ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for listening to the Narrow Way Christian Ministry's online Church service, today's sermon is a part of the understanding the gospel series, and I would like to start by reading a scripture from the book of (John 5:24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
The title of this sermon is Once Saved Always Saved, and the purpose of this sermon is to answer one simple question, can a Christian lose their salvation? Today I am going to show you many scriptures from the Bible, that will help you to understand the doctrine of eternal security, also known as once saved always saved. I plan to show you that the Bible teaches that once a person believes the gospel and trusts in the finished work of Christ that they have eternal life. I will show you from the scriptures, that the Bible proves that once you are saved by grace through faith in Christ, there is nothing you can do to lose salvation. And finally I will show you from the scriptures, that although a saved person can not lose their salvation, the Bible does teach that there are serious consequences in the life of the believer, who chooses to willingly live in sin. But before I can do that, I must once again point out, that the only way to receive eternal life is through faith alone in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that anyone who understands this doctrine, and knowingly rejects it is not saved, because to reject the concept of salvation by faith alone is to believe in a works based salvation, and to trust in your own works of righteousness, rather than trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ. So with that said lets look at some scriptures that teach that salvation is by faith alone, and that salvation can never be lost or taken away once you have accepted Christ as your saviour.
THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE
The first scripture that I want to read is found in the book of (Romans 6:23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The next scripture that I would like to point out, is found in the book of (John 3:36) He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
There is two very important points I would like to make regarding these two scriptures, my first point is that the Bible teaches clearly in (Romans 6:23) that eternal life is a gift that is received by believing in Christ. Now with that in mind ask yourself a simple question, if someone gives you something as a gift do you have to pay for it? The answer to this is of course no, because if you had to pay for it, it would not be free, and therefore it would not be a gift. You see the one who gives the gift is the one who pays for it, now in this case the gift is eternal life, and it was paid for by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and this is the true gospel of salvation.
The next point I would like to make, is that Jesus taught in (John 3:36) that whosoever believeth on Him, hath everlasting life. Now we must understand that Jesus did not say in that scripture, that whoever believes on Him might have everlasting life, or that one day they will receive everlasting life, but rather Jesus clearly says that he who believes on Him hath everlasting life, which is in the present tense, meaning the believer has already received their free gift of everlasting, or eternal life. It also says in the book of (Ephesians 2:8-9) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Now if it was possible to receive salvation by anything other than faith alone, or that you could lose your salvation, none of these scriptures could be true. For example if God promised to give you a free gift that is yours forever, but it was still possible for God to take it away from you, could you really say you received a gift that was everlasting? No you could not, because if it were possible to lose your salvation, salvation would not be a free gift, and it certainly would not be eternal or everlasting.
This is why the doctrine of once saved always saved, is one of the most important aspects of the good news of Jesus Christ, because the eternal security of the believer is guaranteed by God, and it is based on the fact that Jesus died, once for all sin, and having faith in this, is what justifies us as Christians before God. So to teach that it is possible for a saved Christian to lose their salvation, is to preach a false gospel, and it is to make God a liar, and the Bible teaches in (Hebrews 6:18) that it is impossible for God to lie.
ETERNAL SECURITY
Now I would like to take the time to point out, that although Jesus spoke of the seriousness of believing on His name, and the idea that a Christian was to take up his cross daily and follow after Him, He did not teach a works based salvation, or that Salvation could be lost. And the best way I can illustrate this, is by reading a scripture from the book of (John 6:35-40) And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Now from those scriptures we see Jesus was teaching both salvation through faith, and once saved always saved. Jesus clearly said in verse 40, that believing on Him is what gives Christians the free gift of everlasting life, and also He said in verse 37, that whoever comes to Him, He will in no wise cast out, which should leave no doubt that Jesus taught that Salvation can not be lost.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Now the next part of this sermon will focus on the subject of the Holy Spirit, and I want to show you through the scriptures, how faith in Jesus allows you to receive the Holy Spirit, and how upon receiving the holy Spirit you receive eternal life. Therefore proving that anyone who receives the Holy Spirit, can never lose their salvation in Christ, because as I said before, they already have eternal life. now the best way I can explain this by reading another scripture from the book of (Ephesians 1:11-14) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
THE EARNEST OF OUR INHERITANCE
Now I would like to explain that this scripture is teaching us clearly, that the Ephesian Church members trusted in Jesus, when they heard the truth of the gospel and believed it. And as a result of their faith, they received the Holy Spirit. Now the reason this scripture is so important in regards to the once saved always saved doctrine, is because the Bible describes the Holy Spirit as the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession. So now what I would like to do is explain the meaning of this phrase earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, because this will give you a greater insight into the once saved always saved doctrine. And the way that I am going to do this, is by explaining that the word earnest in this context, can be likened to when a person wishes to purchase a house, in order for the buyer to show that he is serious about completing his purchase of the property, he will leave what is known as earnest money, which is essentially a large deposit to show that he is serious about completing the purchase. So the Holy Spirit, or the earnest of inheritance, is what God leaves us with as Christians, as proof that He is serious about our redemption, and that we have already been purchased by Him through the blood of Christ, and that He will not back out of His promise to give us our inheritance of the kingdom of God. So essentially what I am saying, is that when we believe on Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit, and this is the guarantee of our inheritance that we will receive on the day of redemption, which is the second coming of Jesus Christ. So just to finalize my point on this subject, the Holy Spirit is received when you believe on Christ, and the Holy Spirit is God's seal of ownership on your soul, it is proof that you belong to Him. and that you are His possession, purchased by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, which now makes you God's child. The Bible says in the book of (John 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
BREAKING THE LAW
Now with that said, people often struggle with the idea of once saved always saved, because they think that this doctrine teaches that a Christian does not have to follow the laws of God, and that they are free to live however they choose. But nothing could be further from the truth, in fact God's children are obligated to live as God's children, and obey the words of their Father. Now this does not mean that if one of God's children chooses not to obey the Father, that they will lose their salvation. Because what people fail to realize often, is that just as earthly parents discipline their children, God also disciplines His children. So as God's children we are subject to our Father's discipline and reproof.
The Bible teaches in (Hebrews 12:6-11) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
THE ETERNAL LOVE OF CHRIST
So you can see clearly from that scripture, that God's Children suffer discipline from God, while on this earth for the transgressing of the commandments and laws. God punishes His children here on this earth for our own good, so we can learn from our mistakes and live on to bear fruit for His purpose. As Christians we must fear God and we should do our best to please Him. But you should not fear ever losing your salvation, because God promised that you have everlasting life, and once your saved your always saved. I would like to finish this sermon by reading one final scripture from the book of (Romans 8:35-39) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
