This week we take another break from our series in Revelation with a look at the topic of losing one's salvation. Rather than to look at the doctrine of Eternal Security in depth, we will take a short look at it tomorrow then look at some of the reasons that people think that a person can lose their salvation.
Have you ever wondered why it is that some people make professions of faith, taken off like a shot in the faith, then all of a sudden just faded away and was not heard from anymore? I have seen that a lot in the past 13 years in pastorate.
What about one of those people that are in church for many years, then all of a sudden "fall away" into gross sin?
What about those people that were in church for many years only to end up denying the faith or perhaps even joining a cult?
Answers to all of those questions this week.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."
John 10:27-30 (NKJV)
I would say that if there is one particular doctrine other than the Good News of Jesus Christ itself that I love more than others it would be the doctrine of Eternal Security of the Believer. The idea is that once a person is saved he is secure in that faith and can never lose that faith.
This doctrine has caused much consternation among believers for centuries. The idea that most people that believe in "conditional security" is, basically, that if one sins to a particularly terrible manner then they have lost their salvation. The idea goes further to state that a person can be saved, lose their salvation, then gain it back, then lose it again, then gain it back, and so on.
Let's examine a few scriptures, and let God's Word speak. First, in examining the above scripture, John 10:27-30, we see that a person that is saved will never perish. In other words, you live forever. And Jesus states here that no one can snatch us out of His hand--not false teachers, not Satan or his demons, or actually even ourselves. He gives believers eternal life as a gift (Romans 6:23b) in Himself.
Also, it is important to look at three key verses in the Gospel of John: 3:16, 3:36 and 5:24. Easily the most well known verse in God's Word, John 3:16 teaches us a valuable truth:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (KJV)
This verse, and the other two which are quotes from Jesus Himself, make the statement that all believers have everlasting life. These verses are in present tense; in other words, each person possesses eternal life from the very moment they are saved.
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17 a great truth: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. What is key here are two Koine Greek terms, kainos ktisis; kainos meaning new in freshness or kind and ktisis meaning creature or creation. What happens is that at the moment of salvation the believer is changed forever by God. Does it make any sense that God, who is eternal in nature both in the past and in the future (He exists in all places and times at once) would change a person just to have to change him back? I think not.
In addition to these scriptures, we can look to the verses that deal with the sealing by the Holy Spirit (i.e., 2 Cor 1:22, Eph 1:13, 4:30), the recording of a believer's name in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8, 17:8, 20:15) and others.
"Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them."
"Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
Matt 13:3-4, 18-19, NKJV
I have had the wonderful opportunity over the past 15 years to witness to literally hundreds of people. As I have mentioned many times before, it is the Holy Spirit that draws people to salvation (John 6:44), and unless God is in it, a person does not get saved. For those of us that are saved, we see the truth clear as crystal. But for some, as are mentioned in today's key verses, they reject not only the Gospel message but even anything that looks close to it.
Why wouldn't someone understand the word of God? Because they aren't saved, and are unresponsive hearers because of a hard, unresponsive heart:
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Cor 2:14-16, NKJV
As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one." Rom 3:10-12, NKJV
I have spoken to some of the members of cults who have hearts are hard as the concrete on I-79 when it comes to the truth. Why? Because those cultists, and atheists as well, have had their hearts hardened--or strengthed--against God by false teaching.
How do we reach these people? The same way we reach anyone--keep going with the gospel message, with one particular part of it emphasized. Tune in again tomorrow.
Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away."But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; "yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles." Matt 13:5-6; 20-21
A seed planted in shallow, rocky ground will take off like a shot growing visibly, but has no root structure. In those wet days of spring, that plant grows and looks just fine but when the heat and dry times of summer comes there are no roots to sustain that plant, it wilts, withers and dies. In verses 20 and 21, we see the superficial hearer.
These are people that believe that they are saved but are not; they have no root in the faith. It is all in the mind, but never seats and is rooted in the heart. Why would no root be there?
First, too often we see that the promise of eternal life is given without a change of heart being expected. Eternal life is indeed a gift, but part of the receiving of the gift is knowing that you need the gift.
In order for a person to be saved, they need to know that they have offended God, that they need to repent, and it is not just a "simple prayer" that saves. The law teaches that each person has committed crimes against God:
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Gal 3:24, KJV
The type of so called "believer" that we see here is a person that has not seen the sin in their life and makes a profession of faith with great excitement but because the root of true repentance of sin is not there, there is no salvation at all. When someone comes to God in faith, there must exist a brokenness of heart--a humbleness in wanting a life change because of the sin in their lives
Second, we sometimes have professions of faith without counting the cost:
And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it--lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Luke 14:27-30 NKJV
While it is so very true that being saved is a joyful event, there are also costs to coming to faith. The proof in the pudding, so to speak, is the works that we do that prove that we are saved. We cannot do works to become saved nor can we do works to stay saved. Instead, works prove that we are saved. We are told in scripture to count the costs, which means to repent (turn away from) of your sins Salvation without repentance is no salvation at all. Otherwise, it is a prayer used as "fire insurance" or to "cover the bases just in case".
