Here is an on going debate from my home group at church. When a Christian gives their will to God and commits to following Jesus Christ and then stops worshipping God, attending church and dismisses Jesus, are they still saved?
2006-11-21 00:46:04 · 23 answers · asked by tah75 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
To be honest I don't think you are though no one can really tell you that for 100% as only God knows the answer. However, imagine a situation like that, you are a good kid for your parents and suddenly you go down your own path and you reject your parents and stop caring about them. Are you still a good kid? I doubt it...Do your parents still love you? Am sure they do even though you hurt them.
Same is with God I presume. Am sure he loves you and is waiting for you to come back but he is also hurt by the fact that he is dismissed.
Plus you have to remember that a person has many obligations to fulfil if he or she wants to be saved. This includes worshipping God, praying, going to church, doing good deeds etc. You can find it all in your prayer book. Hope I helped you a little.
Take care
2006-11-21 00:57:08 · answer #1 · answered by May 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Let me get this right. So a person repents of sin, puts their trust in Jesus to save them and then sometime later decides they no longer want to be a Christian and so the Holy Spirit just leaves them? That can't happen. If someone "stops worshipping God, attending church and dismisses Jesus" (which actually are to me not any indication that a person is saved anyway) then they were never saved in the first place.
There are many false conversions in our churches today because of our evangelistic methods. We ask someone to "say this prayer" and you will be saved. But that's not what the Bible says is necessary for conversion. Jesus himself let the rich young ruler walk away from Him. He didn't call him back and say "hey, why don't you come to my house this weekend for a lamb barbeque so that I can develop a no strings attached, non-confrontational relationship with you". He didn't tell him about the Cross, his sacrifice, he didn't even pray with the guy. He just let him go. Why is that?
People must realize that they have sinned against a holy and righteous God by breaking his Law, the 10 Commanments. If they are not grieved that they have sinned against him, having no contrition, then they will not understand that they need to be saved. They will be pretenders. They will have a "said" faith but really they will not be any closer to salvation than before they said the "sinner's prayer".
The parable of the "good fish and bad fish" is a picture of the evangelistic "catch". There will be bad fish amoung the good and God will sort them out on judgement day. Many will cry out to God on that day and he will say "depart from Me, I never knew you".
We must change our evangelism. There is a reason that the divorce rate is higher (although only slightly higher) in the Church than in the world. There is a reason there are so many 'backsliders'. Those who are truly saved will stay and do the work God has commissioned them to do.
Go here to learn how to share your faith as Jesus did and avoid false conversions. www.wayofthemaster.com
2006-11-21 09:38:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible doesn't say it in so many words, but look at the parable of the prodigal son. And Jesus says about the lost sheep... the shepherd will go out and try to find him, and there is rejoicing when the lost one comes back. Also If you know Jesus and turn away after having tasted the good.. it is like nailing Jesus back upon the cross.
I don't believe once saved always saved. If you should blaspheme the Holy Spirit, you won't be saved.
2006-11-21 08:51:00 · answer #3 · answered by RB 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God made man, and man made Gods. So if a religion tells you that straying away from their path will render you unforgivable and without salvation, there is not an ounce of truth in that.
God is the truth and truth is God, your only salvation comes from following the path of honesty, goodwill and love for everyone. Be at peace with the universe.
Don't be bogged down by the destination, enjoy the journey by being honest and loving.
2006-11-21 09:27:04 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Salvation Can Be Forfeited - read the link too please....
One more parable of Christ spotlights the fact that continued forgiveness is conditional for the believer. The story is found in Matthew 18:21-35, and revolves around the forgiveness of God. A certain king responded to the pleas of his servant and forgave him a large debt. That servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a small amount and showed no mercy, throwing him in prison because he could not pay. When the king heard what had happened, he rescinded his cancellation of the large debt and had his servant thrown to the tormentors till he paid in full.
No one can deny the obvious teaching of this parable. Even though God graciously forgives those who apply for it, that forgiveness is not without conditions for the future. We can lose that forgiveness by being unmerciful to others. This is in harmony with the words of the Lord in Ezekiel 33:13, "When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it." The principle is repeated in verse 18, "When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby."
The secret lies in maintaining the righteous relationship with the Source of salvation. Jesus said, "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Matthew 24:13. No one will be saved finally who does not hold out against a course of deliberate sin in the power of God. Those who do not endure to the end will have their names blotted out of the book of life. Advocates of eternal security deny it could ever happen, but read the frightening possibility for yourself in Revelation 3:5, "He that overcometh . . . I will not blot out his name out of the book of life." The implication is clear that those who are not overcomers - who do not endure to the end - will have their names blotted out.
All these verses are really saying the same thing. Willful sin shatters the relationship by which eternal life is obtained. There is an eternal "if" in every consideration of eternal security. "IF we walk in the light. . . the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7.
2006-11-21 08:53:56 · answer #5 · answered by Damian 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well...according to the bible noone can loose their salvation..once saved your saved for life...according to the bible. As long as you are sincere when praying the prayer God considers you saved. Not even murdering someone can take it away....but i doubt you'll get a good seat in heaven. I'm a x-christian myself...i was raised in the faith, left it when i was 18. Some things i do want to hold onto and believe in, but much of it i don't buy.
2006-11-21 09:15:36 · answer #6 · answered by tigerlily 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you can ask 100 people and you will get 100 answers. Haha, well, I guess with this question, there are only two possible answers. Baptism brings a person into the Christian family. It is the first step in salvation. Salvation is a process, which continues throughout ones life. If we choose to separate from God, then it is up to us to choose to return to him. That is why Jesus instituted ways for us to reconcile with Him and His Church, through the sacraments. For more information, please email me at philinaberdeen@gmail.com or check out http://holymotherchurch.blogspot.com
2006-11-21 08:52:23 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Why dismisses Jesus and turn away from God?
Don`t relate believing in God to religion bad witnesses from the church. Religion is guiding you to God`s pathway. Believers have different ways in reaching God, and FAITH & BELIEF is private.
If you leave the church and the religion, you should pursue and maintain your private belief and faith with God, because there is no other way to be saved. You know well all of us are endowed with "holy" spirit by birth and God is trying His best to retrieve all His creations spirit to live with Him in eternal peace, joy and happiness in Heaven.
Satan is just trying to deceive you, snatched you (offer you beautiful things now), but satan was just trying to compete with God...and you`re going down with Him in hell...burn in everlasting fire (by abandoning God now)
...you really like that, is it ???
Think well before it is too late. You might lose chance in reaching God...when the hour of your death suddenly comes.
2006-11-21 09:18:32 · answer #8 · answered by ServantOfTheMostHigh 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Only if they come back! in the first epistle of john it says : This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
It says also in 2 peter 2 it says: But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. .......
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit,"[f]and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."
The door is open to all who repent. The Lord is kind & gracious & He accepts all who call upon Him. If they retirn back they will be saved.
2006-11-21 09:01:31 · answer #9 · answered by Theresa 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Jesus said "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels"
He also said "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
The Apostle Peter wrote "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.""
2006-11-21 18:19:37 · answer #10 · answered by waycyber 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