It seems that few Christians understand what it means to be saved. First up, there is the salvation of the spirit, which is instant, eternal and happens when the individual is born again. Then there is the progressive salvation of the soul, which means renewal of the mind, the freeing of the will to choose God's will and the release from all bondages to sin, self, Satan and the world. This is a lifetime project. Finally, wonderfully, will be the salvation of the body. We receive a spiritual body to match the new, born again spirit. All my age related weakness, twinges, thinning hair, wrinkles and such will go!
Scripture makes clear that after we have been saved, there is a continuing conflict between our wanting to walk in the flesh, (that wants us to live in sin)- and our desire to walk after the Holy Spirit that now dwells in us - and warns that choosing to live in sins (works of the flesh), will keep us out of heaven:
Gal 5:16 ThisI say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18 But IF ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Gal 5:19 Now the WORKS OF THE FLESH are manifest, which are these;Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell YOU again, as I have also told youin time past, that they which DO such things shall NOT inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul warns us over and over, that if we choose to walk after the flesh, we will die spiritually - but if we choose to walk after the spirit, we will have everlasting life:
Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded isDEATH, but to be spiritually minded isLIFE and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind isENMITY against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Verse 8:7 above, having a carnal mind is ENMITY against God, meaning you actually become Gods ENEMY.
Will God let His enemies into heaven?
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is ENMITY with God? whosoever therefore will be a FRIEND OF THE WORLD is the ENEMY of God.
The verse above says sexual sins and being worldly, makes you Gods ENEMY.
Will God welcome His enemies into heaven?
We are expected and required as believers, to live the most sinless life we can, and to repent when we know we’ve sinned.
Scripture clearly shows that continuing to remain in Christ is conditional on us 1) continuing to walk in the light, as He is in the light, and 2) continue to walk after the spirit, instead of after the flesh.
In the two verses below, I put in parentheses the conditional part of these scriptures that are always left out by hyper-grace, OSAS teachers.
1Jn 1:7 (But IF we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another), and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The blood of Jesus cleansing the believer is conditional on their choosing to continue to walk in the light, as He is in the light.
Next:
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, (who walk NOT AFTER THE FLESH, , but after the Spirit).
Having no condemnation, and remaining in Christ, is conditional upon walking after the Spirit, and not after the flesh.
And Paul warns us against being deceived about living in sin as a believer, when he wrote:
Gal 6:7 Be Not DECEIVED ; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man SOWETH,that shall he also REAP.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; BUT he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting
You reap everlasting life only if you sow to the spirit (walk after the Spirit, Romans 8:1) , but reap spiritual death if you sow to your flesh.
When we do occasionally sin, we must confess it, for God to forgive it. 1 John 1:9.
The lies of hyper grace are twofold: you don’t ever need to repent after salvation when you sin; and you can’t lose salvation.
This makes grace a license to sin, since sin has no eternal penalty.
Thus if you want a mistress on the side, you can have one, and regularly commit adultery - or if you’re a drunkard you can get drunk every day - you can live a sinful lifestyle with impunity.
I personally know people that are living in sin, and use OSAS as their sinning license, and they get angry if you tell them that Paul warned the brethren in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that living in the sin of drunkenness or adultery, etc, will keep them out of heaven.
In that passage, Paul warns some of the believers that they are defrauding their brethren, (which is stealing, being a thief) then warns them that stealing, and other sins, will keep them from heaven:
1Co 6:8 Nay, ye do wrong, and DEFRAUD and that yourbrethren.
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.
Another warning by Paul, to the saints of God, about living a sinful lifestyle as a child of God:
Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Eph 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh SAINTS.
Eph 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath ANY inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:6 Let no man DECEIVE you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the WRATH of God upon the children of disobedience.
Eph 5:7 Be not YE therefore partakers WITH them.
The prodigal son.
In the prodigal son story, the father represents God, thus the son represents believers who are Gods adopted sons.
He’s already a son when the story starts.
He leaves the father to live in sin
When he returns to the father in repentance, the father says: this is my son WHO WAS DEAD, but is now alive AGAIN.
He obviously wasn’t dead physically and resurrected.
How then was he dead?
He was dead in his sins.
Thus the son was alive, left his Father to live a sinful life, became DEAD in his sins, then returned in repentance, and became alive AGAIN.