ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED-TRUE OR FALSE?

ROMÂNĂ

You must have heard the phrase: “Once saved always saved. You can't lose your salvation, once you got it!” But, is this the truth? We all agree that God created us with free will. So, if at some point in life a Christian decides he doesn't love Jesus anymore, can he leave him or not? Or God would force every Christian to live for Him no matter what he wants later in life? If you believe that once saved no one can lose their salvation, I hope you will read carefully the rest of this message and study the bible verses that are quoted, with an open mind and heart. We are saved by grace and not by works; all people are sinners, so all continue to sin after being saved, but we sin because we love sin more then God, or because we are overwhelmed at times and by accident we say, think or act as we shouldn't and then we sincerely regret and repent?

In order to believe the truth about any subject it is crucial to study all the Bible references on the matter, not just some verses out of context. It is the same about this doctrine, that leads so many Christians to believe that they can live in sin, because they received Jesus, they are saved and God is so good and loving so He will forgive them; they say that after all, we are under grace not under the law, but if they don't repent and change they will end up in hell. It is so sad to see people that call themselves “Christians”, living in sin and are very convinced they will make Heaven. But being a Christian, means to be a follower of Christ, trying to imitate Him. Jesus committed no sin, so a Christian will never choose to sin and keep on sinning. We can't love Jesus and sin at the same time. A Christian doesn't have sex out of marriage, is not addicted to alcohol, drugs, pornography or anything else, doesn't lie, doesn't cheat... in short, the Christian doesn't choose to do anything that Jesus won't do.

Is true that Jesus says about His sheep:

• John 10:28-30 “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.”

We love finding comfort in the above verses, but what did He say in the preceding verse? "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) 

The original term for “hear” is “akouó”( “ἀκούω” in the Greek alphabet), which according to “Thayer's Greek Lexicon, STRONGS NT” 191, means: to yield obedience to the voice: (οἱἀκούσαντες namely, τῆς φωνῆς); and is used like that in John 5:25, 10:16, 27,18:37, Revelation 3:20. 

The verse is translated in other versions as: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” (NIV, and NLT)

It is not enough to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He sacrificed Himself, for us to become “sheep of the Lord." After we received the seed of God's Word in our hearts, our spirits became born again. We have to have such a real relationship with Jesus, that we hear and recognize His voice... and not just hear, but obey. Only after we quit making decisions lead by our flesh and soul (mind, will and emotions) and we start seeking the Lord for counsel and applying His wisdom and guidance then we live more obedient lives and become more Christ like. God knows everything about us, but He never forces us to share it all with Him. It is up to us to do it so that we can have a deeper and better relationship with Him.

• John 6:37-40 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus is actually saying that no one, not even the enemy, can steal us out of His or Father's God hand; but He doesn't say anything about our will, here. In other words, as long as we want to stay close to God, no one and nothing can convince Him to give up on us. What a marvelous truth! 

Jesus also says that God's will for us is to be His for eternity! God created man for this purpose. We live on this earth, so we prepare for eternal life. Our whole existence is a long line of tests and trials, so we would prove our love for God and the desire to be with Him. The more tests we pass by trusting God and obeying His will, the more we will change.

I heard some say they don't care for Heaven, that is a boring place, is not for them. God would not force anyone to do something against his will. Why would He  force one who doesn't love Him and doesn't care to be around Him, to spend eternity in Heaven, in His presence?

So what am I saying here? We can't be sure we are saved? Oh yes, we are saved, as long as we love God and live in obedience to Him.

Sincerity, obedience, genuine love, fear of the almighty God, passion for the word, prayer, worship are all essential keys in keeping salvation to the end.

• Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

What we read here, is that those that were born again, that tasted the heavenly gift, received the Holy Spirit in their inner man, had the seed of God's word planted in their heart and experienced the feeling of eternity, and still chose to go back to a sinful life. This people chose to give up to their eternal salvation, as it mattered less for them, then the sin they can have now. The believers that renounce to their faith, give more reasons to the fallen ones around them to mock God and take His Name in vain and hurt deep the church which is “the body of Christ” and its “Head” which is Jesus Himself. These people are renouncing Jesus being very well aware of what they are doing. They chose evil, while they know the good. Who does this can't be convinced by anyone and nothing to come back to Christ. They tasted the reality of who God is, they felt His presence by the Holy Spirit and they still chose to serve the devil, by living in sin, because they love sin more then they love righteousness, so they will end up where their lord is.

