Articles(cont.)

Articles (Cont.) #2

Once Saved, Always Saved!

If you do not believe that Jesus has saved your soul from Hell forever; can you really claim to be "saved" at all?

If you do not believe that Jesus has saved your soul from Hell forever; can you really claim to be "saved" at all?

Although there are many different denominations that claim to be "Christian"; there are basically only two kinds of belief about salvation among them.

The more popular belief teaches that salvation is something that can be gained and lost many times in this life. It claims that a person is saved by grace initially, but that there is always the possibility of him doing something wrong at a later time that would cause him to lose his salvation. If he happens to die in a lost condition, he goes to Hell, even though he may have been in a "saved" condition earlier. Because of this, he can never know for sure that his soul is safe from Hell until he has actually made it to Heaven.

The other belief is that salvation can be received only once, and that it can never be lost. It teaches that once a person truly repents and trusts Jesus Christ to save him, he immediately receives everlasting life and can know for sure that he is going to Heaven when he dies.

Think about it! These two beliefs are completely opposite of each other. One glorifies man, while the other glorifies God. Which of these two beliefs does your church teach? Which of these two beliefs are right? Let's see what the Bible says about it.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ ]esus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:8-10)

From these verses of Scripture, there are three things to consider .

FIRST - THE GRACE OF SALVATION

"For by grace are ye saved... the gift of God..."

Grace is the positive side of mercy. Mercy is when God doesn't give us something bad that we really deserve (everlasting damnation). Whereas, grace is when God gives us something good that we really don't deserve (everlasting life).

In the context of salvation; grace is best explained by the idea of a free gift. The Bible says that "the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:23) When God offers us salvation as a gift, it is truly an "act of grace" on His part, because He is doing it out of a pure love for us. After all, God doesn't really need us. He could have gotten along just fine without us. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5 :8)

The "grace of salvation" completely eliminates the possibility that a sinner can do anything to make himself worthy of eternal life; because if he could, then God would be in debt to him. In the application of salvation, this would deny God glory and the credit of grace on His part. "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." (Rom. 4:4)

Many people state that they believe that salvation is by grace initially, but they think that it is possible for them to lose it. Actually, however, THEY ARE REALLY BELIEVING A "SALVATION BY WORKS"! They claim that they must hold on to their salvation by faithfully doing certain righteous activities such as " going to church, keeping the commandments, praying daily, etc." They warn that if one slacks off from doing these things, it could cause him to fall back into sin, thus losing his salvation. But if this were so; then when anyone finally made it to Heaven, they could boast how they got there because they had faithfully "gone to church, tried to keep the commandments, prayed daily, etc." These righteous activities became their "works" that determined whether they would be "finally" saved or not. These "works" would cancel out salvation by the grace of God, for if it is "...by grace, then is it NO MORE OF WORKS; otherwise GRACE IS NO MORE GRACE..." (Rom.11:16) The Bible says: "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the LAW OF FAITH." (Rom. 3:27)

SECOND - THE FAITH FOR SALVATION

"Through faith ... Not of works ..."

While "works" cancels out salvation by grace, "faith" compliments it. "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace... " (Rom 4:16) Faith is the channel through which salvation is imparted to the soul. WHAT YOU BELIEVE WHEN YOU ASK JESUS TO SAVE YOU DETERMINES WHETHER YOU RECEIVE SALVATION OR NOT. Jesus demonstrated this spiritual principle when He healed the centurion's servant: "...as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee." (Matt. 8:13) Also, when He healed the two blind men: "According to your faith be it unto you." (Matt. 9:29) In salvation by grace, "faith" is trusting God to do by His OWN POWER what He has promised to do (give everlasting life). In other words, SAVE you from what you deserve, which is everlasting damnation in Hell. In order for anyone to really receive "everlasting life", they must understand and believe that God will give it to them ONE TIME, FOREVER! Jesus emphasized this principle of faith when He said: "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire (everlasting life), when ye pray, BELIEVE THAT YE RECEIVE THEM, and YE SHALL HAVE THEM." (Mark 11:24) If you are waiting to see whether you get to Heaven or not before you can know that you are FINALLY SAVED, you have not BELIEVED that you received EVERLASTING life through Jesus Christ. You are still DOUBTING HIS POWER and are trusting in your own righteousness.

