CALVINISM

I decided to add my take on Calvinism to this blog, since the doctrine has attracted considerable interest in religious circles the last few years. Last year the president of Louisiana College (Baptist) fired three religion professors for allegedly professing and promoting Calvinism on campus. Nationally, the Southern Baptist Convention formed a committee to explore the emergence (or re-emergence) of the doctrine. That committee reported both Calvinists and Non-Calvinists should be able to co-exist within the framework of the convention.

My experience has been that most Calvinist defenders I have read, rely on historical evidence of earlier prominent Baptists who have espoused that doctrine. The other side usually counters with denial, which I see as a futile attempt to re-write history. Certainly, there were many Calvinists among Southern Baptists, but Baptists emerged from the Reformation movement with Luther's famous dictum “Only Scripture.” For me, Scripture always speaks louder than history. (Although we owe the history of interpretation acknowledgment in our due diligence.)

What then is the doctrine? John Calvin originated these teachings in Reformation days, building on Luther and Augustine. Neo-Calvinism is famous for its acronym, “TULIP,” often with an additional S before or after in reference to Sovereignty.

SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD is the basic teaching encompassing all the rest. God is creator and therefore holds in His hands all creation to do with as He chooses. The Infinite is so much greater than finite, we have no judgment as to whether He is right or wrong. He can and does do as He chooses with no need for explanation. Indeed, in comparison to His Mind, we cannot understand much if anything should He choose to explain as He does in the Bible.

I know no one on either side that denies God's sovereignty. He can and does do as HE will. An OT theology prof I had once liked to refer to God as creating and loving in freedom. Still, God in his sovereignty created a world that runs by dependable natural laws. Christ “emptied himself” to become incarnate. The Sovereign Lord appears to have set boundaries He seldom crosses, perhaps so we can find him as dependable. The great figures of the Bible do, in fact, argue with God. Moses even won such a verbal brawl after the golden calf incident. God wanted to wipe the bunch out and make Moses the new Abraham. At one of the highest points in the OT, Moses forgave the crowd that was always giving him trouble and demanded God do likewise!

TOTAL DEPRAVITY – Humanity is totally depraved, having nothing that God wants or needs. He is born a sinner, doomed to Hell unless God chooses to intervene. Adam and Eve's sin genetically changed the human race, and everyone inherits that original sin. (The Catholic Church baptizes infants as a gracious act to remove the stain of original sin.)

Romans 3:23 does indeed say that “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” a great deal of theological debate has gone down over whether the verse refers to original sin, an environment conducive to sin, or a human's inevitable choice to sin.” a Calvinist might point to the last part of the verse, claiming our inability to match the glory of God. I would point to the active verb “have sinned,” which indicates to me a conscious act of will and choice.

And Genesis claims that God created humans and pronounced them “very good,” the only act that was more than just “good.” Even before Adam sinned, though he was in the image of God, he could never attain to the full glory of God. Note the Bible tells the story as though that first couple had a real choice, and God held them responsible for that choice. If God did indeed create some to “fuel the fires of hell,” as some have put it, that certainly is not the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

In a famous book to Bible students, The Image of God in Man, the author GB Caird sets forth the history of ideas and teachings about the image and its nature. His conclusion is that the image includes at least the ability to be addressed by God and to address God. That image is not removed by our sin. Even the “lost” remain in the image of God. Thus can the Holy Spirit speak in a sinner's heart, calling him to salvation.

UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION – God chooses those who will be saved without regard to what they have done, or any personal characteristics. All are sinners (see T above) and deserve eternal punishment. Salvation is His gracious act. He chooses some, but does not choose others. (Some, not all, Calvinists bite the bullet and go on to “double predestination,” saying God also chooses some to go to Hell.) They defend this view by pointing out He did not have to save anyone. But therein lies the choosing. It is as if He left us a gift at our front door. That gift is ours, but it has no value until we open the door and possess it.

Yet the Bible constantly confronts us with a choice. The respected German theologian Karl Barth famously said that Book faces us with an eternal choice to say yes or no on every page. Jesus repeatedly called people to choose. John 3 several times points out bluntly that Jesus did not come to judge the world, but so that world could be saved.

LIMITED ATONEMENT - Jesus died only for the elect. He did not die for sinners in general, but only for those whom God has tapped out for salvation. Paul did, in fact, say Christ died for the church, or ecclesia, congregation. But that does not mean he may also have died for others as well. Indeed, John 3 emphasizes that God loves the entire world and sent His Son for that world. John does not say God loved the elect and sent His Son to them.

