Hell is a Place of Lost Hope

We have seen that people choose hell by rejecting the light they have received from God.  We have seen that everyone is a sinner whose selfishness and pride call for divine punishment -- even the nice non-Christian who has so many fine qualities.  We have seen that Jesus Christ is going to judge every person individually and will sentence him/her to receive exactly what he/she deserves.  Now we are ready to develop the solemn fact that hell is a place of lost hope.

We who believe on Jesus Christ and therefore are confident that we will go to heaven would like to see everyone get there eventually.  We would very much like to find evidence in the Bible that the lost will get another chance to be saved after death.  And there always have been teachers who have held the viewpoint of another opportunity after death.  As much as we would like to think that ultimately all will be saved, we cannot honestly use the Scriptures to build a case for it.  The Bible does not promise or even imply that the lost will have another chance for salvation after death.

In summary, the future of those who die as unbelievers or rebels is not pleasant to contemplate.  When Jesus talked about hell, He spoke of  "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 8:12), of "the fire that shall never be quenched" (Mk. 9:43, 45), and of a place "where their worm does not die" (Mk. 9:44, 46, 48).  Even if many verses are inconclusive regarding the eternal conscious suffering of the lost, Revelation 14:11 and 20:10 indicate that at the very least, some of the lost will suffer conscious torment for all eternity.

The biblical doctrine of hell is designed to warn sinners.  It is designed to motivate believers to do all they can to reach people with the Gospel.  It is designed to show us how terrible sin is in the sight of an awesomely holy God.  Therefore, although we cannot visualize the timelessness of eternity or the exact nature of hell's suffering, we can be moved to godly fear and proper action.  And we can ultimately trust God to do what is right by friends and relatives who for one reason or another refuse the Gospel.  With Abraham of old we ask the rhetorical question, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25), and leave the matter to Him.

The Fate of Those Who Never Heard

Many people have gone through this life without even once hearing about Jesus Christ.  Even among those who live in cultures where Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter are observed, there are multitudes who never really hear the gospel.  And some who have had contact with professing Christians never give Jesus Christ serious consideration because of what they see in the lives of people who claim to be His followers.

What about such people who will die without ever having heard a clear presentation of the gospel?  Can we assume that God will find some way to open the doors of heaven to them?  We would like to believe that.  But the Scriptures make it clear that those who haven't heard the gospel are lost just as surely as those who refuse to believe on Christ.  Jesus declared that He Himself is the only way to God (Jn. 14:6).  Peter boldly told the Jewish rulers who had arrested him "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).  Paul referred to all who don't know Jesus as "those who are perishing" (2 Cor. 4:3) and described the Gentile world before the time of Christ as "having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12).  The heartbreaking fact is that people who have never heard the gospel are on their way to a Christless eternity.

God will hold those who never heard the gospel responsible for what they did with the light that they had in this world.  Paul said of the pagans that God had revealed Himself to them in nature (Rom. 1:18-21) and in conscience (Rom. 2:12-16).  They must give an account of what they did with this light and will be punished accordingly.

Hell is a Place of Fair Treatment

We have seen that hell is the place people chose, even if unknowingly, when they go their own way instead of listening to God.  We have also noted that hell is a place that will forever tell the truth about the real character of those who have rejected and resisted God's provision for their salvation.

Hell will be a place of fair treatment.  Before anyone goes there, that person will stand at a final judgment to determine the exact degree of punishment he or she will receive.  God will be perfectly fair.

The final judgment is depicted graphically in Revelation 20:11-15.  This is the great white throne judgement.  The Judge is none other than Jesus Christ (John 5:24-30).  All the unsaved will receive new bodies and will stand to be judged.  Then the books containing the life record of every person and the one special Book of Life will be opened.  The opening of these books shows that those who rejected God's gift of salvation will receive perfect justice.

The awesome picture of final judgment in Rev. 20: 11-15 led Thomas Carlyle to exclaim:  "What a magnificant conception is that of a final judgment!  A righting of all the wrongs of the ages."  The Lord Jesus Christ will take into account every circumstance overlooking nothing.  He will be the Supreme Court of the universe.  No one will be able to appeal His decisions.  In fact, no one will feel the need to do so.  Every person will acknowledge Him as Lord and admit that His verdict has been absolutely fair and right.  It is at this time, that everyone will recognize Him to be all He claimed to be, fulfilling the words of Philippians 2:9-11.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Hell is a Place of Truth

The second point we need to see is that hell is a place of truth.  Even though it is sometimes described as a place of outer darkness, it is a place of the light of truth.  Hell will finally expose the true nature of all who have consistently rejected the love and grace and mercy of God.  In the meantime, the true nature of human hearts is often buried under deceptive appearances.

