I’ll jump in on this one with some thoughts. I feel like the devil is hard at work these days trying to confuse us on our salvation by doing what he always does, mixing things up and putting small twists in the truth to confuse people. I’ve been down this road already and our Father in Heaven always brings me back to my own story and how he relentlessly pursued me and did not let me fall from His grasp. (John 10:28-29)
First there is the matter of our salvation, the simplicity found in the ABC’s of salvation that JD always teaches. That’s it. There is nothing more to it. To say that there is, that anything we do or do not do causes us to be “fake” believers or lose our salvation is teaching a works based salvation. And if that’s the case, let’s face it, why do we need Jesus at all? We cannot save ourselves, no matter what we do or don’t do in terms of sin (lest no man should boast)
But there is a thing called sanctification, or as I like to think of it, maturity. We grow in our walk with Christ very similar to the way we mature physically. I remember my infancy, where all I did was share the gospel with no fear, no shame, just pure love for Christ. I also remember when rebelled, crying out against God, questioning his motives, railing against Him in my pain, and I remember throwing fits in my prayers. And then I grew past that as His Holy Spirit continued to teach and guide me through love and understanding. Did I lose my salvation in those times? Absolutely not, thank God.
Here is more real example. I accepted Jesus when I was five. I was having terrible nightmares about being in the grave and nothing my mom did stopped these recurring nightmares. My Grandmother finally advised her to talk to me about Jesus and I accepted Him into my heart. That nightmare stopped immediately.
Later as a teenager, being very spiritual, I was so lost because the church just did not teach about God’s Holy Spirit or the gifts of His Spirit. And so I had this big gaping whole that I tried to fill with new age, witchcraft, and all sorts of things. No one told me any different. No one.
But by God’s Holy Spirit alone, I was nudged, taught, brought back to His word until I completely ditched all that and began to understand more about How God speaks to my heart. Did I lose my salvation during that time? I don’t think so, I was like the lost lamb that Jesus left the flock for. He relentlessly pursued me. He didn’t give up on me. He taught me right from wrong in that circumstance.
And this is how it is with all of us. God loves us and once we accept Him that is it. People will throw scripture that perhaps they don’t fully understand at us to say otherwise. But I try to look at it this way:
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Only God knows some else’s heart and it’s none of my business other than to correct or counter if they are teaching a false gospel to others. I can pray for them. That is more powerful then anything. We lose sight of how powerful it is to go to our Father’s throne in prayer and how He calls us forward everytime, like the King did with Esther.
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Not to confuse salvation with sanctification. One of the articles I read pointed out repeated sin. Peter asks a similar question of Jesus in Matthew 18:22. Something for us to think about. And at the same time, I will never go back to witchcraft again. I’ve grown past that one. There is other sin in my life God is dealing with now. And so it is with us all.
Anyway, just my own thoughts. I put this one to bed in my own heart. I believe there will be a conversation with Jesus one day on what rewards I’ve lost and gained. (store up your treasures in Heaven where moth and rust do not destroy). The Bema seat.