Many believers today are avid subscribers of easy believism, as was I.
Easy believism, if you’re not familiar with the term, is the idea that salvation is simply a one-time, instantaneous event that guarantees your ticket to heaven regardless of how you live thereafter or whether you stop believing altogether i.e. fall away/backslide.
It’s a very popular doctrine in the church today which largely explains why many believers subscribe to it.
That and the fact that it sounds very nice and appealing.
But the question is, is it biblical?
Well, after months of grappling with this question and searching the Scriptures, I've discovered and accepted the hard truth that it’s not.
The doctrine of 'once saved always saved' is not one Scripture endorses despite it's popularity in the church which easy believism has alot to do with.
Now there are two main ideas that easy believism propagates that are not biblical.
1) Salvation is a onetime affair.
This is a popular doctrine with a lot of preachers today. It’s preached the world over.
Many Christians think a sinner's prayer they recited once upon a time secures their ticket to heaven.
Now this may tickle our fancy, but it’s not supported anywhere in the Bible unless ofcourse like the thief on the cross, you die immediately.
The Bible does not teach that salvation is a onetime occasion and you’re good and safe whether you continue believing thereafter or not or you live right or not.
The problem with this falsehood is it reduces salvation to a hell fire insurance policy.
“Just make that critical decision and you’re safe (not saved) come what may.”
This explains why the bulk of our evangelism efforts are primarily focused on conversions.
We are focused on getting decisions not on making disciples.
We think just getting people to make that critical decision is all it takes which is a far cry from what the Bible teaches.
This also explains why so many believers have become so complacent in their walk with God and resolved to live anyhowly such that you cannot tell them apart from unbelievers.
They have subscribed to a false sense of security where they think a decision they made 2, 5, 10, 20 years ago guarantees an eternity with God.
Such seek safety not salvation and God to them is a means to an end and not the end itself.
But in truth, they are grossly mistaken as we will soon find out.
The Bible says no one makes a fool of God and He sees straight through us. (see Galatians 6:7, Jeremiah 17:10, Proverbs 16:2)
The truth is, salvation is not taught as a single event in the Bible, but a process, a journey or as Paul puts it, a race. (see 1 Timothy 4:7, Galatians 5:7)
The decision to get born again is the start of that race. How you run the race and whether you complete the race or not, that’s an entirely different ball game but just as important.
You see, the word ‘save’ is used in 3 tenses in the Bible – past, present and future tense.
Simply put, we are saved, we are being saved and we will be saved.
The Bible never teaches salvation is an instantaneous one-time thing, even though this is widely taught.
The Bible teaches salvation is a past, present and future affair.
Infact, Paul puts an emphasis on starting (past), continuing (present), and finishing well (future).
So in essence, salvation is a 3 part process which is incomplete until all these 3 come together.
Now the starting is what the Bible calls Justification (past).
Majority of us are familiar with this one.
Paul teaches that salvation is past, in that we look back to a starting point when we first believed in Jesus unto salvation. When we made that critical decision to come to Christ.
Many believers, however, stop here. But this is just the starting point.
We need to remember we are in a race and like any race, you don’t start it and then just sit with your legs up and your arms folded and say you are done.
Then next we have the continuing which the Bible calls Sanctification (present) .
This is simply striving to look more and more like Jesus everyday.
We’ll look at more on this when we look at the second idea easy believism propages that is not in line with Scripture.
The last stage in the process is what the Bible calls Glorification (future).
This is the final stage or step in our salvation journey, and it is when we see our Lord Jesus face to face and the Bible says we shall be like Him. (see 1 John 3:2)
We shall inherit salvation. (see Hebrews 1:14)
This is the goal we should all be pressing towards as believers.
Sadly many of us want to skip the middle stage (sanctification) and jump right to the finish.
But all these stages go together.
So the truth is, none of us has arrived. We are all on the way to the culmination of our salvation.
It’s very common to hear a believer say, “I got saved on such and such a date” but, “I began to be saved on such and such a date,” is more in tune with Scripture.
In other words you began the process...you began the race.
You still have a race to run.
You still have faith to keep...to the very end infact.
The Bible says those who endure to the very end shall be saved. (see Matthew 24:13)
John Calvin, a French theologian, once said:
“Still our redemption would be imperfect if He did not lead us ever onward toward the final goal of our salvation. Accordingly, the moment we turn away even slightly from Him, our salvation which rests firmly in Him gradually vanishes away. As a result, all those who do not rest in Him voluntarily deprive themselves of all grace.”
So we still have a goal to press towards. (see Philippians 3:14)
It’s not just about starting with Jesus but going all the way with Him.
Jesus says in John 15:6:
“If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned.”
So the remaining in Him is just as important as the coming to Him.
Those believers who fail to remain in Him risk being lost just like Judas. (see John 17:12)
“But James Jesus said no one can pluck us from His hand (John 10:28)?”
Well, that is absolutely true.
