Salvation is a Past, Present, and Future Experience/Event According to the Bible

“Who DELIVERED us from so great a death, and DOTH DELIVER: in whom we trust that he WILL YET DELIVER us.” 2 Corinthians 1:10

Many wish to paint the picture that salvation is a thing of their past – where they once supposedly repented and believed on Christ. Then, after being lied to by the myriad of grace-perverting wolves, having been told they are “eternally secure” and “once saved always saved,” have gotten addicted to the lying notion of having no further personal responsibility. But the Bible clearly refutes this diabolical lie which is specifically designed to damn the souls of millions who fall way due to this one lie.

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God … For we are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; ” Hebrews 3:12, 14

So many evangelicals know enough to hurt themselves. In other words, they are only taught that when they repented and placed their faith in Christ that they received eternal life. They are never taught the present reality or responsibility of remaining repentant and with full faith toward the LORD. Most are never told that if they do not endure to the end, continuing in an abiding relationship with Christ, that they will spend eternity in hell. This is tragic at best and has and is resulting in the damnation of millions.

“Who DELIVERED us from so great a death, and DOTH DELIVER: in whom we trust that he WILL YET DELIVER us.” 2 Corinthians 1:10

Saving grace can be resisted, put aside, and rejected AFTER receiving it – “Christ is become of no effect unto you (the previously saved Galatian Christians), whosoever of you are justified by the law; YE ARE FALLEN FROM GRACE.”(Galatians 5:4)

So many are lacking this Bible truth of the possibility of losing out in the end after once being genuinely saved. According to the message given to us in Holy Scripture, the saved person must endure to the end in faith, trusting fully in Christ, walking in the light of His truth, in order to continue to receive the washing of His blood and go to Heaven when he dies.

“IF” always means there’s a condition to be met!

“But IFFFFFFFF we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

Righteousness can only come from “Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1) His righteousness can only be imputed (transferred to our account) as we repent and place our full faith in Him alone for salvation (Rom. 3:21-4:5; 5:17; 2 Cor. 5:21, etc.). Jesus alone earned salvation for us (John 19:30; Hebrews 1:2-3). There’s no argument at all that Jesus paid for us to have eternal life. Any person who doesn’t believe this is no saved (1 John 5:10-13). That is not what is in question and yet, the possession and retention of it is what we must comprehend and understand from learning and embracing the full-counsel of God’s Word.

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

God requires faith, not only to initially receive His imputed righteousness, but also ongoing to the end of one’s life or all is lost (Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 3:6, 12-14; 10:26-39, etc.). This is a doctrine the reformist OSAS adherent completely denies and yet it is all over Scripture (Mathew 10:22; 24:13; Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 3:6, 12-14; 10:26-39; 2 Pet. 2:20-22; Revelation2-3, etc.). The appropriation of His saving righteousness is only to those who truly believe into Jesus Christ and continue in that faith to the end. Many “fall away” (Luke 8:13) or simply do not realize that their “faith” is not authentic, one that if it is real, which will always produce a life of good fruit, denying ungodliness and worldly lust and looking daily for the soon return of Jesus for those who are being washed by His Word, without spot and blemish (Mathew 7:13-29; Titus 2:11-12; Ephesians 5:25-27; James 2:14-19; 1 John 3:3).

WHEN saving divine grace is truly in a person’s life, are they …

1. arguing to justify sin by teaching the heresy of OSAS/eternal security?, OR are they,
2. Communicating and living out the grace-enabling cross life while “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”? (Titus 2:11-12)

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” Titus 2:11-12

Jesus will only save those who remain in or “abide in” Him to the end according to His own words (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Luke 9:62). All whom He saves who later depart from Him and do not return, will be “cast into the fire to be burned.” (John 15:1-6)

God wants to show mercy upon His children but cannot and will not if we refuse to seek and turn back to Him in repentance and faith (Psalms 86:5, 15; Isaiah 1:18-20; Luke 15).

Make no mistake: Obedience is always the product or fruit of true, saving faith and of love for God above self. That doesn’t mean we don’t stumble at times but we must get back up and repent, be restored, and work out our own salvation with holy fear and trembling as we look for the soon return of our LORD Jesus (Phil. 2:12-13).

Defending the Faith Once Delivered to the Saints

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. ⁴For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 3-4

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1 John 2:19

Donald Stamps response to this verse this way:

“THEY WENT OUT FROM US. When the antichrists departed from their fellowship with true believers, they were not in a saving relationship with Christ. This allows for two possibilities: (1) They were never true believers to begin with, or (2) they had once been in a saving relationship with Christ but afterward abandoned their faith in Christ.” Donald Stamps, Life in the Spirit Study Bible, p. 2003

John 10:27-29 teaches us that only those presently abiding in a vital, obedient relationship with Jesus, are being kept by God. All who have been previously born again and yet are not presently remaining intimate in Christ, have been and will be cast away from Him burned in the fires of eternal damnation if they don’t repent before it’s too late (John 15:1-6; Ezekiel 33:12-13; 2 Peter 2:20-21; Hebrews. 10:26-39, etc.).

Prayer: LORD Jesus, unite my heart to fear Thy holy name, blessing me with deep conviction concerning anything that does not please You fully and to be crucified with Christ. Use me LORD in truth and in Your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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