Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Salvation
Once saved always saved? Is eternal Security Biblical? Can I lose my salvation?
Eternal security or OSAS (once saved always saved) is biblical. Not only does Jesus mention eternal life to anyone who believes, the whole point of Jesus coming to earth is to pay for all our sins. How can you lose your salvation if you believe all your sins have already been paid for? It’s impossible. The atonement of God is unlimited and covers all sin.
Do good works always accompany faith?
No. A lot of people say, if you’re truly saved you will have works but this is simply not true and in fact this belief is a subtle form of works salvation and it will not save anyone. The church at Corinth (1 Cor) were carnal, they had no remorse or guilt for all the sins they committed. Paul did not call them unsaved, he called them babes in Christ. If works were automatic, why would the Bible need to tell us to do works? A lot of things people say is just their own self-righteousness, we should always read the Bible without any thoughts beforehand. Please God, not man.
Does a Person Have to Be Sorry for Their Sins to Be Saved?
No! There is nothing in the Scriptures about “being sorry” for one’s sins to be saved. 2nd Corinthians 7:10 states, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” The Apostle Paul was speaking to the church, concerning the man mentioned in 1st Corinthians 5:1-5 who was living in open fornication in the church. He was a believer (1st Corinthians 5:5). The man afterwards repentant, because of godly sorrow, i.e., the convicting power of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 12:5-8). A lost sinner, who has not the Holy Spirit, cannot reasonably be expected to have godly sorrow before salvation. Being “sorry” for one’s sins is a matter of growing in grace, which requires time. The church at Corinth was carnal (1st Corinthians 3:1), and certainly had no “sorrow” over the overwhelming abundance of sins in their church. This is why Paul wrote 1st Corinthians—to rebuke them sharply. Jesus never asked anyone to “be sorry for their sins” to be saved. Rather, one need only come as a guilty sinner, and BELIEVE on Jesus as their Savior to be eternally forgiven. Salvation is receiving; NOT giving.
Do I have to repent to be saved?
Yes! Mark 1:15 states, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Carefully notice that repentance is synonymous with believing the Gospel (i.e., the “good news” of God’s plan of redemption through Jesus Christ crucified). There is much perversion today by unscholarly men, who misrepresent the true Biblical meaning of the word “REPENT,” which is the Greek word metanoia, meaning “a change of mind.” Dishonest men claim that “repent” in the Bible means to forsake one’s sin as part of saving-faith; BUT, such heresy goes against the plainest teachings in the Bible. Salvation is of God; not men. There is no self-righteousness involved. Eternal life is a “free gift” (Romans 5:15), which cannot be acquired through any amount of self-righteousness (Ephesians 2:8,9). Biblical repentance is “a change of mind” concerning sin and the Savior, which causes a lost sinner to believe on the Lord for forgiveness of sins to be saved. Genesis 15:6 states… “And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Also see Romans 4:3-5. Abraham’s faith was COUNTED for righteousness. Why? Because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the believer… “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God” (James 2:23).Abraham was saved by faith alone, and then his faith was “made perfect” (James 2:22) in the eyes of MEN by works. It is important to make a distinction between a believer who repents FROM sin in one’s life (as a part of growing in the Lord); verses an unsaved person who must repent OF sin to be saved. Romans 3:19 clearly tells us what the purpose of God’s Law is in salvation… “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” All that God requires to be saved is that one come as a sinner, and trust upon the Lord Jesus Christ to be forgiven. Romans 3:19 DOESN’T teach that sins must be forsaken to be saved.The whole notion of “Lordship Salvation” is unfair to a new believer, because even mature Christians struggle with the temptations of sin. It often takes years before a believer grows enough in the Lord to be willing to consecrate their life to God. So, “Yes,” a lost sinner must repent to be saved; but not in the sense of giving up their sins and making a commitment to live anew for God. You won’t find the phrase “repent from sin” in the Bible. In sharp contrast, Acts 20:21 speaks of “repentance toward God.” So Biblical repentance is not the forsaking of sins; rather, it is turning towards Jesus Christ, Who is God in the flesh, to be forgiven from the awfulness, guilt, and condemnation of sin. Certainly, a changed life should result from genuine repentance; but this is NOT a part of saving-faith. We must keep the FRUIT of the believer’s faith separate from the ROOT of the believer’s faith, or else God’s simple plan of salvation will be corrupted by self-righteousness.
Is salvation a process?
No! Salvation is not a process. There are not 2-steps to salvation; but rather, 2-parts to one step. Repentance and faith are two separate parts of the same step. One who has believed on the Lord for forgiveness has repented (changed their mind to what saves them). This is Biblical repentance concerning salvation. The Gospel of John mentions the word “believe” 85 times; yet the word “repent” is never mentioned. Clearly, if repentance were something different than BELIEVING ON THE LORD, then the Bible would have said so. It is obvious that believing on the Lord is repentance. In repentance, one TURNS from unbelief to belief in the Precious Savior to be forgiven.
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning God
If God is so loving, why would He send me to hell?
Because God has laws, a nature, a personality, just like you and I. He is infinite and holy, just and perfect. If He were not, He would not be God. Because He is these things, He is them infinitely. Therefore any sin, even a little lie is infinitely offensive to Him. And because He is infinitely just, He has to punish you for infinity. This is why you will spend eternity in hell if you do not accept the free gift of salvation from all your sins. Thank God for Jesus Christ who took the punishment for us. Jesus Christ is God and thus infinite, so He is the only one who could ever pay for our sins, because He had no sin. This is why Jesus covers all sins of mankind and not just a few, but an infinite amount. You just have to accept His free gift.
The Bible has many contradictions, shouldn't a perfect God be able to write a perfect book?
I can find hundreds of contradictions in the modern Bibles like the NIV, ESV, NKJV etc. Where you wont find a single contradiction however is in the KING JAMES BIBLE.
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