Once saved always saved

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Salvation past, present, and future”

Our Bible verse for today: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Once saved always saved”

“Once saved always saved.” That neat little phrase captures the essence of an important Biblical principle known as “the security of the believer.” This doctrine teaches that once you have made a sincere profession of faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, you are saved and nothing can ever change that.

Some people struggle with this. What if you don’t act as if you are saved? What if you claim to be a Christian but then you act like the devil? Or, what if you really were saved at one time but then you kick the dog, or steal your neighbor’s newspaper, or commit adultery, or maybe even murder? Are you still saved then? Those are good questions.

In John 10:27-28 Jesus made it clear that if you really do belong to Him (if you have made a genuine profession of faith in Him for the forgiveness of your sins), then you have eternal life. Additionally, just for emphasis, He emphatically states that no one (Satan) will ever snatch you out of His hand.

Please note that Jesus made no mention there as to whether you are a good and obedient little sheep. He seemed to be referring even to the black sheep of the family. That passage teaches that if you really are His then you belong to Him for eternity and nothing will ever change that. Here’s another passage that teaches the same truth. It’s from the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:38: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor power, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul ran out of words and rhetorical devices in his effort to explain that if you belong to God in Christ then there is nothing in all creation (nothing in the physical world and nothing in the spiritual world), no angel or demon or anything else, that can ever separate you from God. And that, by-the-way, would include your bad behavior. “Nothing” in all creation can separate you from God once you are His.

The Biblical doctrine of the security of the believer is important and therefore it’s a subject God devoted a lot of ink to in the Bible. There’s much more about it than we can adequately cover in a single daily devotional message. Therefore, we will continue this discussion tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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