Those of you who believe that a person could lose his salvation, cannot really claim to be saved "by grace through faith". Of course, at this present time you are not in Hell, so you can say that you are "safe" for the moment. But remember, you are not in Heaven yet either; and you don't believe that you will be "eternally saved" until you get there. Really, YOU DON'T HAVE FAITH FOR SALVATION ANY MORE THAN THE WORST LIVING ATHEIST, because he is not in Hell yet, either! In fact, as long as any person is physically alive, he can claim to be safe from Hell for the present moment. However, IT TAKES FAITH TO BELIEVE THAT CHRIST HAS SAVED YOUR SOUL FOR ALL FUTURE MOMENTS!

Let's just consider something for a moment. Suppose it were true that a person who was once "saved" could be lost again. But suppose this person never did get saved the second time and ended up dying as a lost man, going to Hell; after having once been "saved"? What was he saved from? Was he saved from the penalty of sin? No; because he did not escape Hell. Was he saved from the power of sin? No; for apparently he fell back into sin and died as a lost man. And we know that he wasn't saved from the presence of sin; because as long as we are in this life, we will be living in the presence of sin. What was he really saved from then? The obvious answer is NOTHING AT ALL! He may have claimed that he was saved. His friends and relatives may have thought that he was saved. He may have even tried to act as though he were saved. But in the final end of it all, since he went to Hell, HE WAS NEVER SAVED FROM ANYTHING IN THE FIRST PLACE!

THIRD - THE WORKS FROM SALVATION

"For we are his workmanship..."

When it comes to "works" in salvation, most people try to put the cart before the horse. They feel that if the threat of losing their salvation isn't there, it will lead to lawlessness. They do not understand the perfect righteousness of God or that good works are a RESULT of salvation. For instance, consider an apple tree: it doesn't bear apples to become an apple tree; neither does it bear apples to stay an apple tree. It bears apples because God made it an apple tree. Just the same with a true Christian; he doesn't strive to live holy or do good works to get saved, or stay saved. He does it BECAUSE GOD HAS SAVED HIM AND LIVES IN HIM! It has become part of his nature. "For it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13) He is God's "workmanship"; just like a watch is the "workmanship" of the watchmaker.

Remember, once you have sincerely repented and completely trusted the salvation of your soul to Jesus Christ forever, you can be confident that He will never let you lose your salvation. For He is the "AUTHOR AND FINISHER" of your faith! WHATEVER GOD STARTS, HE FINISHES! "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6)

Friend, the Bible says: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in THE FAITH ..." (II Cor. 13:5) Maybe, after reading this, you have realized for the first time that, because you had always thought that you could lose your salvation, you have never really had enough faith to believe that Jesus could save your soul one time, forever.

Right now, why don't you ask Him to believing that He will? Remember, the very moment that you sincerely repent and completely trust Jesus to save your soul from Hell, THAT VERY MOMENT , YOU ARE SAVED... FOREVER!

Do You Have God's Incorruptible Seed?

Can a person who has truly been born again lose his salvation and become "unborn"?

According to the Scriptures, every one of us are sinners by nature and deserve to go to a devil's Hell when we die. Because of our sins, we have become spiritually dead and are condemned. However, the good news is that a person can receive everlasting life and be saved from this condemnation of eternal punishment right now in this life, one time, forever! You don't have to wait until you die to see if you make it to heaven. (If you do wait until then, it will be too late, and you will be doomed forever.)

