'host' is somehow connected with Jesus.
Read the Book Rome assembled.
These were JEWISH commands; NEVER given to Gentiles.
Don't you understand what the LEGAL basis for a COVENANT is?
Hey; ET!
Do you believe MARY's 15 Promises are true?
Do YOU believe in them?
The Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for THEY checked the SCRIPTURES to see if what was told them was true.
Today's Catholics are SO lazy...
(We have a rogue curia in Rome)
You don't READ much; do you?
Genesis 2:6
Genesis 3:6 Douay-Rheims Challoner Revision 1752
6 And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat.
Just what did Adam 'presume'?
the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
And Luther forbad the sinfulness of Roman Rule.
HMMMmmm...
OOOOoooh!
That's almost as good as, "Do you STILL beat your wife?"
You didn't know me bro. I was rude, crude, and otherwise socially unacceptable, but that's not important right now. I hate to sin, even though we all do, but I DO love to commit the sin of presumption. That one is a beautiful thing. 😆
Isn't attributing to Satan, what is actually a believer's work for the Lord, the unpardonable sin, or is that not possible to commit today? I know the sin of presumption is a sin that God will forgive me of. 😀😆
I figure, I will just commit that sin, and confess it, and I will be OK. 👍 The thing is, however, I commit the sin of presumption 86,400 times a day, so I got a whole lot of confessing to do. It's a good thing I don't have to go to confession to a priest anymore, or I would really be up a creek. 😃😀😆😄
You know, of course, that I am into the sin of presumption, but that is a presumption that I even I wouldn't do. 😀
If you say you don’t worship idols will you accept the challenge? A simple yes or no. So far no Catholic has said yes or no.
That's true, but many of the Catholics I deal with here, are like Bereans. They want to know if what I tell them is the truth, because it is opposed to what the OTC has taught them. The best ones, are the ones who haven't been to catechism class. They are not so hard core, and more open to the truth. I am more than happy to give it to them. For most of them, it's the first time they have ever heard the truth. 👍
Kinda hard to as they're not posted in a recognized format.
Wouldn't praying to Mary and other dead saints, be more commonly called necromancy? I am just not into necromancy. I think necromancy only leads to 🔥
And another thing, how do they know that these so called dead saints, are really saints at all? They might be in Hell. I can't imagine praying to someone in Hell. Their time is entirely taken up with screaming in agony and pain. They don't want to hear someone praying to them. They have more than enough to worry about, like trying to figure out how they are going to endure this 🔥 forever.
Just what did Adam 'presume'?
I will make a presumption here. I presume Adam knew if he did NOT eat the fruit, God would take Eve in judgement, send her to Hell, and Adam would be alone again. I presume, though I don't know for sure, that God would not create another woman for him. It would have been interesting if Adam had said to Eve, sorry girl, you are on your own on this one. He chose Eve over God, however. 😱
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