Believers have
different points of view on many topics.
Could one, in particular, be causing Christians to become lackadaisical
regarding their walk with God?
This is my main question, and it has to do with another question.
The question is, “Can a person lose his or her
salvation?” This question has caused so much division within the church body, so please just read what I have studied and compiled here. After that, carefully study the scriptures for yourself. We are instructed to
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Scripture also tells us...
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
1 John 2:27
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things... John 14:26
Therefore, do not solely rely on another to teach you.
We, as humans, are not without error.
Study God's word, and ask the Holy Spirit for understanding.
So with that said, I now dive into the Word of Truth.
Join me.
I have studied Biblical references and notes from scriptural studies, and this
is what I have received through my study.
When one "loses" something, it is usually meant that one has accidentally
lost something.
It was not willfully
given away or departed from.
With that in mind, I want to mention that
we are in God's hands.
He is not in ours.
Therefore, we cannot lose what is, in all actuality, holding us. (Read that again.)
Moreover, God is God and He doesn't misplace or "lose" people.
So first of all, I'd like to say that when people ask if you can "lose" your salvation,
the word "lose" is not the appropriate term.
In reality, the term "lose" makes it a ridiculous question.
Of course the answer to a question like that would be
NO.
I repeat, how can WE lose(accidentally misplace)what is, in all actuality, holding us?
However, He holds us, but He does not forcefully hold us down.
Think on
this while I venture out in a few other directions.
Jesus is
willing to save any person who calls on His name. However, sin separates us from God. This is why we need salvation through Christ
in the first place.
We cannot willingly
continue in sin
while abiding in
(remaining in)
Christ Jesus.
There is a
very familiar term used, and it is “REPENTANCE”.
Without repentance from sin, we cannot have fellowship with a holy God. We are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).
Do we only repent once?
I pray not.
Do we not need to repent of some form of
errant behavior on a daily basis?
Of
course we do.
However, that is not to say that we need to be re-saved every
day.
When a Christian sins, it should
immediate prick his or her heart unto repentance.
We were to daily take up our cross.
"...I die daily." 1 Corinthians 15:31
There is a significant difference between living with a repenting heart and
in willful, continual sinfulness!
"There is a sin unto death...All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death." 1 John 5:16-17
I am
going to give you numerous scripture references and point out a few certainties
from most of them. In several, the key
word is “if”.
John
8:51- I tell you the truth, IF anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.
Since we will all experience
a physical death, death here is evidently a spiritual death. Notice there is instruction here. Obedience
is necessary!
1
John 3:6- No one who lives IN Him keeps on sinning.
There is more to this verse,
but the point is that a person cannot claim to be IN Christ and continually and willfully sin. So, if a person
claims to have been saved by grace, yet he continues in a
sinful lifestyle without a repented heart, then he is not in Christ.
Does Not
In Christ = Saved ?
No.
"If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the
darkness[sin], we lie…" 1 John 1:6.
This brings up another topic. Let me venture
out here for just a moment.
How is it
that so many claiming to be saved are walking in darkness? So many are
doing what they think is right in their own eyes without studying God’s word. For
example, many are obsessed with the television show, The Walking Dead. God’s word
says, "I will set no wicked thing before my eyes." Psalm 101:3
and "Abstain from all appearance of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:22.
In this show, bloody zombies, with their bones
showing and their guts hanging out, walk around killing and eating people. While researching this show for a blog post,"The Walking Dead, Please Don't Watch", I stumbled across some horrifically evil pictures of zombies. To no surprise, there is a new street drug
making people act like Zombies. A man in
Florida had to be killed because he was caught naked eating another man’s face
off.
This is all connected at the very core
of evil,
yet some Christians assume they are free, in Christ, to indulge in
watching such wickedness even when they know it's evil. Now we, as Christians, seem to get into things we ought not to, so I am not judging a person as condemned or lost for watching or listening to something. However, Christians need to be learning and growing in spiritual maturity on a daily basis instead of growing more worldly. As we grow, there should be things we use to do that we don't do anymore. We need to be mindful of the evil around us, and I believe that even a babe in Christ should be able to discern the demonic nature of this television show. We are free in Christ to be free of sin, not to indulge in it.
Moreover, if a person thinks he or she is under no laws and free to live however he or she wants; one becomes lax regarding his or her relationship with God. Because of this heedless attitude, more and more sinful
practices are embraced such as:
Adultery
Fornication
Debauchery
[shamelessness]
Partying
lifestyle
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have
also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
The bottom
line is that many who believe they cannot possibly go astray
do not
take sin seriously.
Whats more, if they are living in a continual sinful state, then they will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven.
Paul wrote,
"What shall we say then? Shall we CONTINUE in
sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin,
live any longer therein?" Romans 6:1
From the same chapter, I like how verses 15 and 16 illustrates it.
"What then? Shall we sin because we are
not under the law, but under grace? God forbid."
These verses are not casually warning us that we are better off
if we don’t sin. They do not imply that if we do sin then we will still be okay because
we are under grace. NO, no, no! It goes
on to say…
"Know
ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye
are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of OBEDIENCE unto
righteousness."
