Can a Saved man choose to be Lost?

[Hobie]

Some believe that once you decide to be saved you can never choose to be lost again, it is irrevocable on your part. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, it will be the final choice you will ever make about your eternal destiny. If you change your mind later and repudiate your decision, it will be too late, nothing can change it. No matter how deeply and sincerely you desire to be lost and repent of your repentance, you cannot escape from eternal life. No amount of bitter rebellion, deliberate blasphemy, or iniquitous living can change that once-for-all decision to be saved.

Is this what the Bible teaches or could it be that maybe salvation is not predicated upon only one irrevocable act or choice of the past, but upon a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ

 

[GodsGrace]

Some believe that once you decide to be saved you can never choose to be lost again, it is irrevocable on your part. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, it will be the final choice you will ever make about your eternal destiny. If you change your mind later and repudiate your decision, it will be too late, nothing can change it. No matter how deeply and sincerely you desire to be lost and repent of your repentance, you cannot escape from eternal life. No amount of bitter rebellion, deliberate blasphemy, or iniquitous living can change that once-for-all decision to be saved.

Is this what the Bible teaches or could it be that maybe salvation is not predicated upon only one irrevocable act or choice of the past, but upon a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ

It's the second paragraph.

And you've worded the question REALLY well.
I'd like to see who is going to say the 1st paragraph is correct...
since those that believe in OSAS basically believe what you've stated.

And that is NOT biblical, of course.
God demands our obedience.
We must be IN CHRIST to be saved.
Sheep can wander away and become lost.
Prodigal sons can decide they want no part of the family.
Some seed that falls on the ground is saved TEMPORARILY but then falls away.
etc
etc

Nice O.P.

 

[Episkopos]

Some believe that once you decide to be saved you can never choose to be lost again, it is irrevocable on your part. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, it will be the final choice you will ever make about your eternal destiny. If you change your mind later and repudiate your decision, it will be too late, nothing can change it. No matter how deeply and sincerely you desire to be lost and repent of your repentance, you cannot escape from eternal life. No amount of bitter rebellion, deliberate blasphemy, or iniquitous living can change that once-for-all decision to be saved.

Is this what the Bible teaches or could it be that maybe salvation is not predicated upon only one irrevocable act or choice of the past, but upon a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ

In fact a lot of believers fall into traps meant to train God's people. God allows this since nothing can stop the true faithful ones in any regard. But unless one remains humble and in the fear of the Lord...that trap could become a permanent thing in the believer's life. Going from life in Christ to a religious bondage...deceived into thinking that down is up and up is down. Trying to be perfected by dogmatic religion rather than in the Spirit.

The one who keeps his eyes on Jesus Christ will come through...even if it is a painful process. It is with much tribulation that we enter into the kingdom of God.

<><

 

[amadeus]

In fact a lot of believers fall into traps meant to train God's people. God allows this since nothing can stop the true faithful ones in any regard. But unless one remains humble and in the fear of the Lord...that trap could become a permanent thing in the believer's life. Going from life in Christ to a religious bondage...deceived into thinking that down is up and up is down. Trying to be perfected by dogmatic religion rather than in the Spirit.

The one who keeps his eyes on Jesus Christ will come through...even if it is a painful process. It is with much tribulation that we enter into the kingdom of God.

<><

This is certainly seen in Peter's walk on water toward Jesus, at the very least, as a type or shadow of the walks of every person who has ever really taken a step toward Jesus and His Father.

 

[Nancy]

Some believe that once you decide to be saved you can never choose to be lost again, it is irrevocable on your part. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, it will be the final choice you will ever make about your eternal destiny. If you change your mind later and repudiate your decision, it will be too late, nothing can change it. No matter how deeply and sincerely you desire to be lost and repent of your repentance, you cannot escape from eternal life. No amount of bitter rebellion, deliberate blasphemy, or iniquitous living can change that once-for-all decision to be saved.

Is this what the Bible teaches or could it be that maybe salvation is not predicated upon only one irrevocable act or choice of the past, but upon a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ

"a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ"
I choose door number 2

 

[GodsGrace]

This is certainly seen in Peter's walk on water toward Jesus, at the very least, as a type or shadow of the walks of every person who has ever really taken a step toward Jesus and His Father.

A Priest,,,yes, a Priest,
once told me to keep my eyes on Jesus.
He told me about Peter walking on the water and why it's important.
Born again persons all know the same information...
No matter what denomination.

