Welcome to the Power Hour
Figuratively speaking we live like a butterfly or caterpillar as we walk in faith.
We who have been born again by the Spirit of God are like bullfrogs and butterflies SO we are NOT to LIVE like caterpillars and tadpoles anymore, God raised us to a NEW LIFE so live it.
Eph. 2:8,9 is my key verse, it says,
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Some people who disagree with my position on "the once saved, always saved" doctrine believe me to be closed minded, heretical but is that the case or is it the other way around or could it be that one needs to study the issue more? Maybe it is just a misunderstanding, confusion on the part of one, or even closed mindedness? I will now present my case with the word of God. The confusion that exists among believers is they will not study for themselves, they tend to take another man's word for it instead of finding out what God has to say about the issue. That is sad!
OR IN OTHER WORDS, WE NEED TO RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE WORD OF TRUTH.
There are those who are born again, washed in the blood of the lamb who get extremely upset if you dare tell them that a person can reject, deny Jesus Christ after he has received him or been born again. We can go back adn forth saying, "I don't agree, you are wrong, etc. but it doesn't get us anywhere. The word will help us to see, to understand.
Ia there going to be a falling away or is there a falling from grace? The word tells me that there is so I choose to believe God's word rather than man's word.
Many times we build up a STRAW MAN ARGUMENT and then tear it down to show how right we are but most of those times we only deal with scriptures that we know and the answers that we know. We don't seem to touch the other scriptures that blows our argument apart.
II Thess. 2:3
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;"
Gal. 5:4
"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."
The straw man argument used here is:
By the way if your bible says "one and only Son" it is wrong. God has lots of sons BUT he has only one "only begotten Son".
Back to salvation: For a person to believe or preach anything but a free salvation ISN'T preaching a biblical salvation. It is a free gift but the gift MUST be accepted. Since most of the arguments against forfeiting your salvation ARE based on works and I don't disagree with most of them then I will go directly to the root of the problem and that is UNBELIEF.
By reading
The past tense of salvation is justification, we have been justified by his blood.
LET ME SAY IT ANOTHER WAY,
SO I see that he (Jesus/God) has perfected for ever them THAT ARE sanctified.
SANCTIFIED IS BEING SET APART, HOLY, CONSECRATED UNTO GOD.
Romans 11:6
"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
So the argument goes to show that you are EITHER saved by works of by grace NOT BY BOTH. Since a true Christian KNOWS that works cannot save a person that we would readily agree that it is by grace. This is true BUT THE VERSE Gal 5:4 that I used shows that those who have "fallen from grace" ARE those who NOW think that they will stay saved by the works of the law. A MAN IS ENTIRELY SAVED BY THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST OR HE IS NOT SAVED. So this truly saved person LATER ADDS the works of the law to make himself a little more secure then HE HAS FALLEN FROM GRACE.
Another argument that is brought out is "CHEAP GRACE", this argument makes those who believe that a person can turn his back on God after he has been saved AS ACCUSING THOSE who believe in eternal security are believing in cheap grace. FOR GOD to save me by his grace isn't cheap anyway you look at it. IT COST HIM PLENTY, THE DEATH OF HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
I dealt with the three tenses of salvation in another teaching SO I will not focus on it here but I will show you quickly what I mean.
The present tense of salvation is sanctification, we are being sanctified daily as we submit to the Lord Jesus Christ and resist the devil.
The future tense of salvation is glorification, we will be free from the sin when we are glorified with the Lord Jesus Christ.
PAST TENSE, we have been freed from the penalty of sin
PRESENT TENSE, we are being freed from the power of sin
FUTURE TENSE, we will be freed from the presence of sin
In John 17:17
Jesus said, "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth."
God is infinite BUT he gives man a finite faith. "..the measure of faith." (Cf. Rom. 12:3)
The measure of faith is just that, a certain amount of faith that God gives each individual.
AND SINCE "...faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17)
We grow in the faith walk as we read, study and apply the word of God to our lives.
The Jews were broken off because of unbelief and we stand by faith. IF the Jews can be broken off because of unbelief, we can be broken off too. The Jews were the natural branches and we were grafted in.
LET'S READ
Romans 11:20-23
"20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, IF THOU CONTINUE IN HIS GOODNESS: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, IF THEY ABIDE NOT STILL IN UNBELIEF, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again."
All caps emphasis mine.
I received Jesus though faith in his finished work on the cross. Ck. Eph. 2:8,9
I am commanded to walk in him in the same way that I received him (through faith).
Col. 2:6,7,8
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
As we walk in the faith, we are walking sanctified.
Gal. 3:11
"11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."
What if they don't or are not living by faith?
I debate a lot of people in cults from R. Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, Church of Christ, etc. ALL of them and many more ADD their set of rules to the finished work of Christ AND that immediately puts them out of the picture. I was recently dealing with a 7th Day Adventist and he was reading me wrong LIKE I was belittling the Ten Commandments and throwing the baby out with the bath water. I told him the Ten Commandments are IMPORTANT. I never said they were NOT IMPORTANT. I DID say they do NOT SAVE. Jesus saves and he alone, he WILL NOT give his glory to another, to another thing or to another person. He is all sufficient.
BACK TO THE WORD OF GOD…
Hebrews 10:38
"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."
Romans 1:17
"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
Rev 3:14-22
THE OVERCOMERS ARE THE FAITH WALKERS…
"14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
I have heard that in v. 16 where Jesus is going to spue the lukewarm Christian out of his mouth, this is not talking about hell, nevertheless I don't want to be spued to the other side of heaven by Jesus. I want to hear him say "well done".