One of the qualities of Christianity, is the
assurance of forgiveness and salvation, in comparison with the insecurity
experienced by members of other religions. (Jn 3:16; 5:24; Ro 8:1; 10:9, 13).
This however, it has been misinterpreted and distorted at times, ending up in
two extreme views equally wrong and distant from the true biblical teaching.
ONCE
SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED
A doctrine born in the middle-ages, that
teaches that a mere intellectual belief in Christ guarantees the believer’s
salvation, regardless of his actions. This theory openly contradicts the
sayings of Jesus Christ who warned us that “Not
everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but
only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 7:21);
and “the one who stands firm to the end
will be saved.” (Mt 24:13)
Nothing in the Scriptures warrants the idea
that a professing Christian will necessarily be saved if he does not lives a
life of righteousness according to Christ’s commandments and remains faithful
to Him to the end of his life.
SALVATION
EARNED BY MERITS
This type of distortion seems to have been
born before the middle-ages and the reason why the “once saved, always saved”
heresy came about, as a reaction against this approach. This form of
Christianity, professes that the Sacrifice of Christ only covered Original Sin
and the matter of the sins committed, but not the consequences and distant responsibility
of the sinner. Those who profess this belief system, practice asceticism and
mortification, not as personal discipline but in order to atone for their sins
with their own suffering, and also hold the belief that if this sacrifice has
not been enough and equivalent to the atonement they ‘owe”, they will finish up
atoning for them in the after- life, before the Resurrection.
This theory is also heretical, since robes
Christ’s atonement of his fullness and all sufficiency. Scripture teaches that
when Lord Jesus paid for our sins on the Cross, He paid for all sins committed
by all humans, past, present and future, including Original Sin, personal sins,
and their consequences. (Eph 1:7; 1Pe 2:24; Tit 2:14)
OUR ASSURANCE
OF SALVATION
Our assurance of Salvation is not based neither
on our own merits, nor on an antinomian belief, where the Grace of God in
Christ is abused.
The true assurance of salvation is based in
the conviction of the all sufficiency atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ, and a
total trust in his mercy.
When Prophet Isaiah said: “Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace” (Is 53:5),
and Apostle Paul: “Who gave himself for
us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his
own possession” (Tit 2:14); they actually mean what they say; that Jesus
suffered the fullness of our punishment, including the evil consequences of our
evil actions. He did not “half-atoned” us, which is why St Paul declares that
this sacrifice “purified” us from all stain. No further personal purification
was expected or was demanded from us.
Having this into consideration, that Jesus
Christ work really gained for us a complete pardon of our sins in full, that is
sinful actions and their consequences (Col 2:14; Eph 2:15), we have the
assurance that through faith and repentance, God’s forgiveness is ensured for
us, without fail, because it is not based on our own worthiness or piety, but
on the merits of Christ alone.
Truly, righteousness of life and faithfulness
to the end is demanded from us, and those things will be taken into account in
our judgement; and if this alone was all we had to go for, certainly we would
have grounds for worrying and insecurity; but we also have the mercy of Christ
that guarantees God’s forgiveness (Lk 17:4; 1Jn 1:9; Heb 4:16).
Our guarantee of salvation is based on Jesus’s
atonement and mercy, which is guaranteed to all those who truly believe and
repent; but not in a pre-assumed status given to us regardless of our
faithfulness.
Omar Flores
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