"Jesus has paid such a great price for the salvation of His people and many professing believers are oblivious to that. Many are presumptuous, careless, and affected by the leaven of 'Once Saved Always Saved' teaching".
So said the voice to me in my dream. A dream that seemed to conclude with the sound of my alarm that pulled me out of sleep, with the impression of the dream still deep in my spirit. So early in the morning, I went to prayer and knew I needed to prepare a message to deliver at Church. (Go to the end of this blog to see a youtube link to watch the message).
I wrestled and wrangled over the message preparation, as I prayerfully studied God's word and looked at the perspectives of reputable teachers and scholarly works. I did not want to just harangue people with a tough message, but wanted to carry the pastoral heart of Jesus, honour Him, and also address the big issues of 'security of the believer'. Just to take a sledgehammer to the erroneous belief in 'Once saved always saved' could leave people wrongly insecure. But maybe some people listening or watching the message would think they are 'ok' when God wants to address their foundations. In a sense, they maybe are 'ok at this present moment, but the times we are living in and that are to come are going to shake people' (Matthew 7:24-28).
God's heart is that you are not 'just ok now' as He can see where your current trajectory is heading.
He wants you to be more than a conqueror, five / ten years from now, and when Jesus soon returns He is looking for faith.
Let us jump right into the issue of 'Once Saved Always Saved' by examining a passage of scripture that is very blatant and obvious on this critical, eternal issue:
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. Hebrews 6.4-6
The bible is explicitly saying that there is a condition a person can fall into whereby it is impossible for them to be renewed again unto repentance!
The condition is described in terms of what they have 'fallen away from'.
Let's be absolutely clear this type of person was:
'Once enlightened' (NT Greek - phōtizō) meaning: Illuminated, cause something to exist and thus come to light and become clear to all.
This is a person who had Christ revealed in them, they were regenerated, they were born again / born of the Spirit.
'They tasted of the heavenly gift and had become partakers of the Holy Spirit' They were a people who tasted eternal life, they had an intimate experience of it. Jesus had come into their life and supped with them and they with Him (Revelation 3.20).
They had once been a partaker of the Holy Spirit, of the divine nature (2 Peter 1.4)
To taste and partake is to feed!
They were a person who had once fed on Christ Himself; Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. John 6.53
A person who once abided in Christ, but then their abiding broke away:
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
They tasted of the good word of God. The bible came alive & had nourished them.
They tasted of the powers of the age to come. This is the most striking aspect of all, the most shocking, and the most tragic.
These people described in Hebrews 6.4-6 as having fallen away were once conscious of eternity, of the fact that we all have to face God and give an account for our life. They were conscious of 'The Last Day' of the 'Coming of the Lord' and the resurrection of the dead (Daniel 12.2).
They were people who once watched and prayed!
Let's continue with some New Testament passages that make clear a Christian can potentially and tragically lose salvation:
These passages in the book of James are addressing Christians:
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1.13-15
Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 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
James is addressing 'Brethren', clearly speaking to believers and what follows undeniably shows a believer can wander from the truth into sin and their soul can suffer the penalty of death. The death of the soul is the second death. This is when the believer is tempted by evil, enticed and the sinful desire conceives and brings forth death.
Now as believers we can all sin, but if we were to persist in ignoring the conviction and correction of the Holy Spirit, fail to abide in His word, ignore the voice of conscience then we could certainly end up bringing forth death - the death of our own soul!
Thank God, He has made a way for us to repent! (1John 1:8-9 - 1John 2.1-2)
Paul's letter to the Corinthian Christians addresses various issues including serious sins within that church:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6.9-10
A person not inheriting the Kingdom of God is not merely missing out on blessings, but as the Book of Revelation plainly shows - they are lost forever. Tragic!
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation21.8
And compare this passage from the Book of Revelation with Psalm 69. Those who do not overcome, (i.e those who cease following Jesus Christ), will have their names blotted out of the Book of Life:
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Rev 3.5
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. Ps 69.28
Now we have looked at these clear passages of scripture that show a believer can tragically lose salvation how are we to live as a Christian? How are we to have any sense of security? How do we correctly divide the Word of God and understand passages of scripture that on the surface teach eternal security in the sense that you can not be lost?
First of all, let us understand that 'To Believe' in the biblical sense is in the present ongoing tense.
A person is not saved from malnutrition and ultimately death by starvation because they initially were provided with food and drink, they have to go on eating and drinking.
Two people who enter a covenant relationship of marriage have an initial 'Wedding Ceremony' and consummation of their marriage, but they go on being married.
