Can Christians Walk Away From Their Salvation?
Part 3
Scripture: Ezek. 3:17-21; 18:24-28; Deut. 13:6-15; First Chron. 28:8-9
In part two of my series “Can Christians Walk Away From Their Salvation?” I told you that Christians can choose to walk away from their salvation. As a matter of truth, in these latter days in which we are living, the Bible says some will knowingly walk away from Christ. I also shared with you that unlike the situation where a Christian walks away from their salvation, that a Christian cannot just “lose” their salvation every time they mess up – if their “messing up” is not their lifestyle. And in those times when we do mess up, First John 1:9 reminds us that God promised to forgive us and make us clean again if we repent. This morning we will examine Old Testament Scriptures that address apostasy and next week we will examine what the New Testament has to say on the subject.
Before we go to the Scriptures, let’s review the definition of apostasy which I shared with you in part one of this series. Apostasy is defined as “the renunciation of a religious or political belief or allegiance.” The word “renunciation” means “a denial or rejection of something or somebody, usually for moral or religious reasons.” Apostasy in Christianity is the rejection of Christianity by someone who formerly was a Christian. The term apostasy comes from the Greek word apostasia meaning “defection, departure, revolt or rebellion.” It has been described as “a willful falling away from, or rebellion against, Christianity.” Based on its definition, apostasy is the first and only argument against the once saved always saved doctrine as it proves a person can choose to walk away from their salvation. If apostasy is not possible then once saved always saved must therefore be true meaning that a person can never choose to walk away from their salvation. Now, I want you to think about what I just said. If once saved always saved is true, a person can never CHOOSE to walk away. However, if apostasy is possible, then once saved always saved cannot be true because a person can choose to walk away. To find the true answer we must look to the Scriptures and see what it teaches on the subject. So let’s see what the Bible has to say about this.
As I said at the beginning, this morning we will examine what the Old Testament says about apostasy. We will not look at every reference, but enough to get you started on your search for the truth. As we read each Scripture, I want you to focus on what it says about the “how” and “why” someone walks away. But before I begin, there is something we must absolutely understand. God gave us free will. He gave us the ability to choose. We can choose to obey Him or we can choose not to obey Him. For example, when the Bible identifies certain acts and lifestyles as sin and we say we don’t agree, then eventually what we believe is going to separate us from God for all eternity and that is what the Bible says, not Rodney. So let’s start our Old Testament search with Ezekiel chapter three.
Ezekiel 3:17-21: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, ‘You shall surely die; and you give him not warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand. Yet if you warn the wicked, and he turns not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because you have not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that the righteous sins not, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also you have delivered your soul.” Through the years I have been told that I preach or teach too much about sin. After reading this Scripture, I want you to put yourselves in the place of the man or woman of God who knows of sin in the congregation and then “choose” not to address it with the congregation so people do not get offended and leave the Church. In that situation God makes it clear that if we keep our mouths shut and the person dies in their sin He holds us accountable. I do not need to be accountable for anyone else’s sins. But what I want to point out from these verses is what was written in verse twenty. It says, “when (not if but when) a righteous man turns from his righteousness…” This verse tells us that it is not only possible for a righteous man to turn from being righteous and once again turns to sin, but it will happen! And once the man does return to a life of sin, it says that man “…..shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered.” This verse confirms that if a righteous man returns to sin without repenting then when he dies in his sin his former righteousness will not be remembered. I believe that we can all agree that the Bible makes it clear that no “unrighteous” person will enter heaven. Now turn over to Ezekiel chapter eighteen.
Ezekiel 18:24-28: “But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All his righteousness that he has done shall not be remembered: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die. Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ Hear now, O house of Israel; is not my way equal? Are not your ways unequal? When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in them; for his iniquity that he has done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” When the Bible asks a question after identifying sinful behavior, the answer is obvious. It is “No, he will not.” Verse twenty-four asks the question and the obvious answer is “No” – a righteous man who returns to sin cannot live in eternity with God. New Light, this is not talking about a person who is occasionally unfaithful to God. It’s talking about a person whose lifestyle rejects God’s teachings. It’s very important to understand this. This person lived a life of unfaithfulness. In these verses we see “how” a righteous man turns from being righteous. It says, he “commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does.” When the righteous starts living and doing the same things as the unrighteous, even though they go to Church every Sunday, they are living a life of sin and will spend eternity in hell. And again it repeats what was written earlier that all of his former righteousness will not be remembered. So when a wicked person “chooses” to change their life and live righteously they are saved. Likewise, when a righteous person “chooses” a life of sin, they are lost. Each person receives the reward/punishment based on their own individual choices. This passage is similar to the one we read in Chapter 33. The person who chooses to turn away from God doesn’t make this decision rapidly, it doesn’t happen all of a sudden. No, apostasy happens over a period of time as the person time and time again disagrees with what the Bible says. It can take months or even years for the apostasy to be complete.
