 | Reverend Terry G. Fox is Senior Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church. He is Chairman of the North American Mission Board, member of its Executive Committee and the FamilyNet Broadcast Communications Committee, as well as numerous other subcommittees. He's listed on the Who's Who Among Outstanding Corporate Executives. He is a sought after speaker and has traveled and ministered in many places in the United States, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Rev. Fox and his wife Barbara have three children. You may contact him at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 South Topeka, Wichita, Kansas, 67211; phone (316) 262-1452; or Fax (316) 262-4704. |
Religion
2004-12-01 09:19:00
Once saved, serious sin will still send you to hell, right?
: Sin is defined by many members of the clergy as an offense against God. Just because one is saved doesn't mean he/she will never again offend God. If one has been saved, and offends God… and it is a serious offense against God… such as adultery or fornication… and then dies in that state… will that soul be damned forever?
ANSWER: Before I answer your question, I need to know: Why did you ask this question? I think there are three possibilities:(1) Are you considering doing one of these "serious" offenses and want to know if you can get by with it? If so, Stop! This is a dangerous business. God has warned: "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap. He who sows to the flesh will reap corruption..." Gal.6:7-8 You may find yourself in a position like Judas, with regret but no place for repentance.(2) Have you already fallen into such a sin and now wish to repent and return to an obedient life? If so, there is hope. God's grace is sufficient for a repentant believer. You can do as the disciple Peter who denied the Lord, but wept and returned to Him. King David loved God and wrote Psalms that showed a heart devoted to his Lord. But he fell into sexual sin and tried to cover it up. Psalms 32 and 51 show the sincerely of his repentance. He was forgiven and restored...but the consequences of his sin were still tragic.(3) Are you asking about someone else who is a believer but has committed this "serious offense"? If that person repents, seeks forgiveness, and tries to make amends, he probably is a Christian and His Heavenly Father will restore him. If he is arrogant and shows no remorse, he is likely not truly a Christian. Sometimes it is difficult to know. Paul had this problem. In II Timothy 2:16-19 he told of two men who formerly worked with him but now were opponents of Christian teachings. Paul really did not know where they stood. He illustrated by an official seal whose two sides were: (1) "The Lord knows who are His, and (2) Let everyone who goes by the name of Christ depart from evil." Only the Lord knows his heart, and we can see only his lifestyle. And it is not our job to be his judge. Your question is uniquely difficult for Christians. Most religions believe that salvation is earned and deserved. Christianity teaches that persons are corrupted, lost, and in a state of selfish rebellion against God. Our only hope is God's grace. Not just that He is a gracious God, but that we have nothing to offer and must throw ourselves on His grace. A hymn says this well: "Nothing in my hand I bring; only to Thy cross I cling." Since Christ died in my place, the cost has been paid. This leads some to say, "Salvation is free." But it wasn't! It's free to me, but it cost Christ His life! There is a danger that one may say, "I can just believe this and be assured of Heaven." Nothing in the New Testament speaks of such "easy believism." Jesus warned people of the cost of following Him. "If anyone follows Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." And St. Paul wrote to Christians, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." Christ cannot be accepted as Savior without receiving Him as Lord.A foreign student heard the Gospel of God's grace and the resulting assurance of heaven and he interrupted the speaker: "You must not say that! If you tell someone that he is assured of heaven, then he will live like the devil. You have lost the power of the fear of God." The answer to him was that we dare to teach salvation by acceptance of Christ alone because we believe that the Holy Spirit will enter that person and "regenerate him". The new believer is given a new nature: II Cor.5:16 "If anyone be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away and all things are new". "Born again" is a Biblical term for this. Like most truths, the doctrine of salvation can become 'hearsay' if one stresses one aspect to an extreme limit. For example, if one does not agree that Christ's death is adequate for forgiveness of all of a person's sins, then good deeds, religious rites, and following rules are required. The first half of the book of Romans refutes this idea of "works salvation". Galatians refutes the teaching that, while salvation is received by faith and trust in Christ, it must be retained by living a moral/religious life. A holy life is the evidence of salvation, not the method of obtaining it. The other extreme is that believing in Christ gets the ticket to heaven, and if one has this, he can live a self-centered, immoral life without consequences. I'm afraid some preachers do present a "ticket to heaven" gospel, but the Bible corrects this. The book of I John speaks realistically about our continuing temptations and sins, but also gives tests for having assurance of salvation. "Faith alone is enough to save"...but true, saving faith will not be alone." The book of James helps us to keep this balance. And in II Cor.13.5 Paul instructs us to "Examine yourself, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourself. Don't you know that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you fail to meet the test?"
