When the topic of salvation comes up it is often spoken of as a gift, and it is, but did you know that salvation is also a calling?

In 1 Thessalonians Paul expresses his desire for the Thessalonians to understand this by saying, As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. ~ 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

Being called to God’s kingdom and glory is no other than the call of our salvation, and Paul strongly urges and encourages the Thessalonians to walk worthy of God as a result. Now, I want you to consider Paul’s words in his second epistle to the Thessalonians. Paul writes the following:

…the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Thessalonians 1:7-12

I want you to notice that even though Paul acknowledges that the Thessalonians had believed the gospel, his continual prayer for them was that they would be counted worthy of the calling of Christ being glorified in his saints at his coming. It wasn’t enough that they had believed the gospel on that day as Paul puts it, they also needed to walk worthy of God, thus Paul prays and admonishes them to walk worthy of the Lord.

With this in mind consider Paul’s words to the Ephesians.

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. ~ Ephesians 4:1-6

Now, in this reference I want you to notice that Paul mentions walking worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. In this text, Paul is not referring to calls such as missionary, pastor, teacher, worship leader, etc. He is referring to the new life in Christ that we are called to walk in.

The Amplified Bible says,  So I, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called [that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior—a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation]

As we continue reading we see that Paul refers to this calling as being called in one hope of our calling. This is said within the context of one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and One God and Father of all. I am persuaded that Paul’s understanding of this call is what he is referring to as the high calling in Christ Jesus in his letter to the Philippians.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 3:8-14

The call of our salvation is a high calling, and the prize is conformity to the image and likeness of Jesus. This is what the salvation we have received in Christ works in us from day one until we see our Lord face to face.

The apostle Peter also chimes in, telling us to give diligence to make your calling and election sure. He says this within the context of godly and holy living so that an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Bible has much to say about the calling of our salvation. For instance, we are called to holiness according to 1 Thessalonians 4:7 and we are called to share in the glory of Christ according to 2 Thessalonians 2:14. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul tells Timothy to Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called… ~ 1 Timothy 6:12.

The Bible speaks often of the importance of holding firm to what we have in Christ and standing firm in the grace that we have received in Christ. In the reference above, Paul tells Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. That is how we lay hold of the eternal life to which we are called. Notice the use of the word “called”. We are called to eternal life and we must hold to the faith (fight the good fight of faith) so that we obtain the promise. This is what continuously shows up in Paul’s writings.

I could go on, but I hope this teaching has given you something to think about and something to encourage you to search within the scriptures for yourself as you work out your own salvation with fear in trembling, knowing that it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure.

Salvation is much more than a one time gift. It is a call to follow Jesus, to live by faith, and to sojourn through this life in the fear of God, who has called us to be holy, even as He is Holy!

Below I am linking an article by Chad Bird. This is an outstanding perspective on the meaning of Jesus’s words from the cross. I hope it blesses and encourages you.

https://www.1517.org/articles/my-god-my-god-why-have-you-me-rethinking-psalm-221

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.~ Revelation 2:8-10

Everything that Jesus says to the church of Smyrna is important, but I want to draw your attention to his instructions to them to be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. We then have the interpretation of what Jesus means by that saying in the very next verse, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.~ Revelation 2:8-10

Remaining faithful to Jesus even as they faced death, would be the ultimate test of their faith in Jesus. Remaining faithful meant they were overcomers and would not be hurt by the second death. 

So what is the second death? The book of the Revelation tells us exactly what it is.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ~ Revelation 20:14

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. ~ Revelations 21:8

Continuing in faithfulness to Jesus is what insured the Smyrna believers that they would not be hurt by the second death. And we are explicitly told that this same truth applies to us who believe today by the words, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Jesus’s instructions to the church at Smyrna is something we all need to heed because we must be faithful to the end to receive a crown of life. The scriptures reveal that our faith will be tested and it is the faith that has been tried that brings honor and glory to God.

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. ~ 1 Peter 1:7-9

It is the end of our faith, not the beginning that assures that we will be with Christ forever. This is why those who receive Christ need to be discipled and grow daily in their faith in Jesus. A faith you possessed when you were 15 years old will not benefit you when you are 50 if you have rejected the Christ that you once believed and trusted.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul writes, But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. ~ 2 Timothy 4:5-8

Notice that Paul explicitly states, I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.

