Salvation - Can it Be Lost?

I am blessed to be friends with many men and women of God scattered across the broad spectrum of denominations (and nondenominational) within Christianity. I enjoy talking with them and discussing the scriptures and how they apply to daily life. I do not debate the Word of God. For the most part, we always agree. However there are some topics where we don't exactly see eye to eye. One of those topics is whether or not one can loose their salvation.

We were having a hypothetical discussion about whether or not an individual was in danger of loosing their salvation and perishing. Here's the scenario. (Please note that we were not judging this hypothetical individual but simply discussing how the Word of God applies to daily Christian living)

Johnny accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at the age of 12. He was baptized and grew up in the church. As he got older, he decided he no longer wanted to attend church regularly. He left the church in his early 20's. He began to drink, do drugs, steal and kill. He never repented or ceased his behavior. Then one day Johnny tries to rob the wrong liquor store and is shot to death in the process.

The question is: Is Johnny's salvation secured because he accepted the Lord as a child or did he "loose his salvation" somewhere along the way? We were literally divided on this topic. For one, as people we have no heaven or hell to place anyone in and we often feel uncomfortable when asked these sorts of questions knowing all that God has done for us, we don't want to appear judgemental because we don't want to be judged.

Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1)

Many misinterpret this scripture to mean that you can't judge but you can. Note, the scripture immediately following says:

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. (Matthew 7:2)

We are supposed to use the Word of God to judge every aspect of our lives and to correct that which shouldn't be. The measure that we use should be the Word of God.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16)

Back to our discussion about Johnny. Many Christians believe that because Johnny accepted the Lord that he is once saved - always saved. They believe that according to John 3:16 he shall not perish.

Then there are those that believe that we are called to be holy because God is holy. They believe that once we are saved, God will not allow us to continue to sin and still be secure in our salvation. In other words, they believe that our grace will run out. These Christians believe that if you are truly saved that you are new and will walk in the newness of life.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-4)

I do not believe that one can "loose their salvation". I believe that you are either saved or you aren't. Salvation that is lost was not salvation in the first place. I believe that when God says whosoever believes shall not perish but have everlasting life in John 3:16 that He meant it. Therefore, if you believe that Jesus died for your sins so that you could live forever you will walk in the newness of life.

Now none of us are perfect. Romans 3:23 tells us that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I'm not saying that you will be perfect. What I am saying is that you will strive to please God. When we fall short, we will repent, get up and start all over again. We are not perfect because we are saved. If we could be perfect on our own, Jesus would never have had to go to the cross. On the same note, because Jesus went to the cross and rose on the 3rd day ee now have access to the same power which raised Him from the dead. We have access to His Holy Spirit.

I believe that it is impossible to stay saved without the Holy Spirit abiding in us. When I say Holy Spirit I don't mean the outward appearance that many demonstrate with the dancing and speaking in other tongues. Anyone can behave this way even without truly having the Spirit of God. I mean God dwelling in us leading us and guiding us to all truth and righteousness.

Now back to Johnny. I believe that Johnny was never saved in the first place. It is not impossible to go to church week in and week out (in some cases for years) and not be saved. Salvation is a spiritual thing. It's an eternal thing. So is damnation. If you are not secure in your salvation you have time today to get it right with God. He loves us and wants us to be secure in our eternal future. Let's not be unsure. Let's not let Him return and find us with our works undone. We don't want to be like Johnny and die in a state where we are out of fellowship with God or living a sinful life that is displeasing to Him.

Now, here's the interesting part. What are your views? Do you think that salvation can be lost? Where do you think (according to the Word of God) is Johnny's eternal destination? I want to hear from you.

Blessings,
Shanita Waters
Author of By His Stripes We Are Healed
www.waterplantgrowth.com

2 Chronicles 7:14 Humble to Heal

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

For the past few days the Lord has consistently been speaking to me through this one scripture in particular. I began to ask the Lord, "Lord what is it that you are trying to tell me through this scripture?" I understood (or so I thought I did) what it meant in essence or theologically speaking but as we know, this Christian Walk is a personal walk so I began to ask God what it is that he wanted me to take away from this scripture. I wasn't seeking the Lord for a post or a sermon but for some words to impact my own life. He told me to slow down, relax, clear my mind and meditate on it for a while and in His time He would make it known unto me.

You see, when I ask God for clarity or direction I don't always get an instant answer. God wants us to meditate on His word. When we aren't meditating as much as He wants us to, He has a way of getting our attention and causing us to seek Him as we should. Sometimes God will answer me right then and there on the spot, other times I believe He is testing me to see how badly I really want to hear what the Spirit has to say and how humbly I will submit myself to His will once I am still and quiet long enough to hear it.

