Question:  Why does Ephesians 2:8 in The AV7 Bible read: "you are  being  saved"  ... instead of  ... "you have been saved"   as most other versions read?

Answer:   The translation:  "you are  being  saved"  is the accurate rendering because the original language words used here are present-tense and/or continuing-tense and definitely not past-tense.

Please note:  In The AV7 Bible,  the word  being  is shown in a reduced-size italic font or in brackets or in a lighter color type,  to clearly identify it as an interpolatively added word.

The time honored 1611-1769 English text renders this verse in this way:   "For by grace are ye saved through faith ..."

The word  "are"  is a present-tense or continuing-tense verb.

It is for a very good reason that it does not read "were ye saved."   While the word  "saved"  might seem at first look to be past tense,  it is not.   In the original Greek source text,  is a continuing tense verb.

You might think of the word "saved" here in the sense of being "rescued" from a ship that has been damaged in a severe storm and taken into a life raft.  While one might be "saved" or rescued from a ship that was about to sink,  the person rescued is still out in a ferocious storm,  and therefore still at risk.  One could not really be "saved" (past-tense) in the sense of being completely safe from ferociously churning seas until one eventually (it is hoped) reaches solid ground.

The Greek word "seswsmenoi" is a continuing-tense verb.   Strong's Exhaustive Concordance assigns the number 4982.5772 to this word,  and the last four digits identify the applicable tense, voice, and mood of the word,  which in this case is continuing tense,  and not past tense.

Therefore, to arbitrarily substitute the past tense paraphrase "have been saved" into this sentence artificially interjects and forces a past tense reading that is not an accurate translation of the original Greek source.  There are no underlying Greek words in this verse on which to base a translation, "have been saved."

While some have conjectured a man-made doctrine that asserts the notion "once saved, always saved," there is no Scriptural basis for that conjecture.  On the contrary,  the Bible clearly refutes that false doctrine in many places.

For example,  consider Luke 8:13 in which Jesus uses a parable to illustrate the sad reality that some will "fall away" in times of trials and tribulation because their faith is shallow and not genuine.

Also consider 2 Corinthians 13:5, in which professing believers are admonished to "Examine" themselves to see if they are truly in the faith.  Or, the opposite condition is declared here that some will be "reprobates."  A reprobate is defined as "depraved, unprincipled, or wicked."

While some may put on a good show,  a false front,  and a pretense,  eventually everyone's true colors will be revealed.  Just because someone makes a profession of faith and talks a good story claiming that they "have been saved" is no guarantee that they are truly "saved."&lnbsp; Jesus said,  "By their fruit, you will know them."  Without question,  some who claim to be "saved" will be found to be counterfeit.  Remember,  Jesus warned us to beware of false teachers and false prophets.

The truth is,  that genuine faith is a progressive, ongoing process.  Remember also that faith an essential component of the fruit of the Spirit (as declared in Galatians 5:22).  One of the evidences of true faith is that true believers will continually grow in faith throughout their lives.  In contrast to that,  many who may call themselves "saved" may not really be genuinely and totally committed in their profession of faith.  In 2nd Thessalonians 2:3,  the Scripture discloses that "... there first [will] come a falling away ..."

In John 5:14,  Jesus warned:  "Behold, you are made whole. Sin no more,  lest a worse thing come to you."  Being "saved" (in the sense of being rescued from any given circumstance) is no guarantee that a person will never fall away and lose their salvation.  Jesus plainly declared that if someone returns to sinning and continues in sin and persist in sin,  then the result will be an appropriate judgment.

In Hebrews 10:26-27,  we see further proof of this sobering truth:  "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth,  there remains no more sacrifice for sins. s; But there will be a certain fearful expectation+ of judgment and fiery indignation that will devour the adversaries."

Taking all this into consideration,  it is important to understand that as long as we remain alive on the earth, we are in a continuing journey through a minefield of temptations and risks.  God has promised that He will save us as long as we continue to put our faith and trust in Him and continue to follow Him.

Notice that every instance of the word "saved" in the Bible is expressed in a future tense.  A few examples:

Matthew 10:22:  "those who endure to the end will be saved."  And also consider these passages:  Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13, 16:16; John 10:9; Acts 2:21, 11:14, 15:11, 16:31; Romans 5:9-10, 9:27, 10:9, 10:13, 11:26; 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 Timothy 2:15, 4:16 and many more.

God never did say,  "once saved, always saved."

That notion is never stated or implied anywhere in the Bible.  Instead, the correct biblical principle is clear:

For by grace you are  being  saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves.
 It is  the gift of God.