NOTES ON SALVATION: SOTERIOLOGY FOR GROWNUPS RE: HOW TO GET SAVED, STAY SAVED, AND ‘GET TO GO’ (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’—that is, the word [the message, the basis] of faith which we preach—because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 

For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and CONFESSES [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever BELIEVES in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations].’” – ROMANS 10: 8-11, AMP

KEY TERMS:

• “CONFESSES.” ‘Homologeó’ [ὁμολογήσῃς]: “To consent, acknowledge and thereby consistently give thanks for the Promise and say the same things to each other.” NOTE: “The verb ὁμολογέω (Strong’s 3670) denotes an open, authoritative Declaration that aligns the speaker with a stated Reality [i.e., an ‘OBEDIENT TONGUE’]. Its twenty-six New Testament appearances cluster around five themes: Salvation-Confession, Discipleship under pressure, Divine Acknowledgment, Worshipful Agreement, and the Exposure of hollow profession. ‘Each usage reinforces the Biblical Pattern that Genuine Faith speaks in harmony with God’s revealed Truth and bears visible Fruit.’”

• “BELIEVES.” ‘Pisteuó’ [πιστεύων]: “Deep moral conviction of the religious truthfulness of God as Teacher; to [completely] entrust one’s spiritual well-being to Christ.” NOTE: “The verb translated ‘believe’ occurs 244 times, permeating every genre of the New Testament. It is most frequent in the Gospel of John (approximately 40 %), closely followed by the Pauline Letters and Acts. The word can denote (1) Accepting something as True, (2) Placing trust in a Person, or (3) Entrusting something to Another’s care [i.e., an OBEDIENT HEART’]. Context determines the nuance, yet the center of gravity is always [‘Complete] PERSONAL RELIANCE upon God in Christ.’”

QUOTATION. “‘The Proof of Salvation’ is not listening to the Word, or having a quick emotional response to the Word, or even cultivating the Word so that it grows in a life. ‘The PROOF of Salvation is FRUIT,’ for as Christ said, ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits’ (Matthew 7:16).” ― WARREN WIERSBE, Meet Yourself in the Parables, 1979; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘For with the heart’ – Not with the understanding merely, but with such a faith as shall be sincere, and ‘shall influence the life.’ There can be no other genuine faith than what influences ‘the whole mind.’

‘Believeth unto righteousness’ – Believes so that Justification is obtained. In God’s plan of justifying people, this is the way by which we may be declared just or righteous in His sight. ‘The ‘Moment’ a sinner believes, therefore, he is justified; his sins are pardoned; and he is introduced into the Favor of God.’ No man can be justified without this: ‘For this is God’s Plan, and He will not depart from it.’

‘With the mouth confession is made’ – That is, Confession or Profession is so made as to obtain Salvation. He who in all appropriate ways Professes his attachment to Christ shall be saved. ‘This profession is to be made in all the proper ways of religious duty; by an Avowal of our sentiments; by Declaring on all proper occasions our Belief of the Truth; and by an UNWAVERING ADHERENCE to them in all persecutions, oppositions, and trials. He who Declares his belief makes a Profession’ …

‘Those who never profess any religion have none. And they are not safe! To deny God the Saviour before people is not safe. They who do not profess religion, profess the Opposite.’ The real feelings of the heart will be expressed in the life. And they who profess by their lives that they have no regard for God and Christ, for Heaven and Glory, must expect to be met in the Last Day, as those who Deny the Lord that bought them, and who bring upon themselves QUICK DESTRUCTION!’” – ALBERT BARNES, Theologian (Princeton), Abolitionist, Temperance Advocate, Author, Notes on the Old and New Testament, 1834, 1884; edited

1. TEACHING

Well, boys and girls, here we are once again dipping into the trough of just what God requires of to be truly ‘Saved’ in the midst of the Great Falling Away of the Last Days. I have been here before, but today we bring receipts as never before.

THE CONTROVERSY. The “Once Saved, Always Saved” (OSAS) Controversy is a major theological debate over whether a person can lose their salvation after first accepting Jesus Christ. Supporters say salvation is a free gift that cannot be undone, while critics argue it allows unrepentant sin and requires ongoing faith.

