Sermon Tone Analysis

Slogan

Once saved, always saved - but is it true?

What does the bible say?

Christians often link the question “How can I be sure I am saved?” (Assurance) with the question “Am I eternally secure in my salvation?”

(perseverance vs Apostasy) and different theological backgrounds have landed in different places on these questions.

Outline:

To answer this question we need to unpack a few things to get there:

How are we saved

Can we loose that salvation, or once we have prayed ‘the sinners prayer’ we are saved

How should we respond to someone who wants to become a Christian and what confidence / asurety can we ourselves have?

How are we saved?

All humans are cut off from right relationship with God and need that relationship restored.

Salvation is a gift from God Eph 2:4-5, not the result of anything we have done 1 Cor 1:29-31 so we can’t boast.

Scripture stresses that fallen human beings are cut off from God on account of their sin.

All need to be saved, if they are to enter into a new relationship with God as their Creator and Redeemer.

Salvation is not the result of human achievement, privilege or wisdom, but depends totally upon the graciousness of a loving God, supremely expressed in the cross of Jesus Christ.

People must respond in repentance and faith if they are to benefit from God’s offer of salvation in Christ.

Ephesians 2 says:

You are dead in your transgressions and sins,

We were by nature deserving of wrath

But because of his great love for us, God, made us alive with Christ, it is by grace you have been saved.

What is salvation and why should we be saved?

Salvation changes our status before God as a result of repentance and faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

It gives us access to God, adopted into his family, through the forgiveness of sin.

We become a new creation, through a new birth, to have peace with God, due to obtaining his righteousness , having a heavenly citizenship and inheritance.

Wow what a joy to be saved!

salvation

The transformation of a person’s individual nature and relationship with God as a result of repentance and faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

All humanity stands in need of salvation, which is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ.

Salvation as a change in status before God

Access to God Ro 5:1-2 See also Eph 2:13; Heb 4:16

Adoption into the family of God Jn 1:12; Ro 8:22-24; Gal 4:4-7

Forgiveness of sin Ac 5:30-31 See also Ps 32:1-2; Mt 26:28; Ac 10:43; 13:38; Eph 1:7; Col 2:13

Heavenly citizenship Php 3:20-21 See also Eph 2:19; Col 3:1-2; Heb 12:22-24

Inheritance from God Ro 8:17 See also Col 1:12; Rev 21:7

Peace with God Eph 2:13-17 See also Isa 53:5; Jn 16:33; Ro 5:1-2; Col 3:15

Righteousness in the sight of God Ro 1:17 See also Isa 61:10; Ro 3:22; 4:3-13,25-5:1 The idea of being righteous in the sight of God lies at the heart of Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith; 1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:21; Php 3:8-9; 2Ti 4:8; Heb 11:7

Salvation as a change in a person’s nature

Becoming a new creation 2Co 5:17 See also Ro 6:4; Gal 6:14-15; Eph 2:15

Deliverance from God’s righteous condemnation Ro 8:1-2 See also Isa 50:8; Ro 5:15-17; 8:33-39; Col 1:22

Deliverance from the power of sin and evil Gal 1:3-4 See also Ro 6:14; 7:21-25; 8:2-4; 1Pe 2:24; Rev 1:5

Inner personal renewal 1Jn 1:7 See also Ps 51:1-2,7; Heb 1:3; 10:19-22

New birth Jn 3:3-7 See also Jas 1:18; 1Pe 1:23; 1Jn 3:9

The presence of the Holy Spirit Ro 8:10-11 See also Gal 5:2-25

How can I be saved?

— Salvation requires belief and repentance:

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

Romans 10:8-10 “But what does it say?

“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,”

Salvation demands a human decision

Jn 3:36; Ac 3:19 See also Mk 1:15; Lk 8:50; Jn 3:17-18; Ac 2:37-39; Heb 12:25; 1Pe 2:4-8; 1Jn 5:10

Yet at the same time, being able to believe and repent is a gift from God—>>>??????

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

John 6:37 “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”

—> God knows those who are his....

Mark 9:24 “Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!””

deny me, i will deny you.

but later Jesus says I will pray for you.

Jude 1:22-23 “Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

James 5:19-20 “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

1 Timothy 4:16 “Watch your life and doctrine closely.

Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

1 Corinthians 5:5 “hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.”

- his sin was so bad, put out of church, so his soul could be saved, through the process of church discipline.

?????????????????????

Romans 11:19-23 “You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.”

Granted.

But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.

Do not be arrogant, but tremble.

For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness.

Otherwise, you also will be cut off.

And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.”

This does not suggest that a Christian can lose his salvation; it refers to Gentiles as a whole (suggested by the sing.

you) turning from the gospel much as Israel as a nation had done.

??????????????????//

The consequences of persistent, intentional unbelief == dying in sin and rejection by God:

The consequences of persistent unbelief

Failure to receive God’s reward Heb 3:19 The “rest” that God’s people enjoyed on entering the promised land is here taken to symbolise the final reward prepared by God for his people.

See also Heb 4:1-2,6; Jude 5

Exclusion from the people of God Ro 11:20 See also Heb 6:4-6

Death in sin Jn 8:24 See also Ps 106:43; Mk 4:12; Ac 10:43

God’s wrath Jn 3:36 See also Ro 1:18; 2:5,8

Condemnation by God Jn 3:18 See also Mk 16:16; Lk 12:46; Jn 12:48; 2Th 2:12; Rev 21:8

The ‘eternal sin’

Mark 3:29 “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”” also in Luke 12:10

== persistent, intentional decision to deny that forgiveness of sins comes only Jesus Christ.

Definitely not speaking to the teenager who has sinned for the 47 time this hour and wondering if they are still saved.

The teachers of the law are saying Jesus is an demon possessed in Mark 3:22 and Mark 3:30, so they miss understand who Jesus is, If Jesus is the devil they are saying he is not perfect, then he can’t be the perfect lamb and can’t provide salvation, so then you can’t be saved.

It is an intentional, ongoing rejection of Christ as king

If all sins can be forgiven, what makes this one special, it must be attacking the mechanism through which you are saved.

This is a very stern warning.

But context his key.

People are saying Jesus is the devil, Jesus is saying you are getting very close to the edge.

To a teenager stressing about if they are saved, Jesus is not talking to you here, he is talking to those saying you can’t be saved through Jesus.

Israel did not enter the promised land because of unbelief, so we too are called to continue to respond to the gospel, so that we can enter His rest.

Hebrews 3:19-4:3 “So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.

For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.