People have debated the matter of eternal security (once saved, always saved, or OSAS) and conditional salvation for centuries. Well meaning folks have written volumes supporting their particular side of this never ending debate. Each side of this debate has its favorite Bible verses which they believe support their point of view.
I have learned to rise above the foolishness of this argument.
I now realize that both sides of the OSAS debate are missing the major point, which is that God saves us only once. Both sides of this contest have a litany of scripture that appears to support their point of view. But since the Bible is inerrant, we cannot say these verses contradict. There is always a deeper truth that reconciles apparent contradictions in God's word.
We might consider ourselves saved at some point in our life, and in truth we may really not be. 1 John 2:19 says "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. Such people were never saved, they were just pretending to be. These were "playing church," so to speak.
In short, if you show me a man who goes to Hell on judgment day, I will show you a man who was never saved. And God always knew this man wasn't saved, and God knew when this man would die. So there is really no way to lose what we have never had. A reprobate might fool himself and others into believing he has salvation, but only God truly knows. So the entire OSAS argument evaporates with this understanding.
I think the question then becomes, can a person who appears to be saved actually not be truly saved? And of course the answer is "yes."
But the matter of eternal security vs. conditional salvation is used by Satan to divide and conquer the church.
For the OSAS proponents, they are often teaching some folks who have made weak, counterfeit professions of faith that they cannot lose, no matter what they do. This causes them to venture fearlessly and foolishly deeper into sin. Satan wins.
The conditional salvationist will teach the brethren that they could fall and lose their salvation at any moment, so they have to really work hard (emphasis on work) to maintain that salvation. I have a friend who has been so conflicted over this matter that he has become clinically depressed. He really thinks God rejects him and accepts him, and rejects him and accepts him, all the day long... I can't get through to him, he's often a real mess. Again, Satan--the cleverest of adversaries--wins.
So the two cases above are real world examples of how Satan can use both sides of the OSAS argument to beat down the church. I don't believe either side of this contest is pleasing God. There is a greater truth that transcends this argument--namely, God knows our future and He alone knows who is saved and who isn't. The one who is not saved in the end cannot be said to have ever been saved. Is this not as plain as the nose on your face??
I am firmly convinced that I have seen through Satan's scheme with the OSAS debating. Both sides are entertaining the devil, in my opinion.
Now... :) Here is what you can do if you are concerned about losing your salvation, and falling into hell as a result of departing from God at some point in your future:
Step 1. Realize that it is not God's will than any should perish, He wants us all to come to salvation. See 1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9
Step 2. Realize that Christ has told us that whatever we ask of the Father in His name, we will receive it. By being "in His name," Christ means that we are asking only that God's will be done in our lives. See John 15:16
Step 3. Compare steps 1 and 2 and realize that if we prayerfully ask our Lord to come and find us, should we become lost like the sheep mentioned in Matthew 18:12, He will do this. We have asked only what we already know God's will to be.
Step 4. When you are in fellowship with Christ, pray the following prayer: "Lord Jesus, I know that it is Your will that I not be lost. I pray, Lord Jesus, that if I ever wander astray that you will come and find me and restore me to Yourself before I die in sin. Lord You know the day and the moment when I will die. And so I pray that if I fall into sin that you would seek after me and restore me and chasten me to repentance, just as you did with King David when you sent Nathan to him. I pray, Lord Jesus, and believe, that you would do as much for me.
(See 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 regarding David's sin and repentance).
Step 5. Realize that God will answer that prayer in the affirmative, because you have asked only for what you already know His will to be.
And do you know what? Even if you don't pray that prayer, Christ has already prayed it for you! Look at John chapter 17, where Jesus is praying to the Father, and He says:
20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
And so we see that we are safe in His mighty hand. Since we have believed, we can know that should we stumble, Christ will seek after us and bring us back into the fold. The only qualification is genuine, true belief. Some have asked the question: "What happens if you stop believing?" But a true believer will not stop believing. Being born again is not some state of mind that one adapts and tries to maintain. It is a literal change. A true born again believer can no more stop believing than a human being can become "unborn" of his mother.
So rest assured that if you do start to drift away from Christ and become temporarily lost, HE WILL come to find you. And when He does find you, you will repent and be restored. How do we know this? Because you are one of His sheep, and He is the Great Shepherd. :)
Dan Newberry
