How much is enough? That is a question for those that believe we merit or earn salvation. How much "good" must we do?
For the OSNAS posters.....How much good works, merit, following Christ must we do to remain in salvation?
Do we need to do one act of "good" a day? 20 acts of good a week? 1,000 acts of good a month? What's the number?
I take it OSNAS = Once Saved Not Always Saved?
That type thinking is typically found in the nominal xtian circle. People who claim Christ's title but are not actually Christians.
As an example. There's this TV show called, The Real Housewives of OC". (*OC California)
One of the women is just a terrible person. Caty,a gossip, a schemer. All the sudden in one episode a few years ago she "found Jesus".
She looks at the camera's , gives the bird salute with both hands, and says, I'm saved b***es!
No, she wasn't/isn't. She's damned. But she's the perfect example watching her behavior on the show as to what it means to be a nominal Christian. (name only Christian)
The new testament contains Jesus teachings concerning the plan of the Father. No one comes to God's grace save God calls them , their soul, to Himself. Remember, Jesus was God. Jesus, Immanuel "God with us", as he was to be called when God's angel Gabriel approached Mary with God's plan and purpose for the birth of our Savior, was God arrived in human form, indwelt by his own Holy Spirit, to deliver the new covenant to the world.
God calls our souls to repentance. We're in this world that belongs to the evil one. The antithesis of righteousness. Satan roams this world like a hungry lion seeking souls to devour.
God calls us out of that and to himself, his Son. We repent, we are redeemed, reborn, in the spirit of righteousness. Renewed. And God remembers our sins no more. And as that new creation, we are no longer the sinner we once were. We're redeemed in Christ. And the redeemed do not make a habit of sinning.
No one can take us from Christ's hand. Because we did nothing of our own in order to find ourselves there. God called our name that he knew before he created this world. Our name written in the Lamb's book of life prior to our being born. How then, when God knew us before humans existed and called us by name to repentance, can we in our egoism and pride think we can undo his will for our salvation?
Can we be un-reborn? Un-cleansed by the baptism? Can we evict the Holy Spirit that indwelt us? Can we be unredeemed by our own choice? Can we tell God who called us to him that he didn't know us after all? That he made a mistake? That that one he called to his son is more powerful in the will to leave his son than God is that called us to him? No.
However, we can example ourselves as that real housewife I mentioned for the purpose of making this point. We can be a nominal Christian, one that was never really changed at all by God's precious Holy Spirit. The name we claim God knows of us being a counterfeit delusion on our part. That type person is that which claims they're a Christian and they still party, sleaze around, commit all sorts of wicked acts and then thinks the whole time, they're saved. Because Jesus saved everyone.
You'll find that type thinking in those who think in straight lines. They hear about the scriptures but don't read them. Or they read the scriptures piecemeal to find something that affirms their errant ideas. They don't see the big picture in the parables that are there.
Remember when Peter was talking about disciples that were with Christ but then walked away? That's the parable reporting what a nominal Christian is. They were with us but they were not one of us. One with us.
1 John 2.
Jesus didn't die to bring us transient life that we can walk away from because our will is greater than the Father that sent him for us. To die for us so as to bring the covenant to fulfillment.
Don't ever let anyone tell you you can lose your salvation. God told you you cannot. God would have to revoke the purchase of your soul with his only begotten son's blood for that to happen.