These verses are not talking about those who were deceived and fell into sin, and then they regretted it, but they fail to repent because they believe the lie of the devil that tells them that God doesn't love them anymore and will never forgive them again. These people can return to God till their last breath. If there is regret in their hearts and have the desire to come back to God, they already have the proof that the Holy Spirit is ministering to them, by convincing them of sin, so all they have to do is to sincerely ask God to forgive them, with all their heart and ask Him to help them quit sinning and leave the darkness and come to Jesus' Light.

There are no Bible verses that say that God doesn't forgive those who truly repent and ask forgiveness, on the contrary there are many which say the opposite. Here are some of them:

• Psalms 130:4 But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared

• Daniel 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.

• Luke 24:47 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. 

Jesus appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road and told him:

• Acts 26:17-18 “I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."

The eternal destination is determined by whom we served and how we lived before we leave this physical bodies. No one can tell when that moment will be for himself. So we better decide to live for Christ today. Every day when arrives is today.

• Hebrews 3:12-15 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,  while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

The warning here is not for the world, but for the church, the brothers in Christ. We have to be careful “daily” to keep our heart pure and soft in God's hand. When the Holy Spirit convinces us of sin, we better not ignore Him. We better stop, analyze what He says and obey Him, repenting and being willing to change, asking His help.

The heart starts to harden, if we ignore the Holy Spirit's alarm signals and we chose to commit the sin, even if we know is wrong. Continuing to walk on this road, following the lies of the enemy instead of the truth, will cause us to have no desire to continue to be in God's hand.. and He will let us go. Why? Because God respects our free will.

The following verses from Hebrews 6, from 7 to 12 are explaining what I just said:

• Hebrews 6:7-12 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The “once saved-always saved” concept, basically says: if someone falls away from the Lord, then they were never “really saved” because if they were really saved, they would never fall away from the Lord.

Here are a few questions that prove the contrary of this "once saved, always saved" mindset followed with Scripture verses that "expose" the impossibility of it.

• NO VIRGINS LAMP CAN EVER GO OUT?

​Matthew 25:3-4,10-13 (the parable of the "betrothed" virgins) “They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.'”

The church, the assembly of believers that forms it, is the “bride of Christ." Here, she is represented by the ten virgins, five wise and five foolish. The wise ones had a real relationship with their Bridegroom, Jesus, they were full of His Holy Spirit (their oil vessels were full) and even if they fall asleep while waiting, their hearts were fully committed to their Lord so they were accepted in the weeding room. The foolish ones, represent the “seat occupants” in church, the people who attend church services, as a duty, not from passion for Christ. What does the Lord say to those who pretend to be His children, but don't think is vital to have God's presence in their lives, all the time? Jesus says: “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.” God is omniscient, He knows everything, but if the person decides to hide from God and offer Him just a small share of His heart and life, will hear the same line from God at the Judgment day. This really means that the person didn't have an intimate relationship with God, because they chose to keep stuff for themselves, and didn't surrendered it all to God.

• NO SERVANT OF THE LORD CAN BE CAUGHT ASLEEP WHEN HE WILL RETURN?

​Luke 12:35-37,40 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them... Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

The “girded waist” refers to being ready for action. The long undergarment the men worn under the tunic, was limiting their movements. So, they had to gird their waist with a belt, to be able to move freely. The same dresses they worn as pajamas at night, but no belt. To have their waste girded with a belt, meant to be awake, ready for action. The presence of the Holy Ghost in the born again inner man, which is the spirit of a person, is the oil that keeps alive the flame of faith. If Jesus says that blessed are those that will be found watching at His arrival, it means that the sleeping ones will get the opposite.

• NO BRANCH IN CHRIST CAN EVER BE CUT OFF FOR BEING UNFRUITFUL?

​John 15:4-6 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

The unity with Christ, the abiding in the vine, causes the same sap that flows in the vine, to flow in the branches also. That means that same Holy Spirit that resurrected Jesus from the death, will flow through the believer that abides in Him. No cut off branch can remain alive. Is the same with us, believers. If we don't seek constantly to be filled with The Holy Spirit, we will eventually dry out and become spiritually dead. The daily trials, the enemy's attacks, will empty our spiritual tank and we have to refill it, by spending time with God, soaking into His presence, worshiping Him, praying and studying His Word. For a Christian, the passion for God's presence and fellowship with Him is a life style.

