Once someone is saved, they may not remain saved. To be with God, one must continue in the faith.
Tag: Faith
You’ve heard the gospel, but have you heard all of it? Maybe not. In fact, many people have never heard the whole truth about Jesus. Time has certainly taken its toll on the truth. Not that the truth can be changed, but it can be forgotten. This article explores some of the most important facts about the Christian faith that are often overlooked or ignored.
In this post I would like to take a few moments to consider the role that we, as servants of the Lord, play in our own salvation. There is a particular scripture in the Old Testament that has brought this thought to the fore of my thoughts over the past few days. If we look at Numbers 20:8-12 we find a notable event in the course of biblical events. In this account the children of Israel have “assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.” This story is particularly interesting because the children of Israel are angry with Moses and Aaron because they are without water. If taken in isolation, their complaint would seem justified. For, who can live without water?
Until recently, I always wondered why Thomas would not believe. Here was Jesus, the Son of God. Thomas spent over three years listening to Jesus explain truths concerning His Father, His death, and His resurrection. Thomas watched as five loaves and two fish feed five thousand men plus women and children. Was he not the one in John 11 who was willing to die with Christ, proving a level of commitment to Him and to His word.
As I look back over all the sermons I heard while growing up. I cannot remember a single sermon emphasizing the fact that we can have confidence in our salvation. On the other hand I remember many sermons telling me all of the ways that I can lose my salvation! I read passages like I Corinthians 9:27 where Paul says; “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” Paul here is telling us that he had to discipline his body to ensure he did not lose his salvation!
Many things converge in order to receive Jesus Christ. The gospel awakens us to possibilities beyond imagining. Influences of family and friends have a bearing on our conscience. Perhaps there is confrontation by someone who loved us enough to risk rejection. Finally, our spirit has to wrestle with the flesh. We may come to a point where we are sorry for our sins and earnestly desire a new life. Yet, this is not enough. Sincere belief in the Gospel brings us to the door, but we need to cross the threshold. Jesus said, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9) We have to choose between our own manner of self-justification and entering the door: “My parents had me sprinkled when I was a baby.” “I asked Jesus to come into my heart.” “I’ve tried to live a good life.” Yet, it is the Lord who waits. It is for us to enter. For me, the biggest struggle had to do with the good intentions of my mother versus what was plainly written in the Bible.
Matthew 22:1-14 contains the parable of the wedding feast. Verses 1-7 describes a king whose son is to be married. He has planned a grand feast and invited an honored few. Despite the honor of being invited to the wedding feast some ignore the invitation and others mistreat and kill the messengers announcing the feast, in his fury the king sends his armies, executes the murderers and burns their city. This portion of the parable is a reference to God’s chosen people, the Jews. God chose the Jews to be his people, he led Abraham out of the land of Ur, he led Moses and the children of Israel out of Egypt, he led the people out of their captivity in Persia. He sent them prophets and judges, blessings and curses. They ignored and killed the prophets and judges, or forgot their wisdom in a generation. They forgot about the blessings and wailed at the perceived injustice of the curses. When the Son of God came he was rejected by his chosen people.