But, The All Important, “But”!

Psalm 94

14. For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

15. But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

The “Once Saved, Always Saved” folks will only read verse 14. They will find comfort and solace in the fact that God said He would not cast them off, neither will God give up their heavenly inheritance. So the Once Saved, Always Saved person will breathe a big sigh of relief and return back to his worldly ways, confident that he is going to heaven because of his Baptism 32 years prior. After-all, Once Saved, Always Saved, right?

“Once Saved, Always Saved” is not a get out of jail free card. Being saved does not make you immune or impervious to sin and its consequences. If anything, being saved adds a greater responsibly, which means it also carries a greater consequence.

This is why it is vital to read all of the verses within a message, and not cherry pick the ones you like most. Take a look at the next verse in the message. Verse 15 begins with a “But”, and it’s very important But!

“But judgment shall return unto righteousness”. All will be judged. And why do you think that is?  If Once Saved, Always Saved were true, then there would be no need for God’s judgment. If that baptism you got 3 decades ago was all you needed to go to heaven, then why are we all facing the great white throne judgment?

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15).

“Judgment shall return” Judgement and justice, to determine a matter and give due recompense. “Once Saved, Always Saved” does not save you from it. If anything, it makes you more responsible for it.

But the real point is this, “and all the upright in heart shall follow it.”

“Once Saved, Always Saved” truly only pertains to the “upright in heart”. The upright in heart who pursue righteousness and judgment. What? You mean someone actually seeks judgment? Yep, all Christians should. God instructed us to do so.

“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:16-17) said God.

“Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” (Isaiah 56:1-2)

God is our true felicity. Man will be unsettled until he is like Him. Righteousness and judgment are part and parcel to His essence and character. This isn’t so much a matter of salvation as it is the desire and need to be becoming to Him, and to become Him.

Anyone resting on their haunches, lulled into a false sense of security that their space in heaven is guaranteed has been rope-a-doped by the devil. It will be too late when he comes off the ropes, turns and delivers the knockout punch to you.

Now is the time. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of your salvation, because every day should be your day of salvation! But at all times and in all circumstances, we must be, “approving ourselves as the ministers of God”.

“But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” (2 Corinthians 6:4-10)

Rejoice in the battle, don’t pull back. The devil wants you to disengage from the holy and spiritual and enjoy the pleasures of this temporal and temporary world. The devil wants you to think that salvation is static, a onetime event, a one and done, and not what it truly is, a continuous process that leads us to Christ.

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:35-39)

Bill Hitchcock