To me I see in the world today in 2014 millions of people that
believe that God opens the door for only a "once-in-a-lifetime" decision and then
closes that door forever. It is as though God says,
"I'm going to give you
only one decision about changing over from your doomed condition. Once you
decide to be saved you can never choose to be lost again. When you accept Jesus
as your Savior, it will be the final choice you will ever make about your
eternal destiny. If you change your mind later it will be too late, you are still Saved. No matter
how deeply and sincerely you desire to be lost and repent of your repentance,
you cannot escape from eternal life. No amount of bitter rebellion, deliberate
blasphemy, or evil living can change that once-for-all decision to be saved. I
will not allow you any further choice after you accept Jesus as your
Saviour."
To be honest basically, this is the belief of a large amount of
Christians who advocate the doctrine of eternal security. Another equally sincere
group of Christians believes that God leaves the door open for us to change our
minds at any time. They believe that salvation is not predicated upon only one
irrevocable act or choice of the past, but upon a continuous, personal
relationship of the believer with Christ. When the decision to break the
love-relationship is made by willful disobedience, the believer ceases to be a
true believer and forfeits any assurance of salvation. The implications of this
issue are overwhelming if you think about it. If there is an unconditional
future security for all believers, it has to be the most wonderful doctrine in
existence, but if it is not true, it surely is one of the most dangerous
heresies in the world right?
Millions could be saved or lost over the decision
they make on this one point alone!.....crazy to think about. Ok lets take
keeping the Sabbath day holy since I’m a Sabbath keeper myself. Say a large
group of people were completely convinced that Saturday is the true Sabbath of
the Scriptures….but of those people only a very few made any decision to obey
the truth. Practically all of them had Sabbath problems connected with their
jobs. It would have meant inconvenience, economic hardship, and possible loss of
employment for them to follow the truth all the way. Each one who rejected the
message said….."We are already saved," and" we cannot be
lost. Why should we run the risk of losing our jobs by keeping the Sabbath? We
would not be any more saved by keeping the Sabbath than we are right now, and
we certainly cannot be lost by breaking the Sabbath." See how their
argument was consistent with their doctrine? To them salvation was not
connected with obedience, or advancing in spiritual growth. It all focused on a
past moment when they made a decision for Christ. They could break the 4th
commandment, the 7th commandment, the 10th, or all of them, and
still feel eternally secure in the promise they had claimed "when they
were saved."
To be sure, these people believed that their disobedience
might affect the joy and peace of their relationship, but never the assurance of
ultimate salvation. Ok with this topic on being saved we need to answer some
questions….Can we change our minds about being saved? Do we give up our power
of choice when we are converted? Does salvation consist of one grand, holy
moment of decision, or must we continue in the saving grace of Christ after
that decision? Can God take defiling sins into His holy kingdom?Let’s go to the
Bible again shall we!! Like if I was going to go to some other source on this topic haha :-)
If a person does not abide in Christ, he withers,
dies, and finally experiences the final death that Christ talks about. This proves that the relation of a believer to
Christ is never a static thing based only on a past experience. We are supposed to have relationship with Christ everyday, it's a relationship issue. It is a
current, mutual sharing of a common life which is drawn from Him "who is
our life" (Colossians 3:4). When the branch is separated from the vine,
the source of life is gone, and only death can result. These words of Jesus are
too clear to be misconstrued. Even believing and trusting Christians who are
connected to the living vine may choose to separate from the vine. When they
do, they die. Nothing can wither and
die that has not previously been alive. Security is eternal life only for those
whose faith is eternally fixed on Jesus, and whose life is connected to the one
who is our life.
Obviously we can choose to be lost no matter how saved we once
were. Everything depends on maintaining the divine connection with the true
vine. Jesus taught the same truth about losing eternal life in the parable of
the sower. In explaining the seed which fell among the thorns and the rocks,
Jesus said, "Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the
devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe
and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the
word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time
of temptation fall away." Luke 8:12, 13.
There are things to notice in this parable. First, only one class will finally
be saved…..the ones who brought forth much fruit. The groups represented by the
wayside and rocks will not be saved. In verse 12, the wayside hearers did not
have a chance to "believe and be saved," but in the next verse the
stony ground hearers do "for a while believe." What kind of
"believing" is this? According to verse 12, it is the kind that
saves. So the ones who believed for a while were saved for a while, but in time
of temptation they fell away. Eventually they were lost along with all the
others except the fruit bearers. I think this is an awesome example teaching of
our Lord that people can have a saving faith for a while, and yet lose it and
be lost. So does the bible talk about eternal security? Yes!
