Is it possible to reject God (ex. turn to witchcraft) & lose salvation or "once saved always saved"?

[Stormcat95]

If you are religious at all I would really appreciate your opinion on this, as I have gotten into a disagreement over this and I want to see what other people think.

Imagine that someone has come to God, accepted that Jesus died for their sins and has been saved. Is it then possible for them to make the decision to go against God, making a clear choice to reject God and his ways, and therefore lose their salvation?

Or is it not plausible - the idea being that if they had the ability in their heart to go against God, it means that they never chose to be saved in the first place? Essentially saying that anyone that is saved could never find it in their heart to turn against God?

Or, is choosing to go against God (let's say turning to witchcraft) just considered a sin? Or is it a clear revocation of the gift of salvation?

I'm not saying you can lose salvation by sinning, because everyone sins (and should repent) and as long as you accept Jesus as the price for your sins you are saved. But can you make the choice reject him after you're a Christian?

Basically asking, do you think that it's possible to make the clear choice, after being saved, to reject God and lose salvation? Or is it "once saved always saved?"

 

[SkyWriting]

If you are religious at all I would really appreciate your opinion on this, as I have gotten into a disagreement over this and I want to see what other people think.

Imagine that someone has come to God, accepted that Jesus died for their sins and has been saved. Is it then possible for them to make the decision to go against God, making a clear choice to reject God and his ways, and therefore lose their salvation?

Or is it not plausible - the idea being that if they had the ability in their heart to go against God, it means that they never chose to be saved in the first place? Essentially saying that anyone that is saved could never find it in their heart to turn against God?

Or, is choosing to go against God (let's say turning to witchcraft) just considered a sin? Or is it a clear revocation of the gift of salvation?

I'm not saying you can lose salvation by sinning, because everyone sins (and should repent) and as long as you accept Jesus as the price for your sins you are saved. But can you make the choice reject him after you're a Christian?

Basically asking, do you think that it's possible to make the clear choice, after being saved, to reject God and lose salvation? Or is it "once saved always saved?"

One must actually "blaspheme" against the Holy Spirit.
Because God already knows what will happen tomorrow
there is no opportunity for you to surprise him, from His
perspective. From your perspective you think things
happen sequentially, which causes you to create a new
profile each time you come up with a logical dilemma
to try and then try and stump the crowd.

 

[Stillicidia]

There is a scripture I was trying to find, it goes similar to,
Some saints go into apostasy, but we are convinced better of you

This refers to the hearts and minds of those people, that they are not against god.

Once saved always saved refers to grace. There is a thing called 'greasy grace' be holy even as god is holy.
The bible also speaks about those who affirm we say sin that our grace be multiplied, which is simply not the case.

 

[longwait]

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

The last days are going to be horrendous. Many are going to fall away as they can't take the terror and horror of it all. Thats when you will end up denying Christ and taking the mark. Whats the result? You will lose your salvation. Thats why we need to be in constant prayer and communion with God so that day won't close on us like a trap.

 

[Geralt]

faith maybe but not fiducia.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

If you are religious at all I would really appreciate your opinion on this, as I have gotten into a disagreement over this and I want to see what other people think.

Imagine that someone has come to God, accepted that Jesus died for their sins and has been saved. Is it then possible for them to make the decision to go against God, making a clear choice to reject God and his ways, and therefore lose their salvation?

Or is it not plausible - the idea being that if they had the ability in their heart to go against God, it means that they never chose to be saved in the first place? Essentially saying that anyone that is saved could never find it in their heart to turn against God?

Or, is choosing to go against God (let's say turning to witchcraft) just considered a sin? Or is it a clear revocation of the gift of salvation?

I'm not saying you can lose salvation by sinning, because everyone sins (and should repent) and as long as you accept Jesus as the price for your sins you are saved. But can you make the choice reject him after you're a Christian?

Basically asking, do you think that it's possible to make the clear choice, after being saved, to reject God and lose salvation? Or is it "once saved always saved?"

This is going to depend on whether one is a Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant, with the Protestant view divided up into basically two sides--those who follow the idea of Calvin that Christians will persevere in faith no matter what, versus those who follow the idea of Arminius who says that salvation can be rejected by a Christian.

