Salvation, Testing and Growth

You laid out the scenario whereby a serial killer repents, is "in Christ" for ten years, then backslides and resumes his killing spree. He dies without repenting again. You asked, "Does the killer go to heaven?"

I'll ask the question a different way: Was the killer ever truly born again?

Simply saying, "I believe in Jesus" does not necessarily make one born again. Nor does responding to an alter call, or filling out a membership card, or going to church regularly, or even doing good things in this world. Our being "born again" is a sovereign act of God himself; Grace bestowed upon the truly repentent who comes to realize the utter hopelessness of their own efforts and turn in complete trust (not just belief) in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

The Bible teaches that one's eternal salvation is based on this singular act of regeneration, bestowed by God. The Bible further teaches that salvation, once granted, is never taken away.

So, for the serial killer, it is altogether possible (and probable) that his ten year span of being "in Christ" wasn't that at all; that he had not really been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Here's the key -- the fact that he resumed his sinful ways, without apparent concern for doing so, suggests that he was never truly born again to begin with. The truly regenerated person takes on a different view of sin and God and feels the conviction of sin more strongly than before. This is the thrust of the book of James -- one's faith is not based on one's works, but one's faith is demonstrated by one's works. A person who claims to be "in Christ" yet is an awful, hateful, sinful person is not demonstrating that faith.

Note: one must be careful here to draw a reasonable distinction between "permanent backsliding" and everyday struggles and temptations. A regenerate person is not perfect; they will continue to sin. It is the attitude towards that sin that is telling. If a person sins and seeks help from God to avoid the sin, then that's a telling sign of regeneration. If a person sins and doesn't care if they sin, does so boldly (as is the case with a serial killer), then that tells a different story, doesn't it?

This is where the distinction between belief and trust becomes so critical. The classic analogy is this: I can believe that a bottle of antibiotics will take care of my life-threatening illness. But until I actually consume the pills that belief does not save my life. It is only when I truly trust that the pills will do what they claim that I receive the benefit. So too with Jesus -- I may believe that Jesus existed; I may believe that Jesus was crucified; I may even believe that he "died for my sins" and was resurrected. But until I come to completely trust in Jesus' saving Grace and honestly and sincerely ask Him to take control of my life, that belief is just intellectual assent. It is akin to me sitting at the kitchen table, eyeing the bottle of antibiotics.

I doubt Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, et al believed Jesus was God incarnate and died for their sins. I am fairly certain they didn't place their whole trust in Christ as their savior.

If salvation, once granted, is not removed, then what's with all the testing in the Bible? Testing is a way of promoting strength and maturity in the believer. God uses tests -- small and big -- to provide a way for a new believer to grow stronger in the faith.

Note: here in Arizona there's something called the "Biosphere," an experiment conducted ten or so years ago whereby a completely contained ecosystem was developed to experiment with self-sustaining environments. The trees that were planted in that bubble endured no wind. They grew to a certain height and toppled over. They discovered that the trunks of the trees did not have certain strength-enhancing structures that their counterparts in nature had. It was because there was no wind; the trees never had to develop strength. They later installed fans to simulate wind.

So it is with us. We need tests to develop a deeper trust in Christ, to seek His help rather than ours, to see Him as our sovereign Lord. That is what Isaiah 48:10 is about; Job endured severe tests as a way of deepening his faith; Jonah as well; Paul, Peter and John too.

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No, Satan will not go to Heaven. Demons are fallen angels, and the Bible speaks of their having made their decision. They get no opportunity for redemption. We do, through Christ.