• NO PARDON CAN EVER BE FORFEITED?

​Matthew 18:22-35 Jesus said to him, "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.”

What is Jesus telling to Peter, the disciples and of course, to us, in the next verse? ”So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." This means that if God's children won't forgive those who do them wrong and hurt them, they will loose their own forgiveness and end up in hell.

• NO NAME CAN EVER BE BLOTTED OUT OF GOD'S BOOK OF LIFE?

​Revelation 3:5-6 “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

If the name of the one who will overcome sin and will live right for God, to the end, won't be blot out from the Book of Life, it means that the name of those who won't stand right with God to the end, even if they were once saved, will be blotted out of God's Book of Life. So their salvation will be lost. The ending phrase of this verse, refers to the inner man ears; only the born again spirit's senses can communicate with the Holy Spirit.

• NO SALT CAN EVER LOSE ITS SAVOR?

​Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

If one renounced on the Lord, it means that Jesus is not indwelling in his spirit anymore, so that person “lost it's savor.“ The Holy Spirit is no longer united with the person's spirit, so he will no longer impact other people's lives and will end up being “thrown out.”

• NO ONE CAN "BURY HIS TALENTS?"

​Matthew 25:24-30 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'”

God gave the salvation gift to every Christian. We didn't receive it so we will keep it secret, but we are to share the Good News of the Gospel with others, so they can be also saved. For each individual, God has a plan and He placed a special talent in each of us, to use in His Vineyard. Who buries his talent, by not confessing to others what Jesus did on the cross for him and for all mankind, from various reasons and is not following his ministry calling by using his gift, will end up loosing their salvation. In Romans 10:10 we read that “with the mouth confession, [one] is made unto salvation.” If we stop confessing our faith in Jesus, because we are afraid that people would laugh at us, little by little our love for Jesus will grow cold. His Light in us will fade away, if we keep it cover.

• NO ONE CAN "NEGLECT SO GREAT A SALVATION?"

​Hebrews 2:1-3 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest “we drift away.” For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.

For sure the author of the epistle is not talking about the lost ones here, who never really heard the Gospel, but about the saints in the church and himself, too. So, the saved ones, if they start to neglect such a great salvation, will pay by loosing it and all its benefits.

• NO ONE CAN "LOOK BACK" AFTER PUTTING HIS HAND TO THE GOSPEL PLOW?

​Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

“Looking back” is talking about regretting what a person was and had in the past. That means that the person loves the old life more then the new life in Christ. The Christian that does that, is not fulfilled in living for Christ and is longing after the pleasures of the sin he was practicing in the past. If he won't fight it, will end up back where his heart is.

• NOBODY CAN "GRIEVE THE SPIRIT" UNTIL "HE IS QUENCHED" AND STRIVES NO MORE?

​Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

​1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit.

When we don't listen the Holy Spirit warnings and we keep on sinning, we are grieving the Holy Spirit. He is the one who convinces a person of sin. When a Christian continues to sin, Holy Spirit will leave him. God is not indwelling the heart that chose sin over Him.

• NO ONE CAN "DENY THAT THE LORD BOUGHT THEM?”

​1 Corinthians 7:23-24 “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called."

It is up to the believer to be right standing with God and be grateful for the huge price that Jesus paid for his salvation.

• NO ONE CAN "BRING UPON THEMSELVES SWIFT DESTRUCTION?"

Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

The personal sin has its price, but the sin of causing others to fall, through wrong teachings is way worse and will be punished accordingly.

• NOBODY, OR BODY OF BELIEVERS, "CAN EVER GET SO LUKEWARM THAT JESUS WILL SPEW THEM OUT OF HIS MOUTH?"

​Revelation 3:14-16 “These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Jesus was addressing the church here, so to the saved ones, that are still abiding in Him, so are in Him. If they would not be in Him, why would He say, He “will vomit them out of His mouth?” The warning comes while they are on the edge, so they will realize the state of their hearts and return to the fire of the first love for the Lord.

• NO SHEEP COULD EVER GET LOST, BECAUSE IF HE EVER DID, HE WAS NEVER REALLY FOUND?

​Matthew 18:12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?”

2 Peter 2:15 “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness”

How could a sheep go astray from the flock, if it was never part of it? How might a Christian forsake the right path, if he never walked on it?

