Once Saved, Always Saved IS WRONG
John 3:36 - "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.". ~ Note: This obviously is true, but most people don't know what the word believe means. We get our English word for believe from 3 different Greek words that I know of. "Pisteou" means "believe," but it also means "be committed unto." Therefore, this believing in Jesus Christ is not a one-time deal and it's all over with. You must be committed unto Him or else you are no longer a believer. To be or not to be, that is the question. "Pisteuo" also means "used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul." That means when we believe in Jesus Christ, His power within us drives us to have a distinctively superior advantage of having our souls obey His moral law.
Other times, the word "believe" comes from these words. "Pistos" more than anything means "faithful," and "phulasso" means "keep" or "guard." The phrase "who believe" in Eph. 1:19 is in the sense of continuous action of it. God's great power of our final redemption will work not in those who once upon a time believed in Jesus Christ, but to those who continue to believe in Him. The words "not believe" here in this Scripture John 3:36, and in Romans 15:31, come from the Greek word "apeitheo." It means "be disobedient" or "not to comply with." ~ So we must KEEP believing and obeying Christ with a faithful, continuous action to be a true believer. So yes, believers have everlasting life, but if one walks away from obeying God and living a godly life by no longer being committed to Him, he is NO LONGER A TRUE BELIEVER.
Hebrews 13:4-6 - Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers, GOD WILL JUDGE. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU." So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" ~ Note: That don't mean you can go out and be a fornicaor, adulterer, or a coveter and not fear that God will never leave you. The key is to be content with what you are, BEING NOT IN SIN, then God won't leave you. If "Once Saved, Always Saved" was true, then there would be no point of the warning "GOD WILL JUDGE" in 13:4. You can't take the quote, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" out of context. That's what people do when they try to think that this means eternal security. Also look at the next verse, 13:6 is quoted above, it applies to this "never leave you" quote with the word SO. So it is connected. "The LORD is my helper", not the covetousness ("aphilarguros" in the Greek means "not loving money"). So if you keep obeying God and listening to His warnings, then He won't leave you, but if you start the practice of sin, He will leave you and you will need to repent again. It says, "For He Himself has said." Let's look where it comes from, because these are some important points to make known. The Lord spoke to Joshua, "I will not leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5). Earlier, "He will not leave you nor forsake you" is what Moses told the people and then Moses told it to Joshua (Deut. 31:6,8). The reason Moses said this is because he just told them that the Lord told him that he would not cross over the Jordan. Moses was giving them assurance of their crossing without him. It doesn't mean that we can do whatever we want (like being a fornicator, adulterer, or coveter, which are found in Hebrews 13:4,5), and God will never leave us.
In fact, after this word was given through Moses to the people, the Lord said this in Deut. 31:16,17 - "Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My ANGER shall be aroused against them in that day, AND I WILL FORSAKE THEM, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured." ~ Note: We see that God said that He would forsake them because of their sin. So people should not be preaching that God will never leave you nor forsake you no matter what you do, because we just saw the truth of God saying otherwise. I see the Lord corrected Moses in what he said to the people, because what the Lord said about the people is different than what Moses said. So if you been telling people that God will never leave you nor forsake you, maybe God through Scripture (Deut. 31:16,17) is correcting you like he did Moses. True, it's in Hebrews 13:5, but if you take it out of context by not mentioning the verse before and after it, then you could be preaching a license to sin without even knowing what you are doing.
Romans 8:35 -39 ? Where do you think this means eternal security? No where does this talk about you being safe from your own sin. The word "nakedness" in Romans 8:35 does not mean sin. It comes from the Greek word "gumnotes." The word occurs 3 times in the NT. In 2 Cor. 11:27, Paul speaks of being "in fastings often, in cold and nakedness." It has the same definition here. It is "nakedness of the body," which would bring physical suffering because of the cold weather. So that is what won't separate you from the love of God, it is not your sin. As long as we are "in Christ" we are secure. But just as we become "in Christ" by the choice of our own wills, we can also choose to cease to be "in Christ". Then we are no longer secure. What this Scripture is saying is that nothing in all of God's created universe, outside of ourselves, can possibly separate us from the love of God. There is only one thing that can separate us from that love, that's our own wills.
John 6:35-37 - Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." ~ Note: I already told you that to believe in Jesus Christ means that you KEEP believing and obeying Him with a CONTINUOUS action of it. The "s" at the end of the word "believe" also shows that it is about presently doing it. Also, "who COMES to Me" is about those who KEEP COMING TO HIM, because it's in the present tense. That is when he won't cast you out, but if you stop obeying Him or stop coming to Him, it's a different story. The word "comes" also means "to come into being, be established, become known, to go, to follow one." Clearly, it's not a one time deal. It's with continuous action of it. The word "come" in "All that the Father gives Me will COME to Me" also means "to seek an intimacy with one, become his follower, to come upon one, of things endured." So clearly, this also is not a one time deal and that's good enough. This is not about apostate Christians who stop coming to and following Christ.