The very moment that a person sincerely repents and trusts Jesus Christ alone to save him, he is passed from spiritual death unto everlasting life. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; BUT IS PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE." (John 5:24) The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ was relied upon as full payment for this person's past, present and future sins. He is "born again" by the Spirit of God. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that BELIEVE ON HIS NAME: WHICH WERE BORN, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, BUT OF GOD." (John 1:12,13)

Some of the questions that have often been raised about this are: "What about the sins that one commits after they have been born again? Aren't they charged against that person? Don't those sins have to be paid for, also? Isn't that person brought back into the condemnation of Hell unless he repents all over again?"

Listen, it is a practical reality that as long as we are living in this flesh, we will sin. It is our nature. If anyone claims that they do not sin, the Bible says that they are liars. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8) You are either a saved sinner or a lost sinner.

The Bible also says in the first part of I John 3:9: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin..." It seems to appear that there is an obvious contradiction here, but, if we "rightly divide the word," we will see that the Scriptures are perfectly consistent and, as Jesus said: "cannot be broken."

I want to call your attention to the Biblical principle that perfectly fits into God's theme of grace for those who have truly been born again. I am talking about the law of the "inward man."

When a person is born again of the Spirit of God, he actually has, not one, but two natures abiding within him. In his first birth, his physical birth, he received a fleshly nature which craves to please only himself. He was born of the "corruptible seed" of flesh which is under a curse because of the sin of Adam. It will eventually die and return to the dust of the earth. In his second birth, his spiritual birth, he received a divine nature which craves to please only God. This spiritual birth was by an "incorruptible seed" that will never die. Don't take my word for it; see what the Bible says and take God's word for it: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." (I Peter 1:23) Since this seed which is in the born again person is by God and is incorruptible, it cannot be destroyed by sin. As a matter of fact, sin can't even touch it, and is not imputed to the soul of a person who is born again. The Apostle Paul confirmed this in the fourth chapter of Romans when he quoted David from the Psalms, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." (Psalm 32:1,2) Now, let's look again at all of I John 3:9 and see that the divine nature within the born again person is not even capable of committing sin! "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed (God's incorruptible seed) remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." So the "born again" person has within him two natures: a "fleshly nature", that craves to sin and will eventually destroy his corruptible seed; but he also has within him a "divine nature" which cannot sin because of an incorruptible seed which will live forever (everlasting life!) .

Paul emphasizes this whole principle of the two natures within himself in his letter to the Romans: "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that when I do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man." (Rom. 7:14-22) Paul delighted in this law, or principle, because it explained how his soul would not be charged with sin, in spite of the wretchedness of his fleshly nature. He realized that once a person by faith received Jesus Christ as his Saviour, he received the righteousness of God which is an "everlasting righteousness" according to Psalm 119:142.

I can almost hear some of you thinking: "If that is so, then what would deter a true born again person from indulging in the sinful lusts of the flesh?" Actually, there are two things: a positive and a negative.

The positive is that a born again person has the Holy Spirit within him, leading and guiding him away from the temptations of sin. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Rom. 8:14)

The negative is that any sins that the born again person commits will bring upon him the strong "chastening" hand of God. "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." (Heb. 12:6) This is a punishment against the flesh for corrective measures, not for condemnation of the soul to Hell. "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." (I Cor. 11:31-32)

Dear reader, what about you? Have you been born again by the Spirit of God and have His incorruptible seed dwelling in you? If not, you can have it today. The very moment that you sincerely repent and call upon Jesus Christ with a BELIEVING heart to save your soul from Hell, that VERY MOMENT...You have PASSED FROM SPIRITUAL DEATH UNTO EVERLASTING LIFE!

Remember, Jesus said: "...Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

The Holy Sacrifice for the Masses

Was Jesus' sacrificial death enough to pay for your sins or are there still some sacrifices that you must do to save yourself?

