1 Corinthians 15:16-20

¹⁶For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. ²⁰But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

OSAS

Not just one, not two, not three but many others were confused when one church attendee returned to an old despicable and destructive activity. They ask, “Will Christians lose salvation?” What does “Once Saved Always Saved” mean? Many Evangelical Christians are confident that they’re saved from eternal torture forever when they prayed to receive and accept Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. “God will never forsake us, nor leave us or abandon us,” they claim.

          How should we explain “Once Saved Always Saved” to ordinary believers?

Our confidence of being saved forever comes from the Lord. We could practically prove it. How? Christ declared in John 10:27-29, ²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

Listen carefully: Christ declares, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life.” And no one can snatch his sheep out of his Father’s hand. His sheep are secured in the hand of his Father. And how can we practically know that we’re included as sheep of Christ?

Anyone can claim, “I believe in Christ!” Anyone can claim, “I am assured of entering heaven because I prayed to receive Christ as Lord and Savior!” Christ never said, “I give your eternal life if you pray to receive me as Lord and Savior!”

How can we practically confirm that we sincerely accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior? Christ said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” If you have ever heard the voice of Christ and followed him, you can be sure that he has given you eternal life. You’re saved forever from eternal torture. And when someone claims, “Once Saved Always Saved!” Ask them this question: “Have you heard the voice of Christ? Do you follow him?”

Confidence of being saved is practically confirmed as we listen and follow the instruction of Christ. Obviously, living in despicable activities is not obedience to Christ. It declares in Romans 6:3-4, ³Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

When immersed into the water during baptism, it publicly testifies of our death to old self. When we get out of the water, we testify of our resurrection to new life with Christ. Even after we followed Christ into his death and resurrection through water baptism, all of us can still commit sin. We won’t deny that. But if we realize our sin, we change our ways and don’t repeat the same sin all over again. It practically confirms that the Holy Spirit is transforming us into perfection.

One best personal proof of “Once Saved Always Saved” is perseverance in following the voice of Christ. Most often, God speaks through the Scripture. We read the Scripture to hear instructions of how we may behave righteously.

It is disillusion to think that mankind can be righteous on human effort. No! We can behave in godly righteousness only by faith in Christ. So how can we determine if our behavior is righteousness by faith or by human effort?

Righteous deeds by human effort yearn and long for approval or applause. In comparison, righteous deeds by faith in Christ desire to praise God. The Holy Spirit transforms us to be kind so that Christ is glorified in us and through us. Practically, it proves transformation to new life in Christ to be righteous by faith.

1.  Faith

¹⁶For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 

By faith, we believe that the Lord took and crucified all our sins with Christ. By faith, we believe that when the dead body of Christ was buried, our old sinful self was also buried with Christ. By faith, we believe that when Christ resurrected to heaven, we also resurrected to new life, and we hope that Christ will come again and take us into his heaven and live with him forever and ever, amen.

Together, let’s seriously reflect on what it declares in Hebrews 11:1, ¹Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Our confidence and hope that Christ returns and takes us into heaven can be personally warranted by the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. The Holy Spirit of God gives us firm confidence that when Christ returns, we will enter heaven. Have you ever asked yourself, “Am I really confident that I am saved forever?”

Confidence of being saved forever can be practically tested by confidence in the Lord. Are you confident that God wants the best for you? Are you willing to follow whatever he tells you to do? Do you faithfully obey his commands? Let us reflect on Psalm 119:105, ¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Lamp

If you were born in the countryside where there is no electricity, you may have experienced walking at night using lamp to light your path. Close your eyes for a moment. Imagine yourself walking at night, and it is very dark. All you have is a lamp. The light from your lamp helps you see a clear path few steps away from you. So, you firmly hold on to the lamp and make sure its fire keeps burning. You take one step at a time into the path that is lighted by your lamp.

Walking into the darkness of night with lamp to light their path is exactly what shepherds did in biblical times. No flashlights yet. Spiritually, the word of God is our lamp to light our path as we travel in this dark world. Confidence in the word of God as handy manual of righteous path in this dark world is needed.

How much confidence in the word of God do you sense in your heart? How can you practically prove your confidence in the word of God? The frequency of reading and studying the word of God helps establish your confidence in God.

Reflect on 1 Chronicles 14:13-14, ¹³Once more the Philistines raided the valley; ¹⁴so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, “Do not go directly after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the poplar trees.”

At first, the Philistine attacked, and David inquired of God if they can defeat the Philistines. God delivered the Philistines into the hands of David. Once more, the Philistines attacked, and again, David inquired of God. This time, God gave a different strategy to David, and they defeated the Philistines again.

David exemplified trust in God instead of his previous success or ability. Bad elements of the spiritual world may suddenly attack us. Problems, difficulties or concerns we struggle with everyday could be manipulation of bad elements in the spiritual world just to confuse us. We should firmly hold onto the word of God to light our path, decision and practical step we should take. It is practice of faith.

When Christ returns and takes all believers into heaven, make sure that you won’t be left behind. Prayerfully pray to persevere with gladness of hearts as we wait for the coming of Christ, whether we will still be alive or fallen asleep.

