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We've had some uncommonly good sermons lately. The one we had last Sunday got me to thinking, and objecting a little. The speaker preached on Hebrews 6:4-12, a difficult passage. Some things came together for me as he spoke. The question people ask about that passage is, "Can you lose your salvation?". He concluded that the writer was saying, "You aren't there yet." That is, salvation comes at the end of the road, not at the beginning. So if you "walked the aisle," "prayed the sinner's prayer," or whatever other terms you want to use, you aren't saved yet. You may be justified, regenerated, or sanctified, but not saved. Maybe you've heard that salvation is a three-step process: saved from the penalty of sin (in the past), saved from the power (and practice, I might add) of sin day-by-day, and saved from the presence of sin when you die. Last week's speaker said you can "get off the road" before you reach the final destination. But salvation is an end-of-the-road experience. So, no you can't lose your salvation, because you're dead then. In the evening service we were told that the real question is, "Can you lose your justification, or your regeneration?". But they never answered that question. In a way, I'm glad for this teaching. Too many approaches to evangelism turn salvation into a formula (which it it not), and try to base salvation on unbiblical practices (walking the aisle, or praying some kind of prayer). Those things might be part of the process. However, to say that a person is saved just because he or she did those things is wrong. The Bible never says those things have to occur for a person to be saved. Using them as "evidence" can lead people astray, making them think that they are saved just because of some action they took, when in fact, they may not be saved at all. Salvation is all about what Jesus did, and what He does in our hearts. The morning speaker says the evidence of salvation is fruit. But of course, there can be false fruit. After the evening service, I talked to the morning speaker. One question I asked him was, "At what point can a person say he/she is saved?". He replied, "When you die." He went on to say that you can never be 100% sure of your salvation until death. It's too late then, of course. But this is the Calvinistic (or Reformed) interpretation. My gut reaction was, "What kind of father would leave his children guessing as to whether or not they belong to him?". This story is getting longer than I intended. So, to cut it short, I started studying passages such as Romans 8:16 and I John 5:1-13 (and their contexts), as well as 2 Peter 1:3 and following, and I remain convinced that you can know for certain that you are saved before you die. I am at a juncture regarding Vocational Rehab. A summer ministry idea occurred to me last night. May the Lord help me make the right decisions, and provide support.