The following is a clear example
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. Jn 10.27-29
DL Moody calling attention to the literal translation of this passage said: "Not for one moment do I doubt this literal translation: 'My sheep keep on hearing my voice, and I keep on knowing them, and they keep on following me: and I keep on giving them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.' Some read the passage as if it says: 'My sheep heard my voice, and I knew them and they followed me, and I gave to them eternal life. The verbs are present linear, indicating continuous action by the sheep and by the shepherd, not the punctiliar fallacy of the past tense".
Note: The designation in this passage of believers being like sheep are those who continually hear, follow, obey and gather around the Shepherd. Those who do so will never be snatched away - THEREIN IS TRUE SECURITY FOR THE BELIEVER!
Ask yourself: Am I daily feeding on His word, am I daily KNOWING Him and being KNOWN in prayer, worship, and fellowship? Is His word and presence in my life the guiding and driving force for my decisions, how I conduct myself in public and in private? Am I crying out to Him for strength and yielding to the Holy Spirit's work in my life to overcome sin, temptations, and putting off of the flesh? Am I being gathered to Him and am I regularly gathering with His people in a sound Church?
We must be in the 'right airplane' to make it across the ocean to eternity!
Suppose you were to take a trans-Atlantic flight in a small light single-engined propeller-driven airplane? It may be the type of aircraft for a short pleasure trip, but you would make it a few hundred miles into the journey, run out of fuel, the engine would stall and you would crash into the Ocean and perish. Also, such light aircraft can not handle serious turbulence. In these end times, turbulence is going to increase and we must be securely seat belted in the correct aircraft with Jesus as our pilot.
The times we are living in are exposing the fact that much of the Church is like the small lightweight single-engined propeller airplane. It looks great, the messages and talks are light, they deal in 'positive motivational messages', 'talking points'. The emphasis is seeker-friendly, keep it light, the right look, the right sound, the right image to market, and appeal to people.
The biblical mandate to be all things to all men, so as to reach them has been perverted so as to advertise and create a 'brand' to actually target certain types and segments of society i.e. young trendy professionals. Now, of course, we want those people to be saved and of course, we want to welcome them, but the Church of Jesus Christ is not to be marketed!
God's way is a Church that prays without ceasing that preaches Christ Crucified and when He is lifted up He draws all men to Himself, He builds the House!
BEING ALIGNED WITH THE END TIME Laodicean APOSTATE CHURCH MAY MEAN YOU DO NOT MAKE IT ACROSS THE OCEAN!
(See Revelation 3.14-16)
Read Paul's words in His second letter to Timothy:
Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 2 Timothy 3.5
The bible is clear: You must immediately leave and not associate with the compromised 'modern' Church, that does not teach the foundational truths of repentance, faith, heaven & hell, the cross, the blood (See Hebrews 6.1-3). Depart from the seeker-sensitive Church, the social gospel Church, the Woke Church. Why? Because such a kind of Church denies the power! The power of Godliness, found in the preaching of the cross, the blood, repentance & faith!
INSTEAD OF DENYING THE POWER TO FIT IN WITH AND PLEASE MAN - YOU MUST ENTRUST YOURSELF TO AND BE KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD. The Power of God i.e. the power and means to transform your life the cross, the blood, repentance & faith, feeding daily on His word, His presence!
These realities become your security, your fortress, and your High Tower!
Who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1.5
For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. 2 Tim 1.12
Our response in such a Lukewarm time is to truly commit ourselves to Him. In this day and age, many withhold commitment, play it safe, keep their options open, and vacillate. As mentioned above a large brand of Christianity has tragically emerged to cater to such a 'market place'.
To withhold nothing less than a wholehearted commitment to Jesus Christ is to join with the cowardly and unbelieving mentioned in Revelation21.8
NO MORE wavering, NO MORE BACKSLIDING!
At the start of this New Year 2022, it is time to turn fully to Jesus Christ, to fully abide in Him. I pray for every person reading this 'Now Words' blog to be impacted deep in your heart for eternity, for His glory, and that you will come into a true, abiding ongoing salvation covenant relationship with Him.
A Prayer you can pray
"Dear Lord Jesus, thank you that you paid such an enormous price so that I could enter into a relationship with you, to enter into eternal life, for eternal life is to know you. Lord, forgive me for not honouring and recognising the price you paid. Thank you that went to the cross and were crucified in my place, for my sin, my rebellion, my living my life, my own way independent of and in disregard of you. This day I turn back to you. I believe that you died my death and God the Father raised you from the dead, by the power of the Holy Spirit and I ask that you fill me with the Holy Spirit now!