Are you saved?

Once upon a time, there was a church (Worldwide Church of God) that made fun of that question. They scoffed at folks who believed that they are (present tense) saved. They derided the concept of "once saved, always saved." They pointed to the numerous instances in Scripture that demonstrate that Christians can fail and some folks will end up in the Lake of Fire (Gehenna/Hell). Hence, they insisted that Christians are not truly saved until they are "born" into the Kingdom of God. They insisted that we are only "begotten" now and can be aborted at anytime!

Is that true? Are you currently saved? Can you lose your salvation? Can you screw it all up and lose the place reserved for you in God's Kingdom?

First, in attempting to answer those questions, I want to make clear that this is not going to be one of those exercises in proof texting. I am going to assume that anyone who is interested in this topic is familiar with all of the pertinent scriptures.

That said, doesn't this all boil down to what folks mean when they say things like "once saved, always saved?" In other words, is it possible that such a statement could be correct if properly understood? After all, most of us are accustomed to looking at this issue from the extremes - as an irreconcilable dilemma.

If I am alone in the middle of the sea and about to drown and someone comes along and pulls me into a boat, have I been rescued/saved? To be sure, I still have to make it back to shore; but haven't I, in the instant I was pulled from the water, been saved? I am no longer in any danger of drowning. Yes, I can decide to stand up and jump back into the water before we make it back to shore; but how many folks would be likely to do such a thing? And, if I was crazy enough to do such a thing, couldn't the person on the boat reach down and pull me back up into the boat? In other words, I'm not "lost" until I've actually drowned!

Hmmm, I believe that I have been and am currently saved. What about you?