I would like to call your attention to the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. No doubt many of you are familiar with the accounts surrounding this historic event and have watched as it was dramatized on your television screen. However, it is unfortunate that, because of religious training, many of you have been deceived and confused as to the purpose and fulfillment of Jesus' sacrificial death.

The Bible says that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." (I Tim. 2:13) Even before He was born, the angel announced to Joseph: "thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matt. 1:21) At the beginning of His public ministry, John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and exclaimed: "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) John was comparing Jesus with the sacrificial lambs which were offered up as atonement (payment) for sins in the Old Testament. However, those sacrifices were only pictures pointing to the real sacrificial Lamb. Look at how the Holy Spirit explains it in the book of Hebrews, chapter ten: "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect... But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God." (Heb.10.1,12)

As we consider this, let's look at three important things about this HOLY SACRIFICE FOR THE MASSES.

FIRST - It was a HOLY sacrifice. It had to be holy because God is holy. God would not accept a sacrifice that was tainted by sin. Jesus was the only person who ever lived on earth that could qualify for this sacrifice because he was sinless. He was the only one who didn't need a Saviour! Even His own mother was glad to have someone to save her from her sins: "My spirit hath rejoiced in God MY Saviour." (Luke 1:47) Jesus is God the Saviour! "Look unto me, and BE YE SAVED, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else." (Isa. 45.22)

Listen, JESUS DID NOT COME INTO THE WORLD TO TEACH US HOW TO SAVE OURSELVES! (This would be like a lifeguard that dove into the water for a drowning man, but instead of saving him he tried to give him swimming lessons.) JESUS CAME TO BE OUR SAVIOUR by offering Himself as the sinless, holy sacrifice for our sins. He was as "a lamb without blemish and without spot." (I Pet. 1:19)

SECOND - This sacrifice was not only holy; it was ENOUGH! Just before Jesus died on that cross at Calvary some nineteen hundred years ago, He said: "It is finished" (John 19:30). There is no need for any more sacrifices for sins, whether they are bloody or "unbloody". "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; NOR YET THAT HE SHOULD OFFER HIMSELF OFTEN, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: BUT NOW ONCE IN THE END OF THE WORLD HATH HE APPEARED TO PUT AWAY SIN BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF." (Heb. 9:24-26)

Christ's sacrifice on Calvary was perfect and complete! YOU CAN'T IMPROVE ON PERFECTION OR ADD TO COMPLETION! No real Christian who believes the Bible would want to continue to participate in a ritual or ceremony with a church which claims to repeat or continue His sacrifice. To do so would actually be a denial of the perfect, finished work of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

THIRD - This holy sacrifice was for the MASSES. By this we mean that it was made available for the masses of humanity everywhere on this earth. "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) Jesus did not die for just a certain select few. He died for everyone. However, the benefits of His death can only be applied to those who put complete faith in Him as their personal Saviour. It is just as if Jesus wrote out a check for eternal life to everyone in the world; only each individual must endorse it with their personal "faith" in His "one, holy sacrifice" to receive it. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)

How about you? Have you trusted on that "one, holy sacrifice" for remission of your sins and the promise of everlasting life? If not, you can do so today and have the wonderful peace of knowing that YOU will go to Heaven when you die.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. 5:1)

What's Wrong With Venerating Images?

Isn't it just a way of honoring the persons they represent?

One day, as a second grader in school, I was told the story of "Saint Herman". According to legend, he was a poor, but devout little boy who lived in the city of Cologne. Every day on his way to school, he would stop by the church of Saint Mary to pray before an image of the "Blessed Virgin". One day, after his prayer, he offered to "her" his lunch: a big shiny apple.

Supposedly, the "image" came to life and reached down and received the apple from him.

Well; this story just impressed me so much that; the first chance I had (which was during the morning recess), I ran over to the church and offered to Mary (her statue) part of my lunch. I didn't have an apple, but I figured that she would like my cookies just as well. After waiting a while, I was finally persuaded by a fourth grader who came looking for me to go out and play.

