Jude 24 | He is Able To Keep You From Falling

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

The Holy Spirit through Jude wrote a stirring emergency epistle for all Christians to contend for the faith against the grace changers. At the end of that epistle, Jude wrote something which has often been misused by the grace changers of our day in their ungodly attempt to support the demonic teaching of once saved always saved and confuse the whole meaning of Jude. Jude 24 says:

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.

It is inconsistent and contradictory for once saved always saved teachers to cite Jude 24 as a supporting text because:

  • Jude 24 only stated God is able to keep you from falling. God’s ability to keep us is not in question and has never been. Of course God is able, but apparently man has some role in God keeping us because there are many examples of Christian people who not only fell (2 Pet. 2:20-22; 3:17; etc.), but even fell away (Lk. 8:13; Mt. 11:6; Gal. 5:4; etc.)! Some people have turned away from the Lord Jesus and never returned (John 6:66).
  • The once saved always saved teachers declare that Christians sin all the time. If they sin all the time, they spiritually “fall” all the time even though the verse states God is able to keep you from falling. Hence, the Jude 24 truth is not working for them! They are missing something very important.
  • The latter part of Jude 24, which says without fault, is viciously fought against by the once saved always saved people. In fact, they usually laugh at and mock Christians who dare teach one must live holy to enter God’s kingdom, even though it is God’s truth (Mt. 5:8; Heb. 12:14; Rev. 21:27; etc.)! Somehow they forget about these issues they embrace when they think they have found Scriptural support for their security-in-sin gospel.

Jude 24 is encouragement to Christians, who know they must hold on to what they have (Rev. 3:11), keep themselves from idols (1 John 5:21) and endure to the end for salvation (Mt. 10:22). To try to use Jude 24 as support for the HERESY and to have the very ones Christians are to contend for the faith against cite that verse is a terrible misuse of Scripture. So remember, He is able to keep you from falling doesn’t equal once saved always saved. To reap eternal life in the end, the Christian must not give up sowing to please the Spirit:

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Gal 6:8,9)

The Believer's Conditional Security[The most powerful refutation to eternal security ever written is The Believer’s Conditional Security by Dan Corner. That NO eternal security book is 801 pages and has never been refuted!]

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Contend For The Faith

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

Jude refers to a very serious spiritual emergency, which needed the immediate attention of all Christians everywhere to resolve, if that was possible. They were urged to contend for the faith. That emergency centered around doctrine and the subject was grace. False teachers (false pastors, v. 12) had slipped in among the Christians and distorted the meaning of grace into something very different—a license to sin:

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. (Jude 3,4)

The godless secretly slipped in among the godly to the harm of the godly, which needed rectified by contending for the faith (truth). Unity with the grace changers was not a possibility! All Christians, and not just the spiritual leaders, were to get involved in the struggle against the godless distorters of grace. Their doctrinal lies about grace endangered the entire Christian faith! Jude himself showed the recipients of his epistle how to contend for the faith against such enemies of Christianity in the next several verses:

Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. (Jude 1:5)

Jude reminded the Christians how God first delivered (saved) people, then afterwards destroyed the same ones who later didn’t believe at a future point. They stopped believing and got destroyed! Jude’s first argument against the grace changers of his day is still valid in our day against the grace changers we Christians battle, the once saved always saved people. The same point is valid against Charles Stanley and others like him who teach that a Christian can stop believing and his salvation is not jeopardized. Unlike Charles Stanley and other once saved always saved teachers, Jude taught—once saved, some later perished who stopped believing! That was Jude’s grace teaching. Jude’s second argument against the enemy grace changers comes from what happened to some of the angels:

And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. (Jude 1:6)

As the angels needed to keep what they spiritually had and not abandon it, Christians too must do the same or suffer a similar fate. Peter referred to the same angels:

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment (2 Pet 2:4)