2.  Fallen

¹⁸Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Fallen asleep or still alive when Christ returns, are you confident to enter heaven? Some people say, “I believe that Christ will let me into his heaven!” If they are confident to enter heaven, do they trust Christ to grant them better life on earth? Don’t they deceive themselves that they trust God for their spiritual life but cannot trust him for their practical life? How do you trust Christ practically?

Test yourself in Acts 20:35, ³⁵It is more blessed to give than to receive.

How can this passage relate to the command of God to return his tithes? If we give more, do we really trust that God bless us more? It’s occasionally asked, “Is it right to take the tithes of God from net income or gross income?” The terms, “net income and gross income,” are not mentioned in the Scripture. For believers, trust that God blesses the giver even more is sufficient to resolve the issue.

Serious diligence in obeying his word confirms trust in God for practical matters and not just simply spiritual matters. Oftentimes, obedience to the Lord is painful, but we trust that God designed the best life we can have, and we obey.

Bonsai

Have you planted bonsai? Bonsai plants are beautiful, but it is meticulous.

Bonsai plants are popular for display in establishments where people can appreciate them. Bonsai plants endured long years of pruning and removal of unwanted branches and roots. Gardeners wrapped the trunk and branches of the bonsai plant with wire to bend and train the plant into more expressive position.

The wire prevents bonsai plants from breaking when bended or twisted. The wire trains bonsai plants grow just as the gardener designed it. When the gardener deems his bonsai plant is trained, he carefully removes the wire. And when people appreciate his bonsai plant, the gardener feels great subsequently.

Similarly, God is the gardener, and we’re like bonsai plant to him. God may bend us and train us into righteousness. The Lord uses the Scripture to train us in godly righteousness similar to gardener uses wire to train his bonsai plant. How can we know that we are trained in godly righteousness?

At first the bonsai plant may sense pain when bended with wire. Similarly, we resist painfully against the word of God. But as we grow spiritually, we sense peaceful joy and follow the word of God with gladness, instead of resistance.

The word of the Lord helps us grow in godly righteousness just as God had designed for us. When we behave in godly righteousness and we can practically sense that the word of God beneficially guides us into his righteous will for us.

Reflect on what Christ declares in John 15:1-2, ¹I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Someone may argue, “Why does God want us to be fruitful or productive?” Branches are either used for firewood or production. Which one do you prefer? Furthermore, productivity proves practically also that our confidence in the Lord is real, not pretension. Fruitfulness exhibits transformational work of God in us.

After we are transformed, we can sense gladness in obeying Christ. When Christ obeyed God the Father even unto his death on the cross, he exemplified trust that God has greatest purpose for his children. Do you believe that we will resurrect from the dead? Christ was the first who resurrected from the dead.

3.  First

²⁰But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

How strong do you believe that Christ has resurrected from the dead? And how could we explain to a child when it says, “Christ, the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep”? Christ is the first to be resurrected among mortal human beings who died or have fallen asleep. The resurrection of Christ is concrete proof that guarantees all with corruptible body who died will be raised one day.

Right, believers or not, every mortal person who died will resurrect and get immortal body. A significant question to ask is: “Where will you spend eternity?”

Christ is the first fruit who resurrected. How do you interpret his advice in Matthew 7:13-14? ¹³Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The narrow gate leads to heaven; the broad gate leads to eternal torture. Certainly, many people wish to enter heaven. Listen: Christ never advised us to just wish we can enter heaven. He commanded it. We have to be intentional.

Christ declared in John 14:23-24, ²³Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.

Certainly, we can only love the Lord when his Holy Spirit produces fruit in our life. We must prayerfully seek to be filled and inspired by the Holy Spirit for us to love Christ our Lord. And we obey Christ as practical proof of our love for him.

We have to read the Scripture to know the teaching of Christ. And the Holy Spirit will help us determine which part of the Scripture is Christ’s teaching. Do you know and practice what God requires for anyone who may enter his heaven?

Grocery

What is your favorite food? Do you know how to cook your favorite food?

At a grocery store, a young man asked someone on his the phone, “Which one should I get: The light soy sauce, dark soy sauce or the sweet soy sauce?” Obviously, the young man was not the cook. If he were the cook, he should have known which soy sauce he needed, right? The young man was smart when he asked which soy sauce he should buy. If he brought home the wrong kind of soy sauce, confusion may happen, and he would return to the grocery store again.

Now: Imagine if God asks you as you were standing before God in heaven, “Why should I let you enter my heaven?” What would you answer him? If God will ask that question before he allows anyone to enter heaven, it’s not very biblical, but we could precisely know our guarantee to be assured we enter heaven.

It declares in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, ²¹Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, ²²set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

God deposited and sent his Holy Spirit in our heart as seal and guarantee that we become his children through faith in Jesus Christ. Are you sealed by the Holy Spirit of Christ? Don’t grieve him. Let the Holy Spirit produces fruit in you.

Have you sensed the Holy Spirit in you? When we hear the word of God, the Holy Spirit whispers to us, “Obey the word of God, and God will bless you!”

Now, when we stand face to face before God in heaven, he lets us into his heaven when sees that we have the Holy Spirit in our heart without interrogation.

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