In Luke 12:42-46
Christ described in another parable how a faithful servant could turn into an
unfaithful one. After asking, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward,
whom his lord shall make ruler over his household . . . ?" Jesus answers
His own question: "That servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find
so doing . . . he will make him ruler over all that he hath." Then Christ
explains how that servant could lose his reward. "But and if that servant
say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the
menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of
that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour
when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his
portion with the unbelievers." Verses 45, 46. Here is a perfect example I
think by Jesus. Jesus was talking about a man whom He had seen faithful enough
to trust with heavy responsibilities. This servant represents those who
carefully served the Lord as true believers. But what happened? That very
faithful servant departed from the path of faithfulness and reaped eternal ruin
and death. Does this not also remind us of Hebrews 10:38, "Now the just
shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure
in him." The servant in the parable, who was a believer, is now punished
with the unbelievers. The faithful can draw back to perdition.
Ok one more
parable of Christ highlights the fact that continued forgiveness is conditional
for the believer. This is in Matthew 18:21-35, and revolves around the forgiveness
of God. A king responded to the pleas of his servant and forgave him a large
debt. That servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a small
amount and showed no mercy, throwing him in prison because he could not pay.
When the king heard what had happened, he rescinded his cancellation of the
large debt and had his servant thrown to the tormentors till he paid in full.
No one can deny the obvious teaching of this parable. Even though God
graciously forgives those who apply for it, that forgiveness is not without
conditions for the future…..this is key to understand. We can lose that
forgiveness by being unmerciful to others. We have to ask for forgiveness with each new sin or wrong deed we do. But once we ask for forgiveness for that one sin or wrong deed, then we don't have to ask for forgiveness for that same one sin or wrong deed again....the Devil will try to make us think that we have to keep asking forgiveness for the same sin over and over but that's not true.
This is in harmony with the words of
Jesus in Ezekiel 33:13, "When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall
surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his
righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath
committed, he shall die for it." The principle is repeated in verse 18,
"When the righteous turned from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity,
he shall even die thereby." The secret lies in maintaining the righteous
relationship with the source of salvation. Jesus said, "He that shall
endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Matthew 24:13. Those who do
not endure to the end will have their names blotted out of the book of life.
Many I think deny it could ever happen, but read the possibility for yourself
in Revelation 3:5, "He that overcometh . . . I will not blot out his name
out of the book of life." The implication is clear that those who are not
overcomers who do not endure to the end will have their names blotted out.
Look
at all of the following verses…..There is an eternal "if" in every
consideration of eternal security. "If we walk in the light . . . the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7.
"If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye
also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." 1 John 2:24. "If
any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Hebrews 10:38.
"If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch." John 15:6.
"If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." John 8:51.
"If thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut
off." Romans 11:22. "If ye do these things, ye shall never fall."
2 Peter 1:10. "For we are made partakers of Christ, If we hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end." Hebrews 3:14.
"If we endure, we shall also reign with him: If we deny him, he also will
deny us." 2 Timothy 2:12. "If we sin willfully . . . there
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Hebrews 10:26. "If any man
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15.
"Ye are my friends, If ye do whatsoever I command you." John 15:14.
"If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." Romans 8:13.
In Romans
Chapter 11 Paul is discussing the fact that many of the physical seed of Israel
rejected God's Son and were then cut off. The illustration is used of an olive
tree. The branches were the children of Israel, but because of their unbelief,
they were broken off or cut off. Then, some wild olive branches were grafted
in, which represents the Gentile Christians.
Note this though…."For if God spared not the natural branches, take
heed lest he also spare not thee. 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." Verses 21 and 22,
note that any security for those branches depended entirely upon their
connection with the tree. The security was conditional. Even Peter agrees Paul.
In 2 Peter, chapter 1. There are listed
a number of virtues which should be manifested in the life of every Christian.
These are mentioned in verses 5-7, and notice that he is writing to "them
that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God
and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Verse 1. Then they had been given "all
things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that
hath called us to glory and virtue." Verse 3. It is very apparent that
Peter is addressing these remarks to those who have been converted.
