Someone, yesterday, asked me if I would write on the subject of once saved, always saved… Okay, here goes…
Once Saved, Always Saved, is a cute and memorable handle for a Denominational Distinctive… We can reduce that to its initials and we will do so here… We will write OSAS because it is shorter and my fingers are tired.
OSAS is not really a doctrine as such, it is a Denominational Distinctive… a teaching taught with the intended end of convincing church members and congregants that their church is better than the church down the street and discouraging them from visiting the other churches in town… We, after all, have a “doctrine” that they do not believe! That clearly makes us better!!
Never mind that the other churches are telling their members that they are much better than that other church because they teach OSAS and we know that that is a false doctrine and it will send them to Hell but we will get to go to Heaven because we are smart enough not to believe that!!!!
The truth is that there are a good number of verses that, ripped out of context and presented in a list, would seem to say that you cannot lose your Salvation…
There are also many verses that, ripped out of context and presented in a list, would seem to say that you can lose your salvation…
So, if you are a Baptist Pastor, you make your special OSAS Bible Verse list and you teach it to your people, assuring them that once they shake the Pastor’s hand and repeat that little canned prayer, they are on their way to Heaven and God himself can’t keep them out.
If, on the other hand, you are a Methodist Pastor or Church of God or any other denomination in competition with the Baptists down the street, you make up your list of all the verses that speak of losing your salvation and you teach that to your people…
But wait! What if someone finds those “OTHER” verses in their Bible and starts asking questions?
Not to fear, over the last couple of hundred years, people in your denomination, have thought much on the subject and they have come up with canned little answers that explain why none of those verses on the other Pastor’s list really mean what they say… You can just look in your books or maybe even use Google and (WOW!) There are all the answers you need to confuse your poor congregant and keep him in his pew…
Do you want to know the real, honest God’s truth on the matter?????
Your Salvation is not nearly so secure as that OSAS Pastor wants you to believe and no it does not really become a done deal when you walk an aisle, shake the preacher’s hand and repeat that little prayer… not even if you say “AMEN!” real loud and get dunked in front of everybody… A faith that does not change you, will not save you!
On the other hand, Your Salvation is a whole lot more secure than that Old Fashioned Pentecostal Preacher told you… You do not have to be afraid that you might be in an accident, say a bad word and die before you can repent!!! You were not saved because you stopped sinning and you are not lost every time you sin…That is stupid on steroids, as I like to say!!!!!
Your salvation depends on grace and faith… Are you still believing? Has your belief changed your life? Are you still under grace? Are you led by the Spirit? Good news, you will go to Heaven when you die!!!!!
We have to get past all those stupid things our pastors told us just to keep us going to their church and keep us out of the one down the street…
Read the Word for yourself and THINK and PRAY… It helps, really!
David…
End Time Thinker 