 

[ScottA]

Some believe that once you decide to be saved you can never choose to be lost again, it is irrevocable on your part. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, it will be the final choice you will ever make about your eternal destiny. If you change your mind later and repudiate your decision, it will be too late, nothing can change it. No matter how deeply and sincerely you desire to be lost and repent of your repentance, you cannot escape from eternal life. No amount of bitter rebellion, deliberate blasphemy, or iniquitous living can change that once-for-all decision to be saved.

Is this what the Bible teaches or could it be that maybe salvation is not predicated upon only one irrevocable act or choice of the past, but upon a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ

The correct answer lies with God rather than with men.

When one enters into a covenant with a man, he can break his covenant because it is with a man. But what God enters into with a man cannot be changed...because, even if the man is not the same yesterday, today, and forever...God is.

"The two have become one."

Therefore, if one witnesses what appears to be a person falling out of salvation, things simply are not what they appear. What is actually being witnessed is a person who was never in a covenant relationship with God, even if they thought they were. In which case, it was either all talk or a complete misunderstanding, but no covenant with God had been made nor broken.

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

.....but upon a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ

1 John 1:7 the Christian must conditionally continue to walk in the light to have all sins cleansed away. The verse begins with a conditional "if" implying the Christian can choose to quit walking in the light resulting in his sins not being cleansed away.

John 6:66-67 "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?" Men can choose to quit following Christ with the same volition they used to choose to follow Christ. Verse 67, the question Christ asked implies His very own Divinely chosen 12 Apostles could also turn away like those in v66 turned away. One of the 12 did turn away.

 

[Philip James]

Is this what the Bible teaches or could it be that maybe salvation is not predicated upon only one irrevocable act or choice of the past, but upon a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ

Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord GOD. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live?

And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live? None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die.


Peace be with you!

 

[Windmillcharge]

Some believe that once you decide to be saved you can never choose to be lost again, it is irrevocable on your part. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, it will be the final choice you will ever make about your eternal destiny. If you change your mind later and repudiate your decision, it will be too late, nothing can change it. No matter how deeply and sincerely you desire to be lost and repent of your repentance, you cannot escape from eternal life. No amount of bitter rebellion, deliberate blasphemy, or iniquitous living can change that once-for-all decision to be saved.

Is this what the Bible teaches or could it be that maybe salvation is not predicated upon only one irrevocable act or choice of the past, but upon a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ

Why would anyone who having experience the emence love of Jesus, tasted something of the eternal life to come, knowingly give up Jesus for the contents of a cesspit and the certain knowledge of an eternity separated from Jesus.

The nearest comparison I can think of is, its your wedding day, you have married the girl you love with all your being as you walk out to the car that's taking you to your new life together an old hore, filthy and dying calls your name and you abandon your wife, your new life to join that hore.

Is that a rational choice?

 

[Helen]

The answer to the OP is NO.

I have said before on another thread...it is not a choice to fall away.

It was not Peters choice to start sinking in the waves... another situation arose ( the waves) and he lost his focus.
We know many lose that important focus, and get wet...
As long as they know Who to call to in time of need...they can shake off the water and join the Lord.

 

[Enoch111]

The answer to the OP is NO.

If the poster understood what salvation is all about he would not start such a thread. It is not just a matter of choice.

 

[amadeus]

The answer to the OP is NO.

I have said before on another thread...it is not a choice to fall away.

It was not Peters choice to start sinking in the waves... another situation arose ( the waves) and he lost his focus.
We know many lose that important focus, and get wet...
As long as they know Who to call to in time of need...they can shake off the water and join the Lord.

Helen, sometimes a person walking with God will go through that one more trial, the straw that broke the camel's back, and then "weary in well doing" instead reaching out more time and calling on Jesus for help, he simply says, "What's the use" and allows himself to sink beneath the waves where he cannot breath and he cannot LIVE. Peter got wet but called on the Lord one more time for help. Some don't just get wet; they drown: their own choice. A foolish thing to do, but men have often been known to do foolish things.

 

[Helen]

Helen, sometimes a person walking with God will go through that one more trial, the straw that broke the camel's back, and then "weary in well doing" instead reaching out more time and calling on Jesus for help, he simply says, "What's the use" and allows himself to sink beneath the waves where he cannot breath and he cannot LIVE. Peter got wet but called on the Lord one more time for help. Some don't just get wet; they drown: their own choice. A foolish thing to do, but men have often been known to do foolish things.

Not disagreeing...I have seen it happen twice.

But that does not answer the question , did they CHOOSE that?
Did Peter CHOOSE to be fearful, and look at the circumstances around him and not to the Lord? Really?

I still say- NO, he did not, and neither did they....

......H

 

[justbyfaith]

To the OP I say that if anyone is truly born again, they have the fear of the LORD in them; and that this fear will prevent them from ever crossing the line into damnation.