This means that if you yield yourself to sin, you are serving the devil. The end of this is death. This is spiritual death. Spiritual death does not equal everlasting life!
So regardless if you call yourself a Christian, if you are again entangled in sin then you are obeying and serving satan unto death.
OBEDIENCE is
necessary!
There are many
preachers in today’s world who give people a false sense of security by
teaching them that once they are born again, they can never depart. However, we choose to become children of
God. By choosing to willfully return and continue in sin, we choose to be
children of the devil. Let me share a
true story with you. I heard a preacher
say something along the lines of a person being saved at an early age then, after growing up, he shot several people at a McDonalds. He got killed in the process, but then he woke
up in Heaven wondering how on earth he got there! I was flabbergasted! One cannot be in
habitual, routine, persistent, and ongoing sin and be IN Christ.
Take for
example the story of the Prodigal Son.
Luke 15:11
starts by saying that “A certain man had two sons.”
We can see from the parable that both sons were abiding with their father.
Most of us know the story. The
younger son wasted his inheritance (much wasted on harlots) and lived a riotous
life. When he came to himself, he realized who he had become and how much he
needed to return home although he felt unworthy.
Here is what I’d like to point
out.
His father says in verse 24 “for this my son was dead and is alive AGAIN; he was lost and is found…” Before he
left home, this younger son was safe abiding
IN his father’s home. He willfully chose to leave and was lured
into a far country. This is what satan desires for us to do. This son was
indulging in prostitutes and lavish sinful living. We also see how his older
brother became angry and jealous when his father welcomed home the younger son
with a feast. Both sons committed sin,
but only one was lost and dead because of his willful and continual sinful lifestyle. This is explained in 1 John 5:16-17. Remember, the verses were about sin unto death and sin not unto death?
The
father explained to the older son, “Son, thou art EVER
WITH me, and all I have is thine. vs. 31
See, the older brother ABIDED constantly with his father. Although
he was not perfect, he abided still with his father, and was heir to all his
father had.
However, the younger son willingly left and fell utterly into a
life of sin. Verse 31 says again, “…thy brother was dead, and is alive AGAIN; and was lost and is found.” Notice the
word “again”. If the son was alive
again, this means that he was alive before when he abided with his
father.
He was
ALIVE [abiding
in his father’s house]- DEAD & LOST-
then ALIVE AGAIN.
We all know
this parable is comparing the father to God.
Here is another thought.
Wouldn't you think that the father hoped that his son would return? Don't you know that he must have prayed for his son just as the Bible tells us that Jesus prays for us?
Verse 20 says, “…when he (the son) was yet a
great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran, and fell on is
neck, and kissed him."
What a beautiful verse!
Yes, God is able to see one who is far
off.
“For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.” Ezekiel 34:11
There is no doubt that the Lord calls out to the hearts of those who have gone astray. However, we see that it was not
until the son admitted his sinfulness and turned for home that the father ran
to meet him, wrap his arms around him, and welcome him back home.
God gives everyone the freewill to choose. He did not create us as robots. This parable shows what a loving and
forgiving Father we have. It also shows that
one who leaves the Father for a sinful lifestyle is considered dead and lost.
He must
REPENT to be alive AGAIN.
DEAD
and LOST does not equal Eternal Life!
What
if the son willfully chose to stay in the sinful state he was in?
The
following scriptures show very clearly the danger of returning to sin.
“Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done.Ezekiel 33:12-13.
That needs no
explanation. Some say, “That is in the Old Testament. We are under the
New.” The scriptures answer: “Now
therefore ye [the New Testament church]… are built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” Eph.
2:19-20. “This second epistle,
beloved, I now write unto you…that ye may be mindful of the words which were
spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles
of the Lord and Savior.” II Pet. 3:1-2.
Thus, Paul and Peter
both taught that the doctrines of the New Testament are founded on the
teachings of Jesus, His apostles, and the prophets of old.
Knowing this, it
is impossible to brush off the words of the prophet Ezekiel as mere
history.
The truths of Ezk. 33:12-13 still hold especially true in the
New Testament and tell us very plainly how God feels toward those
who willfully choose to sin after they have been born again.
“For
if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of
the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again
entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the
beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way
of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it
is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his
own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the
mire.” II Pet. 2:20-22.
This
very clearly tells us that someone can turn from righteousness and go
back to their old, sinful ways.
Their condition is worse than if
they had never been saved.
God told Moses, “Whosoever hath sinned against me,
him will I blot out of my book.” Ex. 32:33.
Now this is very
serious, for on Judgment Day, "whosoever is not
found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire." Rev.
20:15.
“…Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” John
8:34. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and
love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.” Matt. 6:24.
Here Jesus says you cannot
serve God and mammon. Mammon is simply money and earthly
possessions.
How much less can a person serve God and sin?
It cannot be
done.
“He that committeth sin is of the
devil…In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil:
whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his
brother.” I John 3:8-10.
Can you be a child of God and of the devil at
the same time? No!
