Being 'Eternally Secure'
I believe that part of the heresy that will be a downfall to many Christians in the impending end times is the fallacy of "eternal security," which states that "once saved-always saved." It is the notion that once we accept Christ as our Savior from our sins, that regardless of what we do from then on is not relevant in regard to our ultimate salvation. We are as sure for heaven as if we were there already.
There are many arguments that are used to prove this point, but are usually backed with scripture taken out of context, such as:
John 10:28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
However, the preceding verse clearly states:
John 10:27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me
Here we are shown that being one of Christ’s sheep contains a requirement of being a follower. James 4:8 says "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." Notice where it says for us to draw ourselves near to God, and God will then draw Himself near to us. Also, would not the opposite, then, be true? Should we forget about God, His will for us, and live our lives the way we feel is right, is He going to abide with us? If we live like the world, is God going to be close to us?
There is a condition here. Throughout the scriptures we are called to be active in our faith, and to be mindful of who we are in Christ. We are to "put off" our sinful, old nature, and to "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4:24) Being a believer means being near to God. It means to trust in Him, and having the fruit of the Spirit, which "is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:9)
On the other hand, there are scripture which says clearly the opposite of what the "once saved-always saved" crowd say. Again, in Ephesians chapter 5, Paul tells believers:
1: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2: And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.
3: But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4: Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5: For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
The apostle Paul is telling Christians that being a follower of God means that we are NOT going to be an adulterer, a whoremonger, a fornicator, a filthy-talker, and someone who is coveting. It also says that those Christians who do these things are idolaters, and will have NO inheritance in "the kingdom of Christ and of God." It couldn’t be more clear what is being said here.
Christ also emphasizes the need for believers to "endure:"
Matthew 10:22: And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Matthew 24:13: But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mark 13:13: And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved
The time will come very soon when it will be required of us to "endure" for our faith; however, what will happen to those who do not? James 4:7 says: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." But, if we are not submitting ourselves to God, and not resisting the devil, then we obviously are NOT enduring and finding victory over the devil.
And, what is the statement that follows where it calls for us to "endure?" In every case, Christ tells us that we who endure the trials and tests in our lives, we "shall be saved." What does that mean? For one thing, you have to conclude that the opposite is also true, in that those who do not endure to the end will NOT be saved. It couldn’t be more clear what the meaning is.
With the coming tribulation, there will be many Christians who will fall into deception. Already, an enormous number of believers in America have fallen for the idea that they will avoid tribulation entirely. When you couple this "pre-tribulation" fallacy with a similarly heretical notion of "eternal security," they create an enormous stumbling-block for believers. On one hand, many Christians who trusted God to save them from tribulation will be disenchanted and discouraged because of the perception of God’s "failure," and on the other, they’ll have assurance that it won’t matter what they do in order to avoid persecution, because their salvation is assured.
Christ calls us to follow Him and to endure until the end. Only then are we secure in our salvation. If God is secure with us, we are secure with Him. Do not be deceived by the false prophets and false christs of our time.
There are many arguments that are used to prove this point, but are usually backed with scripture taken out of context, such as:
John 10:28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
However, the preceding verse clearly states:
John 10:27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me
Here we are shown that being one of Christ’s sheep contains a requirement of being a follower. James 4:8 says "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." Notice where it says for us to draw ourselves near to God, and God will then draw Himself near to us. Also, would not the opposite, then, be true? Should we forget about God, His will for us, and live our lives the way we feel is right, is He going to abide with us? If we live like the world, is God going to be close to us?
There is a condition here. Throughout the scriptures we are called to be active in our faith, and to be mindful of who we are in Christ. We are to "put off" our sinful, old nature, and to "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4:24) Being a believer means being near to God. It means to trust in Him, and having the fruit of the Spirit, which "is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:9)
On the other hand, there are scripture which says clearly the opposite of what the "once saved-always saved" crowd say. Again, in Ephesians chapter 5, Paul tells believers:
1: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2: And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.
3: But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4: Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5: For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
The apostle Paul is telling Christians that being a follower of God means that we are NOT going to be an adulterer, a whoremonger, a fornicator, a filthy-talker, and someone who is coveting. It also says that those Christians who do these things are idolaters, and will have NO inheritance in "the kingdom of Christ and of God." It couldn’t be more clear what is being said here.
Christ also emphasizes the need for believers to "endure:"
Matthew 10:22: And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Matthew 24:13: But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mark 13:13: And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved
The time will come very soon when it will be required of us to "endure" for our faith; however, what will happen to those who do not? James 4:7 says: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." But, if we are not submitting ourselves to God, and not resisting the devil, then we obviously are NOT enduring and finding victory over the devil.
And, what is the statement that follows where it calls for us to "endure?" In every case, Christ tells us that we who endure the trials and tests in our lives, we "shall be saved." What does that mean? For one thing, you have to conclude that the opposite is also true, in that those who do not endure to the end will NOT be saved. It couldn’t be more clear what the meaning is.
With the coming tribulation, there will be many Christians who will fall into deception. Already, an enormous number of believers in America have fallen for the idea that they will avoid tribulation entirely. When you couple this "pre-tribulation" fallacy with a similarly heretical notion of "eternal security," they create an enormous stumbling-block for believers. On one hand, many Christians who trusted God to save them from tribulation will be disenchanted and discouraged because of the perception of God’s "failure," and on the other, they’ll have assurance that it won’t matter what they do in order to avoid persecution, because their salvation is assured.
Christ calls us to follow Him and to endure until the end. Only then are we secure in our salvation. If God is secure with us, we are secure with Him. Do not be deceived by the false prophets and false christs of our time.
posted by yohannbiimu at 10:10 AM
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