Who is God?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. St. John 1:5
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Once Saved Always Saved
Once Saved Always Saved –
Fact or Fiction? |
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21.
ONCE saved always saved. That is the cry so often heard
from many Christians today. "I can do whatever I want, as long as I have
accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. Why I could go out and mow down a crowd
of people with a machine gun and if I were to die at that very moment, I
would be saved." Many people believe this teaching today, but is it
true? Once we have accepted Jesus as our personal Savior, can we go on living
like the world, in open, rebellious sin and still be saved.
Most people who believe the above
teaching once saved always saved will quote the following Bible verse as
proof: "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans
8:38, 39.
Now this is a wonderful Bible
promise that God has given us and it should inspire us all. But does it say
once a person is born again, it is impossible for him to lose his way and be
lost? In fact, is this verse talking about salvation or eternal life at all?
No, this verse is clearly talking about God's unconditional love towards man,
not unconditional salvation. Salvation is conditional! You might also notice
that the word "sin" was not included in the list of things which
are unable to separate us from the love of God.
If we continue in sin, after we
have asked Jesus to be our personal Savior, are we really in a saved
relationship, are we converted? "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received
the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for
sins." Hebrews 10:26.
What was the very first lie
recorded in the Bible? It was the devil, speaking through the serpent when he
was talking to Eve. "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not
surely die:" Genesis 3:4. The devil has been deceiving people ever since
with this lie. "Once saved always saved", is another lie from Satan
and people have been believing it for years and will be sadly surprised in
the judgment...
The only one who promised Adam
life in disobedience was the great deceiver. And the declaration of the
serpent to Eve in Eden--"Ye shall not surely die"--was the first
sermon ever preached upon the immortality of the soul. Yet this declaration,
resting solely upon the authority of Satan, is echoed from the pulpits of
Christendom and is received by the majority of mankind as readily as it was
received by our first parents. The divine sentence, "The soul
that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20), is made to mean:
The soul that sinneth, it shall not die, but live eternally. We cannot but
wonder at the strange infatuation which renders men so credulous concerning
the words of Satan and so unbelieving in regard to the words of God.
The people who believe in and
teach once saved, always saved also use the term "eternal
security". What does the Bible have to say about eternal security?
Nothing, absolutely nothing because it is not mentioned anywhere in
Scripture. Our salvation is safe in Jesus as long as we are in a saved
relationship. All of God's promises are conditional. God's love to us is
unconditional, but His promises are conditional, meaning, if you do this, I
will do this. Let us look at a very simple example.
By the verses below you can see
that a murderer, idolater, fornicator, etc. will not enter the kingdom of
God. So if someone was at one time in a saved relationship with God and then
turned their back on God by going back to their old ways, they will not enter
the kingdom of God. Plain and simple. It doesn't mean they can not return to
God, but if they remain unfaithful to God and go back to their old sins and
never repent, they will be lost. "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 the which I tell you before, as I have also told in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Gal 5:19-21. I don't see any eternal security here.
Here is another simple example of
conditional promises from God in Jesus' own words. "Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5.
From this verse you can see that in order to enter the kingdom of God, you
must be born of the water and the Spirit. This means that you must be
baptized, when it is possible and must have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you.
Now we know the thief on the cross was not baptized, but Jesus assured him he
would be in paradise. So it was not possible for him to be baptized, but he
will be saved. And the most important part is, you must be born of the
Spirit, meaning you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Now if a person who
has once accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and was baptized, but
years later leaves the church and goes back into the world and turns their
back on God, will that person be saved? Not according to Scripture. Of course
if they return to God, they will be saved, but if they live like the devil,
and do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in their heart, they will be lost.
There is no eternal security here either.
Very Important Challenge
Let me challenge you by reading
the following Bible verses regarding eternal life and see if you don't agree.
And remember, we are not talking about an occasional misdeed or occasional
sin in a sincere Christian's life. We are talking about a person that is
living in open rebelliousness against God. A person that is living like the
devil. A person who has turned his back on God, the church, etc. and has gone
back to his old ways before he accepted Christ as his personal Savoir. Will
that person be in heaven if he has un-confessed or un-forsaken sin in his
life, even though at one time, he had a saving, loving relationship with God?
Also, most people that believe in once saved always saved say, "well
that person was never saved in the first place." Well, only God knows
that, only God can see their heart, and who are we to judge and say,
"that person was never saved in the first place?"
