More Reasons Trusting Christ Secures Heaven

             More Reasons Trusting Christ Secures Heaven

Some Christians say the Bible teaches we can lose our salvation and Heaven: 1. A holy God won't allow serious continued sin. 2. There's an unpardonable sin. 3. God would be unjust to reward the faithful and unfaithful alike. 4. I know Christians who denied the faith and lost their salvation and Heaven. 5. If we're free to receive Christ, then aren't we free to reject Him. Now consider my response to these five statements, and then my reasons. You might also check my former article: Seven Reasons Trusting Jesus Guarantees Heaven. Limited space requires me to summarize texts.

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 My Response to the above Introduction.

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1. A holy God gives true believers freedom to sin, but His grace secures Heaven. Our Creator God is holy, and the Standard and Judge of right and wrong. But He also is love which means He cannot force us to be good. No Bible character is morally perfect. Israel's lawgiver, Moses, murdered an Egyptian. Israel's great King David, a man after God's heart committed adultery, and had her husband, a loyal soldier, murdered. God's great Apostle Paul admitted imperfection. God's people are never morally perfect. That's why salvation cannot depend on us, but on the perfect righteousness of Christ as bearing all our sin on His cross (2 Cor. 5:21). Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more so righteousness and eternal life is in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:19-20).

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2. The unpardonable sin is rejecting the Holy Spirit's witness to the Savior. We all sin so we all need a Savior and to say we don't sin we deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8,10). To blaspheme the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-30)  results in eternal condemnation or loss of Heaven. It seems to mean that the blasphemer has completely rejected the Holy Spirit's witness to him or her about Christ being the Savior. That's the only unpardonable sin. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11). If you fear you have committed this sin, it's unlikely that you have. But if you even think you have, say Lord Jesus I trust You now and forever as my Savior.
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3. God doesn't reward the faithful and unfaithful alike.  That's true, He doesn't. But God's discipline may take the physical life of unfaithful useless believers (1 Cor. 11:27-32; Heb. 12:5-8). Also, His faithful servants will be rewarded more than persons making deathbed professions. There are degrees of reward pictured as gold, silver, precious stones, or loss of rewards due to neglected opportunities or evil deeds as wood, hay, straw.  But the foundation for eternal rewards in Heaven is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:9-14; Rev. 22:12). Heaven's rewards differ as Hell's punishments differ--it's the principle of God's justice to each individual (Gal. 6:7-8).

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4. We can't always know who is and who isn't saved. Matthew 7:21-23 mentions many great works of some who call Jesus Lord. They are said to preach, cast out demons, perform wonders in His name. But Jesus told them to depart from Him as they didn't do the Father's will and He never knew them. There will be surprises in both Heaven and Hell. I know preachers who were saved in later ministry. Judas was chosen as Jesus disciple, appointed to keep the group's money, said to cast out demons, perform miracles and apparently thought well of by all the disciples. But it's clear Judas was not saved as Jesus said he was a devil and the only one of the twelve that was lost in fulfillment of prophecy (John 6:70; 17:12; Psalm 41:9; Acts 1:20).  All who profess Christ, don't possess Him.

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5. But if we're free to receive Christ, then aren't we free to reject Him? I know true believers who were led astray by skeptic college professors or contact with cultists. Others who some tragic experience caused them to deny belief in a good God. Yes, we have to say this happens. The Bible says we are saved by an act of faith in Christ; it doesn't say we have a constant attitude of faith. We know faith can be strengthen or weakened by arguments or by adversities. May I admit this honestly? If my salvation depended on me having constant strong faith, with all the questions and doubts I've had, I could have died many times and been lost. But as I understand the Bible, my salvation doesn't depend on me keeping strong faith, but on God's keeping me by His grace and power. Strong faith grows by keeping our focus on our Lord and daily fellowship with Him. Further, Christian faith has solid factual foundations for those willing to seek and find.
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Five More Reasons Trusting Christ Secures Heaven.
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God's gift of salvation is not subject to recall. The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Rom. 11:29). God gives believers in Christ salvation unconditionally--no if, but, maybe, or hope so about it. Like God's covenant with Israel, His covenant with the Church is eternal. God's infinite unchanging power and integrity assure its certainty. God would have to deny himself to allow it. He must keep His promises or we could never trust Him. See also 1 Peter 1:4-5.

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All God declares just will be glorified (Rom. 8:29-30). God knows the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10). So from God's all-knowing perspective everything is predestined, even our free choices, and He declares whoever He calls will be justified and glorified--made fit to receive Heaven. First Peter 1:2 says much the same thing. So to God who sees the future our salvation is a certain reality.
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Believers are eternally sealed by God's Spirit.  When we trusted in Christ, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who guarantees  our inheritance. It already a done deal at the moment of faith until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14). God's sealing makes our salvation a permanent  purchased inheritance. No power or persuasion can break God's guaranteed seal.
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Nothing can separate believers from the love of God (Rom. 8:37-38). Here God's Apostle Paul gives a list of every created thing present and future and affirms nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus too, having all authority, said he is with us (believers) always until the end of the age (Matt. 28:20).  If any words can convey certainty of salvation, these do.
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The risen Christ insures Christian labor is not in vain. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58). If Christ is not risen our faith is vain or useless. But His resurrection means Christians will have a new powerful body in Heaven with Him and this should spur us on to always work harder. Five hundred people saw the risen Christ making Christian faith the only world religion that gives proof of life after death and of Heaven for followers. Hallelujah, praise God!
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What tremendous promises and guarantees Christians have that unbelievers don't! Our eternal well-being is the most crucial concern of our earthly life. God's Spirit speaking through God's Word may be giving an opportunity you may never have again. Please don't harden your heart and ignore God's voice of love, assurance, and eternal life. Say, I trust You Lord Jesus as my Lord and Savior now and forever. I look forward to receive my reward in Heaven. Thank You, Lord.
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Now tell your friends, circles, and others of your new found faith. Share these articles so they come to trust, love, and serve our Savior. Let's pray, share, and work for a better world.
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Seven Reasons Trusting In Jesus Guarantees Heaven

