Once saved, always saved?

“Well, you believe ‘once saved, always saved’ so you can go out and live your life anyway you want to and not have to worry about it.”

I wish I had a nickel for every time someone has said that to me. While I do believe “once saved, always saved,” I also have based my belief on a number of scriptures in the Bible.

Taken in their proper connection, all the statements of Scripture dealing with this subject are in perfect harmony. They all teach that since a person has been saved by the grace of God; that is, the unmerited favor of God; since salvation is a gift which has been received by faith; since we never began to deserve it and therefore we cannot keep it by deserving it; and since, even to the end of this earthly life, man will go on sinning and fall short of the glory of God which would forfeit his salvation if it were forfeitable; therefore, if any man is ever finally saved at all, it must be by God’s power and not by any of man’s works or deserving.

If Jesus were standing in front of you and you were given the privilege of asking Him one question, and you should ask Him, “Can a person ever lose their salvation?” His response would be the same response as recorded in John 10:27-30: “My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish — ever. No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

The story is told of two men who were arguing about this doctrine. One man said to the other “You remind me very much of my son who, while a very small boy went for a ride with me in a boat. He was very excited to see all the water and wanted to touch it.

I picked him up and held him over the side of the boat lest he fall in and drown. If he had wiggled out of my grip and had fallen in the water, do you believe he would have perished?

“Of course,” the other man replied. To which the man who was holding the boy replied, “You see, I was holding onto the boy and he could not have fallen in. Even if he had wanted to, he was not going to get out of my grip!”

“Suppose you were to get out of God’s grasp, and stay out, would you perish?”

“Certainly” the man replied.

“Then don’t you understand that God has said “they shall never perish?”

“The Lord has already covered that point…” they shall never perish.”

Either God is true or He is a liar. If God said, once we are His children (born again) “we shall never perish,” then you can believe Him and rest with certainty that we shall never perish.

All confusion on the subject of eternal security would disappear if we understood the meaning of grace. G.R.A.C.E. equals “God’s Riches At Christ Expense.”

It has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with Him.

Remember, God loves you just like you are, but He loves you too much to leave you like that.”

Pastor Thad Gifford is lead pastor of the Crossroads Community Church of Madison County, 62 E. Second St., London. He can be reached at (740) 852-7800, e-mail him at sermon8er@aol.com or at their website www.3c-church.org.