"Once Saved Always Saved" VS "Eternal Security of the Believer"... Can God Lie?

Once saved always saved? Eternal Security of the Believer? Can you Lose your salvation? These questions are clearly answered in a parable in John 10.

Before going into any specific promise that the Lord has made... I want to make it clear that God is not a liar... The Bible says "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Nu 23:19)

Not only is God not a liar but the Bible also says "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29)
So as we go forward in this study... we need to look specifically at the question: Has God Promised you Something??? Or Not???

Jesus told his Disciples in a Parable (John 10:1-18) that Jesus himself was the door to the sheepfold... In that story, the Sheepfold is Heaven and Jesus is the Good Shepherd that leads the sheep... and Jesus is also the door by which the sheep may gain entrance. Any that try to enter another way is to be considered a Thief or Robber.

Lets look at the wording in part of this:

John 10: 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

10 " ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

John 10:28 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.

So there definitely was a Promise made... but the promise was given specifically to His Sheep... and the Promise is for Eternal Life...

So in this passage we see that Jesus promised "HIS SHEEP" the "GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE." and went on to say that it was Permanent... because those sheep are in Christ's hand.. and that His hand is also inside of God's hand...

Are you one of Jesus Flock? Are you sure that you are a Sheep... and not a Goat?

Lets face it... today there are many people claiming to be Christians.. But in everything they do, their lives deny that they are truly in Christ. They are Religious that is for sure.. but are they saved? Or are they deceived? If so, who is deceiving them? Is God Deceiving them, or is it the Devil? Or... ARE THEY DECEIVING THEMSELVES???

Lets look a little further at what Jesus had to say...

John 10: 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.

"MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE"..."They Follow Me"Here is one of the major problems in Christianity today.. many who claim to be Christian are NOT LISTENING to the Lord Jesus... Nor are they Following Him!!!
If you are NOT LISTENING to the Lord.. and you are NOT FOLLOWING the Lord... what makes you so sure you are one of His Sheep?

Have you ever wondered what Jesus meant when he compared people to Sheep or Goats?

Sheep follow the Shepherd... He just needs to walk somewhere.. and when he turns around the sheep will be following him... watching him. But Goats must be driven... continually prodded and herded... They do not follow... they go every direction Except where the shepherd is trying to get them to go.

Stop for a minute and consider the people of the Church you attend... (You do attend Church don't you?) How much trouble is it for the Pastor to lead the flock?

Does he lead the flock?.... or is he forced to drive the flock???

And you... Do you follow willingly? Or does it take an act of Congress to get you to do what your suppose to be doing for Christ?

Are you following Christ willingly?

Really??? So then you are...

• Reading your Bible daily
• You are in Church as much as you can be... and always wanting more?
• Telling others about Jesus every chance you get... and looking for more ways to open the doors of conversation with new people.
• Charity comes natural to you.
• Helping out around the Church without being asked...
• Showing the Love of Christ to those no one else cares about...
• Practice Forgiveness of other people continually
• Act as a Peacemaker when others have strife

You know that you will not find the term "Once Saved Always Saved" in the bible... But it is something that has an element of truth in it. The Problem is that people have made this simple statement mean something that is contrary to what is says.

If someone Has already been Saved... then they are certainly and truly Saved Eternally.

But to Coerce someone into repeating a prayer that they do not truly believe the contents of... does not Magically make them Saved. That Faithless Prayer is not binding to God, because it has not been made in Faith...

If the Person does not truly place Belief in Christ.. they are still not saved to begin with... Regardless of how many years they "Attend the Church"..

If you Baptize an Unsaved Person... You get a Wet Unsaved Person.

You do NOT Miraculously get a "Saved and Spirit Filled Believer" coming up out of the waters...

You get an Unsaved Religious Person (Goat) who will be continually wondering about their salvation from then on... until the day that they finally do one of two things:

Either they Reject God and leave the Church and CHristianity having lost all confidence in Christ due to not seeing sufficient proof manifested in the other people of the Church.... or...

They eventually look around them at the other Christians who are walking daily with the Lord Jesus.. The true sheep of the Lords pasture that are gentle and kind.. that are well fed and nurtured in the Lord...

And then that person says to them-self "I don't have what they have".. "What am I missing from my Christianity???"

Then as they begin to have True Faith and Start walking the road of Belief, they begin to Follow the Shepherd... Later on they come to the Gate one day... and the Lord looks at them... and He Calls them by Name.

Maybe when they originally said that prayer it was without enough faith (By our view) and Maybe it was coerced... But who is to say there was not a little bit of trust and faith... maybe just enough... Remember the Word of God is planted in a persons heart as a seed that must die in the soil and then sprout and grow...

Because Over time the Lord kept working in that person... knowing their potential... He will nurture them and lead them if they will keep following him... He will continue to lead them through life until He puts them inside that gate.

Jesus Promised His Sheep Eternal Life.... Here is the Definition of the word ETERNAL; see if you can find anything Temporary about it...

ETERNAL 1

• a : having infinite duration : everlasting <eternal damnation>
• b : of or relating to eternity
• c : characterized by abiding fellowship with God <good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? — Mark 10:17(Revised Standard Version)>

2

• a : continued without intermission : perpetual <an eternal flame>
• b : seemingly endless <eternal delays>

The Conclusion of this whole matter is summed up nicely in the words of the Apostle Paul

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Reprobate means: "Refused" (like garbage that has been thrown away as having no value)
Examine yourself... are you who and what you are supposed to be in Christ? If not, whose fault is it?

Is it God's fault if you are rebellious and choose to do things your own way?

Is God's arm too short that he cannot save you???

Is God's Promise not valid?
Or... do you need to Repent... and present yourself to God as a hard to handle Goat that needs to be turned into a Sheep and then put in His Pasture?

The Lord can do that... If you'll get serious with him... and ask him..

Confess your Sins.. and turn yourself over to the Lord.
He will save you... Eternally.