I believe in Eternal Security from the intitial moment of repentance and faith in the Gospel based on the following:
"he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."
was God lying when he gave us that verse by Inspiration?
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
Or was he lying when he said "shall not come into condemnation"?
John 10:25-30
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
Notice that in verses 25 and 26, to be counted as one of Christ's sheep requires "belief" (faith). Christ didn't condemn them for their works; rather, he condemned them for not believing in his works.
Verse 27 says that Christ's sheep hear his voice, he knows them, and they follow him. A sheep will follow his shepherd; however, a sheep will also venture off on its own away from the shepherd and the fold. When that happens, the shepherd goes to get the sheep. When a Christian (sheep) goes out on his own, Christ comes for us...to bring us back into the fold.
Verses 28-30...are the most important in this situaiton...
- Christ gives us eternal life. It's eternal the moment we receive it.
- No man can pluck us from Christ's hand.
- No man can pluck us from the Father's hand.
- Jesus Christ and the Father are one.
I encourage you to really dig into the meaning and essence of Chapter 3:1-3 and 5:1-4 of Galatians
The problem with Galatia is that they were adding the keeping of Law to faith in Christ for salvation, Jews were saying you had to have faith AND keep the Law, God condemns that as a false gospel. It's a false gospel that adds self effort or a maintaining of the law to be justified, and really at the basic essence it's no different than teaching you can lose yours salvation. Trying to maintain your salvation is trying to "be made perfect by the flesh" You eternal life is not maintained by your self effort, it's maintained by the Spirit of Christ that has sealed you according to the book of Ephesians.
3 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Let's paraphrase vs 2:
Did you receive salvation and the Holy Spirit by self effort, or by simple trust in the Gospel?
and vs 3:
Are you such a fool, having begun in the Spirit with childlike faith, now made perfect or complete by self effort?
Note also:
5 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
in verse 1 Paul warns them about being brought under the bondage of trying to keep the Old Testament Law for justification, in your case it could be applied to you bringing yourself under the bondage and burden of "maintaining your salvation"
in verse 2, Paul tells them that their circumcision, or trying to earn righteousness through an aspect of the law, will make Christ of no effect, in other words, when you add your self effort of maintenance, Christ profits you nothing.
in vs 4, Paul rebukes the Galatians because they left the simple faith of just trusting in Christ and his work on the cross alone for salvation, in this way he tells them they have fallen from grace, by very definition grace is something we do not deserve, For you to add "maintaining" to grace, is to make grace no more grace, you have now turned it into works, Salvation is a free gift given, when you had maintenance to this gift you cause it to cease becoming grace, by very nature grace is something given to INSPITE of your actions.
Ironically, vs 4 is actually directed to people who think they have to continue though self effort and strife and battle to keep their salvation.
let's paraphrase this passage.
vs 1 Stand fast in the freedom from self effort where Christ has made us free, and be not again entangled with the yoke of bondage to self effort.
vs 2 Behold I say unto you, that if you try to maintain with works, Christ profits you nothing
vs 3 For whoever thinks maintenance is necessary, is required to maintain it perfectly without a single error
vs 4 Christ is of no value to you, who think you must maintain your salvation, you have fallen away from simply receiving salvation as a gift that you cannot do anything to earn or keep.
2nd Samuel 28:19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow
shalt thou (Saul)and thy sons be with me(Samuel): the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
Do you think Samuel went to hell? The bible says Saul went to Paradise with Samuel after he died. You are saying he exact opposite of what the bible CLEARLY says. So obviously yes it is possible for a believer to get saved, then at some point commit a sin they haven't repented of before they die, and still go to heaven. If I die in a car crash while thinking about fornication, I will still go to heaven, just because I haven't yet confessed that sin, does not mean Christ did not already forgive me when I first asked him to be my savior, when you ask Jesus Christ to save you, he takes away your past present and future sins at the moment you receive him as savior.
OSAS is not a licence to sin though:
1 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
Love is the motivating factor for service, not fear of losing your salvation. I believe in OSAS and while I do fall and mess up, I don't use it as an excuse for sin, sin grieves me greatly because I know I fail my Lord and I become ashamed, but his love is always there motivating me to get back up and keep serving, those who live in sin and are saved, will be miserable, Saul is a perfect example of a carnal believer who grieves God's spirit.
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss:
but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