              Seven Reasons Trusting In Jesus Guarantees Heaven

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Some Christians point to human experiences and Bible texts they say show we can lose our salvation. Others explain that these Bible texts refer to other things such as mere intellectual belief, moral reformation, loss of rewards, only that Christian faith is better than others, or are texts taken out of context. With space limitation, I can only mention the tremendous loss Christians experience by unbelief and sinful living, and give Bible reasons that show faith in Jesus alone does guarantee believers go to Heaven.

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Perish the thought heavenly security frees one to godless living!

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Sinful living forfeits so many tremendous benefits Christians enjoy. Sinful living forfeits the intimate love-trust fellowship they gain when focused upon their Lord that brings them peace, love, joy and give Him glory. It hardens their heart, corrupts their conscience, darkens their mind toward evils, quenches the Spirits guidance, prevents bearing spiritual fruit, burdens them with guilt and shame, and destroys their godly testimony and influence. Sins of commission and omission destroy God's peace and joy and forfeit heavenly rewards. Moreover, continued willful sin can bring God's discipline to the point of physical death, but doesn't destroy believer's relationship with God.

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What Bible reasons give Christians belief in the Savior's assurance of heaven?
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Salvation is of the Lord. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Acts 16:31. This is a plain, unmistakable promise from God. Unless God is a liar, we have to take it at face value. Moreover, if God is deceiving us in this crucial issue, there's no reason to believe anything else He might have to say. This was the answer God's apostle Paul gave in the Philippian jail to the jailer who was desperate and about the kill himself thinking his prisoners had escaped. He couldn't go to a priest, join a church, get baptized, or any other thing--he had to know the simple truth that moment or plunge his sword into his body.  Now the Gospel of John written to the world at large says the same thing with no strings or conditions attached more than a hundred times. Can't we just believe it?

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Salvation is God's gift, not our attainment. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9. We can only receive the Lord's sacrifice on the cross for our sins as a gift through faith. It's not of ourselves or anything we can do. John 1:13. If we add anything we could do to that, we have cause for boasting--''I did my part which got me saved." In effect that makes us our own Savior, and cancels salvation as God's gift. See also Titus 3:5; Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16.

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Believers already regarded citizens of heaven. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body. Phil. 3:20-21. This couldn't be said if we had to wait until death to see if we were faithful and worthy. We become and remain citizens of heaven the moment we believe.

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Believers passed from death to life, and can't come into judgment. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My Word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. John 5:24. Unbelievers are spiritually dead, but when they believe the Father sent the Son, they receive unending spiritual life. Since Christ died for us before we were even born, SHALL NOT COME excludes judgment of believers from all our sin past, present, and future. See also Rom. 8:34; John 3:18.

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Believers can know they have eternal life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13. God's apostle didn't say this knowledge of having eternal life was based on our good feelings, or good deeds, but on our belief in the Son of God. My friend, that's all it takes. Only God can give eternal life.

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Believers are born into God's eternal family. As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12. In receiving Christ we are born again into God's family, which will never change. Jesus said we must be born again spiritually (John 3:7-8). Just as physical birth happens only once, so spiritual birth into God's family occurs once. The Bible never says sin can make us unborn or repeatedly born. But we must be born again spiritually to be in God's forever family. Yes, like with our parents we can have disagreements with the Lord and His love discipline us as sons, but that never severs relationship. Hebrews 12:5-11

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Believers are kept by God's almighty power. Peter speaking of the inheritance reserved in Heaven for us, says who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5. No power can match God's power as God upholds all existence and it's that almighty power that keeps us saved and will be revealed some day. Yes, skeptics, mockers, cultists, the devil can cause us confusion and doubts. I know, I've had plenty, but they can't altogether destroy faith and there are answers if we will trust God, seek them, pray and believe in His timing and His way. These articles God gave me answer the questions and doubts I once had.
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Is God speaking to you, my friend? Are you willing to trust the Savior as your Savior? You don't have to have all the answers now and you will understand better in time. We grow in our knowledge, love, and relationship with the Lord. Won't U humbly admit you are not all you should be and trust Jesus to take your sin away and make you God's person now and forever. Just say Lord, I believe You died for me and I trust You now to save me, be with be forever and receive me into heaven. Thank You.
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Now you can do the best thing a Christian can do for someone else. Sent them these articles that answer the crucial questions of life and invite them to trust in your loving Savior. God bless U in faith and love ministry. We may see many in Heaven we prayed for and ministered to.
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