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SAVED TO THE END? |
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The evangelist paces back and forth across the stage like a caged tiger. With neck veins visible and sweat trickling down his cheeks, he shakes his finger at the auditorium ceiling and thunders to his audience, |
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“Will the Father in heaven permit one of His own children, for whom the Savior died on the cross, to ever fall into the depths of hell and become lost? I’m telling you right now — the answer is NEVER! ... . |
| Give Him praise
and glow-ry!” Many professed “born-again” evangelicals would respond with a collective “Amen, brother!” to this man’s statement. There is no doubt in their minds that their salvation is already a certainty. They believe they are destined for heavenly bliss no matter what they do or how they may sin between now and their last breath. As one evangelical describes it, “It is as if they have boarded a nonstop train bound for heaven. This faith train may pass through dark and perilous places, but it will never discharge a person with a reservation short of his glorious destination.” The doctrine of eternal security or “once saved, always saved” is a widely believed teaching. Although no such terms exist anywhere in Scripture, what the preacher says about the belief may on first glance sound plausible, but is he right? A representative passage very popular with those who believe in being forever saved at conversion is: John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.” (KJV) “See,” they say, “once He saves us we can never perish and no one can separate us from Him. His word is absolute and He cannot lie.” Their statement cannot be denied. The question is, when does He grant us life everlasting? Are we “saved” immediately at our conversion? Is it ever possible to fall from grace? The issue of timing is the crux of the matter. A companion verse to John 10:27-29 and a key that unlocks it and similar passages is found in Matthew, speaking of the Saviour on the day of judgment: “And all the nations shall be gathered before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. 33 “And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 “Then the Sovereign shall say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the reign prepared for you from the foundation of the world...” - Matthew 25:32-34 The setting in Yahushua’s statement is the earth at His Second Coming. When He returns he will judge the earth and at that specific time will reward the faithful, both living and dead, with salvation. He confirms this in Revelation, showing the basis on which He gives rewards: “And see, I am coming speedily, and My reward is with Me, to give to each according to his work.” Two verses later He adds, “Blessed are those doing His commands, so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city.” - Revelation 22:12 Doing His commandments - obeying His laws - is what makes us worthy for eternal life, symbolized by the tree of life. The implied opposite, then, means that if we don’t do His commandments we will not have this special right to everlasting life. To be judged worthy by adhering to commandments and being rewarded according to works certainly doesn’t square with the popular teaching that salvation is immediate, automatic, and inevitable for the chosen. Unless we understand the truth about when and how we are saved, resting in the false notion that our salvation is forever secure could give us false security and in fact jeopardize our eternal future. SOME BELIEVE THEY HAVE NO CHOICE There are those who take this idea of eternal security even a step further. They believe that because salvation is “all of Yahweh,” you are saved whether you want to be or not! Even though salvation involves both you and Yahweh, even if you decide you don’t want it Yahweh will carry you through anyway because it is His will to do so. One such proponent explains it this way: “Eternal security, then, is the unbreakable relationship with the integrity of G-d. Neither G-d nor man nor angel can destroy the relationship which begins at salvation. There is no sin we can commit. There is no activity on our part that can neutralize it or destroy it. It is something we have permanently and perfectly both now and forever.” An even more extreme position, promoted by men like Charles Stanley and Charles Ryrie, says that even if a person becomes an unbeliever, that person will still remain saved. This teaching essentially takes away any free choice from human beings. Yahweh may just as well have created humankind with an inability to sin. The whole idea of freedom to choose right over wrong that Yahweh has granted human beings since Eden is pointless in view of this extreme doctrine. He’ll save you in spite of yourself! But is that really the case? A Scriptural truth that is not understood by many is that Yahweh does not save us in our sins, He saves us from our sins - from the death penalty that we because of our sins deserve. We cannot continue in sin and still expect Him to redeem us for His Kingdom. In fact, He makes it clear that He will not do so. “The wages of sin is death”, Paul (Sha'ul) wrote in Romans 6:23. Sins must be repented of and no longer indulged in. If we are in unrepented sin we will not be granted