Questions Part 3: Eternal Security

[Canadian75]

I have a few questions. Not looking to debate, just looking for information. I decided to post each series of questions seperately.
That being said:

Questions Part 3: Eternal Security

Is it a general belief among Baptists to believe in "Once saved, always saved?"
Can someone explain this doctrine to me?
How do you know if you are saved?
Who is saved?
What about original sin?
Fate of babies and children too young to accept Christ?

If you have anything to add I'd be interested in reading it. Again, I'm not looking to debate. You can guess my position on these issues by looking at my faith icon. I'm just curious. Peace.

 

[ZiSunka]

OSAS is hotly debated around here with no real concensus.

Babies who die go to heaven.

Original sin is also debated, with some believing that it means we are born with the propensity to sin while others don't believe in the doctrine at all, but I can't think of anyone here who has ever defended the idea that we are guily of Adam's sin.

You know you are saved when you confess that you are a sinner in need of a savior, that you believe that Jesus Christ died for you sins and takes them away by faith, you confess that you are a Believer in his atoning death and determine to begin a whole new life with Christ as your Master. You know that you are saved when you see continuing faithfulness and growth as you become more Christlike throughout your life.

 

[aReformedPatriot]

OSAS is hotly debated around here with no real concensus.

Babies who die go to heaven.

Original sin is also debated, with some believing that it means we are born with the propensity to sin while others don't believe in the doctrine at all, but I can't think of anyone here who has ever defended the idea that we are guily of Adam's sin.

You know you are saved when you confess that you are a sinner in need of a savior, that you believe that Jesus Christ died for you sins and takes them away by faith, you confess that you are a Believer in his atoning death and determine to begin a whole new life with Christ as your Master. You know that you are saved when you see continuing faithfulness and growth as you become more Christlike throughout your life.

What she said

The verses where we get the doctrine of original sin is from a ranting psalm. Psalms are meant to elicit emotions, and oft exaggerate therefore they must be interpreted accordingly. When David yells "Surley I must've been sinful at birth" (or however he says it) it is a repenting rant, not to be taken literally. However, we are all born with a sin nature, but until that first sin comes about we are all innocent.

 

[Sword-In-Hand]

I'm pretty sure it's a general belief among most baptists that once saved always saved.

The doctrine comes about by scripture in that the Bible clearly shows what happens to a person who has experience the regeneration of salvation. There are numerous verses to support OSAS, but at the moment, I don't feel like posting them all....sorry.

We know we are saved because the Bible teaches that His spirit will testify with our spirit that we are His. Another way is to see how God works in your life. He says His sheep will hear His voice and those that are not of His will not hear His voice.

People who confess with their heart that Jesus is the Christ and that He paid the ultimate price for our sins, admitting we are sinners and just accepting His redeeming work on calvary. I'm so thankful God made salvation simple.

Babies that die go to heaven as LL said. Romans 7:7 describes this fact, because they aren't developed enough to understand the law and by the knowledge of the law we know sin.

Hope this helps.

 

[rural_preacher]

Romans 3:21-24

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 10:9-13

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 8:38-39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.

Titus 3:4-6

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.

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[Jillymac]

People backslide. They forget the commandments of God, they no longer praise and worship him, they even go as far as doubt Him (i should know i did it).
I would never have thought myself saved at this point. I became a christian whe i was 8 but when i hit mid teens i backslid bigtime. I doubted everything i had been taught and definately did not live by the bible.
Therefore at this time i believe i gave up on God, He did not give up on me and brought me back to the church and back to my faith. I repented for this and now am very much in love with Christ.
When you go to heaven you will be judged on your actions, you cannot rely on the "once saved always saved", that would mean those who commit adultery, murder anything else and not even sin that is as severe as that can say - it's ok i'll get to heaven cos i was saved once.

When you die You will be asked what did you do with Jesus? and what did you do with the gifts/talents you received? (all on a spiritual basis) and you will be judged on your life

We have a great responsibility to obey the Word and live how God commands.

You are saved when you ask Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour and to forgive and cleanse you of your sins. you ask Him to come into your heart and life.

After that it is your responsibility to live as God intended. To obey Him

With regards to babies they are not at an understanding to know they have freewill and to choose to follow God. God knows this and if they do die they will be accepted into the kingdom of God.

God bless
Jilly

 

[rural_preacher]

Wasn't the question directed toward Baptists and what they believe?

Is it a general belief among Baptists to believe in "Once saved, always saved?"
...

Yes, most Baptists do believe in the Eternal Security of the True Believer. Saved by the Grace of God, kept by the Grace of God.


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[Jeffrey A]

Is it a general belief among Baptists to believe in "Once saved, always saved?"

Yes, among American Southern Baptists especially, and Grace Brethren (German Baptists) also believe in "once saved, always saved."

Can someone explain this doctrine to me?

