Once Saved, Always Saved? By John Sun A web site visitor wishes to know whether it is true that “Once Saved, Always Saved”. The following exchanges in E-Mails provide the answer based on the Words of God from the Holy Bible:
DSA – Query # 1
Do you believe in once saved is always saved?
Do you believe that the lord still talk to people and call on people even women?
I have heard so many people tell me all you have to do is believed in John 3:16 then you will go to heaven. I knew this one person always told me this verse but she was mean, a liars, a trouble maker, talk about people behind their back all the time but, she was always going to church, and when she got home she was talking about them, and when she die, they said she went to heaven because she believed in Jesus was God’s son, in the verse John 3:16, and you still don’t have to do anything, you just want to get all your reward. They make it sound so simple and so easy getting into heaven. And, when I tell people that I believe there is more to do besides just believing in that verse, as you got to do work also and show people your faith. For my statement, I got a funny look.
(Signed DSA)
Answer by John Sun # 1
Dear (DSA),
First of all, we must understand that going to church regularly does not justify for eternal life. In the meantime, there are many servants of God (priests, preachers and/or pastors) who spent most of their lives inside the churches will not be able to go to heaven. Jesus repeatedly said in the Holy Bible that ‘only those who obeyed the Father in Heaven’ will enter into the Kingdom of God.
Lets share the following verse in the Holy Bible:
“Their worship is a farce, for they replace God’s commands with their own man-made teachings.” (Matthew 15:9 NLT)
We must understand that even Satan (the Devil) believes in God too (see Matthew 8:29). Will Satan go to Heaven also? Of course not!
Many preachers taught about John 3:16. Yes. There is nothing wrong in the statement contained in John 3:16. However, there are problems with certain preachers who failed to explain about the importance to read and to understand the Words of God; and to obey God’s instructions. At least, the true believers need to try one’s best. The ‘KEY WORD’ in the instructions given by the Resurrected Jesus to His disciples is in Matthew 28:20: “Teach these new disciples to OBEY all the commands I have given you.” (NLT)
Please feel free to visit our web site www.godtoday.org, the Narrow Gate page. Kindly pay attention to the quoted verses of the Holy Bible.
In God’s Service and by His Instructions,
John Sun
one of His messengers
God Today Ministries
DSA Query # 2
Thank you for writing me back.
However, you did not answer all of my questions, will you please do so?
(Signed DSA)
Answer by John Sun # 2
1) No. Based on the words in the Holy Bible that ‘once saved is always saved’ is NOT TRUE. See Hebrews 6:4-8 in the following:
“For it is impossible to restore to repentance those who were once enlightened – those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come – and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people to repentance again because they are nailing the Son of God to the cross again by rejecting him, holding him up to public shame.” (NLT)
Also see Hebrews 10:26-31, 2 Peter 2:19-22, 1 John 2:1-4, 1 John 3:4-10 and Revelation 2:4-5, 2:16, 3:3, 3:15-16.
2) Yes. God still talks to people as He always did. However, it is up to Him to choose who to talk to and when to talk.
3) Yes. God talks to man as well as woman. Many words Jesus spoke to women while He was man – in fact, He had spoken in the capacity of God not as a human being. My sister (formerly a doctor of medicine) became a preacher about 30 years ago. She always heard from God.
4) Yes. He will bring His Rewards with Him as He comes again. This is being repeatedly confirmed in Isaiah 40:10, 62:11 and Revelation 22:12.
5) “Repent” is so important that Jesus used this word when He started to preach. It is also His instructions to John to warn six out of the seven churches to repent (see Revelation Chapters 2 and 3) after His Resurrection. We can understand that most, if not all the members in those six churches had been born again and believed in Jesus and accepted Jesus as their Savior or Messiah, why Jesus still wanted to warn them if all His believers would go to heaven any way or, it was easy for the believers to go to Heaven without the necessity of obeying the Words of God?
In God’s Service and by His Instructions,
John Sun
one of His messengers
God Today Ministries
DSA Query # 3
Once again, I want to thank you for writing me back. You sound like a true preacher. Most of the preachers I know will preach what the people want to hear. In the church I go to is a Baptist, and they believe once saved is always saved, and they believe you do not have to be baptize in order to get into heaven, because baptizing does not saved you, they claimed, but didn’t Paul say baptizing does now saved us or something like that? Tell me
something, I grew in a Baptist church all my life but I have never felt comfortable telling anyone once saved is always saved or you do not have to be baptize. My husband has no problem with this statement he believe this but he has not always been a Baptist but I have. Our church went from 140 people to about 25-35 people now. The women run the church but they do not believe in a women preacher because of Paul said, for a women to keep quiet in church, well if that is true then why do we have women talk in church, women being Sunday school teacher over men, and women make decision about the church?
Do you have bible lessons?
Thank,
(Signed DSA)
Answer by John Sun # 3
Thank you for your kind compliments.
I was baptised in a Baptist Church(in Hong Kong) as my parents went there. I stayed in the Baptist Churchfor about 30 years.
Perhaps the following situation was unique or different among all other Baptist churches. The reason for my departure from the Baptist Churchin our area was that the Pastor who was filled by the Holy Spirit while preaching and was asked to leave. I talked about the importance of the Holy Spirit to one of their deacons. However, the deacon told me: “we don’t like to see people filled with the Holy Spirit as many of them are false. We also cannot agree with those who raise their hands or shed in tears while worshipping God.” Based on these answers, we left that Baptist Church as we believed that we could not enter into the Kingdom of God without the presence of the Holy Spirit inside our hearts.
Jesus said: “I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never SEE the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 NLT).
Jesus also said: “The truth is, no one can ENTER the Kingdom of God without being born of Water and the Spirit.” (John 3:5 NLT)
Many people believe ‘born again’ means to be baptised. Yes. But the most important issue is not to show the people but to make oneself agreeable with God (Roman 2:28-29).
The enemy we are facing is Satan (or the Devil). The Devil is an evil spirit. How can man (with only flesh and blood) defeat an evil spirit? Of course not, if man uses only his/her own power. However, Jesus defeated the Satan (as a man – as His Words are the Spirit and Life – see John 6:63) and He created the Way for everyone to follow.
In short, man cannot defeat the Devil without the presence of the following five important elements:
1) The Words of God,
2) The Presence of the Holy Spirit,
3) Frequent Prayers,
4) Good Deeds, and
5) Endure to the End.
The reduction of church members may not be caused by a woman pastor. There are many famous women preachers today. I know a small church in our area has a woman pastor. It grows real fast. In a period of less than two years, they need a much larger gathering place. My sister’s church started with a handful of believers. Now they have more than 300. As I see it, the most important criterion is whether the church leader let the Holy Spirit to lead or not. If not, then, there is no hope of eternal life. It is meaningless to preach only man’s words and man’s knowledge/experiences in a church.
In God’s Service and by His Instructions,
John Sun
one of His messengers
God Today Ministries
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