everlasting life.Yahweh does not reward sin. Notice: 1Corinthians 6:9-10 “Do you not know that the unrighteous [lawbreakers] shall not inherit the reign of Elohim? Do not be deceived. Neither those who whore, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor greedy of gain, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers shall inherit the reign of Elohim.” By definition, sin is the breaking of any of Yahweh’s laws (1 John 3:4). Clearly, it does matter if a person remains true to Yahweh and it matters very much whether he or she indulges in the sin of this world. Sha'ul tells us in Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be led astray: Elohim is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap. 8 Because he who sows to his own flesh shall reap corruption from the flesh, but he who sows to the Spirit shall reap everlasting life from the Spirit.” WAS PAUL EVEN SURE OF HIS OWN SALVATION? Surely a man like the Apostle Sha'ul, who wrote the majority of the New Covenant and had direct revelatory teaching from Yahushua (Gal 1:11-12), would know whether he himself had salvation assured. If the eternal security doctrine is true, then Sha'ul of all people believed it and taught it. Right? On the contrary. Read the Apostle’s own statements about the doubts he entertained about his own life, and what he admonished about persevering and being faithful until the end: 1Corinthians 9:27 “I treat my body severely and make it my slave, so that when I have proclaimed to others, I myself might be rejected.” (Rejected is the Greek adokimos, one disapproved by the judge as not having fairly deserved the prize.) Philippians 3:10-13 “...to know Him, [Messiah Yahushua] and the power of His resurrection... 11 if somehow I might attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already received, or already been perfected, but I press on, to lay hold of that for which Messiah Yahushua has also laid hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not count myself to have laid hold of it yet...” 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves whether you are in the belief – prove yourselves...” Hebrews 3:14 “We have become partakers of Messiah if we hold fast the beginning of our trust firm to the end...” Knowing exactly when the saints are saved will reveal the error of both the once saved, always saved doctrine and the popular understanding about being “born again” at conversion. Neither teaching is scriptural, based on what Scripture says about how and when salvation occurs. HOW SALVATION ACTUALLY WORKS What few today grasp is that saving is a process, which starts with being begotten of the Set-Apart Spirit at immersion and ends with being born again at the resurrection. An analogy about being saved is helpful here. Let’s say a bush pilot crashes his plane in the cold wilderness of the arctic. Injured, he sends out an SOS, sets off flares, and radios for help. After some days he hears the distant drone of another plane. “I’m saved!” he cries. But is he really saved? His exact location has not even been pinpointed by the rescuers. What he means is that he now has the hope of being saved, the same thing Sha'ul said he had in Philippians 3. He is technically not saved until he is safe and recovering in a hospital bed. For all he knows, his rescue plane itself may hit bad weather on the way back and be forced down. The ambulance picking him up at the airport may crash on icy roads. He may succumb to his injuries. All sorts of things could happen between now and the time he is in fact saved and on his way to recovery. As the popular expression goes, “It’s not over till its over.” Yahushua said that men would hate the truth, “But he who shall have endured to the end shall be saved.” - Matthew 10:22. We may have hope of salvation, but it isn’t assured until the “end” - either the end of our lives or the end of this age when Yahushua comes to gather His elect. Why? Because at any point we could become apostate. We could fall from favour by slipping back into the world through its many sins and temptations. If that happens to us we are in jeopardy, because Yahweh does not save sinners. Rather, he saves those who have repented of sin and turned to walk in His ways. Yahweh said through the prophet, “But the wrong, if he turns from all his sins which he has done, and he shall guard all My laws, and shall do right-ruling and righteousness, he shall certainly live, he shall not die.” - Ezekiel 18:21 We learn from Corinthians that Yahweh will destroy those who once knew the truth but become defiled: 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are a Dwelling Place of Elohim and that the Spirit of Elohim dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys the Dwelling Place of Elohim, Elohim shall destroy him. For the Dwelling Place of Elohim is set-apart, which you are. 18 Let no one deceive himself...” Even though the last verse of this passage (v.23), says that we are Messiah’s, Sha'ul shows that the possibility still exists that we could fall We see abundant evidence in the Scriptures that even though we are called His, we can still become debased through our choice to sin, and therefore jeopardize our eternal reward. Those that do fall through disobedience will be cut off: Romans 11:21-22 “Do not be arrogant, but fear. 21 For if Elohim did not spare the natural branches, He might not spare you either. 