Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Rev.3:20

Did you say the sinners prayer? Were you quoted this verse when someone shared the gospel to you? If you said the sinners prayer then where is Jesus at right now? Is he in your heart? The answer is probably yes. I say probably yes because Christ knows your heart and if there was something nefarious about what you were doing He would sniff it out. You can’t fool God. But assuming you are not someone who tried to trick God into giving you a free ride into heaven and you believe the gospel message and you repented of your sins then you are golden.

As far as repentance in concerned you might wonder what happens if I initially repented but have slipped back somewhat into my sinful ways? Were you sincere about repenting of your sins initially? Yes? Then you are golden.

Now this is where the road takes a fork and you must decide which road to take. One fork of the road is the teaching that once you were saved you are always saved so your slipping back into your sins does not matter as far as your final salvation is concerned.

The other fork is the teaching that you must endure successfully until the end of your life. So which is it? For years and years I was on the first fork the once saved always saved one, some called it OSAS. But I have changed my position over the years. The OSAS just doesn’t add up in my mind and it doesn’t square with a lot of scriptures and I have just recently found out that it doesn’t square with the early Church Fathers either. None of them believed in OSAS.

Here are some of the reasons why I don’t believe in OSAS.

1. It negates all of the threats and warnings we find in the bible both old and new testaments and that would include Jesus own words.
2. It changes the gospel into a license to sin, something that is strictly forbidden as stated in the book of Jude.
3. The early Church Fathers did not believe in it, everyone of them including Polycarp a disciple of the apostle John, Clement of Alexandria a fellow companion of Paul who mentioned him in Phil4:3, Origen, Justin Martyr, Theodoret, Lactantius and many more.
4. Not only Jesus taught against it but so did the Apostles Paul, James, Peter and John.
5. The very last words of Jesus as He spoke to apostle John in a vision and John wrote it down in the book of Revelations warned us about it.

I could quote you verses from just about every book in the whole bible but I won’t instead I will give you this challenge, pick a book in the new testament any book and read it and make note of any commandment, threat or warning. Don’t you think we should heed those warnings and threats?

I changed my mind just for good measure I’m going to give you a few verses to ponder on while I still got your attention so here goes:

Who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek. Rom2:6-9

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Rom.6:16

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Rom.8:13

How about Peter.  Preaching to Cornelius’ Household

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. Ac.10:34-35

James, Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Ja4:4

John, If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1Jn.1:6-7

John again, The Test of Knowing Him

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 1Jn.2:3-5

Jesus, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matt.7:21-23

Jesus again,“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Lu.21:34-36

Jesus in Revelations, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Rev.3:20-21

I have circled back to Rev.3:20 but this time I included the next verse were Jesus says, “to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on my throne.”

What does He mean then by overcoming? Simple. You know that civil war that is raging inside of you? You know, the war between good and evil that we all battle with? Those who win this battle  are the overcomers Jesus is talking about.

Lets circle back to when you repented and accepted Christ as your Savior, like I said He accepted your willingness to repent even though you did not yet have the power to successfully repent. And He came into your heart just like He said He would. Yes He saved you.

But now that He has come into your life you have the power to battle against sin and win, now you can successfully repent and not just attempt to repent and fail. And he fully expects you to engage His power that’s within you to do battle with the enemies of your soul and win.

Let me put it bluntly, failure to do so and you are glued, screwed and tattooed. So roll up your sleeves and get to work.

“That’s works righteousness” some will say. Oh yeah says who? Paul says in Rom.1:16-17 that The Just Live by Faith.For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

So no it is not works righteousness, it is living righteous lives by faith. That is gospel living. Living just lives by faith. You are living it and you are living it by faith. Its by faith you live holy and just lives. Not by works of your own doing.

Enough for now, please, please consider the message I have written. Is there anything more important then the fate of our souls?