The angels didn’t keep their positions, abandoned them and SINNED! Christians need to take warning from their sad example and end. We must not follow their example to destruction! We are to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world (James 1:27) and keep ourselves pure (1 Tim 5:22). Such is true grace and not a “works salvation,” as the grace changers say. God didn’t spare the angels who sinned and he won’t spare us either, according to Peter. NOTE: Those angels were already in heaven and lost their salvation! The third point Jude made was about people who are sexually immoral:

In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7)

Similar to the angels were the people from Sodom and Gomorrah who were sexually immoral. Their end was clearly the punishment of eternal fire. Hence, Jude gave the Christians a hell warning through the sin of sexual immorality. Again, Jude’s three points against the grace changers were:

  • You must continue to believe. A time of past faith is not going to deliver you in the future if you become unbelieving.
  • You must keep and not abandon what you have. The example of the angels who were already in heaven and lost their salvation is relevant for us under grace.
  • Sexual immorality will lead Christians to eternal fire, as it did the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Sadly, what Jude feared might happen, did happen! The false grace connected with once saved always saved now has the upper hand to the harm of SOULS. A whole book of the Bible is written about the false grace being presented in our day by the eternal security godless teachers. If you are a Christian, are you obeying the command to contend for the faith against their counterfeit grace?

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Christian Testimony

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

Christian testimoniesReal followers of Jesus have a Christian testimony which parallels what Paul and others in Bible times were able to testify to after they became new creations in Christ and were delivered from their sin addictions:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. (Titus 3:3)

Paul refers to the Christian’s past life of sin, which was no longer a present tense reality anymore! The past tenses make that clear. He also made a blanket statement, which covers all bases and in all walks of life from the religious lost to the ones who profess to have no religion at all. All children of the devil are:

  • foolish
  • disobedient
  • deceived
  • enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures
  • live in malice and envy
  • hateful

When deliverance from sin and salvation came it was not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). That verse proves that even those addicted to sin, as described in Titus 3:3, can at other times do some righteous things. However, none of those righteous things ever brought salvation! The Christian testimony declares God saved us because of God’s mercy (v.5). Then in verse 7, we get more little known original truth about eternal life and grace:

So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:7)

Paul, who gave us all those wonderful epistles about the Christian life, grace, etc., stated something which is swept under the rug by the popular teachers because it doesn’t fit into their flawed theology. In verse 7 he started off by saying Christians were justified by grace, then came the bombshell! He said, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Imagine that! He said Christians might become heirs and eternal life was a hope. Why? Because as he stated elsewhere, we will reap eternal life if we don’t give up sowing to please the Spirit:

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Gal 6:8,9)

(Paul clearly didn’t embrace eternal security.) Dear reader, if your Christian testimony can’t relate to what Paul wrote, you don’t have real salvation. Do you know Jesus?

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The Marks Of Jesus, Stigmatas and Gal. 6:17

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

Paul was a man of sorrow and tears, who also had the marks of Jesus on his body. He mentioned those marks of Jesus as an endorsement for his teachings:

Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. (Gal 6:17)

The Greek word translated marks also means scars and is translated that way in several versions. Paul had scars on his body from the various severe persecutions he survived. One even included being severely stoned:

Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea (2 Cor 11:24,25)

NOTE: The listing of different types of persecutions cited in 2 Cor. 11 was early in Paul’s ministry! At that point, Paul had already shed his blood 9 different times in God’s service. No doubt the stoning at Lystra (Acts 14) alone left some serious scars on his face and head! When the Jews stoned someone, they picked up large stones to smash into a person’s head to kill him! Those stones might have easily weighed 5 pounds or more. Acts 14:19 reports that they thought Paul was dead after the stoning! Blood must have been all over him. He might have gotten a broken nose, busted lips, teeth knocked out, etc. just that time alone. Paul’s back probably had more marks of Jesus than any other part of his body. For him, his faithfulness added scars upon scars to his body, as the years passed by and he received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews. In contrast to Paul who was willing to suffer and die for the Lord Jesus, false teachers taught in a way to avoid persecution:

Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. (Gal 6:12)

It is clear the marks of Jesus on Paul’s body were scars and came from persecution! They were not similar in any way to the stigmata the Catholic priest Padre Pio, Therese Neumann or others had. Therese Neumann
Unfortunately, some have wrongly tried to equate the marks of Jesus on Paul’s body or scars (stigma in Greek) to those Catholic stigmatas and further think such is a supernatural endorsement for Catholicism. Folks, the devil can and does come as an angel of light and will move in the supernatural to deceive and destroy SOULS, if possible. DO NOT BE DECEIVED by his supernatural abilities nor the true meaning of the marks of Jesus. God bless you.

