Was Solomon Saved?

Quote:

Originally Posted by wtom04

Check out the example of King Solomon. King Solomon is a true man of God, but became a serial polygamist and demon worshiper at the end of his life - 1 Kings 11:1-13. Solomon even built 2 altars to the 2 demon gods, Chemosh and Molech in 1 Kings 11:7. Molech was a demon god that required child sacrifices - a Satanic practice. (The practice of sacrificing one's sons/daughters in the fire - Leviticus 18:21, 2 Kings 23:10) This was King Solomon. Solomon persisted in his sins despite God warning him TWICE - 1 Kings 9:2 - 6, 1 Kings 11:9-11. Because of Solomon's defiance, God declared to Solomon that He would tear away a major portion of his kingdom, but do it in his son's generation because of God's covenant with Solomon's father, King David. God then brought 3 adversaries against Solomon - 1 Kings 11:14, 23, 26. Then we read that Solomon tried to commit MURDER in 1 Kings 11:40. Nowhere in Scripture does it ever say that Solomon "lost his salvation" or "never had it to begin with."

wtom04 if such things were happening today like someone who declared Christ then takes on other wives or built shrines for his wives and even participated in worship to Molech they obviously would not be saved and would go to Hell, e.g. Calvinists are going to Hell. They were never saved to begin with.

We have to think differently about back then because times were different. The Holy Spirit didn't indwell the spirit of people back then. The new life is still eternal life, but the Holy Spirit did not indwell, not till the veil was rent. Solomon was saved back then but today under so much grace he would not be saved if he did the same as he did back then so we can conclude he would not take on those things he took on back then if he was alive today. Hence, the difference between the dispensation under the law and under grace, or mystery age of the Church.

I can't accept someone is not saved if they wrote books of the Bible. All 40 authors across 1500 years were believers and thus, once saved always saved. I do not believe if Solomon was alive today he would have more than one wife. He would reject these false gods like Molech where children were thrown into the fire of its mouth. But don't think today a Mormon or JW or 7th Day Adventist or Calvinist or Roman Catholic would be saved. The disparity today among them is far greater away from a Christian than what was perceived under the OT for they did not yet have the Messiah on the cross yet. We have had 4000 years from Adam to Christ, 2000 years of the Church age, so we are really without any excuse.

If I am wrong in what I said then it suggest either a) a person could lose salvation once saved, or b) today you can have 700 wives and 300 concubines and still be saved, or c) Solomon was never saved in the first place.

We shall know them by their fruit if they are really born-again today. So I go with option 4 which is d) different times, less grace since the Messiah had not arrived yet, so greater tolerance by God back then of salvation by faith alone. It is still salvation by faith alone but there is some leeway in the works that follow. This is not to say initial salvation is by works in any sense, but we must mesh nature of the situation to the times. After all the Holy Spirit did not indwell the believer back then. And it seemed multiple wives was the norm. And these damn shrines were everywhere.

Please correct me if I am wrong in anything I said, but I believe option 4 is the correct one.