The longer I live and talk with people, the more I see how incorrectly we view God's grace. Yesterday, I read an article on GodVine. The "grabber" for this article was a post that broached the question of eternal security. I am set in my beliefs about this, but was curious as to what the article would say, so I took the bait and started reading.
I didn't even get to the part about eternal security before I read some false teaching. The article started by saying that we receive salvation when we are baptized. Whoa! They took this as a given, and didn't use any sort of scripture to back up their position that being physically dunked in water saves a person. Baptism is important, as an act of obedience after we are saved. If it were part of salvation, though, Paul would have said so in Romans, where he goes to great lengths to build the case for our sin, God's solution, and how we receive this salvation He offers. All through the epistles, we are told that salvation is by grace through faith. Baptism isn't even part of the discussion. There is evidence of people's salvation in the book of Acts prior to their Baptism. For example, in Acts 9, Ananias refers to Saul as "brother Saul" prior to his baptism, indicating he is already saved. When Peter shares the gospel with Cornelius in Acts 10, Cornelius' family believed and had evidence of the Holy Spirit prior to baptism. And in First Corinthians 1:17, Paul actually says, For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel... thus indicating that baptism is separate from salvation. The thief on the cross was never baptized, but he was saved by believing Jesus was who He claimed to be (Luke 23:39-43). That is all that is required for salvation.
Anyway, I commented at the errors I found in the article, and also read other people's comments. Not only did I get a few people reacting with misapplied scriptures against my statement that baptism is obedience, yet not salvation, but I also read people responding to the eternal security aspect, saying things like, "Yes, you can lose your salvation if you do something really bad, like beat your wife." Or "Someone who does (insert sin) would surely lose their salvation." This reveals that they are trusting in their works--the fact that they haven't beaten their wife or done whatever sin they mentioned. They are scared of the idea of grace being used as license to sin, so they add legalism to the gospel. They have to get their works-based licks in. I truly believe we are unable to truly grasp how amazing God's grace is. In our finite, human minds, we attach so many things to it, when God offers it to us freely.
Let me make myself clear. Wife-beating is not acceptable to God. No sin is acceptable. Sin is the cause of all the world's ills. It separates humans from a righteous God (prior to salvation). All sin cost Jesus His life. It must be dealt with. But Jesus defeated sin, and those who embrace this by faith receive forgiveness and salvation. There isn't a certain sin listed in scripture that makes someone lose their salvation. We aren't saved by good works, or by avoiding certain sins; therefore it stands to reason we don't lose that salvation when we fail. If someone is actively living a sinful life, I would wonder if they were truly saved to begin with, but I can't know that. A godly lifestyle should be the result of our salvation, but sometimes it isn't. Ephesians 2:9 says our salvation is not a result of works so that no one may boast. In the past, I falsely assumed certain people weren't saved, because of certain sins they committed, but later, I saw that they were saved, and that God was working in their hearts in ways I couldn't see. I have resolved not to doubt someone's salvation based on outward behavior. We can judge the works, but not their salvation.
As humans, we tend to categorize sins into misdemeanor and felony sins. A little white lie is a misdemeanor, whereas being a drug-dealer or a wife-beater is a felony. But God doesn't see it that way. Sin is sin. Some sins have a greater impact than others, but in terms of sin itself, it is equally wrong, and equally forgivable. I believe that once-for-all-time forgiveness happens at salvation. Once we are saved, there is no barrier between us and God. When Jesus died, Matthew 27:51 tells us that the veil of the temple (which separated sinful men from the Holy of Holies--God's presence) was torn in half. There is no more barrier. I believe that even means sin in the believer's life no longer creates a barrier between us and God. I know that sounds as if I'm saying grace is a free pass to sin, but I am not. The Bible doesn't stand behind that idea. Romans 6:1 begs the question, What shall we say? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? The Apostle Paul wanted to make it very clear that grace isn't license to do wrong. He understands that the logic of grace might lead some to think sin is "okay" now, so he poses this question that some might have been thinking. He answers the question in verse two, including giving the reason. God forbid! How shall we that are dead unto sin live any longer therein? He was not defending sin. He had simply built a case for God's grace. He was now saying that grace doesn't entitle the recipients to do as they pleased. They have a new nature. Sin no longer has power over us. In a sense, believers are "dead to sin." Believers no longer get the pleasure out of sin that an unbeliever gets. This verse seems to indicate that there should be changes in a believer's life after salvation, but they're not by our own self-effort. Just like our salvation, it's God. Philippians 2:13 says, For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.
Why do so many believers think that they have to add to the finished work of Christ? When Jesus hung on that cross and cried It is finished, He meant it. He is the one who calls you, and will keep you. Philippians 1:6 says, He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus. Second Timothy 2:13 says, if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. We are still going to struggle with sin until we are in Heaven. But that doesn't mean our salvation is in jeopardy. First John 2:1 is such a wonderful reminder, But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. Likewise, Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If you have been saved, that's talking about you! Later on in the chapter, verses 38-39 tell us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. With all of these passages that pin our salvation on the Lord, why are we still trying to put works into it? Why do we think certain sins can take away what Jesus won for us? I know people who aren't as severe as the comments I read, but they still say things like, "You'd have to go pretty far before you'd lose your salvation," as if to say it's unlikely but possible. They are still putting it onto us, instead of on God, who is faithful when we are not.
Trust Jesus' words. When He said It was finished, He meant it. You are saved and forgiven...for all time! What you do with your Christian life is up to you. You can lose rewards ,but you can never lose your salvation! It is finished.
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