22 See then the kindness and sharpness of Elohim: on those who fell sharpness, but toward you kindness, if you continue in His kindness, otherwise you also shall be cut off.” “Kindness” means moral excellence. To fall from moral excellence is to disobey, as verse 30 reveals JUSTIFIED AND SANCTIFIED: THE KEY Most who hold to the eternal security teaching dread what they call “works salvation”. They believe that Yahweh requires nothing of His people but faith alone. Any hint of obedience sends them into paroxysms of denial. Certainly we are not saved by our works. The Scriptures are clear on that. We are not justified by keeping the law (Romans 3:20), but by His favour, (v.24). Justification means “just as if” we had not sinned. Nothing we can do will “earn” us righteous standing in His sight because we have all sinned and are nothing but filthy rags (Romans 3:23). Once we are justified by His grace, however, then we are set apart for a purpose, which is called sanctification. Through sanctification Yahweh expects His people to live pure and righteous lives. 2 Corinthians 7:1 “Having, then, these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting set-apartness in the fear of Elohim.” Notice the verse does not say, “Let Yahweh cleanse us,” but rather, “let us cleanse ourselves.” Live purely. In the same vein we are commanded to: “work out your own deliverance with fear and trembling” - Philippians 2:12 If one is already saved, no fear and trembling would be necessary! Neither would there be a need to work out any salvation. A sanctified individual not only lives a life apart from sin, but also is obedient to what Yahweh tells Him to do. 1 John 5:3 “For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard His commands, and His commands are not heavy...” He has commanded His people to keep His laws, including His Feasts and Sabbaths. They do so, not because they are earning their salvation, but because they now live for Him and are in the process of taking on His very nature. We reflect His nature when we do what He would do and follow His direction. He is the Father and we are His children. We obey Him just as we obey our earthly parents. We don’t obey our parents for a reward, but because they are our parents and they demand obedience. Our love for them makes us want to obey them. BACKSLIDERS WILL SLIDE ON OUT Yahweh is adamant about the failure of those who once accepted Him but now turn back to sin. He will not save them in spite of themselves. He will, in fact, judge them! The prophet Ezekiel warns, “When a righteous one turns away from his righteousness and does unrighteousness, according to all the abominations that the wrong one has done, shall he live? All his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered. For his trespass which he has committed, and for his sin which he has committed, for them he shall die.” - Ezekiel 18:24 Does this passage just apply to ancient Yisra’ĕl? Ezekiel and other prophets prophesied not only for their day but also for our day and beyond. Yahweh does not change! (Malachi 3:6). What was true of His people anciently is true of His people today. He has but one standard. Sha'ul said that all that happened in the First Covenant was for our example (1 Corinthians 10:11). Backsliding is as hazardous to the people of Yahweh today as it was with Yisra’ĕl of old. Read in the Renewed Covenant Book of Hebrews, 6:4-6: “It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Set-apart Spirit , 5 and have tasted the good Word of Elohim and the powers of the age to come, 6 and fall away, to renew them again to repentance - having impaled for themselves the Son of Elohim again, and put Him to open shame.” Stark and serious words. To throw away the Truth once you know it is as grave as it gets. Obviously such a result leaves no room for being eternally saved. The Scriptures are filled with assurances that Yahweh will reward His chosen according to their deeds. Both an obedient life and a sinful life will be rewarded accordingly, Romans 2:6-9. The final book of our Scriptures shows that the saints are those who keep the commandments of Yahweh and have the faith of Yahushua (Revelation 14:12). Belief and obedience go hand in hand. Clearly, it is the obedient - who are faithful until the end - who are saved (Hebrews 5:9), and not those who flout His commands and live the life they choose still expecting a Heavenly reward. ETERNAL SECURITY FIFTY REASONS WHY A SAVED PERSON CAN NEVER BE LOST... AND A BRIEF REBUTTAL OF EACH POINT Each point is a statement of proof by one who believes that these verses establish that a saved person can never be lost. The response in kind will be brief and concise. This will not answer every question someone has about these proof-texts. In most cases, these assertions of Eternal Security are answered in greater detail in other articles on the linked site. Because of this, the reader is left to research the issue further on their own. As you read each "proof passage", ask yourself, "Does this say that a believer cannot lose their salvation?" "Does one have to presuppose that Once Saved Always Saved is true in order to make the passage say that 'A saved person can NEVER be lost?' " "Does one have to read Eternal Security into each verse in order to get Eternal Security "out of" each verse?" 1.