Now, most people don't think of themselves as deserving of everlasting punishment.  Many who have chosen to live their lives apart from God don't look any different from others who openly admit their need of the forgiveness and mercy of  Christ.

But present appearances are deceiving.  While the Bible says that most people are headed for the lake of fire, many of them don't look as though they deserve a fire reserved for the devil and his angels.  Evil men like Stalin or Hitler or serial killers might seem to qualify, but not the rank-and-file of people who seem to live basically decent lives.

Yet, from the Bible's point of view, such evaluations are extremely misleading and even deceptive.  The Bible shows us that the fires and blackness of hell will make eternal statements about (1) the true wickedness of public enemies and (2) the true wickedness of good people,

The Wickedness of Public Enemies

In some respects, human wickedness is terrible to contemplate.  Think of what God sees as He looks down on the world of mankind.  He watches the murders, adulteries, thefts, fights and physical and emotional torment that occur day and night in every part of the world.  He sees the child abusers -- their lust, cruelty, and heartlessness.  He sees wives crying, children abandoned, friends and partners betrayed, governments oppressing, and religious leaders fleecing their trusting flocks.  

It is the moral and spiritual condition that God has been patiently tolerating ever since man's fall into sin.  Read the Apostle Paul's timeless and universal description of the human condition:  

(Rom. 3:12-18)  They have all turned aside, they have together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no, not one.........their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.

This is a striking picture of the dishonesty, the greed, the profanity, the deceitfulness, and the cruelty that continues to produce rapists, child molesters, embezzlers, and pornographers.  When the judgment of God falls, and when such persons are sentenced to the lake of fire described in Revelation 20: 11-15, the fire will make an eternal statement of truth about those who have lived their lives at the expense of others.

What we need to realize, however, is that Romans 3 was not written merely to tell the truth about those public enemies who will one day find their rightful place in hell.  It also describes:

The Wickedness of Good People.

A closer look shows that Romans 3: 10-18 doesn't just describe the judgment-deserving character of those we call public enemies.  Verse 10 expresses the inclusive argument of the first three chapters of Romans, when it says of mankind, religious and non-religious alike:

There is none righteous, no, not one, there is none who understands, there is none who seeks after God.  They have all turned aside, they have together become unprofitable, there is none who does good, no, not one (3:10-12).

We don't like to think that good people deserve to go to hell.  But our good impression of decent law-abiding neighbours is not a real reflection of the truth.  We think naturally in man-centered ways rather than in the God-centered measurement described in Romans 3.  Man wasn't made to be a decent public servant.  He was made to glorify his Maker and to enjoy Him forever.  We weren't made to live decent, self-serving lives.  We were made to depend gratefully on the love and goodness of God.  We weren't made just to abide by the external requirements of civil and religious law.  We were made to worship God from our hearts and to love one another as He has loved us.

When we measure ourselves by that evaluation, the threat of hell becomes more of an issue.  The irresistible fire of judgment will expose the enormous deception that now hides behind social and religious courtesies and proprieties.

We have good reason to shudder at the thought of standing in God's presence on our own merits.  If we're honest, we must admit that apart from Christ we deserve to hear Him sentence us to hell.  In God's sight, no-one is really a good person.  (Romans 2: 12-16).

All people, at one time or another, sense that there is a God to whom they are morally accountable, that they have sinned, and that they need divine forgiveness.  But most men and women stifle these disquieting thoughts.  Some do so by denying the existence of a personal God.    Some do so by saying that what we call sins are merely weaknesses.  Others affirm that God is so loving that He will never punish anyone on the other side of death.  They don't want to acknowledge their sin and believe on Jesus Christ.  But the day is coming when they will stand before God for final judgment.  There they will see themselves as they really are.  Stripped of all their self-righteousness, they will recognize their guilt before God.  And nothing less than the lake of fire will ultimately tell the truth.

Hell is a Place of Choice

People don't choose hell with a full understanding of what they are doing.  They don't have a clear picture of the eternal happiness they will live or the everlasting separation and darkness they will endure. But according to the Bible, hell is a place of choice.

As a result, the Bible repeated appeals to its readers to choose the way of life rather than the path of death and judgment.  Over and over, Jesus Himself urged His listeners to make wise choices with questions like:

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  (Mk. 8:36-37).

