We (Christians) all agree. The thing that makes our faith different from all others is the simple statement, "We are saved by grace through faith apart from works." Every other religion is a "saved by works" religion. Not Christianity. So it seems odd that we'd want to smuggle in "saved by works" to our Christian theology. It is secretive, stealthy, under the radar. It is so covert that most who do it don't know it. But it is undeniable. What is that?
It has been an in-house debate for a long, long time. Can a believer lose his/her salvation? Some say yes and some say no. Beyond that, of course, there are gradations. Some say, "Yes and it happens all the time" while some (okay, a very few) say, "Yes, but it never happens." Some say, "No. In fact, you can sin endlessly and still remain saved." Others (again, fewer in number) say, "No, but that doesn't mean you can sin without consequence." I would like to point out, however, that if you can lose your salvation, there are two undeniable facts. First, according to a "lose your salvation" reading of Hebrews 6:4-6, if you do lose your salvation, you cannot get it back. Second, if you can lose your salvation, then, ultimately, you are saved on the basis of not just Christ's death and resurrection on your behalf, but also on your own ability to remain above that "lose your salvation" line. You are, ultimately, saved by your own efforts to sustain what you were given.
If the truth is to be told, both sides cite their own references for their own positions. In other words, we can all find in Scripture reasons to believe you can lose your salvation and reasons you can't. So I'm not suggesting that one side or the other is operating outside of Scripture. I do think that one side or another is disregarding some Scripture in favor of other Scripture. To be fair, I think that often both sides do that. So I'm not pointing fingers here at a single position, but I am recommending you look again because if we can lose it, we cannot get it again and, if we can keep it, we've accomplished a really amazing feat that Christ's death alone could not do. So much for "that no one may boast" (Eph 2:9).
4 comments:
With the title I thought you'd be going a different direction. I thought you'd be talking about how we really are saved by works, just not our works but by Jesus's. Too many of us believe only that Jesus came to die for our sins and don't also realize that He had to live for our righteousness. We are granted His obedience to the Law that we can never attain by ourselves. If all He needed to do was to die for our sins, there was no reason for a 30 year lifespan.
If only you had a blog you could write that in.
Great take. It is interesting that some feel the need to take the Good News that we are saved by grace, not by works and to water that down in multiple ways. I'll be honest, I hadn't thought of this particular option. But it certainly makes a lot of sense.
That's what your comment section is for. Much broader readership.
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