When a person
is saved, they receive eternal life.
Some say, “See–it is eternal; it is
never ending. You can never lose it.” The Bible says, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and ye know
that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” I John 3:15.
Some say it is possible for a person to be living in sin, have hatred, commit murder, adultery, etc. and
yet still have eternal life. This scripture says that we know it is not
so.
“For the wages of sin is [still] death…”
Rom. 6:23.
“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and
men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” John
15:6.
For
something to wither, it must first have had life. It was a living branch
that was cut off from its source. It dies. It hasn’t changed from
Adam’s day, when God told him, “…In the day that
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Gen. 2:17.
“Thou
wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by
faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural
branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the
goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee,
goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut
off.” Rom. 11:19-22.
The
disobedient will be cut off.
A branch cut off of a tree does not live.
The devil
loves to ease
the consciences of people to make them feel comfortable in their sins and give them a false hope of
heaven.
However, sinners(those who willingly live in continual sin) will receive the sentence of eternal damnation on
Judgment Day no matter if they called themselves “Christians” or not.
We
all need to walk in obedience to God, keeping our garments unspotted from sin
and the world. Only in obedience can we remain children of God in
righteousness and holiness and expect a home in heaven.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
”Matt. 5:8
Those who are
impure in heart will not see God.
Eph.
5:5,6 –”For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person…
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ… Let no one deceive you with
empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are
disobedient.”
Again,
it’s about OBEDIENCE.
"Anyone who chooses [See you still have a
choice] to be a friend of the world becomes an
enemy of God.” James 4:4
To sin makes one a friend of the world; and enemies of God
don’t inherit eternal life.
"I preached that they should repent
and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” Acts 26:20 Deeds do not insure salvation, but they will show a repentance (or non-repentant) heart. “Repentant” –present tense– in continuous
“repentance mode.”
"If we deliberately keep on
sinning after having a knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is
left… [because that person has] treated as an unholy thing the blood of the
covenant that sanctified him, and… has insulted the Spirit of grace…” Heb. 10:26-31.
Notice that past tense form
of the word “sanctified”. And notice what happens to this once sanctified
person who insults the Spirit of grace –who is “Jesus” (Acts
16:7) [the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ.]
"Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray [with their huge,
cunning false doctrines]. He who does what is right is righteous, just as
He is righteous.” We ourselves are righteous as we rest IN Him because we do
righteously. For as v. 9 says,
“No
one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s nature abides in
him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:7
Therefore, if a person is willfully living in sin, is he
still IN Christ?
Absolutely Not.
John 15:1-6 - We must bear fruit or be cast off.
Disciples are
described as branches "in Christ" (v2,5, etc.) who have been cleansed
by His word (v3).
First, think about
this… How can a person be a branch on the Vine if he does not belong to the
Vine?
The branch illustrates a believer
IN Christ. To be a believer IN Christ
one must be born again. So the branch
being cut off and thrown into the fire clearly illustrates how a person
willingly disobeying and sinning against God will be cut off from Him?
But if they
don't bear fruit and abide in Christ (v2,4-6), they will be taken away (v2),
cast into the fire and burned (v6). Abiding
in Jesus and bearing fruit requires obedience.
I John 3:6,24; John 15:10; Gal. 5:19
Romans 8:12-17 - We must live according to the Spirit, not the
flesh.
This
is addressed to children of God
(those who have been born again)(v16).
We are warned
not to live according to the deeds of the flesh but be led by the Spirit. If we
live according to the flesh, we will die (v13). This
cannot be physical death since we all die physically regardless of how we live.
This death is the opposite of the life we receive if we follow the Spirit.
Why would
Children of God be warned of dying spiritually if it were not at all possible?
To be heirs of
Christ, we must be led of the Spirit (v14) and suffer with Christ (v17). It is
conditional and depends on obedience.
Galatians 6:7-9 - We must sow to the Spirit, not the flesh.
This
is addressed to members of the church (1:2), sons of God by faith (3:26). [4:6]
We will reap
as we sow. If we sow to the spirit (if we produce the fruit of the Spirit 5:22-25), we will reap eternal life (v8). If we sow to the flesh (do the works
of the flesh 5:19-21), we reap corruption (6:8), which is the opposite of
eternal life.
In this case, we cannot inherit the kingdom of God (5:21).
We reap
eternal life if we don't grow weary in doing good (v9).
Be
not deceived. One will not reap eternal life if they sow to the flesh.
1 Corinthians 9:27 & 10:12 - We must control our bodies and
avoid sinning like Israel did.
9:25-27 -
Paul, who was an apostle and therefore a child of God, was striving to gain the
imperishable crown (v25). He had to discipline his body and bring it into
subjection lest he himself be disqualified (NKJV; "a castaway" - KJV;
"rejected" or "reprobate" 2 Cor. 13:5; Rom. 1:28; 2 Tim. 3:8; Tit. 1:16).
10:1-12 -
Israel is an example showing us the importance of avoiding sin. The people to
whom this warning applies ("we" "us") include the church,
sanctified saints (1:2; 1:9), and the apostle Paul.
