A. Jewish tradition holds that a person’s place in the Book of Life depends on their obedience to the Law.  Each year on Rosh Hashanah the Book is reviewed and those deserving are inscribed for another year of life.  Those who are not deserving have 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to right every wrong they can.  If they’re successful, their names will be inscribed for another year before the book is closed on Yom Kippur.  A common greeting among Orthodox Jews during that time is,”May your name be inscribed in the book.”  What that means is life is only granted on a year by year basis and is dependent on obedience. Obviously this was only intended for Jews and is not meant to be universal.  (Otherwise all Gentiles would die in their first year of accountability.)

Also, the context here is physical life.  When Moses offered to have his name blotted out of the book to pay for the sins of the people (Exodus 32:32)  he was offering to give his life to pay for their disobedience.  God refused his offer but later sent His Son to accomplish a similar but much grander purpose.  Jesus gave His life to pay for our disobedience.  But His death didn’t didn’t simply buy us another year of physical life.   Those who believe in Him won’t ever perish but will have eternal life (John 3:16).  This is what He meant in Rev. 3:5 when He said He would never blot our names out of the book.  We who are His never, ever, ever have to worry about having our names blotted out of the book of life, because thanks to our belief in Him we have eternal life.

A. The doctrine of Eternal Security (OSAS) is unique to the Church.  It does not apply to angels, it didn’t apply in the Old Testament, and it will not apply after the rapture.  But speaking to the Church Paul wrote,

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. ( 2 Cor. 1:21-22)

At the moment of our salvation, God accepted responsibility for us by putting His seal of ownership upon us and sealing his Spirit in our heart.  He did this to guarantee our place in His kingdom.   No other group had been or will be blessed in this way.

For more detail on the nature of post rapture salvation, click here.

Matthew 5:13. The Lord Jesus compares and calls believers the salt of the earth that if it loses its saltiness; it will be cast out and trodden under the feet of man.  This sounds like the loss of salvation.

1 Timothy 5:12 speaks of young Christian widows having damnation for casting off their first faith.  And this was just for getting remarried.  Were we not designed and made for human companionship?  Even Adam in his sinless state found no helper for him.  God said “It is not good for man to be alone”.  And if it was for the widows-why?  Did these Christian widows lose their salvation?

2 Timothy 1 :18 Why was Paul concerned that Onesiphorus would find mercy of the Lord in that day?  Didn’t the apostle Paul believe his Christian friend was eternally secure?  Why was scripture used to worry about his potential mercy?

A. Let me begin by saying that in citing these passages you’re violating one of the primary rules of interpretation.  You’re using vague illustrations to define clear teaching instead of the reverse.  The Bible can’t contradict itself, so when it appears to do so, we are to use the clearest teaching on the matter to help us comprehend passages that aren’t as definitive.

The clearest teaching on Eternal Security is found in Ephes 1:13-14 and 2 Cor. 1:21-22.  They say that our salvation is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit being sealed within us.  In 2 Cor. 1:21-22 Paul said that God Himself has taken responsibility for us and has put his own seal of ownership upon us as well sealing the Holy Spirit within us. There’s no verse in the Bible that speaks of Him undoing these things, because to do so would mean that God had to change his mind about us, and therefore doesn’t know the end from the beginning after all.

In Matt. 5 Jesus was teaching on the need for a Savior.  He said our righteousness has to exceed that of the Pharisees, who devoted their lives to keeping the law, or else we’d never see the Kingdom. (Matt. 5:20)  Then He explained what the law really meant, to wit:  Thinking wrong is as bad as doing wrong.  He ended the chapter by saying we have to be perfect as our father in heaven is perfect, an impossible thing for man, but mandatory for meeting God’s standards.

We were created to dwell in the presence of God.  To do that we have to be as righteous as He is.  If we ever sin we’re of no more value to Him than salt that has lost it’s saltiness.  Losing our saltiness is symbolic of losing our righteousness, not our salvation.  Salvation is the means by which our righteousness is restored.  Just like salt cannot make itself salty again, we cannot make our selves righteous again.  We need a Savior and that was His point.

In 1 Tim. 5:12 Paul couldn’t have meant the young widows would lose their salvation because to have done so would have contradicted an earlier statement of his that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:38-39)  In Matt. 5:33-37 Jesus said not to make vows because we don’t know what the future will bring and the enemy will use them against us.   Paul was advising Timothy to keep the young widows from falling into this trap and bringing disgrace down upon themselves and the Church by not letting them take widows’ vows.