Paul even emphasizes the same in Romans 8:38 that nothing can separate us from the love of God that we have in Christ Jesus but that doesn’t mean we cannot separate ourselves.
No one being able to pluck you from Jesus’ hand doesn’t rule out you willingly getting off His loving hand.
As much as Jesus wants you to abide in Him and will ensure no one tries to separate you from Him, does not mean you can separate yourself.
Jesus cannot force you to abide in Him if you are not willing to and sadly so many believers have forsaken their faith and like a hen’s chicks, willingly left the covering of their mother’s wings who wants nothing more than to keep them under her wings.
One thing that is characteristic of the early church is they were very careful of how they walked with God as believers because they understood salvation doesn't stick unless you intentionally work to ensure it does which Paul calls working it out with fear and trembling. (see Philippians 2:12-13)
The early Saints were very careful to walk right with God lest as Paul puts it, they be disqualified or castaway. (see 1 Corinthians 9:27)
The Greek word used is for disqualified in the verse is 'adokimos' which means rejected or fail to pass the test.
It's the same word used in Titus 1:16 and 2 Corinthians 13:5 which say:
"They claim to know God but their actions say otherwise.They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good." (Titus 1:16)
"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified." (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Another translation says, "..unless you have failed the test of genuine faith."
So genuine faith doesn't stop at conversion or stop believing altogether.
It stands the test of time and endures to the very end.
A believer who forsakes the faith cannot still claim to be in the faith.
Infact, the Bible says those who fall away or leave the faith were NOT saved to start with. (see 1 John 2:19)
And forsaking the faith is not just about confessing you no longer believe in Jesus but also about how you live your life.
The life you choose to live as a Christian is proof of whether you have forsaken the faith or not.
You can claim to be saved all you want but if how you live your life does not line up with your confession, you are deceiving yourself as Paul says in Titus 1:16.
In reality, you cannot claim to be saved if you continue to live a life of sin. (see 1 John 3:9)
2) Repentance is optional.
This is the second main idea easy believism peddles.
Infact it excludes repentance as part of saving faith such that you can come to Jesus just as you are and remain just as you are.
That saving faith does not need to be accompanied by repentance – a changed heart attitude towards your sinful ways which inturn causes you to turn away from them.
That you can keep living the same way you lived in your old sinful life and still claim to be a true Christian.
But there is an unequivocal call for repentance in the Bible.
It’s not a suggestion, but a requirement for true salvation.
There must be a transformation such that you look more and more like Christ and less and less like your old sinful self.
That you sin less and less and walk in righteousness more and more.
This is actually one of the 4 test of a true Christian highlighted in 1 John.
A true disciple of Jesus must bear fruit worthy of repentance. (see Matthew 3:8)
We must see a positive change in your life from when you started with God to when you finish with God.
What’s interesting is the word ‘salvation’ is actually very close in meaning to words such as ‘salvaging’ or ‘recycling’.
The truth is, God is in the business of recycling people so that they become useful to Him.
So Christians are not just changed from sinners into Saints which we call justification, but also from being useless to being useful to God and men which we call sanctification.
The book of Philemon is a classic example that illustrates this truth in the Bible.
It’s a short story of this lazy, rebellious and resentful slave named Onesimus who runs away from his master to Rome, thinking that a large city would be a good hiding place but then he meets Paul and converts to a Christian.
In those days, if you ran away from your master and they found you, the normal punishment was crucifixion, but if your master was abit merciful, he would merely brand you on the forehead with the letters ‘FF’, which simply means ‘fugitive’ and you would then have to wear that brand the rest of your life.
So Paul tells Onesimus to return to his master, Philemon, whom Paul knew as a Christian in Colosse and given the severe punishment his former mistake attracted, he writes a letter to smooth up the reunion between Philemon and Onesimus.
But it's Paul's words to Philemon concerning Onesimus in verse 10 and 11 that are worth mentioning. He says:
“I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.”
So here we have a picture of justification – I became his father in the faith while here in prison – and a picture of sanctification – now he has become useful both to you and to me.
This is the ultimate goal of salvation.
That you get right with God (justification) and then become useful to Him and men here on earth (sanctification) and ultimately live with Him in glory when Jesus returns (glorification).
So God is not just in the business of saving us from our sins but making us useful to Him as well unto eternity.
And the truth is, contrary to popular belief, becoming useful to God is not just up to God.
We have a huge part to play as well.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:10:
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain or not without effect or results. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
So there's a balance between grace and faith.
Infact God gives an awesome picture of this in the Book of Jeremiah.
In Jeremiah 18, God instructs Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and there he observes how the potter works the wheel.
But he makes one key observation. He observes that the clay would not run well in the potter’s hands to make this beautiful vase.
In turn, the potter crushes it back into a lump and makes a crude, thick pot with it.
Then God said to Jeremiah, ‘Have you learned the lesson of the potter and the clay?’
