FOREWORD
It has been said that once a person is saved, they are
always saved. In other words they always
are in a saved condition. There is
absolutely nothing they can do to lose their salvation. Let us discuss this a little further. Let us say that if a person is saved, they
can murder, lie, cheat, and steal without having the consequence of eternal
life in Hell. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t
it? There is no doubt, that if a
Christian lives an obedient faithful life until his earthly departure, he truly
will be saved. Some professed Christians
will say that if a person “disowns” God, that they were never saved in the
first place. While this is true in some
cases, it cannot be true in all cases.
First of all, we do not know the heart of anyone. Only God knows whether or not the conviction
is true. Secondly, there are many
scriptures that deal with falling away which we will discuss in this
study. Thirdly, I hope that the reader
reads and studies this topic thoroughly with objectivity and without prejudice.
One problem with the once saved-always saved argument is
that some who get saved, will think that they have a
license to sin. Hey, after all, once
saved, always saved. They think there
isn’t anything that I can do that will cause me to lose my place in
Heaven. This without question is a
dangerous way of thinking. To teach
this, flies in the face of many scriptures throughout the bible. I realize that there is nothing that you can
do to merit salvation. Beyond a doubt it
is by the blood of Christ that we are truly saved. However, what I am attempting to point out
is, is it possible for one who is truly saved to lose their salvation
? I am not going to discuss those
who pretend to be Christians, or those who hide behind the church. The issue is whether a true Christian (a true
believer) can really lose his salvation.
Let us begin our study.
· Juergen U. Duetsch
~~~APOSTASY~~~
"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith
the Amen, faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I
know thy works, that thou art cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or
hot. So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. - Revelation 3:14-16 (KJV)
Here, God tells the Laodicean
church that He will spew them out of his mouth.
In other words, he wants no part of their wishy-washy attitude. Apparently, they know God, but are
disobedient. This my
friend, was a group of Christians. God
Himself said he will spit them out !
Where you ever really thirsty ? You go over to get a nice ice cold drink of
water from the fountain and to your surprise, it is lukewarm. You would probably spew it out from
dissatisfaction. This is what it feels
like to God, when His children cannot make up their minds to serve Him
wholeheartedly.
You know, I hope God will never have to spew me out. I know I am far from perfect. We are in a spiritual race. We cannot rest until we cross that finish
line.
"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the
flesh, to live after the flesh. For if
ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." - Romans 8:12-13
We owe our lives to Jesus Christ. He was the atonement for our sins. Even though it is impossible for us to repay
Him, we are still in debt to Him. We are
to put off the deeds of the body. We are
to serve Him faithfully.
The implication of the scripture is simple. If you are His, then do what He says. I believe, the
majority of mankind knows what is right and what is wrong.
"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write;
These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of
God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that
thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which
remain, that art ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before
God. Remember therefore how thou
hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt
not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt
not know the hour I will come upon thee.
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their
garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 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 3:1-5 (KJV)
The church in Sardis was spiritually dead. We must remember these are Christians that
were spiritually dead. They are told to
repent and the consequence if they refuse.
However, there are some who have not fallen away (have not defiled their
garments). These Christians will walk
with God in white. Why
? Because he
called them worthy. They didn't
falter in their walk. They overcame all
of life's obstacles.
The word of God is plain in Revelation 3:5: He that overcomes will be clothed in white
and His name will not be taken out of the book of life. There is the implication here that a Christian
who does not overcome will have his name removed from the book of life. Jesus will confess the over comer's name
before the Father and before His angels.
Matthew 10:32 (KJV) says: "Whosoever therefore
shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father which is in
Heaven."
"And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this
people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they
believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed
among them? I will smite them with the
pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier
than they." - Numbers 14:11-12 (KJV)
This passage clearly teaches that God will only be provoked
up to a certain point. Then He will
punish the disobedient and disinherit them.
I realize that this is in the Old Testament; however, we can definitely
learn from the old ways. Compare this
with Revelation 3:16.
It seems that we can be disinherited if we choose to walk in
the flesh.
"Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one
convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save
a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." - James 5:19-20
(KJV)
The book of James deals strictly with Christians; therefore,
we must keep in mind that the warnings contained therein apply to
believers. In James 5:19-20 above, it
says if a brother in Christ errs from the truth and you correct (convert him
from the lie to the truth) him, you save a soul from death (spiritual
death). If you bring a fellow
Christian's sin to his attention and he repents, in a sense you helped restore
him back into God's grace. It seems to
me that if one is not walking with Christ that their salvation is in
danger.
"Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having
their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and
commanding to abstain from eats, which God hath created to be received with
thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." -
1 Timothy 4:1-3 (KJV)
It is impossible to serve the Lord without faith, yet here in 1 Timothy 4:1 it says some shall depart from the
faith. This implies that they were once
in the faith and now they will depart from the faith. I don't know why anyone who has become a
Christian would want to leave so great a gift.
But Paul tells Timothy that some will depart from the faith.
Some people teach Faith only is what saves. Well then, if that is true then some will
lose their salvation. I do not believe
that you are saved by faith alone but by God's grace, repentance, confession,
baptism, love, the blood of Christ, obedience, etc. It all points to Jesus on the cross at
Calvary. That is were our ransom was
paid. That is the only reason we can be
saved.
For almost two thousand years since Christ, there has been false teachers.
We in our times have all kinds of false teaching from Eviloution to Wicca to all sorts of idolatry.
"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whoever of you
are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit
wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision;
but faith which worketh by love. Ye did run well;
who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth ?" - Galatians 5:4-7
-
The fourth verse of Galatians, chapter 5, teaches that one
can fall from God's grace. If Christ
becomes of no effect to you, then you have fallen from grace. In verse 7, Paul asks them why they were
being hindered from obeying the truth.
After all, these Christian brethren at the church in Galatia,
were running the Lord's race well. It is
pretty obvious, God dislikes disobedience.
He deals with disobedient Children, just as any father would. Hebrews 10:31 tells us that it is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
I don't know about you, but I do not want to be punished by God. Some make the argument that we won't lose our
salvation, we will just be punished.
However, if the punishment isn't being separated from God, it really
isn't punishment. It just would be
discipline. The fearful thing would be
facing the possibility of Hell.
"Wherefore let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed lest he fall."
- 1 Corinthians 10:12
It is obvious that a Christian can fall. Someone who thinks that he is beyond
temptation is foolish. It is vital that all Christians stay on the straight and
narrow path.
You know God will provide an escape for you (1 Cor. 10:13), but you must take the exit ! You must flee from sin when it faces you (1 Cor. 10:14). Isn't
God wonderful ?
He lets you make the choice ! Listen to His wisdom. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God said He has put
blessings and cursings before His people. He told them to choose wisely, that is choose life. In the
same way we should choose His blessings and avoid falling into temptation. So take heed, lest you fall.
"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but
one receiveth the prize ? So run, that you may obtain. And every man that striveth
for the mastery is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an
incorruptible. I therefore so run, not
as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But
I keep my body under subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached
to others, I myself should be a castaway.” - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
In this passage, Paul said that if he runs in vain, he would
be a castaway. Well, what is a
"castaway" ?
The American Heritage Dictionary Of The English Language defines a
castaway as: adj. 1) Shipwrecked; cast adrift or
ashore. 2) Discarded; thrown away. -n
1) A shipwrecked person. 2) A
discarded or rejected person or thing.
It can then be said that a Christian who does not keep his body in
subjection, may be rejected.
"And their word will eat as a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying the resurrection
is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.” - 2 Timothy 2:17-18
Here in this passage it shows that false teachers can cause
the faith of some to be overthrown.
Their words eat as a festered wound.
These individuals taught that the resurrection of the saints was already
past. We know that is absolutely false,
but there are some today that teach this same thing and many other false
doctrines confusing sincere people to the point of having their salvation in
jeopardy.
"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in you an evil
heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God" - Hebrews 3:12 (KJV)
Paul tells the brethren (Christians - those already saved)
to take heed. He warns them in case
doubt should arise in their faith which would cause them to depart from the
living God. It is obvious here that one
can not depart from God if he was never with him in the first place. Therefore, one can become lost even after
they were already in a saved condition.
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is
not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say that we have
not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
-
1 John 1:7-10 (KJV)
In this passage, It says that if we
walk in the light then the blood of Christ pardons us from all sin. It does not say if we walk in darkness that
the blood covers us. Let me explain a
little further what I mean. First of
all, there is no question that we sin every day. Secondly, we must continually confess our sins
to Him and repent of those sins. We must
be in a constant relationship with Him.
We must be faithful servants.
When we confess our sins to Him, he erases those sins. He will truly forgive you, if you truly
desire it. We must always strive to walk
in the light.