But notice
the warning he gives: "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and
cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and
election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." Verses 9
and 10. Surely this indicates that Christians can fall from grace. They can
turn back from following Jesus. They can even become apostates in the truest
sense of the word. In the third chapter, Peter goes on to say, "Wherefore,
beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found
of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." Verse 14. "Seeing ye
know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of
the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." Verse 17. So we see that
Peter does agree with Paul that Christians need to be on guard constantly lest
they be led astray, and he indicates the sad fate of those who turn back into sin
after they are converted.
One of the strongest texts to me in the Bible that
proves a person can turn away from Christ and be lost even after he has made a
profession of being saved is 2 Peter 2:20-22: "If after they have escaped
the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse
with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known
the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it to turn from the holy
commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the
true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was
washed to her wallowing in the mire."
Now how awesome is that!! Huge evidence
here!! Now, those who take a position for unconditional security say that God's
sons cannot be represented by dogs and sows. Well, maybe they can't, but Peter
did and it is the greatest of illustrations. The proverb is painfully plain
really when you read it a few times I think. They had escaped the pollutions of
the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. They had
been converted. They had joined Christ on His side. They had turned their lives
over to Him, but they remembered the world and the "wallow" of sin.
Like the Israelites coming out of Egypt, they remembered the "flesh
pots," the "leeks and onions." They remembered the pleasures of
sin; so, leaving Christ they went back into the world like the hog returns to
its wallow in the mire.
Certainly no Christian should imitate the habits of a
hog, but Peter's proverb shows that it is possible. The Spirit of God is not
silent on this point. "Now the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times SOME SHALL DEPART FROM THE
FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." 1
Timothy 4:1, When will this happen? When will some depart from the faith? In
the latter times…..That would be right now, wouldn't it? More signs of the end here in 2014?
That would be the times in which we are living today right? Of course it would. On
this point "the Spirit speaketh expressly." Just what does that mean?
It means the Spirit speaks plainly, clearly - so clearly it is impossible to
misunderstand. All right then, what would some do? Some would depart from the
faith. So, it is possible to leave the faith, isn't it? Some do it even today. They have
been in the faith, they have worshiped with their brothers, they have attended
church and prayer meeting/Bible studies. They have been actively promoting the
gospel, they have given of their means, they have been pastors, officers of the
church, and leading laymen, they once had a strong relationship with Christ, they understand that salvation is a free gift from God, not of works, and that Christ is the way, the truth, and the key to getting eternal life.....to love Christ and accept Him as your Savior. But then nevertheless, they still leave the faith. They are not
steadfast and faithful.
In the last days there will come perilous times, with
persecutions and serious difficulties, and some do not stand as told in the
books of Daniel and Revelation if you study end time events. If you ever want
to study end time events with me or any topic I’m open, just ask me :-). They are tempted by
the things of the world and are seduced by spirits of devils. Sad to say, they
give up their allegiance to Jesus. They were on Christ's side, but now they
side with His enemy which is Satan following the world and what the world says.
There will also be people who join Christ’s side in the end as well as stated
in Revelation chapter 18. Revelation 18 states that so many will come to the true church of Christ, which is the Sabbath keeping church....most likely SDA church's since they preach the truth of the Bible, that they won't be able to close there doors.
Ok please don't misunderstand….If you want
unconditional security, you can have it. It is in Christ which Christ clearly offers on a day-by-day,
moment-by-moment basis. When you take Christ and stay by Him, you will persevere.
You will know that your salvation is sure. There is, and can be, no failure on
Christ's part. He will not fail; He is faithful. "Cast thy burden upon the
Lord, and he shall sustain thee." Psalm 55:22. He will stand by you as
long as you stand by Him. Jesus said of Himself, "I am the way, the truth,
and the life." John 14:6. And John wrote of the Lord, "This is the
record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He
that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not
life." 1 John 5:11, 12.
Even many non-Christians think they have security. They will tell you they believe God and God will admit them to heaven. They will say, "I am as good as people in the church," or "I feel I will be saved without going to church” or “I don’t need to be with or spend time with God’s people worshiping in a church”, but the truth is, no man is saved on the basis of his feelings. He may be sincere, but his sincerity will not save him. He may be honest, truthful, moral, and a first class citizen, but that won't save him. He may even be a supporter of the church and a giver to the needy, but neither will that save him. No man is saved by his works, good as they may be. Works do have a part to play and we are judged by our works in other ways, but not to get to heaven.