• THAT IF ONE FALLS, THEN HE NEVER STOOD?

​Romans 11:16-22 “For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.”

• THAT IF ONE EVER WITHERED, THEN HE WAS NEVER GREEN?

​John 15:1-6 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

• THAT IF ANY MAN "DRAWS BACK," IT PROVES THAT HE NEVER HAD ANYTHING TO DRAW BACK FROM ?

​Hebrews 10:38-39 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

• THAT IF YOU "AGAIN GET ENTANGLED IN THE POLLUTIONS OF THE WORLD," IT SHOWS THAT YOU NEVER ESCAPED?

​2 Peter 2:20-21 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

• THAT IF YOU "SHIPWRECKED FROM THE FAITH," THEN THERE WAS NO SHIP OF FAITH THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

1 Timothy 1:18-20 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

What is Paul actually saying here? Hymenaeus and Alexander were known by name by Timothy as saints in the church, but they rejected the faith and the good conscience they had for a while, so their “faith have suffered shipwreck,” having blasphemous opinions, opposed to the true faith in Jesus Christ. Being “delivered to Satan,” meaning they lost the “hedge of protection,” provided by being part of the Body of Christ, by having The Holy Spirit indwelling the person and having others praying for them. In 1 Corinthians 5:5, this is better explained: “To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” So, “being delivered to Satan” will open the door for the enemy to attack the person with physical sickness and pain, to cause repentance and be a warning for the rest of the church about the danger of not keeping a strong faith in the Truth of God's Word and a pure heart and conscience.

• DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANYONE STEALING YOUR CROWN, IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO LOSE IT. Really?

​​Revelation 3:11 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown."

This concept is a fallacy that basically says:

"If you get it, you can't lose it; & if you lose it, you never had it."

I have listed just a few of the verses that are warning us to not believe the lies of the enemy that tempt us to sin, because we can't loose our salvation.

This lie of Satan has, caused many souls to go to hell thinking they were covered by the grace of God, no matter how they lived. This is a perfect example of a false doctrine based upon "part" of the Bible. Unless one considers “all the verses” on “a given matter” and considers “the context” in which they were given, one can create a false doctrine that will be very harmful. We have to study every verse connected to ones above and under it, consider who wrote the book where the verses are; what the original words say; when and to whom it was addressed, at first. By doing so, all the so called “Bible contradictions” are solved out.

To be sure of our eternal salvation, feel secure about making Heaven, all we have to do is love Christ, live to please Him, study His word to know Him and God's will more and be willing to abide in Him all the time. If we constantly ask Him to help us grow with Him and live right, He will help us! His will is that we will all be saved, not doomed, but He will never cross over our will.

Bible Verses about Losing Salvation

• Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

 

• Ezekiel 18:24-26 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die.

 

• 2 Peter 2:20-22 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.

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• 1 John 2:3-4 And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know Him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,

 

• 2 Timothy 2:11-12 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;

 

• 1 John 3:6-9 No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

 

• James 5:19-20 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

 

• John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."

 

• Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

 

• 2 Timothy 2:24-26 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

 

• Romans 11:22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

 

• Romans 2:6-8 He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

 

• Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

 

• Matthew 13:18-23 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked onecomes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 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. 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. 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.”

 

• 1 Corinthians 11:32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

 

• Matthew 24:13 “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

 

• Galatians 5:4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

 

• 2 Peter 3:17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

 

• 1 Corinthians 9:27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

 

• Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

 

• Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

- Why? Because they know that Jesus is the Son of God and He died for their sins, and they chose to serve the devil, knowing very well what they were doing. Who can convince them about something they already knew and rejected? But if they decide to return and truly repent, they will be saved.

• Hebrews 10:26-29 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

 

• Hebrews 3:6 But Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

 

• 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

 

• Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore thus says the Lord: “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them.”

 

• Revelation 2:5-7 “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

 

• Revelation 2:10-11 “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”

 

• Revelation 2:16-17 “Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”

 

• Revelation 2:25-29 “But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

 

• Revelation 3:4-6 “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

 

• Revelation 3:11-13 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

 

• Revelation 3:19-22 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Copyright ©  2016 Carmen Pușcaș and E. Cockrell. May be used  for personal study or instruction but shall not be copied and/or distributed in whole or part without permission or for financial profit.

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