This is an
example and admonition to us (v6,11). We should not lust after evil (v6),
commit idolatry (v7), commit fornication (v8), etc. One who thinks he stands,
must take heed lest he fall (v12). In context, this means he will not receive
the crown Paul described (9:25-27). 6:9,10 show that people guilty of these
sins won't receive the kingdom of God.
Hebrews 3:6,11-14; 4:9,11 - We must avoid rebelling like Israel.
This is
addressed to "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling" (v1).
Israel failed
to enter God's rest because they lacked faith and obedience.
We too must guard
lest we have an evil heart of unbelief, departing from God (v12), and become
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (v13).
To partake
with Christ, we must hold fast our confidence (faith) firm to the end (3:6,14).
If we do so choose to willfully depart, we will not
enter the rest God has for us (4:9,11).
Hebrews 10:26-31,39 - We must avoid willful sin.
This is
speaking to those who know the truth (v26) and have been sanctified by the
blood (v29). It is discussing the Lord's judgment on "His people"
(v30).
We are warned
not to sin willfully (v26). As long
as we go on sinning willfully there
is no sacrifice for sin.
(This is not
discussing what will happen if such people repent and change but what our
condition is as long as this conduct continues.)
Therefore, one cannot "lose" one’s salvation. Rather, one can deliberately, willingly, and
rebelliously chooses to depart from the security found only IN [abiding in or
remaining in] Jesus.
John 10:28,29 - "They shall never
perish … no one shall snatch them out of my hand."
This is a
wonderful promise. But is it so unconditional that a
person's soul cannot be lost no matter how he lives?
The context gives conditions in verses 27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."
Note the word
"and" repeated.
Receiving life and never perishing are tied to hearing Jesus and following him. These are conditions.
As
the Good Shepherd, Jesus protects His sheep so no one can destroy them, as long as the sheep
hear Jesus and follow Him. But what if they cease to hear and follow, as we have learned elsewhere
they can?
"Pluck"
refers to an outside force.
"Pluck"
(KJV) or "snatch" means "to seize, carry off by force" like
the thief might do (v10,12). Neither Satan nor
any outside force can steal you from the Lord, as long as you abide IN Him.
But we must "resist the devil," and then
we have assurance he will flee from us (James 4:7).
What happens if,
through negligence or willful rebellion, we wander away from the protection of
Jesus' fold?
Sheep
can stray from the shepherd's protection.
Luke 15:3-7 -
100 sheep belonged to the shepherd (v4,6), but one became lost.
Acts 20:28-30
- Wolves may enter among the flock, speak perverse things, and draw away the disciples.
However, they
cannot compel us to follow them.
We may still choose to follow
the Lord's voice. But false teachers can lure us, attract us, and tempt us
if we choose to listen and
follow them (Just as the Prodigal Son did).
I Peter 5:8,9
- Satan is a roaring lion seeking to devour us. If we do not withstand him, he
can lure us to destruction through sin.
However, we can withstand him if we have faith
and vigilance. This is what
Jesus promised in John 10. (John 17; 6:37-40; I Pet. 2:25).
Think
about it this way….If sheep cannot possibly stray, even of their own free will,
then this would deny our free moral power to choose. We could not become lost
even if we wanted to!
So why would the Bible even warn
us?
Is it impossible for a born again Christian to sin?
"One begotten of God "does not sin … he cannot sin"
1 John 3:9
We must take all the Bible says on any subject (Acts
3:22,23).
We have
already shown many passages showing that it is possible for a child of God to sin. Many more verses,
even in 1 John and addressed to these same people, show this is true:
1 John 1:8,10
- If we say we don't sin, we lie and truth is not in us. This is exactly the condition of some folks who argue that Christians cannot sin!
1 John 2:1,2 -
John wrote so we would avoid sin. Jesus is our propitiation if we do sin.
1 John 2:15-17
- Love not the world. If we do, we don't love the Father (I Cor. 16:22).
Why warn us, if it is impossible to be guilty?
1 John 5:21 -
Guard yourself from idols. Why, if it is impossible to fall?
A
true child of God may occasionally commit acts of sin, but he must repent,
confess, and be forgiven by Jesus' blood (1:9; 2:2). He must not continue in the practice of
sin.
As I mentioned before,
"There is a sin unto
death and a sin NOT unto death"
1 John 5: 16-18
Sins not unto death
are sins that do not mark a deliberate and persistent rebellion against God.
"God's
seed abides" in the child of God.
The seed that
begets us, so we become children of God, is the word of God:
1 Peter
1:23-25 - We are begotten again by the incorruptible seed which is the Word of
God.
James 1:18 -
We are begotten by the word of truth.
1 John 2:14,24
- The word of God, which we heard, abides in us. [Luke 8:11; I Cor. 4:15; I
John 1:10; 2:5,7]
How does
the seed abide
in us?
Can it cease abiding
in us?
1 John 1:10 -
If we say we do not sin, His word is not in us. We may still know what it says, but we have
rejected it.