Remember this….Christ is the Savior, not your gifts, not your works. He offers you salvation as a free gift. It is in Christ, and when you receive Christ, you have salvation. "He that hath the Son, hath life." 1 John 5:12. But if you don't have the Son, you don't have life, and you cannot have eternal security until you have and keep Christ the Son. Jesus said, "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." John 10:28, 29.
What a tremendous promise this should be for every trusting child of
God! At first glance, it does seem to guarantee some sort of immunity against
spiritual loss, but verse 27 is a part of the thought, and it lays down a
specific condition for the fulfillment of the promise in verses 28 and 29.
"My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me: And I give
unto them eternal life." Please notice that it is only God's true
followers who nestle safely in His protecting hand. He gives eternal life only
to the faithful sheep who hear and follow Him. It is this hearing and following
which provides immunity against being plucked away by the devil or his
angels/demons. The protection is from enemies who seek to carry off the sheep,
but not from unfaithfulness of the sheep who might choose not to follow any longer.
No one can pluck them out of the Father's hand, but they may choose to jump out
at any time. This is key to understand.
Remember, God never even hints that He will interfere with the freedom of
choice of His followers. Christians can choose to be lost just as much as
sinners can choose to be saved. Just think how useless all the hundreds of
biblical warnings against apostasy would be if it were impossible to experience
it. Why would the Spirit have led Paul, Peter, and all the others to pen such
huge threats against eternal loss in the Bible if they were in no danger of suffering it?
And if it is true that the "once saved" are eternally secure, surely
the devil would know about it. Therefore, he would never waste any time on
believers, knowing how impossible it would be to cause them to be lost. Yet, we
all know by experience that Satan works even harder to pull away the saints
from following Christ.
So with all
this Biblical evidence we have to conclude that salvation does not consist of a
single, irrevocable commitment, whether past or present. Being saved is the
experience of living Christ's own life by divine impartation. It is never a
reality except in continual, dynamic relationship with Jesus, the source of
eternal life. Being saved must be spoken of in all three tenses of time in
order to be completely biblical. It has happened, it is happening, and it will
happen.
Ok here is an example I found online and I wanted to add it to my study on this topic. This guy Bill Jones is fishing
several miles out in the ocean. His boat capsizes and sinks to the bottom. He
is unable to swim to safety. Just then, another fishing boat comes along, but
it is so heavily loaded that it is impossible to take on another passenger. Because
they want to rescue the doomed man, however, the crew throws him a rope.
"Here, take this rope," they say. "We will tow you to
shore." As he takes the rope, Bill Jones says, "Thank God, I am
saved!" And he is saved, as long as he holds on to the rope. Salvation is
his, but he has a part to play in it. If he should at any time release his
grasp on the rope and refuse to take it again, he would be lost. So it is also true with
a person who has been rescued from sin. He remains saved as long as he holds on
to the hand of Christ. If he should decide to release that hand and clasp the
hand of the devil, he would be lost. His salvation depends on his decisions and
his actions of both his body and mind to choose Christ. To have your actions (fruits) match up with your words. Faith plus works go together. One can properly speak of salvation in three tenses - past,
present, and future. He can say, "I have been saved" when he takes
the rope, "I am being saved" as he is being towed to shore; and
"I shall be saved" when he plants his feet firmly on shore.
A
converted person -has been saved- from the penalty of sin. We call that
justification. He -is being saved- from the power of sin, and
we call that sanctification. He -shall be saved- from the presence of sin when
Christ comes, and that will be glorification. All three of these tenses are
used in the Bible in connection with being saved.
In Romans 8:24 is the expression, "We are saved by hope." In another translation He says, "We have been saved," past tense. The Corinthians 1:18 as "To us who are being saved." Then Acts 15:11 states, "that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved." So you see past, present, and future. Does the fact that he must cling to the rope to be saved, mean that we can earn our salvation by our own works? Absolutely not! Remember that he was being towed by a power other than his own. He was merely cooperating with that power. He was holding on to the rope. He had to do that in order to be pulled to safety. As Christians we must confess our faith in Christ, we must remain steadfast to Him, we must bring forth the fruits of obedience; that is our part in holding on to Christ. He will never let us go. The only way we can separate ourselves from Him is to cut ourselves off deliberately and disconnect ourselves from Him, but we as humans who have free choice do have the power to do that. We are still free moral agents. Never forget that.