Yet the same Bible also reminds us that most people will risk their eternal souls rather than feel obligated or indebted to the love and mercy of God.  In some cases, this stubborn independence is easy to see.  Some will even tell you that if there really is a heaven and a hell they would rather go to the place below because that's where their friends will be.  Others say that heaven and God and eternal goodness sound boring.  Still others are so angry at God for the pain and rejection that He has allowed them to experience that they have literally challenged Him to send them to the devil and his place.

Most people, however, are merely ignoring the long-term possibilities of their own choices.  They are either counting on the hope that God is too loving to send them to hell, or they are assuming that they aren't bad enough to be sent there.  Many are so preoccupied with trying to survive day-to-day struggles that they have chosen not to worry about the future.

In the process, such people make personal choices for which they will be held accountable.  Certainly they fail to understand the full weight of their choices.  They fail to realize that just as the first man and woman made choices that resulted in enormous loss, so also we who are made in the image of God continue to be held accountable for the choices we make.  With such choice and consequences in mind, the apostle Paul wrote:

The wrath of God is revealed  from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them (Rom. 1:18-19).

As God's creatures, we owe Him glory and thanksgiving.  God has a right to expect that we as a race and as individuals recognize His lordship, give Him thanks, and live in grateful obedience to Him.  But in our pride, we have refused to glorify God as God.  Instead, we have become preoccupied with ourselves and our own happiness.  We have chosen to love ourselves rather than God -- to glorify ourselves rather than the Lord.  This is why "the wrath of God" (Rom. 1:18) rests upon the human race.  This divine wrath is a terrible reality.  It is God's revulsion against the things that contradict His holy being.  It is God's reaction to those who choose evil while rejecting His love.

Some accuse God of vindictiveness but we would be wise to withhold our criticism and respond as quickly as we can to God's invitation to escape the eternal fires.  It was Christ Himself who urged us:

Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matt. 7:13-14). 

Proportionately, this is still true.  While religion is common all over the world, how many people do you know who actually and consistently love God and express their gratitude to Him?  If you think carefully and honestly, you will have to admit that no one does.  But Christians freely admit this and have placed their trust for salvation in Jesus Christ believing that He paid for their sins when He died on the cross.  When people refuse to believe on Him, they are choosing to stand on their own merits.  To be placed on the road to heaven, we must acknowledge our sin, admit that we can't save ourselves, and place our trust in Jesus Christ.  John 3:16 states

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

If you haven't chosen to believe on Jesus Christ, you are choosing the path to hell.  Don't listen to the behaviourists who suggest that you have no real choices of your own.

Reject the post modern thinking that says there is no established truth.  Accept the teaching of the bible.  If you reject Christ, you will have no right to blame anyone but yourself when you someday find yourself in hell.  You will have to admit that you made the wrong choice.  You won't be able to blame God.

What Happened to the Subject of Hell?

Countless people among us seem obsessed with the subject of hell.  Even irreligious individuals talk of "going to hell and back" for something they love.  They speak of certainties as being  "sure as hell," or impossibilities as occurring "when hell freezes over."  And bad experiences are said to "hurt like hell."  Many otherwise polite people regularly inject colour, emotion, and profanity into their conversation by adding a casual or angry reference to hell to almost any combination of words.

Yet ironically, the more hell shows up in casual conversation, the less it is actually thought about -- even in religious circles.  The more such a word is used in an aggressive, profane way, the less threatening it seems to the user.  Accordingly, the subject of hell has become as prevalent in street talk as it is absent in Sunday sermons.

It wasn't always that way.  Historically, most religions have held openly to the idea of an after-death judgment followed by punishment for evildoers.

Our present reluctance to think seriously about the reality of future punishment may stem in part from an inadequate concept of God.  We have forgotten that He is a God to be feared.  The Russian theologian Berdyaev said, "It is remarkable how little people think about hell or trouble about it.  This is the most striking evidence of human frivolity."  (The Destiny of Man, Scribner, p. 33).  What he wrote more than 70 years ago is even more true today than when he penned it.

We do not do people a favour when we remain silent about the subject of hell.  Jesus, the prime example of God's love, spoke of hell repeatedly.  He said that some would rise from death to "the resurrection of condemnation" (Jn. 3:29).  He declared that those who go to hell enter the horrible place where "their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched" (Mk 9:44, 46, 48).  He also depicted it as a place of "outer darkness," where there "will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 8:12; 12:13; 25:30).