ETERNAL LIFE IS ETERNAL! John 3:15,
10:28, Romans 6:23, 1 John 2:25, 5:11, 5:13,
etc.; By definition eternal means never ending. Once a believer has
eternal life it can never be taken away. If it could be it would not
be eternal!
2.
EVERLASTING LIFE IS EVERLASTING! Daniel
12:2; John 3:16, 3:36, 5:24, 6:40, 6:47; Romans 6:22;
etc.; Likewise, everlasting life can never end. It is everlasting
regardless of the believer’s behavior. 4.
HEAVEN IS RESERVED FOR HIM! 1 Peter
1:4; An inheritance in
heaven is reserved for the believer. 5. SALVATION (INHERITANCE) IS INCORRUPTIBLE! 1 Peter 1:4; No one can corrupt something God has made incorruptible. Thank Yahweh that the inheritance is imperishable! We know that it will be there for genuine believers! But don’t miss it! It is there through belief, (v.5) not unbelief! The inheritance is incorruptible, not our possession of it! 6. SALVATION (INHERITANCE) CANNOT BE DEFILED! 1 Peter 1:4; No one can defile something which God says cannot be defiled. It won’t be defiled or fade away! It will be in the heavens as surely as there is an Elohim! It is no promise that every believer will endure to the end to receive it! Even if someone fails the favour of Yahweh, this would have no impact whatsoever on the inheritance. (Which is not salvation, but rewards in the new heavens and earth.) 7. HE IS SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT! Ephesians 1:13; No power in Heaven or earth can break God’s seal. There is no Scripture verse in the Heavens or Earth that says that we cannot break Yahweh’s seal! Must they prey on the ignorance of their readers to get them to believe something the Scriptures never say in order to prove their point? Ephesians 4:30 warns us not to grieve the Set-Apart Spirit, the very One of Whom is our Seal. A warning that serves no purpose if there is no danger! Maybe they should take off their theological glasses long enough so they can stop seeing things that are just not there! 8. HE IS SEALED UNTO THE DAY OF REDEMPTION! Ephesians 4:30; The believer is sealed until the day God redeems his body. Hogwash! There is not a single reputable translation of Scripture that says “until the day Yahweh redeems His body." There is no meaning of sealing "until" the day of redemption! Those theological glasses that they are wearing are putting words and meaning where there is none! We are sealed “for” the day of redemption. Any Greek Lexicon will prove it, and any reputable English version will too! 9.
HOLY SPIRIT WILL ABIDE FOREVER! John
14:16-17; The indwelling
of the Holy Spirit is permanent. 10.
HE IS PRESERVED FOREVER! Psalm 37:28;
God preserves the saint forever.
11.
HE IS BORN OF GOD! John 1:12-13
The believer actually becomes God’s child and cannot be
“unborn.” 12.