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Sound Doctrine and Holiness

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

Sound doctrine (or truth) is closely related to holiness. Remember that Biblical insight. It can help you spot sound doctrine which is so rare in our day. The converse is also true! So as sound doctrine leads to holiness, false doctrine breeds sinful behavior! Here is Biblical support for those truths:

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness (Titus 1:1)

The word translated godliness in Titus 1:1 can also be rendered holiness. The entire first chapter of Titus makes the aforementioned contrasting points very well. The ones who qualified for spiritual leadership, as an elder, have both sound doctrine and are living holy (vss. 6-9), while the false teachers referred to were immoral! The latter point is confirmed in Titus 1:10-16. The circumcision group, spreading false doctrine, was also guilty of deceit, lying, being lazy, disobedience in general, etc. Their false doctrine led to their sinful behavior.Pope with Mary statue

The book of Jude substantiates the same connection between sound doctrine and holiness and the reverse. In Jude, the urgent problem addressed was created by false teachers who taught their license to sin under the Christian term grace, just like the eternal security teachers do today. The same false teachers were clearly ungodly (v.4) and shown to be immoral (vss. 7,8, etc.). This pattern is consistent throughout the Scriptures! The next example is with the false teaching woman, whom the Lord Jesus called Jezebel, and the servants of God she deceived into sin by her bogus doctrine:

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. (Rev 2:20,21)

It is again clear that, that female false teacher, and those embracing her false doctrine, were immoral. Their false doctrine bred sin as sound doctrine leads to holiness! The holiest example in the New Testament, after the sinless Lord Jesus, was Paul. He was holy, righteous and blameless in his behavior, as were his traveling companions (1 Thess. 2:10; etc.). Furthermore, the same holy man of God was also sound in doctrine and was the one God used to write half of the New Testament! Pure sound doctrine came from the same holy man! Remember, as sound doctrine leads to holiness, false doctrine breeds sinful behavior! Finally, slavery to God and righteousness also lead to holiness and eternal life:

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom 6:22)

Does that verse describe you?

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Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley and Others

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

Whitney Houston

If one would measure success in the eyes of the world, among other enviable people in their day, singer Whitney Houston would be at the top. She once had the fame, talent, beauty and money. Just like thousands of others, if they were kings, presidents, athletes, doctors, inventors, singers or whomever, there is no Biblical evidence that Whitney Houston was at peace with God when she departed. Whitney Houston had incredible singing talent, as did Elvis Presley, yet sang for the devil and got involved in drugs! They are just two, of many entertainers, who succumbed to the pain, temporal temptations and glamour connected with being popular.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley was raised in a seemingly Christian home and had that major advantage, to no avail. He went the wrong way and with his singing talents led many into immorality, as he got extremely rich and famous by doing so. Elvis Presley was so popular in his day, decades after his untimely death on Aug. 16, 1977, he is still unforgotten and well known! Like Marilyn Monroe, he still has devoted fans decades later!

Marilyn Monroe

So the question comes back around to what is real success? Did Elvis Presley and Whitney Houston succeed in life? If fame and money are success, then yes, but that is not the criterion. Can real success be anything apart from God? If a business man becomes the first, best and only in his field of expertise and becomes a multi-billionaire like Bill Gates, has he been a real success in life? Not according to the Bible! True success is dying in Christ. It is having a pure heart, at the point of death, to enter God’s holy presence, which means everlasting peace and joy. Entering eternal life after death is real success and the only true success.

