We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.
Hebrews 3:14 NIV
Common among many denominations is the belief that once I have committed my life to Christ, nothing can take me from him. Sometimes this is called ‘eternal security’, and other times ‘once saved always saved’. But if it is as simple as that, why do we have so many frequent warnings, like this verse? Warnings of the necessity to remain faithful to the end? Could it be that only those who are faithful to the end are ever actually saved? That salvation is not based on how you start the journey, but on how you finish it?
I believe that there are many who have made a public commitment to Christ and have been baptized who will be quite surprised when they stand before the judgment seat of Christ and hear him say, ‘‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). Or “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21). Don’t let that be true for you. Hold firmly to your faith in Christ and let that be reflected in your life. Finish the journey!