Have you ever thought you had a warranty on something only to discover to your horror you had to pay for the repair or replacement? You didn’t read the fine print and they got you right in the wallet. If so, I have a text for you. Romans 11:29 says, “God’s gifts and call are irrevocable.” NIV. The King James says, “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Repentance of course means turned around. Therefore, in this verse, God doesn’t change His mind. Once we have His gifts and receive His calling He will not take them back. The paraphrase, The Message, says, “God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty-never canceled, never rescinded.”
This is one of the most wonderful promises in the Bible. God is consistent. He means what He says. He will not take back things He has given us and this includes the greatest gift of all, eternal life. Now just to calm someone who is alarmed thinking this is “once saved always saved” we must remember you can always return a gift. You don’t have to keep it. The point Paul is making is if you are lost it is your doing – not God’s. He is not going to force anyone to keep salvation. God is into freedom. We have the freedom to let Jesus into our lives with the miraculous overhaul that accompanies that or we can ask Him to leave. We can then continue on destroying ourselves.
If we accept the gift and decide to keep it by allowing Jesus to work out His perfection in us we never ever have to fear again. God will NOT change His mind. We are saved.
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 17, 2008
Spring of Life, St. Helena, CA 94574