John 5:38 - If
we do not believe Jesus, God's word does not abide in us.
Acts 2:41 -
Those who gladly received the word were baptized. Receiving the word requires
believing and obeying it. Otherwise we are rejecting it. (I Thess. 2:13)
To have the
word abiding IN us means to have a receptive attitude toward it, believing and
obeying it, applying it in our lives.
If this is our attitude,
1 John 3:9 says
we will not continue in the practice
of sin. Of course not, because to do so would be to reject the word so it no longer abides in us!
Psalms
119:11 says, " Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!"
This is exactly what 1 John 3:9 says.
But can we
cease believing the word, studying it, and striving to live by it?
We have
shown that we can.
If we do, the seed no longer abides in us, so we practice
sin.
1 Corinthians
10:21 says, "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."(it is not
lawful).
Hence 1 John
3:9 means that when one has accepted God's word into his heart and so becomes a
child of God, his attitude and the principles of the word will not allow him to
continue practicing sin.
God's word (the seed) has become the guiding principle
of his heart, and it would be inconsistent with this to continue practicing
sin.
For example,
suppose an employer asks a Christian employee to tell a lie. The Christian
replies, "I can't do a thing like that." Is it physically impossible?
No, but it is completely contrary to his nature as a child of God. As long as his attitude toward God's word
is right, he will not do it.
2 Peter 1:8-11; 2:20-22 - We must grow in Christ instead of
returning to the world.
1:8-11 - This
is spoken to those who have obtained like precious faith (v1), escaped the
corruption of the world (v4), and been purged from old sins (v9).
We must add to
our lives the qualities listed in verse 5-7
"...add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
If we do, we make our calling and
election sure so we don't stumble (v10), but we receive the abundant entrance
to the everlasting kingdom (v11).
Note there is security for the believer, but
obedience is required.
2:20-22 - This
is still talking to people who have escaped the pollution of the world (v20),
knowing the way of righteousness (v21). [v1,15]
We are warned
not to become entangled again in the world (v20), turning from the holy command
(v21). If we do, we are worse off than we were before we knew the truth (v20).
We are like a dog returning to vomit or a sow returning to mire (v22).
Romans 6:12-18 - We must not let sin reign in our bodies.
These were
baptized into Christ (v3,4), set free from sin, and become servants of
righteousness (v18).
They are
warned not to let sin reign in their bodies nor present their members as
instruments of sin (v12,13). The result of that would be death (v16).
This must
be spiritual again, since all die physically.
The wages of sin, even for those
here addressed, is death, in contrast to eternal life (v23).
*See, those
who were baptized in Christ are still warned not to let sin reign in their
bodies OR it will bring death!
Death
does not equal eternal life!!
Hebrews 6:4-8 - We must avoid falling away.
This is
addressed to those once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift and
the good word of God and were partakers of the Holy Spirit (v4,5).
We
are warned not to fall away (v6). If they continue in this pattern of life, they
will be burned up. They are crucifying Jesus afresh and putting Him to an open shame
(v6). Their destiny is to be burned like a field of thorns (v8).
I would like
to add that if a person beareth a field of thorns and briers, he is cultivating
sin.
To cultivate, one has to tend to it
like a farmer does to a garden. This
person would be willfully and continually planting and bearing sin in their
life. Remember, this is talking about those once enlightened.
Why would God
continually warn His children of the danger of sin and spiritual death if it cannot
happen? God is not the author of
confusion (I Cor. 14:33).
Why waste time warning us about dangers that cannot
happen anyway?
The Old
Testament contains countless examples in which God's people sinned and fell
from God's favor, both individually and collectively. (Lev. 26; Deut. 28-30; I
Sam. 12:10; chaps. 10-16; 28:15,16; I Chron. 28:9; 2 Chron. 15:2; 24:20; Isa.
1:28; Jer. 2:19,32 cf. Psa. 9:17; Jer. 3:6-14; 8:4-13; 9:12-16; Hos. 9:10; cf.
Acts 7:37-43; Rev. 21:8)
The
fact that these are in the Old Testament does not diminish the lesson for us!
The New Testament expressly
warns us that the same principle applies to us [I Cor. 10:1-12; Heb. 3,4].
With regard to the possibility of God's people sinning and being lost, the
Old and New Testaments teach the same.
Christians who lost their faith
Hebrews 3:12
warned of the danger of developing an evil heart of unbelief like
Israel. Many New Testament examples show people to whom this very thing
happened:
2 Timothy
2:16-18 - Hymenaeus & Philetus strayed and overthrew the
faith of some. (Faith
cannot be overthrown in those who do not first possess it.)
1 Timothy
1:18-20 - Timothy should hold the faith and not be like Hymenaeus and
Alexander, who made shipwreck concerning the faith and
committed blasphemy.
1 Timothy 5:8
- Anyone (including a child of God) who doesn't care for his family has denied
the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
What happens
to people who lose their faith? Faith is essential to salvation.
Hebrews 11:6 -
Without faith it is impossible to please God (the application in the context of
this book is to those who had faith but turn from it - 3:12; 10:30).
