Once saved, always saved. Chosen elect of God?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Nov 26, 2012
3,095
1,050
113
Roughsoul, I think you have concluded accurately. A few years ago I would have spent hours posting in these forums trying to educate people about the truth in the scriptures. Since everybody else also thinks they have it figured out, they are all here for basically the same reason. I don't think that anybody is trying to learn as much as they are trying to get others to agree with what they believe to be true. Take some advice, don't spend hours in attempts to change peoples minds because everybody thinks they are right. I'm not saying this for any other reason than it looks as though you spent a lot of time on your posts. This is time that you won't get back, and most people here are set in their beliefs. God has revealed so many things to me but I realized, nobody really cares what you know, they just want to believe what they want to believe.
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,045
13,052
113
58
Does this mean that it is impossible for persons to fall so far from grace once received that they will never end up in Hell? By no means. Hell is surely the potential destination for all who are not living into "that holiness without which no one can see God" (Hebrews 12:14, a phrase frequently quoted in the sermons and journals of John Wesley).
The NASB reads - Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14). Without justification, there is no sanctification. Our ongoing sanctification has no bearing on our justification. That is, even if we don't reach entire sanctification/sinless perfection in this lifetime (which we won't) we are still justified by faith in Christ.

How many people who are justified will end up being glorified? Romans 8:30 - Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. ​ALL of them.

2 Peter 2:21Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them.
Those who are truly born of God have received a new nature, a divine nature, and they have new and different appetites and desires. They have been transformed from pigs and dogs into sheep. The change is more than just cosmetic, as in 2 Peter 2:20. *These cleaned up on the outside dogs and pigs were never sheep.

*Compare 2 Peter 1:4 - "partakers of the divine nature," having escaped the corruption - Strongs #5356 that is in the world through lust with 2 Peter 2:20 - with they escaped the pollutions - Strongs #3356 (different Greek word) of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, yet they are again entangled therein, and overcome. *Notice that 2 Peter 2:20 did not mention them being "partakers of the divine nature."

Corruption (Strongs #5356) (to shrivel or wither, spoil , ruin , deprave, corrupt , defile, to destroy by means of corrupting, to spoil as does milk). Corruption - describes decomposition or rotting of an organism and the accompanying stench. The utter depravity of the fallen flesh and the resultant moral decomposition of the world opposed to God is driven by it sinful lusts or evil desires. Internal corruption.

Pollutions/Defilements (Strongs #3393) ("pollutions", "filthy things", "contaminations", "world's filth") describes the state of being tainted or stained by evil and refers to impurity, impure, tainted, defilement, foulness or pollution.

Pollutions/Defilement refers to what is on the outside (2 Peter 2:20). But genuine believers have escaped the "corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4).

*Corruption is deeper than pollutions/defilements on the outside: it is decay on the inside.

Having the knowledge of Jesus Christ does not save a person if there is no heart submission to that knowledge. The latter end is worse than the beginning for these men because rejecting this knowledge will make them more accountable at the judgment.

So we see if the gospel is truly taught that will produce true faith and with true faith comes the works or commandments of God. Hand in hand 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. So with true faith and obeying God we will see the fruit of the Spirit.
Faith
perfected by works means bring to maturity, carry to the end, to complete like love in 1 John 4:18. It doesn't mean that Abraham was finally saved based on his works in Genesis 22. When Abraham performed the good work in Genesis 22; he fulfilled the expectations created by the pronouncement of his faith in Genesis 15:6.

Galatians 5:22-26Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,goodness, faith,[a]23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. 26 We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Nothing here about salvation by works.

