The Uncommon Christian

"Once saved, always saved." "You can't lose salvation." "Will you go to Heaven when you die?" "I know I'm saved. Are you?" Living in the Bible Belt, you hear these statements quite frequently. Before becoming a Christian, I never thought twice about it. I assumed that the Bible told you who was saved and who wasn't. After reading the Bible, I now know that it's much more complicated than that. I also think that, as Christians, we hold ourselves back and do more damage than good by thinking in such a way. By believing that salvation is permanent and has nothing to do with you, you stop trying. I understand that the Bible says that all you need is faith in Christ in order to be saved, but it also tells us what faith is. We're supposed to live by faith. As Christians, we're so focused on the part about how salvation isn't based on our works that we forget that when you have faith in Christ your works reflect th

What does it take to be saved? According to Christ, we must show faith in Christ as our personal savior. That is the one requirement that is echoed again and again throughout the New Testament. For by grace you have been saved through faith. - Ephesians 2:8 Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:12 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. - John 3:17 If all it takes is faith in Christ to be saved, why then is there so much conflict among Christians? We have hundreds of denominations based on different unspoken req