Question about protestant concept of salvation?

Question

Most specificaly once saved always saved. I dont think anyone really believes this. Do they,

Because they say that if you are saved then you are saved forever but if someone follows christ and then turns his back on God and doesnt even think about him for 20 years then they say that the person was never really saved to begin with.

But then surely that means when you look at a church you cant say who is saved or not because anyone could fall away.

Answer 1

Yes, you are right.

Actually, there are many Bible verses that say we can lose our salvation.

Matt. 10:22, 24:13; Mark 13:13 - Jesus taught that we must endure to the very end to be saved. If this is true, then how can Protestants believe in the erroneous teaching of "Once saved, always saved?" If salvation occurred at a specific point in time when we accepted Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, there would be no need to endure to the end. We would already be saved.

Rev. 22:12 – Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay everyone for what he has done.”

Sirach 16:12,14 – we are judged according to our deeds, and will receive in accordance with our deeds.

Matt. 7:18 - Jesus says that sound trees bear good fruit. But there is no guarantee that a sound tree will stay sound. It could go rotten.

Matt. 7:21 - all those who say "Lord, Lord" on the last day will not be saved. They are judged by their evil deeds.

Matt. 22:14 - Jesus says many are called but few are chosen. This man, who was destined to grace, was at God's banquet, but was cast out.

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/salvation.html

Answer 2

I am not a protestant, but have talked to a lot of them. Most have difficulty answering these questions:
1. If that is so then why is the Bible a thick book enumerating what God wants and does not want us to do?
2. In John chapter 15 Jesus was talking to his disciples who were already saved. Yet in 15:6 he says who who does not remain in me shall be destroyed. That doesn't look like Jesus was saying : 'once saved always saved'.

Answer 3

I think, but I could be wrong, that we Catholics also believe the same thing. We do not believe, as many Protestants suggest, that we are saved through good works as if we could earn out way to heaven. However, we do those good works to the glory of God for having saved us. If we truly believe that we are saved, then we couldn't "turn our backs on God." That would be impossible if we believed we are saved. Therefore, those who do that may not really believe that we are saved.

Answer 4

I can answer as a christian but I am not protestant, the Church I go to was around before the catholic church so we had nothing to protest to.

anyway salvation is clearly stated in Acts 2:38

and God will not take your salvation but you are free to turn awaye from God and give it up

Answer 5

The saved don't fall away. Those who do fall away are categorized as never having been saved in the first place:

"They 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." 1John 2:19

For more see:
http://www.bcbsr.com/topics/etsec.html

Answer 6

Yes, most protestant denominations do believe this. There is only one who knows the truth of salvation and he has not yet arrived.

Answer 7

Check out "perseverence of the saint". This is what most people believe.

Check out John 3:16; John 6:26-44 & study it for yourself.

What is your question? Email me.

Answer 8

Once SAVED always saved yes. Pay attention to the word saved.


God loves you.....God bless

Answer 9

CHRISTIANS HAVE NO GUARANTEE OF SALVATION

Some say salvation is from being born again, receiving from the grace of God, a free gift. One does not have to work for it.

It is both a gift and a goal. But first, you have to know that the gift is there, and then want it, and then strive to keep it. Why? Because Satan and your sinful inclinations want you to lose faith in it. Even though it is a free gift from God, free doesn't mean not precious. One's attitude about the gift would keep one preciously active in keeping it.
"Beloved ones, though I was making every effort to write you about the salvation we hold in common, I found it necessary to write you to exhort you to put up a hard fight for the faith that was once for all time delivered to the holy ones." (Jude 3) Why did Jude write this? Because he knew that individual Christians could still lose the 'salvation they hold in common.' He went on to say: "I desire to remind you . . . that Jehovah, although he saved a people [the Israelites] out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those not showing faith." (Jude 5 NWT)

Jude's warning would be pointless if Christians did not face a danger similar to that of those Israelites. Jude was not questioning the value of Jesus' sacrifice. That sacrifice has saved us from Adamic sin, and Jesus will protect those who exercise faith in him. No one can snatch them out of his hand. But we can lose that protection. How? By doing what was done by many Israelites who were saved from Egypt. We can deliberately choose to disobey God. (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20)

Imagine being rescued from the ocean. Think of the relief you would feel as you were safely taken from the ocean, into the lifeboat, and the rescuer said: "You are safe now." Obviously, you would have been saved from certain death. But what would happen if you
decided to jump back into the ocean for some foolish reason? Your life would again be in danger. Salvation is a gift. But who wants to be inactive, foolish, choosing to disregard it, or be lackadaisical about it? The Scriptures clearly teach us that our salvation must be held precious by us, and not doing so may result in the loss of our approved standing before Jehovah God and potentially the loss of our names in His "Book of Life".

We would do well to examine the scriptures and reflect on what we can do to maintain ourselves righteous before the God we serve.

According to the Bible, Christians can:
* drift away (Heb. 2:1) NIV
* stray (Mt. 18:12,13) NWT
* wander away from the faith (1 Tim. 6:10,21)
* deviate from the truth and overturn the faith of
some (2 Tim. 2:18) HCSB
* lose your saltiness (Lk. 14:34,35) NRSV
* stumble (Mk. 14:27,29) NKJV
* turn away from grace (Gal. 5:4) Bible in Basic
English
* believe for a time, and in time of trial fall
away. (Lk. 8:13) Darby
* stumble and fall (Mt. 24:10) Wesley NT
* stray from these things, turn aside to fruitless
discussion (1 Tim. 1:5,6) NASB
* turn back to their old ways of living and not go along with Jesus after that (Jn.6:66) New Life
* have your faith shipwrecked (1 Tim. 1:19)
Recovery Version
* leave the right path and wander off to follow
the path of Balaam (2 Pet. 2:15) NJB
* be like a branch that is thrown away and dries up (Jn. 15:6) Beck
* fall over stumbling blocks (Jn. 16:1) C.B.
Williams
* turn away, become Satan's follower (1 Tim. 5:15)
Heinz Casirrer New Covenant
* desert from the faith (1 Tim. 4:1) Barclay
* turn their hearing away from the truth and
turned aside to myths (2 Tim. 4:4) Concordant
* develop an evil unbelieving heart that pulls
away from the living God (Heb. 3:12)International English Bible
* fall away from the faith so that it won't be
possible to bring you back (Heb. 6:6) NIrV
* turn away from him who warneth us from heaven
(Heb. 12:25) Worrell NT
* become lukewarm and get spit out of the mouth of
Christ (Rev. 3:15,16) 21st Century NT
* to be hurt by the second death (Rev. 2:10,11)
Byington
* have God take away your rights to the Tree of
Life and the holy city (Rev. 22:19) Unvarnished NT/Gaus
* be led away with the error of the wicked, fall
from your own stedfastness. (2 Pet. 3:17) KJV
* be carried away with strange varieities of
teachings (Heb. 13:9)

Answer 10

It's something we are divided on. I think we can't do anything to blow our salvation.