Our will
has not been removed merely because we have become Christians. At any point in
our Christian life we can decide to turn back, to choose the things of the
world rather than the things of God and heaven. We are saved only through faith
in Jesus Christ as our Savior. "There is no other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12. However, we show our
faith by our works. It is a manifestation of our love for Him. Keeping God's
commandments and doing right are merely the result of His Holy Spirit dwelling
in the heart. These are the fruits of the Spirit. We do these things, not in
order to be saved, but because we are saved, and as long as we love the Lord
with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul. Also that we are going to be obedient to Him, and we will not let go
of the rope. We will continue to cling to Christ as our only hope.
There is no
question that the popular modern theology today has been teaching millions of
people that no one can really live without sinning. The Ten Commandments have
been portrayed as an idealistic code produced only for the purpose of making people
conscious of their need. Many modern Christians are turning more and more to a
soft, lenient stance on the subject of law-keeping (Teaching as I like to call the Law...it's a better way to put it). They believe God’s love is
incompatible with strict rules and penalties for violation….don’t fall for this
lie that the devil has put into place for the whole world to follow. This is a
very comfortable doctrine but completely foreign to what the Bible teaches.
Again, millions of people are being conditioned to break the great moral law of
the universe without feeling any guilt at all!! How messed up is that!!
The Word of God gives no one an excuse to feel relaxed about sin. It is the
central problem of every person who has been born and ever will be born until the end of time. Like a
highly contagious disease, sin has infected every soul with the germs of death,
and no earthly cure has been found to halt the fatal progress of the sickness. Accepting and believing in Christ is our only hope against sin...that
is just the simple facts. From the first appearance of sin in the Garden of Eden
it has been totally disruptive of everything good. Never in one instance has it
been able to coexist with righteousness. The requirements of God make it
utterly impossible for sin or disobedience to be a part of the Christian lifestyle.
This new worldly taught tolerance for it is not biblical in any sense of the
word. Jesus came to save people from it, He came to destroy it. It will never
enter into heaven. Our attitude toward it must be uncompromising. There can be
no question of making it more acceptable by diminishing the amount of it or
changing its form. It must be destroyed. Again, the only means of eradicating it
is by receiving the fullness of Jesus Christ and His grace into the life. How
strange it is that so many church members have now become apologetic for sin,
as though it cannot be prevented from triumphing in the life of a Christian.
How dare we misrepresent the power of
God’s grace in the gospel! Jesus has
already defeated the devil, and no Christian should be intimidated by an
inferior, defeated foe like the devil. I mean do you agree with this? We have
no business justifying the transgression of the Ten Commandments. To me it is
serious enough to engage willfully in an act of sin, but it is infinitely more
deadly to defend it as something which cannot be prevented. To say that victory
is impossible is to deny the purity and truth of the gospel and to negate a
large portion of the inspired Scriptures.
It also adds support to the original charge of Satan against God, and
gives a paralyzing, false security to everyone who believes in it.
Often people
are defensive of sin because they have not been able to stop doing it in their
own strength.
For example, when they can’t stop smoking, they must find a
rationalization for its presence in their lives. Instead of making the
humiliating confession that they can’t conquer it, they fabricate arguments
that it really doesn't hurt them or that no one can be perfect…..or the popular doctrine
that no one can really live without sin anyway. It is probably safe to say that
the majority of Christians today are resigned to falling short of the moral
law. In fact, they are quite satisfied that God doesn't even expect them to
fulfill that law completely, either in the flesh or in the spirit. This is such
a lie by the enemy. The effect of such a teaching is exactly what one would expect….tons and
tons of emotionally happy, but disobedient church members who feel that any
concern about keeping the commandments is nitpicking and legalistic. What a
delusive strategy of Satan!...and it's working very well as most people have this mind set.
As the inventor of the doctrine, the evil one is
simply supporting his ancient accusation that God was asking too much when he
was in heaven in the beginning. He accused God of being unfair by requiring something that was
impossible. He was able to convince a third of the angels that God was
unreasonable to expect obedience to His law, and he has been trying to make
everybody else believe it since that time....of course this attack still goes on today in 2014.
