The Great Debate

We had an interesting discussion in Sunday school yesterday. The teacher told us last week that we'd be talking about a controversial subject, and he was right. Using a lesson from Max Lucado's book "3:16," we talked about the "Once saved, Always saved" debate. Once you give your life to God, are you always saved? Or can you do something to lose your salvation?

This debate has been around as long as I can remember. Like the church in general, our Sunday school class was split on the subject.

Lucado's book uses John 10:27-30 to argue for eternal security. It says, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand."

Some say, based on that Scripture, that once you are saved, you can never do anything to be "snatched" out of God's hand and lose your eternal salvation.

I believe it's possible to lose your salvation IF you deliberately continue to sin once you've come to the truth. We all make mistakes. Thank God, the Lord is patient and gives us chance after chance to come to Him and be forgiven. But if we continue to stubbornly go our own way after we know the right way, there comes a point when we're in danger of losing our salvation.

I've struggled with this issue in my life. Growing up, I thought every time I told a lie or said a bad word, I needed to go to the altar to get "saved again." I was haunted with fear as a child because I was afraid Jesus would come back before I got right again.

I realize now that God is not waiting to zap me the minute I do something wrong. He is a kind and loving God, and He's full of compassion and forgiveness. I love Lamentations 3:22-23, which says, "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Still, we can't live any way we want to and expect to make it to heaven. The Bible has some clear warnings for believers. In Revelation 2-3, Jesus had some strong words for the seven churches. To the church in Ephesus, He said they had forsaken their first love. He tells them to repent or He would remove their lampstand from its place.

God, in His love, gives us warnings. In the Old Testament, He sent the prophets to warn His people to turn from their sin. If they refused, God's judgment came upon them. The New Testament says that some will fall away in the last days.

In 1 Timothy 4:1, it says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits.

To me, the "Once saved, Always saved" debate comes down to a matter of the heart. God knows what's in a man's heart. Our class had differing opinions on this debate, but I think we all agreed that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him, as it says in Hebrews 11:6. We may fall sometimes, but if we serve the Lord with all our heart, He will see us through to the day of salvation.

I love debates like this, so I enjoyed yesterday's class. There are arguments that can be made on both sides. It's up to each of us to weigh all the arguments and then let the Bible and our hearts guide us on what we believe.

So I wonder what we'll debate next Sunday....