We should not interpret the Bible according to our understanding but we must describe it according to the perspective of the Lord. Many people believe that once saved means always saved but let us see what the word of God says about it.
There are so many things that can misguide us from the word of God. We should not listen to what the people say but we need to turn our eyes upon the scripture and we need to meditate upon it so that we can get to know the exact meaning of the scripture.
In today’s time, there are so many people who claim that if we once receive Jesus then we will be saved. But the Bible does not teach us that once saved always saved.
Jesus Is The Way To Salvation
When we were sinners, God manifested in flesh and gave his life on the cross. Jesus came on this earth to make a way for the entire human race to get salvation. Sin entered through Adam and salvation came to us by Jesus alone.
The Bible says that if anyone believes in Jesus will get eternal life. If one does not obey him will experience the wrath of the Lord(John 3:36).
From the scripture we can see that salvation belongs to Jesus Christ. There is no other name under heaven given to us by which we can be saved ( Acts 4:12).
When Nicodemus, a Jews came to Jesus at night to meet him, Jesus knew his intention of coming. And he told him that unless one is born again,he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus did not get what Jesus actually said to him. He took it literally so he did not get the point that Jesus wanted to say to him. So, he asked Jesus, how would a man be born again when he is old? Jesus explained him by saying without the birth of spirit and water and none can see the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
Jesus also said that he is the way, the truth and the life. Only Jesus can reach us to the father. To get salvation we need to believe Jesus as our personal savior. Why should we ask the question that why should we believe him? The Bible says that we all are sinners and we cannot enter into God’s Kingdom with our sins.
We must be holy to live with the Lord forever. When we will realize that we are sinners, we need the savior. After which we need to confess our sins before him and he will forgive all our sins because he loves us. Confessing our sins, we need to take water baptism in Jesus’ name. Then we will be part of him in the resurrection.
All these steps are equally important for our salvation. Apart from these, we need to live a holy life and obedient to the word of God till death.
Sinful Nature Of Mankind
We may take water baptism in Jesus name but the sin nature will still be active in us. We might commit sin again because as long as we will be on this earth, Satan will tempt us. The Bible says that there is not a righteous man on earth who never sins.
God gave us free will and we have the authority to make decisions to do good or evil. Even when a born again Christian can commit sin. If we believe that we were to be allowed to do whatever we like to do. But scriptures say that to lay aside the old man who was corrupted. Our old men were crucified with Jesus, in order to die with Jesus so that we would no longer be under the power of sin.
Paul made it clear, he said that we all are in a race but only one gets the reward who completes the race till the end. So, we are to run in such a way to get the reward (1 Corinthians 9:24). It tells us that we might lose our salvation at some point when we will forsake the Lord.
To Get Salvation we Need to Suffer
Jesus offers us an eternal life which will have no ending. That is why Jesus says he is the resurrection and life. Whosoever will believe in him will never see death ( John 11: 25-26).
Jesus told us to take up the cross because the way to salvation is not an easy task. It’s hard to reach heaven. God wants us to live a holy life till death. The Bible teaches us to separate ourselves from the world. Jesus called us out of the world to be His children so that we can live with him.
Jesus also had gone through sufferings and finally, he gave his life on the cross for the entire world to give salvation. One can achieve salvation by dedicating his life to Jesus. Jesus says if anyone wants to save his life will lose it but the one who loses his life for me will gain it ( Matthew 16:25-26). Jesus encourages us by stating that he has won the world, so we also should win the world by following his footprints.
we can see that it is not so easy to reach into the kingdom of God by our own efforts. With a dedicating life to God, we can enter into God’s Kingdom.
Satan is very cunning and always seeking to devour the children of God. The Bible says that our enemy, the devil is walking around us like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). If we do not take Jesus seriously in our lives then we might lose our salvation.
Separation From The World Is Necessary
The word of God encourages us to separate ourselves from the world.
It warns us not to conform to this world. A true follower of Jesus Christ should be transformed by renewing his mind. By doing so, he will prove what is good and acceptable in the sight of the Lord ( Romans 12:2).
To understand the will of God, one should leave all the bad habits. God wants us to be holy as He is holy. The Bible teaches us to live a life that pleases God. There are so many people who live to please others. Though we live in a perverse generation, still we need to become blameless.
If you look at Jesus, we can see that he also separated himself from the world. He did everything to please God, not to others or himself. To be separated from the world we have to face many persecutions but we know that we will reign forever in heaven.
So, it is important to live a godly life till our last breath to get salvation.
Some Scriptures That Seem Talking About ” Once Saved Always Saved”
When we read the bible sometimes we see some verses that make us think about once saved always saved. Let us see these verses.
John 10:28-29
Christ provides eternal life to his followers. Eternal life means a never-ending life that will be obtained only by believing and following all the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus also said that they will not perish when they will gain eternal life.
All the sheep of Jesus will never spend eternity in hell. Does this really mean that a person may accept Jesus and later on live his life the way he desired? No, he cannot walk like before. He has to lay aside all the evil things of his life to live his eternity in heaven.
We do not live a righteous life to become a Christian but to separate ourselves and to dedicate ourselves to the will of God. We live a holy life not out of fear of losing our salvation but to give honor to Jesus who died on the cross for our salvation.
The doctrine of eternal security motivates us to live a holy life till our last breath. Jesus is the almighty God and no one can separate us from his hand. The world can hate us, persecute us, but they have no power to snatch us from the mighty hand of the Lord.
John 3:16
This verse tells us that God made a way for everyone to receive eternal life. We cannot enter into God’s Kingdom by our righteous deeds. So, God sent forth his Son to give us a way to wash away our sins by his blood.
Jesus is the only way to gain salvation. If we obtain it then no one will ever have the power to separate us from the Lord. The scripture does not encourage us to live a careless life after receiving Jesus. It silently speaks to walk in the path of God to enter into heaven.
We Have To Endure Sufferings Till Our Death
The Bible tells us to be faithful till our death. It would be hard for us to walk with Jesus if we do not follow all of His commandments. The Bible says to enter into God’s Kingdom we all have to endure many trials and persecutions. (Matthew 24:13) states that one who endures till the end will inherit the kingdom of God.
So, we can say that the Bible warning us about once saved is always saved is not true.