Ever wondered if you are saved? If you could be saved by grace, is there a way you could loose it? Is salvation eternal ? Can you loose your salvation by walking away from what you believed and followed? If you were saved by grace and your faith in Jesus Christ, is it your free ticket to heaven no matter how you choose to live on this earth? If you were to leave this earth tonight do you know where you are going?
As Christians we often struggle with these issues. And I believe that it is God's will for his children to have an understanding of what he provisioned for us. Would you want to be lying on your death bed wondering where your eternal destination would be ? Would you want to be looking down at a casket carrying your loved one and wonder if they really were saved or went to heaven? Well, the answer is NO. Well if that is the case how do we know these things . How do we predict and speculate what is in store for us after this life? Let us not get carried away or misled by believing what people say. Our best bet would be to look at the word of God to shed some light on this topic.
Romans 10:9 says "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." That seems easy right? Hmm not quiet.
Let us look at Mathew 7:21-23
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
So lets analyze what Jesus is saying here. There will be people who call him Lord and also who had cast out demons in his name but will not be saved. Wow! if that is the case who then can be saved? Well now according to this only people who do the will of the father. So what is the will of the father?
Lets look at John 6: "40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life."
So if proclaiming that Jesus is Lord doesn't get you to heaven and only believing does. What then does believing mean? Surely it should mean something more than just believing he died for our sins or having faith he is the only God.
Let us look at James 14,19 " 14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?... 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder."
Wait a minute here, so if our faith is no good without deeds what deeds will prove we have faith? What deeds will prove we believe?
Let us look at the parable of the sower Mathew 13
19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
What has this got to do with our salvation ? Everything. It is not just belief it is the walk we have with him.
In ancient Jerusalem during the time that Jesus lived on this earth the fields were fenced with stones. There were sharp stones laid around the whole parameter. The outside of this land would be the way side.The stones represent the fence. The thorny land is the land just beside the fence near the end of the field. The farmers did not tend this area so weeds and thorns grew up in this area. The inside of this field is the good soil, the actual field that is cultivated.
All people in church in the christian family can be grouped under these four categories.
1. The one who hears the word believes Jesus is Christ and that he died for our sins and rose from the dead, but closes his heart and thinks this is not for him. These are people like the seed by the way side.
2. The people who hear the word of God believe in him and are saved but they do not follow up with it. They have the belief but not the walk. These are the people who are like the seed that fell on the rocks.
3. The people who accept Christ as their savior, believe in him and start walking in faith but relationships, money , the pleasures of this world, the worries, jobs and other distractions drag them down and they stop trying , they stop walking. These are the people that are like the seeds on the thorny ground. Now notice these are the people who are saved and started walking the right life , but gave it up. So this answers the question, is there a way to loose your salvation? Well look at what the bible has to say. That is all I want to say I rest my case.
4. But the fourth kind of soil is what we strive to be . People who believe in Christ and are walking by faith in Jesus Christ . This is the good soil.
So my dear friends , its not about the technicality or the legality of a contract of grace that will help you attain salvation and eternal life. It is all about the relationship with Christ. Do not be discouraged that you are not able to walk right . God is more concerned about the effort you are making rather than the result. Because our self righteousness is like filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6 " But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.").
I can identify with Paul when he says in Romans 7
19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Hopefully this has inspired you to live a little more like God intended us to live for his glory. I consider myself to be very ignorant and someone who has been shown immense grace by God to be considered as one of his followers. Please do comment and dispute anything you find in this blog that does not align to the word of God. Suggestions, discussions are welcome..
