Message 37:  The 'Once-Saved-Always-Saved' Teaching Of Salvation Is A Deception From The Enemy

– Mark Chen 12-27-2014

Dearest brothers and sisters,

The Lord is prompting me to share with you a comment I made on Youtube recently concerning the popular false teaching of 'once-saved-always-saved' in many churches. I had made this comment to help a brother-in-Christ understand the importance of sanctification in the life of every believer, in our journey of salvation in Christ Jesus.

I explained these things as a follow-up to sharing the Lord's message regarding the need for every member of His Bride to be willingly and fully sanctified through God's refining fire, before we can be infused completely with the power of His Holy Spirit, and before we can be counted worthy to escape the coming tribulation (Luke 21:36).

Here is my comment to this brother on Youtube:

'Regarding the important issue of our salvation, the Lord has confirmed to many that the 'once-saved-always-saved' teaching of salvation is a deception from the enemy. Why is this so? The Lord has explained to us that our salvation in Him is a journey, which takes us through the 3 stages of justification (made right before God by faith in Christ's atonement), sanctification (regular repentance, confession of sins in obedience to God), and perfection (the completion of our salvation when our soul, spirit and body become perfected in Christ Jesus).

Many Christians want Jesus to be their Saviour, but they are not willing to pay the cost of true discipleship by forsaking the love of themselves and the things of the world (Matt 10:38-39, 1 John 2:17, Galatians 2:20; 5:24). This is what it means to call Jesus 'Lord'. Only by willingly and obediently submitting ourselves to the process of the Lord's sanctification in our lives, can we become more fruitful in our walk with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26).

As we do this daily, God will prune us to get rid of the sinful ways in our lives, in order that we become more fruitful in Jesus Christ (John 15:1-4). This is to His glory and honour, for the purpose of God's refining fire in our lives is to mould us into the likeness of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, so that we will prove our faith and obedience in Him by persevering through our trials that comes as a result of true discipleship (1 Peter 1:6-7). The Lord Jesus confirms this in John 16:33, and we have victory in Christ, our Saviour!

Therefore, the Lord is telling us clearly that those who have been justified by faith in Him, but refuse to pick up their cross daily to follow Him, are not worthy of Him (Matt 10:37-39). Those who refuse to obey the Lord's command to be sanctified through daily repentance of sins and obedience to His Will in their lives are the ones who have wandered off the straight and narrow path of Life that is found only in Him. These worldly believers have chosen to veer off onto the wide and broad road that leads to destruction, and unless they repent and ask the Lord to bring them back onto the narrow path of life, they will lose their salvation in Him.

This is a biblical truth that is amply supported by Holy Scriptures, as we read passages such as Revelation 2:4-6 and Revelation 3:5, which are letters to the various Christian churches. When Christ removes our lampstand from His presence and when He blots out our name from the Book of Life, we lose our salvation in Him, unless we repent and turn back to Him again.

Rev 3:5 emphasises what we have been discussing so far, that those who wish to be perfected in Christ and attained the complete salvation of their spirit, soul and body, must persevere in Christ Jesus in order to achieve this victory, by the grace of God (2 Cor 12:9). Those who do not, are like the unfruitful useless branches that our Father will remove from the Vine (Jesus Christ). They will wither and be eventually thrown into the fire (John 15:6).

This what the apostle Peter means when he exhorts us to make our calling and election certain, by continuing in Christ Jesus to produce the good fruit and good works of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:5-11). Also, this is what the apostle Paul means when he encourages us to 'work out our salvation with fear and trembling' (Philippians 2:12b), because our salvation is not complete until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

Therefore, those who are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, but fail the test of sanctification will not be ready for the perfection of their salvation in Christ when He comes for His Bride in the Rapture on the day of the Lord (Philippians 1:6, 1 John 3:2-3). They will not be ready to ascend to the Lord in the coming Rapture, for the Lord is coming to fetch a Bride who is holy and righteous through His sanctification (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Sadly, they will be left behind to face the Great Tribulation as a final chance for them to go through the necessary process of refining and purification of their faith in Christ. If any of them perish in the coming judgments of God before they obediently yield themselves to the Lord's sanctification in them, they are in real danger of losing their salvation in Jesus. For those of us who reject the biblical truth of sanctification and cling to the false gospel of licentious grace, they will be shocked when they discover the truth of God's inerrant Word (2 Tim 3:16).

Too many Christians prefer to claim that God's grace will cover all their sins, and they openly reject the need for obedience to the Lord's sanctification in their lives. Indeed, they despise the biblical concept of repentance because they believe that God's grace and forgiveness covers their past, present and future sins automatically. They fail to realise that though our God is merciful and forgiving (Psalm 103.8), He is also a holy God who expects His children to be holy, just as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).

We are in trouble if we disobey God's command to be holy, and if we choose to use His amazing grace and patience with us as a cover for our wilful sins. God's long-suffering patience with us is meant to draw us back to Him in faith, repentance and obedience, in order that we will be saved from His coming wrath (2 Peter 3:15). God's patience DOES NOT mean that He accepts or approves of our sinful treatment of His grace toward us.

Is it not written that we must worship God with reverance and awe, for our God is a consuming fire? (Hebrews 12:28-29). Indeed, it is so! These carnal Christians do not realise that God's patience with them is not a sign of Him condoning their disobedience, but to give them time to repent in faith and obedience (2 Peter 3:9). I pray that the Lord will open their eyes and ears, that they may see and hear His truth, before it's too late for them, for Satan seeks to drag them to hell with this widespread deception.'

Revelation 2:4-5 (ESV)
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Revelation 3:5 (ESV)
5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

Shalom!
Mark Chen