John 10:27-30 - Jesus said, "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" ~ Note: This is for the ones who continue to follow Christ. What does it mean to follow Christ? The Greek word for "follow" is "akoloutheo." It also means "to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him, to join one as a disciple, become or be a disciple." Christ said what happens when we follow Him earlier in John 8:12 - "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me SHALL NOT WALK IN DARKNESS, but have the light of life." ~ The Greek word for "darkness" is "skotia." It also means "the darkness due to want of light, metaph. used of ignorance of divine things and its associated wickedness and the resultant misery in hell." That means you don't walk in nor practice sin (wickedness). Those who do are not following Christ. So this 10:28,29 is for those who follow Christ and are His disciples and don't walk in nor practice sin.
"neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." The word "snatch" also means "pluck, to seize, carry off by force." This is talking about anyone besides yourself. Think about it. When you lose something or give it away, it is not considered that you snatched or plucked yourself. It requires the action of someone else besides yourself to have something snatched out. "My sheep hear My voice." Don't you hear what Christ is saying? It's pretty simple for the spiritually inclined.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15 - each one's work will become clear; for the Day (the final Day when Christ returns) will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. ~ Note: This is NOT about sin nor the Backsliding Christian who is in sin. This is about the lousy works that some do (yes, I have done some before too, but not here) in trying to witness (build on the foundation) for Jesus Christ. But this doesn't include OSAS preachers who refuse the truth, and want to contradict God's word with their false teaching. 1 Timothy 6:20,21 says they could stray concerning the faith just because of this "OSAS" idle babbling. And that's besides the fruit of that belief that could easily lead to the practice of sin again, which we have seen can bring a loss of salvation. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that every act of sin makes you lose your salvation. It's the willfull practice of sin that makes one an unbeliever. ~ Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God (1 John 3:10). It don't go both ways. One is either practicing righteousness or they are practicing sin. Are you set free from sin, and are you STILL set free from sin? It's rediculous to think this Scripture means OSAS because it's about works, not about sin.
Hebrews 7:25 - Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. ~ Note: The word "come" is not a one time deal and it's over with. This means that Jesus saves those WHO KEEP COMING to God through Him. We're not robots. God still gives us a free will that can choose to stop coming to Him through Christ. Don't stop. Stay a surrendered slave to God (Romans 6:16 and 6:22). Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galations 5:16).
Hebrews 10:10,14 - By that will (God's will) we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all... For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. ~ Note: Yes, this is true for "those who are being sanctified." But if a servant of God starts beating people up and getting drunk (Luke 12:45), then that is not "being sanctified", and that person will be punished by perishing with the unbelievers (Luke 12:46,47).
1 Peter 1:5,9 - who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time... receiving the end of your faith -- the salvation of your souls. ~ Note: The key point here is "through faith." The Greek word for "through" is "dia." It also means "by, by the means of, the reason by which something is or is not done." So that's how we are "kept." It's "through faith," but I already showed you, in the "OSAS" IS WRONG page, that one can stray concerning the faith or have their faith overthrown. So this Scripture doesn't mean "OSAS." It actually shows our responsibility to have the faith. The phrases "to be revealed in the last time" and "receiving the end" prove that we really don't have this salvation yet. It's in the future. The chance of losing faith is here and then those who do will not be saved. Salvation here means "the sum of benefits and blessings which the Christians, redeemed from all earthly life, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God." So you don't have it yet, you must keep the faith.
2 Timothy 2:10 - Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also MAY OBTAIN THE SALVATION which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. ~ Note: The Greek word for "may" is "tugchano." It also means "to chance to be." This is not a definite given. There is the possibility of it not happening. This is more proof that the elect don't have salvation yet. Does God's will always happen? No. Even though He may have elected someone to be saved, doesn't mean that person will be saved at the end. ~ 2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is... not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. ~ Note: This will of the Lord is not going to happen because He explained to us in Matt. 7:13,14 that most people are NOT going to heaven, even though He is not willing that any should perish. So being set free from sin now doesn't mean that you will definitely end up that way.
