Words of Wisdom from the Babylon Bee – One of the many thorny issues in Christendom that theologians love to spar over is the concept of whether a born-again believer can lose their salvation. Staying out of the weeds of TULIP (pun intended for those who recognize the term), Arminians believe Christians can walk away from their faith (i.e., lose their salvation), and Calvinists believe in “once saved, always saved” (i.e., a Christian can’t lose their salvation). Many view this division as a “high-stakes poker game.”
Regardless of one’s religious persuasion, everyone recognizes that Christians continue to sin, regardless of their position in Christ. Unbelievers call this hypocrisy and use our bad behavior as justification for rejecting our faith and beliefs. Arminians are quick to jump on bad behavior as an indication that one’s salvation is not secure and can be lost. Calvinists see the evidence of bad behavior either as the individual not having been saved in the first place, or as having “fallen away” and grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), but still remaining saved. Of course few are so dogmatic as to not see gradations in both extreme positions.
Who is right and who is wrong? More to the point, does it matter from a human perspective? The reality is that, as outside observers of others navigating through life, our focus should be to shine the light of the gospel for all who are willing to listen. We are to offer Christian advice when appropriate and pray for our fellow man, and let God cause the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
My personal belief is that no one can snatch a believer out of the Father’s hands once they are saved. But I could be wrong. If God only allowed us to see halos around the heads of those headed to Heaven, life would be much simpler. However, our job, as believers, is to draw closer and closer to our Creator and help those inside and outside the Christian faith to do the same. In the famous words of Kenny Rogers in the song “The Gambler”:
You never count your money
When you’re sittin’ at the table
There’ll be time enough for countin’
When the dealing’s done
As Biblical Christians, we are called to share our faith while we are alive (at the “table”) with all who will listen and not worry so much about who is saved and who isn’t until life on earth has ended (“when the dealing’s done”).
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
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