Revelation
21:8 - Unbelievers will be in the lake of fire.
Let me tell you a true story of a man who lost his faith and became lost and dead in a sinful lifestyle.
A certain man, whom I know, was once obedient and served God. Over the years, his heart grew callous. He no longer lived obedient to the Lord. He even began to doubt the existence of God. As he aged, his physical health began to deteriorate and he found himself crying out to God. One day, after crying out to God,he heard God speak to him. God said, "I cannot forgive you because you do not love me." The man wept and continued to pray. He heard God speak to him again. God told him to get on his knees. After praying and crying, God spoke to him again. The man heard God call him by name, and then God said, "I forgive you and I love you." Today, God is still doing a work in this man's life, and he is trying to live a more obedient life. I was so glad to hear that this prodigal son decided to return home into the loving arms of his Father.
Was God calling this sinner back home?
I believe so.
Was it his choice to return? Yes, I believe so.
Now let's continue with this study.
Acts 8:12-24 - Simon the Sorcerer
Simon believed
and was baptized (v13). This is what Jesus said one must do to be saved (Mark
16:16). This is what the other Samaritans did (v12). Simon did "ALSO"
the same things the others did. If they were saved, he was saved. If he was not
saved, then none of the others were saved.
But Simon
later sinned. His heart was not right (v21), he was guilty of wickedness (v22),
and was in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity (v23). As a result, he would perish (v20) if he did not repent and pray (v22).
Galatians 5:1-4
These people
were children of God (3:26; 1:2-4; 4:6), who had been set free by Christ (5:1).
They had to be in grace if they fell from it (5:4).
They sinned in
that they desired to go back to the Old Testament yoke of bondage (5:1) and
bound circumcision. As a result, Christ profited them nothing (v2), they were
severed from Christ (v4), fallen from grace (v4). They were not obeying truth
(v7).
These were
children of God who were in God's grace but then fell from that grace so that
Christ profited them nothing and they were severed from Christ. Can one receive
eternal life if he is severed from Christ (Eph. 1:3-7) and fallen from the
grace that saves (Eph. 2:8)?
Folks are
sometimes confused by passages. We need to understand the arguments and how to answer them. Some
of these passages do offer hope and security to believers, but they are conditional passages,
and these conditions are often
overlooked.
If we study the verses in light of what we have already learned
we will see that, while they do give
security to those who are faithful, they do not teach unconditional
security.
Passages
that Say We Have Eternal Life
Numerous
passages are cited which say we have eternal life: John 10:28; 17:3; 5:24;
3:36; 6:47; 3:16; I John 5:12,13. Some argue that, if we have it, and if it is
eternal, then we cannot lose it. If we do, it wasn't eternal.
We have eternal life now only as a promise or hope.
1 John 2:25 -
This is the promise He has promised us, even life
eternal.
James 1:12 -
The crown of life which the Lord promised to those who
love Him.
Titus 1:2; 3:7
- The hope of eternal life, which God promised.
We receive eternal life, in the sense of a present possession,
only after earthly life is over and then only if we endure faithfully till life
is over.
Luke 18:30 -
We receive eternal life "in the world to come."
Romans 2:5-7 -
Eternal life will be given at the judgment IF we continue patiently in well
doing.
[This is the same time that the wicked will receive eternal punishment -
Matt. 25:46. Does this happen in this life?]
Revelation
2:10 - Be faithful until death and receive the crown of
life.
In this life,
we "have" eternal life in the sense of a promise or a hope based on
faith.
But we actually enter eternal life at the judgment if and only if we
continue living faithfully (not in sin) till life is over. This is a conditional promise.
We will be lost if we willfully fail to
abide IN Christ.
The
proof texts, used to defend "present possession" of eternal life,
themselves state conditions to be met.
John 5:24 - He
who hears and believes. But we have shown that one can cease doing
these.
John 6:47;
3:16,36 - He that believes. But one can cease believing.
1 John 5:13 -
verses 11 &12 speak of those who believe on the Son, and life
is IN the Son.
But we can cease believing and fail to abide in Him (John 15:1-8).
John 10:27,28
- Hear Jesus'
voice and follow Him.
John 17:3
- Know God.
But one can forget God, turn from Him, and cease to know Him (I John 2:3-6;
Jer. 3:21,22; Psa. 9:17; 106;12,21,24).
Note also that
saving faith requires obedience, and
to cease to obey is to cease to have a
saving faith(James 2:14-26; Heb. 10:39; chap. 11; Gal. 5:6; etc.)
The fact life
is "eternal" does not prove we cannot lose it. "Eternal"
describes the nature of the life.
It has nothing to do with whether it can
or cannot be lost.
"And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" Heb 5:9
Unto who?
"Ye see then how that by
works a man is justified, and not by faith only" James 2:24
Acts 11:14;
10:34,35 - Peter told Cornelius words whereby he would be saved. But
the first words He said were that, to be accepted by God, people must work
righteousness (not wickedness).
This is true for all people, for God shows no
partiality!