Calvinists seem to be restricting salvation to a select few. (BTW I've never known a Calvinist who thought he had been left out and was lost!) The book of Acts fights the opposite battle. Peter's dream began the break-out from Judaism, and Paul's whole ministry was finding anyone, anywhere who would believe. Jesus Himself reached out to everyone, even those mainline Judaism excluded. His disciples were a varied, mostly blue collar bunch. The story of the Good Samaritan blasts at the barriers we build. Women traveled with Jesus's entourage and supported Him financially.

IRRESISTABLE GRACE – If God has fore-ordained you to be saved, you can never finally resist succumbing to His call. All of those He has chosen, elected, will finally be saved. But this is not reflected in the gospels. Jesus called the rich young ruler to be his 13^th disciple, but the man turned away – as have many since. He was unable to do many miracles in His hometown because of their unbelief.

If saving grace is irresistible, the gospel has little meaning. There would be no point in evangelism nor missions since God has already planned it all out. Indeed the man called “the father of modern missions,” William Carey, had to fight Calvinists who told him if God wanted to save the heathen, he could do it without our help.

Incidentally, many Calvinists consider the “Plan of Salvation” and the “Sinner's Prayer” to be blasphemy. Since God has already made the choice, they think, how dare we try to influence another. If some one does profess faith who is not among the elect, it is hollow and void.

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS – This is the subject of this whole blog and my 1974 book, but I don't come from a Calvinist starting point. Perseverance, however, is logical for Calvinists, because if God had been determined to save them, of course he will continue to keep them.

We are saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ, because we were helpless to save ourselves. When Christ died and rose again, God offered salvation to all who would accept it on the basis of Jesus's saving work.

My second pastorate was in Rayville, LA. There my wife joined a group of “secret pals,” who would draw names and give each other presents at various times during the year. A favorite way to do this was to leave a gift at Yancey's Drugs (now gone). The pharmacy would call to tell us my wife had a present waiting for her. Note: she had the gift, but did not have the gift. The present was hers, but she had to go pick it up. She had to accept it. Christ offers us forgiveness and salvation, but we must voluntarily receive it. He will not force it upon us.

Jonathan Edwards was a brilliant theologian and philosopher who greatly influenced American thought. He had a very famous sermon that left those who heard in mortal fear and panic. He called it “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Every once in a while a church member would discover it and circulate it to my dismay. Their delight, I suspect, comes from today's tolerant society never believing in the concept of sin. My dismay comes from Edwards' portrayal of a different God than the one I read about in the New Testament. He was a strong Calvinist, and total depravity is the chief concept in his mind. He pictures God dangling people delightedly over the pit of Hell because He despises them. He portrays an angry, vengeful God as the title indicates. But this is NOT the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He loved the world as did His Son and gave Himself for it. There is no hatred of humanity. Yes, God is fully capable of wrath, but that wrath is the flip side of God's love. We ignite wrath when we spurn His love.

FINALLY, a great deal of the controversy is unnecessary in practice. Calvinists teach that God has chosen - for reasons known only to Himself – to save or call out the elect by the foolishness of preaching. Non-Calvinists also believe God uses preaching to bring people under conviction and to respond to His call to salvation. In math, two things equal to a third thing equal each other. (6+6)=12=(3x4) for example. Therefore, both sides end up preaching Christ crucified, risen, and alive forevermore. Since even if God had chosen the elect, no one knows who they are until they step forward. Therefore if we are obedient to God, we will act exactly the same. (Except proclaim the Lord as first of all a god of wrath.)

A NOTE ON FREE WILL – Obviously I believe we have free will in respect of accepting or rejecting the various calls of God. But there are external and personal limitations to our free will in other respects:

We cannot fly up to Pennsylvania and visit with Ben Franklin. Our free will does not apply to the time of our earthly existence. To a great degree, the place of our birth limits our choices as does the “choice” of our parents. As we grow older and society develops, we can change our location, but it might take considerable effort. You could move to Hawaii, you know. Why haven't you? Of course, I do have friends who now live in Alaska and all over the country. But note that where they live restricts their choices.