2 Timothy 2:11-13 - This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. IF WE ENDURE, we shall also reign with Him. IF WE DENY HIM, HE WILL ALSO DENY US. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. ~ Note: The Greek word for "if" is "el." It's a primary particle of conditionality. Clearly, this makes our final salvation conditional. The word for "endure" is "suffer" in the KJV. It also means "to preserve under misfortunes and trials, to hold fast to one's faith in Christ, bear bravely and calmly ill treatments." We must endure through whatever comes our way all the way until we die with Him in our lives, then we will live and reign with Him. If we wind up denying Him at the time of our death, you can't get around the word of God here, He will deny us. At the end here in 2:13 where it says "He remains faithful," that is not meaning He remains faithful to us who are faithless and denying Him. It means He remains faithful to His word, you can't get around it, because He cannot deny Himself. Why do people try to water-down the word of God by saying that this means He remains faithful to the faithless or to someone who does not endure with Him till death? It does not say that. "He cannot deny Himself", is what it says, not He won't deny you if you are faithless. People need to ask God for wisdom and read His word, because that is how we know Him because He speaks to us through His word. Many people don't know what it means to be a Christian because they don't read (hear) God's word. So if you haven't been there yet, when you're done here, please go to my other page to let me tell you how to be a true believer on your "Way To Heaven."
MORE CORRECT INTERPRETATIONS
Ephesians 2:8-10 - For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. ~ Note: That is not talking about sin. Again, works does not mean sin. True, we are saved by grace, not by works. That means we don't work our way into being good enough to be saved. By faith in Him, God implants His Spirit into us and makes us born again when we truly surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That is when Jesus sets you free from sin (John 8:36 and Romans 6:22)...
Eph. 2:10 - ... created in Christ Jesus for good works... ~ Note: Yes, faith in Christ will produce good works, but that is not what saves us and this is NOT talking about sin. It's talking about doing GOOD, not BAD (sin). So works here means doing something GOOD to make you earn salvation, like working the O.T. law. This is the point that the word of God is trying to make here. Doing GOOD WORKS is not what gets you saved. It's by grace through faith. Don't you see this is not talking about sin? It's actually the opposite, good works. So once again, the OSASers fail in trying to think the word of God says it doesn't matter if we become a wretched sin practicer, because this Scripture is NOT about sin. We're saved through faith. You gotta keep the faith. Be on guard, because the word of God says that some have strayed concerning the faith (1 Tim. 6:20,21), and listening to others can cause your faith to be overthrown (2 Tim. 2:18).
Ephesians 1:11-14 - In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the councel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. ~ Note: This starts off with "In Him ALSO." That means this is in addition to what Paul had just previosly said. Don't take it out of context. Eph. 1:4 states - ... that we should WALK HOLY and without blame before Him... - Well, according to OSASers, they see this as a work one must do to earn salvation, which makes them complain, "What about grace?" But this comes from an inside work that God performs in you. He helps you to do it, so you are not on your own, as I state in my "The Way To Heaven..." site... So it's already implied that this Scripture here, Eph. 1:11-14, is for the people who walk holy and without blame before God...
Eph. 1:11,12 - ... being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the councel of His will (but God's purpose and will clearly does not always happen. I've already mentioned that with Matthew 7:13,14 and 2 Peter 3:9, or else we would all be saved) that we who first trusted in Him SHOULD (that word is NOT would. There is the possibility of it not happening) be to the praise of His glory.
About Eph. 1:13,14, true, the Holy Spirit of promise is the guarantee of our inheritance, but that doesn't mean God won't take the Holy Spirit from you, by you forcing Him out. One who continues to walk holy and blameless, as we just saw this ties to from Eph. 1:4, has the Holy Spirit and the guarantee. The SEALING here refers to our salvation IF we have the Holy Spirit. It is NOT the Holy Spirit that is sealed. With the Holy Spirit, the sanctified Christian is sealed and has the guarantee, but if one starts to walk unholy and full of blame, that person has driven out or quenched the Holy Spirit with the practice of sin. I know from experience. I backslid and was full of blame, but I did not care. I did not have the Holy Spirit convicting me because I was in flat out rebellion. No longer was I surrendered to God. Then I came to my senses and I knew I was lost again needing the Lord and I had to repent and turn to God again for help, or else I would still be lost in sin. That's like "The Parable of the Lost Son" in Luke 15:11-32. The father said he was "dead" and "lost." That's how I was and that's how any backslider is. It comes down to this. IF you walk holy, which is a result of the Holy Spirit in your life, THEN you have the safety of a guaranteed inheritance.
2 Timothy 1:12 - ... He is able to keep what I have committed To Him until that Day. ~ Note: Paul wasn't talking just about his salvation; and a backsliden, apostate Christian cannot claim this. Paul was certain that God would keep his deposit, his life and the eternal rewards of his ministry. Paul was preparing for his imminent death, but in spite of this he was hopeful. He had spent his time, resources, and even his life on proclaiming the gospel, and this investment in Christ's kingdom will bring him an abundant reward in eternity.