Matthew
7:21-27; Luke 6:46 - To accept Jesus as Lord (ruler, master) and
enter the kingdom of heaven,
we must do what He says.
We may
believe and confess Him yet be rejected, because we did not obey.
1 John
5:3; John 14:15,21-24 - Loving God requires us to keep His commands.
If we do
not obey, we do not love Him
Remember the story about the man whom God told that He could not forgive because he(the man) did not love Him(the Lord)?
Can one be saved if he does not love God?
(1 Corinthians
16:22; Matthew 22:37-39)
The doctrine
of "faith only" or never being able to become lost again denies the necessity for all obedience to commands.
All the passages we have
just studied show that such a view is false doctrine. (See also Rev. 20:12-15;
John 5:28,29; 1 John 2:17.)
John 15 said we must “abide in Christ”.
How can one person be in another person?
The phrase is
used in Scripture to describe a close,
intimate, personal relationship.
One person is “in” another when they have
a harmonious spiritual union or fellowship with one another.
Notice some
relationships for which the Bible says one person is “in” the
other.
The Father and Son are “in” one another.
John 14:10,11
— Jesus said we should believe that He is in the Father and the Father in Him.
They are not the same Being or individual, but they are so close in their
relationship or fellowship that Jesus said they are “in” one another.
[John 10:38;
17:20-23; 14:19-23]
Christians are in the Father and the Son, and the Father and Son
are in us.
John 14:20-23
— If (note the word “if”)we
love Jesus and keep His commands, we are in Him and He is in us, as He is in
the Father. He and His Father will love us and come and make their abode with
us. So we are “in” the Father and Son in the same sense that they are “in” one
another.
We do not become all one individual, but we love one another and our
relationship is so close that they are said to abide with us.
Beautiful, isn't it!
John 17:20-23
— Jesus prayed for all who believe in Him to be one in Him. We are one with
them and Jesus is in us as He is in the Father and the Father in Him. Note that
this passage explains that being “in” one another means being one with
them.
[2 Corinthians
6:16-18; John 15:4-6; Eph. 3:17; Gal. 2:20; Rev. 3:20; 21:3; 1 John 2:6,24;
3:24; 4:12-16; John 6:56; Phil. 1:1; Rom. 8:10; Col. 1:27; 1 John 1:3-7]
The Holy Spirit is in Christians.
1 Corinthians
6:19 — Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in us.
Note the
similarity to the above passages. Most people can understand that, for the
Father and Son to be in us, means we have a close relationship: a fellowship of
unity and oneness. If so, then we should be able to understand that, for the
Holy Spirit to be in us, means the same thing.
So for us to
be “in Christ” means to be in a close, harmonious spiritual relation with Him.
As a result, we receive the blessings He offers.
[1 Cor. 3:16;
Acts 5:32; Rom. 8:9-11; Tit. 3:5,6; James 4:5; 2 Tim. 1:14; Gal. 4:6; John
14:16,17; 1 John 4:13; Rom. 5:5; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 6:4; John 7:37-39; Eph.
2:22; Acts 2:38; 5:5; Eph. 1:13,14; 4:30; 5:18]
In the Old
Testament examples, God placed His blessings in a place and, in order to
receive those blessings, people had to be in that location.
The New Testament requires us to be “IN
Christ.” Why should we want to be in Him? Why is it important to REMAIN IN
Him?
As in the Old
Testament examples, blessings are found in Christ that we can have if we are in
Him but will miss if we are not in Him. Notice some of these blessings:
Reconciliation,
redemption,
and forgiveness of sins
IN Christ.
Ephesians
2:12-17 — People who are guilty of sins are outside Christ, far off, strangers,
foreigners, separated from God [Isaiah 59:1,2].
But “in Christ” we are
reconciled to God (made friends again), made near to Him, at peace with Him.
We will not go on willfully sinning!
[Phil. 4:7; 2
Cor. 5:18,19; 1 Pet. 5:14; Rom. 3:22-24; Col. 1:14]
New creatures in Christ (but still the old man of sin outside
Christ).
Romans 6:11 —
In Christ We are dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. The old man is
crucified and the body of sin is done away (v6).
2 Corinthians
5:17 — If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new.
Outside Christ
we are still guilty of our sins. This is the old man. When our sins are forgiven,
we come into Christ and all is made new. Other passages refer to this as being
“born again” [John 3:3,5].
Freedom from condemnation in Christ (but condemnation of sin
outside Christ)
Romans 8:1 —
There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
A person will be obedient to His word if
he or she is ABIDING in Christ.
If a
person, once saved, willingly returns to a sinful lifestyle, there will be
condemnation because they are in sin and no longer IN Christ.
John 15:6 — If
anyone does not abide in Jesus, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and
they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
Grace of God in Christ (but no grace outside Christ)
2 Timothy 2:1
— Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 5:4
— You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by
law; you have fallen from grace.
God’s grace is
the unmerited, undeserved favor that He extends to us by the blood of Jesus. We
deserved to be under eternal condemnation because of our sins. But because God
loves us, He sent Jesus to die for us so we could be saved though we do not
deserve it.