That brings us to the second aspect of free will, the personal aspect. We limit ourselves by the choices we make. I have lived in Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, and California. At one point I chose to live in Louisiana, believing as I moved from church to church that God was leading me. If I live in Louisiana, I have to deal with extreme heat and tornado threats. While in Kentucky, I had to dress warmly five or six months out of the year. In California's central valley, I found still another way of life – even earthquakes. The choice of where to live dictates, or strongly influences many others.

We value our free will. Still each choice we makes rules out other possibilities. If I choose to live in Ruston, I cannot visit the Alamo or the Grand Canyon daily. I am free, however, to decide which church to attend and which restaurant to visit.

Regarding predestination and free will: Predestination preserves God's free will! The doctrine warns us that we can never take 5 steps and put God in a position where He MUST save us or do anything else. Salvation is a relationship, and both sides must enter it freely. I like to compare it to marriage. God chooses anyone who will in turn commit to Him. Trusting Christ is like standing at the altar to commit yourself to you spouse whatever may come.

Finally, look at the most famous Scripture from Romans 8:26. For whom God knew beforehand, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His dear Son. He combines predestination with foreknowledge. Time is important to God, He created it. The Bible has more history in its pages than any other religious book. But God lives outside of time. He is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. Knowing what we will do, He confirms it ahead of time. That's why predestination is not presented as a problem for Paul – or anywhere else. Paul considers it a glorious sign of victory and encouragement.

One additional point: The verse does NOT say, God foreknew and predestined some to be saved. Rather Paul states God's plan that the saved will grow in grace more and more like Jesus.

That's my take. What's yours?

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

If you are worried about committing the unpardonable sin or that you have already done so, forget it. You haven’t. How do I know this? Because those who commit this sin have no idea they have done it. Read on.

Jesus mentions the unpardonable sin in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, probably in a re-telling of the same story. The Pharisees have just accused Jesus of casting out demons by the Prince of Demons, that is, Satan. You must remember this when reading Jesus comment, because it was directed at the Pharisees.

Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation—because they said, “He has an unclean spirit” (Mark 3:28-30).

Jesus told them that every sin could be forgiven that humans do except one. Blasphemy against God Himself or even His Son can be forgiven. But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven.

So what is the “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?” It is what the Pharisees have just done. They called the works of Christ the works of the devil. They called good evil. Their value system and their consciences were so messed up that they didn’t know right from wrong.

That’s why the sin couldn’t be forgiven, not because God couldn’t forgive it, but because they couldn’t recognize it as a sin. If you think you are doing good, but are really doing evil, do you repent and ask forgiveness? No indeed.

By the way, note that Jesus did not say they had yet stepped over the line. Rather his rejoinder was a warning they had tread on dangerous ground. Beware calling the works of God the works of the devil. Do not call good things bad.

Some things it is not…

1 – It is NOT a sexual sin of any sort. Jesus said all sins will be forgiven, which includes sexual sins. He forgave the woman in John 8, for example..

For some reason these sins leave us with guilt that’s hard to get rid of.

2 – It is NOT failing to accept Christ. In a recent sermon my pastor said as a child he had heard this explanation the most often. So had I, but it’s not so. As long as you DO accept Christ, the years you rejected him are forgiven. Even the thief on the cross called out to Jesus in the last hours of his life and was assured he would be with him in Paradise.

3 – Your security does NOT depend on FEELING saved. Salvation has little or nothing to do with how you feel. A better question to ask is, “Am I following Jesus now?”

Note: some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder have trouble being absolutely one hundred per cent sure that they did everything exactly right to be saved. That worry is the OCD talking, not the Holy Spirit. If you are worrying about it, you haven’t done it!

CHAPTER SIX

CLARIFYING PERSEVERANCE

Greek scholars tell us that the aorist tense reflects action at a point, not continuous action. The aorist may refer to the start or end of something or the action considered as a whole from a distance (of time, perhaps). The present and imperfect tenses both imply continuous action.

Many Christian thinkers prefer the term “perseverance” over “once-saved-always-saved,” because they believe the popular term creates a “point-action” idea rather than a continuous one. In other words, genuine salvation results in a disciple who continues to follow Jesus and to be transformed again and again toward His likeness.

While I acknowledge the possibility when pressed, I don’t like the assumption that if one sincerely walks down the aisle and commits to Christ, he will go to heaven regardless of what else he does. As I said in Chapter One, strictly speaking I believe he can if he is sincere. But in reality, a real experience with Christ is life-changing and continues throughout life.

