A Problem That Happened - Is Salvation Something To Be Lost Because Of Sin? (Part 1 Of 3) Series

A PROBLEM THAT HAPPENED - IS SALVATION SOMETHING TO BE LOST BECAUSE OF SIN? (PART 1 of 3)

[1]. A PROBLEM THAT EMERGED IN A MEETING

Recently I was involved with an issue that is hundreds of years old. In a meeting I was at, someone was speaking and he stated that a Christian who sinned lost his salvation. He went on to say that a Christian who sinned wilfully loses salvation and is cut off.

It was also stated that the Judgment Seat of Christ is not for rewards but for judgment and some people then would be cut off. – no salvation.

Of course I can not accept any of that but I had to deal with it. These matters are not pleasant ones. For me it was even more repugnant when two passages of scripture were used to confirm all that was in the person’s mind, and those two passages I have written on in detail in the past. One was from Matthew 24 and the other was from Hebrews 6.

This is the Matthew verse – {{Matthew 24:13 “but the one WHO ENDURES TO THE END, he shall be saved.”}}. Context in scripture is paramount and in this case it is abundantly clear that the context is set in the Tribulation with the Jews in mind. I will not regurgitate all that, but in speaking of those days verse 13 will apply. The Christian is not in view in Matthew 24, which answers the disciples’ questions about the end of the age and the coming again of the Messiah. It has very much the Jewish setting leading to the Second Coming.

In regards to the Hebrews passage it is this one - {{Hebrews 6:4-6 “In the case of those who have ONCE BEEN ENLIGHTENED and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have TASTED the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is IMPOSSIBLE to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame.”}}. Again I have written at length on these verses.

Paul is dealing with the gospel’s acceptance with vacillating Jews (written to the Hebrews) who had a foot in each camp – wanting to decide for Christ but holding back, not having faith to claim the promise. Jews knew exactly what Paul was referring to. This background goes back to the spies in the promised land where all partook of the blessings of that land; where all tasted of the good things the Holy Spirit was showing them, but only two had the faith to appropriate it and entered in.

That passage in Hebrews 6 does not refer to Christians who are born again. You remember I said that the person promoting this said that a person who sinned wilfully, lost salvation. It is not overstating the mark to say that all sin is wilful. We are not programmed robots who act according to mindless inputs. All sin is a deliberate choice. There are not some sins that are just sins that fly around like a disease you catch, and others that are wilful. All sinning is wilful.

[2]. THE OLD 500 YEAR BATTLE

I know where this person was coming from. He was holding to the fifth point of Aminianism very strongly, and quite a number of people who identify with being Arminian in belief, do not hold to this fifth point that says you lose salvation. Falling from Grace.

Arminianism sets out the fifth point this way (taken from the Internet)

[[[ Perseverance of the Saints

The fifth point of Arminianism addresses the concept of perseverance in faith. Unlike Calvinism, which asserts that the elect will persevere in faith until the end, Arminianism presents a different view:

• Conditional Security: Arminians believe that true believers can fall from grace. This means that while salvation is available to all, individuals have the free will to reject their faith and turn away from God.

• Need for Continued Faith: Arminians emphasize that maintaining faith and obedience is essential for salvation. If a believer fails to uphold their faith, they risk losing their salvation.]]]

The last thing I will ever want to do is get involved in theological argument in the raging storm of CALVINISM AND ARMINIANISM. I see that as a waste of time, and is negative, and all it does is puff up the flesh and cause division among people and churches. I will keep to what scripture says.

I think it is lamentable that Calvin reduced these great biblical truths to 5 points (Calvinism) and Arminius also produced his 5 points. We can not do that with great doctrines of scripture and expect people to sit on one side or the other. It causes intolerance and confines great concepts to a sentence or a catchphrase such as TULIP. Anyway, enough of that.