I came across a podcast on YouTube last week that was a Bible study of sorts, titled: “Can a Christian ‘lose’ their Salvation?” And honestly...the question itself confused me. Having been raised in a church where not much thought or attention was given as to ‘who goes to heaven or not’, I just grew up assuming we ‘all went’ as long as we tried to live ‘good’ lives. I certainly was not brought up in the camp where this idea of ‘once saved, always saved’ was drilled into my belief process though; i.e. – once you pray and ‘accept Christ’, nothing can ever change the fact that after you die, you will for sure go to heaven.

But this idea of ‘losing one’s salvation’ seems to suggest that salvation is a golden ticket, of sorts, a ‘guarantee’ that ensures your entrance through the ‘pearly gates’. I suppose that is why opponents of that teaching often point out to those who believe this, that there are many who think they got their ‘ticket punched’ when they prayed a prayer or got baptized...and will be in for a rude awakening, if Matt. 7:21-23 counts for anything. Those who believe otherwise are accused of suggesting one can ‘earn’ or ‘work’ their way into heaven. Trust me, that debate has been ongoing for a long time, and I’m not really here to enter in to that fray, but will use the idea of a ‘ticket’ as an illustration as we continue examining the promise found in 2 Chron. 7:14 – “If My people...who are called by My Name...will turn...from their wicked ways...’. The ‘promise’ I refer to is a ‘healing of the land’...if those conditions are met.

Suppose you scored the most coveted tickets of a lifetime, be it to the Super Bowl, a Taylor Swift concert, the World Series or Master’s golf tournament, (insert the event of your liking). And all you have to do in order to be granted access into this renowned event...is ‘show up’. We will safely assume you would certainly take care of those prized tickets, as you made preparations to attend. Let us also imagine that ‘showing up’ involved you getting into your car and making a semi-lengthy road trip from your hometown to the destination where this grand event is being held, hundreds of miles away.

Now, let’s say you live in a city in the Midwest...Dallas or Kansas City for example, and you need to get to that city located near the east coast where this concert or game is being held. You have your tickets, the car is packed and you set out on this trip of a lifetime. But for some reason, your GPS-map app was preset to a location on the west coast, the opposite direction you needed to go in. Hopefully, at some point in time, sooner than later preferably...you realize something is not right. And at your first rest/gas stop, it becomes clear that you are not... headed in the right direction. What do you think will be necessary for you to do if you have plans of arriving to make use of those tickets?

Hopefully you said ‘turn around’.

Friends... this is exactly...what ‘repentance’ is all about- a turning away or turning from...something. And not only was that a major condition given in 2 Chron. 7:14 if there was any hope for the ‘land being healed’, it is also a major condition for anyone who has hopes of being...and ‘remaining....saved’. Interestingly, there seems to be lots of folks out there who are confused as to what they are even being ‘saved’ from. Romans 5:9 might help clear that up.

Now for all those who love to quote John 3:16 that tells us of God’s love and what He did to demonstrate His love by sending His Son Jesus to die for us, and that ‘whosoever believes in Him will not perish...’, can we please all agree that there are more verses in our Bible that might be foolish for us to ignore? Like where Jesus Himself touched on this idea of ‘perishing’ and said that if we fail to ‘repent’...we will all...perish. (Luke 13:3,5) So what is it, ‘believe’...or ‘repent’? Or maybe both? Perhaps true ‘belief’ produces action or obedience? (Heb. 3:17-19)

Or how about where Peter reminds us that God is patient with us, ‘not willing that any perish...but that we all come to repentance’. (2 Pet. 3:9). In other words, if there is not a genuine ‘turning around’, then that ‘ticket’ of yours...will do you no good at all if you fail to ‘show up’. And guess what? When you are making such a ‘road trip’ as we talked about earlier here...and you do indeed, ‘turn around’ ...there will be plenty of encouraging ‘mile markers’ or ‘signs’ indicating that you are back on the ‘right road’ headed in the right direction. Jesus called them ‘fruit’. Making use of those ‘signs’ is a wise thing to do. (2 Cor. 13:5)

If you fail...to turn around, yet try to convince yourself that you ‘believe’ you are headed in the right direction...and Denver is getting closer and closer, then you are sadly, confused...or deceived.

Tomorrow....we'll begin, Lord willing, to look at what those ‘wicked ways’ are that 2 Chron. 7:14 made clear that God’s people needed to turn from.