Christian Fellowship Community Group
A safe place for Christians who Love Jesus Christ to meet and ask for prayer and share scriptures from the bible. We value the posting of Christian music, poems, stories and also personal testimonies. Please let us know your needs, concerns and have some fun getting to know each other. We treat each other with respect.
Message sent to blueskys:
Can a born-again believer lose salvation?
One thing is clear for me, however progressed in holiness I may be, whatever I may have experienced of the workings of the Holy Spirit, I can never rest on it. I can only rest on what God has done once and for all through the sacrifice of His Son. (Hebr.10.14)" By one sacrifice He has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy." If I believe this with my whole heart, however, the obedience of faith or perfect submission to His Spirit will naturally follow. If I believe with my heart, not only with my intellect, my faith will have deeds. (James 2.14) Not deeds of the law, however, but deeds guided into by the Holy Spirit. Once we have surrendered ourselves to the Lord, we have to follow the gentle urgings of the Spirit, to keep in step with Him, who wants every area of our life - one point at a time - bring under His complete control. This is the process of sanctification. Because God never pushes Himself on us, it is possible to resist the Spirits drawing and thereby grieve Him and get Him to withdraw from us. Through His discipline He will try everything In His power to bring us into line, apart from forcing us. If we get stuck in our sanctification this way, we become like the church of Laodicea (Rev.3) and if we can not be brought to repent, we lose our claim to be firstfruits of His creation. (James 1.18, Rev.14.4, Hebrew 12.16) We then have become Christians who have built on the foundation of Christ, using wood, hay or straw; on so the fire will reveal what our work is worth, even if we will be saved, but only as ones escaping through the flames.(1.Corinth.3.14) Despite all that, the Bible clearly points out, that it is possible for a believer to lose his salvation. Just two passages: (1.Peter 2.20-22)" If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then turned their backs on the sacred commandment that was passed on to them." And Hebrew 6.4, not any less clear: "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, i f they f a l l a w a y, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace." We must be aware of both sides of the character of God. On the one hand, He is full of mercy for the repentant sinner, for the unrepentant, however, He is a consuming fire.(Hebr.12.28) If we not strive for the highest goal, God has prepared for us, we will always be on uncertain ground, because He commands us: "Be perfect as you father in heaven is perfect" This is a command as well as a promise.
"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.(1.Peter 1.10) For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
Can a born-again believer lose salvation?
One thing is clear for me, however progressed in holiness I may be, whatever I may have experienced of the workings of the Holy Spirit, I can never rest on it. I can only rest on what God has done once and for all through the sacrifice of His Son. (Hebr.10.14)" By one sacrifice He has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy." If I believe this with my whole heart, however, the obedience of faith or perfect submission to His Spirit will naturally follow. If I believe with my heart, not only with my intellect, my faith will have deeds. (James 2.14) Not deeds of the law, however, but deeds guided into by the Holy Spirit. Once we have surrendered ourselves to the Lord, we have to follow the gentle urgings of the Spirit, to keep in step with Him, who wants every area of our life - one point at a time - bring under His complete control. This is the process of sanctification. Because God never pushes Himself on us, it is possible to resist the Spirits drawing and thereby grieve Him and get Him to withdraw from us. Through His discipline He will try everything In His power to bring us into line, apart from forcing us. If we get stuck in our sanctification this way, we become like the church of Laodicea (Rev.3) and if we can not be brought to repent, we lose our claim to be firstfruits of His creation. (James 1.18, Rev.14.4, Hebrew 12.16) We then have become Christians who have built on the foundation of Christ, using wood, hay or straw; on so the fire will reveal what our work is worth, even if we will be saved, but only as ones escaping through the flames.(1.Corinth.3.14) Despite all that, the Bible clearly points out, that it is possible for a believer to lose his salvation. Just two passages: (1.Peter 2.20-22)" If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then turned their backs on the sacred commandment that was passed on to them." And Hebrew 6.4, not any less clear: "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, i f they f a l l a w a y, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace." We must be aware of both sides of the character of God. On the one hand, He is full of mercy for the repentant sinner, for the unrepentant, however, He is a consuming fire.(Hebr.12.28) If we not strive for the highest goal, God has prepared for us, we will always be on uncertain ground, because He commands us: "Be perfect as you father in heaven is perfect" This is a command as well as a promise.
"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.(1.Peter 1.10) For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
Us Christians are perplexed by the same dilemma. We have a sin debt that we owe to God but no way to pay for it. None of our solutions - living a moral life, being religious, or doing more good deeds - can take care of our problem.
God Himself has provided the solution - one that both satisfies His justice and grants us mercy. He sent His Son to pay the penalty we owed. Jesus was qualified to be our substitute because HE was sinless. He willingly took our place on the cross and experienced the full measure of the Lord's wrath against our sinfulness. In dying for us, Christ secured our salvation by paying the debt for us. When we trust in Jesus and surrender our life to Him, He becomes our personal Savior and Lord.
It is sad that many have heard the gospel and rejected it. Some are like the rich ruler who placed his trust in material possessions and turned his back on the truth. Others have refused to even listen. Another group is convinced they are heaven-bound, based on erroneous confidence in their own good deeds. I believe, only those who have entered into a relationship with Jesus through faith in Him will be welcomed into heaven.
Those that trust in the Savior gain everlasting life.