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Thomas I find it very ironic that I just listened to a young Baptist youth minister on Youtube who preached this same message. He was telling the people there that there were so many false prophets who are wrongly telling people they're saved just because they repeated the words after someone and said the sinners prayer and spoke Christ into their heart. If a person isn't repentant and keeps doing the same things over and over after asking forgiveness, they're just the same as lost.
Can we lose our salvation? No I believe that if you're ever truly saved you can't lose it, but it takes a turning away and becoming a new creature in Christ. I've seen people go to the alter and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives then go right back to what they were doing, and they're crucifying Christ anew. Paul said there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ, but there are a lot of people who think they're saved because they're being told by some preacher that they are just because they said the sinners prayer. Those preachers are in more danger of hellfire even than the people they're preaching this false doctrine to.
Yes I'm guilty of sin against God and against others too. I ask that God forgive me in the name of Jesus for the things I've done knowingly and without knowing. As I study further into His word I find that I've been deceived for my whole life into believing false doctrines that say that God is too loving a God to punish people for their sins. That couldn't be further from the truth. God is a jealous God and when we put other things before Him we're guilty of breaking the first commandment. Some of the things that have happened to me in life were not because of the devil and I've given him credit a lot of times when it was God's Holy Wrath that was happening. He gives and he takes away. He's taken away the things that I thought were meaningful and I had put before Him. And it's my own fault. I can't blame anyone else for it. I want to live a holy life and be acceptable to God, and the only way I can do that is to turn away from what I'm putting before Him and start putting Him first.
Anything that the world loves I have to hate, and anything that makes me part of the world or that doesn't set me apart from it is wrong. Smoking cigarettes for one thing, and anything that steals my health or makes me unable to serve the Lord fully is evil in his sight. I have to turn away from these things. Who am I in Christ? I know I'm a child of His and He is in me, but I can't let he that is in the world have any part of me.
I ask for help and support from everyone here as I start on the right path toward the narrow gate that leads to salvation. If I've offended anyone, please forgive me. But I felt the need to get this said.
Becky
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