Questions Protestants Can't Answer #13 - Was the prodigal son saved before he left?

John Martignoni, President and Founder of the Bible Christian Society, calls into serious question the man-made doctrine of "once saved always saved," citing the parable of the prodigal son and its implications for this Protestant idea. Can you be saved again if you were never saved to start with?

More free apologetics materials are available at http://biblechristiansociety.com

Category:

Education

Tags:

• prodigal
• son
• once
• saved
• always
• Martignoni
• bible
• Christian
• Catholic
• Protestant
• apologetics

[MRGV7373]

The Prodigal Son was not saved until he turned to His Father and asked for forgiveness. This story was not meant ever to be used as a teaching on salvation. It is about the Love that God has for use. Even saved people can make grave mistakes. Saved by misguide. If you are not saved by faith, then God's power is not enough and your self works save you??? Come on, is God a false giver?? This is not a proof story on salvation. Tooooo far here.

[CrimsonCatholic]

@MRGV7373 Apparently, according to you, not much of what Jesus said was meant to be used as teachings on salvation, was it? So, when the Prodigal Son was in his father's household, before he had turned to sin and squandered his inheritance, he wasn't saved? Really?! How can one be in the Father's household and not be saved? One is saved by faith, I have never implied otherwise. But, nowhere does the Bible say one is saved by faith alone!!!

[MRGV7373]

@CrimsonCatholic Many Christians that have true faith have lost there way but they are still the father saved child, they have "back sliders". A person is saved by faith alone. See Roman 3:22. Ephesian 2:8 - It starts with Belief that Jesus is God and died for our sins, then Faith that died for my sins and Jesus in my lord that is saved you become a God's child and God owns you. Then comes works. You act and behave as God wants us to. Saved by faith results are works.

[CrimsonCatholic]

@MRGV7373 So, you are like so many other Protestants who post here, you cannot answer a direct question, can you? Let's try again, and this will be your last chance: How can one be a member of the Father's household, yet not be saved as you claim re: the Prodigal Son? Also, where is the Bible is the word "alone" used with the word "faith," pertaining to salvation? If we act and behave as God wants us to, then please explain Luke 7:30 - they rejected what God wanted for them.

[thinkerj]

Is there any reason to take this parable literally? Just like the following parable about the rich man and Lazarus I think it tells the story of Judaism and the Gentiles. The Gentiles are here represented by the prodigal son who was lost, but "came to his senses", repented and was reincluded in God's household.

[CrimsonCatholic]

@thinkerj Sorry, but when were the Gentiles ever part of the father's household? How is it that they are alive "again" if they were never alive in the first place? Come on, thinkerj...think!

[2015HuntMJ]

@MRGV7373 Also doesn't faith alone mean just that? Does faith alone include works at all? If it dose not include works at all and sins are considered a "work", sins according to faith alone are not part of our judgment. Can I also have the definition of faith according to the protestant church?

[2015HuntMJ]

@MRGV7373 This is what I got from what you just said. Correct me if I read wrong. In order to be saved you have to have good faith. In order to have good faith you have to make Jesus the love of your life. You can not commit sins (such as killing, lieing, and committing adultery) and make Jesus the love of your life. You must have good works to have good faith?

[MRGV7373]

@2015HuntMJ Con't if they had an all these real terrible sins, I would think that they never fully committed themselves to Jesus as their Lord and Savior and since they were just assenting to Jesus as God only, they are not saved yet. Even King David, killed and took another man married wife, but David did repent since he was fully committed to God. It always starts with faith or believing/faith then baptism.

[MRGV7373]

@2015HuntMJ If faith is followed by Murder, adultery, stole, I would say that the person never had saving Faith. Now even Satan know that Jesus is God. So knowledge is not saving. Belief is understanding who Jesus is,God's Son, and making Jesus the Lord of your life. Meaning that Jesus is first and not your self. So would a believer who makes Jesus the love of their life, Kill, lie, commit adultery? If they did, I would say they never believed and therefore they are not saved.

[2015HuntMJ]

@MRGV7373 Alright I am trying to get this faith alone idea figured out. Say you go to church, read the bible, and listen to Christian music and do all the things a faithful christian does. But you also have committed a murder, committed adultery, stole, and broken every commandment without truly feeling sorry for your sins before you die. Will God still only judge you on your faith? What if Hitler was a "faithful" christian who went to church, read the bible, etc. Would he be saved?

[MRGV7373]

@2015HuntMJ By the way, the protestant and catholic belief should be just the same for one who has heard and not heard the gospel when it comes to salvation. Jesus, Peter and Paul preached. Belief in Jesus and understanding who Jesus is and did for us, leading to faith or trust in Jesus saving work, leading to baptism for public confession in Jesus, leading to works of righteous behaviors. Physical baptism does not save, it is the faith which leads to public confession that saves

[MRGV7373]

@2015HuntMJ con't How God will preach to them and judge the person has not been revealed to humanity ye,t if ever. Since God is all powerful, all understanding, I think that we humans will just have to trust God will do the righteous action for this person. For the rest of the ones that have heard the salvation message, God will judge us based on what he has revealed to us and how we believed and lived that belief.

[MRGV7373]

@2015HuntMJ Paul makes it clear that we need to preach the gospel in Romans 10. Now in Romans 1, Paul states that nature and seeing the beauty of nature will lead a person to know that "God"'s presence. So we are to know that some higher force controls this world we live in. Since the person never heard and believed, God will some how preach the gospel to that person after death and that person will make a choice. If God can build a universe, God will right judge them.

[2015HuntMJ]

@MRGV7373 I am just wondering what the protestant view on this is. What happens to say someone who lives in a communist country and can't worship God or say 300 years ago when the Indian tribes had never even met Christians who preach the gospel? How can they believe in God if they never were taught? Say they live a good life and do whats right. Do they, according to protestants make it to heaven? Would it not make more since if God judged them on their works?