**An important point needs to be observed here. The general tendency and deception in this life is to seek riches, and if you get wealthy, you have succeeded. Even some Christians gauge their life’s success with their secular job when in darkness! Even from a darkened point of view, it should be apparent that the super well-known and ultra rich often go through multiple marriages, get addicted to drugs and often die a suicide or homicide! Others have had their children kidnaped for ransom money or have been robbed. How can trouble and pain like that be connected to success? I once knew a man whose brother won the million dollar lottery, but had to split it with others. His share was still great and his life was so adversely changed he had to move and go into somewhat hiding because so many friends and relatives were asking him for a loan! Money or its temptation can be the down fall of a person. It can also keep one from eternal life, as with the rich, young ruler. After he walked away from Jesus, still in his sins over his wealth, the Lord Jesus said of him:

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23)

So real success is entering the kingdom of God and escaping the lake of fire. That should be our chief number one goal. Some have lost their wealth, health, reputation, family and lives to come to salvation or to hold on to it. Were they a success? Yes, but in the eyes of the world they were fools, when they were really wise! So in the end, who succeeded with their one uncertain life? Who would you rather be if you could go the extreme? If Whitney Houston and Elvis Presley could relive their lives, do you think they would do things differently? NO DOUBT!

If you are following Jesus now, you have the very best this life can offer, but also remember that the godly can be deceived away from Jesus and that is why the devil keeps tempting! You must endure the hatred, loneliness and continue in Christ to the end to ultimately succeed in this life. I once evangelized with a man, who had a glowing testimony and powerful ability to street preach after he was saved. About 15 years later he testified, after he returned to God how he backslid and definitely knew he was lost during that time. He also said he previously thought he would never backslide, but still did! Judas Iscariot was once a godly man, who departed this life to a fiery nightmare. Remember him and take warning. To say he was never saved is to dull the intensity of this spiritual warfare and protect the heresy of eternal security, which has led millions of previously saved people into sin and spiritual death. Judas was a once a godly preacher, who held the highest office in the church, was sound in doctrine, but became immoral and went to hell. He too died a failure.

For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. (1 Pet 1:24,25)

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The Abyss (Bottomless Pit)

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

The Abyss (or bottomless pit, KJV) is a very mysterious place, mentioned repeatedly in the Bible! It is not the same as hades or geenna, which is usually translated hell, the fiery place where lost SOULS are tormented. The Abyss is a prison like place of containment for demons. The devil also will be there during the 1,000 year of Christ. It might be referred to in 2 Pet. 2:4, but it isn’t clear:demon from the abyss

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment.

Various translations render that place “hell,” which isn’t consistent. The Greek word there is tartaroo and is only found there and nowhere else in the entire Bible. Also, it is uncertain what angels that sinned mentioned in 2 Pet. 2:4 were sent to tartaroo to be held for judgment. Were those angels the same ones who initially rebelled with the devil or other ones, even possibly the ones referred to Gen. 6:2? It is not clear.

The Abyss is not a pleasant place for demons, as implied by the legion of demons in the man from Gerasenes, begging Jesus not to send them into the Abyss (Lk. 8:31). From Rev. 9:1 there is a key to the shaft of the Abyss. When it was opened, smoke ascended from the Abyss (Rev. 9:2). There is also a king over the demons, which are released from the Abyss. His name is Abaddon (Hebrew) or Apollyon (Greek), which means destroyer (Rev. 9:11). Next the mystery increases with the following two indistinct passages:

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. (Rev 11:7)

The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come. (Rev 17:8)

The beast that comes from the Abyss could refer to a demon or demonic power working in and with the antichrist during his 42 month reign. See also Rev. 13:2. Last but not least is the final mention of Abyss. It is there that we learn a single angel out of heaven with the key to the Abyss, enchains and locks up the devil for 1,000 years:

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. (Rev 20:1-3)

NOTE: Though various mysteries surround the Abyss, it is clear that God, who is love (1 John 4:8), has an unpleasant place for even the non-humans, who rebel against his will. It seems the mysterious Abyss is reserved for some NOW, before the final lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

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THE MEMORARE

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

The Memorare is one of perhaps hundreds of prayers TO Mary. The Memorare is often on prayer cards found in a funeral home with some details of a deceased person. It is also one of the best known Marian prayers and in Latin means Remember. 

