As I often find, there is a very interesting discussion going on over at the Five Cent Stand blog. This one began as an examination of the role that we assign to the authority of the Church and church leaders. Along the way, it meandered into lines between Protestants and Catholics, how they are blurred, and where they are obsolete. Naturally, views of baptism came up, and that lead to a discussion of salvation.

Two divergent viewpoints materialized, though neither was entrenched or defensive: one is that salvation cannot be lost or else it was never real salvation to begin with, the other was that salvation could be lost and must be 'maintained', (for lack of a better term.)

Here was my contribution to the discussion:

One element perhaps either missing or under-mentioned in this discussion is that salvation does not mean going to heaven. That traps it in the future. We are saved right now. We are being saved right now. We will be saved as we go. But we are clearly meant to live out our salvation right now. Heaven is a byproduct of salvation - not it's goal...

When I say that you are saved right now, what I have in mind is that salvation is not so that you can someday go to heaven. It is so that you can begin serving God right here right now today. That's all that I meant by that.

As for 'losing your salvation' vs. 'never really having been saved,' it's never as cut and dry as any one verse might suggest. However, read Hebrews. I'll say read the whole book because I like keeping context as much as possible, but in particular, check Hebrews 6:4-6. "For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, since on their own they are crucifying again the Son of God and are holding him up to contempt."

Now hold steady, what this verse may seem to be suggesting, but it is not, is that you can be saved, then lose your salvation, and if you do you're lost forever. Certainly that is possible, but not necessarily inevitable. What it does seem to say is that it certainly is possible to be saved and then fall away.

I think illustrations from the Old Testament might be illuminating as well. The Israelites wandered in and out of God's favor continually. I know that's a bit of a different thing, but it speaks to the character of God that will not hold on to those who will not willingly be held.

I think of salvation and damnation like this: It's not in one moment that eternity is decided. It is as if a snowball starts on the top of a mountain and begins rolling. The moment of its impetus is the first decision. As it rolls down the hill it gains momentum and builds in size. Can its course be changed? Surely, but the longer it rolls the more difficult that becomes and the greater the size of the intervention that is needed.

Our lives should be snowballs rolling towards Christ. Each day we should gain momentum. This isn't 'works righteousness,' (a very misunderstood concept), but rather a statement that our progress towards Christ is an active one, not a passive one.

It's not a matter of needing to be re-saved every time we sin, it's simply that we need to make sure through repentance and forgiveness that those sins don't alter our course.

What do you think?