HE IS A NEW CREATURE! 2 Corinthians
5:17; God has made the
believer a new creature and no one can “uncreate”
him. 13. HE IS CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS! Ephesians 2:10; The saint was created in his Saviour. And as the verse continues, "unto good works!" Not for sin and unbelief! This proves more for the cause of Set-Apartness and the power of Yahweh, and nothing for some invented theory of Eternal Security! 14. HE IS PRESERVED UNTO THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM! 2 Timothy 4:18; The believer is preserved like Paul since God is no respecter of persons. You seem to miss the statement that goes before this! “The Master shall rescue me from every wicked work.” Paul’s hope was not based on belief in some false doctrine, but in the fact of the power of Yahweh to continue to deliver him from evil deeds. This passage is personal, and not a universal promise to all who ever had a scrape with favour! We can apply this to genuine believers who have the set-apartness that is wrought by Yahweh. No universal promise of Eternal Security here… except in the minds of those who read it into it! 15. HE IS KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD! 1 Peter 1:5; Since God is keeping him, the believer cannot fall from salvation. And as the passage continues with a condition ..."THROUGH BELIEF!" It is astonishing how Eternal Security advocates conveniently leave off the condition! Rebellion and continued sinning is not belief! Yahweh only "keeps" as long as the condition is met. 16. CHRIST HAS PRAYED FOR HIM! John 17:11; Jesus prayed that God would keep all who He had given Him. And he lost Judas anyway! Jn. 17:12. Yahweh will not violate the freedom that He has given man! 17. WORKS CANNOT AFFECT HIS SALVATION! Romans 11:6; Salvation is not gained by works, so it cannot be lost by works. “So also belief, if it does not have works, is in itself dead.” James 2:17. Paul is arguing the point that works cannot merit salvation, and James is arguing that one cannot be saved by a fruitless belief. They are not in opposition in any way. Nowhere is it said by Paul, or the Scriptures, that works cannot affect salvation! You have the choice; you can believe your theories, or you can believe the Scriptures! The Scriptures never say that sin cannot affect salvation!. 18. HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS! Romans 4:5; It is faith which brings salvation to a believer. And, it was not a fruitless belief, for, “Was not Abraham our father declared right by works when he offered Yitshaq his son on the altar?” James 2:21. True belief brings forth good fruit. A belief that brings forth bad fruit is not a saving belief. (John 15). Works, or working for the purpose of gaining salvation voids favour. Works that result from the fruit of salvation validate belief, but do not attempt in anyway to merit salvation. 19. NOTHING CAN SEPARATE HIM FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST! Romans 8:38-39; Nothing material, immaterial, past, present, or future can separate a believer from Christ’s love. Scripture says otherwise! “Keep yourselves in the love of Elohim!” Jude 21. The passage from Romans 8 deals with the security of the believer who remains “in” Messiah, and no other. It speaks of external forces that attack the believer, but some may see these afflictions as giving the impression that Yahweh is punishing them, or that they have fallen out of the favour of Yahweh. Paul is saying that the love of Messiah is with the believer regardless of the great persecution that they may suffer. Nothing is said about an impossibility of being separated from Messiah because of rebellion and sin! It is not speaking of loss of salvation, but the separation from Messiah’s love! Sin is not an external force, it is a personal choice. Nothing in this verse promises the apostate any security! 20. SALVATION IS OF THE LORD! Jonah 2:9; Salvation is all God’s work. He bought it and provided it. And sin is the work of man! So what?!!!! This proves nothing! Yahweh does not force salvation on anyone! 21.
