Home \ Believing God 4
Not all Christians believe as I do – in “once saved, always
saved”. I have written a book on it – not to convince people but to
assure those who want to believe it but are afraid it’s not true. I can
tell you: it’s true.
I have not always believed in once saved, always saved. I was brought
up in a church that not only believed the opposite. They even taught
that the doctrine of eternal security was “born in hell”. (Never mind
that they sang “Amazing Grace” all the time, overlooking the fact that
John Newton the Calvinist believed in once saved, always saved!). What
changed me: a supernatural encounter with Jesus Christ driving in my car
on October 31, 1955. I was a student at Trevecca Nazarene College (now
University) and pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Palmer,
Tennessee. The person of Jesus appeared before me as if before my very
eyes although I know now it was a vision. But he was more real to me
than anything around me. An hour or so later I entered into a
rest of soul
that I did not know was possible in this present life. Such peace. Joy.
Assurance. Assurance? YES. I was given what I would absolutely call an
infallible assurance of my salvation. I knew then (57 years ago) I could
never be lost. People around me said, “You will change your mind about
that”. I knew then I wouldn’t and I never did.
Why am I telling this to you? Two reasons: (1) Hebrews 11 – which I
have been focusing on for a while – describes people who were not only
saved but came into their inheritance. (2) All the Scriptures people use
to refute eternal security refer
not to losing one’s salvation but losing one’s
inheritance.
Every single one of them. Do not be discouraged when you read 1
Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:4 or Hebrews 6:4-6 and think you can be
lost and go to Hell after being truly saved. Not one of these refer to
salvation but inheritance.
You will not be totally free to pursue God’s best for you as long as
you think you could lose your salvation. “Christ has set us free”
(Gal.5:1).
RT
You can read much more about this in my book: Believing God available at a discount for this month.