SAVED - NEVER SAVED

ALWAYS SAVED? NEVER SAVED? R.D.Ice

Evangelist Jack Exum told of speaking to a preacher. "You believe once saved - always saved. Wrong." The preacher answered: "You Church of Christ folk believe once saved - NEVER saved. Wrong!"

“If the statement ‘You are saved by grace 100 percent’ means Christ paid 100 percent of the debt we owe because we are sinners, then the statement is true. Christ’s shed blood was essential for payment of our debt. We pay zero percent. On the cross Christ made this free gift accessible to us.’” Clinton Hardin in the Gospel Advocate, Feb. 2000. [He went on to emphasize Christian living.]

Certainly this is scriptural. It is the finished work of Christ-on-the-cross that provided a perfect righteousness that dealt with sin once and for all. Paul said : “the righteousness which is from God by faith” [Phil. 3:9]. In the Bible we learn that the response which God requires is faith, not works which we might perform. Notice Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-5. Paul says: “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior appeared...”

“Joe Doaks came forward and confessed his faith in Christ. The preacher immediately took him to the baptistry and immersed him for remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, as Acts 2:38 says. But as he came out of the baptistery, he had a fatal heart attack and fell dead.”

Was he saved? He died before doing any good works. He trusted and he obeyed the gospel. Would this be enough to ensure his salvation? If so, what are the ramifications of this?


BECAUSE WE ARE SAVED, we give ourselves as living sacrifices, Romans 12:1-2. Since we are new in Christ, 2 Cor. 5:17, we live as new people. It is possible to “fall away,” otherwise the warnings would mean nothing. But it is not necessary for us to reject Christ. The devil cannot make us do it. If we do disbelieve the promises (Hebrews 10:29) we put our soul at terrible danger. Yet we believe that God raised Christ Jesus from the dead (don’t we believe this)? [The Incarnation made the Cross & Resurrection possible.]

Note Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:15. “Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” He said this of some who were “disorderly” [who lived lazy lives and did nothing but meddle in other people’s business].

“Believing is the real issue, not security.”
Romans 8:14-17; 10:8-11; 1 John 2:12-14; 5:4-5.

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” [1 John 5:13]

And how bold and free we are
in His Presence, freely asking
according to His Will,
knowing that He is listening
and what we have asked for
is as good as done.
God knew what He was doing
from the very beginning.
He decided to shape the lives
of those who love Him
according to the life of His Son.
That’s why we can be so sure
that in every detail of our lives,
our love can be used by God to
work into something good.
[Romans 5:1-5; 8:26-29]

John 10:28-29 “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My Father’s hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”

Jude 24-25 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever, Amen.”

Our God can keep you on your feet,
standing tall in His presence,
fresh and celebrating this most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20),
staying right at the center of God’s love.
Keep your arms open and outstretched,
ready for the mercy of our Master,
the Lord Jesus Christ!
This is the unending life - real life!

Romans 14:1-4 “Receive the one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

Welcome with open arms fellow believers,
who don’t see things as you do.
And don’t jump all over them
when they seem to make a mistake.
Both we and they are guests
at Christ’s table, and it would be rude
to criticize what we or they
ate or didn’t eat. After all,
God invited us both to Christ’s table.

Phil. 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Eph. 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

We sing: "Trust & obey, for there's no other way."