Post by pitbull on Nov 14, 2005 8:08:19 GMT -5
You have probably heard this complaint: “You that believe ‘once saved always saved’ think that a believer can live however he or she wants and nothing will happen.” This is not true. Here is a little story to illustrate the speciousness of such a Biblically illiterate statement.
A little boy went in to see his father. “Dad, would you ever toss me in the trash?”
“No, I would do that,” his dad replied lovingly.
“What if I told a lie? Would you toss me in the trash then?” inquired the boy.
“No, I still wouldn’t,” he again replied.
“What if I broke the front window? Would you toss me in the trash them?” the boy asked.
The boy asked about some other different examples, but still with the same response from his father. After the boy seemed satisfied, he left and the father pondered on what would make his son ask such a question. As he was walking through the house, he went past an open window and overheard his son talking to a friend.
“My dad is going to let me get away with anything. It doesn’t matter what I do, I will not be punished,” he boldly told his friend.
Of course, this is not what his father said. This is sadly how many Christians look at the doctrine of eternal security. Just because God has promised never to toss His children out with the “trash” into Hell, He will still act upon our disobedience. Look at John 6:37 – “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Although a blood-washed saint of God doesn’t have to worry about losing his or her salvation, there are several things that can be lose if we aren’t careful. Here are seven of them from the Bible:
You can lose your assurance. Don’t let anyone tell you the lie that it is a blessing to doubt your salvation. That is a sign that you are either backslidden [most likely] or being attacked by Satan. It is a sign that something is not right spiritually in your life.
• “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” (Isaiah 32:17)
You can lose you joy. If you know that you are saved and on your way to Heaven, there should be joy in your heart. You can and will lose that joy of salvation when you are out of fellowship with God.
• “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” (Psalm 51:12)
• “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” (Galatians 5:22)
You can lose your testimony, just like Lot did. Lot did not live a close walk with God and hence was ridiculed by his son-in-laws when he talked about God’s judgment. They didn’t take this backslider serious. The same can happen to you.
• “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law” (Genesis 19:14)
You can lose your health. Did you know that your health problems might be the result of sin in your life? God has the option to use sickness as a tool of chastening for His children when they are disobedient and backslidden.
• “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 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.” (1 Corinthians 11:30-32)
You can lose your life. God may call you home rather than you disgrace His name any more on earth. The word “sleep” used in 1 Corinthians means died [physically]. We need to remember the automakers aren’t the only ones that conduct recall!
• “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” (1 Corinthians 11:30)
• “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” (1 John 5:16)
You can lose your rewards. This talks about rewards both now in this life as well as at the Judgment Seat of Christ. God is a loving Father that wants to pour out His blessing upon us, but He will not do that to rebellious and ungrateful children.
• “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15)
• “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.” (2 John 8)
You can lose your inheritance. Salvation and Heaven is not the only thing that you inherit when you get saved. There is so much that you can find in the Bible that you receive as being a joint heir with Christ, but God will remove this from you if you are out of a close walk and fellowship with Him.
• “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:1-7)
This is very serious. Be careful or you will lose these in your life. You will still be saved and on your way to Heaven, but you will miss out on the life that God wants you to have.
A little boy went in to see his father. “Dad, would you ever toss me in the trash?”
“No, I would do that,” his dad replied lovingly.
“What if I told a lie? Would you toss me in the trash then?” inquired the boy.
“No, I still wouldn’t,” he again replied.
“What if I broke the front window? Would you toss me in the trash them?” the boy asked.
The boy asked about some other different examples, but still with the same response from his father. After the boy seemed satisfied, he left and the father pondered on what would make his son ask such a question. As he was walking through the house, he went past an open window and overheard his son talking to a friend.
“My dad is going to let me get away with anything. It doesn’t matter what I do, I will not be punished,” he boldly told his friend.
Of course, this is not what his father said. This is sadly how many Christians look at the doctrine of eternal security. Just because God has promised never to toss His children out with the “trash” into Hell, He will still act upon our disobedience. Look at John 6:37 – “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Although a blood-washed saint of God doesn’t have to worry about losing his or her salvation, there are several things that can be lose if we aren’t careful. Here are seven of them from the Bible:
You can lose your assurance. Don’t let anyone tell you the lie that it is a blessing to doubt your salvation. That is a sign that you are either backslidden [most likely] or being attacked by Satan. It is a sign that something is not right spiritually in your life.
• “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” (Isaiah 32:17)
You can lose you joy. If you know that you are saved and on your way to Heaven, there should be joy in your heart. You can and will lose that joy of salvation when you are out of fellowship with God.
• “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” (Psalm 51:12)
• “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” (Galatians 5:22)
You can lose your testimony, just like Lot did. Lot did not live a close walk with God and hence was ridiculed by his son-in-laws when he talked about God’s judgment. They didn’t take this backslider serious. The same can happen to you.
• “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law” (Genesis 19:14)
You can lose your health. Did you know that your health problems might be the result of sin in your life? God has the option to use sickness as a tool of chastening for His children when they are disobedient and backslidden.
• “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 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.” (1 Corinthians 11:30-32)
You can lose your life. God may call you home rather than you disgrace His name any more on earth. The word “sleep” used in 1 Corinthians means died [physically]. We need to remember the automakers aren’t the only ones that conduct recall!
• “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” (1 Corinthians 11:30)
• “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” (1 John 5:16)
You can lose your rewards. This talks about rewards both now in this life as well as at the Judgment Seat of Christ. God is a loving Father that wants to pour out His blessing upon us, but He will not do that to rebellious and ungrateful children.
• “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15)
• “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.” (2 John 8)
You can lose your inheritance. Salvation and Heaven is not the only thing that you inherit when you get saved. There is so much that you can find in the Bible that you receive as being a joint heir with Christ, but God will remove this from you if you are out of a close walk and fellowship with Him.
• “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:1-7)
This is very serious. Be careful or you will lose these in your life. You will still be saved and on your way to Heaven, but you will miss out on the life that God wants you to have.