Enduring to the End

[bigo1984]

I've always wondered about this. There are many verses in the bible that make Salvation sound very simple and easy. Such as John 3:16 and many others. However there are also scriptures that talk about enduring to the end and make it sound like Salvation can be lost. Is enduring to the end just a matter of keeping the faith? Or is it more about obedience?

Timothy 6: 12

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.


2 Timothy 4:7

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

 

[joshuanazar]

I personal belief is that enduring to the end is staying surrendered to God.

 

[Grafted In]

It's Jesus Christ who keeps you saved. I don't believe that heaven is cluttered with pencils with the erasers worn off. He doesn't "pencil you in".

 

[JP1]

There are many verses in the bible that make Salvation sound very simple and easy

"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

It's that simple.

 

[bigo1984]

"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

It's that simple.

Yes that's one of the simple verses I was referring to and I truly believe it. But then you have this verse. Which is why I believe that enduring to the end has to do with keeping the faith. Since I know there are people who have believed on Jesus Christ and then left the faith.


Matthew 24:13

but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved

 

[Steeno7]

I've always wondered about this. There are many verses in the bible that make Salvation sound very simple and easy. Such as John 3:16 and many others. However there are also scriptures that talk about enduring to the end and make it sound like Salvation can be lost. Is enduring to the end just a matter of keeping the faith? Or is it more about obedience?

Living by faith in Jesus Christ, trusting and depending upon Him, is being obedient. We are those who endure to the end, who do not shrink back.

Hebrews 10:38-39, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back. But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved."

 

[kmrichard7]

Its hard to google scriptures on my phone while I type do just as my general understanding from what I have read, we are saved when we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives. That said, accepting him comes with a certain amount of responsibility that we endure, and endure to the end. How much do we really accept him if we cannot follow him and his commands?
I believe salvation can and is lost to those who stop looking. I've been there. I pray I never go there again.

 

[Grafted In]

Some of the same Scriptures used to dog me.
But if I may veer just a bit, 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 has always puzzled me. I used to use it to help me when my doubts were especially depressing. But Paul says "the spirit may be saved"....nothing regarding the soul. Can anyone help me understand? Are these 2 lost or are they not? If they are what is Paul telling that church?
I realize they repented and were restored. What about prior to repenting. Isn't our soul that is saved?

 

[JP1]

I believe salvation can and is lost to those who stop looking. I've been there. I pray I never go there again.

Yep, I have been there too. I turned my back on God in a big way, and got deep into the darkness. It took God shaking my life to the core to bring me back to Him, and I have vowed to myself that I will never stray again.

 

[joshuanazar]

So exactly what must we do to be saved and to stay saved?

 

[joshuanazar]

Some of the same Scriptures used to dog me.
But if I may veer just a bit, 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 has always puzzled me. I used to use it to help me when my doubts were especially depressing. But Paul says "the spirit may be saved"....nothing regarding the soul. Can anyone help me understand? Are these 2 lost or are they not? If they are what is Paul telling that church?
I realize they repented and were restored. What about prior to repenting. Isn't our soul that is saved?

Even though our spirit and soul are different, sometimes they are referred to together as our inner man. This is often called the spirit also because it is the spiritual man. In this verse I believe the word spirit is referring to both the soul and spirit.

 

[Grafted In]

Thank you, joshuanazar.

 

[joshuanazar]

Thank you, joshuanazar.

No problem.

 

[bigo1984]

So exactly what must we do to be saved and to stay saved?

Believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Have faith until the end of your life here on Earth. I don't think someone who once believed but then leaves the faith altogether would be saved. Some would argue they were never truly saved to begin with.

 

[joshuanazar]

So what about obeying the commandments?

 

[bigo1984]

So what about obeying the commandments?

Galatians 2:21
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

However I do believe that true faith in Christ will produce fruits in our life.

 

[joshuanazar]

Galatians 2:21
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

However I do believe that true faith in Christ will produce fruits in our life.

I agree completely. I am glad to read this post. As I see it all we have to do is to continue surrendering our will to God's love. In doing that we will strongly desire to do what is good without any obligation forcing us.

 

[FireHeart]

This is a good question. Many ppl apparently give their lives to Christ yet fall away. I remember the parable of the sower and the seeds Mathew 13 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

This to me seems to be speaking of us and accepting Christ and it would explain why so many claim to be Christian and saved yet aren't. I easily would have been one of these because I wanted to be saved but never could make that connection because deep inside I knew I wasn't willing to give up my video game addiction for him. it wasn't until I was at a breaking point where I didn't care if I died and saw my life as pathetic and trash and I said to him in my tears that I didn't care what he took from me if he would only come into my heart.

Looking back on this I understand that God wanted to wait until I was willing to give up everything to follow him, he wanted a true relationship and wanted us to go all the way not half way or some of the way. and I adapted this desire of his saying to him that I am going to give this everything I've got that we either go all the way in this or not at all

 

[joshuanazar]

This is a good question. Many ppl apparently give their lives to Christ yet fall away. I remember the parable of the sower and the seeds Mathew 13 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

This to me seems to be speaking of us and accepting Christ and it would explain why so many claim to be Christian and saved yet aren't. I easily would have been one of these because I wanted to be saved but never could make that connection because deep inside I knew I wasn't willing to give up my video game addiction for him. it wasn't until I was at a breaking point where I didn't care if I died and saw my life as pathetic and trash and I said to him in my tears that I didn't care what he took from me if he would only come into my heart.

Looking back on this I understand that God wanted to wait until I was willing to give up everything to follow him, he wanted a true relationship and wanted us to go all the way not half way or some of the way. and I adapted this desire of his saying to him that I am going to give this everything I've got that we either go all the way in this or not at all

Thank you for sharing your story.

 

[bigo1984]

This is a good question. Many ppl apparently give their lives to Christ yet fall away. I remember the parable of the sower and the seeds Mathew 13 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

This to me seems to be speaking of us and accepting Christ and it would explain why so many claim to be Christian and saved yet aren't. I easily would have been one of these because I wanted to be saved but never could make that connection because deep inside I knew I wasn't willing to give up my video game addiction for him. it wasn't until I was at a breaking point where I didn't care if I died and saw my life as pathetic and trash and I said to him in my tears that I didn't care what he took from me if he would only come into my heart.

Looking back on this I understand that God wanted to wait until I was willing to give up everything to follow him, he wanted a true relationship and wanted us to go all the way not half way or some of the way. and I adapted this desire of his saying to him that I am going to give this everything I've got that we either go all the way in this or not at all

I play video games a bit myself. However I've never thought I would need to give it up. It's just a hobby I enjoy. What brought you to the point of thinking God wanted you to give them up. I'm not saying you are wrong I am just curious.