In this article I will address some of the most common myths, that people believe this doctrine teaches. I would encourage you to open your Bible and read the Scripture references given here, and ask the Lord to show you what they mean, and how they apply in your life, and in your walk with Him.

MYTH #1
"SO IF YOU CANT LOSE YOUR SALVATION, YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST GET SAVED AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!?"

Scripture: Romans 6:1, 2, 15, 16.

These passages address the "what then" questions, for all of us, not just those of us who believe 'once saved, always saved'.

Verse 1 asks the question, "shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?".

Verse 2 answers that question, and says "God forbid, how shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"

Verses 3 through 14 go on to explain exactly how we are dead to sin.

The one thing that puzzles me about this, is the idea that we would WANT to sin, after having our hearts convicted, after repenting, and after being changed inwardly, by the grace of God. That any believer would abuse the grace of God, which is found in Christ Jesus, and not only want to sin, but enjoy doing it. I find that hard to believe, that people actually think that way. (Or are they thinking this through at all, when they say "oh how convenient" ?)

Verses 15 and 16 address this.

And then 17 through 23 explain it further. Verse 18 tells us "being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness". Is that powerful, or what?? Through the blood of Jesus, all who call upon His name, have been made free from sin. (Now to be clear on this, this does not mean we will never sin, it means that we are free from the eternal punishment of sin) Not only that, but we have become the servants of righteousness! We yearn to do the will of God, in our own lives, and for others around us. It's our heart's desire to serve Him, and be the kind of believer that He would say to "well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into my rest".

Knowing that Jesus freed us from sin, and the bondage it has over our lives, is powerful knowledge...  powerful enough to bring us to our knees, and thank Him, glorify Him, and serve Him accordingly.

Believers who stand on the belief that once they're saved, that salvation is forever, do not desire to betray that grace. They are humbled beyond imagination that the Lord God Almighty, who created the sun and the moon and the mountains and the oceans, stars, winds, forests and deserts... would call them, send His Holy Spirit to touch their hearts, and bring them, to Him. They (we) are not puffed up with a sense of pride that He called us out of a life of sin, nor do we flaunt our salvation around like some kind of honor badge. This is abuse of God's grace (and not to mention, horribly egotistical).

MYTH #2
YOU MUST BE BIBLICLY IGNORANT, IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN'T LOSE YOUR SALVATION

SCRIPTURES: Below is a list of passages of Scripture, that address eternal life, assurance of salvation, and being sealed by God. We would strongly encourage you to read each and every one of them, in context (the situation they were written in), and in prayer. You'll quickly see for yourself, a recurring message here in each of these passages.

* John 6:35-51
* 2Tim. 2:19
* John 10:27-30
* John 4:14
* John 6:27
* John 6:54
* John 3:16-18
* Matt. 25:46
* Luke 20:36
* John 5:24
* John 17:2,3
* Romans 5:21, 6:22
* 1Tim. 6:12
* Titus 3:7
* 1John 2:25
* 1John 5:11-13
* Rev.1:18

MYTH #3
"WHAT ABOUT ALL THE PASSAGES IN SCRIPTURE THAT SAY YOU CAN LOSE YOUR SALVATION?!"

SCRIPTURE: See the above list. Where are there passages that contradict what the above passages say? Is God a liar? Is salvation conditional on thoughts, feelings, behaviors or intentions? Scripture says NO. Scripture says that salvation is attained through belief on Christ Jesus, and there is no "out clause" anywhere in the salvation message.

Salvation is not earned by good works, therefore it cannot be lost, by "bad" works. Salvation is a gift from God, available to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus HIMSELF said,
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28)

If you've been taught that you can lose your salvation by doing something, saying something, or feeling something, please read those words again, and understand that this is YOUR Savior speaking these words. Do you see anywhere in there, Jesus saying "all these things are true, except in the case of... (fill in the blank)" ??

If we could lose our salvation, if it were possible to have this gift taken away, don't you think Jesus would have mentioned it?

There are people who believe He did, and that there are passages of Scripture to support this teaching from the disciples and apostles. If there are, and they do support it, they directly contradict, what Jesus taught. Is that possible, to have an entire 66 books of text, all of which are the inspired word of God (2Tim. 3:16), and have one passage contradict another passage?

NO, it is NOT possible.

Therefore the only possibility is, that it's the reader, misinterpreting what the words are saying.

The bottom line is, you CAN have assurance of your salvation, and the way to do that, is to REALLY study what the Word of God says about it. There are pastors and teachers and entire denominations that teach folks that they can lose their salvation.

THEY ARE WRONG and Scripture proves it.

Maybe they've been taught wrong, maybe they've never actually been taught at all, either way, YOU have a bible, and YOU have direct access to the One who will lead you into all truth, that being the Holy Spirit. If you need assurance, if you have doubts, if you're confused about this, and your spirit just cries out for some kind of peace about this (and there are MANY just like you, who just don't know for sure), seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and take a journey through the Scriptures, allowing Him to show you, the truth about this issue.

And He will.

© Carla Rolfe 2000