your thoughts on being saved

I'm not Christian. I'm just wondering what you think:


how many times can one person be "saved"

do you believe if someone is saved they are going to heaven?


Do you believe that if a person is saved...but they are not living the christian way of life that they are not going to heaven?~ Should they be saved again?

If someone is saved right before they die do they still go to heaven even if they have "sinned" their whole life?

 

What is heaven, and where does the earth sit at?

 

There is just here and now. You can make heaven of it or you can make hell of it, or purgatory ... whatever. As for sin ... remember what Jesus told those two thieves who were being crucified beside him ... He said: "Today you will be with me in heaven." ... and the woman who was being stoned; "Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone." (notice that Jesus didn't throw any stones).

 

The only thing from stopping a person from being continuly saved is death.

No, don't believe in heaven but if i did still no.

yes, and yes.

Nearly impossible to not sin your entire life, so yes.

Being saved IMO is just a convenient way for religious folks to die with some closure errr I mean die with the super secret handshake to the pearly gates club house.

 

I think being saved is a one time thing. Being saved and not trying to live the christian way of life isn't possible. Only God can really determine a person's heart and their intentions and if they will be saved.

Here it describes what it means to be saved:

"Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." Contempt here seems to be saying that life will cease to exist for some while at the same time being removed from life with shame. And to further demonstrate that point, "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death."

Anyone at any time can be eligible to be saved just like anyone at any time can lose the inheritance.

Here it show's that a wicked man if turned from sins will live or be saved:

(Ezekiel 18)
"But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. “All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live"

Here we see that even if one lives a christian life yet turns from it will be as though it never occurred and their lives won't be saved:

"But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die. "

So it seems that as long as one lives the christian life these ones will be saved and at any time it can happen.

By your question of "can they be saved again" seems a bit tricky. But first I'll restate that either someone is saved or not saved when the time comes for judgement. Whether or not one can sin, stop sinning, sin again, then stop sinning yet still be saved can be confusing because it may be the unforgivable sin. Or as Paul said, " **it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace." There are many interpretations for this verse. The main interpretations being "once saved always saved" or "once fallen after being saved, always fallen".

**(Falling away in this way could probably be compared to the second death because there is the second round of disgracing the sacrifice, in which case everyone does the first just like everyone dies.)

Personally, I think that Ezekiel explains it very simply. Basically, continue to follow the commands as best possible will lead to being saved and the opposite will lead to not being saved.

I think these verses make it more clear.

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron."

This verse seems mention those that had faith but abandoned it which follows with what Paul said about the impossibility of being saved or seek repentance. It seems to become more apparent with the imagery used. Searing something with an iron ends up hardening it so it seems to be saying that only those completely unwilling to listen to the holy spirit would be incapable of being moved by God to a point where they would want to repent and it's not saying that it's impossible for God forgive backsliding only that it's impossible for those with seared consciences be moved to repentance. Anyone that is willing will be saved no matter what was done beforehand, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." It would seem impossible for those that hear and follow the voice would have had their consciences seared.

To go further, "hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord." seems to be suggesting one among the congregation stumbled into sin and is being tossed to Satan as a reminder that the sinful life is not pleasant in the hopes to bring them back into repentance. This makes things even more clear that anything can be forgiven as long as there is willingness to listen, hear and follow which would be impossible for apostates or being seared by a hot iron, symbolically speaking.

To perhaps drive my point across, if it were true that "it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance" to mean can never backslide and return then how could it be that at Ezekiel 18 God will not remember past iniquities? If it's forgotten, it will be as though it never happened so if those who entered into the faith are forgiven, then how could it be that those things that were forgotten at repentance at first entering the church apply to backsliding? There would be nothing on record for the backslider because it would be forgotten or what is sometimes called absolution which is basically it never happened.

So basically, at any moment and all sins can be forgiven just as long as christian teachings or the holy spirit is not being entirely shut out by the one candidate that could be saved.

Hope that makes sense, and I hope that wasn't too long.

I could be wrong...

 

I'm glad you added that. Seriously. No sarcasm.

 

Jesus says; "he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved"(Matthew 24:13).

So....

Once

God purposed for mankind to live on the Earth so the majority of those resurrected will live on the Earth.

The way a person lives their life, determines whether they will be saved or not.

God is the final determinator on who will be saved but as I said it is the way a person lives his life that determines whether they will be saved.

As you can see I do not believe that "once saved always saved" is a Christian teaching, otherwise why the need to endure to the end?

 

the only way to 'save' yourself is by rejecting fairy tales and living in the real world. no amount of praying or superstition will make you a better person.

 

just curious what christians think that is all....