The Memorare Prayer

memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word incarnate, despise not my petitions, but, in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

The Memorare repeatedly glorifies Mary, as you just read, F-A-R beyond the Scriptures do. In fact, the entire contents of it is wrong except that she bore Jesus! Furthermore, that prayer to Mary didn’t even mention Jesus by name. The Lord Jesus is only mentioned in a way which would credit Mary as being his mother, while she is sought out, trusted in and asked to “answer” the prayer. It should be emphasized again that never in the Bible is Mary ever viewed the way she is portrayed in the Memorare:

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:27,28)

Though uncertain, some think the Memorare, as it is now known, comes from the 15th century with a later revision in the 17th century. It has never been removed or denounced by the Vatican Council II Catholic hierarchy as untrue and idolatrous, even with such glaring errors. Instead, a partial indulgence is granted to the Catholics who recite it! Such open and bold declarations about the fabricated Mary of Roman Catholicism must have stumbled many people over the years, who earnestly desire eternal life, but made the common mistake of trusting their priest and nuns for accurate doctrine without reading the New Testament for themselves. Such a misrepresentation of Mary is, unfortunately, not uncommon in Catholicism. Often it actually gets worse than it appears in the Memorare.

Catholic Saints On Mary

It is said of the Catholic Saint Lawrence Justinian, that he summed up the feelings of many Catholics when he referred to the Mother Mary as “the ladder of paradise, the gate of heaven, the most true mediatrix between God and man!” Other Catholic saints have stated similar things and have been recognized, in a positive way, by Roman Catholicism for such! One glaring example is Alphonsus Ligouri. Even the endorsed and well-known Marian apparitions of Fatima do the same!  So the deception continues on to the eternal loss of SOULS for whom Jesus shed his precious blood.

Final Comments For People Who Pray The Memorare

For all those who desire to know the truth about salvation and eternal life, the tried and proven sole source to consult is the Bible. It points us all to the Lord Jesus, going to him repentantly and directly without first going to Mary. Our submissive trust and faith is to be in Jesus 100% and not Jesus and Mary, like some have made the mistake to do. It is not Jesus or Mary as some think! Make a note of that. Jesus is the only way to heaven. It is either through him or you won’t be of the minority to be going! So please don’t be deceived by the Memorare or anything else.

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Saving Faith

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

saving faithIf one is truly a son of God, he is one because of his saving faith in the Lord Jesus (Gal. 3:26; Acts 16:31; John 3:15-18). His sin stained heart is purified by his faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 15:9) at the point of salvation. The faith which accomplishes that, and much more, is known as saving faith and includes repentance. In fact, salvation is sometimes cited as only coming from repentance (Acts 17:30; 2 Pet. 3:9; etc.) Saving faith also submits to the will of God as it takes up Jesus’ yoke to follow him (Mt. 11:29). As with many other important issues in our day, saving faith is hotly debated and questioned. Today, I’d like to clear up two prevalent wrong views about saving faith. The first wrong view is:

  • Saving faith is mental assent and has no deeds or fruit with it. It is merely acknowledging and agreeing with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That false concept about saving faith (which is the opposite of a dead faith) is powerfully refuted by James. He was dogmatic in stating a saving faith will have action and deeds with it:

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17)

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26)

In other words, saving faith in Jesus Christ is never alone. It is always accompanied with righteous deeds and actions becoming a Christian. A person who professes to have eternal life but doesn’t put into practice (Luke 8:21) or obey God’s word (Heb. 5:9) is not a true follower of Jesus Christ (a real Christian). Either he was never radically changed into a new creation, or since getting born again he lost his righteous standing before God and his salvation simultaneously. Regardless, remember James 2:17,26 to help identify a saving faith.