There is no text anywhere that tells us that we will receive a crown of righteousness by simply believing in Jesus at one point in our life. We must live by faith, and keep the faith. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. ~ Hebrews 10:38

Do we hear what the Spirit says to the church of Smyrna?  Do we truly understand how important it is to remain faithful to Jesus? Saving faith is not a one time believing experience. Saving faith is faith that overcomes by faithfulness to Jesus. It is the faith that endures to the end. Those who possess this faith will not be hurt by the second death.

If you have come upon this article, and you once knew the Lord, but you have not kept the faith, now is the time to repent and pray for God’s forgiveness. God is faithful and he will forgive and establish you again if you will trust him, but you must follow Jesus and remain faithful to him to receive the crown of life.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. ~ Isaiah 55:6-7

For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins… Hebrews 10:26

Who are those who sin willfully in this text? Some who teach Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS) claim that it is referring to those who never accept Jesus, but this cannot be the case because this verse is connected to the previous verses by the conjunction “for.”

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins… ~ Hebrews 10:23-26

In verse 29 those to whom this verse refers were once sanctified by the blood of Christ.

Now, the reason I say that some who teach OSAS make this claim is because there is another group among the OSAS advocates who claim that this text is referring to believers and the warnings which follow do not equate to a loss of salvation. According to this view of OSAS, those referred to in verse 26 and the following verses are still saved and going to Heaven as part of the bride of Christ.

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. ~ Hebrews 10:26-31

I heard one Pastor argue that where verse 26 says, “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,” the text is referring to the end of the offering of animal sacrifices because Jesus’s sacrifice is eternal and that the Christian who commits apostasy is still saved.

Honestly, I was stunned that anyone could twist this portion of Hebrews 10 to make such a claim. First and foremost, just a plain reading of these scriptures and following the flow of thought ought to be enough to convince the reader that this Pastor’s claim is not correct. Allow me to show how we would have to understand this portion of scripture to read it in such a way by providing the following example.

“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins because Jesus’s sacrifice is once for all. But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries… “

As you can see, this would make absolutely no sense with the flow of thought. Making such claims by interjecting the idea that the one who sins willfully (becomes apostate) still maintains the salvation provided by the sacrifice of Jesus, is completely contrary to what is being communicated by the writer of Hebrews.

So what do the words there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, actually mean? In simple terms this is a reference to no more sacrifice for sins beyond the sacrifice of Jesus. Based on the whole teaching of the book of Hebrews this is referring to a person who has been a believer, but has turned away from Christ and hardened their heart beyond the point of repentance.

Once there is no place for any repentance in heart of one who has become apostate, they have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit and will experience the eternal judgment mentioned in Hebrews 6. Now, If this causes fear in your heart, then you have not committed this sin. The fear of the unpardonable sin torments a lot of people. As a young man it tormented me and almost cost me my sanity. It was my desperation to overcome this fear that drove me to seek and understand the power of the blood of Jesus, and that led me into much learning about the cross of Christ.

If the blood of Jesus is precious to you – YOU ARE SAFE!!!!!

Do not live in fear of this sin. Live with the fear of God in your heart, and hIs Holy Spirit with keep you from ever being a candidate for this sin. The Spirit of God will keep you in saving grace of Christ.

A believer who loves Jesus can not commit this sin. A believer who is hardened by sin to the point that he no longer has a place for repentance in him, can. No one becomes an apostate because God refuses to forgive them. All sins are forgivable except the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which is the sin that the writer of Hebrews details throughout his epistle. This is the sin of permanently hardening your heart (beyond repentance) against the Lord after you have received the knowledge of the truth (after you have known the Lord.

The one who has committed this sin has become apostate because they have permanently rejected the grace of God. Thus they sin willfully with no regard for Jesus. They have trodden underfoot the Son of God, counted the blood of the covenant that sanctified them as an unholy thing, and done despite the Spirit of grace.

They have consciously and deliberately chosen to reject the grace of God and for this reason there is no longer any sacrifice to save them, there remains no more sacrifice for sin. There is nothing beyond Jesus except a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. ~ Colossians 1:25-28

Notice that Paul states that he labored in ministry by God’s working which worked mightily in him so as to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Now, what is Paul talking about? Throughout the epistles we see a repeated promise, hope, and expectation of the faithfulness of God working within us.