Bertrand Russell said he decided to become an atheist when he read the words of Jesus about hell.  But did he act wisely?  At least he was consistent.  He realized that hell deserves to be taken seriously.  He knew that it doesn't make sense to say you believe in Christ while rejecting what He and His book say about an eternal "lake of fire."

- from "Portraits of Eternity" by Herb Vander Lugt

Are You Hell-Bound?

13 Enter ye in at the straight gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that find it:

14 Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7: 13-14

According to these verses, Hell is going to be heavily populated and Heaven is going to be very lightly populated.  If you think about it and look around you, you will understand that this is true.  For example, on the street where I used to live, three of the twenty-six homes went to our church.  Only a couple of households went to other churches. 20% of the people on our block entered a church door from one year's end to the next.  That is a lot of darkness.  The Bible says that men prefer darkness rather than light as evidenced by the few church goers on our street. 

I have become aware lately, based on the aforementioned discussion, that no matter where you go in the world today this is the case.  The majority of the world is living in darkness and is bound for Hell.  The purpose of this blog is not to judge people in any way, shape or form, although a certain amount of this is necessary because you have to look at people's belief systems in order to determine if they are going to Hell because not all roads lead to Heaven.

So what I thought I would do is state unequivocally, the obvious groups of people who we know for a fact are going to Hell.  This is based on the Scripture that states "ye must be born again" in the Gospel of John, Chapter 3.  If you are a person who is not born again or does not believe in being born again, you are Hell-bound -- plain and simple!  The Bible states numerous times in the New Testament that you must be born again or you will not see the Kingdom of God.  The Bible also calls it being saved or being redeemed or being forgiven of our sins.  The Bible also speaks more about Hell than it does about Heaven.  If you do not believe in Hell, you have a serious problem.  Just because you don't believe in Hell doesn't mean that you are not going there.  If you think about it, when all is said and done, God gets the last word doesn't He?

What things are evidence that you might not be born again?  I would say that church attendance is a good indicator of whether you are born again or not.  But then, we have to take into account how many churches today don't believe that you must be born again. It's a well-known fact that the Catholic church does not teach or believe that you must be born again.  All you do in the Catholic church to go to Heaven is go to confession.  From here we get into the area of false teaching which pervades many of our churches today.  

Do you think that God is going to allow gays and lesbians into Heaven?  The Bible is very specific on these two lifestyles.  Don't forget -- it's His Heaven.

Do you think God will welcome people into heaven who have allowed drugs and alcohol to consume their lives?

Do you think God is going to allow people who fellowship regularly with demons into heaven?  Churches who practice "gibberish" and call it "speaking in tongues" are inviting demons into their midst.  Gibberish is the vehicle demons use to take over your mind.  I don't think God will welcome the demon-possessed into heaven, do you?  The demon possessed are hell bound!

What is the likelihood that people who use the Lord's name as a curse word are born-again Christians and on their way to heaven?

How many radical Islamic terrorists do you think you will see in Heaven when you get there?

How many hardened criminals in prisons around the world do you expect to see in Heaven?  Not to mention that there are some prison ministries at work who are trying to change this fact.

Then there are all the God-haters and atheists who seem to pervade our society everywhere these days.  Heaven is not in their future; it's pretty safe to say.

Then there are all the people who live in remote areas around the world where there are no churches and no spiritual influence whatsoever,

The good people in this world are a very unique group.  They've never killed anyone or committed any crime.  They think they are good enough to go to Heaven just as they are.  The Bible teaches otherwise which means there are going to be a throng of very good people in hell because they are not born-again as the Scriptures demands.

Another very large group who are Hell-bound are all those people who's parents never took them to Sunday School when they were little and to this day, have not entered a church door except for weddings and funerals and who actually do not have any kind of belief system at all.  They just believe that when you die -- that's all there is.  They have no concept of eternity or the fact that we have an eternal soul that is going to spend eternity in one of two places.

Let's take for example, another group of people who are likely Hell-bound -- sports lovers.  In recent years all kinds of sporting events for families around the world are held on Sundays, thus preventing them from attending church.  Church attendance does not save you but if you are not in church how can you learn about being born again.  To most of these people, sports is their god.  