The second common error in our day about saving faith is:

  • A true saving faith in Jesus Christ, which brings about spiritual life, can NOT cease to exist and die. If it only lasts for a time, it was not genuine and never produced salvation. A saved person cannot die spiritually.

That false concept is connected with the HERESY known as eternal security (or once saved always saved), the fifth point of Calvinism. When a person gets a saving faith in Jesus Christ, there will be radical changes, as he passes from death to life, such as being changed from a hateful person to a loving person:

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. (1 John 3:14,15)

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Gal 5:6)

saving faith has good works with itHoly interests and holy desires resulting in holy living are an indicator that the Holy Spirit has indwelt the physical body of a repentant person. Being set free from sin addictions (Rom. 6:18,22) by the blood of Christ (Rev. 1:5) is most significant. Lost people aren’t free that way, and there are two types of lost people. Again, one type was never saved and the other was and is now a backslider on the road to hell again. A backslider did have saving faith. Folks, how could one turn to sin as a backslider, if he never turned away from it at a prior point? The clearest example of a backslider is Jesus’ teaching on the Prodigal Son. Upon his repentance (turning away from wild living) to serve the Father, the Father declared him as being spiritually dead and lost, but now “alive again” (Lk. 15:24).

Another clear teaching on that is the person who returns to sin as a dog returns to his vomit. 2 Peter 2:20-22 is very clear stating he previously knew the way of righteousness and had been spiritually washed, but afterwards he goes back. So, if one is in sin again as a backslider, he has NO saving faith anymore because he is not saved anymore. His saving faith died and that is exactly what Scripture teaches happens and probably quite often! A type of person, in the parable of the sower, ceases to continue to believe because of persecution, and the plant representing his spiritual life withers or dies (Luke 8:13). Paul likewise taught a saving faith can be destroyed (2 Tim. 2:18), shipwrecked (1 Tim. 1:19,20), didn’t continue and was changed into unbelief (Rom. 11:19-23). Hence, a real Christian must remain guarded, walk very carefully in this sin filled world and hold on to what he has. Don’t be misled about saving faith!

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Your Soul – Your Most Valuable Possession

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

SOUL, Most Valuable PossessionOn more than one occasion while soul winning I’ve asked people what their most valuable possession is. I then quickly supplied the typical answer, which most people would say – their house, their health, their family, their money, etc. None of those are even close to the correct answer, which is their SOUL. The Lord Jesus said:

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36,37)

By asking those two questions, the Lord Jesus placed the highest price tag on man’s invisible and intangible SOUL. Why? Because it will exist FOREVER beyond the grave in either Paradise (Lk. 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4) or a smokey, windy and fiery placed prepared for the devil and his angels (Psa. 11:6; Mt. 25:41; Rev. 14:11; etc.) sometimes called the second death. Because our SOUL is our most valuable possession, we therefore need to emphasize its importance and guard it accordingly. That in turn will magnify the spiritual over the temporal and natural. As we focus on the spiritual, other related truths come into focus:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mat 10:28)

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. (1 Pet 2:11)

To live a Christian life in our sinful society will surely bring some form of persecution our way, even to the point of martyrdom! As Jesus sent the Twelve Apostles out preaching, he gave them the aforementioned Mt. 10:28, which states we need to fear God most, who alone can “destroy” our SOUL and body in Geenna (or hell). Jesus taught them to not fear plural men who may be killers, but fear God first and foremost for that reason. Jesus wanted the Christians to know they could, through persecution, lose their salvation and possession of eternal life. Peter, who was one of the ones who got that warning directly, later wrote in 1 Peter 2:11 that sinful desires war against the SOUL.

The SOUL is not the body (Mt. 10:28), as the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach. The SOUL can be “destroyed,” but that doesn’t mean annihilated, as various groups say. The Christian’s righteous SOUL is warred against by sinful desires, but we can abstain from them and keep ourselves pure. We don’t have to yield to sin and become defiled and brought to our spiritual death, but such does happen. To overcome we need to endure to the end (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14), and having the correct value of our SOUL in mind will help immensely, even if we have to lose everything in the process as some have:

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Rev 12:11)

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