For example, consider Paul’s words to the Philippians in chapter one.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. ~ Philippians 1:3-7

The promise, hope, and expectation that we have in Christ is that God will complete the work he has begun in us. Paul takes hold of this in his prayers, so much so that he says to the Philippians, “I have you in my heart.” Not only in his prayers, but also in his preaching and ministry service, Paul served by the truth that God is faithful to complete in us what he had begun.

Notice again, Paul’s words to the Colossians: Whom (Christ) we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Not only did Paul believe that God is faithful to complete the work he had begun us, he also believed that those for whom he prayed and served, should participate.

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. ~ Philippians 3:12-13

The promise, hope, and expectation of the faithfulness of God to complete the work he has begun in us must be coupled with our faith in God to do exactly that! And that is where the disconnect is for so many Christians who have embraced the eternal security of the Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS) doctrine.

Eternal security within the context of OSAS is not an expectation of victory which results from the faithfulness of God accomplishing his work within us. Instead, it is a safety net for failure. Eternal security focuses on going to Heaven after you die, rather than living in victory over sin and darkness in this present world. Yet, Paul believed that Jesus had given himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father ~ Galatians 1:4

The message of eternal security is that of believing and then going to heaven, while skipping over the importance of overcoming in this life, by the walk of faith. The Bible has far more to say about our walk of faith in this life than it does about going to Heaven. Yet many who embrace OSAS doctrine view faithfulness to Jesus in this life as salvation by works.

This is evident in a statement made by a OSAS advocate who opposed my position that the OSAS gospel is about the benefit of going to Heaven, and not about true cleansing from sin so that we might serve God faithfully as a redeemed people.

My position regarding serving God faithfully in this life was met with the following reply: So what you’re saying is Salvation is by WORKS.  Like I said, you’re NOT Saved.  Is Salvation a Gift or Not?

According to this person, my focus on true cleansing from sin so that I can serve God faithfully as a redeemed person, meant that I believe that salvation is by works, and that I am not saved, and that I don’t understand that salvation is a gift. That’s the conclusion he reached! This is the same fellow whom I mentioned in a previous article that stated, “if you don’t believe in OSAS, then you’re Not Saved because you are Trusting in your Works to get you to Heaven.”

In response to another, this same person said the following: Christians Shouldn’t Drink Alcohol, but if they have Believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and Received Eternal Life, they can NEVER “Lose” their Salvation, even if they Kill Someone like King David did.  Salvation is NOT by Works. For by Grace are ye Saved through Faith, and not that of yourselves,  it is the Gift of God, not of Works lest any man Boast.

It doesn’t take a detective to understand that this fellow thinks that believing in Jesus is about having the security of going to heaven even if you kill somebody. The real tragedy is that the OSAS doctrine he has embraced could cause him to miss out on the knowledge of the faithfulness of God to keep us and give us victory over sin in this present world.

He makes another statement, which echos the view that many sincere christians have saying, “We Christians SHOULD do good Works, and I’m trying my Best, but I’m not trusting in Good Works to get me to Heaven…”
 
I have no doubt in my mind that this person is a fellow believer and a brother in Christ, even though he told me that I am not saved because he interprets my take regarding faithfulness to Jesus as me saying we are saved by works and not by grace.

Where he and I part ways (doctrinally) is that the salvation that I believe I received through Christ when I believed the gospel, continues to work in me daily by the power of Christ. It will continue working in me to conform me to the likeness of Christ until the day I see Christ face to face. His belief is that his faith in Christ secured for him a place in Heaven while he does the best he can, but if he becomes terrible sinner, such as a murderer, he will still go to Heaven.

Can you see the difference?

Again, I accept him as a brother even though that doesn’t reciprocate from him to me, at lest not based on his comment to me. Let me encourage everyone reading this to stop doing the best you can in your service to Christ, and enter into rest trusting in the faithfulness of God. This is another fault I find with the OSAS doctrine. Its robs the child of God of the joy that our faithful God and Father will work in us unceasingly until we are fully mature and bearing fruit by the grace of God.