Remember when Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt and God gave him the Laws from which they were to live by? Well God gave Moses some specific instructions as it relates to someone who turns their backs on Him. Turn to Deuteronomy 13:6-10. It says, “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend, who is as your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’, which you have not known, you, nor your fathers. Namely, of the gods of the people who are round about you, near unto you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth. You shall not yield unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall your eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him. But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And you shall stone him with stones, that he die; because he has sought to thrust you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” In these verses Moses gave the instructions as to what was to be done with the person who entices someone to turn their backs on God (apostasy.) This is both a warning for the potential of it happening and the response towards the person who attempts to lead someone astray. Now imagine the repercussions on the man or woman of God who actively leads His people astray by not teaching His word or stressing a life of holiness! Even when the Children of Israel witnessed the miracles of God bringing them out of Egypt it was a foregone conclusion that some of them would renounce their faith in God and seek other gods to worship and in doing so attempt to bring others with them. The penalty for this sin was severe. God provided this warning to Moses to prepare the people for what would surely happen. But let’s look at what happened to those cities that became apostate (rebelled, turned their backs on God.)
Deuteronomy 13:12-15 says, “If you shall hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God has given you to dwell there, anyone saying, ‘Certain men, worthless fellows, are gone out from among you, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying,’ ‘Let us go and serve other gods’, which you have not known;’ then shall you inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is in it, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.” In these verses Moses is describing close family members, relatives and friends, who didn’t believe what God had spoken through Him was the truth. And the punishment from not believing Moses and trying to convince someone else not to believe Moses was death. These verses not only confirm that people can walk away from their salvation, but there will be people in the congregation who do and actively encouraging others to join them. When the Church refuses to act on Christians living sinful lives their inaction encourages others that they do not have to live in holiness. As leaders, this is one way in which we allow members to turn their backs on Christ – when our standard for living is really not a standard at all. We are seeing this today New Light. For us today, another “god” would be any teaching and or lifestyle that does not agree with what the Bible says. And based on what we see here, the persons who are leading God’s flock astray through wrong doctrine will be surprised on their day of judgment. They miss out on heaven. We need to heed this warning as leaders. In each passage that we have read about someone walking away from God or people leading others to walk away from Him by what they are teaching and how they choose to live, God says to have no mercy on the person, and in this last passage, the entire city. Apostasy, as we have seen it in these passages, leads to eternal separation. Turn to First Chronicles chapter twenty-eight.
First Chronicles 28:8-9 says, “Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that you may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you forever. And you, Solomon my son, know you the God of your father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if you seek Him, He will be found of you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.” Notice the last point that David made to Solomon. He told his son that if he forsake God then God would cast him off forever. If it were not possible for Solomon to forsake God, why would David warn him? And more important, if Solomon did forsake God David told him he would be lost forever. Based on the directions that David gave Solomon, Solomon had a choice to make. Remain with God and be saved or turn his back on God and be lost forever. New Light, this is real. Our ability to walk away from our relationship with God is real! Now don’t misunderstand what this is saying. If Solomon forsakes God, the result is that he will be cast out because of the decision he made. You see, God had already put in place certain requirements and one of them was obeying what He said. So when David says God will cast you off, he’s telling Solomon that if you forsake Him you are giving Him no other choice. New Light, the Bible says God does not change. If He demanded this of a person in the Old Testament, He will demand it of me. He will demand it of you. Again, as we see here, the apostasy happens when we forsake God and the things of God. Turn to Isaiah chapter one.
Isaiah 1:2-4, 28 says, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD has spoken, ‘I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's crib: but Israel does not know, My people does not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a descendant of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they have turned away backward…… And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.” These verses talk about the ones who rebel against, forsake, and turned away backward from God. It says that the transgressors and the sinners and all those that forsake God will be consumed together. Here is a question for you. Is it possible to forsake, rebel against or turn your back on someone that you do not have a relationship with? These people had a relationship with God and they chose to turn their backs on Him. When the Bible tells us to “hear,” it is telling us that what we are about to read is important and critical to our relationship with the Lord. What caught my attention is God referring to Israel as His children and that His children have rebelled against Him. The word “rebelled” means “to break away from something that you have known in order to go in the opposite direction.” That is its basic meaning throughout scripture. Even though God took care of them and treated them as His children, they decided to break away from Him to “do their own thing living by their own rules.” That is apostasy New Light. God was doing everything for them and yet they turned their backs on Him. I am going to say something that some of you might not want to hear: No matter how good God will be to some Christians, they will still walk away from Him in search of something that they want. Turn to Isaiah chapter sixty-five.