 

The problem is with your singular event notion of saved or salvation.

Being saved can be a past event, present condition, and future hope.
Past: 2 Tim. 1:9 - He saved us and called us through grace and not by virtue of our own works outside of His grace.
Present: Phil. 2:12 - we are working out our salvation through fear and trembling.
Future: Rom. 5:9-10 - since we are justified by His blood, we shall be saved.

We can also participate in Christ saving work by living the Christian life and preaching (not adding to it, but participating in it): 1 Cor. 9:22 - Paul says he has become all things to men that he might save some.

Unlike others here, I believe that we can lose our salvation, and that we are not assured, and thus, hope for the future.
Eph. 6:10-17 – Paul instructs the Ephesians to take the whole armor of God, the breastplate of righteousness, and the helmet of salvation, in order “to stand,” lest they fall. Paul does not give any assurance that the spiritual battle is already won.

 

If you can only be saved once--what does that portend for catholics that use the confession box frequently? Maybe I don't get what saved means. Saved from?

 

I recently learned that I was stealth-baptized by a distant family friend when I was about 2.

I really don't feel any closer to gawd, or destined for heaven. But I do sort of pity the christian, always applying their own zealous way of thinking to their perception of atheists or nonbelivers. If she had simply used logic, and explained to my parents that it couldn't hurt, but she'd rather that my soul was saved, I'm sure they would have had no issue with it. Instead she chose to feel persecuted and like some sort of clandestine saver of souls. It's creepy, and sad.

Poor lady.

 

I actually find what you describe ,Roo, as very interesting. It seems that she wasn't willing to "risk your eternal soul" and just hope that your parents would agree. It's all about perspective. (jmo) Perhaps from her eyes it really didn't matter what ppl thought or how they ultimately reacted so long as you were baptized. "Stealth baptized" - I find that term endearing. Hey, everybody has their own ideas.

As far as the OP - there are MANY Christians that feel differently about these questions. I know a few ppl that seem to feel they need to be baptized every so often (from my observation)...yet when asked why (by me) they have told me they "just feel they need it". I personally, as a Christian, do not feel I need to be baptized again. Even tho' I sin constantly and would, by some, be considered a back-slidden Christian, it's supposed to be "once saved, always saved". There is different scripture backing this up.

Now you can enter into the discussion of blasphemy - and ain't NOTHING going to save you. It is not clearly understood what blasphemy is. Or rather, that is yet (another) area where we all just can't seem to agree on exactly what is considered blasphemy, yet about all Christians would agree that blasphemy is about the end of the road...no heaven.

I most certainly do feel that it is possible to have a death bed epiphany, and experience true remorse and open one's heart to whatever God wants/wills...and I would never be so pompous as to judge what happens between God and someone else. Of all the things that many christians have trouble either understanding or accepting is that it isn't our business about what happens between someone else and God...I speak here about judging.

So, now that I have wandereded all over the place here, the answer(s) can be found somewhere within.

 

We are not saved as much as properly vested. Our creature-hood works best when devoted to the industry of joy. The measure we give is the measure we receive. He who finds his life shall lose it. So I would say, life better spent than saved.

 

thank you

 

Well that is not quite what Confession means, and as I stated, Catholics beleive in a three fold conception of "saved": past, present, future.

Confession on the other hand is an exhortation from Scripture to confess our sins to one another. Not simply our sinful nature as many Protestant groups will do at so-called altar calls, but literally, confess our individual sins. This began as people standing up in the midst of the congregation and declaring their sinful deeds and thoughts, though the Church in her power given by god refined this practice into that of individual and secret confession to one of Christ's ordained priests acting in persona christi, fancy Latin for "in the person of Christ: that is in the earthly place of Christ.
When we go tot he Sacrament of Confession we accuse, try, and find guilty ourselves of whatever sins we have commited and repent of them, performing a penance as a way to reform our ways and also to fulfill the necessary punishment that all sin carries (for Christ has redeemed us, though sin still carries consequences).

Confession of very serious sins can be seen as being saved again as sins given the title of "mortal" cleave ourselves from the love of God, damnning us. Confessing our mortall sins to a priest is the normal way which God has given us the means to come back to him once we reject the love he freely gives to us.

 

i only wanna be saved if their are drugs involved! aha

 

I'm sorry.... But this is non sequitor, and not really funny.... You could have done lots of funny things with drugs/religion, but instead you went,

"I TAKE DRUGS GUIZ, LOL"

 

One of the big problems with being "saved" is the question; saved from what?

Many use the word as a noun, as if it is a thing in of itself but it is a verb thus the need to ask the question; saved from what?

 

Sin?