God’s word exhorts us to enter into the rest of faith. The rest of faith is the abiding trust that God will perform all his good will and work in our lives. The writer of Hebrews who teaches us and encourages us concerning this rest, says in the benediction of the epistle Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ~ Hebrews 13:20-21

The biblical path into the rest that we are to enter, is not that of believing we will enter our promised land after death. Instead, it is abiding in the faithfulness of God who will perfect in us every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight. This, he will accomplish through his Son, Jesus Christ, who is our faithful High Priest!

Now, do you remember all those references in the New Testament about overcoming?

Overcoming is not about going to Heaven even if we murder somebody. It’s victory over the flesh and sin in this world so that we might glorify God in these mortal bodies. This is the victory that Paul is appealing to when speaks of being confident that God, who has begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

It is not God’s will for us to live in failure, overcome by sin in this life. It is God’s will to give us victory over sin so that you may be testimony for the glory of God!

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Let’s delve for a moment into this. Paul says, thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ. Paul then tells us that through the triumph that we have in Christ, we are a savor or fragrance of the knowledge of God in every place.

God himself causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus. This echos Paul’s words to the Philippians that God will be faithful to complete the work he has begun in us and that it is God who is at work in us both to will and to do his good pleasure.

Paul tells us regarding the triumph that we have in Christ, that God (not us, but God) causes the fragrance of his knowledge to be known in every place, by the triumph he gives us in Christ. This is the faithfulness of God working in us enabling our lives to glorify him in this world. God’s desire is for us to overcome the sins that Jesus has cleansed, and continues to cleanses us from when we fail, so that by the power of his Holy Spirit we live in victory as overcomes. 

The apostle Peter says something similar in his second epistle, telling us that God’s divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue. Peter then says, Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Peter follows this by listing several virtues that we should add to our faith: virtue, knowledge, self control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. That sounds a lot like the fruit of the Spirit mentioned by Paul in Galatians, doesn’t it? Now notice what Peter says next:

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Peter 1:8-11

An entrance into the everlasting Kingdom is what every true believer who has embraced OSAS doctrine, desires, and Peter tells us exactly how to have assurance that we will have it.

Now, Paul says of the our triumph in Jesus, that we are the fragrance of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the fragrance of death unto death; and to the other the fragrance of life unto life.

To those who saved we are the fragrance of death to death. In other words, we carry the knowledge of the power of Christ’s death as victory over sin and the flesh by the work of God in us. Seeing your brother overcome is inspiring, encouraging, and causes much thanks to God for his glorious grace. For our brothers and sisters in Christ, our triumph in Christ ministers hope and expectation that God will do the same in them. To the other (the unsaved) we are the fragrance of life unto life. The power of the life of Jesus works in us to give life to those who are dead in this trespasses and sins.

That is a far cry from the safety net of eternal security. The only safety net that we need is the faithfulness of God who has promised to complete the work he has begun in us.

God is faithful!

Blessings…

In Ephesians 5, Paul likens the union of Christ and the church with that of a husband and a wife. Paul says,  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ~ v. 31-32

In fact, there are numerous places in the New Testament where our union with Christ through the saving grace of God is spoken of in marriage terms. It shows up, not only in the epistles but also in the parables and teachings of Jesus, as well as in the book of the Revelation, where it is a major theme. Furthermore, it is difficult to miss when reading the Old Testament, as it is often the illustration used by the prophets in relation to God and his people, Israel. This same theme is carried over into the New Testament as it relates to Christ and his church.

Within the context of the concept of marriage between God and his people we find other truths such as discipleship, and denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily to follow Jesus. None of which have any importance in relation to salvation as preached within the OSAS (once saved always saved) gospel, which is not the gospel but another.

Referring to OSAS as another gospel may sound extreme to some, but there is a sect of Christianity which believe that OSAS is in fact, the gospel.

OSAS is no more biblical than the idea of once married, always married. Marriage requires commitment. It is not a one night stand with no commitment. The real tragedy of the OSAS gospel is that it patterns the union of our faith in God after that of a one night stand,  but the whole counsel of scripture teaches that salvation is a marriage, not a benefit to be received by shacking up for a brief time.