Please read also the parable of
the sower. It really goes into great detail how the Christian life is a
continuous life of obeying God and being a born again Christian. The bottom
line is, if you turn your back on God, you will not enter the gates of
heaven... You would really rather know now before its too late, wouldn't you?
Only The Pure In Heart Shall See God
• "Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3.
• "Blessed are the meek: for they
shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5.
• "Blessed are the pure in heart: for
they shall see God." Matthew 5:8.
• "For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,
ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:20.
• "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21.
• "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's
sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."
Matthew 10:22.
• "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except
ye be converted, and become as little children, ye
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3.
• "But he that shall endure unto the end,
the same shall be saved. Matthew 24:13.
• "He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall
be damned." Mark 16:16.
• "And Jesus said unto him, No man,
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom
of God." Luke 9:62.
• "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and
tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He
said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest
thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and
with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto
him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live."
Luke 10:25-28.
• "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3.
• "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5.
• "For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
• "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth
my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto
life." John 5:24.
• "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on
me hath everlasting life." John 6:47.
• "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:54.
• "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.
• "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn
of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and
he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
John 12:24, 25.
• "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Acts 2:21.
• "For not the hearers of the law are just before
God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." Romans
2:13.
• "That if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9.
• "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 the 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. But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law." Galatians 5:19-23.
• "For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" Ephesians
2:8.
@@• "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall
depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" 1 Timothy 4:1.
• "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that
day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his
appearing." 2 Timothy 4:8.
• "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience
by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author
of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;" Hebrews
5:8, 9.
• "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers
of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves
the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." Hebrews 6:4-6.
@@• "For
if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Hebrews 10:26.
• "But exhort one another daily, while it is
called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of
sin. For
we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence
stedfast unto the end;" Hebrews
3:13,14.
• "Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." James 1:12.
• "Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God
chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which
he hath promised to them that love him?" James 2:5.
@@• "For the time is come that judgment must begin
at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of
them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely
be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 1 Peter
4:17, 18.
@@• "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. 2
Peter 2:21,22.
• "And this is the record, that God hath given to
us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath
life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 1 John
5:11, 12.
• "Keep yourselves in the love of God,
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Jude
1:21.
• "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
repent, and do the first works: or else I
will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Revelation 2:5.
• "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will
I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of
God." Revelation 2:7.
• "...be thou faithful unto death, and I
will give thee a crown of life." Revelation 2:10.
• "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not
be hurt of the second death." Revelation 2:11.
• "He that overcometh, the same shall
be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and
before his angels." Revelation 3:5.
• "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not;
and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they
that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in
the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet
is." Revelation 17:8.
• "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast
which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." Revelation 3:11.
• "To him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down
with my Father in his throne." Revelation 3:21.
• "He that overcometh shall
inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
Revelation 21:7.
• "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is
with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
Revelation 22:12.
• "Blessed are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter
in through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14.
@@• "And if any man shall take away from the words
of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which
are written in this book." Revelation 22:19.
• "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the
father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it
shall die." Ezekiel 18:4.
There Are No Shortcuts
The above verses show beyond a
shadow of a doubt that we can lose our salvation. It is there in black and
white. All of God's promises in the Bible are conditional. If we are going to
spend eternity with Jesus, we must be born again, meek, love him, pure in
heart, converted, baptized, born of the water and the spirit, do the will of
our Father, do His commandments, be an overcomer, be obedient, endureth
temptation, etc. There are no shortcuts to heaven... If there were, Jesus
would not have had to come to this earth, and die for us. We can trace all of
the misery and suffering in the world today back to one person's disobedience
in the Garden of Eden. If God were to take one unrepentant sinner to heaven
with Him, sin would rise up again.
Did you notice in Revelation 3:5
that unless you are an overcomer, Jesus will blot your name out of
the book of life. The
book of life contains the names of all who have ever entered the service of
God. Jesus bade His disciples, "Rejoice, because your names are written
in heaven." Luke 10:20. Paul speaks of his faithful fellow workers,
"Whose names are in the book of life." Phil. 4:3. Also notice in
Revelation 17:8 that our names are not written in the book of life
from the foundation of the world, as many people falsely believe.
"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the
bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the
earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is
not, and yet is." Revelation 17:8.
The Parable of the Sower
Jesus taught the truth about
losing eternal life in the parable of the sower. In explaining the seed which fell among the thorns
and the rocks, Jesus said, "Those by the way side are they that hear;
then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest
they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they
hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while
believe, and in time of temptation fall away." Luke 8:12, 13.