Isaiah 65:11-12 says “But you are they that forsake the LORD, that forget My holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear; but did evil before My eyes, and did choose that in which I delighted not.” Why was God angry? Because these people had a relationship with Him and when He called they did not answer. When He spoke, they did not hear Him but chose to do the very things which God did not like. This is rebellion and as verse eleven says, they forsake God. There are two phrases in this passage that define apostasy to a tee: the Lord says “when I called, you did not answer, when I spoke, you did not hear.” Not answering the Lord call and not hearing the Lord is something a person does on purpose. A person will be in apostasy when he or she decides that they are not interested in what God has to say because it doesn’t agree with what they believe. Our final Scripture from the Old Testament comes from Jeremiah, chapter seventeen.
Jeremiah 17:5-6 says “Thus says the LORD; ‘Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like the shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.” Cursed will be the man whose heart departs from God. So we must consider this point. If I am a sinner and I have never been saved then I have no relationship with God. My heart cannot depart from Him because it never belonged to Him. I never had a relationship from which to depart. Does this make sense. You cannot depart from a relationship that did not exist in the first place. So this verse once again proves that the person who heart departs from God is a person who had a relationship with Him. There is one common denominator with all of the verses we read this morning from the Old Testament and it is this: in every reference and in every verse those that were mentioned were in a relationship with God and they chose to forsake that relationship and God. Their turning their backs on God sealed their eternal resting place in hell. New Light, these two verses paint a picture of apostasy in a way the others did not. When a person leaves the Lord, he will put his trust in man. That word trusts means “to seek refuge, protection, and provision.” When a person leaves the Lord he is placing himself in a “cursed place.” What do I mean by that? A cursed place is the place where the person has placed his life in the hands of this world’s system, something we’ve been talking about in Bible study. And that is what the phrase “makes flesh his arm” communicates. The person is no longer living by faith and depending on God, but is depending on what he sees and hears. When this happens, his end is parched places and a salt land. In other words, he has lost his salvation. How do I know this? Look at verses 7 and 8. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord; and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Praise God.
As I close this morning I want to give you some food for thought to chew on for next week. Next week we will review the New Testament Scriptures pertaining to apostasy and the results thereof. I know some people may still be struggling with the whole idea of someone walking away from their salvation but hopefully after reviewing these Scriptures you are starting to understand what the Bible says on the subject. As I close I want to give you three examples of some who did walk away from their salvation. In these three examples everyone agrees that they walked away, even those who believe once saved always saved do not disagrees that these turned their backs on God and will spend an eternity in hell.
Lucifer (Satan): He rebelled against God. He was the head angel and still he rebelled.
One-Third of God’s Angels: They joined Satan in rebelling against God.
Judas: Psalms 41:9 says Judas was a friend of Jesus and that at one time Jesus trusted him. Judas was saved before he betrayed Christ.
So this is what I want you chew on this week. If Satan and one-third of the angels who knew God; walked in God’s presence; and lived in the glories of heaven still rebelled against God; and Judas, whom Jesus trusted; was Jesus’ friend; walked with Him; and performed miracles could all rebelled against God, how in the world can we believe that it could not happen to us? Are we so powerful in our limited knowledge of God, compared to the knowledge they had, are incapable of turning our backs on what we don’t fully know and understand (God) if favor of what we do know and understand (this world and this life)?
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
(At this present time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are broadcasting live on Facebook Live at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Please tune in to "New Light Christian Fellowship Church" and like our page if you wish to watch our broadcast and be notified when we go live. If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. Our service Sunday worship starts at 9 a.m. and Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. Also, for use of our social media, you can find us at newlightchristianfellowship on FB. To get our live stream services, please make sure you “like” and turn on notifications for our page so you can be notified when we are live streaming. We also have a church website and New Light Christian Fellowship YouTube channel for more of our content. We are developing more social media streams so please stand by and we will notify you once those channels are up and running. We look forward to you worshipping with us. May God bless and keep you.)
