Why "once saved always saved" might not be true

Heaven and Hell. Salvation and Damnation. Jesus and Satan.

You all know these options.

There are two sides, as always. Two sides that determine a lot about your eternity AND the life you live on earth. That's why I'm (obviously) so passionate about sharing about how to get the more desirable side.

Today I'm gonna share a little bit about why "once saved always saved" is a laziness cushion.

There is some truth to this statement. "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." Acts 16:31. It doesn't say "and then follow every commandment and be perfect and earn your way to heaven." This is true. But there's more to it than just belief.

James says it best... "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder." James 2:19. YO. Being compared to a demon hahahaha that's savage. But honestly, even Satan believes in God. He knows the whole Jesus story and the whole Bible inside out (shoot, he even quoted it to Jesus himself in the wilderness [Matthew 4]). But Satan isn't living out anything even remotely close to having a relationship with Jesus.

The RELATIONSHIP is what gets ya saved. Jesus made sure to make this clear. "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23.

This topic can be a little hard to chew and swallow. It's really nice to be complacent. It's really nice to not have to alter our convenient lives to live for Someone else. But that's not what we are called to do.

I have had many friends who were sold out for Jesus for years and then turned away from Him. They CHOSE to turn away from God. They chose to have nothing to do with Him anymore. Living sold out for Jesus for one year of your life does not automatically get you a one way ticket into Heaven. That's not how it works. If you truly know God and have experienced His goodness, it's gonna be nearly impossible for you to reject that in the end. Likewise, if you have truly experienced God and His goodness and love, it should be nearly impossible to sit still and not seek Him and His will for your life.

"Once saved always saved" is said by those who don't want to put effort into their walks with God. It's an excuse for laziness. Yeah, you can sin and mess up and be a total wreck sometimes. But the thing is, God has forgiven that. Messing up doesn't mean you lose your salvation. It means you have a chance to turn from the fleshy desire and turn to God and His desire. You learn from it. He won't reject you for sinning. But!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Living in that sin is what gets you in trouble. That's when you really have to decide, "am I living for Jesus or the world/myself?" You can't just use your "belief" in Him as fire insurance.

Heck... I messed up just today. But I know I'm still saved because I'm fervently seeking God and His will. I didn't just say a prayer once and go on my merry way thinking I'm good to go for the rest of eternity. No way. Since I have a relationship with God, when I get to Heaven, NO WAY will He say "I never knew you."

So have you used this cushion to skate by without doing anything? Partner with God. Really seek Him. Read Matthew 7:21-23 again if you need to.