Perseverance points to sanctification. Big words, but big meaning. Sanctification is the process of making a person holy or set apart. Christian discipleship means growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 tells us that God began a good work in us when we were saved, and He will go on bringing that work to completion as long as we live. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

How does that work out in practice? Look at Galatians 5:22 where Paul speaks of the “fruits of the Spirit.” The first three are love, joy, and peace. The Lord is growing you to become a more loving person, to follow the command to love your neighbor as yourself. If you’ve been a Christian for 10 years, you should feel and act more warmly toward people than you once did. You should be a more and more happy person with a positive outlook as your faith grows. Others should see in you a deep peace that comes from increasing maturity and the ability to trust God.

Ponder those three, then read the rest of the list. Where do you see growth. In which areas are you finding no fruit in your life, or little fruit. Are you resisting the Spirit’s attempt to bestow these on you? Or have you never thought about it?

CHAPTER FIVE

MORE ON PERSEVERANCE

I promised at the end of Chapter Two to discuss once-saved-always-saved in more depth, and that’s where I’m headed now. First, let me say again, that one verse and one idea convinces me all by itself. Galatians 3:2-3 reads, “Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law or believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? (NIV) As it applies to perseverance, the verse asks whether we think having begun by grace through faith, we must maintain our salvation through human works?

I repeat. God does not change the rules. We are saved by grace and we are kept by grace. Grace alone. We can’t save ourselves, and we can’t keep ourselves. God must do it. (Scroll waaayyy down and you’ll find the complete discussion.)

John 6:37-40, 44, 50

Verses abound to support the security of the believer. One of the strongest are words spoken by Jesus in John 6:37-40,44, 50. “All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. ….It is the will of the Father that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day….every one who sees the son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

If you come to me I will not cast you out nor refuse you. In the original Greek, there is a double negative, which is like tying a double knot in your shoe string. There is a double “no” for emphasis. One of the words is an absolute word that means in no case would I do that. The two together make a very, very strong negative. And note the repeated refrain: “I will raise him up at the last day.”

Since Jesus was probably speaking Aramaic when he pronounced these words, I find the term for cast out interesting. It comes from a word meaning street, so it gives us the picture of Jesus saying, “No way would I ever kick you out on the street.”

Jesus said it is God’s will that you should come to him and when you do, he will keep you and raise you up at the last day. And he repeatedly says he will raise you up. What more assurance do you want?

John 17:11-12, 20

Jesus prayed the “high priestly prayer” in John 17. He prayed for unity among the disciples after the Last Supper and before Gethsemane. In that prayer He emphasized that He had kept all the disciples God had given Him. He further prayed that God would continue to keep them after He left them.

And Jesus concludes by praying not only for that first band of men, but for all those that came after them, who believed because of their testimony and preaching. Folks, that includes US! Jesus wanted us to be included in those whom God kept safe.

Matthew 18:21-22

Simon Peter approached Jesus one day feeling proud of himself and his expanding tolerance. “How many times shall I forgive someone who keeps sinning against me? Should I go as far as seven times?” No, don’t put Peter down for this. If you forgive seven times, you’re a pretty good forgiver. For most Americans the magic number for anything is three. “He hit me on the cheek three times and I turned it again. Now can I bop him one?” Try taking it seven times!

But Jesus said, Simon had not quite got it yet. He challenged him to boost the figure to 70 TIMES seven! That’s 490 if you are keeping score. And no, I don’t think that Jesus meant you could come with the baseball bat on the 491^st time! Jesus taught unlimited forgiveness. Unlimited!

Question: at what point in your sinful life would you want God to say, “OK, kid, that’s it! You’re outa here!” Hmmm. Wellll. See what I’m saying?

If Jesus calls us to install forgiveness as a basic virtue, don’t you think the Lord practices the same virtue? In Christ, no sin will cross the line so He will throw us out.

Philippians 1:6

This verse is one of my favorites. My translation says “I am certain that the One who began a good work (a miraculous, saving transaction) within you will go on bringing it to completion until you go to meet Christ.”

I will come back to this verse almost immediately in the next chapter on perseverance, but let’s look at it now in this context. Paul says he is certain your salvation will go on transforming you into the likeness of Christ as long as you live. This is security. He is not afraid you will lose it. Rather he is sure Christ will not lose you, but develop you.

People have often said that salvation is past, present, and future. In the past, you met Jesus Christ, said yes to His call, and followed Him. You were saved. But in the present, that salvation is working in you like yeast in bread to develop your character, gifts, and service to the Kingdom. And in the future, you will be saved when you join Christ and the Father in heaven. If you like big words, theologians call these three stages justification, sanctification, and glorification.