Now, some may find the illustration of shacking up offensive, but the reality is that is exactly the message that the OSAS gospel conveys. This false gospel sets forth the notion that you have the benefits of being married to Christ for all eternity, even if you live in spiritual adultery your entire Christian life.

Some of the proponents of the OSAS gospel actually think that if you believe your salvation is dependent on your ongoing faithfulness to Christ then you aren’t really saved. Now I want you to think about that. Imagine being told that you are not saved if you believe that you must continue to be faithful to Christ. This is evident in the following comment that I recently read elsewhere: “…if you don’t believe in OSAS, then you’re Not Saved because you are Trusting in your Works to get you to Heaven.”

Claiming that a person is not saved if they don’t believe the OSAS gospel, is like saying a man is not truly married if he is faithful to his wife. The real tragedy of the OSAS gospel is that it sets forth salvation as a contractual transaction. You have the benefits of marriage without the commitment to faithfulness. This ideology comes through in the comment cited above. The OSAS gospel is about the benefit of going to Heaven, and not about true cleansing from sin so that we might serve God faithfully as a redeemed people.

In Luke’s gospel the Holy Spirit spoke through Zacharias (the father of John the baptist) concerning the promised Salvation which was to come through the Messiah.

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. ~ Luke 1:67-75

Notice that the salvation prophesied by the Holy Spirit through Zacharias looks nothing like the salvation of the OSAS gospel, which is transactional for the purpose of going to Heaven, even if you choose to become a reprobate, and an apostate toward the faith afterwards.

According to the OSAS gospel, God is contractually obligated to bring you to Heaven in exchange for a one time believing experience, even if you don’t serve him, follow him, and you choose to live in sin by hardening your heart against him. 

This false gospel is patterned, not after marriage, but after the moment of passion in which two people have intimacy, committing fornication. I was recently told by a Pastor who teaches this gospel, “Those who believe in Christ ONE time have eternal life forever.” His point was that it does not matter how a person lives afterwards, he is eternally secure even if he later renounces the faith that he once embraced. In fact, his comment was in defense of his view that those who once believed, but afterwards become apostate to the faith are still going to Heaven.

This is not marriage, it is shacking up. It is not commitment, it is a one night stand, and that is exactly why the OSAS view is a false gospel and should be completely rejected. Neither the prophets in the Old Testament, nor the apostles in the New Testament ever set forth a salvation with no commitment. The only exception would be those who cry out for mercy at death’s door like the thief on the cross.

Salvation belongs to the bride, not a harlot!

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  ~ Ephesians 5:25-27

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. ~ Matthew 25:31-46

How do we square these words of Jesus with the teachings of the Bible that  justification is by faith? If we were to simply read these words of our Lord in a vacuum, we might reach the conclusion that Jesus is preaching salvation by works, but that is not at all what is going on here.

In my last post, titled on Following Jesus, we saw that those who are Jesus’s sheep hear his voice, Jesus knows them, and they follow him. We learned that the words hear, know, and follow are all verbs and are present indicative active, which implies that the sheep actively follow Jesus, and will continue to follow Jesus.

What does following Jesus really mean?

In 1 John we read, He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. ~ 1 John 2:4-6 

In Matthew’s gospel Jesus separates the sheep from the goats at the culmination of the ages and rewards the sheep with the Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. He does this not because they earned a state of justification by good works, but because they followed Jesus, their Shepherd, and did the works of Christ.

This is what following Jesus means when our feet hit the ground. John tells us, He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. John will go on to tell us that his commandment is love.

True conversion is deliverance from sin unto a transformed life by which we are daily being conformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. If we would follow Jesus and live as Jesus would have us live, we would never be concerned with such things as, can we lose our salvation? If we are following Jesus, that is completely off the table. We have the promise of eternal life.

The only ones who should be concerned with losing their salvation are those who claim to have been saved because of a one time believing experience, but have no real fellowship with Christ and no conformity into his likeness. True salvation leads the believer into discipleship which transforms us into the likeness of Christ. 

Paul tells the Corinthians, Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 2 Corinthians 13:5

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. ~ John 10:27-29

In the text above the words they follow is a reference to the sheep of whom Jesus is the Shepherd. In the Greek, this word follow is a verb, and is present indicative active, which means that the action of following Jesus happens in the present time, and that the subject (those who follow Jesus) carry out the action, and that the statement is true.