We are saved by True faith AND Obeying God.
So how much obedience does it take? How much obedience must we accomplish and "add as a supplement" to Christ's finished work of redemption in order to help Him save us? We are saved by true faith that trusts exclusively in Christ for salvation and true faith results in obeying God. Faith is the root of salvation and obeying God after we have been saved through faith is the fruit.
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,784
4,453
113
Roughsoul, I think you have concluded accurately. A few years ago I would have spent hours posting in these forums trying to educate people about the truth in the scriptures. Since everybody else also thinks they have it figured out, they are all here for basically the same reason. I don't think that anybody is trying to learn as much as they are trying to get others to agree with what they believe to be true. Take some advice, don't spend hours in attempts to change peoples minds because everybody thinks they are right. I'm not saying this for any other reason than it looks as though you spent a lot of time on your posts. This is time that you won't get back, and most people here are set in their beliefs. God has revealed so many things to me but I realized, nobody really cares what you know, they just want to believe what they want to believe.
Thank you for the advice but this was not wasted I spent all night learning and praying. And finally got to put it all together in a paper that I saved for future reference. And I am not catering to the ones who are deaf but to the ones that God pulls to the truth. Some people believe without ever questioning what they believe to be accurate. They just go with what sounds nice and easy.
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,784
4,453
113
The NASB reads - Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14). Without justification, there is no sanctification. Our ongoing sanctification has no bearing on our justification. That is, even if we don't reach entire sanctification/sinless perfection in this lifetime (which we won't) we are still justified by faith in Christ.

How many people who are justified will end up being glorified? Romans 8:30 - Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. ​ALL of them.

Those who are truly born of God have received a new nature, a divine nature, and they have new and different appetites and desires. They have been transformed from pigs and dogs into sheep. The change is more than just cosmetic, as in 2 Peter 2:20. *These cleaned up on the outside dogs and pigs were never sheep.

*Compare 2 Peter 1:4 - "partakers of the divine nature," having escaped the corruption - Strongs #5356 that is in the world through lust with 2 Peter 2:20 - with they escaped the pollutions - Strongs #3356 (different Greek word) of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, yet they are again entangled therein, and overcome. *Notice that 2 Peter 2:20 did not mention them being "partakers of the divine nature."

Corruption (Strongs #5356) (to shrivel or wither, spoil , ruin , deprave, corrupt , defile, to destroy by means of corrupting, to spoil as does milk). Corruption - describes decomposition or rotting of an organism and the accompanying stench. The utter depravity of the fallen flesh and the resultant moral decomposition of the world opposed to God is driven by it sinful lusts or evil desires. Internal corruption.

Pollutions/Defilements (Strongs #3393) ("pollutions", "filthy things", "contaminations", "world's filth") describes the state of being tainted or stained by evil and refers to impurity, impure, tainted, defilement, foulness or pollution.

Pollutions/Defilement refers to what is on the outside (2 Peter 2:20). But genuine believers have escaped the "corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4).

*Corruption is deeper than pollutions/defilements on the outside: it is decay on the inside.

Having the knowledge of Jesus Christ does not save a person if there is no heart submission to that knowledge. The latter end is worse than the beginning for these men because rejecting this knowledge will make them more accountable at the judgment.

Faith
perfected by works means bring to maturity, carry to the end, to complete like love in 1 John 4:18. It doesn't mean that Abraham was finally saved based on his works in Genesis 22. When Abraham performed the good work in Genesis 22; he fulfilled the expectations created by the pronouncement of his faith in Genesis 15:6.

Nothing here about salvation by works.

So how much obedience does it take? How much obedience must we accomplish and "add as a supplement" to Christ's finished work of redemption in order to help Him save us? We are saved by true faith that trusts exclusively in Christ for salvation and true faith results in obeying God. Faith is the root of salvation and obeying God after we have been saved through faith is the fruit.
The whole post is about salvation through faith and works that are combined. Not one or the other.
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,045
13,052
113
58
What of all the scriptures I just posted then? They just get ignored?
Which of those verses specifically said that a really "saved" person really "lost their salvation?" None of them. I will happy to discuss those verses with you.
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,045
13,052
113
58
The whole post is about salvation through faith and works that are combined. Not one or the other.
Don't be so quick to brush off what I shared with you in post #222. It sounds like your mind is already made up before you thoroughly examine the evidence. Please show me just one verse in the Bible that says "saved through faith AND WORKS."
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,784
4,453
113
Don't be so quick to brush off what I shared with you in post #222. It sounds like your mind is already made up before you thoroughly examine the evidence. Please show me just one verse in the Bible that says "saved through faith AND WORKS."
Saved by Grace through faith and with faith produces good works. Obey God or don't obey God. Are you trying to say it doesn't matter if we obey God or not to be saved?
 
