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I put "no." James, That is so close to what I believe, also! (The biggest difference between you and I is that I believe the work of salvation has already been accomplished for us through Christ.) I believe that the "process" that we work through is not to "gain salvation," but to grow into a consciousness of "having been saved," such that our salvation becomes a part of our life through praxis.JamesThePersian said:I put yes, because that's the closest available option to our belief, but it's not really right either. The thing is, you can't actually lose what you haven't yet gained. We don't believe that anyone in this life is saved but rather they are in the process of being saved. We are called to persevere to the end and at any point in the race someone can simply give up and stop running. With all due respect to the OP, whilst I can do so, I'm not going to start proof texting the Scriptures as I am not a sola scripturalist. There is far more to the faith than merely adhering to Scripture.
James
I suppose that depends on whether or not you believe you had a hand in your salvation beyond just accepting it as a free gift.Squirt said:I'm curious as to what other Christians believe on this subject. Please explain why you believe as you do, backing up your point of view with scripture.
And I'm with James, Terry and Victor. And I think the three of us could cite many verses from the Bible to support our position. Two of the most straightforward of these are:Victor said:I'm with James and Terry. One can lose their salvation.
I think this is refering more to Hypocrisy. There are people who do down right evil things but camoflouge it by hiding behind the Bible. Any wack-job can go on a killing spree and say that the he received a message from the Bible to kill a bunch of people. There are a lot of people who go to church and go through the motions, but deep down they're selfish and self centered and don't really have the love of God in their hearts. If you're doing the will of God, you will start by setting his example and loving others as he loves you.Matthew 7:21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
We receive our salvation by God's grace. We will never in this lifetime be able to earn or repay God for his gift of salvation. The unforgivable sin is turning your back on God and giving him the finger after learning about him. Complete rejection of God is what loses your salvation. If you have the love of God in you, you won't being doing most of the things that he doesn't want you to do.Salvation is contingent upon continued repentence
So how do you explain the emphasis in Scripture on such things as persevering to the end and running the race? It seems to me that there's an awful lot just in the Bible that argues against OSAS and I really am interested to know how people who do believe in OSAS understand such passages (oh, and what about James?)Mister_T said:We receive our salvation by God's grace. We will never in this lifetime be able to earn or repay God for his gift of salvation. The unforgivable sin is turning your back on God and giving him the finger after learning about him. Complete rejection of God is what loses your salvation. If you have the love of God in you, you won't being doing most of the things that he doesn't want you to do.
I think it's referring to hypocrisy, too. But what it really gets down to is that God is not satisfied to hear you talk the talk. He expects you to walk the walk, too. He expects to see a consistent pattern of behavior by which you demonstrate to Him that you are sincere in wanting to live your life according to your Savior's example. Being saved is far, far more than a one-time event in which you experience a deep feeling of gratitude for Jesus' Atonement. It's enduring to the end, in spite of everything. I don't understand how anybody can say, "I'm saved, so I'm home free. I am absolved of all responsibility from this moment forward."Mister_T said:I think this is refering more to Hypocrisy.... There are a lot of people who go to church and go through the motions, but deep down they're selfish and self centered and don't really have the love of God in their hearts. If you're doing the will of God, you will start by setting his example and loving others as he loves you.
Buttercup said:I believe once saved, always saved. And here's why:
Paul declares, "...if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work" (Rom 11:6). Salvation cannot be partly by works and partly by grace.
Works have nothing to do with salvation. Period. The Bible clearly states, "For by grace are ye saved... not of works" (Eph 2:8-10). True to such Scriptures, evangelicals firmly declare that we cannot earn or merit salvation in any way. Eternal life must be received as a free gift of God's grace, or we cannot have it.
I think you misunderstood me. I don't believe in the "once saved always saved" concept. At least not in the way churches teach it. I think churches that teach that all you have to do is accept Jesus for assured salvation are in error. That is a man-made salvation program. It is a "work". And God tells us in the Bible that our "works" or attempts to make our own salvation are like filthy rags to him. God is the only one who can declare who is going to enter his kingdom. God wants honesty. I think that God judges what's in your heart rather than what's on your mind or what comes out of your mouth. But what I ment in my previous thread was that "if" God decides that he wants you in his kingdom, that the only thing that could get you a one way ticket to that eternal BBQ would be if you completly turned your back on him after he showed you what he is all about.So how do you explain the emphasis in Scripture on such things as persevering to the end and running the race? It seems to me that there's an awful lot just in the Bible that argues against OSAS and I really am interested to know how people who do believe in OSAS understand such passages (oh, and what about James
I like that. Again, I tend to go one step further. I believe that the judgemt (when we stand before God) will happen thusly: When we come to stand face-to-face with God, standing fully "in the light" -- enlightened, the absolute Truth of what we find will be so all-encompassing, so revealing to us of the error of our own will and our own way, so completely compelling, that we will be unable to resist the ultimate love and good with which we are faced. We will not want to turn our backs on that. Thus, all humanity will want to "enter the gates."Mister_T said:I think you misunderstood me. I don't believe in the "once saved always saved" concept. At least not in the way churches teach it. I think churches that teach that all you have to do is accept Jesus for assured salvation are in error. That is a man-made salvation program. It is a "work". And God tells us in the Bible that our "works" or attempts to make our own salvation are like filthy rags to him. God is the only one who can declare who is going to enter his kingdom. God wants honesty. I think that God judges what's in your heart rather than what's on your mind or what comes out of your mouth. But what I ment in my previous thread was that "if" God decides that he wants you in his kingdom, that the only thing that could get you a one way ticket to that eternal BBQ would be if you completly turned your back on him after he showed you what he is all about.
Does this imply that you have a hand in your own salvation and by default make salvation a product of your works?Squirt said:Salvation is contingent upon continued repentence.
Of course we have a hand in our own salvation. True followers of Christ are not freeloaders.sandy whitelinger said:Does this imply that you have a hand in your own salvation and by default make salvation a product of your works?