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Title: Salvation the event, Sanctification the process
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Blog Entry:             A few years ago I attended a Wednesday evening service at a contemporary church near where I lived. This church was awesome! They had an incredible worship service and the teaching that evening was on sensitive topic. The pastor opened his message asking how many people believed in once saved always saved and how many believed that you could lose your salvation. Of course you had hands go up for both spectrums, then he proceeded by showing Bible verses that both Baptist and Apostolic saints based their beliefs on. ....             Being raised in both Baptist and Apostolic I was quite confused on the topic to be quite honest, I always told people since I didn’t know the right answer that I’d just stay on God’s good side and not take a chance of falling from grace.   Sounds silly doesn’t it? As we all probably know by now there will come a time in our lives when we do fall away from God, and I reiterate this statement “WE FALL AWAY FROM GOD.” He never leaves us we leave Him. ....             The truth is God doesn’t wish for any of His children to be sent to a fiery hell that was made for the devil and his angels not for us. This is the key to understanding your spiritual life; Salvation is an event and Sanctification is a process. Yes, when we repent God washes us from previous sin, but we are human and sin constantly thus the reason for praying without ceasing. So when attempting to walk the straight and narrow we have to keep working on becoming more like Christ. There is no poof or big cloud of smoke and your suddenly perfect in every aspect of your life, you have to take it one step at a time it is a process. ....             Being a Christian for all these years I can honestly tell you that I’m not perfect, I sin every day sometimes all day and I’m still going through “the process” and will keep doing it until the day I receive my heavenly body. When that day comes we will no longer have to strive for perfection we will have a body just like Christ’s. And the sad fact is this strive for unattainable perfection here on earth in this flesh has made it almost impossible to walk the Christian walk. There have been many people who have turned away because they felt unable to fit into the schema (diagram) of what man has deemed a Christian is suppose to be.   ....             So once saved always saved, or can you lose your salvation? When Jesus died on the cross He gave us a gift, Salvation, a means to be reconciled to our Father. So why would God give us a gift and then decide when we mess up to take it back? He knows we are going to sin, that’s why He also gives us grace and mercy. We can ask for forgiveness and if we are sincere we will receive it. If we were to die in our sins and didn’t have the opportunity to ask for forgiveness we will be judged for that sin, but that’s why Jesus gave up His life that way He could sit on the right hand of the Father and plea our case. .... My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. (1 John 2:1 NLT).... .. .. Christians are made, not born.---Jerome....