Feb 24, 2015
13,204
168
0
Obey God and everything will be okay
Experience. There are many here who have tried this in a blunt way and failed deeply.

The reason is not doing things at a heart level but an intellectual level.
If you grow up in a church with christian parents and only with christian friends, this
easily happens. You are almost a born christian, and being a sinner almost passes you by.

People then become hyper legalists, and live in condemnation and hypocracy, not knowing
why it fails or how. The internal life does not match the external behaviour.

So it is not as simple as you are making out, which is a problem, because when you have
seriously hurting people who as far as they know are walking in obedience the answers need
to be deeper.
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,045
13,052
113
58
Once saved, always saved- false Having faith alone saves-false
Faith that trusts in Christ "alone" for salvation saves (Ephesians 2:8,9). Empty profession of faith that merely claims to be genuine but remains "alone" in producing works, thus demonstrating it's not genuine faith but dead faith does not save (James 2:14).


There are people who are living in sin, far away from God, yet they believed they were going to heaven when they died because at one time in their life they had professed faith in Jesus Christ and were taught in their church that they could never lose their salvation. This false doctrine gave them false security. Not only are they being robbed of the blessings of knowing God in this life but they will be robbed of knowing Him forever unless they repent of their sins and return to the faith. They are in great danger of going to hell when they die.
There are people who profess faith whose faith was never firmly rooted and established in the first place. You are not OSAS IF you were "never truly saved to begin with." There are genuine believers and there are make believers. Instead of having genuine faith, there are those who instead have a shallow, temporary belief that has no root, produces no fruit and withers away, as in the parable of the sower.

 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,045
13,052
113
58
Saved by Grace through faith and with faith produces good works. Obey God or don't obey God. Are you trying to say it doesn't matter if we obey God or not to be saved?
Genuine believers will obey God (yet not perfectly). We are not sinless and absolutely perfect. All genuine believers are fruitful, but not all are equally fruitful. To say that someone is a genuine believer but they never obey God is an oxymoron.
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,784
4,453
113
Experience. There are many here who have tried this in a blunt way and failed deeply.

The reason is not doing things at a heart level but an intellectual level.
If you grow up in a church with christian parents and only with christian friends, this
easily happens. You are almost a born christian, and being a sinner almost passes you by.

People then become hyper legalists, and live in condemnation and hypocracy, not knowing
why it fails or how. The internal life does not match the external behaviour.

So it is not as simple as you are making out, which is a problem, because when you have
seriously hurting people who as far as they know are walking in obedience the answers need
to be deeper.
Yes and as long as we ain't dead failure is good it teaches and gives another opportunity to do better
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,784
4,453
113
Genuine believers will obey God (yet not perfectly). We are not sinless and absolutely perfect. All genuine believers are fruitful, but not all are equally fruitful. To say that someone is a genuine believer but they never obey God is an oxymoron.
But if a non genuine believer believes they are saved without obeying God to the best they can then to them there so called fake salvation can be lost. If your faith not true salvation can be lost.
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,784
4,453
113
If a misguided believer is never told my message then they will forever live in false salvation and I'm not okay with that
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,045
13,052
113
58
Ephesians 2:8-9Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

Grace is the gift of God not faith. So in no way can we earn Grace through human works.
Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified Bible) - For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9 not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].

