Perseverance Of
The Saints
Over
the years a good many people have asked me, "Do you believe once saved
always saved?" My answer is, "That depends on one thing - Who does the saving? If salvation is in any way dependent
upon, or determined by fickle, fallen, sinful man, no, I cannot believe once
saved always saved. However, if we believe, as the Word of God universally
teaches, that `SALVATION IS OF THE LORD', then we must also believe once saved
always saved, because the Bible declares, `WHATSOEVER GOD DOETH, IT SHALL BE
FOREVER: NOTHING CAN BE PUT TO IT, NOR ANYTHING TAKEN FROM IT: AND GOD DOETH
IT, THAT MEN SHOULD FEAR BEFORE HIM' (Eccles.
Many profess to be saved, think they are
saved, and appear to everyone else to be saved, who do fall away and depart
from Christ. But they never were saved by God. If God had saved them, they
would be "KEPT by the power of God through faith" "UNTO
SALVATION" (I Pet. 1:5). There is a difference between professing grace
and possessing grace, between being saved and thinking you are saved, between
acting like a Christian and being a Christian. BUT OF THIS YOU MAY BE SURE -
Every sinner saved by the grace of God is saved forever and can never perish.
The believer cannot be condemned (Rom. 8:1) for any reason (Rom.
Donald
S. Fortner, Pastor
GRACE
BAPTIST CHURCH OF DANVILLE
236-8235