Yes, God Can!

The older I get the more I realize that as people become more experienced with time, they allow their personal experiences to dictate what God can and cannot do in their lives. The measure of God's power has become their own experience. "If I haven't experienced it, God's not able to do it."

The problem with this line of thinking is two fold:

1. God works in different ways in different situations. To expect that your experience would be the exact same as everyone else's experience is problematic. You cannot make all of your life experiences standard for everyone.

2. I might not have done my part in responding to God's desire to work in my life. For example, in order to receive the forgiveness of sins, we must, in faith, turn from our sins and place our trust in the Lordship of Jesus. This arises out of a godly sorrow over our sins against God. If you do not have faith, you will not experience justification.

As a pastor, I have had to navigate, both personally and pastorally, the issue of physical healing. Why does God not answer the prayer of healing sometimes and other times eradicate disease from the body? 

There are a number of pastors today that ascribe to the "faith healing" philosophy that God must heal if we truly have faith. the problem here is that faith is a tool in an attempt to control God. But faith is not about dictating to our Lord. Others opt to bypass the difficulty of grappling with these hard questions and simply concede that God is subject to His own creation and does not have power to intervene in the natural law that He has set in motion. But that is not faith in God, that's deism.

Faith in God as healer is not dictating results but refusing to allow circumstances to dictate what I perceive to be true. Real faith is centered on Jesus, not on peripheral actions we expect of Jesus. Disregarding God's ability to heal is a move away from faith in the leading of the Holy Spirit and the revelation He has given to us through the Biblical record. 

Faith is not a one-time act of trust. Faith is a lifestyle of loving obedience in ongoing recognition that God, the Creator, knows what is best for us.

Faith is the heart of what is questioned in every attack of the enemy via temptation or trial. If Satan can lure you away from your loving obedience, it is because he convinced you that God is not trustworthy. If Satan can put you through enough difficulty to prevent you from acting in faith, it is because he has pressured you into disregarding the directives of Heaven.

Faith is the victory. I do not understand everything that goes on in the world. I do not even like everything that goes on in the world. I sometimes question how long God will allow evil to run amuck in this world, but faith gives my soul the assurance that Christ will return and overcome evil in every form.

As I still my heart before God in my time with Him and in the Bible, I am again and again reminded that he can do abundantly more than I could ask or imagine... and I can imagine a lot! May I walk by faith and not by sight. 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Check out these other articles:

Once You Are Saved, Are You Always Saved?

The Demise of the Church Has Been Overstated

Some Cautions for the Church of the Nazarene (Part 1)

Signs of a Good Church

Once You Are Saved, Are You Always Saved?

Fifteen reasons I don't believe that once you're saved, you're always saved. 

1. Hebrews 10:26 warns that if you go on sinning deliberately there is no longer a sacrifice for sins. There are prevalent warnings in Scripture about sinning after conversion. Why would we be warned about that if it did not impact our relationship with God?

2. 1 Timothy 4:1 speaks of those who abandon their faith in the latter days. This implies that they once had saving faith, but have since abandoned it. 

3. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9:27, is concerned with being disqualified himself. Is he concerned that he would not qualify for Heaven?

4. Jesus, in John 15:6, speaks of the necessity to "abide in Him." What is the essential need to abide in Christ in an on going way?

5. 1 John 2:1 refers to the fact that the goal is "not to sin," but if we do, we have and an advocate in Jesus. Chapter 1, verse 9 gives us the good news that we can be forgiven of our sins if we confess them to Jesus. Sinning while in fellowship with a holy God is always harmful to the relationship. 

6. James 5:19-20 talks about people wandering away from the truth. What does it mean that someone would wander away from the truth? Can we be saved apart from the truth?

7. Colossians 1:21-23 conditions salvation with "if you continue in the faith". Continuing in sin while simultaneously being a Christian negates the relational component of walking with God. Any true relationship requires both parties to choose and continue to choose that relationship. 

8. 2 Peter 2:20-22 talks about people getting re-tangled in the things of this world. Another ominous warning about returning to the former ways and its impact on our salvation.

9. Demas, in 2 Timothy 4:10, is said to have fallen in love with this world. Specific people are mentioned as individuals who "fall away" "departing from the Faith" or "walk away" from the Faith. (Hebrews 3:12)

10. Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks of those who have once been enlightened and the possibility of restoring them back to a place of repentance. Why would there be a need to be restored back to that place because of sin if you are always saved once you born again?  

11. Galatians 5:4 speaks of those who have fallen from grace. How can you remain in grace if you have fallen from it?

12. Jesus, in Mark 13:13, says the one who "endures to the end" will be saved. Salvation is something that does not end in our justification, but it is fulfilled in our glorification. Thus, we need to resolve to go all the way with Jesus. 

13. 1 Corinthians 10:12 warns about falling. What might the ramifications be for us if we fall?

14. Revelation 2 warns the churches in that they could lose their lamp stands. The warning is that the glory can in fact depart from a place. What about at individual person?

15. 2 Peter 1:10 promises that we don't have to fall. While I do not believe that once you are saved you are always saved regardless of actions or choices, I do believe God can keep us from falling away or forfeiting so great a salvation! He gives assurance.

I do believe that once you're saved you *can* always be saved. I believe there is victory and assurance available for every believer in resurrection power.

Some will respond by saying that if you go back to sin, that you were never really saved to begin with. While I agree that some are prematurely or incorrectly called Christian even though they have not been born again, I do believe that there are some genuine Christians who ultimately forfeit their salvation. Most of the Scripture references above were written to believers as a warning so that they do not wander away from the truth. 

What might you add?

Also check out these other articles:

Pitfalls for Local Churches

Why I Am Part of a Denomination

Characteristics of True Revival