Paradise Lost?

Roman Catholicism teaches that there are two types of sin: venial sins which don’t merit the loss of salvation, and mortal sins which merit the loss of salvation. This distinction is not biblical.

The result of this teaching is that a typical Roman Catholic will vacillate between being saved and damned hundreds, or even thousands of times in their life. According to Roman Catholic theology, if a Roman Catholic dies with unconfessed mortal sin they will go to hell. This teaching is not biblical. Christ’s death was sufficient to pay for every sin we would ever commit – past, present, and future.

There are two very distinct views on the issue of perseverance of the saints among Christians. The first is the Arminian view that it is possible for true Christians to turn away from God and not persevere. This is consistent with the concept of salvation which has man’s “free will” at the center of it. It is logically consistent that, if man’s “free will” choice is the determining factor of his salvation, then it would also be possible for that man to later choose to reject God and thereby lose his salvation.

However, the Bible clearly teaches that we are “born again” by the Holy Spirit, which results in our coming to faith in Christ. All who have been “born again” do have eternal security and will persevere. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is founded in the promise that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6) and Jesus’ declaration that “all that the Father gives me will come to me” and “I shall lose none of them that he has given me” (John 6:3739).

https://www.gotquestions.org

Consider the following Scriptures:

John 10:27-29
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
Philippians 1:6
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
Romans 11:29
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

As you can see, one who is truly regenerated can never lose their salvation. One may appear to be saved, and they may do many works, but in the end, they walk away from Christ, because they were never one of us, they were never regenerated.

I am saved until the end, not because I am so strong in faith, or have such advanced sanctification. I am saved totally and irrevocably because of Christ’s hold on me, because of His power. It is all grace!

One response to “Paradise Lost?”

  1. Yes, Zak, you make some very interesting observations here! You are proving that there is such a thing as us being saved, by believing in Jesus and staying true to the teachings of the Holy Gospel! Some people believe that they can live however they want and the church will save them, but you are right – it is Jesus who saves us! All we have to do is believe in Him!

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