Think about it for a moment, and the
entire scheme begins to make a lot of diabolical sense, at least to me.
Satan knows that sin is the only thing that will keep anyone out of heaven.
Since sin is the “transgression of the law,” he had to perfect a plan to make
people look lightly upon breaking the law and also cause it to appear
unobjectionable (1 John 3:4). To make the idea acceptable to
Christians, Satan actually was able to disguise it as a doctrine and pass it
off upon a compromised Christianity. In every evangelistic crusade we meet it
in one form or another, usually at the point of the law and the Sabbath. Trust
me since I’m a Sabbath keeper I know this and see it first hand all the time haha. The inconvenient claims of
obedience are shrugged off with a “Well, nobody can keep the Ten Commandments
anyway.” But you see the problem doesn't even end there. Even Christians who
have accepted the claims of the moral law are not too concerned about how well
they fulfill it either. In a subtle way they have been affected by the
prevalent belief that too much concern about obedience is a form of salvation
by works. Some people seem to be so fearful of keeping the law too closely that
they actually make provision to break it, and by doing so they comfort
themselves for not being legalistic. I mean it’s a horrible and twisted way to
think….it’s sad and it really makes me hate the devil for what he has done
since the beginning of time. People need to know the truth and/or search for
the truth themselves and make themselves open.
How could people committed to
commandment keeping ever come to such a confused contradiction within
themselves? Exposure to a false concept of righteousness by faith is only part
of the answer in my opinion. Much of the problem is based upon human failure
and weakness of the flesh. Because people find themselves stumbling in their
efforts to be perfect they finally concluded that it was impossible not to sin.
From that point it was easy to start interpreting Bible texts to support their
weak experience. Satan exploited the psychological bent of the human mind to
rationalize, and soon they had developed a comfortable doctrine that
accommodated their occasional deviations from the law.
Most Christians today
are resigned to an alternating experience of victory-defeat, victory-defeat. To
them it is the approved lifestyle of normal Christianity. In the first place
doctrine should never be based on feeling or human experience. It must be rooted
in the plain teaching of the Word of God and for what it says for face value.
It is true that Bible texts can be assembled which seem to support the doctrine
of spiritual imperfection. We are assured that all have sinned, that the carnal
mind is against God, and that man’s righteousness is as filthy rags. But all
the verses about failure, sin, and defeat are in reference to the unregenerate
experience of a person. There are tons of other texts which describe an
opposite experience of total victory and sinless living. In every case they are
referring to the Spirit-filled life of a converted and committed child of God. This
distinction must always be recognized in the reading of the Bible. The gospel
of Jesus is the power of God unto salvation. His grace is stronger than all the
concentrated forces of evil put together. Jesus came to save His people from
their sin. No one who reads Romans chapter 6 intelligently can believe that the
Christian is free to practice sin. Paul is against the doctrine that a believer
should keep on falling into the same sin over and over and over again. It is true that provision
is made for cleansing in case sin is committed, but God’s perfect plan made it
possible for man to overcome every sin they face and to live a life of perfect
obedience through Christ. I'm not saying it's not hard and not saying that we won't sin again while we live on this earth, but we can defeat sins in our lives and not do those same sins again.
