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.”
Elsie, I am less concerned about my family members who worship God than I am about my family members who do not believe in God. While the former worship God in a different way than I do, I am thankful that they follow Jesus.
Do you have any relatives who do not believe in God? If so, how do you deal with them? If not, how would you deal with them?
Chapter 4 verses 18~22 states: "And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishers). And He said to them: come ye after Me, and I will make you to be fishers of men. And they immediately leaving their nets, followed Him. And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, and a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and He called them. And they forthwith left their nets, and followed Him.
Note: Jesus called them to the Apostleship Himself. He did likewise with most of His other Apostles.
In chapter 10, verses 1-6: " And having called His twelve Disciples together, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of diseases, and all manner of infirmities. And the names of the twelve Apostles are these: The first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, Simon the Cannean, and Judas the Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. These twelve Jesus sent: commanding them, saying: Go ye not into the way of the Gentiles, and into the city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house Israel.
Note: This connects Jesus and the Apostles and tells us that Jesus is the One who is sending them. And to use St. Paul's terminology, they are 'sent'.
In chapter 28, verses 16~20: "And the eleven disciples went into Galillee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And seeing Him they adored: But some doubted and Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to Me in Heaven and in Earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."
Note: Jesus did not stutter. This is a perpetual comission as His Church. It encompasses all nations therefore He means for it to be Universal and the word 'Catholic' means 'Universal'. The Popes, the Vicars of Christ, good or evil, warts and all, still follow in the succession of Peter who was commissioned by both the Eternal Father and Jesus in chapter 16 verses 17~19: " And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jona: Because flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but My Father Who is in Heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter: And upon this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon Earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth it shall be lost also in Heaven."
Note: No where in all of Scripture is there any promise from God of a perfect man after Jesus. They all, Popes Apostles, and even you, sir, are fallen sinful men, and subject to sin. We all have free wills with bodies that have inordinate appetites, including our minds. None of us notes of any remoteness of perfection the Will of God. And so, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostalic Church founded by Christ on His Apostles continues as Jesus commisioned, good, bad, or indifferent stepping all over itself with its free will. And that sir includes you and I and everyone else on the face of the Earth.
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do you ever post anything of value?
(rhetorical)
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so the apostles were all “legalistic?”
Have you ever actually read 1John?
(Rhetorical)
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>> “ The law, though, is not made for believers, but for those who rebel against righteousness” <<
Then why does he write Torah on our hearts?
Torah is solely for believers. It is of no value to an unbeliever.
Torah is the Righteousness of Yehova, given to us out of love.
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1John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Before you make a condescending dolt of yourself again, read the profile page of one you would presume to 'teach' your cult dogma to. The CHURCH, better identified as the EKKLESIA, is the body of ALL BELIEVERS who have been born again because they did just as JESUS instructed in John 6:29. Read that passage and note that JESUS (God with us) did not add any of the mubo jumbo of catholociism, like mary worship or praying to dead people or striving to be worthy of salvation by fealty to Catholicism sacraments.
Now peddle your condescension somewhere else. You are not working for Christ Jesus, you are proselytizing for the cult of Rome. ... and doing a rather poor job of it with your condescending posts.
Yeah; we know.
Matthew 6:7
And praying, do not use vain repetitions like the pagans, for they think that in their many words they will be heard.
Mary is dead.
Any claims to the contrary is gonna need proof.
And thank YOU for your patience with us!
so far... ;^)
Do you suppose this worship or veneration of Mary, whatever they want to call it, is part of the paganism that was added, to attract pagans to the church? Is it related to Diana of the Ephesians? Doesn’t all this paganism originate with the worship of Nimrod and his wife? Didn’t the queen of Heaven thing originate with her, and after Nimrod’s death, didn’t she claim to give birth to a reincarnation of Nimrod? I believe this is paganism with a capital P, and was possibly brought into the church, to make pagans feel welcome.
So to carry this analogy to its logical conclusion, Christianity is based on Nimrod being God the Father and the reincarnation of Nimrod is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God?
So; the actual TRUTH of the matter printed on the BS depends on whether the wearer of it believes it.
Is THIS the message you are attempting to get across?
Do you have ANY proof to the contrary?
When the cards come around the table, and it’s my turn to deal; I make sure to announce; quite clearly; the name of the game I wish to play.
In the words of The Gambler; “You’ve gotta know when to fold ‘em.
Likewise...
...nowhere in all of Scripture is there any promise from God of a perfect woman BEFORE and AFTER Jesus; Yet Rome has CREATED one.
For one so worried about CONTENT; you'd best look to the horse you rode in on.
Why don’t you try to explain the dancing sun in 1917?
Easy!
It was caused by the vast fleets of Uhurian ships, in a direct line to Earth, blocking and refracting the sunlight thru their Prismatic Light Benders.
The exact science of which has NOT been ascertained yet.
But we DO know that the Flying Spaghetti Monster only tolerated their presence for a few days; then applied His Supreme Power to sent them scurrying back to their home planet: a position around THEIR sun - Kolob.
What ever I post or think or say, good or ill, the angels keep track of...so there is that! So nothing is truly rhetorical!
hahahahahahaha!
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