F What About Apostasy Can Back Sliders And People Who Have Fallen Away From Faith Ever Be Saved
In their original context, these were warnings, in the strongest possible terms, to the first century Christians not to abandon their new faith because of persecution or false teachings. Thus, the authors may have used some hyperbole to emphasize the point.
If these verses really mean that a person who has fallen away has no chance to repent, that would seem to contradict many other New Testament teachings about God’s mercy and constant willingness to forgive. These verses are probably notdirected at people who have doubts or who lose their faith and come back later. It is the person who deliberately, permanently and hard-heartedly rejects faith who will never repent, and thus can never be forgiven.
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Is Water Baptism Necessary For Salvation
Matthew 3:11
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Baptism was about repentance. God has shown in the Bible how there are two things He uses to purge the world. Water and fire . So water baptism is about purging or showing a clean conscience.
There is something people miss though. Some people think that water baptism comes before repentance. John made it clear this was not the case. And we have just seen that Salvation can come before water baptism in the verses before.
Matthew 3:7-8
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
It is clear that John did not see water baptism as a means of repentance. Instead repentance meant doing good and not evil. So what is water baptism for if not salvation?
Matthew 3:13-15
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
1 Peter 3:20-21
Salvation Is From The Lord
When one considers all the facts relating to salvation and the preparatory work of the Spirit before one can be saved, it becomes obvious that simply assenting to the fact of the gospel and believing mentally that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world does not result in salvation and is not really what can be called saving faith.
In the nature of faith, it is also important to realize that it must come from the whole man, that is, from his intellect, sensibility, and will. There has to be some mental understanding of what the gospel is in order to be saved, and the sinner coming to Christ should enter into the fact that it requires more than assentit requires an act of the whole person. This may involve not only the mind but the feelings, or sensibility, and, most of all, it involves the will, for faith is actually a step authorized by our will. The English word belief comes somewhat short of what is anticipated in the Bible, which is more accurately expressed as trust, or committing oneself to faith in Christ.
Accordingly, in Scripture faith in Christ is an act of the whole person. It involves the work of the Spirit in the conviction of sin and righteousness and judgment, and it involves Gods providing special enablement to one who is spiritually dead to believe in Christ. This is what the Bible defines as saving faith.
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What Does The Bible Say
Are we saved by grace? YES!
Are we saved by works? YES!
How can this be? Which is it, GRACE or WORKS? Canit be both?
David W. Bercot has researchedthe writings of the early Christians and has documented in his excellent book, Will The Real Heretics Please Stand Up, that they believed in both. These writings are from people who were taught by Peter, James & John, and by Paul or by people who knew them. He says:
The earlyChristian universally believed that works or obedience play an essential role inour salvation. This is probablyquite a shocking revelation to most evangelicals. But that theres no room for doubt concerning this matter, I havequoted below… from early Christian writers of virtually every generation… tothe inauguration of Constantine .
In a section of his book,entitled, Are Faith And Works MutuallyExclusive? he shares a very enlightening historical perspective:
You may besaying to yourself, Im confused. Outof one side of their mouths they say we are saved because of our works, and outof the other side they say we are saved by faith or grace. They dont seem to know what they believed!
The earlyChristians believed that salvation is a gift from God but that God gives Hisgift to whomever He chooses, And Hechooses to give it to those who love and obey Him.
Interestingly, Bercot shareshis own struggles and paradigm shift as he read these early writings:
¶ If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Other relevant scripturesinclude:
Different Christian Views On Biblical Law
Different Christians follow the Bibles laws in different ways according to their denomination and personal beliefs. For example, Evangelical Christians interpret the Bible more literally than many members of the Church of England, who might believe that some of the Bibles laws are no longer relevant, or need to be adjusted for modern life.
As well as the Bible, there are other sources of wisdom that help Christians to follow Gods law:
- Christians believe that each persons sense of right and wrong, or conscience, is Gods voice.
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The Solution To The Problem God Came Down
You can clearly see that God would be just in exiling us from His presence for eternity. The Father looked at the Son and the Son looked at the Father. The Son said I know what needs to be done. Our Lord took off His Heavenly robe and He came down. The God-Man Christ Jesus. Lets take a second to attempt to understand the Trinity.
There is one God in three divine persons. The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are all in one. Jesus is not created. The three persons were involved in Creation. Jesus is God in the flesh.
God had to satisfy the requirements of justice. Because of our sinfulness, we are unable to do this for ourselves. We are disqualified. Since His justice has to be satisfied, only a sinless God could pay the fine. He was the ultimate sacrifice. Either we bear the penalty for our sins ourselves resulting in eternal separation from God or God bears our sin in our place as a substitute. God loves us so much that He died for us, just so He can see us live with Him for all eternity! No one can meet the requirements of God except God Himself. Jesus is God. He had to be man to live the perfect life that man couldnt live out himself. Jesus lived a perfect life for 33 years. Something you and I could not do for 33 seconds!
4. 2 Corinthians 8:9: You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Misconceptions About Universal Salvation
Misconception: First Corinthians 15:22 teaches universal salvation by saying that in the Christ all will be made alive.
Fact: The context of this verse discusses the resurrection. So the phrase in the Christ all will be made alive simply means that all who are resurrected receive this blessing through Jesus Christ.John 11:25.