Since Jesus is
the sacrifice for our sins, grace is found only in Him. If we are estranged or severed from Christ, we are separated from
that grace. Those who believe in salvation by grace must come into Christ
to obtain that grace.
Salvation from sin in Christ (but no salvation outside Christ)
Acts 4:12 —
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved.
John 15:9,10 —
If we keep Jesus’ commands we
abide in His love. But if we don’t obey Him, we are cut off as a branch and
burned (v6).
God still offers His love even toward those who sin. But if we do
not serve Him, then we do not abide in that love and do not receive the
benefits of it. [John 14:23]
Eternal life in Christ (but eternal death outside Christ)
1 John 5:11-12
— God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the
Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Eternal life
is available to those who have fellowship with Jesus.
If we continue in sin, we do not have fellowship with Jesus and
do not have the hope of eternal life.
[Rom. 6:23;
John 1:4; 14:6; 2 Tim. 1:1]
All
spiritual blessings in Christ (but separation from these blessings outside
Christ)
After
Coming into Christ, One Must Then Abide [remain] in Christ.
John 15:1-6 — Jesus said we must abide in Him as a branch must
abide in the vine. If we don’t, we are cast forth and are burned.
It is not
enough just to come into Christ and think that is all there is to it.
Some
believe that once you come into Christ, you are assured
of eternal life
no matter how you may live.
But consider
the cities of refuge and other Old Testament examples. It was not enough for
people just to come into the place of God’s blessings; they had to remain there
else they ceased to have the blessings. So the Bible says there are things to do to remain in Christ and continue
to receive the blessings available there.
Consider what the gospel says we
must do “in Christ”:
John 15:1-6 — We must bear much fruit in Christ.
This is
necessary in order to abide in Jesus. We must do the good works of service He
has commanded; otherwise we are cast off and burned.
Philippians 4:1 — We must stand fast in Him.
It is possible
for one who is in Christ to become negligent or indifferent and become lost. To
avoid this we must stand fast. We must maintain our commitment to serving Him
and not give up or fall away.
Colossians 2:6,7- We must walk in Him, rooted and built up in
Him.
Our walk
refers to the way we live. We must have firm roots so that we do not fall away
from His teachings, but continually walk according to them.
1 Peter 3:16 — We must have a good manner of life in Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:58 — We must be steadfast, unmovable, always
abounding in work, for labor in not in vain in the Lord.
We
cannot earn salvation,
BUT if we fail to live obediently, we willingly
choose to depart from God and our eternal reward and again become worthy of
eternal punishment.
1 John 2:3-6 — To know we are abiding in Him we must keep His
commands and walk as He walked.
To have
the blessings in Christ we must abide in
Christ, else we will be cast forth and burned. To know we are in Him, we must
obey Him. Hence, we must come into Him by obeying His conditions of forgiveness
and abide in Him by continuing to serve
Him faithfully. [2 John 9,10; 2 Cor. 6:16-18]
Revelation 14:13 — We must die in Him.
We must
continue to serve Him faithfully till death. Being in Christ requires a
lifetime commitment of faithful service to Him. This does not mean if we sin
our case is hopeless.
We can be
forgiven again, but in order to remain in Him we must turn from sin and
diligently strive to overcome it in our lives.
REPENTANCE!
The
security of remaining in the love of God is comfort against all external
threats.
Take Noah for
example. Nothing could have harmed Noah
or his family while inside the ark.
Nothing could have plucked or snatched them out of the ark. IF we
continue to remain In Him, we do not
have to worry about “making it” to Heaven!
We don’t have to be worried about
losing our salvation!
It isn’t by our
works but through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Although we did not gain salvation in our own, we did have a part in our
salvation.
We had to choose.
Just as we chose to be In
Christ, we must choose to
Remain In Christ.
Noah walked with God. Noah was
obedient. He was a preacher of righteousness.
He followed God’s instructions.
He remained IN God. So you see,
we do have be obedient and do what God commands, which is written out for us in
His word. God requires obedience.
God is more than able to keep us.
He is our Ark.
Just as the people in Noah’s day, we too have
the God-given choice to enter in
and
to remain in
Christ, our Ark.
IN
Christ, we are secure from all external threats!
Yes, I believe that 100%
However, we must stay obedient and vigilant, so we
won’t be tempted into willful sinning. We have to be able to recognize external threats for what they really are.
There are wolves in sheep's clothing, seducing spirits, and lusts of the flesh.
The devil cannot twist our arms, snatch us away, or make us sin.
The devil is the master of deceit. The
devil is a roaring lion seeking to devour.
He has a way of turning people ears away from
hearing the Shepherd’s voice. He uses
lust of the flesh, cares of this world, entertainment, social media, drugs, and
individual weaknesses to entangle people and make them
complacent.
His arrows are fierce. It is possible to stray, become callous,
indulge in sin, and be overtaken.
The
flood waters will come, and God will shut the door.
Are you secure IN the
Ark?
Remain IN Him!
