Possible Loosing Salvation Notion Causes Greater Perseverance

I admit I haven't been very consistent with my Bible reading.  I always make the excuse to myself that it hurts my neck to read too long or I've already read the whole Bible and have it all stored up in my mind so I don't need to read it much.  But those are all just excuses.  Or I make the excuse that it's too hard to read anything around my two year old, but it's not impossible.  I can do it if she's watching a show or something.

So I decided to start reading through Colossians again.  For a summer class with my college, Biola, we had to read Colossians every day for two weeks, so I am very familiar with the book, and I love it. :)

When reading just now these verses stood out to me, "But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³  IF you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel." -Col. 1:22-23

Notice the "if."  There a lot of these "if's" in Paul's writing.  It made me think of the possible counter argument, "but Ephesians 1 says we are SEALED in the Holy Spirit.  So once saved, always saved."  To which I would say, yes but the parable of the seeds says some seeds spring up for a time and then die.  So the catch is, the only way to know that we are sealed and we really ARE saved, is if we continue in the faith.  So only time can tell.  If someone falls away, they were never sealed to begin with. 

So how do we know if we are sealed and saved for sure?  If we continue in the faith and don't fall out of the race.  Or if we don't get deceived or love money more than God or begin to worship other things, then we can know we are saved and sealed for sure.  James said "faith without works is dead."  Yes we are saved by faith, but the way that we prove or show that we are saved is by what we do. 

Here are some good questions to ask yourself: Do I have an ongoing desire to save the lost?  Then you can know you are saved.  Do I have an ongoing desire to grow closer to God and learn more about Him?  Then you can know you are saved.  Do I really love others and seek to help them?  Then you can know you are saved if you do.

What I think is the most dangerous notion in the church is the once saved, always saved concept.  Yes it is good to feel secure in our salvation, but the question we should all ask ourselves is, am I totally positive that I am saved?  Many think they are saved but are not.  Like Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness." 

If you think about it, that's some pretty intense things that they did.  They drove out demons.  How many Christians today can say they have ever driven out a demon?  And yet even these supposed super Christians won't actually be saved?  How can that be?  Well the fact is that that will be the case in the end. 

So it is possible to do something as intense and extreme as cast out demons and not be saved.  So that means it is just as easy for anyone who serves God in any way to think they are saved but for it to turn out that they are not.

In the Left Behind movie a pastor even gets left behind, which I always thought was interesting. 

At a summer church camp I went to, the pastor giving a sermon said the most dangerous place to be in is to think we are saved when we really are not.  Paul said "Test yourself to see if you are in the faith."  And "If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" 

The key is to acknowledge that it is possible for anyone to fall, even yourself.  Anyone can mess up.  Anyone can fall away from God.  To think that it is impossible for yourself actually only opens yourself up more for attack.  "Pride comes before a fall."  When we think we are immune from falling or it is totally impossible for us, it is usually then when we most likely will fall.  Think of the case of Peter denying Jesus.  He was arrogant about it.  He told Jesus "Even if everyone else denies you I NEVER will."  And about 12 hours later he denied knowing Jesus THREE times.  Don't ever be so sure of yourself.  Don't be so arrogant.  "Pride comes before a fall."

Satan attacks most when we are overly confident and think we won't fall, because he knows then that we are less cautious.  When we think it is impossible to fall, that is probably when we will fall.

  So be careful about ever getting overly confident, because then you will not see the need as much to remain in the vine, in Jesus.  You will begin to lean on your own understanding rather than on God.  And Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do NOTHING."  Amen.

Be careful of thinking that falling way from the faith is completely impossible for you.  Paul said, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."  And "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  If you keep a fear that you might fall away from God, you will actually be less likely to fall away.  If you think that it is impossible for you, you might be more likely to fall away.  "Pride comes before a fall." 

Always stay humble.  :)  Always realize you could fall, and then you will be less likely to do so. 

May God bless you all!