"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such
things to be diligent that ye may be found of him in
peace, without spot, and blameless. And
account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as
our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath
written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them these
things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are
unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto
their own destruction. Ye therefore,
beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led
away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be
glory both now and forever. Amen. - 2 Peter 3:14-18 (KJV)
It is imperative, that we as Christians are always reading
for Christ's return. We cannot be led
away with the error of the wicked. Why? Because, that would cause us to lose our steadfastness in Christ. We do not want to go into the path of
destruction.
"Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,
because thou hast left thy first love.
Remember therefore from whence 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 (KJV)
The church here in Ephesus has left its first love, that is,
Christ. He reminds them to come back to
the fold and to repent. They are to
serve him as in the beginning. If they
do not repent and don't do the first works, their candlestick will be
removed. What does this mean ? Well, I
believe it means that if you turn away from Christ, you will be removed from
His presence.
""For if after they have escaped the pollutions of
the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour
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, that,
after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered
unto them. But 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 wallow in the mire." - 2 Peter 2:20-22
The three verses here in 2nd Peter, chapter 2 make it quite
obvious that a Christian who goes back to the way he was before he was a
Christian, is far more miserable than if he never knew Him at all. Peter basically says that it is absolutely
disgusting for one to fall away. The
"backslider" has become entangled back into the world. Doesn't the bible teach that the world will
be burned up? Well, if that is the case,
then the apostate will be burned up along with it. There is no logical way that one can support the
Calvinist doctrine by comparing these three verses.
"For if we sin wilfully after
that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth
no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful
looking for judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries. He that despised Moses law
died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye,
shall be thought worthy, who hath trodden under the foot the Son of God, and
hath counted the blood of the covenant, werewith he
was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace
? For we know him that hath said,
vengeance belongeth unto me, I will
recompense, saith the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge his
people. It is a fearful thing to
fall into the hands of the living God."
-
Hebrews 10:26-31 KJV
This passage teaches about deliberate sinning. When we know that something is wrong, and we
go out of His way and do it anyway, then it is willful. We know the Lord will truly forgive us, if we
repent and are really sincere about it.
However, we cannot go about sinning and thinking to ourselves: "I'll just ask God to forgive me after I
commit the sin." It is ridiculous
to think that you can go about preplanning sin and preplanning
forgiveness. You can't fool God. You can only fool yourself.
The part about "There remaineth
no more sacrifice for sins" is difficult to explain or understand. But I believe if you sin and do not feel
guilty or remorseful to the point of having your conscience seared, then for
you there remains no more sacrifice for your sins. Basically, you have thrown Christ away from
you. You must always repent for your
mistakes.
"As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the
fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of
his kingdom all things which offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them
into a furnace of fire: there shall be
wailing and gnashing of teeth." - Matthew 13:40-42
It is so vital that you walk in His way. Do not become entangled again into the
world.
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a
man soweth, that he shall also reap. For he that soweth
to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting." - Galatians 6:7-8 (KJV)
Christians know that if they sow to the Spirit that they
will inherit everlasting life. If a
Christian sows to the flesh, he may end up where there is wailing and gnashing
of teeth.
"But when the righteous turneth
away fro his righteousness, and comitteth iniquity, and
doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall
he live ? All
his righteousness that he done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he trespassed, and in
his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die." - Ezekiel 18:24 (KJV)
What about the Christian who turns away from his
righteousness (which is Christ) ? What about the unfaithful Christian
? What about this apostate ? Shall he still live eternally in Heaven ?
"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the
Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore art thou no more a servant, but a
son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did
service unto them which by nature are no gods.
But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how
turn ye again to the weak and beggarly element, whereunto ye desire again to be
in bondage ? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and
years. I am afraid of you, lest I have
bestowed upon you labour in vain.
- Galatians 4:6-11 (KJV)
It is obvious that these Galatians were committing apostasy
through idolatry. Paul asks why they
would do such a thing as returning to their former ways. Paul is afraid that his teaching of the
Gospel to the Galatians may have been in vain (empty, without value). These Galatians were Christians. How can one return to something unless he went
somewhere else ?
These Galatians became Christians and now they have returned to idolatry
(the weak and beggarly elements). For
some strange reason they desire to be in bondage of these idol rituals. In the same sense, some Christians
today desire to constantly be in bondage to sin whatever it may be. Each has his own sort of idolatry whether it
is lying, cheating, stealing, pornography, adultery, fornication, laziness,
etc. God looks at all sin equally. In Revelation 22:15, it says that without the
gates of Heaven are dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, idolaters, and
whosoever loveth and maketh
a lie. It does not say Christians are
excluded from this list. So it is vital
to avoid these pitfalls as we walk our Christian lives. We must live diligently towards that which we
as Christians have been called.
"Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but
judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall
in his brothers way. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus,
that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to
him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him
it is unclean. But if thy brother be
grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not
charitably, Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ has died. Let not then your good be spoken evil of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and
drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these
things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and
approved of men. Let us therefore
follow after the things which make for peace, and
things werewith one may edify another. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it
is evil for that man who eateth with
offence. It is good neither to
eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended or is made weak. Hast thou faith ? have it to
thyself before God. Happy is he
that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he
that doubteth is damned if he eat,
because he eateth not of faith: for
whatsoever is not of faith is sin. - Romans 14:13-23 (KJV)
These verses teach us that it is very important for us to
walk circumspectly to prevent other brothers and sisters in Christ from
stumbling. Why is this so? Well, to prevent them from falling or an
occasion to fall in their way. We will
be held accountable for what we do, especially to the weaker brother or sister
in Christ. 1 Timothy 1:19-20 says: "Holding faith, and a good
conscience, which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
Of whom is Hymenaeus and
Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to
blaspheme." These two individuals
became stumbling blocks to some Christians in Ephesus and have caused their
faith to be shipwrecked ! The scriptures plainly teach that some can
lose their faith whether it is by their own choice or others influencing them
to abandon the faith.
"But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither
by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other
oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay, lest ye fall into
condemnation. - James 5:12 (KJV)
Basically this passage teaches us to refrain from lying
unless we want to fall into condemnation.
The parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 teaches us
about five who were wise servants and five who were foolish servants. The five who were foolish took no oil along
with their lamps. The five who were wise
took oil in their vessels. While they
were sleeping, the bridegroom tarried.
Finally at midnight there was a cry, the bridegroom was about to
arrive. The virgins were told to go out
and meet him. All the virgins rose up and
trimmed their lamps. Well, the wise
virgins were definitely prepared and ready to go. However, the five foolish ones were probably
very nervous for they were unprepared because they did not bring any oil to
refill their lamps. They were caught in
the dark, after all, it was midnight. They pleaded to the wise virgins for some oil
because they had none to refill their now empty lamps. Their lamps were useless without the oil. The wise virgins responded in this way:
"Sorry, we cannot provide for you because we may only have enough for
ourselves. So, why don't you go out to
some oil peddlers and buy some for yourselves.”
Well, they had to go out and take care of the need they neglected in
poor judgment. Well, while they were out
buying the oil that they could have bought at an earlier date, the bridegroom
came. Those wise virgins who were ready
and went within, to the marriage, and the door was shut! Now the foolish virgins came along asking if
they could be let in to the wedding.
Guess what happened? They were denied entry because the Lord said
"I know you not."
There are many Christians today who live their lives like
the foolish virgins so content that there is nothing that they can do to be
rejected. Just look at the foolish
virgins. If the Lord would have came
when they still had oil, they would have been ready. They became negligent in their walk and it
cost them big time. Many will say to the
Lord: "Please, let me in." The
response will be the same. He just may
say I know you not. Are you a lukewarm
Christian? I encourage you to be like
the five wise virgins that you might be ready when the bridegroom comes. Jesus is the bridegroom and we never know
what hour he may come. It is so
important to have a real relationship with the Lord.
"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you
of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you
that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto
the saints. For there are certain men
crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the
only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how
that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward
destroyed them that believe not. And
the angels which kept not their first estate, but left
their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto
the judgment of the great day. Even as
Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like
manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh,
are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."
- Jude 3-7 (KJV)
Did you notice in this passage that even angels fell from grace. In fact they
are being held in custody until judgment day.
Their sentence will be eternal fire.
Some use the argument that we are different than the angels and that we
can not be punished in the same way.
Well, please read Luke 20:34-36.
Even though the passage in Luke is talking about marriage in heaven, it
says we are equal to angels. There is no
marriage in heaven except for the church being married to Christ. Psalm 8:5 says that God made man a little
lower than the angels. Is this a
contradiction? No, while we are here on
earth we are lower, when we go to heaven we will be
equal. In any case, God does not make an
exception for those who ultimately deny Him.
Eternal fire awaits those who do not diligently serve him. Hebrews 1:4 says that we have a better name
than the angels, Christians, hence, serving Christ the name above all names.
