It's all about Christ or nothing about Christ.
If you believe you can lose your salvation, you believe that you have to do part of the work in obtaining your salvation. This is blasphemy, to think that you have to help God save you.
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."
If you think you have to work to maintain salvation then you are no different than every other pagan religion of the world.
Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Jehovah Witness, Seventh Day Adventists and many others are all working their way to heaven. They depend on a particular work or set of works to earn their way into heaven. Some of them let God help them a little, but they continually camp on works as their propitiation instead of Christ.
None of these religions assure anyone of their salvation, just as those "Christians" who think they can lose their salvation. If you are working to keep your salvation then you agree with these pagan religions that part of the work is yours, Christ didn't do it all and you cannot know if you have salvation until the day you die, because you don't know if you will sin big enough to lose it tomorrow. You don't know how many sins you have to commit for the Holy Spirit to fly out of you.
Those who believe they can lose their salvation do not trust Christ because of all the promises He made about saving us, changing us and keeping us, are ignored as though He never said them. The excuse they use is that we can walk away from Him, meaning part of our salvation is up to us.
When they say they believe we are saved by grace, they live and breathe as though they are not. Grace is grace for obtaining salvation as well as keeping but they deny the keeping part.
The truth is that there is deep pride that makes them want to maintain some of the control, while bragging that they can do it.
I am here to tell you, no one can keep their own salvation by following the Law or any other good deeds. Many will get to heavens gate and hear these terrible words, "I NEVER KNEW YOU." They will hear them because they placed their trust in themselves rather than completely on Christ. Here is what they will say:
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Don't think you will get to heavens gate and be able to tell the Lord that you kept the commandments, it won't get you in.
When I get to heaven I will tell the Lord that I trusted in His Son Jesus Christ, and that will get me in, nothing else, nothing added.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Seek Truth Through Prayer
Why do so many people believe that doctrinal error is alright as long as everyone agrees that each decides for himself what he wants to believe. This reminds me of the scripture that says;
"In the last days everyone did what was right in their own eyes"
When there is doctrinal disagreement, we need to go back to scripture, using the original languages if need be, to come to a CORRECT understanding of what God meant.
The problem is that too many people love their cultural traditions and things taught by men, they just can't let go of them. No matter how clear the message from the word is, they refuse to see the truth.
How can someone fight so bitterly to defend that which God condemns or fight bitterly to avoid obeying what God commands, if they are seeking Him?
The only answer to the previous question is that many even most of those claiming to be believers are not seeking God, they are heaping up for themselves teachers that give them the answers that they like rather than what is truth.
The admonishment here is to actually go to prayer when you are challenged about a matter. Seek truth not personal desire or comfort.
"In the last days everyone did what was right in their own eyes"
When there is doctrinal disagreement, we need to go back to scripture, using the original languages if need be, to come to a CORRECT understanding of what God meant.
The problem is that too many people love their cultural traditions and things taught by men, they just can't let go of them. No matter how clear the message from the word is, they refuse to see the truth.
How can someone fight so bitterly to defend that which God condemns or fight bitterly to avoid obeying what God commands, if they are seeking Him?
The only answer to the previous question is that many even most of those claiming to be believers are not seeking God, they are heaping up for themselves teachers that give them the answers that they like rather than what is truth.
The admonishment here is to actually go to prayer when you are challenged about a matter. Seek truth not personal desire or comfort.
Do Not Grieve The Holy Spirit
Ephesians 4:30
"Do not GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT of God, by whom you were SEALED for the day of redemption."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-21
"16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 DO NOT QUENCH THE HOLY SPIRIT; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil."
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 promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
Galatians 5:17
"For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."
It is clear from the above passages that believers do sin, they do grieve the Holy Spirit at times but within them is the power of Christ to resist, because when we became born again our desires within our spirit changed, we hate the sin that dwells in our bodies, however our Spirit battles against the flesh that is still fallen.
When we die as believers our spirit goes to be with the Lord, because it is holy through the blood of , but our bodies stay behind because no sin can enter the presence of God. Our body will be changed in a flash, then it will be holy and acceptable to unite again with our Spirit in the presence of God.
1 Corinthians 15:52
"in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."
Romans 7:15
"For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate."
Hebrews 12:6
"FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
God has to continually teach, train and spank us to bring us back into line with His principles. If we are truly born again believers, we do not fight against the chastising of the Lord, but rather lean into it, thankful that He is working in us.
Anyone that claims to be sinless after they are born again, doesn't understand that the flesh has not been made into a new creation and will not until the rapture of the body. The Spirit is made a new creation at the moment of salvation. Those who think we can lose salvation after Christ changes us, has to deny the working of discipline in our lives. They must not recognize the need for chastisement in the life of a believer, if they do not think they sin, or if they think sin can cause the Lord to remove His Holy Spirit from us. They also have to deny the promise of God to never leave us or forsake us.
Hebrews 13:5
"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
If God is the One Who saves us through grace, a free gift, then how could we ever think that we have anything within ourselves that would keep us where we should be? When we know that Christ is the Righteousness in us, then we know that we have no righteousness to offer on our own behalf.
If we think our own attempts at sinlessness have any part of the salvation through grace then it is not grace at all but works. Those who think they can lose their salvation must believe that God never disciplines His children as He said He does, but merely casts them away at the slightest infraction of His Law.
In every encounter I have had where I have asked the questions; 1. How many sins does it take for the Holy Spirit to leave us and 2. How big do the sins have to be? No one has an answer for me. Because Christ never leaves a true believer and we cannot turn ourselves back into the old creation, then we can say that our salvation is based on our trusting Christ, knowing that He paid for our sin with His own blood on the cross.