If they were not preserved by that fear, then the possibility does exist of crossing over into damnation.

But Jeremiah 32:38-40 (kjv), Psalms 19:9 are clear: we have been given a fear of the LORD that will endure for ever: and through that fear we shall not depart from Him.

Jer 32:38, And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
Jer 32:39, And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
Jer 32:40, And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

Psa 19:9, The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

 

[atpollard]

This is certainly seen in Peter's walk on water toward Jesus, at the very least, as a type or shadow of the walks of every person who has ever really taken a step toward Jesus and His Father.

I cried when Peter drowned.
I cried again when Peter lost his place in eternity by denying Christ thrice before the cock crowed.
I cried a third time when Peter fell from salvation for his hypocrisy with the Judaisers when Paul had to publicly rebuke him.

If only Jesus had chosen Peter instead of Peter choosing Jesus, then God might have been able to finish His work and see Peter through the hard times to the end ... stumbling, but never falling from the Hand of the Father and the Son.

(But you people seem so certain that man chooses God, rather than God choosing man.)

 

[atpollard]

Some believe that once you decide to be saved you can never choose to be lost again

Some believe they have a picture of Bigfoot. So what?

The Bible teaches that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, and that those that the Father has given to the Son, will come to the Son, will be given eternal life by the Son and will be raised on the last day. The Bible also teaches that those God already had a relationship with (foreknew) are predestined, called, justified and will assuredly be glorified ... because God will finish the good work that God begins in His children.

So it isn’t about what people decided, it is about what God decided. At least burn the right strawman.

 

[amadeus]

I cried when Peter drowned.
I cried again when Peter lost his place in eternity by denying Christ thrice before the cock crowed.
I cried a third time when Peter fell from salvation for his hypocrisy with the Judaisers when Paul had to publicly rebuke him.

If only Jesus had chosen Peter instead of Peter choosing Jesus, then God might have been able to finish His work and see Peter through the hard times to the end ... stumbling, but never falling from the Hand of the Father and the Son.

(But you people seem so certain that man chooses God, rather than God choosing man.)

God certainly chooses to call us as He chose to call little Samuel but then we must choose to answer as little Samuel chose to answer.

Later God chose Saul to be king of Israel and Saul chose to answer God's call until he later chose to receive rather the praises of men. So Saul gave up his anointing and God chose to call a shepherd boy who chose to answer God's call. Unlike Saul, David though he stumbled, never turned his back completely on God. David was to become the man after God's own heart and the apple of His eye. God chose him and he chose God.

God has now chosen to call us to Life, but how many of us have chosen to follow the example of Samuel and David rather than the example of Saul?

 

[atpollard]

[John 15:16 NLT] 16 You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

[John 15:19 NLT] 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

... not “chooses to call”, Jesus said He just “chose” and “appointed”.
There is a difference.

 

[Davy]

Some believe that once you decide to be saved you can never choose to be lost again, it is irrevocable on your part. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, it will be the final choice you will ever make about your eternal destiny. If you change your mind later and repudiate your decision, it will be too late, nothing can change it. No matter how deeply and sincerely you desire to be lost and repent of your repentance, you cannot escape from eternal life. No amount of bitter rebellion, deliberate blasphemy, or iniquitous living can change that once-for-all decision to be saved.

Is this what the Bible teaches or could it be that maybe salvation is not predicated upon only one irrevocable act or choice of the past, but upon a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ

Of course like Apostle Paul taught in Galatians 5 about those who do the works of the flesh...

Gal 5:16-21
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulful the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
KJV


... one who truly has believed on Jesus, will not be found guilty of doing those things when He returns. And if... they do slip up at times, and do a sin not unto death, and they repent like John showed, Jesus is Just to forgive (1 John 1).


Evidently in many of today's Churches, they don't preach hellfire warnings anymore, but just peace-lovey-dovey hippie type messages which are designed to sooth the ears of those with money in their pockets. Those type preachers will have their reward; they evidently think the world owes them something. Our Lord Jesus called those a 'hireling' in John 10. When the wolves creep in among the sheep those will run, leaving the sheep to be devoured by the wolves. It's because money is what they really care about.

So do you really... think some preacher who wants your money is going to preach to you warnings of hellfire and brimstone from God's Word regarding your actions? No, of course not. He instead wants to know what kind of lollypop you like, and how many flavors! And he doesn't want to mess up your invites to your house for all those free dinners either!

The true Christian should take careful account of what Apostle Paul actually taught. He spent about as much time warning the brethren against falling away to sin after they believed as he did about Jesus Christ having died on the cross for the remission of our sins.