Faith must also come from teaching the gospel. Teaching, believing, repentance, confession,salvation, baptism, obeying God.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Repentance precedes believing the gospel. Confession is an expression of faith and confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead are not two separate steps to salvation but are chronologically together (Romans 10:8-10). Water baptism and obeying God throughout the Christian life FOLLOWS having been saved through faith. We are saved FOR good works and NOT BY good works. You sound like someone who attends the church of Christ.
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,784
4,453
113
Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified Bible) - For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9 not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Repentance precedes believing the gospel. Confession is an expression of faith and confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead are not two separate steps to salvation but are chronologically together (Romans 10:8-10). Water baptism and obeying God throughout the Christian life FOLLOWS having been saved through faith. We are saved FOR good works and NOT BY good works. You sound like someone who attends the church of Christ.
So your saying I suggested my works would save me alone?
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,784
4,453
113
If so you didn't read my post and your using the same scripture in my post saying the same thing
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,045
13,052
113
58
Matthew 18:3Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

3 “I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted[a] and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
This is how Jesus characterized conversion. It pictures faith as the simple, helpless, trusting, dependence of those who have no resources of their own. Like children, they have no achievements and no accomplishments to offer or commend themselves with. Jesus here is pointing to the need to have the same type of faith that little children exhibit. The most trusting people in the world are children. Children have not acquired the obstructions to faith that often come with advanced education and exposure to the philosophies of men. Christ calls us to have the same kind of trust that little children naturally have. People must become as little children in humbly recognizing their helplessness in attaining the kingdon in their own strength. We are 100% dependent on Jesus to save us.

Matthew 19:17Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

17 “Why do you ask Me about what is good?”[a] He said to him. “There is only One who is good.[b] If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Jesus wanted to impress on this man both the high standard required by God and the absolute futility of seeking salvation by his own merit. This should have elicited a response about his failure, but instead the young man confidently (and self righteously) declared that he qualified for heaven under those terms (vs. 20). This young man missed the point that Jesus was making, failed to place his faith in Jesus for salvation, and continued to trust in his riches (vs. 21-23). His face fell and he went away sad because he could never part with his great wealth, not even in exchange for eternal life.

If keeping the commandments is the basis by which we receive eternal life, then why isn't this remark the pattern for all discussions concerning eternal life? Paul would have said to the jailer who asked, "what must I do to be saved?" by replying; keep the commandments, yet that's not what Paul said. Jesus knows the hearts of all men right? Jesus responds to each individual a little differently because He knows where their need is. He didn't respond to the woman at the well, or Nicodemus or this person the same way did He? Yet the consistent pattern in scripture is salvation through faith, not works.

I often hear Roman Catholics and Mormons quote this verse in an effort to try and prove that salvation is by works.

The word "keep" (His commandments) comes from the Greek word "tereo" (Strong's #5083) and means to keep, to guard, to watch over, preserve. It doesn't mean sinless perfect obedience to all of Christ's commandments 100% of the time. Keeping His commandments is descriptive of a believer (Christian) and not a prerequisite to become saved. The rich young ruler did not keep His commandments. He trusted in his riches and refused to place his faith in Christ for salvation. He was an unbeliever. 1 John 2:3 - Now by this we know that we know Him, IF (demonstrative evidence) we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.


 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,784
4,453
113
You have faith, and I have works.”[b]Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.[c] 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.
20Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected.

Good works comes from genuine faith. Together they are united.
 

Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,784
4,453
113
Who said keeping his command 100% of the time? I didn't. But it's good to teach people to obey God's commands the best they can
 
Dec 12, 2013
46,515
20,395
113
Don't be so quick to brush off what I shared with you in post #222. It sounds like your mind is already made up before you thoroughly examine the evidence. Please show me just one verse in the Bible that says "saved through faith AND WORKS."

There are none.........they all say that works are the result of salvation that one already possesses........Abraham was justified before God by faith without works.......His faith was seen by men based upon the works that were produced because he was saved.....workers for will find out when they stand before God and boast of their right to enter based upon their wonderful works in his name....only to be cast........