CHAPTER FOUR

                                                                        Petitionery Prayer

I wondered at first why the lady included petitionery prayer as the third of her three P’s. Then I recognized that idea of predestination, as conceived by some people, could imply that there’s no point in praying for another’s salvation since God has decided that already. Thus you don’t need to pray for someone God has chosen, because they will be saved anyway. And there’s no point in praying for the unchosen, because you can’t change God’s mind. And likewise, there’s no point in missions or evangelism. As one man told William Carey, “If God wants to save the heathen, he can do it without you and me.”

On realizing this, my mind went first to a prayer list I had during high school and college. I can’t find it now, but there were at least 15-20 people listed on it who were not Christians so far as I knew. I was able for two or three years to pick up three high school friends and take them to Sunday School and worship with me in my Jeep. All three accepted Christ, and over the years I heard back they were actively serving Him in their churches. I added my grandfather to the list though he was a very old man. My mother told me he was baptized at around 90 years old.

I had a Jewish friend tragically killed in an auto accident while in med school. In the aftermath of that awful event, we learned that a few days before his death he had told his mother, “I dreamed I saw Jesus last night!” I also had a Jewish high school teacher whom I put on the list, not really expecting a result, but I prayed for him anyway. Then one day when I was home, I saw him down the hall at our church. Again I asked and was told he had been baptized that year and was very regular. Still another high school teacher on the list died in the last few years. I noted in the obituary the service was in an Episcopal church, leading me to believe that may have completed my list.

Do I think my prayers alone caused these people to be saved? No I don’t. But I do think they may have contributed. I’m sure others were praying and perhaps sharing their faith with each of them. Remember, I did what I could in bringing my three friends to church. I also wrote my grandfather a letter that presented the gospel and my wish for him to become a Christian.

Jesus repeated talked about prayer and encouraged his disciples to follow his example by praying themselves. He told his followers, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” Paul regularly reported that he was praying for his readers.

The evidence is strong that the Lord calls us to pray for others, both for their salvation and spiritual well-being. Look at some of Paul’s prayers near the beginnings of his letters. He doesn’t pray for their physical health, but specifically for their spiritual health, reversing our usual practice.

AN ADDITIONAL NOTE ON PRAYER

I have taught courses on prayer and preached on how to pray effectively, but I have a confession to make. Much of the teaching, preaching, and books on prayer seem to take an attitude that prayer can be like magic. They imply that if one could only learn to pray better, God would be more likely to give them what they want. Well, that’s sort of true, but I really question the motives here, like can you give me a better magic word to make this mountain disappear? Or help me get a new Caddilac?

Prayer is simply talking with God. WITH God. A conversation. Talking and listening. I’m convinced God is trying to answer more of our prayers if we would only shut up and listen. I didn’t have to learn to talk to my parents. I just did. Likewise kids everywhere talk to their parents and ask for all sorts of stuff.

The important thing is to ask for the best stuff. Salvation. Spiritual health. God’s will and purpose for our lives. Direction for the day. Yes, you can ask for anything, even frivolities. But why?

And don’t forget to listen! The best part about prayer is what God tells YOU. And that’s often pointing out a better direction for you life.

CHAPTER THREE
Predestination

Perseverance my be historically rooted in predestination.

What does that mean? It means that it’s logical to believe that if God predestined you to salvation, then you will be saved, and nothing can keep it from happening.

Well then, what is predestination? It’s the belief that God chose some people to be saved. The idea comes from Romans 8: 26, which says, “those whom God foreknew, he predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”

Note a couple of things about this passage. First, it may imply salvation, but that is not specifically what it says. We may also read it to mean that God intends those who are converted to grow into the likeness of Jesus. Second, the concept never bothers Paul as it does us. Instead it introduces one of the most joyful passages in the Bible, including “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Related Areas

We find this problem, not only in theology, but in many disciplines. Psychology has determinists. They argue that if we had complete knowledge of a person, we could accurately predict everything they do.

And the question arises in daily life, “How much freedom do I have?” Do I really have free will? I think I do, but do I really? Am I pre-determined to marry this person, take this job, buy this house, or stop at the diner for a sandwich?

As far as the Biblical discussion goes, Scripture doesn’t touch on other areas being predestined. You’re on your own what you believe about those.

