Holla! I know it has been a while on here. Precious Thoughts has been silent. But that is all over now. Well! I was missing in action because I had to prepare for my Pre-bar exams, which I wrote last week [not all though, just 2]. Working, studying and blogging were becoming overwhelming, so I had to focus on my exams. Oh! and it does not mean, I love you all any less. It is just that my career qualification aspect is requiring more of my time, at this stage. But I will not stop blogging. So, I am sorry for taking off just like that. A few weeks ago, I happened to hear something new and shocking [Well! shocking to me]. It is a trend that is taking place now, the ‘hypergrace’ approach. I never knew that there are beliefs that if a person gives their life to Christ, and then falls back to sin, and intentionally remains in sin, there are words out there stating that grace will cover such a person because at some point in that person’s life, he/she gave his/her life to Christ.  Do not get me wrong, our works are not what takes us to Heaven. But we cannot continue in sin for grace to abound. God forbid! Romans 6:1.

I reached out to two amazing ladies for a Spirit-led perspective on this topic, considering that I have not done a comprehensive study on this [working on it, my head just got off Law books], and would not like to put up a ‘skeleton’ post for you. [You deserve better] So this series will go on amongst other posts till I have that peace in me, that I have satisfactorily given my all [with the help of the two ladies too] in dispelling such beliefs as God will have it. Today, the introductory part of this series will begin with Frances Okoro of www.imperfectlyperfectlives.com. The title has part ‘1a’ because I have divided her write up into two parts, as it is a powerful and long read and do not wish for anyone to be discouraged by the length. I want to use this opportunity to thank Frances for this amazing breakdown.

Here is the post. I pray that the Spirit of God will enlighten us, to come to the real knowledge of truth. Amen!

Once Saved, Forever Saved…  

I’ve always said that I don’t have a particular salvation story.

Hah! Shocker? 🙂

I must have given my life to Jesus at least 3times in my life. The second time was my real encounter but I was filled with doubt after that. I had the joy that came from the spirit, I had a ravenous hunger to read the word and know God and I actually spoke in tongues too but still I was filled with doubts. Was I really saved?

Moreso, I had gone back to a terrible sin at the time…trouble!!! My mind said I was definitely not saved! Which born again Christian does that? I fell again and again and again and I struggled a lot with knowing whether I was saved for real or just fooling myself. My past sometimes came banging on the door of my mind and sometimes, my silly present banged on the door too. Did I continually have to ask God time and time again into my heart? Does one sin mean that God has left me stranded? Am I saved or am I not saved??

On a particular day that I had fallen again…I was feeling guilty, I was feeling down, I wanted to punish myself by not going to church, not doing my quiet time. Anything at all, just to let God know that I was sorry but I knew better. I knew that there were ways satan uses our sin against us, he uses it to push us away from God in the name of guilt and retribution… So I resolved not to let satan win and still I went to church but I also wanted to desperately punish myself for falling so I didn’t lift holy hands in worship to God, holy? Sinful me? I didn’t want to pray… but the atmosphere in church was full of the Spirit and as I knelt down to pray despite my judgment, all the Spirit was saying to me was “once you ask me for forgiveness, it is done, what you really need to do is forgive yourself, forgive yourself.”

I wept and wept, I was bent on punishing myself and repenting all over again, probably ask to be saved again…

But all He said was ask me for forgiveness and forgive yourself Frances…

So that incident at Church and my string of being 3times born again and Precious’s mail led me to really study on being saved.

Does God think that we have to be saved over and over and over again? Or are we saved once and for all?

When I started studying, as usual, I asked the Holy Spirit for help and He led me to 2Corinthians 5… But before we start this, I have to ask you to please stick with me along with your Bibles, it was a bit difficult to follow the trail the Holy Spirit led me on but I will try to make it coherent to you as you read, just please concentrate, this will be a long read but worth it…

So 2Corinthians 5:17 says “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person, the old life is gone, a new life has begun”.

I read that and I was asking, how do I know that I belong to Christ Jesus? Is it by my righteousness?

Now, let’s pause for a bit, I was led to study righteousness in Christ on one of those my episodes of thinking I wasn’t saved because I had sinned. I started wondering, am I still righteous?

If I am righteous in my works, does that mean that I am saved?

The Bible says in Romans 3 that we are all sinners, no one is righteous but then Abraham was counted righteous by God, how???

Romans 4:3 “For the scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith”.

*Please you will have to study Romans 3&4 for yourself though.*

Romans 3:22-29 explains and makes it clearer that we are only made righteous by God through Jesus Christ when we believe that Jesus sacrificed His life for us.

And I love Romans 3:27, it makes it super clear that I am not righteous/unrighteous in God because I did anything to deserve it, it is simply based on my faith! (Romans 4:5)

Now there’s a disclaimer though, that we are made righteous by faith doesn’t mean that we should fall into sin as we like but faith in our righteousness itself makes us to truly fulfill the law so as not to sin.(Romans 3:31)

Now, what am I trying to pass across? Whether I sin or not sin or fall or not fall, does not say for certain that I am saved or not.

2Cor 5:21 – “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

So does anyone see anything reoccurring here? What makes me saved then if it’s not by my righteous works?

The answer is already imbeded in that Romans 3&4 passage… I am only saved when I believe in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8&9 “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you don’t take credit for this, it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it”

So it should have been pretty simple to me then how I could have known that I was saved… just simply the fact that I “BELIEVED”.

But then you ask, what about when I sin even after I have believed and given my life to God, does that mean that I have to be resaved? Hah! Just whip out your Bibles and study this carefully along with me.

Back to 2Corinthians 5.

2cor 5 starts by talking about how we who are saved have an eternal body made for us by God himself in heaven. How we who live in earthly bodies want to be rid of them so we can put on our heavenly bodies… Now, you should know that only those who are saved can pass through the pearly gates so the question again is, I have believed but how do I indeed know that I am saved? How do I know that God has made me an eternal body too?

One answer………. 

Please look out for the part 1b tomorrow. 

P.S: This post is also a ‘Let’s talk’ post. So what is your take? Do you believe that once a person is saved, he/she can never fall out of grace even when he/she falls back to the way of evil with no reconciliation to the Father? 

Stay blessed!

Introduction by Chinomnso Precious!

Main post content by Frances Okoro!