ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED?
Some good preacher-friends of mine in the 1990s, at Niecie 's Restaurant over breakfast, used to debate the question of : "Is once saved always saved." Meaning by that, once having attained salvation from sin, it would be impossible to ever backslide back into sin, again.
Many cogent, even humorous, arguments were made on both sides. Naturally, no side ever won this debate. But, fellowship and oneupmanship was the point, not winning . A good time was had with the brethren, who were Baptists, primarily, but who thought it not robbery to welcome me, an AME!
Third century African-Christian Church Father, Origen, in his foundational work, ON FIRST PRINCIPLES (2013) has this to say on my friends' debate:
"In this way, then, through the ceaseless work on our behalf of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, renewed at every stage of our progress, we may perchance just succeed at last in beholding the holy and blessed life; and when after many struggles we have been able to attain to it we ought so to continue that no satiety of that blessing may ever possess us; but the more we partake of its blessedness , the more may the loving desire for it deepen and increase within us, as ever our hearts grow in fervor and eagerness to receive and hold fast the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But if at any time, satiety should possess the heart of one of those who have come to occupy the perfect and highest stage, I do not think that such a one will be removed and fall from his place all of a sudden. Rather must he decline by slow degrees, so that it may sometimes happen, when a slight fall has occurred, that the man quickly recovers and returns to himself. A fall does not therefore involve utter ruin, but a man may retrace his steps and return to his former state and once more set his mind on that which through negligence had slipped from his grasp."
P. 50
The brothers at the breakfast table would have loved this brother, Origen, whatever his denomination!
Sunday, April 17, 2016
ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED?
ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED?
Some good preacher-friends of mine in the 1990s, at Niecie 's Restaurant over breakfast, used to debate the question of : "Is once saved always saved." Meaning by that, once having attained salvation from sin, it would be impossible to ever backslide back into sin, again.
Many cogent, even humorous, arguments were made on both sides. Naturally, no side ever won this debate. But, fellowship and oneupmanship was the point, not winning . A good time was had with the brethren, who were Baptists, primarily, but who thought it not robbery to welcome me, an AME!
Third century African-Christian Church Father, Origen, in his foundational work, ON FIRST PRINCIPLES (2013) has this to say on my friends' debate:
"In this way, then, through the ceaseless work on our behalf of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, renewed at every stage of our progress, we may perchance just succeed at last in beholding the holy and blessed life; and when after many struggles we have been able to attain to it we ought so to continue that no satiety of that blessing may ever possess us; but the more we partake of its blessedness , the more may the loving desire for it deepen and increase within us, as ever our hearts grow in fervor and eagerness to receive and hold fast the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But if at any time, satiety should possess the heart of one of those who have come to occupy the perfect and highest stage, I do not think that such a one will be removed and fall from his place all of a sudden. Rather must he decline by slow degrees, so that it may sometimes happen, when a slight fall has occurred, that the man quickly recovers and returns to himself. A fall does not therefore involve utter ruin, but a man may retrace his steps and return to his former state and once more set his mind on that which through negligence had slipped from his grasp."
P. 50
The brothers at the breakfast table would have loved this brother, Origen, whatever his denomination!