Questions

 

Question: Hi Sandy, I hope that all is well with you. I wanted to respond to this email because I am wondering if you always believed you could lose your salvation in this dispensation or if this is a more recent development?

 Answer: On my web where I have the eternal security section, I put why I came to question the eternal security doctrine. It's under the title "Why This Web Page."

 As for me, in the past, I have had doubts at times about my own salvation (in spite of "you can't lose it teachings"), but then they were times I was not in the word, and not living up to par like I should. In the beginning of this year I stopped going to church. My testimony of all this is on my blog. You can read the month of April titled "Lord, what is wrong?" I started questioning some doctrines, and the meanest people I know and who hurt me the most have been baptists, bible believing baptists. This drew me closer to the Lord and in his word. As I stayed in the word and searching, I listened more closely to what the pastor was teaching. This one night he did a teaching on 1 Cor. 6. When he got to verses 9 and 10, it just did not add up. He calmed the people to let them know that even if they were guilty of one of those sins, they would not go to hell. I finished reading verse 10, and wondered how he would handle the verse how people who do those things, "shall inherit the kingdom of God." He never mentioned it. He made a joke about how people's reactions might be when they come to 1 Cor. 6:9,10, which I didn't think was funny. I poked the side of my friend and said, "He just gave them a license to sin." That was the last time I was in church.

Question: If I remember right, and correct me if I'm wrong, you are an ex-catholic nun right? Your views and descriptions of God's grace have a distinct catholic flavor to them. As an ex-catholic myself I can remember when a priest was trying to explain how one could go in and out of God's grace to the point of it just mattering what state you were in at the time of death.

Answer: In Gal. 5 Paul talks to believers who think if they go back to observing the Law that they will be justified by the Law. They were being deceived. Paul told them, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." It is possible for a believer to fall from grace. Paul just said so. If one wants to say that is directed towards unbelievers, that would not make sense.

Now, there are those who think that all sins are equal in their severity. But what saith the Scriptures? Scriptures indicate that not all sin is of equal severity before God. The accusation would be that I am siding back with Catholicism's view of mortal and venial sins. If one would accuse me, it would only be an attempt to try and discredit a conditional security by associating it with Catholicism (guilt by association).

As far as sin? Scriptures do teach that there are degrees of sin. Jesus talks about the greater sin (John 19:11), of eternal sin (Mk. 3:29), and speaks of sin that leads to death and sin that does not lead to death (1 John 5:16). Should one direct my attention to James (2:10,11), he will find what James says does not contradict those verses.

 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

People will take that passage and say all sin is the same, but as seen above, not all sin are equal in their severity before God. James says if a person commits no adultery, but commits murder, he is a lawbreaker. He talks about transgressing the law, not that all sin is equally severe in its consequences on the soul. There are times we can be guilty of such things as worry and unthankfulness, which is never compared in Scripture to the sins of adultery and murder! The lake of fire (Rev. 21:8) are for those guilty of such sins as adultery and murder, while the others are excluded from the list, and as in other passages of Scripture. (Eph. 5:5, Gal. 5:1-21, 1 Cor. 6:-10, etc.) In other words, there is nothing in there that says you will go to hell because you worried or you were unthankful at times during your Christian walk. We are encouraged to rejoice in the Lord (Phil. 4:4), to comfort those who are in trouble (2 Cor 1:4), to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2), edify one another (1 Thess. 5:11), exhort one another daily (Heb. 3:13), etc. etc. There are times we might fail in those area's, but is not something that will send us to the lake of fire.

Question: Anyway, there is a lot to go over in your letter below. Rowley seems a poor representative of eternal security. I don't know the history between you and him, if there is any, but maybe we could start with a few points instead of correcting his issues and addressing yours. Are you saved now and how do you know?

Answer: Yes, I know I am saved because I believe in Jesus and follow him. It's not just having 1 John 5:12-13 memorized. But John also said,

"In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."

And he also said,

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

 What did Jesus say? "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27).

In Luke 18:19-21 we read,

"Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it."

 There is salvation assurance, but only to those who are presently believing on Jesus, following him, and obeying him.

Question: What level of sin drops me back into the "lost" category? I remember the venial, mortal and cardinal sin levels from the catholic church, but we don't need to use those definitions. I am just wondering, since we all sin every day, do we lose our salvation every day or is it just bigger sins that drop us out?

Answer: What does the Bible say? Look at the list of sins that will not let one inherit the kingdom of God. The Bible is clear that those who practice such sins shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

 "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 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." Eph. 5:3-6

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which DO do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Gal. 5:1-21

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Cor. 6:,10

 And notice in Rev. 21:8 where it's not just the sin of unbelief that sends a person to the lake of fire.

 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Rev. 21:8

 Anyone practicing those sins will not get into heaven. They are not saved even if they claim to be. If a Christian happens to fall into one of those sins, it is best to repent of it, to stop it. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) God knows our hearts and when we are sincere or not.

 The true grace of God does not give one a license to practice immorality. Teachers today are teaching the exact opposite. Jude warns about those who change the grace of God into lasciviousness

 "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. "

The true grace of God that bringeth salvation teaches us to live soberly, righteously and godly.

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." Titus 2:11,12

Question: Have you ever been saved again?

 Answer: Some would put it, have you been born again and again? It's a rhetorical question that only confuses many. To be born again one must believe on Jesus Christ. This is not just a mental assent. To be born again is the same as getting saved or believing in Jesus (John 3:3-18). The Scriptures show that the new birth, or regeneration, to be a change of character. It's the beginning of a new and holy life. He changes from living a life of sinfulness to holiness. He now wants to practice righteousness and please God. He can do this because Jesus sets him free so he no longer has to serve sin. How can one be a saint and at the same time live a life as an adulterer, drunkard, thief, or other such sins as cited in 1 Cor. 5:5-10, Rev. 21:8; Eph. 5:5; Mk. 7:20-22, etc. etc.? It's impossible. But today's teachers says it's possible. They allow for wickedness.

Also note in Romans 11:23 where it declares that if one stop believing and then later believe again, he would indeed get saved again.

"And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in AGAIN."

 Also remember the Prodigal son who became alive again. (Luke 15:24,32)

Jesus also warned about those who would deny him before men (Matt. 10:33). Peter, a saved man following Jesus throughout his ministry, denied Jesus at a crucial time..... not once, but three times! (Matt. 26:34; 26:69-72). Peter was trying to save his own skin and denied he ever knew Jesus. Jesus told Peter he had prayed for him, that his faith would not fail. (Luke 22:32) But Peter's faith did fail, but he was also converted back again to Jesus (Matt. 26:75; Luke 22:62). Had Peter not converted back, we can be sure Jesus would have denied him before the Father.

Eternal life is much more than just a gift and present tense possession. The Bible says eternal life is also a hope (Titus 3:7) and it's a promise (1 John 2:24,25), that is yet to be reaped (Gal. 6:8,), in the world to come (Mk. 10:30), but only for those who persist in doing good (Rom. 2:7) and who don't grow weary and give up (Gal. 6:8-9).

Eternal Security is a very dangerous doctrine, which has many on the road to hell thinking they are on their way to heaven based on the fact that they once had a moment of true faith. The verses above are very cleary who will not enter the kingdom of God. It is possible for one to fall back into the sins once practiced. When they begin to doubt their salvatiom, they are directed back to the time they made a profession of faith or said the Sinner's Prayer and say, "Yes, I accepted Jesus on such and such a day," and then quote 1 John 5:13 and conclude, "I'm saved!" THAT becomes the basis for their security, rather than their faith in Christ and obeying him!

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