Once Saved, Almost Always Saved

I’m not sure I’ll ever get to heaven. Is the convenient Christian acronym OSAS–“Once Saved, Always Saved”–solid Calvary truth or presumptuous bravado? If God promises a new believer, “Nothing can separate you from my love,” how can a saved person ever become UNsaved? Our beloved uncle, Morris Venden, regularly claimed in camp meeting sermons: “For sure I believe in ‘Once Saved, Almost Always Saved!’” The parable of the Prodigal Son promises assurance even to the confused and disaffected child. King David was not a lost soul even while committing the twin crimes of adultery and murder. What, then, would a rebel have to do in order to actually depart from God’s eternal kingdom anchored by Amazing Grace? We borrow a troubling line from the Eagles and “Hotel California”, where a visitor is told: “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.” Is heaven that kind of fortress? Dan and David Smith share a missionary childhood and a current passion for the good news that the Chr