Is God Still Saving?

Is God still Saving? Yes! Absolutely!

We can say with absolute confidence that the Bible teaches God is still saving right up to the Last Day when we see Christ appear as lightning shines from east to west. This is in spite of what some are teaching today, namely that God ceased to save anyone after May 21, 2011, and that there is no hope of salvation today for those who did not become saved prior to May 21, 2011. This teaching can be and has been shown to be utterly false and a shameful disservice to the cause of Christ. Those who teach this also assert that there are those who have become saved prior to May 21, 2011 who may or may not be aware that they have become saved, and that God continues to draw these individuals who were previously saved. Such teaching flies in the face of what the scripture teaches concerning the very Nature of Salvation, namely that being born from above means that such a person has literally become a new creation in Christ, and his old nature has been crucified with Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The idea that such a person may not be aware of having become saved and is being drawn by God is ludicrous. The drawing that God has in view in John 6:44 or John 12:32 is that of drawing a sinner to salvation, not the other way around. 

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men[who are to be saved] unto me.

In these two verses the root Greek verb translated “draw” is ἑλκύω helkuō. This same root word is found twice in John 21. 

⁶And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

¹¹Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

A passage that helps us greatly to place things in their proper perspective is Matthew 13:47-50

⁴⁷ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: ⁴⁸ Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. ⁴⁹ So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, ⁵⁰ And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

There are a number of important spiritual principles being taught in these verses. The first is to recognize that the gospel is like a large net that is thrown into the sea and gathers fish of every kind. The fish which are gathered into the net are of two kinds, good and bad. The net is then drawn to shore. The shore represents the kingdom of God. In John 21, Jesus was standing on the shore directing the disciples where to place their net. Only when the net reaches the shore, are the good separated from the bad, and the bad cast away. Therefore, the drawing of those fish to shore is what God has in view in John 6:44 and John 12:32. The good fish who are dragged to shore and dragged out of the water represent those who are being drawn to salvation, the shore signifying the kingdom of God into which we enter at the moment of salvation. 

Please note that in the physical story the fish are not dead until they reach the shore and are dragged out of the water onto the land. Likewise, the Bible teaches that when we become saved, we have been baptized into Christ’s death (Romans 6:3); we have been buried with Christ by baptism into death (Romans 6:4); we have been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20); we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). Thus, those fish were not caught until they were dragged out of the water onto the shore. 

This is also proven by verses 9 and 10 of John 21:

⁹ As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. ¹⁰ Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

We want to note that the “good” fish were laid on a fire of coals. There is a principle here, namely that when we become saved, we are spiritually brought into contact with a fire of coals and our sin purged. In essence, we are laid on a fire of coals. In Isaiah 6:5-7 God declares, 

⁵ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. ⁶ Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: ⁷ And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 

Please also note that John 21:10 can literally be translated, “Jesus says to them, Bring of the fish which you took just now,” emphasizing that it is not until the good fish are dragged out of the water and placed on the fire of coals that they have been “caught.” In other words, being gathered into the net in the water is not identified with being “caught,” that is, becoming saved. 

To further underscore this, please note in John 21:6 that when they cast the net on the right side of the ship, they were unable to draw the net for the multitude of fishes. Were those fish saved as yet? The answer is No. The Greek word πλοῖον ploion translated “ship” is commonly translated ship some 66 times in the Bible. It wasn’t until Simon Peter cast himself naked into the sea and the other disciples came in a “little ship” that they were able to drag the net to shore. The term “little ship” is the Greek word πλοιάριον ploiarion that is only found 6 times in the Bible. The ship ploion that could not drag the net to shore is a picture of the local congregations that are no longer being used of God to bring the fish to shore. Rather, it was the disciples in the “little ship” ploiarion and Peter (a picture of Christ exposed with our sins as he cast himself naked into the sea) that are being used of God to drag the fish to shore. 

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We have written a very detailed Bible Study demonstrating that the Bible clearly teaches God continues to save His Elect right up until the very Last Day, when Christ will physically return on the clouds of glory to complete His Salvation and Judgment program.

Other Bible Studies and Tracts focusing on God’s Salvation and Judgment program during this Day of Great Tribulation may be accessed below and on our YouTube Channel.

Studies And Tracts

• Study: Is God Still Saving?
• Tract: Is God Still Saving?
• Study: I Hope God Will Save Me
• Tract: I Hope God Will Save Me
• Tract: God is ONLY Saving OUTSIDE the Churches (English)
• Tract: God is ONLY Saving OUTSIDE the Churches (Spanish)
• Tract: God is ONLY Saving OUTSIDE the Churches (Kiswahili)
• Study: The End of the Church Age and After
• Tract: The End of the Church Age and After