Fallacy of Salvation

By Christian Nseka Some people erroneously believe and gallantly teach that salvation cannot be lost. They claim that salvation is eternal. That it depends neither on what a person does nor on the quality of an individuals life for it is a grace given by God through Jesus Christ. Yet in the same breath they insist on faith and good deeds. If salvation were freely given to humanity as a grace by God, and if it could not be lost for it is eternal, why should anyone bother about maintaining any kind of faith at all? Isnt it contradictory? They claim that salvation is Gods grace given not because of an individuals efforts or merit, that it is eternalthat it cannot be lost once it has been given, yet its recipients are required to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The people who believe and teach that salvation is eternal and granted to humanity as Gods grace ignore the words of Jesus, the Messiah, through whom salvation is provided to the world. Jesus said, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). It is clear in this passage that salvation comes to those who believe in the Son of Man, namely Jesus of Nazareth. If salvation were given freely, then Jesus would not have requested belief in the Son of Man. Neither would he have hinted that it was a prerequisite. According to the Bible, early disciples of Jesus as well emphasized individual responsibility, meaning belief or faith, as the main ingredient for salvation. And when a jailer asked Paul and Silas, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:30), they said to him, Believe in the

Lord Jesus, and you will be savedyou and your household (Acts 16:31). Again, belief is a prerequisite for salvation. Presenting salvation as Gods grace would make sense when and if considered in relation to human responsibility. This is to mean that regardless of our efforts, we will never be able to repay the historical debts of sins. Hence, God accepts our minute efforts as conditions for redemption and adds to them the sacrifice of Jesus so that we could be able to receive salvation. This does in no way mean that salvation is granted simply because God chooses to grant it; some conditions must be made in order for salvation to be granted. The main condition is a constant belief in the Messiah. Any breach in that faith will void the salvation that one has received unless a new condition is established as restitution. Salvation is not granted freely for if it were, there would be no reason why God who give it to some and not to others. God is not an arbitrary God. If at all to be considered as Gods grace, it should be understood that God can only grant His divine grace to an individual who has demonstrated a certain level of commitment to the realization of His ideal by connecting to the Messiah. It is like driving a vehicle. Some steps must be taken and repeated or maintained for a vehicle to start moving and remain in motion. One should not expect a vehicle that has picked up speed after pressing on the gas pedal to maintain the same speed after the drivers foot has been removed from the gas pedal. Only constant steady pressure on the gas pedal will guarantee sustenance of speed (of course with minor variances depending on the terrain, altitude, obstacles, traffic patterns, etc.).