You see, if “salvation” can be lost, then by definition you were never “saved.” If “salvation” can be lost, then no one, by definition, is “saved.”
Can you show me in any of the Epistles written to the churches that the writer stated: “You have lost your salvation?” I’ve already discussed what “fallen from grace” and “severed from Christ” means. Where is it written, “You have lost your salvation” (which, btw, would be an oxymoron)?
I can show you several scriptural passages that demonstrate that people who were saved by faith are not guaranteed eternal life in heaven. let’s look:
matthew 7: 21-23:
21 "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 in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
23 Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’
I am sure you will try to counter this straightforward view by saying that the evildoers here were never saved, but really, how can you say that someone who calls Jesus , “Lord” and does all these wonderful things in his name was not a believer? And isn’t that all that is necessary to be saved in your theology. Yet, they were evildoers and lost their salvation.
John 15: 1-8:
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
3 You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
4 Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.
6 Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
This is part of the last supper discource and the audience is the Apostles, who clearly are true believers that have been saved. yet he is warning them that if they don’t remain in him, they will be thrown out and burned.
here’s Hebrews 6:1-6:
1 Therefore, let us leave behind the basic teaching about Christ and advance to maturity, without laying the foundation all over again: repentance from dead works and faith in God,
2 instruction about baptisms and laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
3 And we shall do this, if only God permits.
4 For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift and shared in the holy Spirit
5 and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 and then have fallen away, to bring them to repentance again, since they are recrucifying the Son of God for themselves and holding him up to contempt
As you can see, St. Paul says that if you have been saved and then fall away, its impossible to bring them back to repentence. This clearly demonstrates that Paul recognizes that being saved doesn’t guarantee heaven.
and here in 1corinthians 10
1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea,
2 and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
3 All ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ.
5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.
6 These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.
7 And do not become idolaters, as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.”
8 Let us not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell within a single day.
9 Let us not test Christ as some of them did, and suffered death by serpents.
10 Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer.
11 These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come.
12 Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.
this is a clear warning to the believers in Corinth, all saved by faith, that they could lose their salvation.
How about Philippians 3:
12 It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ (Jesus).
13 Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead,
14 I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.
If the great apostle Paul felt he could lose his salvation, why would you think otherwise.
…God told me that personally!
Oh, and md will deny this some times and use it other times. He is completely inconsistent and intellectually dishonest about this one.