What God was trying to teach Jeremiah was it was not just the potter that determined whether the clay turned into a beautiful vessel or a crude pot, the clay had a say in it too depending on how it responded to the potter’s hands.
Most of the time we think that because God is the Porter and we are the clay, He determines how our lives turn out independent of us and there is nothing we can do about it.
This is the fatalistic view of life alot of people, even Christians have.
However, the Bible is clear that the clay has a part to play on whether the Porter turns it into a beautiful vase or a crude pot.
Likewise, you decide whether you will be useful or useless to God as a believer.
And do you know what God tells Jeremiah to do with the crude useless pot?
God tells him to take that hard crude pot, break it and throw the pieces into the valley of Hinnom where the rubbish back then was thrown.
The valley of Hinnon or Gehenna, is actually a real valley just south of Jerusalem which exists even to this day.
Jesus actually likened hell to this place.
It was a place where all the city garbage was thrown and the place burned continuously day and night.
Jesus spoke of people being ‘thrown’ into hell as if they were rubbish – good for nothing.
Hell is basically God's garbage dump.
It's a place where all people who are of no use to Him anymore ultimately end up and it’s a scary place.
The Bible describes hell as a place of “unquenchable fire”, a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” a place “where their worm does not die”, a place of “outer darkness”, a place of “anguish”, a place of “eternal punishment”, a place of “eternal destruction,” with “wrath and fury” (Romans 2:8).
A place where “the smoke of torment goes up forever and ever, and those in it have no rest, day or night.”
There’s no let up. There’s no coming up for a breather.
Personally i think that's not even the worst of it...the fact that hell is the only place where God will not be present is worst part.
Hell is a place where God's beauty will not be seen or known, a place where His fellowship will not be enjoyed, His mercy and goodness will not be experienced.
The only thing that will be felt is His judgement.
Scary, right?
The good news is God doesn’t want anyone to end up here that is why He sent a Savior and also why He is in the recycling business.
He rescues (justifies) and recycles (sanctifies) people who are heading for hell, turning people who were previously dead and useless to Him (vessels of dishonor) into living and useless people (vessels of honor) for His use.
So in truth we need to correct this imbalance that is common in a lot of our preaching today.
We seem to pay too much attention on what we are saved from and not enough attention to what we are saved to and for.
It's true that we are not saved by good works but it's also true that we are saved for them.
We need to allow God to mold us into beautiful vases and not harden our hearts to the point where He cannot mold us into a beautiful state anymore.
To a point where God has to break and dispose of us like garbage which can happen to anyone regardless of whether they are saved or not.
Child of God, God prefers your life to be beautiful, and if you respond well to Him, He will make it so.
I hope this post is a wake-up call for you if you and it instills a godly fear in you.
It's sad that godly fear is one thing that is lacking in a lot of believers today.
We have become so casual with God and i think alot of it has to with this false sense of security we have where we think we are safe and cannot lose our salvation regardless of what we do or how we live.
We think we are above the rules and God’s rules and warnings do not apply to us.
That salvation is a free pass to live however we want.
That God has double standards for believers and unbelievers as pertaining to godliness.
That an unbeliever can cohabit, sleep around, club, curse, get drunk, smoke, lie, cheat, slander, covet, murder, walk in inforgiveness, worship idols, pursue their own selfish ambitions etc. and be in danger of hell fire but you can do the same and not be in danger of the same.
Do not deceive yourself beloved.
The truth is, we should not expect God to excuse a sin in us He would not excuse in unbelievers.
That would make Him unjust.
We need to understand that as much as God is our Father, He is still God.
Don’t get too familiar with God to a point you forget who He is.
To a point you think He's harmless and would never hurt a fly.
God is a loving Father but He is also a consuming fire.
Believe it or not, there are as many warning for believers in the Bible as for unbelievers.
A lot of times we read alot of these warnings in the Bible and as believers, we ignore them or dismiss them as"it's for them (unbelievers) not for us (believers)".
Such arrogance.
Sadly we exhibit the same arrogance and sense of entitlement the Jews had who thought they were so special to God and indispensable because they were God's people but God made an example out of them which Paul says should serve as a warning to us that the same thing that happened to them could happen to us. (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-11)
We need to lose our sense of entitlement as a believers.
God can dispense of us the same way He dispensed of them.
Bottom line, a decision you made whatever number of months or years back does not guarantee your eternal security, your current walk with God does so be careful how you walk. (see Ephesians 5:15)
Well, what about assurance of salvation?
Contrary to popular belief, assurance of salvation does not come because you confessed some text in the Bible years ago, assurance of salvation comes from the Holy Spirit that dwells in you.
He testifies with your spirit whether you are truly saved and still saved or not.
In truth, you need run your race, keep the faith and continue with Jesus faithfully to the very end like Paul did. (see 2 Timothy 4:7-8)
If you take nothing else from this post, take this…
It's not the faith you start with that saves you, but the faith you finish with.
God bless you.