As for myself, I come down on the issue somewhere in the middle among all of these: I don't think it is easy at all for a Christian to lose her salvation, especially since God is working at all times to "pull" us in His direction. But it isn't impossible for a Christian to become so corrupted through the sins of her free will that she becomes seduced toward turning against the Christian faith. This end result is not a good place to be as a result of personal choices; hence, the reason we find the kinds of warnings we do in the book of Hebrews.

Peace
2PhiloVoid

 

[Albion]

I'm not persuaded that there is any middle ground on this, but neither am I totally convinced of Election and Eternal Security. However, Christ did say that no one could take from him those who had been given to him, and that his confused followers should trust in him and his promises.

There is a presumption, then, that God can't lose to Satan 9 out of 10 times (as the freewill people take for granted is going to happen) or expect we frail and confused disciples, like the original Apostles, to have everything right at all times or to be above sin. It almost HAS to be that He is greater than we--in fact, as well as in theory.

 

[Emmy]

Dear Stormcat95. We either choose God and salvation, or we choose Satan and the world. Matthew 22: 35-40:
tells us: "The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
The second is like it: love thy neighbour as thyself." Choose God and follow Jesus back to God, or choose the world and Satan, and stay selfish and unloving. Verse 40 tells us: On these Two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7: 7-10: tells us: " Ask for Love and Joy, then thank God and share all love and joy with our neighbour. ( neighbour is all we know and all we meet, friends and not friends)
To reject God is to become a follower of Satan, selfish and unloving and unkind. We either Love God or follow Satan, become kind and caring, or stay selfish and unloving. Jesus died for us, and is now waiting for us to join Him, and be the sons and daughters which our Heavenly Father wants. I say this with love, Stormcat. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[Stillicidia]

I didn't realize saying this, but if you reject god then you reject god. When you die you would go to who you belong to.

 

[com7fy8]

You're asking this in the philosophy section; so I will say that everything that happens is what was going to happen. This includes that what we choose is what we were going to choose; you can not change whatsoever you really are going to do in the future.

But we will experience what we do and there will be consequences, since we are feeling beings. And the Bible says we will reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7-8) > from a handful of seeds you can reap a field of food . . . or of thorns . . . depending on which seeds you are sowing.

And God is a feeling Being. He can be pleased and He is good and all-loving. So, how could we not want to personally please God? The Bible says Jesus is so pleasing to Him, and so we do well to become more and more like Jesus, trusting God to correct and transform us to become pleasing to Him, like Jesus is. And 1 Peter 3:4 says >

"rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4)

So, this is included in having truly meaningful life . . . so we are meaningful to God, by being so pleasing to Him. And being pleasing to Him also includes how we love any and all people, including how we relate as His children with one another >

"with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love," (Ephesians 4:2)

So - - - by the way - - if we do what the Bible means by trusting in Jesus, how else will we become? What else can happen? We trust Him for salvation, and the correction (Hebrews 12:4-11) of His love's perfection (1 John 4:17) > and He does not fail to do all we trust Him to do > the Bible clearly says "we" have been changed to be "as He is" "in this world" > in 1 John 4:17. If we have been saved like this, how can we be like Him, in our nature, but have the nature to depart from Him?

So, I would say make sure we have truly trusted in Jesus, and do not be decoyed with arguing endlessly about other possibilities. Ones read God's word, but they right away can start to think of bad possibilities, instead of first trusting God for all which the Bible means is possible with Him. It is not about, mainly, what is possible with humans!!

But we can struggle and suffer, because of our own trying. We need to snuggle, instead, with God in His love >

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)

So, our hope includes how God proves Himself in us, "in our hearts", so we know we can have real love. And we discover how this love effects our nature; this gives us hope against all the negative possibilities which people can think up while reading the Bible. And because God is superior to us, He keeps bringing us to better and better loving with Him and one another who are His obedient children growing in this love. So, no matter what is happening to our bodies as we grow older, now we can have the very best of love life with God and one another, that we have ever had, and grow to more and better.