I thank our father for his Word, even his only begotten son, the Christ and most holy Messiah of God; Jesus. For it is Jesus who is our saviour and our redeemer, the one whom we adore and hold fast too in times of temptation and trial, as well as thank in times of blessing and rejoicing. It is he who intercedes for us to our father Abba, the God of Israel, the Alpha and Omega, the author and finisher of our faith, so that we may even be made to be righteous in his holy sight. Not by our own deeds, for we have given of our own selves to follow our Lord Jesus; but by his blood, by faith through his infinite grace.
As we fellowship I pray that he shows us his truth so that we are not in error but that we may understand his plans for us and that we may be a empty vessels for his spirit to fill. Be it unto you my Lord, the Lion of Judah, Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus, in your mighty name and by your beautiful blood I pray, Amen.
I wish to counter a doctrine which is amongst the Church known as 'Once saved always saved'. Let me explain why I believe, through guidance from the Holy Spirit, the Word and various brethren, that it is a dangerous doctrine. Like many such others, because it contains a grain of truth, it sounds plausible but is overall very misleading.
Many Christians believe that once a person is saved, it essentially doesn't matter what sin they commit between the day they are saved and the day they finally die, they will still inherit the kingdom of God. There are a number of scriptures these people use to defend this position, and there are of course scriptures which I could use to counter it. I am however merely going allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me though (there will no doubt be quotes from scripture but I simply won't attempt to reference them at the moment.
Firstly I find it peculiar that any true disciple of Christ would wish to try to reason this way, it just seems that they are trying to find a reason to keep on sinning! When it is explicit throughout all the scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments that sin IS enmity from God.
Secondly I have experience with backsliding, with going into sin after receiving my salvation, and right after I sinned, I not only didn't feel like I was saved (until I repented again and had forgiven myself) but I actually know that God was not in me, I found it incredibly difficult to pray. I would feel very empty. In fact, it makes sense because if we are the temple of God, and God is holy; how could he remain abiding in us if we desecrate his temple?
Thirdly, though Christ did say that anything which the father has given to him he cannot lose, he also said that his sheep follow him, surely we cannot call ourselves his sheep if we do not follow him, and Jesus only says that he cannot lose us, not that we cannot go astray if we choose to. Put it this way, if it were impossible for us to lose our salvation, that would be tantamount to God forcing us to stay with him on the basis of one decision we've made, God doesn't want to force us to come to him, he wants us to choose.
If a person wilfully disobeys his will and sins, fornicates for instance; then they are choosing in that instance to follow satan, to be disobedient to God and to want to put his/her own selfish interests before Gods eternal plan. How can this person remain saved at that moment? If they have chosen disobedience, how can they then not be a child of disobedience.
Of course the person can then repent, and as long as they repent (truthfully) and sincerely hand themselves over to the mercy of God, then Jesus can again wash them clean. But therein lies the problem, if a person is continuously doing this back and forth, sin then repentance routine; how can they be truly repenting every time? Ought they not in some way in the back of their mind be thinking "I can always go back into my sins sometime later and do this all over again"?
This is called being hot and cold and Jesus will spue such a person out.
It is the easiest thing in the world (at least the first time!) to give your life to Christ and become a Christian, but it is (in my opinion) the hardest thing in the world to remain one. Jesus himself said that the path is narrow that leads to everlasting life, whilst the path is broad and wide that leads to eternal damnation, it is clear that we have to fight for our salvation continuously. When Christ died on the cross, he only needed to do it once and then it was finished for good, so from Gods point of view, his work is done, but from our point of view it isn't a one time deal, we have to 'work out our salvation'. There are ways and means to do this, perhaps they are for a different discussion, (simply put, Prayer and fellowship with Jesus through his Word and his Church) but I firmly believe that we can no longer play around with Gods mercy, this is so important, we must remain as holy as we can be, it is no game.
I thank Jesus for his precious blood which brought our freedom and our salvation, I thank him for giving us the power to be sons and daughters of his father the Most High God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I pray that he strengthens us in every way he can against conformity to the wickedness of this world, so that we may be able to present ourselves totally blameless on the day of judgement. And though it may not be because of our own works, but by his works, we do not want to make him a liar when he said it is finished, because we know that if we are disobedient, we crucify him all over again. I pray these things by the broken body and the awesome name of Jesus, Amen.
At no point in time have I suggested that my commentary is scripture, so I'm not sure why you are tossing that red herring into the discussion. Do you have a problem with separating out the comments of men from the living word of God, such as the abominations in the talmud which call the Lord of Glory, to put it kindly, illegitimate?
You do not accept the entire Bible as God's (Theos') word. You have rejected Hebrews chapter 1. You refuse to accept that both God the Father and God the Son are identified by the exact same word (Theos), and that there is no way to reconcile this with your error, in light of this.