I no longer have the time nor the inclination to present “Both Sides,” since after nearly five years of intense study of the Biblical Canon and the Christian Gospel, I simply cannot see how the OSAS concoction can stand up under the Scriptures.

Both theologically and logically, it holds no orthodox doctrinal water in my not-so-humble estimation.

THE EVIDENCE. So let’s get straight to the point. I turn to a thorough critical analysis from the desk of MATTHEW MURPHY writing for Evangelical Arminians titled, “[Five] Practical Problems With OSAS” (Aug. 29, 2013; edited).

I love the word, “Practical,” emphasizing the fact that one need not be a systematic theologian to understand any of this, but need only use our God-given Reason.

1. Too Much Emphasis on a SINGLE ACT OF FAITH in the Past. “On the OSAS View, assurance of salvation is generally promised on the basis of looking to a ‘one-off act’ in the past, namely the placing of one’s faith in Christ, when it should be coming from an examining of ourselves in the present. In other words, advocates of OSAS generally view Eternal Life (and the assurance thereof) as an ‘irrevocable consequence of a moment’s act of faith sometime in the past.’ As Charles Stanley says, ‘Saving faith … is a singular moment in time wherein we take what God has offered.’ OSAS advocate Norman Geisler, citing Ephesians 2:4-6, writes that after someone is saved, the way that that person acts is in no way able to negate their security. Furthermore, Geisler writes that after we are saved, ‘there is no sin that can keep us out of Heaven.’” 

• OSAS Can Be Used as a LICENSE FOR SIN. “OSAS advocate R. T. Kendall, also quoted above, writes: ‘What do we mean, “Once saved, always saved”? … Before we introduce various terms let me give a definition of the teaching we are affirming. ‘Whoever once truly believes that Jesus was raised from the dead, and confesses that Jesus is Lord, will go to Heaven when he dies.’ But I will not stop there. ‘Such a person will go to Heaven when he dies no matter what work (or lack of work) may accompany such faith.’ [emphasis in original. NeilAnderson and Dave Park write that after we are saved, we are FREE to walk according to the flesh, if we so choose, without our status as God’s children being put at risk … Such foolish teaching reminds me of Genesis 2:16-17 and 3:4. God said, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ Then Satan came along, saying, ‘You will not surely die.’”

• OSAS Eliminates the NEED FOR CONFESSION of One’s Sin. “As the above quote from R. T. Kendall makes clear, if there is absolutely nothing that can prevent us from entering Heaven, as long as we have at least once believed in Christ, then it only makes sense that the confessing of our sins is non-essential to our forgiveness. Indeed, OSAS advocate Charles Stanley writes: ‘God forgave us long before we ever asked for it. He pardons us for sins we will never confess’ (1 John 1:9). Dave Hunt, another OSAS advocate, writes: ‘Salvation is the full pardon by grace from the penalty of all sin, past, present or future; eternal life is the bonus thrown in’ … The Bible, however, makes it clear that only sins that have been repented of and confessed will be forgiven’ (cf. Luke 13:3, 5; 17:3-4; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 1 John 1:9). ‘In other words, only our FORMER SINS are forgiven’ (Rom. 3:21-25; 2 Pet. 1:9).

• OSAS Eliminates FEAR OF GOD from its Proponent’s Hearts. “Given that OSAS can so easily lead to moral license and the non-confession of sin, any true fear of God would seem to have been eliminated. ‘After all, if OSAS were true, we would not need to remember the example of the Israelites, for once we are delivered, that’s it; we’re set for life because according to OSAS, we cannot possibly fail to reach Heaven.’ In other words, if OSAS were true, and we were indeed free to walk according to the flesh without putting our eternal inheritance on the line, ‘there would be no rational reason for fearing God; no reason to behold the Severity of God’ even if we were to stop standing by faith and draw back unto perdition; no reason to hate evil (which is the fear of the Lord – Prov. 8:13) …You will find, however, that ‘The whole duty of man is to FEAR God and KEEP His commandments’ (Eccl. 12:13), yet why should this be so if OSAS were true? What possible reason could be given as to why we should truly fear God? If OSAS were true, then we would, in fact, have nothing to fear.”