Misconception: Titus 2:11 teaches universal salvation by saying that God is bringing salvation to all people.International Standard Version.
Fact: The Greek word translated all in this verse can also mean every kind or variety. * Thus, the correct understanding of Titus 2:11 is that God is making salvation available to all sorts of people, including people out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues.Revelation 7:9, 10.
Misconception: Second Peter 3:9 teaches universal salvation by saying that God does not desire anyone to be destroyed.
Fact: God wants people to be saved, but he does not force them to accept his provision for salvation. His day of judgment will include the destruction of the ungodly people.2 Peter 3:7.
^ par. 1 The Bible refers to a person as having been saved even though his or her actual salvation from sin and death is yet to come.Ephesians 2:5 Romans 13:11.
^ par. 5 The name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew name Yehoh·shua, which means Jehovah Is Salvation.
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B We Must Be Born Again
In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.””How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered,”I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
The original Greek Bible words gennaÅ anÅthen can be translated as “born again” or “born from above.” Some Bibles use one translation and some the other.
The concept of spiritual rebirth in John is similar to the idea of repentance often expressed in Matthew, Mark and Luke. An especially close comparison is found in the Parable of the Prodigal Son ” rel=”nofollow”> Luke 15:11-32) where the father says his son “was dead and has come to life he was lost and has been found.”
Evangelical Christians often associate being born again with a specific moment when one comes to sincerely trust in Jesus Christ as savior. Other Christians may view spiritual rebirth as a process that begins with baptism, is experienced in Communion , and proceeds throughout life with acts of repentance and growth in faith and commitment.
What Does The Bible Say About Salvation
Many people ask, what is salvation? In the Bible, we see that salvation is the deliverance from danger or the penalty of sin. Are your sins forgiven? Do you know the gospel that saves? If you dont know the gospel and you cant explain how to be saved, you need to examine yourself. You may ask, am I truly saved?
Most of us trust the Lord when we are in danger, but do we trust the Lord for the forgiveness of sins? Are we confident that our sins have been paid for by another so that we do not have to pay the penalty for them ourselves?
In this article, I am giving a full presentation of the good news starting with defining the problem and continuing through to the solution. May God open your heart and illuminate your mind to the glory of this gospel.
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Why Are We To Be Saved From Sin
Sin leads to death! For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 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. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord .
How does one become free from sin? The apostle Paul explains in Romans 10:9-13: If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
For this reason, many people believe that being saved from sin is just a matter of accepting Jesus Christ. But the Bible also reveals there is much more involved in being saved.
Many Do Not Teach The Full Plan Of Salvation As Outlined In The Bible
I have learned so much since I started to truly read my Bible, and heartbreakingly there are many false churches and individuals who are like I was. They are sincerely misguided, and are not obeying Jesus or following his commandments.
God does expect for his followers to keep his commandments , the greatest of these being to love him and to love others . Those who do not keep his commandments and dont love others do not know Jesus, according to the Bible .
God is absolutely incredible, and he loves you so much. Please, read his word and find out for yourself. This is how you will come to know him . I fell in love with God through reading his word, and it is the greatest love story ever penned.
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Is The Atonement Limited
Calvinism insists that the atonement is limited. This means that it was never God’s purpose to bring all men to conversion and ultimate salvation, and that the redemption made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection is not, and never will be, available to all men, but applies only to the elect, those individuals fortunate enough to have been predestined before the foundation of the world was laid.
Yet, as we shall see, the Bible supports a universal atonement instead of a limited one. This biblical teaching leaves us with two options: Either all humans will be saved by the sovereign decree of God, or God lovingly interacts with humans, giving each of us the ability to choose whether to accept His provisions of salvation, and refusing to force salvation upon anyone. Since the first option flatly contradicts a host of scriptural passages, we are left with the second. We will see that the second option is, in fact, the true scriptural teaching.
Let’s look again at John 3:17. This time, let’s start with verse 16, and notice especially how the term world is used in this passage:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved .
All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned, every one, to his own way and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all .
First Lets Examine The Problem Hell Is Real
There is a Christian cliché that states that God hates the sin and loves the sinner. While this statement does possess a modicum of truth, it is also misleading. God both loves and hates individuals themselves, not merely their disembodied actions. You may respond, I dont believe that. It really doesnt matter what you believe. What matters is whether or not it is true.
What does the Bible declare? Psalms 5:5 11:5 7:11 and Proverbs 6:16-19 teach that God does indeed hate and that He is angry with the wicked. It is not the disembodied sin that is going to be thrown into Hell, it is the sinner themselves. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1. Revelation 14:10 they, too, will drink the wine of Gods fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
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What Does This Mean
This also means that it is not easy to enter the Kingdom of God even as a Christian. Yes, by being saved we have received salvation but that means a constant battle of persistence in following Him because entering His kingdom is not easy. Deuteronomy 28:1-68 states this,
And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
The idea of eternal security is simple. It merely means that Jesus gave us salvation if we accept Him through baptism, but it comes with a responsibility to continue being a disciple of Christ. As written in John 3:15-17, whoever believes in Christ receives eternal life and, therefore, one cannot lose it as long one believes in Christ and does His will.
Glory Dy has been a content creator for more than 10 years. She lives in a quiet suburb with her family and four cats.