GOD IS ABLE TO KEEP HIM! 2 Timothy
1:12; The believer’s
salvation rests on God’s omnipotent ability to keep him. The promise is only to those who have a present tense “belief.” It is not to those who started in the belief, and thereafter faltered. Only the one who believes right now has the promise of "no condemnation." 23. HE IS PROMISED TO NEVER PERISH! John 10:27-28; Every saint has an unconditional promise to never perish. The promise is only to the “sheep.” The SHEEP are defined by the verse. They (present tense) hear and follow the Shepherd. Those that continue in sin are not hearing, and are certainly not following the sinless Shepherd! They are not by definition what Yahushua calls “sheep.” They are not sheep, and they are not benefactors of the promise that they shall never perish! They are only secure in as far as they continue hearing and following, that is what the text says! 24. HE WILL NEVER BE CAST OUT! John 6:37; Under no condition will any believer be cast out from Christ or Heaven. The verse is dealing with people coming to Him, not believers staying in Him! All this is saying is that no one who comes to Him should have any fear that they would be turned away. No mysterious lucky lotto of fate that leaves the majority of people abandoned without hope. The Good News is truly to whosoever will. 25. ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO HIM! Romans 8:28; It would not be good for one to lose his salvation. To him "WHO LOVES ELOHIM!" As the passage says. Not to those who abandon, forsake, or continue in rebellion. Willfully walking in sin is not loving Yahweh! 26. HE IS IN CHRIST’S HAND! John 10:28; The believer is in his Saviours hand. See #23. 27. HE IS IN THE FATHER’S HAND! John 10:29-30; The saint is in his heavenly Father’s hand. Who is in His hand? THE SHEEP. See #23. 28. HE IS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, A SHEEP! John 10:27-28; A sheep represents a saved person and cannot change from being one. Really? So your saying that no one can get saved? If a sheep cannot become a goat, then a goat cannot become a sheep! This passage says NOTHING about it being impossible to revert back to their old state. It speaks only of the security of those who are hearing and following right now. 29. GOD’S MERCY NEVER ENDS! Titus 3:5; The believer is saved by God’s mercy and it endures forever (Psalm 136). Do you really believe that this statement is teaching Eternal Security? Yahweh is always full of favour, but that has nothing to do with any mythical doctrine of irrevocable assurance, or salvation without belief! Yahweh's mercy was there before anyone ever had belief, but that doesn't mean they were saved before belief just because Yahweh's favour endures forever! Nothing of irrevocable salvation is stated, or even implied in this verse. 30. GOD CANNOT LIE! Titus 1:2; Once God has saved a believer, he cannot go back on His word. Yahweh says, “The one who sins is of the devil,” 1 Jn. 3:8. “The wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23. “The being that is sinning shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4. YAHWEH CANNOT LIE! This passage has nothing to do with a doctrine of Eternal Security! 31. HIS SINS ARE GONE FOREVER! Psalm 103:12; Micah 7:19; Isaiah 38:17, 44:22; Hebrews 10:17; The saints sins are gone. There is not a single passage in all of Scripture that says all future sins of the believer are gone! The Scriptures tell us that only sins past are atoned for. Romans 3:25; 1 Peter 1:9. The atonement is a provision that is available through our Advocate if we stumble into sin. 32. HE SHALL BE LIKE CHRIST! 1 John 3:2; It is a certainty that the believer will be like Christ. This again, has nothing to do with any promise that all believers will never fall away! Those that are believers, or died as believers, will see Him in all His Power. 33. GOD SEES HIM AS ALREADY GLORIFIED! Romans 8:30; The saint is as good as glorified in God’s sight. This passage has nothing to do with the individual believer apart from their participation in the Body, the Assembly. The Body, the Bride of the Messiah is Esteemed and predestined. If one fails to continue in the belief and the Body of the Messiah, this verse has no application to them. 34. HE IS BORN OF INCORRUPTIBLE SEED! 1 Peter 1:23; The Christian’s new birth was from incorruptible seed. The seed is incorruptible, not the persons possession of that seed! See the previous verse to see who this applies to! “Now that you have CLEANSED your lives in OBEYING the truth through the Spirit to UNFEIGNED BROTHERLY LOVE, love one another fervently with a CLEAN HEART.” This cannot possibly describe those that continue in sin and rebellion. They are not pure, they are not “obeying”, they demonstrate that they do not love the brethren nor Yahweh. They do not have a “clean heart”, and are thereby excluded from being possessors of this incorruptible seed. 35. HE WILL APPEAR WITH CHRIST IN GLORY! Colossians 3:4; The saint is promised to appear with Christ when He returns. The “saint,” and not the “sinner.” You finally got one right! 36. HE IS HIDDEN IN CHRIST! Colossians 3:3; The believer is dead to the world and alive in Christ. Colossians 3:4 says this applies only to those who have made Messiah Yahushua their life, not excuses and sin! Security is “in” Messiah. One cannot live in rebellion and be “in” Messiah Yahushua at the same time. 37.