The same goes for 2 Tim. 1:18.  According to Paul’s teaching in 1 Cor. 3:10-4:5 Judgment for believers concerns the rewards we get for things we do after we’re saved.  (Our sins were judged at the cross and the penalty was paid by Jesus).  In  1 Cor. 3:15 he made it clear that this doesn’t concern our salvation, only our rewards.  Far from worrying about his salvation,  Paul was expressing his desire that the Lord would be merciful in dispensing rewards to Onesiphorus for all his acts of kindness toward Paul.

“1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. “

That verse says that I shall not inherit the kingdom of God if I do any of those things.  What happens to OSAS if I steal something and die before I confess?

A. The summary statement of the passage is “The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”  The rest of verses 9-10 describe types of unrighteous people.

Look at Romans 3:21-22,

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

And 2 Cor. 5:21

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We are made righteous because of our faith, as righteous as God is.   That’s because when Jesus went to the cross He took every sin of our lives, past present and future, and paid the penalty for all of them (Col. 2:13-15).  We are no longer considered by God to be unrighteous, and there is no sin we can commit to make us so, because Jesus has already made atonement for every sin of our life.

Confessing our sins, as required by 1 John 1:9, is not for the purpose of maintaining our salvation, which affects our eternal life.  It’s to maintain our fellowship with God, which affects our earthly life.  Otherwise even an angry or resentful thought  (which are also sins) conceived at the moment of death, could deprive us of our salvation just as surely as if we’d committed a physical act of sin.

Ephesians 1:13-14 explain that our inheritance is guaranteed the moment we place our faith in the Lord.  And the Holy Spirit is sealed within us at that point as a deposit. The only way God could do this is if all the sins of our remaining life had been paid for in advance.

I follow a variety of ministers in America, but I don’t see anyone in particular who is actively pursuing the present day backslidden.  I think that specific kind of ministry is desperately needed. And while I know there is supposed to be a great falling away, and apostasy, still…there is gleaning that can be done in fields post the general harvest, and even burnt-over fields can and do experience regrowth.  Please do not take this question as a criticism — you clearly have a true servants heart, and I am so very grateful for your web ministry.

A. Once a person is saved, the Lord assumes responsibility for them (2 Cor. 1:21-22).  When they wander off He is the one who brings them back (Luke 15:4-7), and He has promised never to lose even one of us (John 6:39-40).  I’m sure He has many who assist Him in this effort.  Just because they don’t receive the publicity some others get, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

A. The problem with that view is that it makes us responsible for staying saved.  But the Bible says the Lord accepts that responsibility (2 Cor. 1:21-22).  It says no one can take us out of his hands (John 10:28-29), or separate us from Him (Rom. 8:38-39), and that He’ll never lose even one of us (John 6:39) These promises are so all inclusive that it’s clear, once we’re saved there’s nothing we can do to break our union with Him.

A. Our salvation is based on belief, not behavior, but it’s not a license to sin.  Over and over we’re admonished to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and change our behavior as a sign of our gratitude for what we’ve been freely given.  This change pleases the Lord and so He blesses us with His favor and gifts of all kinds.  If we don’t follow the Spirit’s guidance we’re both communicating our ingratitude and disqualifying ourselves for these additional blessings.  This explains why so many Christians live defeated fruitless lives.  But since our salvation was extended as a free gift conditioned only on our faith to receive it, we’re saved either way. For a more complete explanation read OSAS, the Whole Story.

A. That’s right.  It was the shepherd’s job to keep the sheep.  Some owners made the shepherd pay for any he lost.  John 6: 39 says it’s God’s will that Jesus would lose none of all He has given Him but raise them up at the last day.

A. I think that’s a really flimsy excuse to discard all the clear passages that confirm our security.  According to John 3:16 every one in the world has a part in the Book of Life.  All we need to do is believe to receive it, and in Ephesians 1:13-14 we’re told that as soon as we do, God guarantees our salvation, no matter what.  In Rev. 22:19 John was saying that if a person changes the Book of Revelation it would mean that they aren’t a believer and God would make sure that they never become one.

I am now 32 years old and wonder was this enough to save me.  I know that I am a sinner and I believe with all my heart that Jesus is Lord.  I just get confused sometimes that I didn’t do something right.  Please help me dispel the doubt and fear that gets to me.

A. As long a you were sincere when you asked, and  from your description it sounds like you were, what you did was sufficient to save you.   At that moment the Lord sealed His Holy Spirit in your heart and guaranteed you a place in his Kingdom.  (Ephes. 1:13-14)  The fact that you still believe these things is the best evidence you can have.

Sometimes it’s hard to accept the fact that God would really do this for us, especially when we know we’re still sinners. But remember, He knew every sin of our lives and took them all to the cross to pay for them with His blood. He saved us as soon as we asked because of what we believe, not because of how we behave.