The point that I am trying to make in this study is do not
take your salvation lightly. It is the
most serious thing in life. If you are
struggling, may I point you over to Luke 15:10. It says there in Luke 15:10 that
"...there is joy in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repenteth." In
1 Corinthians 6:3 says that the saved will judge angels. Matthew 7:1-2 says that we will be judged in
the way that we judge. If we see a
brother making a mistake, we must examine ourselves first, and deal with that
before we can deal with our erring brother (Matthew 7:3-5)
In Jude 3-7 above, Sodom, Gomorrha,
and the other cities gave themselves over to fornication. They are an example to what happens to those
who give themselves over to sin. It says
in the book of Jude that they will suffer eternally through fire. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. Friend, just make sure that you are constant
in your walk. Jude reminds us to
earnestly contend for the faith.
"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."
Did you notice this scripture gives emphasis to those that
do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, those who refuse to do His will
not enter into the kingdom of heaven!
Let's go on a little further, in Matthew 7:22, some
professed Christians will plead with the Lord.
They will say haven't we done many great things for you and in your
name? Guess what verse 23 says? The Lord will say to them depart from
me! I never knew you! Why doesn't the Lord know them? Because they worked
iniquity in spite of the fact that they had done many good things for the Lord. If you want the Lord to remember you in that
day, please read Matthew 7:24-27 and you will be able to overcome.
"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of
persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh
righteousness, is accepted with him. - Acts 10:34-35 (KJV)
In this passage, it says that God is not a respecter of
persons. It can then be said that it
doesn't matter whether you are a Christian or not. You must fear him. That is you must revere him. It also says in this passage that those work
righteousness is accepted with him.
Therefore, if you work unrighteousness or iniquity, then you are
unacceptable. If you profess to be a
Christian, you must walk according to His will.
"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming
fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
Do you notice that these three verses show that vengeance
will taken upon those who do not know God? Did you also notice that those do not obey
the gospel of Jesus will be continually destroyed throughout eternity? I hope you are obeying the gospel.
John 14:15 says: "If ye love me, keep my
commandments."
Have you ever wondered if you truly love the Lord? One way that you can be sure is by keeping
his commandments. There are a lot of
people who profess to love Him but it is not evident by their conduct. Some people will rationalize to suit
themselves and to avoid any admittance of wrongdoing. They may even sound pretty convincing in
their own deception, but God knows the heart and will hold accountable every
thought, every deed.
John 14:23 says this: "Jesus answered and said unto
him, If any man love me, he will keep my words:
and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with
him."
It is quite obvious that obedience is required in our true
display of love for the Lord. It is
better to obey than sacrifice. (See 1 Samuel 15:22)
1 Peter chapter 1, in verses 22 and 23 tells us that we, as
Christians, have purified our souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit
towards an unfeigned love for the brethren.
It also says that
we are born again of an incorruptible seed. All baptized believers are born again (John
3:4-5). They are new creatures in
Christ. However, this doesn't mean that
we can't sin. What it does mean is that
Jesus has wiped our slate clean and we are to live in His light. “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 (KJV)
Jesus himself learned obedience by all the things that he
suffered while here on earth. Obedience
made him perfect as a man. He never
sinned, no matter what he went through, he always overcame. He is the author of eternal salvation to all those
who obey him. He is not the author of
eternal salvation to those who disobey.
We can see from the above passage that obedience is absolutely necessary
for our salvation.
1 John 2:4 says this: "He that saith,
I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a
liar, and the truth is not in him."
If you really know the Lord, you will do your best to do what he says in
his holy word. Revelation 22:15 says
that whosoever loveth and maketh
a lie will be without the gates of heaven.
Revelation 22:14 says "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." It is without
question obedient and faithful servants of the Lord don't have anything to
worry about. However, those who think
they can stand should take heed lest they fall!
1 John 5:3 says this: "For this is the love of God,
that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." We show our love for the Lord by keeping his
commandments. Isn't it ironic that God's
love requires our obedience to His word?
In the book of Romans (AV), in the sixth chapter, in verse
16 it says: "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
obedience unto righteousness?" Who
are we servants of? Is it Jesus or is it
Satan? Hopefully, you said Jesus. He is the only means of salvation.
James 2:24 (AV) says: "Ye see then how that by works a
man is justified, and not by faith alone."
It can be said, by this verse, that what we do in our Christian walk has
bearing on our justification. Faith
alone will not save you. Christ must be
evident in your life.
“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My
lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite
his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the
drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware
of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. - Matt 24:48-51 (KJV)
What is a servant? A servant, here, is a Christian. This word is used in the New Testament as one
who serves God. Here we have an example
of a worthless servant. He fools himself
by thinking he has plenty of time to act up, when in essence, his Lord may
return at any moment. He will be caught
off guard and then it will be too late to repent!