Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV) Says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. John 3:16 (KJV) Says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 5:24 (KJV) Says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my Word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." Romans 10:9 (KJV) Says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Revelation 3:5 (KJV) Says, "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out His name out of the book of life, but I will confess His name before my Father, and before His angels."
In the above passage taken from Ephesians it is explained that it is by God's grace that we are saved through faith. This means that when we pray a prayer of salvation and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are saved. God gives us the gift of salvation free of charge. We aren't deserving of it, but by His grace we can receive it, if we only ask. We do not have to do anything but ask in order to receive it, and this ensures that no person can brag that they did something to earn their salvation. There is no credit due us for our being saved. Salvation is free for the asking by the grace of God through faith. The above verse from John chapter three clearly states that God sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins, and that whosoever believes in Him will not die, but will have eternal life. The above verse taken from John chapter five clearly states that whoever hears God's Word, and believes in Him will have eternal life, will not be condemned, and will pass from death meaning our natural death into life meaning our eternal life with God in Heaven. The above verse taken from the book of Romans clearly states that if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and will believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead we will be saved. Finally, the scripture taken from the book of Revelation says that he that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment meaning those who have genuine faith in Christ have the righteousness of Christ accounted to them through the redeeming blood of the Lamb. The book of life is a list of the saved of all ages. The promise not to blot out our name out of the book of life is an emphatic assurance of the eternal security of the true believer. The statement in Greek contains a double negative, which may be translated, "I will by no means blot out his name." Christ will confess the name only of genuine believers.
There are many believers who are walking around in fear that if they make a mistake God is going to revoke their salvation. This is a fear that has been instilled in them by a family member, preacher or teacher of God's word, and they firmly believe it. What does the message that God may revoke your salvation, if you sin after being saved say to non-believers visiting a church or being witnessed to? For many it says why bother? I know I can't live a perfect life as a human being because no human being can. That is not who God is. In the above passages of scripture we are given instructions on how we may receive God's precious gift of salvation, and that once we have done that God promises we will spend eternity with Him in heaven. God has NEVER broken a promise or went back on His Word. If God revoked the salvation of every person who sinned after being saved Heaven would be void of saved souls.
Once we have been saved we continue to sin because we are human beings. The difference is we are new creatures in Christ and are not going about sinning willfully. We are all works in progress and we strive to follow the example that Jesus set for us on how to live our lives righteously. We do not feel the same way when we commit sin after we have been saved as we did prior to accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior because we have the Holy Spirit living in us. We are immediately aware when we do something that is not pleasing to God, and we are remorseful for it. We must ask forgiveness for our sins everyday, and we should never sin purposefully, but God is not going to take back his promise to us that we will spend eternity in Heaven with him, if we have prayed a sinners prayer, and accepted Him as our personal Lord and Savior.
Scripture tells us that there is celebration in Heaven each time a lost soul is saved, but no where in scripture do we read of weeping because God has taken back his gift of salvation from a believer who has accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. II Corinthians 5:10 (KJV) Says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. The judgment seat here is the judgment seat of the believer. While it is true that for the Christian there is no condemnation it is not correct to assume that God will not hold us responsible for the deeds done in the body. We will lose and gain rewards according to our behavior here on earth, and we will be accountable for all we say and do. We do not, however, need to walk around in a constant state of worry and fear wondering whether or not God is going to take back the precious gift of salvation that He gave us freely for the asking by grace through faith.
If you have not accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do so immediately. It is the most important decision you will ever make. Right where you are go to God in prayer, ask him to forgive you of your sins. Tell him you believe that Jesus was born, that he died on the cross for your sins, and that he rose again. Ask him to come into your heart, and tell him you want to make him your Lord and Savior. If you prayed this prayer you have been born again, and are a new creature in Christ. In fact, Ephesians 4:30 (KJV) confirms that we can't lose our salvation. It says, "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed until the day of redemption."
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
No comments:
Post a Comment