As a boy growing up, I came into a family who had no known scholars or people with a higher education. All my relatives were simple folks who labored hard in their perspective occupations. One joy that I always appreciated was sitting around the gas light in my grandfather’s home as the adults discussed on-going events. (No television in those days.) Sometimes, scripture would be discussed and the question of “once saved, always saved” would invariably come up. Because my relatives had little training in scriptural, interpretive skills, they, along with most of the world, believed this saying to be true. When I became an adult, I had to settle this matter for myself.

Even today, this statement is believed by many Christians. Well, here is where I am on this subject. Firstly, the Bible never actually quotes this particular phrase so we have to look at where it comes from. We will find this in John 10:22-30. Jesus is telling the crowd that those who remain faithful to him in life, no one can remove them from his hand: referring to any outside spiritual source. Now that promise is true and we need to embrace that truth. But the untruth of “once saved, always saved” is this. We have Jesus’ promise that we are safe in his care.

However, the one place we don’t look for a culprit, is ourselves. If we live an insensitive sinful life, our sins will remove us from salvation. We ourselves can be the one to take us out of his care. Just Look at God’s corrective justice for the unrepentant, Old Testament Jews. Timothy 2:11-13 says that “if we die with Him, we will raise with Him.” Dying and rising, require an action on our part.

In discussions with others, many folks have told me that there is no sin that they can commit that would take them out of God’s care. All I can say to them is what Scripture says, we are foolish to believe that. Everything depends on us. Jesus used another expression very often. “If you have ears to hear, let them hear.” Simply stated, hearing is only one part of our belief, putting it to memory, and action, is the other. I never intend for anyone to take my word on any spiritual matter but I do ask that you read the scriptures to make a decision.