Featured What would cause you to lose your salvation?

God leaves it up to us to choose. He doesn't force us to come to Him, or force us to stay against our wills.

 

I could not believe in eternal salvation if I believed in free will. If salvation is left to man's free will this would include all of salvation from start to finish. To answer the OP we refer to scripture, Rom 8:35-39.

 

I could not believe in God if I didn't believe in free will.

 

If I really didn't have it in the first place.

 

I once believed as you do. Study much in scripture about the nature of man. How depraved, how wicked, how disobedient, how prideful man is by nature, how man by nature hates God. Then if God is pleased to show you you're own wicked nature you will declare as Jonah did, salvation is of the Lord.

 

How about Acts 5:1-11? Ananias and Sapphire died on the spot. Physically dead because they were spiritually dead, perhaps?

 

More likely just examples that God still takes the physical life of sinners:


1 Corinthians 11:26-30

King James Version (KJV)

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

The warning is given in a Christian Assembly context. I see no reason to see Ananias as an example of an unbeliever because he was put to death.


God bless.

 

If you had salvation and then lost it then did you ever have it to begin with?

I would say no.

 

It's interesting to note that the two seem to go hand in hand. Most Arminians believe salvation can be lost, or walked away from.

Not all, but probably safe to say most.


God bless.

 

The only other way one could do something to lose salvation was if they did something to gain it. Thankfully, by grace we are saved. (Eph. 2:8-9)

God's grace is like a well...you can fall into it but no one falls out of a well.

 

No matter how fallen, man cannot fall far enough to lose the God-given ability to choose.

 

The problem is, man will not choose Christ left to himself. Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. In Psa 14:2 the scripture said the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. What did God see ? verse three, They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; There is none that doeth good, no, not one. The question now can be ask, Why will they not seek God ? Rom 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. They not only don't fear God but they actually hate God. St. John3:20 For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But wait there is one thing they love, they love darkeness, St. John 3:19.

 

But man is not left to himself. John 1:9

 

Do you believe that before you were saved you had a God given ability to be righteous?


God bless.

 

Man is enlightened by the light of nature, and reason, and a natural conscience and the outward call of the preacher, but these calls can be turned away from. The irresistible call or inward call comes from the Holy Spirit of God, St. John 3:8 and this call comes only to the elect and they will hear, So is everyone that is born of the Spirit. St John 3:8

 

That is not what Christ taught:


John 16:7-9

King James Version (KJV)

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;


The Gospel goes out to the same world that the Christ came to:


John 1:29

King James Version (KJV)

29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.


God has always presented His Word to unbelievers, and we see that the non-Elect hear it too:


Romans 10:13-18

King James Version (KJV)


13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.


Clearly not all who hear the Gospel embrace the Lord. But, we cannot deny that all hear the Gospel. And while we do not equate the Gospel received by those in the Wilderness with the revealed Gospel of Christ, we can say that the "Gospel" is, in every Age, the revealed will of God.

We see that today God is revealing His will through Christ:


Hebrews 1

King James Version (KJV)

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;


God bless.

 

If the whole world were enlightened by the Spirit of their sins and at the same time reproved of their sins, the world would flee to Christ and be saved. Christ said of the Spirit in St. John 16:8 but if I depart I will send him unto you. He did not say he would send the Holy Spirit to the world but unto you, Christians. When the Holy Spirit is sent to dwell in the believer the world can see a great change, a Godly life, a life that sets it's affections on things above and not on earth. This reproves the world of their sin and their wicked unrighteous ways.