We can live in a culture that believes that everyone will be saved, that we, justified by death?And that all you need to go to heaven is to die, but the Word of God certainly does not give you the luxury of believing in Any quick and honest reading of the New Testament shows that the Apostles were convinced that no one can go to heaven if he believes only in Christ for his salvation (John 14:6; Romans 10: 9-10).
Historically, evangelical Christians have largely agreed on this point. Where they differ is on the question of the security of salvation. People who would agree that only those who trust in Jesus will be saved, on the other hand, do not agree on whether someone who truly believes in Christ can lose his salvation.
- Theologically speaking.
- We’re discussing the concept of apostasy here.
- This term comes from a Greek word meaning “to be far from”.
- When we talk about those who have become apostates or who have committed apostasy.
- We are talking about those who have fallen from the faith or.
- At least.
- From the profession.
- Faith in Christ that they once made.
Many believers have argued that, yes, true Christians may lose their salvation because there are several texts in the New Testament that seem to indicate that this can happen. I am thinking, for example, of Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 1: 18-20. :
It is the duty I entrust to you, O son Timothy, according to the prophecies that you were an object beforehand: the struggle, firmly established in them, good struggle, the maintenance of faith and good conscience, for some Rejected good conscience, came to sink the Faith. And among them are Himenea and Alexander, whom I have given Satan, to punish them, so that they may not blaspheme again.
Here, amid instructions and warnings about Timothy’s life and ministry, Paul warns Timothy to maintain faith and a good conscience, and to remember those who did not. Does the Apostle refer to those who “shipwrecked in the faith,” men whom he had given Satan, “that they may learn not to blaspheme”?(ARC). The second point is a reference to Paul’s excommunication of these men, and the whole passage combines a serious warning with concrete examples of those who have seriously fallen from their Christian profession.
There is no doubt that declared Christians can fall and fall radically; think of men like Peter, for example, who repudiated Christ, but the fact that he has been restored shows that not all declared believers fall beyond the point where it is no longer possible. In this regard, it is necessary to distinguish a serious and radical fall from a total and definitive fall. Reformed theologians have pointed out that the Bible is filled with examples of true believers who fall into grave sins and even long periods of unthink. Thus, Christians fall and fall radically, what could be more serious than the public denial of Jesus Christ of Peter?
But the question is: are these people guilty of a real fall hopelessly fallen and lost forever, or is that fall a temporary condition that will eventually be corrected by their restoration?In the case of an individual like Peter, we see that his fall has been corrected by his sorrow. But what about those who break down permanently?Have you ever been true believers?
Our answer to this question should be 1 John 2. 19 speaks of the false teachers who left the church as if they had never really been part of the church. John describes the apostasy of people who had made a profession of faith but never really were. In addition, we know that God glorifies all those whom He justifies (Romans 8:29-30). If a person has true saving faith and is justified, God will preserve it.
Meanwhile, however, if the individual who fell is still alive, how do you know if he is a total apostate?One thing none of us can do is read the hearts of others. When I see an individual who has made a profession of faith and then rejects it, I do not know if it is a truly regenerated person who is in the midst of a serious and drastic fall, but who at some point in the future will certainly be restored; or if it is someone who has never truly become, whose profession of faith was wrong from the beginning.
This question of whether a person can lose his salvation is not abstract, it touches us in the heart of our Christian life, not only in terms of our concerns for our own perseverance, but also that of our family and friends, especially those who seemed, obviously outside, to have made their profession of authentic faith. We thought their profession was credible, we embraced them as brothers or sisters, only to discover that they would reject that faith.
What do you do, in practice, in a situation like this?First you pray and then you wait, we don’t know the end result of the situation, and I’m sure there will be surprises when we get to paradise, we’ll be surprised to see people we think wouldn’t be there, and We’ll be surprised not to see people we were sure would be there, because we just don’t know the inner condition of a human heart or a human soul. Only God can see this soul, transform that soul, and preserve that soul.
One of the most difficult questions a Christian faces is whether he may lose his salvation. In a world of such uncertainty, with so much painful evidence of sin itself and failures, and with the Bible’s solemn warnings about the possibility of falling, the sincere believer may be tempted to think that true Christians may lose their salvation. In this helpful booklet, Dr. R. C. Sproul presents the scriptures’ teachings on the doctrine of eternal security and the perseverance of the Saints. Important passages in the Bible dealing with “unforgivable sin,” “apostasy and abandonment of faith,” “the continuation of patterns of sin,” are examined and explained in light of God’s promises that he will preserve all who are in Christ.
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