The implication of this text is that the sheep actively follow Jesus, and will continue to follow Jesus, not that they followed him in the past. Furthermore, the words, hear (My sheep hear my voice) and know (I know them) are also verbs which are present indicative active. Thus the text should be understood as My sheep actively hear my voice and I actively know them, and they actively follow me.

We must be careful that we do not read John 10:27 as if Jesus is saying my sheep heard my voice. Verses 27-30 is not a section of scripture which references a one time believing experience which happened only in the past. Unfortunately, it has often been used for this purpose and some who are not faithful to follow Jesus have taken false comfort in the thought that they are saved, even though they may be living in adultery, or some other terrible lifestyle. Having said a prayer many years ago will not profit you on the day of the Lord if you have lived in wickedness and not followed Jesus from your heart.

Those who are the sheep, who belong to Christ, are those who actively hear his voice and follow him. To be actively engaged in hearing the Shepherd’s voice is to listen. This may be why the NIV translates verse 27 as, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

The NIV is not the only translation that employs the word listen, many others do as well. The Amplified Bible Classic Edition says, The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. (Bold added for emphasis)

The word listen is probably an accurate rendering. Have you ever been in the same room with someone and heard them speak but you weren’t listening and couldn’t remember a word they said? I think we all have at one time or another, and I don’t think Jesus is referring to that kind of hearing when he says my Sheep hear my voice. The Sheep recognize and respond to his voice, they listen !

Many sincere Christians struggle with the concept of hearing the voice of God, and this is mainly due to wrong ideas of what it means to hear God’s voice. Jesus is the voice of truth from God, and the Spirit of God abiding within, whom we receive through faith in Jesus, bears witness within us to the truth that is in Jesus. Hearing God’s voice simply means listening to and for the truth in Jesus. and following that truth. As we grow in the knowledge of the truth in Christ, and it takes root within us, we better recognize when the truth is missing, and we won’t follow the voice of another. Consider the following from the apostle John.

Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. ~ 1 John 2:24-27

Notice the words of John in the text above, where he says If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. He follows that statement by saying And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

Here in this section of scripture, John is echoing the very same thing he tells us in John 10:27-29, where the sheep who follow (and continue to follow) the Shepherd have the promise of eternal life. John uses the word if saying,  If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

The promise of eternal life belongs to those who remain in the truth and continue in the Son and the Father. John would have never made this statement if there were no possibility that one who is in the sheepfold could not be seduced to follow another. That is why he follows this by saying, These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

Whether we want to hear it or not, a Christian can be seduced and follow another if they don’t continue to abide in the truth that is in Jesus. Paul warns the Corinthians of another gospel, another spirit, and another Jesus.

So how do we avoid being seduced? John answers that by telling us, the anointing (the Spirit) which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing (the Spirit of Christ) teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

When John says you need not that any man teach you, he is not telling us that we don’t need others to teach us the Word of God. Teacher is one of the gifts that Jesus has given to his body. Being under good teaching is a necessity for healthy growth in the things of God. What John is referring to is the abiding truth that is in Christ. Every believer who has come to Christ has come to the truth, and has received the Spirit of truth bearing witness in them of the truth. The Spirit bears witness to the truth, because the Spirit is truth.

Those who seduce people away from Christ do so with a mixture of truth and error. John says they went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. ~ v. 18

As Christians, if we want the promise of eternal life, we must continue to follow Jesus. Seducers will use Jesus (use his name, his teachings, his miracles and healings, etc), to draw attention to themselves. Seducers, which are false teachers, false prophets, and false apostles do not nurture your devotion to Christ alone. Thus they introduce teachings that get your eyes off of Christ by tempting you to lust after other things such as prosperity, supernatural experiences, etc. Others seduce with extreme legalism and rules about Sabbaths, feast days, and strict religious practices that have nothing to do with genuine godliness from the heart.

The work of seducers is to make you dull of hearing and desensitize your conscience to the voice of the Lord. When this happens you no longer hunger for the truth from your heart, but seek teachers to satisfy your itching ears which have been awakened by your lusts.