Salvation and Mission

Old Testament scholars speak of a doctrine of Election. This idea includes several things, but basically it speaks of the freedom of God, He does what He chooses. In the OT He chooses particular people. The first is Abraham, who is chosen to found what became the Jewish race. He chose Moses to deliver the people from Egypt, establish a nation, and give them the Law.

In the same spirit, He stopped Saul on the road to Damascus, and elected him  to follow Him, and serve as a missionary to Gentiles. To interpret Paul, one does well to remember the power of his conversion experience. Paul was not seeking God; at the time he believed he already had found Him. Rather, God powerfully sought out Paul.

I choose to believe Paul has in mind his conversion when he talked about predestination. God knew ahead of time Paul would obey, so He stopped him in his tracks and called him. That gave Paul the assurance that God would support him in the mission He gave him.

And to Paul, this means God also knew you would receive Christ and endorsed that by calling you to follow Him. And if God did that, He will not allow His will to be thwarted by losing you.

Double-Barrel Predestination

Most theologians who believe in predestination say only that God elected some to be saved. But doesn’t that imply that God is thereby choosing the rest to go to hell? Most theologians sort of shrug and say Scripture only speaks of predestination in a positive way.

But there are others who take the bull by the horns and claim that God does indeed choose both groups, electing some to go to heaven and others to go to hell. This view has been called double-barrel predestination. It takes courage to state this and a type of honesty.

And yet, the thrust of Scripture is the call to repentance and the call to discipleship. Jesus called his disciples, who left whatever they were doing and followed Him. He called the “rich young ruler” and allowed the man to go away by his own choice.

Always keep in mind the first part of that verse: whom God foreknew, he predestined. It makes all the difference. To the Lord, past, present, and future are all before Him. We are free to choose, and faced with the choice to receive or reject, but He already knows which way we will make that choice.

Remember that predestination strengthens two things. First, if God knew you would be saved and predestined you, then you can rest in the confidence you are in His hands. Second, being predestined to conform to Christ’s image means you will continue to grow as a Christian, understanding more and more, and finding yourself more and more effective in His service.

CHAPTER TWO
THE MAJOR ARGUMENT

When I wrote the first book in 1974, I reported many scriptures that had a bearing on the subject, including Galatians 3:2-3. Since that time, the argument of this verse has strongly impressed on my mind that this one thought alone is enough to convince me that we cannot lose our salvation. Take a look:

“Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Galatians 3:2-3.

To lose one’s salvation, you would have to change the rules. Having been saved by grace through faith, you would have to keep your salvation by your own efforts - by doing good works and abstaining from sin. I don’t think so. In fact, I know this is NOT so. If we were unable to save ourselves through works (Ephesians 2:8-10), neither are we able to keep ourselves by our works. We are saved by grace, and we are kept by grace.

Remember, I am talking about those genuinely saved by grace through faith. We were not worthy of our salvation in the first place, and we are not worthy to keep our salvation. Let me emphasize that more strongly. The best of us Christians (whatever that may mean) is not worthy to keep our salvation. We are saved by grace, and we are kept by grace.

If we must retain our redemption by our own efforts, what would this say about the nature of God? Doesn’t it picture a somewhat maniacal deity who chuckles sinisterly, cackling, “Aha! I’ve saved all those people just for the heck of it. Now let’s see how many of them can be good enough to keep their salvation.” God is not like that, and the scripture repeatedly says He is not like that. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
If the Father loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us, He certainly loves us enough to keep us.

I sincerely believe, whether consciously or unconsciously, many churches have kept to possibility of losing salvation in order to keep its members in line. If you don’t come to church, behave yourself, tithe, etc., you may go to hell. Well that has nothing to do with whether you go to hell or not. Hopefully, genuinely converted Christians will do most of those things and more. But those things are not done to retain salvation.

Consider the thief on the cross. He did nothing to receive salvation except ask for it. He was probably a violent man, a revolutionary, terrorist or highway robber. His past was horrible by his own admition. He had no future. He was dying. All he could do was ask Jesus, and he did. And Jesus assured him they would be together that day in Paradise. In fact, for those who believe Jesus, we are more certain of this man’s redemption than of anyone else, ever. To no one did Jesus say they would be with him that day in Paradise.

Summarizing this brief discussion: we are kept by the grace of God just as we were saved by the grace of God. Again, I emphasize we are talking about those genuinely converted as discussed in my last post.