‘ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED’ VS WORKS RIGHTEOUSNESS:WHO BLINKS FIRST?

I have read the submissions of many ‘teachers’ in both camps.Many youths are getting excited about the teachings on the internet ,esp from the ‘Once Saved Always Saved'(OSAS) camp.These two camps have sizable followers that vilify one another.In fact these days,attention has been shifted from getting more souls into the Kingdom to attacking men of  God in the name of correcting them…and Satan loves this because for as long as we keep fighting each other,we make his job easier.Hummmmmm.

If I may ask,do you think ‘OSAS’ is a ‘new concept/revelation’ just being taught now? Hahahaha.Try and google John Calvin and add ‘OSAS’,you will be glad you did!

OSAS/eternal security is an extension of Calvinism. It is summed up with this quote from Sam Morris:

All the prayers a man may pray, all the Bibles he may read, all the churches he may belong to, all the services he may attend, all the sermons he may practice, all the debts he may pay, all the ordinances he may observe, all the laws he may keep, all the benevolent acts he may perform will not make his soul one whit safer; and all the sins he may commit, from idolatry to murder, will not make his soul in any more danger.…The way a man lives has nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul.”

Ha ! Jesus is Lord! See high grade heretical teaching! By now,I hope it has dawned on you that OSAS is not the ideology of the ‘modern’ Bible teachers.Calvinism has lasted close to 500 years now! Before you comment further on this issue,you will do yourself good by reading up the 5 pillars of Calvinism called ‘TULIP’.

The other camp is not left out in this battle for supremacy on the internet.The ‘works righteousness’ camp believes that our salvation can be earned and/or sustained by doing good works. It says we can make ourselves righteous before God by our obedience.Hummmm.This camp has many scriptural backings like OSAS too.

THE HERESIES IN THE OSAS CAMP

1a)This camp believes faith in Jesus Christ is what is needed to be saved.Only faith,no addition,no subtraction.

The scriptures agree totally on this point.This point is what many youths want to hear.It excites them.

But this is where this camp mixes things up/err:

1b)That once you are saved,you can’t lose your salvation.Error, error , ‘errotical heresy’!

This point excludes two major factors:The free will of man and Satan.

Though Jesus gave us the assurance of eternal security once we are saved,He however does not guarantee eternal submission of the free will of the sheep:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand -John 10:27-29

That is the will of God for His sheep.But what about the will of the sheep? What if the sheep decides to stray away? Does God force His will on the sheep? No!

This scripture  by extension also means Satan cannot snatch the sheep away to hell,right? But what happens to ‘sheep’ that breaks an hedge by his/her volition? The sheep becomes an easy prey for Satan that couldn’t go near him/her before.

OSAS’ camp,why do you easily forget that Satan’s areas of specialization are : Stealing,killing and destruction? What do you think Satan is all out to steal? Your money? No! The joy of your salvation of course!

A believer who wanders away from the truth can lose his salvation if he/she does not repent.When the Holy Spirit convicts a believer of a sin,and the latter resists His promptings and refuses to repent,that is automatic wandering away from God’s presence to the camp of the devil.

Imagine you have a ticket to board an airline say in Lagos and you decide to travel down/wander to Abuja.Suddenly the alarm goes off heralding the prepared passengers in Lagos airport to start entering,meanwhile you are in Abuja with your ticket in your pocket! That is what happens in OSAS camp! People have wandered away/severed from the Vine/cut off from the Source of life but they are still moving round with their air ticket(salvation by mouth without action/abiding in God’s presence to bear fruit).

This is how Jesus described this scenario:

But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.Matt 25:10-13

What amazes me about the OSAS camp is that they don’t like quoting from the Book of Revelation where Jesus clearly spelt out things the 7 churches must do or repent of! Don’t worry I won’t bore you with scriptures today…

2)That the other camp is wrong by emphasizing on ‘works of righteousness’ rather than grace.

The OSAS camp are right if they mean what I wrote in deed and action! But they err by discarding the fact that the Grace given to them also teaches them to do and to act according to God’s will.

The basis of our acceptance by God is justification/by faith/grace/imputed righteousness/and not sanctification/by works/law/imparted righteousness.

Let me quote one of my mentors’ stand on this issue:”Imputed righteousness is your chief protection against self—righteousness, pride, and despair, but that doesn’t mean imparted righteousness has no place at all in the breastplate of righteousness. Satan can’t fatally wound and bring to hell anyone to whom God has credited Jesus’ perfection, but Satan can still inflict a lot of wounds that are not fatal to the soul but are still very painful and damaging. The more righteous we become in character, the harder it becomes for Satan to tempt us successfully and wound our spirits. We need more and more of the Holy Spirit’s life and power, more and more of Jesus, more and more healthy patterns and less enslavement to old habits, in order to be vigorous, effective warriors for Christ. Also, if there’s not even a hint of imparted righteousness growing in us, we might be mistaken in thinking that the full righteousness of Christ has already been imputed to God. Those God accepts fully and freely in Christ, he also begins to transform.Imparted righteousness can serve as a fruit of spiritual life which encourages confidence that God has accepted us for Jesus’ sake, and the more righteousness becomes part of our being, the harder it is for Satan to tempt us successfully and the easier it becomes for us to advance against Satan and attract others to the beauty of the Savior.”-Dr David Feddes.

All these heretical teachings of believing in the finished work of Christ without bearing fruit are of the devil.The trick he used on Eve is the same one he is using on believers today through internet teachers!

OSAS camp only re-echoes Satan’s deception.They keep giving false hope to believers that have backslid or about to:”You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.”

Though the ‘works righteousness camp is wrong by putting their trust on their self righteousness/work/the ongoing imparted righteousness rather than faith/grace/imputed righteousness,the OSAS camp err by thinking you can be in grace and swim in sin.God forbid!

We must bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

I am not done yet,watch out for the next part of this series…

Stay blessed and rapturable.