Matt. 28:20 - Jesus said, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." ~ Note: The key is to observe His commands, then He is with us always, but we can't rebel against God and honestly think we're still going to heaven. That would be Fantasyland.
Philippians 1:6 - being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; ~ Note: You can't take this out of context to try and say that this always happens. You have to look at the few previous verses, 1:3-5, and then you find out Paul was praying for those Philippians who had fellowshipped (or partenershipped) in the gospel with him. This verse, 1:6, is actually Paul telling them what he was praying for them about. Obviously Paul was confident that he was praying God's will for their lives. But God's will doesn't always happen. That's why we need people praying for us. If "Once Saved, Always Saved" was true, then Paul was needlessly praying for them. But I already showed you with earlier Scriptures that Paul knew that one could lose faith.
Hebrews 12:1,2 - ..let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. ~ Now He's not the finisher of our faith no matter what. This is CONDITIONAL. We must be looking unto Him and laying aside SIN. Why do you think the writer of Hebrews put this instruction in the word? It's because he knew the danger of sin that can get our eyes off of Jesus and make us fall short of the grace of God, like he mentioned a lttle later (Hebrews 12:15).
...He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him - Hebrews 5:9.
2 Corinthians 5:5 - Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. ~ Note: Just like in Eph. 1:13,14, the Holy Spirit is the gauarantee IF you still have Him. He is not guaranteed to stay in a rebellious child. God just might cut you off like Paul states in Romans 11:17-22. The presence of the Holy Spirit assures us believers that God has purchased us. We know that we have the Holy Spirit when we are not slaves of sin, but slaves of God that obey Him by living a holy, godly life. ~ Don't stop and have a misunderstanding belief from this verse alone. Keep reading the word of God there and you will see some important warnings and truths. If someone's life does not line up with the word of God here, then they may not have the Holy Spirit.
2 Cor. 5:10,11 - For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men... ~ Note: Knowing that in the future we will stand before Jesus Christ and face a review of our lives should motivate us to live righteously and faithfully in the present time, continually. The word "persuade" means "to induce one by words to beleve." That's what I'm trying to do with my web pages, yet some people are wrong in saying that I force my religion onto others. That's impossible. I can't force someone to believe, especially on the internet, yet I can persuade or induce them.
2 Cor. 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ~ Note: The phrase "have become" is "are become" in the KJV. It also means "to come into existence." That means you ARE new. It's a continuing state of being, so you KEEP ON being NEW. Someone who falls back into the bondage of sin is NOT "in Christ" anymore, because they didn't continue being new. Also, a believer's life changes because he or she is being transformed into the likeness of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). So we get better, not worse.
2 Cor. 6:1 - We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ~ Note: That's what believers do when they don't have a changed life by being a new creation in a continuing state. You must continue being a new creation. If you backslde, you are "dead" and "lost", just like Jesus said in Luke 15:24. The word "vain" also means "empty, devoid of truth, without a gift, destitute of spiritual wealth, of one who boasts of his faith as a transcendent possession yet is without the fruits of faith." ~ There are more good warnings in the last 5 verses of this chapter. It will probably be good for you to read them. Actually, I encourage you to keep reading the whole New Testament over and over to make sure that you are doing the will of the Father.
Matthew 7:21 - Jesus said, "NOT EVERYONE who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." ~ Note: Doing the will of the Father is living a holy, godly life by obeying Him. The Holy Spirit should be convicting you to live right. If you still struggle or are back struggling with sin, then read more of God's word. Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31,32) Hallelujah.
In closing, look at what happened to Saint Lucifer, the devil. He was even in Heaven and God cast him out because of his rebellion, along with the angels that followed him. We aren't even there in heaven yet, so don't think you can rebel against God, and do your own thing, and he won't cast you out of being "in Christ.". If you do, that is pride. The major reason why the devil sinned and fell. My friends, I don't want any of us to be misled. That's why I give you what I have learned from God's word. I hope you are having spiritual ears to hear what God is saying. I love you and I hope that you get to heaven. I'll keep myself surrendered to God because I'm His slave. How about you?
But NOW having BEEN set free from sin, and having become SLAVES OF GOD. you have your fruit to HOLINESS, and the end, everlasting life - Romans 6:22. ~ Note: That means you don't have everlasting life at the end UNTIL you are set free from sin NOW; and you stay that way with your fruit that makes you HOLY.
Once Saved, Always Saved IS WRONG
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