• OSAS Eliminates the Necessity of Being SOBER-MINDED AND WATCHFUL. “1 Peter 5:8-9 says, ‘Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. RESIST HIM, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.’ But if what OSAS teaches – that once a person is saved, they are unconditionally always and forever saved – is correct, why should we be sober-minded and watchful? ‘After all, if OSAS was correct, the Devil prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour can’t affect our eternal destiny.’ Even if he does manage to devour us, we will still be saved, according to OSAS. Notable OSAS advocate Charles Stanley writes, ‘Christ will not deny an unbelieving Christian his or her salvation … believers who lose or abandon their faith will retain their salvation, for God remains faithful’ … The only view which can make sense of 1 Peter 5:8-9 is the view which affirms that: True Believers can in fact Apostatize and come under Condemnation. That’s why the Devil is prowling around!’”

CONCLUSION. “‘The Gospel is about THE WAY of salvation, along which we must travel, if we are to reach our Destination; the Christian life is about the ‘Race, in which we must run, if we are to receive our prize’ (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24; 2 Tim. 4:7; Heb. 12:1). May we never let anyone deceive us into thinking that such a thing exists as an ‘Unbelieving Christian’ (a contradiction in terms if ever there was one) or a ‘Saved Unbeliever.’ May we never let anyone deceive us into thinking that we can abandon our faith and yet still retain our share in God’s household (see Heb. 3:6). May we never be deceived into thinking that we can have an evil heart of unbelief, while remaining partakers of Christ (see Heb. 3:12-19). May we never let anyone deceive us into thinking that we can become unbelievers without our salvation being put in jeopardy (cf. Ezek. 18:24-26; Rom. 1:18; 11:20-21; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 2 Cor. 6:14-15; Heb. 3:12-19; Rev. 21:8).

‘Rather, let us CONTINUE on the ‘Way;’ let us run with Endurance the Race set before us; let us strive for Holiness, for without Holiness, no one will see the Lord; and let us be Sober-Minded, let us be Watchful, for our adversary the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.’ If we are not careful, that someone could be us. Our Eternal Inheritance is a high price to pay for our spiritual neglect. ‘We cannot afford to be casual!’”

1. LAST THOUGHTS: SARDIS

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but YOU ARE DEAD [‘nekros; (νεκρὸς), ‘deceased, a corpse’]. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.

Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, Revelation 3:1-6, NKJV

FOULED ROOTS. Given what we have just learned, beloved, can you now see WHY the White Evangelical Church is in its ‘Lethal State of Slumber?’ The OSAS has been with us for fully, 2,000 years, birthed in the disastrous propositions Church Father Origen’s mentor, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA.

“‘Clement of Alexandria’s theology reshaped Early Christian Eschatology by replacing a literal, future-oriented physical Millennial expectation with a realized, SPIRITUAL FRAMEWORK. By prioritizing Greek Philosophical SYNTHESIS and ALLEGORICAL Interpretation, he viewed Prophecies as largely fulfilled and centered the ultimate goal on PERSONAL DEIFICATION rather than a physical End-Times Kingdom.’” – AI Overview, ret. Aug. 21, 2026; edited

This devastating blow to a more orthodox, Futurist Hermeneutic, was to be followed and expanded upon in three others Traditions (Historicism, Idealism, and especially, ‘Hymanaeun Preterism’) by no lesser theological giants than St. Augustine and John Calvin.  

DK NOTE.  For all intents and massively destructive purposes, we may accurately conclude that Clement, Origen, Augustine and Calvin were the very Grandfathers of the OSAS Heresy subscribed to by most American Evangelical Churches and Seminaries today.