HE IS DEAD TO AND FREED FROM SIN! Romans
6:2-7;
Sin can no longer affect the saint’s destiny. He is freed
from
it. 38. THE LORD IS NOW PRAYING FOR HIM! Hebrews 7:25; The Lord is presently interceding in the believer’s behalf. Yahushua prays for the believer, He does not believe and repent for the unbeliever! Yahushua prayed for Judas, and Judas was still lost. (You can’t lose that which you never had!) (Jn. 17:12). 39. GOD WILL FINISH WHAT HE STARTED! Phillipians 1:6; God began the work of salvation and will finish it. This is not a promise but a statement towards those who “fellowship in the Good News FROM THE FIRST DAY UNTIL NOW.” V.5 Because of their trustworthiness, Paul thought it was “right” for him to think this of them! V.7. No Eternal Security here, or anywhere else in Scripture! 40.
HE HAS ETERNAL REDEMPTION! Hebrews
9:12; Every believer has
been eternally redeemed from his sins. 41.
HIS LIFE IS CHRIST’S LIFE! Colossians
3:4; The saints life is
Christ’s very own life, so how could it be lost?
42.
HE HAS AN EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH GOD! Hebrews
13:20; God made a
covenant to give the saint everlasting life. 43.
HE IS KEPT FROM FALLING BY CHRIST! Jude
24; A Christian cannot
fall from grace because Christ is keeping him. 44.
SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT! Romans
6:23; A free gift is
given with no conditions.
45.
HE HAS IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS! Romans
4:6-7; The righteousness
the saint has is Christ’s perfect righteousness. 46.
HE IS A PART OF CHRIST! Ephesians
5:30;
Every believer is a part of Christ’s body. “Bone of
His
bone....” 47. CHRIST IS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF HIS SALVATION! Hebrews 12:2; Christ began and will finish his salvation. In those that repent and believe, and continue in the belief, enduring to the end. This passage says nothing about the Messiah having to finish the salvation that someone had a start in, and chooses to abandon along the way. Eternal Security must be assumed in order to make the passage say that Yahushua must finish that which He began. 48. HE HAS BEEN PREDESTINATED TO BE CONFORMED TO CHRIST’S IMAGE! Romans 8:29; After salvation the believer is predestinated. Predestinated to set-apartness/conformity to Yahushua Messiah’s image, and not to the heavens! (A person has a free will before salvation, and none after? Foolish, and unscriptural logic!) See #33. 49.
CHRIST’S BLOOD HAS MADE PEACE FOR HIM! Colossians
1:20; The saint has
peace with God through the blood. 50.
THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN SO HE COULD BELIEVE AND KNOW! 1
John 5:13; The saint can
know he HAS ETERNAL SALVATION. None of the passages that are given as proof state that salvation cannot be lost. If such a doctrine were true, why would Yahweh shroud it so well that no one could see it? Wouldn't He have at least two or three passages that state this proposition overtly? Sadly, the theory of “eternal security” (once saved, always saved) is another prime example of what Christianity has done in it's separation and exclusion of the First Covenant. The Scriptures are clear that Yahweh NEVER CHANGES (Mal 3:6, Ps 102:27, Heb 1:12, Jam 1:17), and niether does that which He speaks! (Ps 89:34). His First Covenant (as with the New) is full of conditional promises to those who “Love and keep His Commandments” (Deut 7:9, Deut 11:22, Deut 30:10 ,Jn 14:21, 1 Jn 3:24, etc.). “Eternal Security” is the doctrine for those who with to use Yahweh's favour as a cloak for their sin. 1Pe 2:15 “Because such is the desire of Elohim, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, as free, yet not using your freedom as a cloak for evil, but as servants of Elohim.” Scriptures quoted are taken from “The Scriptures – 1998” |
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