The promises of the Bible are so clear and specific
on this point that it is hard to get confused when studying this. No secret
meaning can be found in the texts which describe the victorious experience of
the born-again child of God. Just because one may not have grown into that
fullness of faith which brings constant victory, he should not, therefore, deny
the power of God to give such deliverance. When Peter began sinking in the Sea
of Galilee, it was not because God’s plan or power had failed. Peter could have
rationalized like so many modern Christians and say, “God didn't want me to
walk on the water, and besides it’s impossible for anybody to do such a thing
anyway.” Like our first parents we still tend to place the ultimate blame on
God when we fail to follow His plan of holy living. The Spirit of God seemed to anticipate the struggle many
would pass through in accepting the biblical assurances of total victory. The
inspired writers were moved to use almost fanatical language in describing the
possibilities for overcoming sin. You see it all over in the Bible. Expressions
are utilized which actually boggle the mind. Instead of saying we may be saved,
the Bible says we can be “saved to the uttermost” (Hebrews 7:25). Instead of
saying we may conquer, it assures that we can be “more than conquerors” (Romans
8:37). Instead of being told that we can just triumph, we are told that we may
“always triumph” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Instead of promising whatever we might
ask to help us in our spiritual battles, the Bible says He will give us
“exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). And the
verse just prior to that one clearly guarantees that we may “be filled with all
the fullness of God”….which is verse 19. Now many of these promises are too
vast for our human minds to comprehend fully, but surely they are intended to
impress us with the magnitude of God’s resources in our behalf right? I believe
so. If the language sounds exaggerated
it is only because we are too weak in faith and too weak in the flesh to
believe such purity and sanctification could ever be fulfilled in us. We tend
to trust our feelings quicker than the Word of God. I mean it happens to all of
us all the time. I will be the first to tell you that I’m by no means perfect
and I know God still has a way to go with me yet as does he with all humans. Is
it important to believe the promises exactly as they read? Because it is only
through those promises that deliverance can be accomplished. “Whereby are given
unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). Notice that it is “by these” that we escape
the corruption of sin. What are “these”? The promises of God. The sequence of
victory is plainly marked out in this text. By faith in the promise we become a
partaker of the divine nature, and through the power of that new nature in us
we are able to escape the corruption of sin.
In other words, everything depends
on the surrender and commitment of one’s self to the Spirit of Christ. “Without
me,” Jesus said, “ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Equally important is the
inspired comment Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). That little expression “all things” is
the key to victory for every one of us. It includes power over drugs,
immorality, appetite, pride, and every act of sin that would rob us of eternal
life. Every child of Adam needs two things desperately in my opinion….forgiveness
for the past, and power for the future. Redemption includes both of them and
the idea that full deliverance from the guilt of sin is included….but only
partial deliverance from the power of sin, is a perversion of the gospel.
Jesus
did not come to save us from the consequences of sin only, but to save us from
the sin itself. This is huge to grasp in terms of the big picture. Salvation is
not a negative thing….He did not come just to take away something—our guilt—but
to give us something….victory over sin!! For God to forgive us and leave us
under the power of continued sin would make God an accomplice of sin. He not
only counts us righteous through His horrible death at the cross, but He makes
us righteous through His victorious life. Here is another example or really another
angle to look at.
Ok so in the book of Revelation it addressees to these seven
churches. In each of the churches certain ones received high commendation and
glorious promises of heavenly reward. The blessing was extended “to him that
overcometh.” Those seven churches symbolize every period of the Christian
church from the apostles to the end of time. If victory over sin is not
possible then no soul will be saved from those centuries of time. So to deny
the possibility of total victory over sin is to rob God of the glory of His mission.
He came, the Bible says to destroy the works of the devil. Those works are the
works of sin. If no one claimed His power to overcome sin completely, the devil’s
accusation would be confirmed. The requirements of God would be exposed as too
difficult to obey. Jesus stated that He had come “to seek and to save that
which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Here He stated that more than just people needed
to be restored. “That which was lost” included a sinless character. His mission
was to counteract and neutralize the entire program of sin introduced by Satan.
Restoring the image of God in man is a very important part of the everlasting
gospel. That work of the gospel must be done before Jesus comes back to take us
home.
The book of Revelation also identifies the crowning characteristic of the redeemed
as obedience. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). “And the
dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her
seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ” (Revelation 12:17). “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that
they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates
into the city” (Revelation 22:14). How significant and how cool is it that
man’s condition for remaining in Eden is also the condition for being restored
to Eden….it’s freaking awesome!! Anyone who believes obedience is un-important
should read again the dramatic story of Adam and Eve. I mean come on. A tiny physical act of sin led to all the tragedy
of the past 6,000 years plus now, since earth has been in existence (how long the earth
is according to the Bible is a whole other study :-).
Anyway those who are
restored to that lost paradise will have demonstrated that they can be trusted
with eternal life. Through faithful obedience in the face of death, they will
have proven Satan’s charges to be false. Their steadfast loyalty will be an
eternal guarantee of the security of God’s restored dominion of the universe.
What can we say then concerning those who look so lightly upon the good works
of obedience? They are victims of deception
and are playing right into Satan’s deadly sin-trap. The most glorious
experience of the truly converted is to break the pattern of self-indulgence
and sin. Under the rule of the Spirit of God, fleshly habits may be conquered
and expelled from the life…..this is also key to understand and believe.
