Once you get saved, do you believe you can lose your salvation?  I've read that once you’re saved, you’re forever saved, but I’ve also read that your name can be wiped from the Book.

Sincerely,
How Safe Am I?

Dear How Safe Am I,

The Bible clearly says that you can lose your salvation.  Heb 3:12 says that we must be wary and protect our hearts because an evil, unbelieving heart can fall away.  2 Pet 3:17 says that we can lose our salvation if we get caught up in false teaching (1 Tim 4:1 also states this).  If we return to a life of ungodliness, then we crucify Christ again (Heb 6:4-6).  Rev 2:10 says we must be faithful unto death if we wish to receive the heavenly prize.

     If His eye is on the sparrow (Matt 6:26), how are we to feel and react to the amount of suffering in the world?  I do not mean accidents or things that happen as a result of the free will of people – I'm thinking specifically of starvation, people who live with large families in small shacks, etc.  If God feeds even the birds, why does He allow children to starve?  How am I, as a Christian, supposed to reconcile this with the idea of a God who loves us and will care for us when we are in need?

Sincerely,
Well-Fed?

Dear Well-Fed,

God does keep a closer eye on us than He does the sparrows, but you must remember that Matt 10:29 says that even the sparrows that God cares for fall to the ground in death.  Death is inevitable ever since Adam and Eve’s sin (Gen 2:17).  We will all die, and sin’s destructive power is the source of all suffering.

You see, starving families are an act of mankind’s choices.  All experts agree that there is more than enough food to feed the whole world – starvation is due to oppression from others, a lack of compassion for our fellow man, and countless other sinful behaviors.  There is no valid reason for anyone to go hungry in this world – it is sin that causes all the harm we see to our fellow man.

God does watch over everyone, and He is intimately aware of every hair on our heads (Lk 12:7), but God must balance His love and desire to intercede for us with His promise to let us make our own choices and suffer the consequences (Gal 6:7).  All the great tragedies we see in this world are consequences of mankind turning its back on God.  From God’s standpoint, as horrible as it must be for Him to watch children suffer, He also knows that when children die, they go home to be comforted by Him.

     I greet you with peace brother(s) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  My question is: according to the Scriptures, shouldn't we be breaking the bread (off of the loaf) instead of using crackers?  Also, should we be sharing one cup as the Word speaks of?  I know this is an issue amongst the brotherhood; however, I wanted to know your thoughts.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Supper Stumped

Dear Supper Stumped,

Let’s address the ‘one cup’ issue first.  We should only use one cup… unless the Scriptures give us a reason to think that the one cup was an unimportant detail – which they do.  Jesus stated that what is in the cup matters, not the cup itself (Matt 26:29).  When Jesus took the cup, He gave thanks for the grape juice inside of the cup (Mk 14:23-24).  The grape juice represents Christ’s blood; the cup does not.  In fact, Jesus told the apostles to divide the juice among themselves (Lk 22:17).  We don’t know how the apostles went about doing that.  They may very well have poured the juice from Jesus’ cup into twelve other individual cups.  When we use multiple cups to distribute the fruit of the vine for the Lord’s Supper, we are doing what Christ did… dividing the juice among all the believers who are going to remember Christ’s death.

As far as breaking the bread, good brethren are divided over whether or not it is an important detail to physically break the unleavened loaf.  Unleavened bread is flat because it doesn’t have the yeast to make it rise – like a cracker.  Some brethren think it is required to break the bread; other folks point to Scriptures that use the term “break the bread” as a colloquialism to generically refer to any meal.  It is best not to be too dogmatic because there is no way to know definitively.

Would you explain "once in grace, always in grace"?

Sincerely,
Gracious

Dear Gracious,

The idea that you can’t ever lose your salvation is a warping of Christ’s message in Jhn 10:27-29.  “Once saved, always saved” (sometimes referred to as “once in grace, always in grace”) is a basic doctrine of Calvinism (read “Calvin And Sobs” for more details on the errors of Calvinism).  The Bible clearly says that you can lose your salvation.  Heb 3:12 says that we must be wary and protect our hearts because an evil, unbelieving heart can fall away.  2 Pet 3:17 says that we can lose our salvation if we get caught up in false teaching (1 Tim 4:1 also states this).  If we return to a life of ungodliness, then we crucify Christ again (Heb 6:4-6).

    Here lately, I’ve been getting really angered by the gestures and things said by certain people.  I’m trying to become a man of God and follow Him and give Him my heart, but I feel like my anger is slowing me down.  Maybe you could give me some advice and/or Bible verses?

Sincerely,
Slow Burn

Dear Slow Burn,

Bitterness and anger are such easy things to slip into, and many a christian has been destroyed by their frustration with sin and the world’s ways.  It is a dark world, and it can be discouraging and overwhelming at times.  The solution is to view the world the way Jesus did – with compassion.  When Jesus looked upon the city of Jerusalem, He wept over their faults and pitied their fate (Lk 19:41, Matt 23:37).  Jesus viewed the world as being full of people that needed a Savior (Jhn 4:35) and rejoiced over every lamb He could rescue (Lk 15:4-7).  Christians live in hope of eternity with God (2 Tim 4:8), and that hope is our anchor (Heb 6:19).  Allow your love of the Lord and your love for your fellow man to strengthen you through this life (Mk 12:29-31).  Your future is bright – have compassion on others, and maybe you might be able to brighten their futures as well.