There are several things to note
about this parable. First, only one class will finally be saved - the ones
who brought forth much fruit. The
groups represented by the wayside and rocks will not be saved. In verse 12,
the wayside hearers did not have a chance to "believe and be
saved," but in the next verse the stony ground hearers do "for a
while believe." What kind of "believing" is this? According to
verse 12, it is the kind that saves. So the ones who believed for a
while were saved for a while, but in time of temptation they fell away. Eventually,
of course, they were lost along with all the others, except the
fruit-bearers. Here is an unequivocal teaching of our Lord that
people can have a saving faith for a while, and yet lose it and be lost.
4 And when much people were
gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a
parable:
5 A sower went out to sow his
seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down,
and the fowls of the air devoured it.
6 And some fell upon a rock; and
as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked
moisture.
7 And some fell among thorns; and
the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
8 And other fell on good ground,
and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these
things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And his disciples asked him,
saying, What might this parable be?
10 And he said, Unto you
it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to
others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might
not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The
seed is the word of God.
12 Those by the way side are they
that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their
hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 They on the rock are
they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no
root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And that which fell among
thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with
cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to
perfection.
15 But that on the good
ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word,
keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
16 No man, when he hath lighted a
candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it
on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
17 For nothing is secret, that
shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known
and come abroad.
18 Take heed therefore how ye
hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath
not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. Luke
8:4:18
Security is Eternal Only for Those
Whose Faith is Eternally Fixed on Jesus Those who read the record of the Gospels carefully will find repeated authority from Jesus to renounce the doctrine of eternal security. In Luke 12:42-46 Christ described in another parable how a faithful servant could turn into an unfaithful one. After asking, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household. . . ?"Jesus answers His own question: "That servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing . . . he will make him ruler over all that he hath."Then Christ explains how that servant could lose his reward."But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers." Verses 45,46.
Here is a perfect example by the
Master Teacher as to how a faithful and wise servant can be punished with the
unbelievers. Jesus was talking about a man whom He had seen faithful enough
to trust with heavy responsibilities. Undoubtedly, this servant represents
those who carefully served the Lord as true believers. But what
happened? That very faithful servant departed from the path of
faithfulness and reaped eternal ruin and death. Does this not also
remind us of the words of Hebrews 10:38, "Now the just shall
live @@by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in
him."The servant in the parable, who was a believer, is now punished
with the unbelievers. The faithful can draw back to perdition.
Salvation Can Be Forfeited
One more parable of Christ spotlights the fact that continued forgiveness is conditional for the believer. The story is found in Matthew 18:21-35, and revolves around the forgiveness of God. A certain king responded to the pleas of his servant and forgave him a large debt. That servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a small amount and showed no mercy, throwing him in prison because he could not pay. When the king heard what had happened, he rescinded his cancellation of the large debt and had his servant thrown to the tormentors till he paid in full.
No one can deny the obvious
teaching of this parable. Even though God graciously forgives those who apply
for it, that forgiveness is not without conditions for the future. We
can lose that forgiveness by being unmerciful to others. This is in
harmony with the words of the Lord in Ezekiel 33:13, "When I shall say
to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own
righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be
remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for
it." The principle is repeated in verse 18, "When the
righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall
even die thereby."
The secret consists in maintaining
the righteous relationship with the Source of salvation. Jesus said,
"He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Matthew
24:13. No one will be saved finally who does not hold out against a course of
deliberate sin in the power of God.Those who do not endure to the end will
have their names blotted out of the book of life. Advocates of
eternal security deny it could ever happen, but read the frightening
possibility for yourself in Revelation 3:5, "He that overcometh
. . . I will not blot out his name out of the book of life." The
implication is clear that those who are not overcomers - who do not endure to
the end - will have their names blotted out.
All these verses are really saying
the same thing. Willful sin shatters the relationship by which eternal life
is obtained.There is an eternal "if" in every consideration of
eternal security.
• "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. • "If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." 1 John 2:24. • "If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Hebrews 10:38. • "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch." John 15:6. • "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." John 8:51. • "If thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." Romans 11:22. • "If ye do these things, ye shall never fall." 2 Peter 1:10. • "For we are made partakers of Christ, If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end." Hebrews 3:14. • "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: If we deny him, he also will deny us." 2 Timothy 2:12. • "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Hebrews 10:26. • "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15. • "Ye are my friends, If ye do whatsoever I command you." John 15:14. • "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." Romans 8:13.
What Does It Mean For
The
Christian To Leave His "First Love"?