Jesus told Nicodemus, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." He went on to explain, "unless one is born (out) of [embryonic] water and [born of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." He then told him exactly how one comes to be "born again" in the Spirit: "Whoever believes may in him have eternal life, for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life... He who believes in (the son) is not judged... He who believes in the son has eternal life..."

Peter said to Jesus, "You have the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God." And so Jesus told his disciples at the last night, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is (already) completely clean; and you are clean... You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you (and you believed)."

Paul stated it in its most elemental form: "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." He also made this statement: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (by believing in him)... (for) you have received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'" For in believing in the son, we "were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

Paul told the Corinthians, "you are not your own... For you have been bought with a price... Some of you (were gross sinners), but you (all) were washed, but you (all) were sanctified, but you (all) were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God."

How do you know if you are saved?

God through Jesus and Paul made this iron-clad promise: "If you believe Jesus is the Son of God, who died to pay the penalty for your sins in your place, and rose again as a promise that he will also raise you, and have called on his name for forgiveness and mercy, YOU SHALL BE SAVED from the condemnation of death and hell, and YOU SHALL HAVE eternal life. You SHALL be raised to glory." How do you know if you are saved? Do you believe all that, and have you called on the name of Jesus as God for forgiveness and mercy? Then, as St John wrote, "I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life."

It is as simple as Abraham believing God when God said he would have a son in his old age. Abraham believed God, and God "reckoned (that faith) as righteousness." If you believe God, that he sent his Son to die for you, and that he rose again and returned to heaven, then God says, and you can believe him, that YOU ARE SAVED! That YOU will be resurrected! That YOU ALREADY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE! In fact, if you DON'T believe that, you are showing your LACK of belief in what God SAID! God will save you anyway, but you will have gone through your life with weak faith, for no good reason.

God's promises are TRUE, and dependable. If HE says anyone who believes in Jesus as Savior is saved, BELIEVE IT!

Who is saved?

Paul said, "Whoever calls on (a) name of the Lord is saved." I suspect there are many people who haven't a clue they are saved, but are saved nonetheless. They are like the workers who had no idea what the wage would be, but worked the field anyway. When the Master paid them, he paid them the same wage as those who KNEW what the wage was.

What about original sin?

Original sin is when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of the difference between good and evil, and their "eyes were opened" to their nakedness, i.e., they acquired a moral conscience. They passed that moral conscience, the knowledge of the difference between good and evil, down to all the rest of us, so that as we mature, it kicks in. No human (except for the mentally infirm) can escape this knowledge. It is within us, by their original sin.

Fate of babies and children too young to accept Christ?

God judges all individuals based on their level of understanding. For babes and children who are yet innocent, they are like Adam and Eve before the Fall -- God judges them in righteous judgment: innocent. For those who have never heard the gospel of Jesus, God judges them according to the knowledge he has placed within every man: that God is, and that he has created all, and that no one breathes except by his decree. A man who knows no more than that, and in response to that knowledge gives God thanks for his being, and acknowledgment as the Sovereign Creator, God judges as righteous. For Jews under the Law, veiled by that Law to Jesus as Messiah, God judges them as to their faith in his Covenant promises. For those Gentiles who have heard and understood the gospel of the revealed Christ Jesus, God judges them on what they do with that knowledge -- whether they believe it or reject him.

Again, I'm not looking to debate. You can guess my position on these issues by looking at my faith icon. I'm just curious. Peace.

Hope this helps you understand a Grace Brethren position.

God bless you,


Jeffrey A

 

[Unnamed Servant]

Does anyone have any scripture on "age of accountability"? J/W where it comes from.

 

[Jeffrey A]

Does anyone have any scripture on "age of accountability"? J/W where it comes from.

The only scripture that I recall reading that addresses this directly is found at Jonah 4:10-11 -- "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work, and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. And should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right hand and left hand (i.e., children), as well as many animals?"

It is not so much an 'age', as a condition or level of understanding. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve were naked, but didn't realize it. They were innocent. God in his Justice would be obligated to declare them so. After the Fall, all humans acquired moral conscience, as well as mortality, as a consequence of the original sin, but obviously God is still Just, and will judge an individual as innocent by reason of lacking understanding, despite their having been born in sin.

God will find as many excuses to declare a person righteous by the blood of his Son as he possibly can, for he is not willing that any should perish. He often "winks" at sin, and will only judge a person responsible for as much or as little knowledge they have been exposed to. It is only those who by their own unwillingness and stubbornness harden their own hearts, refusing to even give him acknowledgement that he is, that he created all, and thanks for their very breath, despite his patient and imploring outstretched hand, his offering of the Holy Spirit in conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment, his evidence of his wrath and righteousness and the depth of their ungodliness that he places within each and every person, that he will, by his own sense of Justice, declare condemned, and that by their very own words.

At least, that is my understanding...

Jeffrey A