Lightness of being #14 Saved ?? (22nd Aug 2013)

Dear...

'Let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience:and having our body washed with pure water,
                Hebrews 10:22

Salvation is a gift from God. God through the sacrifice of His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, has forgiven us, the seeds of the sinful first man, Adam.
But a gift must be accepted to take effect, and in Christian parlance, that means
- a belief in  the saving grace of Christ our Lord by His sacrifice on the cross

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
                    Acts 2:37

- a repentance of our sins. For we are all sinners, for our lives were aligned to the sinful world rather than the till now hitherto unknown God.

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
                    Acts 2:38

But being a white slate upon acceptance is not the end all. Following through from salvation, is the need for sanctification, to be transformed unto Christ likeness. To be restored to the way God has made us, in His likeness, before the sin of Adam led to our being deformed.

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
                  Colossians 3:9-10

Hebrews 10:26-27 below begets this oft quoted question "once saved, always saved?"
That is, can one lose the salvation accepted when one first believed?

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
                    Hebrews 10:26-27

Rather than compound the angst and add to the confusion that have  plagued many theologians on both side of this great divide, by the grace of God, may the following thoughts that I have harnessed from walking with our Lord, be truly His.

A "step back" question I will like to ask before making an attempt at the main contention on losing the previously accepted salvation is this
"What counts as legitimate belief and repentance, that will ensure that you did truly received the gift of salvation?"

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
                  Romans 2:29

At age 15, my sister brought my siblings and I to a house church, held in one of the corner terrace houses in Thomson Rd. I vaguely remember the gifts they gave attendees during Christmas. This was the mid 1970s, where most were struggling with basic needs, and Western buffets at $10/head  at the Hilton was a  treat, and Christmas gifts did bring a sense of awe and thrill, unlike our children today where surfeit has numbed their senses.
If knowing about God and Jesus Christ makes one a Christian, then I guess I was a Christian since then.
But did I say the sinner's prayer? I am not sure but I must have at the rudimentary stages at or near age 15, for the well meaning believers who have taken on the task of converting us heathens would have ensured that, for mouthing the sinner's prayer is often promoted as the passport to Heaven.
But truth is in my life as a quasi Christian from age 15 to 36 - God, Christ and the Church were a small  part of my landscape and in fleeting moments.
But at age 37,  I did get myself baptized. Albeit for the wrong reason, and notwithstanding that it was a mere sprinkling of the water, rather than full bodily immersion in the pool.
At least I think my head is Christian but not sure about the rest of the body, as some purists are adamant that full bodied immersion is the only correct way to being cleansed to qualify as a baptized Christian. But matters not, for I was still living a worldly life as as part time Christian.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
                        Romans 15:13

My spiritual life truly started at age 40. That was when I experienced the infilling of the Spirit of God upon my very being at 4am in Bangkok. My spirit was in communion with our Lord, and the indescribable joy and peace, is etched in my very being in perpetuity. By His grace, I was moved from tentative believer to a determined follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. How apt God lifted me up in a place where is located one of the most "revered shrines - the Erawan Wat where many from outside Thailand, make pilgrimages to in their quests for fulfillment of their worldly desires.
I was sure of my faith. And the word God gave me was "stop questioning and start following." My days as a quasi Christian was truly over.

The question then is, was it at age 15 when I first mouthed my belief, much as my heart was miles away,  that I had safely crossed the border into salvation land?
Or was it at age 37 when my undergoing the ritual of baptism symbolized powerfully my old carnal self being put to rest, and my spirit man moving forth?
Or was it at age 40 when by His grace, my heart was convicted by the Holy Spirit, and I moved from believer to follower?

Only God knows, and we will find the answer to our meandering come Judgement Day.

And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
                    Ezra 9:10

And this nonchalance seems to permeate amongst a sizable portion of people who brand themselves Christians. Many carry "Christianity" like a badge that complements the persona that they hope to project to the outside world. Not realizing nor bothering with the fact that we are commanded to live out our faith, not wear it like an accessory. And God knows our hearts and He is the One we must account to, and not the world.

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
                    Hebrews 10:26-27

And for some, the misconception that the unmerited favor of God gives them the license to sin wantonly is a more extreme example of sheep gone not just astray, but amok.
The marketing spill that God's grace is blind to our misdemeanors is a rework and audacious broadening of the old misconceived adage that we can sin from Mon to Sat, and God will wipe our tarnished slate come Sunday, if we go for confession.

God knows our heart. Salvation we cannot work for but we must work on.

Eternity in Heaven, that can be yours  even at your last breath, till Christ returns.
But truth is, if your hearts were never with God, when Hades come a calling to take you to eternal damnation, will you not be clinging on to things that were closest to your hearts rather than the unknown Christ? And on this, much as we cannot convert anyone to the faith, giving them knowledge of the saving grace of Christ will breed a familiarity that a desperate soul on the verge of entering Hades, might just call on to escape the clutches of the evil one

And much as eternity in Heaven with God our Father is something to savor.
In being willing and determined to follow Christ, we will experience Heaven on Earth.
Joy and peace, that is what God promises to all who trust and obey.
An El Dorado that can be attainable if we follow Christ with our all.

God blesses

Eng Hieang
21st  Aug 2013