A Fish out of Water

 
 This question has posed much confusion and controversy, although scripture warns very sternly about the believer falling away, the best conclusion to such a question posed would have to beg the question as to whether a complete conversion took place.

 “Once saved always saved” rings true to the believer who has received the gift of salvation. It is through their faith and belief in who Jesus was and what the Cross signifies. 

 This does not hold true for the believer who has not received through genuine heartfelt repentance. Although the desire to believe resides within, their faith falls short because of the inability to understand the true meaning of Christ crucified.

 Even when one has received salvation through genuine means, it is still easy to fall into the familiar nature and repeat patterns one once knew.  For some people, their impatience is their downfall. They simply stop believing in Jesus Christ altogether because the world they live in has other plans and quick remedies to their problems.  

 “But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature…”
Galatians 5:13

  “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV)

 It is important for every believer to surround themselves with like-minded individuals and engage in bible study. Setting time aside for prayer is essential for a believer to hear and know the will of God for their lives. Recognizing patterns of temptation that may or may not lead into sin and repenting and asking God’s intersession with a genuine heart and mind will ensure that God’s firm grip will never loosen.

 
 God’s love is ever lasting and every believer has His promises to hold onto. Even though we have salvation, we can still be tempted, but God’s protection comes from the shadow of his mighty wing! Knowing that Jesus is the author and finisher of every believer’s faith brings encouragement and enables strength and fortitude on which anyone can stand their ground if they are willing.

 “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful: he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NIV)

 Salvation is a fee gift and it is available to those with a genuine longing and yearning to have a personal relationship with God. It can never be taken away or stolen but it can be lost. Like all relationships, it cannot stand if one person is ignored and salvation needs an active participant.

  Without the Cross of Christ, faith in a believer’s life cannot stand. It is essential to understand who Christ was, what He did, and whom it was meant for. This is the foundation and act to which faith rests. Without it, our faith cannot exist. 

 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”  Romans 10:17 (NIV)

  The only way to attain faith is by hearing the message of Jesus Christ and him crucified. Many will fail in their faith because they expect some sort of proof to justify their faith, but in fact, it is through faith that we receive justification.

  “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”  Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)

  
 Finding faith need not be complicated, but many refuse to hold onto it because to believe in Jesus without concrete physical proof seems to them to be a pointless gesture. 

 Some have even said that they have tried, but faith had failed them but in all honesty, the failure did not reside with how the message was given, it resided with how well the message was received!  

 “For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Romans 8:24-25 (NIV)

 “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” 

Romans 3:22-26 (NIV)

 Faith is neither demanding nor arbitrary. It produces change in the willing participant and the more it is used and acted upon, the stronger it grows. The little action it takes is monumental in task and great in strength. It is sheer dedication to see through to the end of its fruition but faith in the end will never disappoint because when faith is allowed to grow, that is when great things in a believer’s life begin to happen.