Another large group who are likely Hell-bound are people who have tatoos.  Not to say that some Christians don't have a few and it doesn't determine whether or not you are born again.  Having tatoos is not something associated with being a Christian and if you look around your local Baptist church, you will be hard-pressed to find any tatoos.  So it's fair to say that the majority of the tatooed group are Hell-bound.  Most members of motorcycle gangs are likely Hell-bound.  

Multi-millions of people are members of cults around the world and doomed to go to Hell.  Among these groups are:  Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, Buddists, Hindus, Hari-Krisnas, Jehovah Witnesses, etc. This must include billions and billions of people worldwide.  All of these false relgions have one thing in common.  You have to do something to earn your way to Heaven.  Born-again Christians depend solely on the work that was accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary.  The Bible says it is not of works lest any man should boast and that makes true Christianity unique among all the world religions and cults.

This idea is further brought home when you are out in public in various places.  For instance, how many born-again Christians are attending rock concerts?  How many born-again Christians are in the restaurant or at the mall at the same time you are?  It's the same in these places as it is on the street where you live, the place where you work -- there is a general feeling of darkness around you wherever you go except for one place.  That place for me is the Baptist church.  When I walk into the Baptist church I feel like I have entered the land of light and truth.  That's because the Holy Spirit is there.  It's a wonderful feeling to know that there is at least one place where the Light continues to shine brightly.  When you enter that Light, you will be pointed to Jesus Christ and His saving grace which will change your life eternally.  Being Hell-bound is a choice which only you can do something about.

Eternal Security - The Peace of Mind You're Missing!

I have not always believed in eternal security.  I was raised in the Pentecostal church, a denomination that did not believe in eternal security and frequently preached against it.  As a child, I was not threatened by such preaching.  I always loved church.  I would arrive early to claim my second-row aisle seat -- ..in front of the pastor.

There were two reasons I chose to attend the Pentecostal church.  First, my grandfather was a Pentecostal pastor.  Second, it was my mother's preference.  I can remember as a young boy getting up on Sunday morning, eating breakfast, and walking to church.  Even when my mother was unable to go, I would be there.

June was typically revival month back in those days.  In June of 1944 our evangelist for the week was a Mrs. Wilson.  Women evangelists were not uncommon in the Pentecostal church.  As was my habit, I was there Sunday morning, front and center, with every intention of attending each night that week.  After the choir finished their song, Mrs. Wilson walked to the pulpit and preached a stirring salvation message.  I don't remember anything in particular that she said; I just remember feeling a strong desire to respond.  When the invitation began, I rose from my seat and went foward.  Before I reached the altar, I began weeping.  I knelt down and started asking Jesus to save me.  Several members of my Sunday School class gathered around and began praying for me as well.

When the altar call ended, the pastor of the church asked me to step up to the pulpit and share with the congregation what Christ had done for me.  Still crying, I stood behind the pulpit and said, "I don't know all that Jesus has done for me but I know He saved me."

The pastor put his hand on my shoulder, looked at me square in the eye, and said, "Charles, grow up and be a good boy.  And when you die, you will go to heaven."  [This pastor was telling Charles that his salvation must be maintained by being a good boy.  The implication is that if you are not good you can lose your salvation which is what the Pentecostal church teaches and believes.]

Easier Said than Done

It didn't take me long to realize that being good wasn't easy.  To compound the problem, just about everything a twelve-year-old boy considered fun was a sin according to the Pentecostal church.  I was continually confessing my sins, begging for forgiveness, and hoping I wouldn't die before I had time to repent!  

During that time I began sensing God's call in my life.  That meant one of two things in those days, becoming a preacher or a missionary.  The awareness of God's call in my life only darkened the cloud of guilt under which I lived.  How could I ever help anybody else when I am constantly waivering?  I would wonder.  What if I stood to preach and wasn't even saved?  

[Pentecostals never know at any given time if they are really saved because they believe they can lose their salvation at a moment's notice.  This teaching does not give their adherents any peace of mind about their salvation or their eternal destiny.  What is the point of salvation if it can be so easily lost?]

At age fourteen I joined the Baptist church.  My decision was purely a social one.  The Baptist church had a larger youth group than the Pentecostal church, and that meant more girls!  That was when I discovered not everbody believed as I did.  I first heard the phrase "eternal security" in that little Baptist church.  Even as a teenager I was a diligent student of God's word.  Armed with my list of verses, I was prepared and even eager to present my side of the issue.  No one made a dent in my theology.  And I never expected anyone to, because I knew the Scripture was clearly on my side.  