IT IS PAID IN FULL!!!! Read Hebrews chapter 9 to discover that it had to be the shedding of blood to cover our sin. No number or size of good works or lack of bad works will atone for sin, only the blood of Christ the sinless Lamb of God would do that. Since we cannot shed even our own blood to atone for our own sins, then what would make us think merely doing good works or avoiding bad ones would make any difference at all. When we see it this way, the salvation that would be atoned for by Christ could not be lost, it was paid for in full at the cross. How silly to think anything you do could save you or lose the salvation you didn't earn in the first place but had to be paid for by the shedding of blood of the perfect Lamb. You are not perfect and you have not shed your own blood for your sins, what makes you think you can earn your salvation by mere deeds?
PAID IN FULL!!!!!
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
"16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words."
1 Corinthians 15:52
"in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."
When we became born again, God changed our heart and sealed us with the Holy Spirit. After salvation we hate the sin we used to do and we hate the sin we do now. God disciplines us to help us return to obedience, we learn from that and grow in holiness. God never just throws us away because we don't measure up, He knows we could never measure up. Perhaps those who think God throws us away because we don't measure up are interpreting their version of salvation in terms of their understanding of our culture. That's what man does, man throws people away who don't measure up, so some think God does the same thing.
There are those stubborn believers, who are born again by the shed blood of Christ, but do not avail themselves to the discipline of Christ, ignoring His Holy Spirit, grieving Him as Ephesians 4:30 speaks of, these people are born again, but they will have consequences in this life and lost rewards in the next.
1 Corinthians 3:15
"If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
For those who think you are working your way to heaven, or have any part in keeping the salvation you didn't earn, must ask the Lord if you are born again. Anyone who understands the sacrifice that was required to pay for their sin, could never think they have any works that would measure up to the shed blood of Christ.
"Do not GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT of God, by whom you were SEALED for the day of redemption."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-21
"16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 DO NOT QUENCH THE HOLY SPIRIT; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil."
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 promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
Galatians 5:17
"For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."
It is clear from the above passages that believers do sin, they do grieve the Holy Spirit at times but within them is the power of Christ to resist, because when we became born again our desires within our spirit changed, we hate the sin that dwells in our bodies, however our Spirit battles against the flesh that is still fallen.
When we die as believers our spirit goes to be with the Lord, because it is holy through the blood of , but our bodies stay behind because no sin can enter the presence of God. Our body will be changed in a flash, then it will be holy and acceptable to unite again with our Spirit in the presence of God.
1 Corinthians 15:52
"in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."
Romans 7:15
"For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate."
Hebrews 12:6
"FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
God has to continually teach, train and spank us to bring us back into line with His principles. If we are truly born again believers, we do not fight against the chastising of the Lord, but rather lean into it, thankful that He is working in us.
Anyone that claims to be sinless after they are born again, doesn't understand that the flesh has not been made into a new creation and will not until the rapture of the body. The Spirit is made a new creation at the moment of salvation. Those who think we can lose salvation after Christ changes us, has to deny the working of discipline in our lives. They must not recognize the need for chastisement in the life of a believer, if they do not think they sin, or if they think sin can cause the Lord to remove His Holy Spirit from us. They also have to deny the promise of God to never leave us or forsake us.
Hebrews 13:5
"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
If God is the One Who saves us through grace, a free gift, then how could we ever think that we have anything within ourselves that would keep us where we should be? When we know that Christ is the Righteousness in us, then we know that we have no righteousness to offer on our own behalf.
If we think our own attempts at sinlessness have any part of the salvation through grace then it is not grace at all but works. Those who think they can lose their salvation must believe that God never disciplines His children as He said He does, but merely casts them away at the slightest infraction of His Law.
In every encounter I have had where I have asked the questions; 1. How many sins does it take for the Holy Spirit to leave us and 2. How big do the sins have to be? No one has an answer for me. Because Christ never leaves a true believer and we cannot turn ourselves back into the old creation, then we can say that our salvation is based on our trusting Christ, knowing that He paid for our sin with His own blood on the cross.
IT IS PAID IN FULL!!!! Read Hebrews chapter 9 to discover that it had to be the shedding of blood to cover our sin. No number or size of good works or lack of bad works will atone for sin, only the blood of Christ the sinless Lamb of God would do that. Since we cannot shed even our own blood to atone for our own sins, then what would make us think merely doing good works or avoiding bad ones would make any difference at all. When we see it this way, the salvation that would be atoned for by Christ could not be lost, it was paid for in full at the cross. How silly to think anything you do could save you or lose the salvation you didn't earn in the first place but had to be paid for by the shedding of blood of the perfect Lamb. You are not perfect and you have not shed your own blood for your sins, what makes you think you can earn your salvation by mere deeds?
PAID IN FULL!!!!!
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
"16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words."
1 Corinthians 15:52
"in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."
When we became born again, God changed our heart and sealed us with the Holy Spirit. After salvation we hate the sin we used to do and we hate the sin we do now. God disciplines us to help us return to obedience, we learn from that and grow in holiness. God never just throws us away because we don't measure up, He knows we could never measure up. Perhaps those who think God throws us away because we don't measure up are interpreting their version of salvation in terms of their understanding of our culture. That's what man does, man throws people away who don't measure up, so some think God does the same thing.
There are those stubborn believers, who are born again by the shed blood of Christ, but do not avail themselves to the discipline of Christ, ignoring His Holy Spirit, grieving Him as Ephesians 4:30 speaks of, these people are born again, but they will have consequences in this life and lost rewards in the next.
1 Corinthians 3:15
"If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
For those who think you are working your way to heaven, or have any part in keeping the salvation you didn't earn, must ask the Lord if you are born again. Anyone who understands the sacrifice that was required to pay for their sin, could never think they have any works that would measure up to the shed blood of Christ.
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