I was
greatly saddened recently as I read the
official doctrinal statement of the Salvation Army. If you look at
the Salvation Army's list of doctrines, you'll come down to doctrine # 9,
which reads as follows...
"We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ."
Doctrine # 9 above is a lie of the Devil, NOT based upon the Word of God. The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is a FREE GIFT of God (Romans 5:15,6:23;Ephesians 2:8-9). A gift cannot have any strings attached if it is a genuine gift. To teach that a believer has to "continue" in obedience is nothing less than works salvation, a damnable heresy. Salvation occurs in a split second, the very moment you believe upon Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Once you're saved, you can NEVER lose your salvation. If someone professes that they are no longer a Christian, then it is only because they weren't a Christian to begin with.
The TRUTH from God's Word is that you don't have to continue doing anything to remain saved. Once you've been born again, you've been born again!!! Once you get saved, your relationship is forever settled in heaven - You are God's child and He is your Heavenly Father. Though our fellowship with God may be broken due to sin, our position in Christ never changes. Salvation is not of mankind, but is of God. Our only part in salvation is to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ (John 6:40; Acts 16:31). God does all the rest.
Please don't be deceived by the Devil's lies my friend, you don't have to give up anything to be saved. There's a lot of heretics running around ADDING repentance from works to simple faith in Christ. We call 'em the "Lordship Salvation" crowd. Now please don't misunderstand me, being saved doesn't give us a license to sin; but God's simple plan of salvation does NOT require us to do anything more than believe upon Christ. Salvation is simple (2nd Corinthians 11:3). You can get mad all you want to, but get mad at God because He said it. The whole idea of a "gift" is that it is completely free. Romans 5:18, "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Salvation is a FREE GIFT!