"Nevertheless, I have
somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy FIRST LOVE. Remember
therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or
else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of
his place, except thou repent." Revelation
2:4, 5, emphasis added.
For the Christian to leave his
first love, is to backslide, to fall away, to leave the Lord and His service,
and to go over to the service of sin, Satan and the world. The Lord calls
upon all such to repent and do their first works (the fruits of love), or
else - else what? "I will take thy candlestick out of his
place." This is an ultimatum from the Lord. If the sinner
responds, repents, returns to his first love, and does his first works, all
is well and good - he will be saved. But it is his to choose. If he does not
do this, his light is removed, goes out, and the backslider is lost.
1 John 3:2-15
Now lets look at the following
verses from 1 John 3:2-15. These verses really go into depth regarding the
born again person. Please look at the whole chapter from your Bible and read
it.
2 "Beloved, now are we the
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall
see him as he is."
3 "And every man that hath
this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is
pure."
4 "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."
5 "And ye know that he was
manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."
6 "Whosoever abideth in
him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known
him."
7 "Little children, let no
man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is
righteous."
8 "He that committeth sin
is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the
devil."
9 "Whosoever is born of God
doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin,
because he is born of God."
10 "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."
15 "Whosoever hateth his
brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding
in him."
Something to Consider
Most people never give this a
thought, but if Satan could live in heaven as a perfect angel with God and
then be jealous of God and be cast out of heaven to this earth and eventually
be cast into the lake of fire, and be lost for eternity, what give's us, mere
mortal man the right to think it is impossible for us to be lost, when one of
God's Holy angels, who rebelled against God, will be lost? Something to
seriously think about.
• "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son
of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the
nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: ascend above the heights of the
clouds; will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell,
to the sides of the pit." Isaiah 14:12-15.
• "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And
prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the
great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his
angels were cast out with him." Revelation 12:7-9.
• "And the devil that deceived them was cast into
the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation
20:10.
What Are Some Of The Implications Of Once Saved Always Saved?
1) Since we are ‘saved’, we can do
what we want. It doesn’t matter what kind of sin we commit. We are still
going to go to heaven.
2) We do not need to worry about helping our brothers and sisters remain faithful. "Hey, if they are saved, they will remain saved. We do not need to be our brother’s keeper". 3) We can ignore all the Scriptures warning us to persevere to the very end. We don’t need to persevere because if we are saved, we will remain saved. 4) We have a real false sense of security. 5) We never really know in fact if we are saved or not because if we do "fall away", we were never saved in the first place.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, according to the
above Bible verses, obedience most certainly does affect our salvation and
you can lose it. I guess my point in all of this is this, if you have lost
your first love and have left the church and God and are living for the
world, then maybe you need to stop and ask yourself this most important
question. Am I converted? Am I born again? Am I on the pathway to heaven? Or
am I just fooling myself...
"Enter ye in at the
strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the
gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it." Matthew 7:13,14
Before you write this article off
as false theology, go back and read it one more time and pray about it and
ask God for the Holy Spirit to lead you to the truth and if you are truly
honest with yourself and God, you will see the beauty and truth of this most
important subject... God Bless.
All text from the King James Bible,
all emphasis supplied.
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto
thee, Ye must be born again." John 3:7,8.
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Sunday, February 3, 2019
Trust in the Yoke of Jesus Christ
Trust in the yoke of Jesus Christ
Matthew 11:29 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen. It is attached to piece of equipment the oxen are to pull. A “heavy”laden animal has a big load to pull. A heavy laden person may be burdened with (1) sin, (2) excessive demands of religious leaders (23:4) Acts 15:10 (3) oppression and persecution, or (4) weariness in the search for God.
Matthew 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Jesus frees people from all these burdens. The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.
What makes Jesus’ yoke easy and His burden light it is his own active obedience (i.e., His perfect fulfillment of the Law of God), He carried the burden that we were meant to carry.
His perfect obedience is applied (imputed) to us through faith, just as His righteousness was exchanged for our sin at the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Our obedience to Jesus then becomes our “spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). Furthermore, we are indwelt by the Holy Ghost who works in our lives to mold us into the image of Christ, thereby making the yoke of Jesus easy and His burden light. 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
The life lived by faith is a much lighter yoke and a much easier burden to carry than the heavy and burdensome yoke of self-righteousness under which some continually strive to make themselves acceptable to God through works.
Isaiah 28:12
To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
Jeremiah 31:25
For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
John 7:37
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
John 7:37
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Written by Pastor Rolando Ramos
www.fghconline.com
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