From this experience as a second grader, I think I can understand why there are news reports of crowds of people who will flock to a place that may boast of a "weeping" or "bleeding" statue.

Although the statue never came " alive" for me, there were still many times when I would kneel down before it and talk to it as if Mary could really hear me. Now, after having seen what the Bible says, I realize that such a practice is strictly forbidden by the second commandment: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in earth beneath, or that is in the water that is under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them..." (Exodus 20:4,5) Of course, this was never listed as one of the commandments in my catechism and I was never encouraged to see for myself what the Scriptures said about it.

Really, the whole idea of "venerating" images in religious devotions is contrary to the Scriptures and must be considered IDOLATRY. There are no exceptions, no matter what person the image may represent. Consider the warning that was given to the Israelites after the Lord had spoken the ten commandments to them from the mountain. "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,..." (Deuteronomy 4:15,16) God would not even tolerate man to make an image representing Himself because: first of all, it would never do Him justice; and secondly, it would lead to idolatry. Unfortunately, there are many religious people of today who have been taught by their leaders to ignore God's commandment, professing to know more than what the Scriptures teach. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became as fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man,..." (Romans 1:22,23) Jesus Christ, whose physical body is the "image of the invisible God" said that: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24) Some say that "church tradition" allows for the practice of venerating images regardless of what the Scriptures say. However, it is common knowledge that the early churches FORBADE the use of images in there services. As a matter of fact, as late as 306 A.D.; there was a council of churches held in Elvira, Spain, that condemned the use of images. The early catacombs show only symbolic designs such as a lamb, fish, anchor, palm branch, etc. It wasn't until later when some of the churches committed "spiritual adultery " with the Roman state that this pagan concept became identified with Christianity.

People who "venerate" images deny that they are committing idolatry and claim that they are doing nothing wrong any more than when one would honor a loved one or historic hero with a picture or statue. They claim that the image is just a "help" to remind them of that person. Some contend that this practice is no different than using a Bible storybook to teach the young or illiterate. However, their actions prove to the contrary. For when they "venerate" an image, they believe that they are actually "communicating" to the person that the image represents. They kneel before, bow to, talk to, and even kiss the image with the belief that the person it represents somehow receives these physical acts of affection. Of course, some of you will contend that this is no different than kissing a picture of your mother who may live a thousand miles away. But surely you don't expect that your mother feels your kiss or hears you talking to her picture. However, WHEN YOU VENERATE AN IMAGE, YOU DO. Any honest person will have to admit that VENERATING IMAGES IS NOTHING LESS THAN IDOLATRY!

Some images of the same person are even given distinctive names and personal traits depending on what country they are exhibited in, as though there is a "power" in the image itself. Otherwise, why would crowds flock to certain shrines that are many miles away when they can "venerate" the same person at an image in their own community.

Friend, if your church sanctions the practice of venerating images, maybe you had better examine what other unscriptural teachings it holds to, also. This is especially important when it comes to the matter of where your soul is going to spend eternity. For the last book of the Bible says that IDOLATERS "...shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone..." (Revelation 21:8) Just because your church claims to be "christian" doesn't mean that they truly are. Remember, Jesus said: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

What is God's will concerning the salvation of your soul? According to the Scriptures, you must truthfully admit to God that you are a guilty, helpless sinner, and by faith rely upon Jesus Christ ALONE for your salvation. "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40) At that point, you will IMMEDIATELY pass from spiritual death to divine EVERLASTING LIFE. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24) Remember, the very moment that you completely trust Jesus Christ alone to save your soul from Hell, THAT VERY MOMENT, YOU ARE SAVED... FOREVER!

Your body will then become a temple of the Holy Spirit, and you should be willing to come out from any group who defends the practice of venerating images. For the Bible says: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for whaat fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness... And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord ..." (ll Corinthians 6:14,16,17) You should then pray that God will lead you to a good, fundamental, Bible-believing church.