Today’s popular evangelical maxim “once saved, always saved” while
based in the Biblical truth of justification by faith alone has morphed
into a virtual get-out-of-jail-free card for far too many. The church’s
duty to make disciples of all nations has been downgraded to an optional
extra. The gospel call to repent and believe has become a plea for
sinners to assent to the facts of the gospel, pray a prayer, and join
the cool Christian club called churchianity. Gone are the stern warnings
to “watch and pray” and “endure to the end”. Gone are the bold
exhortations to “make your calling and election sure” and “be diligent
to be found in [Christ] without spot or blemish”. In their place are the
warm assurances “since you confessed you are saved” and “since eternal
life is a free gift, God cannot take it back”, and the friendly
reminders “everybody makes mistakes” and “don’t sweat: remember, we’re
under grace!” The old doctrine that saints must diligently make a
personal effort to persevere in faith has been overshadowed by the new
doctrine that saints can live just like anyone else in the world and as
long as they once assented to gospel truths they are most certainly
bound for heaven.
I wish I was merely exaggerating the situation. But when a nationally well known evangelical leader like Charles Stanley seriously believes and teaches
that people who actually stop believing in Christ and walk out on God
are still eternally secure, I can hardly be accused of overstating my
case. In the article linked to above he claims, “The Bible clearly
teaches that God’s love for His people is of such magnitude that even
those who walk away from the faith have not the slightest chance of
slipping from His hand.” He goes on to only deal with Eph. 2:4-9 and 1 Cor. 1:21, while adding in a good portion of reasoning and illustrations. In his book Eternal Security: Can You Be Sure?
he makes the startling claim that salvation can be compared to
receiving a tattoo. Even if moments later, you regret receiving the
tattoo, it cannot change the fact that you have it! (pg. 80) Keep Reading>>>
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