Pastor Jeff told the guy something like this, "Okay, let's say there's a man who has given his life to Christ, and he and his family are in church every Sunday. After a few years the pastor notices the guy has missed a couple Sundays in the past few months. The pastor decides not to say anything because he doesn't want to pry and he realizes people miss church sometimes. The man's church attendance becomes more sporadic, and soon he doesn't come to church at all. Later, the pastor finds out the man has divorced his wife, etc. So, where's the man going? Heaven or Hell? Is he saved?" The guy talking with Pastor Jeff said, "He was never saved." Pastor Jeff said something like, "Well, what are you going to do for the man?" The guy said, "Lead him to Christ." Pastor Jeff said, "So am I."
Me: Pastor Jeff, you could have said something like this: "So the man was never married? He divorced his wife, so he was never married to her, right? Or, although he divorced his wife, was he still married to her? Christ compares His relationship with us like a marriage relationship. In a marriage, it's not always 'once married, always married'. People don't always keep the marriage covenant. Sometimes people get divorced. But, just because someone gets a divorce doesn't mean that person was never married. Staying married takes work from both sides, not just one. That's just like us with Jesus. Although once we accept and acknowledge Him as Savior and we are saved from death (the wages of sin is death Roman 6:23), we have the choice to cling to Christ or to walk away from Him. If we don't work at our relationship with Christ by reading His Word, talking with Him (praying), studying His Word...then we'll walk away from Him. He keeps His part of the covenant, but we are the ones who sometimes turn our backs on Him. (Ezekiel 16 and Hosea 2, for example.) We can divorce Christ, but He'll never divorce us.
Pastor Jeff: So, Christ keeps His covenant with Israel...
Me: We're grafted in...
Pastor Jeff: So all Jews are saved...
Me: No...Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...
I had fun in our little mock debate. It's amazing to see how the Holy Spirit brings His Word to memory at the right moments for the right reasons.
Then, later on in the day I thought of another analogy regarding the "once saved, always saved" thing. You are swimming (pool, lake, ocean, large pond, river, wherever). You begin to drown (seaweed, shark, cramp, undertow, waves, whatever reason). As you're drowning, someone saves your life. Since then you've been swimming again many times. A few years later, you're swimming and for whatever reason you are again drowning. But you don't need help. You were saved years earlier. Once saved, always saved, right? WRONG! Without someone to save you from drowning, you will die. It doesn't matter that you were saved from drowning once before. Each time you're drowning, you still need saved. And just because you may be drowning for the 17th time and need saved, it doesn't mean you'd never been saved before.
Another, yet different, thought. During the evening service we sang the song "Stay Amazed". While we were singing the song to "end" the service, I was talking with Jesus about part of the song: "I'm pouring out my praise on You / I'm pouring out my love on You / I'm pouring out my praise on You / I'm pouring out."
Me: How can I pour out my praise on You, Jesus? You're my King. How do I pour out my praise and love on You? I know it's not just by singing. I know it's partly by just living for You, but how can I pour out my praise and love on You, my King?
King Jesus: All of it.
Me: All of it...that's right... How much of Your blood did it take?* All of it. How much of my praise? All of it. How much of my love? All of it. How can I pour out my praise and love on You? All of me. Give You all of me. All of it.
King Jesus: All of it.
*The Holy Spirit used part of what Pastor Jeff preached (1 Kings 8: 1-11, "The Blood, the Ark, The Glory") in His conversation with me. My King is so cool.
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