“ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS saved” is wrong–the Bible teaches that one can fall from grace…

However, “If saved, barely saved,” is equally wrong!  We not only teach that “One can fall from grace–he probably will!”  Brethren come to worship to be “horsewhipped!”  How morbid!  You cannot whip brethren fifty-two Sundays a year and develop matured Christians!  Happy people sing (James 5:13)!  Our brethren worship in fear not faith!  …Christians cannot worship without “Blessed Assurance!”  We are so afraid of falling we don’t know where we are standing!  We have preached guilt but not grace.

Some wish to “die in the baptistry.”  How pathetic!  We are born to live not born to be born!  According to our thinking it would be “Christian mercy” to kill all new converts immediately after baptism!  If we can trust in birth (baptism), we cannot we trust in life?  If we can know we are saved ten minutes after baptism, why not ten years?  (Charles Hodge)

“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day” (2 Timothy 1:12).

–Mike Benson