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them... Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. Matt 13:7, 22 NKJV
Do You Make God Fit, Or Do You Make Yourself Fit God?
I have found quite often that people that profess Christ--note that I say "profess Christ--often find ways to make God fit into their lifestyles. By that I mean that these folks often will mold and shape God into what fits them. They may read their Bibles but still blaspheme God by taking His name in vain. They may say "I love Jesus" but retain foul language for all to hear or see in print.
But when it comes right down to it, when the rubber meets the road and matters of faith really press, they will usually abandon the faith. Why?
Jesus gives the illustration about the seed--the gospel message, that Jesus died that you may live eternally--falling on thorny ground. The seed takes root, but dies out because the thorns and the weeds choke out the plant.
Jesus gives the interpretation of this part of the parable in verse 22. First we see the "cares of this world". This Greek word for cares means "to draw in different directions, distract," hence signifies "that which causes this, a care, especially an anxious care" (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words). A person will make a profession of faith and everything looks just wonderful until life gets in the way. They want God to fit into their lives, and quite honestly there is no room for Him.
Also, Jesus speaks of "deceitfulness of riches". We all have to work for a living, God provides work for us to do as a means by which we obtain an income. But some people take that to the far side; I know people that will work overtime shifts on Sunday for the extra money to buy their "stuff", and in doing so miss church.
In short, the worldly hearer has is so much of the world that the word of God is not actually received but is more of a profession to cover the bases. He is of the world, has made a profession of faith but it is not a genuine profession of faith. He is so wrapped up in the world of his material things that the profession of faith is merely that--a profession with the lips and not with the heart. He loves the material things, the things of the world. The riches of the world rot and rust, but the spiritual treasures last forever!
What ends up happening with these folks is that they have tried to fit God into their lives, but have ended up excluding Him because of worry and greed. Truth is, these folks had no real relationship with God to begin with, sad to say.
But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Matt 13:8, 23 NKJV
Good Ground...Good Results
I have found that, sadly, most people that profess to be saved are in reality not. Is that shocking to you? I think that one of the major reasons is a faulty presentation of the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We can see clearly above that the seed--the Gospel--that falls on good ground yields growth that ends up with fruitbearing production. Fruit, of course, are works. Works are the proof of salvation, they are not the preservation of salvation.
But let's ask ourselves a question: how do we, to the best of our ability, make sure we cast the seed on good ground? Is not a question of audience. It makes no difference if that person is moral or a moral rat. The Gospel of Jesus is for everyone. No, it is often in how it is presented.
In the first part of this parable, we saw how the ground was hard packed. This would be hearts hard against the Word of God by either lifestyle, or by false teaching or hypocrisy. In the second part, we saw how the ground was rocky, and the plant died out. In the third part, we saw how the plant died because of the weeds in the garden of life. We must use God's Law, the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) as a roto-tiller to till up the soil of the heart!
Most often, I find that people have heard a version of the Gospel message, responded to it, thought they were saved but later their "faith" died out. Why? They did not understand whythey needed to be saved. The Law shows a person that they are not worthy of Heaven, that they are not "good people". As it has been said before, a person must know that they are lost before they can be found!
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 1 John 2:18-19, NKJV
They Didn't Slide Forward To Begin With
When asked about a person that "departed from the faith", it has often been noted that a person was a "backslider". While this can and does happen, I have found that many times, as an old preacher I know has said, "They didn't slide forward to begin with!"
Men and women can be in a church for years, then all of a sudden abandon the faith for a live of perversion and drunkenness. Some will leave "the faith" and join up with the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Moonies, or some other whacked cult, and people are so astonished. "He was a member of the deacon board!" "She was the choir director!" Again, just remember that you have to slide forward, and this is obviously not the case here. Look at the text.
The Apostle John writes "even now many antichrists have come". An antichrist is someone that is against Christ or putting themselves in place of Christ. When someone takes off from the church and joins up with the Jehovah's Witnesses, they have set themselves up to be an antichrist; they are against the real Jesus Christ, as he was, is and always will be God contrary to their teachings.
But some people can be posers as well. Simon the sorcerer, spoken of in Acts 8, made what would be considered to be a "profession of faith". Yet, he offered money to Peter and the other Apostles to be able to give people the gift of the Holy Spirit, and was shown to be a false convert. When confronted, he was not contrite about his sin, ask for forgiveness and ask to be saved but instead asked "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me." (Acts 8:24, NKJV).
The question that one must ask ourselves is "are we really in the faith or not?" If you are not producing fruit, if you are not in a fellowship of believers, if you are not convicted of the wrongness of sin, then you had better do a head check. You might be the next guy in your local, neighborhood cult.
