There are those in the denominational world who say that you can not
fall from God’s grace and be lost. There
are some in the Lord’s church who also by their actions don’t think they
can fall from grace and be lost or they don’t really care.
They have become complacent. The
Bible says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he
fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Satan
promotes all kinds of false doctrines to keep people from obeying the gospel
such as salvation by faith only and infant baptism in order to keep people
lost. Those in the denominational
world cannot fall from God’s grace because they were never in it.
They were never saved. One
cannot fall from where he has never been.
Only the saved who the Lord has added to His church can fall from
God’s grace. Satan works on the
saved in the Lord’s church to get us to fall from grace so we will be lost.
The Lord knows there will be some of His children who were saved but
will desert Him and be lost. “Now
the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the
faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies
in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy
4:1-2). Notice when one leaves the
Lord, he allows his conscience to be seared with a hot iron.
The longer he remains unfaithful the more his conscience becomes seared
and the more difficult it will be for him to return.
It is sad to see brethern slide off into unfaithfulness.
“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 in
them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning” (2
Peter 2:20). Those in the Lord’s
kingdom, which is His church, who become unfaithful, will be cast into the
burning fires of Hell. “The Son
of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all
things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them
into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth”
(Matthew 13:41-42).
We must stay in Christ and remain faithful to Him if we expect to be
saved. Jesus says, “If anyone
does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they
gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6).
Brethern will be lost “having condemnation because they have cast off
their first faith” (1 Timothy 5:12). Do
many people really believe that there will be a real Heaven and a real Hell?
Many live as they don’t believe it.
It is sad to see brethern who are faithful most of their lives, but
later fall away.
How can we protect ourselves from falling away?
We are to take heed to the word of God, “by which also you are saved,
if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in
vain” (1 Corinthians 15:2). We
must hold on to the word of God by regular Bible study.
We increase our faith by the study of God’s word (Romans 10:17).
We must keep God’s word fresh in our minds and faithfully walk in it
so we can go to Heaven. “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 cleanses us from all sin” (1
John 1:7). Notice if we are to
have the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all sin that we commit as a
Christian, we must be both walking in the light of God’s word and having
fellowship with one another.
To “have fellowship one with another” we must be faithfully
worshipping God with the church. This
is the reason we are commanded, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the
more as you see the day approaching. For
if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there
no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of
judgment, and fiery indignation…It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands
of the living God” (Hebrews 10:25-27, 31).
We should exhort and plead with those who are about to fall away or who
have fallen away.
“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone
turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his
way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James
5:19-20). It is a joyful occasion
to see the unfaithful restored. As
long as a person is alive there is hope that he can be won back, but we must
try. No one in the Lord’s church
is immune from falling away. “Brethern,
if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a
one in the spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be
tempted” (Galatians 6:1). If we
fell away we would certainly want someone to help restore us.
We must do it in a spirit of meekness.
Brethern fall away because they become weak in faith and because of
unbelief. “Beware, brethren,
lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the
living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest
any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:12-13).
One who has fallen away must, “Remember therefore from where you have
fallen; repent and do the first works” (Revelation 2:5).
To protect ourselves from falling away, “Let us therefore be diligent
to enter that rest, lest anyone fall” (Hebrews 4:11).
We are encouraged to, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to
make your call and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10).
We must be diligent in our striving to go to Heaven.
“Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led
away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:17-18).
We must continue to grow spiritually so we can remain faithful.
If we do we are promised by the Lord, “Be faithful until death, and I
will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).