There are too many people now who think they are earning their way to heaven by following all the rules. They say they are saved by grace through faith in Christ but that they have to work at being good.
We do not work to be good, we work after we have been changed by Christ, this is a big difference. And, Christ does that work in us, we cannot take the credit for the good we do, the credit goes to Christ.
The doctrine of eternal security is not Calvinism. Calvin taught that no one had a choice to be born again, that some people were created to go to hell and some to go to heaven. He was an heretic.
When God changed us in response to our desire to be changed by Him, He made us into something opposite of what we were. We cannot nor do we want to turn back.
Born-again believers do not work at being different they are different, and they no longer think the way they used to think. Christ has changed them entirely from the inside. When Christ changes us we cannot change ourselves back, we are sealed with Christ.
We do not have to think about breathing, we do it without thinking, The same is true about born-again believers, we don't follow rules, because we already love the principles that brought the rules about. That is the mind of Christ Who is the Author of those rules.
We don't have to force ourselves not to steal because we don't want to, in fact, if we accidentally took something without realizing we quickly return it with big apologies. We hate sin and evil because Christ changed our hearts.
There is no need for laws and rules for born-again believers because they love and have the righteousness of Christ.
Galatians 5:22-24
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
When we know Christ in us is what drives us to be what He wants us to be, we never take glory for ourselves.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also [c]believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Those who turn back are pretenders who believe they are saved but never trusted Christ.
1 John 2:19-20 " 19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. 20 You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
Anyone who thinks they are keeping their own salvation by their goodness is placing the onus of their salvation on themselves, this is salvation by works.
Ephesians 2:8-10 "…8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.…"
We have no part in our own salvation, when we want to trust in Christ He does all the work in us, we have no power to save ourselves either by our works before salvation or after salvation.
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
My prayer is that those who think they must be "good enough" to earn heaven will come to trust Christ completely to save them, to keep them saved, to work good works in them and to take them home when He decides.
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