About Jesus    Steve Sweetman

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Are You Weak In Faith - Will You loose Your Salvation

Paul, in Gal. 5:4 says "you who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ, you have fallen away from grace".  This shou8ld put to end the debate on whether one can loose his or her salvation.  What is Paul saying here?

The Galatians once trusted Jesus for their salvation. Now some of them were reverting back to trusting the  Law for their salvation.  Paul clearly tells these people, that you who have left Jesus to depend on the Law for purposes of salvation, "you've alienated yourself from Christ and have fallen ("have fallen" past tense - already fallen) from grace".  How else can you read this verse.  "Fallen from grace", means loosing your salvation.  "Alienated", means separating yourself from Jesus.  Anyone who lays aside their trust in Jesus for purposes of salvation and then depends on something else, no matter what that something else is, will loose his salvation. 

Now look at Romans 14.  I won't quote from all of the verses.  You should read the whole chapter for yourself.  But Paul speaks here of people who are strong in faith.  He also speaks of those who are weak in faith.  Who are the ones strong ins faith?  They are those who depend on Jesus alone for their salvation.  Those who are weak in faith are those who depend on Jesus but also depend on other things such as , not eating meat, not drinking wine, and observing special days as important.  He calls these people weak in faith because they feel, for purposes of salvation, that depending on Jesus alone is not enough.  They have to add a few extra things.  Although Paul himself is against adding these conditions to salvation, he does not say they have lost their salvation.  He only says that they are weak in weak, weak Christians.  He encourages them to be like him and depend on Jesus alone, but if they don't, he allows them to be fully convinced of their thinking.  

There is a distinction in these passages between one who is weak in and faith and one who has lost their salvation.

Over the years I have been bothered by certain Evangelicals who say they trust in Jesus yet at the same time seem to add rules and conditions to salvation.  They say you can't do this or that in order to get saved and maintain your salvation.  I have often wondered, "are these people really saved"?  I believe they are saved.  They have not forsaken their trust in Jesus.  They have added a few conditions. Although I believe this is very wrong, these people fall into the Romans 10 camp. Because they feel the need to add more rules and can't rely on Jesus alone, they are weak in faith.  May God help them to see the error of their way.  

On the other hand if these people lay aside their trust in Jesus and rely solely on these extra rules, then they have lost their salvation.  That is clear from Gal. 5.

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