“A little leaven [a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers] leavens the whole batch [it perverts the concept of faith and misleads the church]. I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt NO OTHER VIEW [contrary to mine on the matter]; but the one who is disturbing you, whoever he is, will have to bear the penalty.” – GALATIANS 5:9-10, AMP

THE AMERICAN CHURCH OF SARDIS. I close with an excellent analysis between America’s current White Evangelical Church Community and the ancient Church of Sardis that Christ severely rebuked.

And if He rebuked them, beloved, why not us, pray tell?

For that analysis I happily turn to a Black American circuit judge and pastor, WENDELL GRIFFEN, writing for Baptist News in a piece titled, “A Message to White Christian America: Remember the Church at Sardis” (Sep. 15, 2020; edited).

• OPEN. “I recently finished reading White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, by Robert P. Jones, the CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. In that book, Jones comments about recent (2018 and 2019) public opinion survey responses from White Mainline Protestants, White Evangelical Protestants, and White Catholics regarding Racial Inequity in the United States and concludes that: ‘White Christians have been ‘White too long,’ as Black public theologian and author James Baldwin mentioned in a February 1968 New York Times op ed column. By that, Jones means: ‘White Christians hold attitudes more in line with White Supremacists than with the Love and Justice imperatives emphasized by Jesus and other Hebrew Prophets.’”

• HYPOCRISY. “When white Christians feign moral and ethical amnesia, ignorance, innocence and paralysis about racial injustice, they confirm what was written in Revelation 3:1 about the Church at Sardis: ‘I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead.’ The Church at Sardis had ‘a name of being alive’ — meaning vigorous, effective — but it was ‘Dead’ — meaning ineffective and impotent to influence the culture of the city for Justice. This description fits White Christianity in the United States and elsewhere across the world. ‘The Corpse-like grip of White Supremacy and Religious Nationalism accounts for the overwhelming support White Christians gave Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election and continue to give Trump in his 2020 Re-election bid.’”

• REBUKE. “Hence, my message to White Christian America is: ‘I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead.’ You are dead — meaning ineffective — concerning Racial Justice, including Reparation for 400 years of bigotry, fraud, discrimination and hypocrisy. You are dead concerning love for immigrants. You are dead concerning love for women, girls and people who are LGBTQ. You are dead concerning love for people who do not worship God as you do. You are dead when it comes to concern for people who are not white and not privileged.”

• CLOSE. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote about the ‘Deadness’ of White Christian America’ in his Letter from Birmingham City Jail [1963].  James Baldwin wrote about that Deadness in the New York Times op-ed that inspired Jones to title his latest book White Too Long. Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Howard Thurman, Fannie Lou Hamer and countless other Black people mentioned the ‘Deadness’ of White Christianity. ‘People of Color see you, White Christians. We smell the stench and see the rot of White Supremacy and Religious Nationalism in your sermons, songs, daily actions and societal and global efforts. We ‘know your works’ for ‘you have a name of being alive, but you are dead.’”

CODA. In the severe light of both Biblical Truth and Observational Integrity, what do you think of the chances of most White Christian Evangelicals making it to the Pearly Gates of God’s Heaven, beloved?

In both the Scriptures and even in the mind of this old crustacean polemicist, there is still room for a little HOPE.

Jesus Promised: “YET you still have A FEW [persons’] names in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes, and they shall walk with Me in white, because they are worthy and deserving. Thus shall HE WHO CONQUERS [‘nikao’ (νικῶν ) ‘overcomes, subdues, is victorious over Antichrist] be clad in white garments, and I will not erase or blot out his name from the Book of Life; I will acknowledge him [as Mine] and I will confess his name openly before My Father and before His angels.” – REVELATION 3:4-5, AMPC

And there it is, beloved, as plain and true as I can possibly bring it. Getting Saved, Staying Saved, and ‘Getting to Go’ on that Day of days when Christ Returns in Thunder to Catch Up His own, and Rain Fire on the Nations. All boils down to a Final Requirement from His own royal lips:

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and TAKE UP HIS CROSS and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. If you [really] love Me, you will KEEP AND OBEY My commandments.” – MATTHEW 16:24; JOHN 14:15, AMPC

¿Hay alguna pregunta, mis compadres? ¡Entonces: Clase terminado!

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