Through faith in the promises unbelievable power may be released into the life
of one who is willing to give up the enjoyment of sin…..which is not an easy
thing to do and depending where you’re at in your walk with Christ and the
choices you make will determine what you are willing to give up. But just
remember that time is short as we are living in the end times, so I wouldn't not take it seriously and wouldn't put it off. The heart of God longs for us to
take Him at His word and to claim the power He has promised. It is the only
road to real victory. But no one can experience victory who does not believe
victory is possible. Just take the Bible for what it
says. Don’t try to twist it to match the weaknesses and failures of your human
experience.
Boy was this ever my downfall for years and years when reading and
studying the Bible. Deliverance from God is yours for the believing and the asking.
So
now consider this objection which is always brought against those who believe
in total victory. I know I have been asked this question…..If you believe it is
possible to live without sinning, are you able to say that your own life is
free from sin? It should be pointed out that the objection is not relevant to
the issue. If the Bible establishes a truth, it should be received on the
grounds of its inspired authority and not on the basis of the person’s experience.
If victory over all sin is possible through Christ, it is true, whether the
preacher has claimed it or not claimed it. Further, the work of sanctification
is a progressive, lifelong experience and can never be considered as finished
in point of time. Even if one could be unconscious of any known sin, he could
never boast of being sinless. In fact the person who is closest to perfection
would surely be the least likely to recognize it. Because the nearer he gets to
Jesus the more imperfect he will appear in his own eyes. The claim might also
be made that the doctrine of victory over sin is highly idealistic and too
theologically complicated to be practical for today. But nothing could be
farther from the truth according to the Bible.
There is not a habit or sin
known to man that cannot be conquered through faith. The question is do you
really believe that? How do we beat the devil? Well we don’t beat the devil because
the devil is stronger than we are and always will be. Trying will never break
the power of sin in a single instance because again we’re facing an enemy who will
always be stronger than we are. What then is the answer to our weakness and
defeat? First you need to understand that all of heaven’s gifts are available
to us through the promises of the Bible, and we receive them by faith.
Peter
describes the “exceeding great and precious promises” and assures us that “by
these ye might be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Mighty power
is stored within the promise to fulfill itself to all who claim it in faith. So
few are willing to believe that the promised blessing becomes there’s the very
moment they believe it. So then as humans why is it so hard for some to believe
implicitly that God will do what He promises? As always I will give you more
Bible texts to dig into.
Ok so consider these verses and I think they make it
clear as to what the answer is. First: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Allow your
mind to soak in the message of these words. Victory is a gift! We do not earn
it by our efforts, or deserve it because of any supposed goodness. The only
thing we need do is ask for it, and the victory will be given to us freely by
Christ. He is the only one who has ever gained the victory over Satan, and if
we ever possess the victory, it will have to come as a gift from God. So what
is your miserable habit of sin? I know one of mine was throwing pens at cars
driving home from work on the turn pike. I haven’t done that in almost two years now. We all
have bad habits of sin to break in our lives. Some are slaves to appetite, to
alcohol, to sex, to drugs, to money, or even tobacco. Others are struggling helplessly against impurity,
anger, or worldliness. The Bible says you may have the victory as a gift
through Jesus Christ. Do you believe He will give you that power if you ask
Him?....this is another one of those key points to understand. How certain can
you be that God will answer your prayer for victory immediately?
Here is how
sure you can be….just as sure as Christ’s words are true!(Matthew 7:11), “If ye
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more
shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Is
it a good thing when you ask for victory over tobacco, or any other fleshly or
moral evil? Of course it is! And you don’t even have to ask if it is God’s
will! He has already told us in the Bible that it is His will to destroy the
works of sin and the devil. If we pray for more money or a better job we should
always ask according to His will be done because maybe God will answer our prayers in other ways, ways we don't see or expect, or even want sometimes, but the victory over sin is promised to every
one who asks in faith. Will God give the victory when we ask Him? Jesus said He
was more willing to give this good thing than we are to feed our children when
they are hungry.
He is waiting to honor your faith and to “supply all your need
according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). These
assurances are so open-ended and unlimited that our minds are staggered by it.
Why have we been so reluctant to apply for the provisions of grace? Why is it
so hard to believe that God means exactly what He says in the Bible? He will keep every
promise he has ever made and will make in the future, and for all eternity.
