On The Damascus Road Answers Salvation, How Secure Am I?

		Salvation's Security     Out of a series of questions that has crossed my desk lately one has a lot of controversy surrounding it. Losing one's salvation has been talked about in the Sunday school classes and in the hallways. There has been heavy discussion in home study groups, from the pulpits of the churches, and even in the work place. It seems that there are very few places where, when the subject comes up, you will not find a divergence of views. Each and every one of those views appear to have Scriptural grounds to be based upon. However, those in error are only apparently Scriptural while missing the real substance of a firm foundation. Let's take a tour though the Biblically based understanding of the subject - Salvation Losable or Not.     Needless to say, it is possible to lose Salvation by refusing the gift of the shed blood of Jesus. In this manner you lose by not receiving, but that's not losing what you have - it is losing out on what you could have had.     Beyond that corridor of thinking, to the presence of the Holy Spirit in your lives is the step from lost and eternally separated from God to saved and having the ever present Comforter constantly dealing with you toward progressive sanctification in Jesus. It is accurate to say you first must be truly saved, and though this is repetitious it is still necessary to be said - Only God and the person in question can or should judge the reality of one's salvation! If we were to take the fruit-bearing of the saved as a condition of salvation, I'm afraid there would be very few of us passing the test. There are many that are totally unregenerate that have put on the mantle of being saved to show to the world their spirituality. Just as there are others that have, in actuality, received Jesus the Christ as their Saviour, but do on occasion lapse into carnality that leaves them indistinguishable from the lost. Claiming the loss of one's salvation based on lack of visible works or judging the carnality would be denying the Gift received.     The proper answer to this is not going to be easy because there are so many complicating factors involved. There are verses abounding that imply, when taken out of context, the possibility of losing one's salvation, but of course, that can be said of just about any subject. Can't it? If you use a verse out of context almost anything could be proved by it. Here, we must be careful that the verses used have direct bearing on what we are trying to convey.     I said there are many complicating factors involved and just about every one of them are caused by interpretation or misunderstanding of various verses in Scripture. There is the Armenian understanding, the Calvinist theory, and a myriad of other theories being advanced concerning the type of Salvation God has bestowed upon man and how safe and secure (or unsafe and unsecure) one might be in that Salvation. It has been said that it's too bad God did not state in an unquestionable manner 'Once saved always saved' because that part would settle it. But I'm rather glad He has more wisdom which we can rely on than we have demonstrated with that statement. It can be considered a sure thing that if the statement proposed had been included in Scripture, there would be any number of people going to hell which are not now, because they did not rest on such a phrase. They continued to question their attitude and eventually truly repented of their sins. Read Once Saved, Always Saved? Really? for a clearer understanding on this subject.      I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Some have taken this verse to mean, as Christians we must continue to ask for forgiveness and to seek cleansing from the Lord. This could not be any further from the truth. And before I have all my brethren jumping upon my being, I should like to explain. I was forgiven of all my sins when Jesus shed His precious blood for my redemption. Any further request for His forgiveness makes His death for me null and void. I do not claim I am sinless (except in the eyes of Our Father) for I am still mortal and the flesh is still error riddled. Paul said the things he would do - he did not and the things he would not do - he did (Romans 7:15,19). God can look at me only through the shed blood of Jesus. I recognize the sins that I do and thank God that they have been forgiven. Then I ask Him to help me in overcoming these sins so I may grow in Grace and become more like He would have me to be.     