You are an amazing man of God and I appreciate what Christ is doing through you and your ministry. My question or comment is on eternal security, also called once saved, always saved: OSAS.
Let me first state that I fundamentally believe that we are saved by what we believe and not how we behave. I think that scripture makes that pretty clear.
But I believe we have to be careful how we disseminate that truth to others, and I think that is what has been the BIG problem in the OSAS doctrine. People have put it out there like, “Hey, say a prayer, you’re saved, and live the way you want. Don’t worry, God has forgiven you.”
We have to make sure that people understand that God paid a price to make a change in us “a new creation” and that is something special and beautiful. Does the change take some time and work? Yes, but that is where the Holy Spirit comes in to help us – to convict us! If the person is not feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit, then all they did is rattle off a prayer and there was no change.
OSAS should not be used as a scapegoat for their behavior. That is making a mockery of our Lords gift. Yes, I believe OSAS if there is a true confession and conversion!
Do you believe that the OSAS doctrine has been misunderstood, and if so what can we do as literal bible believing followers of Christ to change that misunderstanding?
Look at what you’re saying. “I believe OSAS if there is a true confession and conversion!” Under what other circumstances could OSAS possibly apply? And God did not pay a price to make a change in us through time and work and the Holy Spirit’s conviction. Because He paid a price a change has been made in us that allows God to view us as if we had never sinned. The old is gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17)
The truth be told, we do have the right to say a prayer and then live the way we want, because it’s the sincere prayer that saves us not our attempts to be good afterward. Now if we choose to ignore the counsel of the Holy Spirit and live meaningless, fruitless lives, we’ll suffer loss both here and in eternity (1 Cor. 3:15) but we’ll still be saved.
I think that the only place where OSAS has been misunderstood is among those who would take away from what the Lord has done by attaching man’s conditions.