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...

Almost every single day, someone mentions Heaven. I live in Oklahoma, so it’s not surprising. But Oregon was the same way. Anyone that is going through a rough patch or who just lost a family member seems to go into this default state where Heaven is repeatedly mentioned. It makes sense, too. As Christians, we’re all taught that Christians go to Heaven when they die. Plus, the thought of our loved ones retreating from the problems of this world to a place of complete paradise is comforting. Do those thoughts have any biblical backing, though? Where did the thought of immediate ascension into Heaven upon death come from? From what I can tell, no one truly knows. So many people make claims and try to disregard, or discredit, the opposing opinion. “Soul sleep is unbiblical.” “Immediate ascension into Heaven is unbiblical.” I’ve seen people go back and forth with those two lines for hours. Each person has a long list of verses to pull from, and each verse is vague and open to interpreta...