I realized that I had allowed the cares of the world and everyday life to cut into my private devotional time. I repented, pulled out my spiritual silverware and began to feast on this here Word of God. God began to speak and I began to listen. As I did I broke the scripture down line by line. This is what He is show ing me:

"If My people, which are called by my name"

Okay. The first thing I had to do was define His people that were called by His name. Who are His people? We all may say or think that we are "His people" but are we really?

2 Corinthians 2:16 reads

what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Here God was showing me that in order to be called His people we have to be in agreement with the ways and statues of the Lord. We must be filled with His Spirit, the The Holy Spirit. Once we believe, receive and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost, then God will live in us as His people. If we do not have the Spirit of God we are none of his (Romans 8:9).

God promised to hear, heal and forgive HIS people. I don't want to get ahead of myself but in order for us to receive his healing, we must truly be His people. Not only must we be His people but we must be His humble people. Which brings me to the next part of the scripture.

strong>"..shall humble themselves.."

Why must we be humble? Well, for one. Jesus said that if we humble ourselves He will exalt us in due season. Also, we risk facing destruction by being proud or high minded.

This is what Proverbs 16:18-19 has to say about pride and humility:

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

As I meditate on God and all that He tells us that He is in Exodus 20:5, I would think that God as the creator of all things who has already told us that He is a jealous God, does not approve in us operating in our own power or our own strength. When we do such, we are in essence saying that we don't need Him. In Proverbs 3:5-6, we are instructed to lean not to our own understanding but to acknowledge Him in all of our ways. When we are proud, we tend acknowledge and accredit ourselves. We are not omniscient like God is. We can't see the unseen. Therefore, only being able to see what God allows us to see we don't have enough information to operate in our own strength like God does. Inevitably, we will interfere with God's plan and delay our own progress if we act on impulse and not the leading of the Holy Ghost.

How do we allow the Holy Ghost to lead us? We ask him. Which brings us to the next directive in the scripture:

"and pray," Why must we pray? Because we need to hear from God. Prayer is communication with God. It is not one sided. As you petition God, you must also allow Him the time and space to speak back to you. Jesus told us to pray. He said that men ought to always pray and not to faint. If we don't pray, we will faint or loose heart. We will not be able to stand if we do not pray. God doesn't just want us to pray but He also said

"and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways"

As you see, we can not continue in our wicked ways and seek the face of the Lord at the same time. Either we are for Him or against Him. There is no in between gray area. There is no purgatory. Heaven or Hell.

There has to be a change. Once we truly come to know the Lord and experience His power for ourselves. We can't continue to live in sin. He won't allow us to. We have free will but conviction will not allow us to knowing the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. (Romans 6:1-2)

Realize that God wants to heal us but before the healing begins, He wants us to do some things first. The latter part of the scripture is dependant upon the former.

"then will I hear from heaven,"

Until we humble ourselves, pray and seek His face, God will not even listen to what we have to say. In fact God can not even hear our prayer if we hide iniquity in our hearts. (Psalm 66:18)

and will forgive their sin,

Notice here that that God said He will forgive their (our) sins. He didn't say some sins or list any exceptions. But He said that then He will forgive "sin". There is no sin that we can commit that He can not forgive us for. Why? Because we are His people which are called by His name. He is just and able to forgive us of all of our sins. He sent His son here to die for us just so that we could be reconciled back to us. It is not the will of the Father that we perish but that we have life everlasting (John 3:16)

and will heal their land

"Heal the land". What does this mean? Is it a physical thing, an emotional thing, spiritual thing or perhaps a natural thing? What did God mean when He said that He would heal the land? We know that people of that time were dependant upon the natural land; their crops and their livestock. Therefore, if they did not take care of their land, they would risk starving or not having the means to survive comfortably.

I believe that the word "land" here represents our natural location, state of mind, spiritual state and even our physical state. God wants to heal the whole person. Man is made up of mind, body and spirit. If our minds and thinking are distorted so will our speech be. If we are suffering from emotional scars and wounds, it is very likely that we will in turn hurt others. If we are struggling to let go of the past and don't learn from it, we are doomed to repeat it. Therefore, we need God to heal "the land". We need Him to go to the root of the matter and heal from the inside out.

Once we humble ourselves, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, God is then able to hear us, forgive us and heal us in every area of our life. Remember, healing is not just an emotional or physical thing. There is healing available to the whole man (or woman).

Shanita Waters
Author of By His Stripes We Are Healed
www.waterplantgrowth.com