Not to make this a commentary on I John 1:1-10, but an explanation of the first chapter of this book is in order. I John 1:1-10 is written as an overview of what is or is not a Christian. The first four verses simply state John's reason for writing this. (What we have heard and seen declare we unto you so you also can have fellowship with the Father and Jesus). The next two verses declare God to be light and if we walk in darkness we don't have fellowship with the Father. Verse seven states that if we walk in the light it is because we have been cleansed by Him, and cleansed of all sin. Verse eight goes on to state if we cannot recognize sin in ourselves then truly God (the light) could not be in us for we are still in darkness. Verse nine shows us how to correct that condition; first, by recognizing sin does exist in us; second, confess that sin. Immediately you are in the light, you have fellowship, and you are cleansed. Verse ten is a statement to those that do not follow the admonition in verse nine to the effect that if you say you don't sin you make Him a liar, because all through the Bible, God has declared man to be sinful (Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God:") That, in a nut shell, is chapter 1. Though more riches are present to be gleaned, there is no deep dark secret or a hidden meaning we must dig and dig to bring to light. I just finished a book in which it took twenty two and a half pages to explain verse nine. The conclusion proved reading it to be a waste of time.     We cannot, for example, take a verse like 1 Cor 3:15 and claim a loss of salvation when we absolutely must consider the four verses coming before it which lay the ground work for loss of reward rather than salvation. I Cor 3:11-15 "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (12) "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;" (13) "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." (14) "If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward." (15) "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."     Obviously, the foundation was laid by Jesus for our salvation. What any man builds upon that foundation is only the growth factor in the life of the man. That growth can be golden and precious or it can be extremely volatile and quickly be burned as does wood, hay and stubble. If trial by fire proves the excellent growth then there shall be the reward of crowns which we can lay at the feet of Jesus (Rev 3:11 and Rev 4:10-11). If the growth factor is burned and nothing remains, then the rewards will be fewer in number, but the foundation will not have changed. The works of Jesus will never be removed (Isaiah 55:11 and John 10:28).     I believe we should first take a look at the work of the Holy Spirit in securing salvation to the saved person. This is not to say the work of the Holy Spirit in more important than the work of Jesus or the work of the Father. It is only that the first work is that of the Holy Spirit as one receives salvation. 2 Cor 1:21,22 "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, [is] God; (22) Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." Eph 1:13,14 "In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, (14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." I could not find greater verses if I wrote my own to declare the security of the believer. Read Rom 8:38,39 "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come," (39) "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." When the Holy Spirit is given by our Heavenly Father as an earnest to seal us unto Jesus there is none so mighty which is able to break that bond. Surely not the devil (Satan, Lucifer), nor his angels have that power, not even you have the power to cast aside the bonds of the Holy Spirit.     You can grieve Him and you can quench Him, but you cannot cast Him off. Eph 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." I Thess 5:18,19 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (19) "Quench not the Spirit." Grieving the Holy Spirit is extremely simple to do - Sin! That's it, and the Holy Spirit will withdraw into a quiet corner of your being until you give way to Him as He gently nudges you toward a better life in Jesus. Quenching is just as easy but much more subtle. Have you ever been told by the Holy Spirit to say something to another person about Jesus, and you said, "Oh, I wouldn't know what to say. I might even do more harm than good. I'll let someone better qualified talk to him or her." The Holy Spirit was building a spiritual fire in you and you just threw a barrel of water on that fire and quenched it! One further thought right here, just who do you think you are to question the wisdom of the Holy Spirit? Since God has touched your heart to talk to a lost soul do not think that Our Heavenly Father is going to get you started and then abandon you. God knows what he is doing and I would prefer to think that you do not.      Romans 5:5 "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Rom 8:9 "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." I Cor 2:12,13 "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." (13) "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." I Cor 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" If there was any doubt in your mind about the work of the Holy Spirit in your life these verses in this paragraph and especially the last one from 1 Cor 6:19 should serve notice that you are secure in your salvation.     In every argument pressed upon you to convince you that one can lose the Security of Salvation, I recommend an examination of the argument verse by verse against the total context of the chapter and, if need be, even the surrounding chapters to see how each relates to each other. Then compare them to Ephesians 1:13,14 and Romans 8:38,39. Rest assured, Scripture does not lie nor contradict itself. I am confident God will gladly open your understanding to His wonderful Word.