When I left home for college, I was a staunch believer in the doctrine that one could lose his salvation.  Often in our dorm the conversation would turn to religion.  Over and over I would pull out my arsenal of verses and present my case.  Frequently, I found myself standing alone.  But my view was strengthened by the carnal lifestyles of many with whom I debated.  Men who claimed to be saved and yet whose actions gave no indication of their having a relationship with Christ.  Intellectually, I was more persuaded than ever.  But deep inside a battle was raging. 

Despite my strong defense and quiver of verses, I couldn't make it all fit.  The events of that Sunday morning in 1944 were fixed in my memory.  I remember for the first time feeling that I was at peace with God.  I knew I had been born again.  The possibility that I could lose all I had gained that Sunday morning seemed a little farfetched.  And the idea that I could lose it and regain it repeatedly was difficult to comprehend.  

Although I was troubled by my internal struggles, I never felt alienated from God.  I had an inner peace even at my lowest times.  Somehow I knew He still loved me and accepted me.  My repeated requests for salvation were more a ritual than an heartfelt sense of need.  I never felt lost.  Yet the Scripture seemed to be so clear on that point.  Consequently, I remained resolute in my defense.

Seminary Days

In the fall of 1954 I entered Southwestern Theological Seminary.  Once again I found myself in heated discussions concerning the issue of eternal security.  I continued my study of what I considered the pertinent passages of Scripture.  For a long time I did not understand how anybody could think the Bible taught that the believer was eternally secure.  But slowly that began to change.  

Strangely enough, it was my intense study of the Scriptures that caused me to begin doubting my position.  This was not a sudden change.  It took time.  Nobody convinced me.  On the contrary, after a while, nobody even wanted to talk to me about it;  I had pretty much run the issue into the ground by that point.  But as convincing as I was, I had no peace about the subject.   So I continued to study.

Verse by verse I picked my way through the passages used to support each view.  Through this process two things became apparent.  First, I was guilty of ignoring the context of many verses I quoted to defend my view.  As I began digging deeper into the events and discussions surrounding these passages, they took on a different meaning.  Second, I discovered through my study that the concept of salvation through faith alone cannot be reconciled with the belief that one can forfeit his or her salvation.  If I must do or not do something to keep from losing my salvation, salvation would be by faith and works I specifically remember the day this particular truth dawned on me.  I found myself at a theological fork in the road.  To maintain my position, I realized I would have to abandon my belief in salvation by faith alone.  

It was as if a light came on.  Suddenly I saw it.  I wanted to shout.  I felt like a man just released from prison.  I began to thank God that I had been wrong all those years.  I thanked Him for the relentlessness that had kept me searching and praying.  Then I was struck with the most awesome thought of all.  I had been eternally secure since that day as a twelve-year-old when I prayed, asking Jesus to save me.

That morning was a turning point in my life.  It was far more than a shift in my theology.  It introduced me to the true meaning of unconditional love.  It was the beginning of my lifelong journey into the mystery of God's amazing grace.  Terms such as peace and joy took on a whole new meaning.  They became part of my experience not just my vocabulary.

I realized how little I had really trusted God.  You see, it is difficult to trust someone when you are never really sure where you stand with that person. Security came to mean a great deal more that a guarantee of where I would spend eternity.  It was the perfect word to describe the sense of intimacy I felt with Christ.  I was secure.  Secure in His love and acceptance of me.  Secure in His daily will for my life.  Secure in every promise He had made.  And of course, secure in where I would spend eternity.

I'm Not Alone

I continually meet people who believe as I once believed.  If it were simply a theological difference I would be content to agree to disagree.  It is far more than that.  I know the bondage to which that kind of thinking leads.  I have lived with the guilt and the fear fostered by that view.  Jesus said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).  Freedom comes from knowing the truth.  Bondage results from missing it.  

. . . Hopefully you will be set free to enjoy the relationship God has paid so dearly to provide.  It is a relationship from which fear and worry are absent.  I know from experience that until you settle once and for all the question of whether or not you are eternally secure,  this quality of joy will elude you. . . hopefully you will be able to face life with the confidence that comes through knowing you are eternally secure.  

[If you are currently attending a Pentecostal/charismatic/Faith Movement/Victory Churches, and this subject has not come up recently, you need to ask them if you only need to be saved once or whether they believe you can lose your salvation.  If they believe and teach that you can lose your salvation you need to get to a Baptist church or one that believes in eternal security.  If you don't you will never have the peace of mind that salvation was intended to give you.]

By Dr. Charles Stanley