Salvation … What Must I Do to Be Saved? Once Saved, Always Saved?

“…Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” -Acts 16:30 (KJV)

Paul and Silas where ministering at Philippi and because of their preaching and healing of a demon-possessed girl they were beaten by order of the magistrates and threw them into prison. They also had their feet locked down in the stocks. But at midnight they prayed and sang hymns to God. Then suddenly there was an earthquake and the foundations of the prison were shaken and all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains fell off. This in itself is a miracle worth  further study bit for today we will focus in on what the jailer of the prison said next.

Thinking that all the prisoners escaped the jailer was ready to kill himself but Paul said hold on don’t do anything we are all still here. The jailer went immediately to Paul and Silas trembling before them and asked one question – “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?“. Now we don’t know if the jailer heard them praying and singing but I suspect he did and was moved in his spirit to ask them this question as the earth shook beneath his feet.

Paul answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household“. Paul and Silas then ministered the word of the Lord to him and he became saved.  You see the jailer wanted to know what he had to do to escape the future judgment as he was now aware of the power of God. One must have faith and believe that the Lord was/is who He claimed to be and believe in the things He did – 1 Cor 15:3-4.

“but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” -John 20:31 (ESV)

Friends to be saved you must profess the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and believe in your heart (soul) that God raised Jesus from the dead. You must then confess your sin and repent and start living in holiness (Heb 12:14). For without repentance no man shall see the Kingdom of God – Luke 13:3. These are our instructions for obtaining eternal life. We must be born again (saved) in order to live with the Lord in His kingdom forever. There is nothing else on the face of the earth that will get you saved.

But you may ask “saved from what?“. I say, saved from the terrible consequences of our sin. And saved from His wrath which is surely coming. And then, saved from hell – which is certainly a reality and certainly a place of endless torment.

Once Saved, Always Saved False Teaching (an absolute lie)

Salvation is not about a one-time canned prayer that you have said at one time in your life. Salvation is about living and believing in Christ, His word, His teachings, His Bible … daily! Some big named preachers and evangelists teach that you are saved by grace and once you are saved you cannot lose your salvation. They would argue that if a person claims to be a Christian and then falls back into the world, then they were never a Christian to begin with. Hogwash! And this is false teaching. Consider Paul’s words in 2 Th 2:3, where he describes that before the Day of the Lord arrives there will be a great falling away from the faith. Friends, if you fall away, you had to be part of the faith to begin with.

Scripture speaks plainly about the false doctrine of Once Saved, Always Saved. Consider carefully – 1 Tim 4:1; Matt 24:10; Heb 6:4-6; 1 Tim 6:10, 21; 1 Tim 1:19; Act 20:29-30,  for starters. Here’s a decisive one –  2 Peter 2:20–21. And what about Rev 22:19 … if your name can be blotted out of the Book, it must have been in the Book to begin with. Also in: Ex 32:32-33; Rev 3:5. There many verses about being removed or blotted out of the Book of Life but not one having your name in this Book and never being removed. Again, to fall away from the faith strongly makes a case that you had to be of the faith to begin with. Now, a true Christian will live a life of holiness and repentance. But what if after living like this a true Christian falls back into the world and forgets God? Nations do this, why can’t people? My friends, DO NOT adhere to this Once Saved Always Saved foolishness as it a lie that will lead many astray and cause them to believe in a “hyper-graced” Gospel. One where grace has you covered in everything you do, which many take as a Get-Out-of-Hell free Card.

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10- For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.:” -Rom 10:9-10 (ESV)

So there it is and now the big question is what will you do about it if you are not really saved today? Do you claim to be a Christian but live like the world? Do you never find time to: pray, read His word, tell others about the Gospel, or live a life of faith? Are you living for the things of this world? This being said will you answer His call and follow Him or keep rejecting Him and procrastinating until some future time which may never come? Today’s the day of salvation, not tomorrow or next week. Today! Seek Him beloved for we never know when we will take our last breath and by then your fate and mine are sealed – for heaven or for … hell!

Stay the Course, Steadfast in Your Faith, Be Strong in the Lord and the Power of His Might!


-BPWatcher, Internet Preacher, and Bible Prophecy Watchman

“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” -2 Peter 3:11-12

HE IS LORD!

PJA-Red1

 

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