The fact that John encourages us to let that which we have heard from the beginning (the truth in Christ) to remain in us so as to not be seduced, ought to teach us that anyone of us could fall from the grace of God if we do not remain faithful to Jesus.

Follow Jesus, and keep your eyes on him!

The following is just my observation, or opinion.

What are people truly arguing when they debate the topic of eternal security? I think our presuppositions (our background beliefs) come into play more than some of us would like to admit. How we view salvation itself, plays a major role in how we lean regarding this topic, and which scriptures we choose to embrace the most.

Salvation does mean different things to different people. For some, salvation means going to Heaven when they die, for others it means a transformed life. What salvation means to an individual will affect how they read the Bible and how they live out their faith.

For those who believe that salvation means going to Heaven when they die, the possibility of apostasy (falling away) must be rejected, or else the insurance that is eternal security, is jeopardized.

On the other hand, for those who view salvation as deliverance from sin into a transformed life, there is less concern about eternal security because their approach is different. The fear of the possibility of  missing out on Heaven isn’t something of great concern to them.

Now, regardless of our presupposition, we can all be certain that Heaven is our destination after we leave this world if we follow Jesus, but is our destination in the afterlife what salvation is really about, or is it more about freedom from sin and following Jesus in this present world? How you answer this question may most likely determine which way you lean when OSAS is brought up.

May I suggest a healthy combination of the two: freedom from sin unto a transformed life in the present, and exceeding joy in the life to come.

Feel free to share your thoughts.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. ~ Galatians 2:20

Paul’s words in the text above have been a source of encouragement and strength to many believers since the time they were written, but a text like this can also easily be misunderstood if read in isolation. So what exactly was Paul meaning when he said, I am crucified with Christ, and how can we stand with Paul and say the same?

First, we need to know that being crucified with Christ is not some metaphysical doctrine that Paul taught. Paul was not teaching a doctrine outside reality. To be crucified with Christ does not mean that when Jesus died on the cross I was also dying at the same time. Instead, it means that through faith in Jesus, I am surrendering my life to his, and yielding to his Holy Spirit to live through me in obedience to Jesus as my Lord.

Paul says to the Romans, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ~ Romans 12:1-2

Being crucified with Christ isn’t some imaginary or mystical mindset we take about the cross. Instead it is living in obedience to Christ and daily dying to our own will for the will of God, thus putting to death the works of our flesh. Christ died so that we might live, and eternal life in Christ doesn’t begin when we die and go to heaven, it begins now, and we live as those who have been crucified with regards to the flesh. Being crucified with Christ is the walk in the Spirit!

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. ~ Galatians 5:16-26

Being crucified with Christ is putting off the sins of the old man and living according to the image and likeness of Christ.

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. ~ Colossians 3:1-11 

We are crucified with Christ at the moment we are born again when we are immersed by the Spirit of God into Christ, in this way we die to sin and are made alive unto God, and we are to live as unto the Lord not fulfilling the desires of the flesh which leads to sin.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him… ~ Romans 6:1-8

Notice that Paul does not teach that we were crucified with Christ at the time Christ died on the cross. Rather he is explaining what happens to us (spiritually) at the time of our conversion, when we are saved. He explains this in view of why we are not to go on living in sin. When we believe the gospel we are immersed (baptized) into Christ and his death by the Spirit of God. Notice that Paul uses the words, like as inference to the resurrection and the new life we are to walk in: like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

A careful examination of Romans 6 shows that the conversion and new life of a believer is to in the likeness of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ Romans 6:9-11

This truth is laced throughout Paul’s teachings in the New Testament. For example, he says in Ephesians, put off concerning the former conversation (lifestyle) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. ~ Ephesians 4:22-24

In Paul’s theology, the death of Christ empowers us to live in victory over sin because the Spirit of the One who died and rose again for us now lives within us. The same power that worked in Christ, who chose to lay down his life rather than save it, now lives in us by the Holy Spirit. Thus we can overcome the power of sin and the flesh through the indwelling power of the Spirit of the crucified One. We have power to put off the old man of sin (the person we were before Christand without Christ) and put on the new (the person God has called us to be) which is created in the image and likeness of Christ. Paul sums this up by calling it crucified and risen with Christ. This is the work of the Spirit of God in us who have received forgiveness through Christ’s finished work on the cross, conforming us into his likeness.