Jesus Christ is the root of Jesse of which Isaiah (chapter 11) spoke, Romans 15. He is the One in whom the Gentiles trust. He is the master of David, who prophesied concerning Christ in Ps. 110, the One David serves, while not violating the commandment of God to serve Him alone. He is Emmanuel, God who came to be with us. He is Melchizedek, the King of Peace, and the eternal Priest of God, without beginning of days or end of life. Hebrews chapters 5 and 7.
We see Jesus for who He is, just like doubting Thomas (John 20). He is our Lord and our God, and we worship Him as God, because He is God.
I like R.C. Sproul, John Macauther William Tyndale. But what about the Babies or the child that accepted Christ and died? Or the ones with down syndrone.
Reason I said this was to make you think. No one need judge another unless faced with business or ISIS and other situations that call one to ask is this person a Christian. Even then We need to check our own salvation. For later thay may be saved and we look like an idiot.
This question is of the devil I believe Cause I spent many wasted years triing to figure to come to the answer of
Matt 7:5 does more good to read entire chapter
�Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.�
and Romans 14
Romans 14King James Version (KJV)
14 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
14 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.
15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
21 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.
22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Salvation is an "ongoing situation" So never Know ones salvation but your own.
From the scriptures/bible, we see that God requires blood to atone for man's sin. Under the Old Testament, the blood of animals was shed to atone for man's sins. But due to man's great sins, there's no more worthy offerings/sacrifices for the atonement of man's sin....not even any animals blood. There's no more sacrifice that can make the people come near again to God. Men sinned & all fall short of the glory of God. But because of God's great love to us, he gave us His only Son; Lord Jesus Christ to save us. Because the only worthy offering/sacrifice for the atonement of man's great sin is the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, Lord Jesus Christ gave up His life, shed His own blood for all the people to be save.
Our Lord Jesus Christ sanctify all the people (ALL MEN without exemption) through His own blood. By His Blood we are all saved. Thus, SALVATION IS BEING GIVEN TO ALL MEN/PEOPLE.
Hebrew 10:1-14 "....10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.......14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."
Romans 5:8-11 ".....Christ died for us. 9 By His blood we are now put right with God...."
But ARE WE ALWAYS SAVED?
In order for men/us to be always saved, WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR SALVATION (the salvation that God gave us) until the end of our lives here on earth.
WHY DO WE STILL NEED TO PROTECT OUR SALVATION?
Always bear in mind that satan/evil will do everything in his power TO SNATCH THAT SALVATION AWAY FROM US, bec. satan/evil wants all the people to not be saved & be his. Don't think that the evil will just let you be saved!
HOW THEN CAN WE PROTECT AND MAINTAIN OUR SALVATION?
All we have to do is, HUMBLY SUBMIT OURSELVES TO THE LORD OUR GOD, FOLLOW His commandments, the rules/laws of God/Jesus Christ which is all written in the bible. And LET YOUR HOLY SPIRIT GUIDE & PROTECT YOU ALWAYS.
Hebrew 10:26-27 "For there is no longer any sacrifice that will take away sins if we purposely go on sinning after the truth has been made known to us. Instead, all that is left is to wait in fear for the coming Judgment and the fierce fire which will destroy those who oppose God!"
Let us all then work hard to protect our salvation that God gave us. Let us help each other for us to be able to be with God; in His paradise in heaven after our lives here on earth.
And this is the testimony: that 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. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
biblehub.com/interlinear/1_john/5-13.htm
We cannot know that we presently possess eternal life, if that life can end. If that life could end, it would be probationary life.
But this is eternal life, of which Peter wrote in his first epistle. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
The promise of our eternal life is stored up in heaven, where neither moth nor rust can destroy, nor can we, as we have no current access to heaven, and it is kept by the power of Almighty God. It is incorruptible. That means it cannot be damaged. There is nothing we can do to break it or defile it.
We were born into the family of God, passively, just like we were born into our physical families. We were born into the family of God, (it says in John chapter 1), by the will of God, not of man. We had zero choice with regard to either birth. We have the choice to confess our sin or not, but it is God, who alone causes the occurrence which is known as the new birth. It is His act in our lives. It is a by-product of our belief, initiated and carried out by Almighty God. It is God who says He will continue the good work which He began in us, until the day of our redemption.
The reality of the permanent nature of the new birth is on open display in the footwashing by Christ. Peter initially refused to let Jesus wash his feet. But Jesus said, If I don't wash your feet, then you have nothing to do with me. So Peter said, then wash my whole body. To which Jesus replied, You are already clean, you just need to get the dirt off of your feet from being out in the world.
So it is with the soul. It has already received the full washing in the life of the believer, but we need the daily washing, the confession of sin and request for forgiveness to have ongoing fellowship. It doesn't mean we are without the eternal covering of the blood of the Lamb, it means we need to take care of the daily failures, so that we can have open communication without guilt. You get born once, you get born again once. There remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. The sacrifice was already made and applied. It's all about walking in the Spirit now.
Eternal life is a gift. it is not something you pay for with your good works before or after you receive it. As it says in Romans, "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." They are unilateral acts on the part of God. Do not think you have any control when it comes to being sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. You don't.
