FALLING AWAY FROM GOD'S GRACE

http://www.aconqueringfaith.net/2014/05/falling-away-from-gods-grace.html ^

[discipler]

When it comes to the topic of if a Christian can fall from God's grace, the "once saved, always saved" people bring up the sheep example. Very oddly, they miss something.

Jesus said, "28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand." John 10:28f. Jesus also said earlier, "11 I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 “He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me," John 10:11ff.

What do the Calvinistic "perseverence of the saints" folks miss in these verses?

What they miss is two things, 1] the wolves can and are destroying sheep, and 2] sheep sometimes stray from the good shepherd. The prodigal son had a good father and yet he was able to leave. While we faithful have great security in Christ, when we are weak in faith and when we listen to the false teachers, we can be led astray and lose our salvation.

Romans 8:37-39 is a good passage to show that external things cannot separate us from the love of God. That equates with great security for our salvation in Christ. So don't lose heart. But a rebellious Christian can depart from God. As sheep sometimes go astray from the flock, so Christians can quit listening to the voice of the great Shepherd and go the path of destruction. Said in love, Discipler

[discipler]

I don’t think you know Calvinism because the 5th major tenet of Calvinism is ‘perseverance of the saints’ and it is the same as once saved always saved. The discriminating election of God, according to Calvin, makes it impossible for the elected and saved to lose his or her salvation.

[Gamecock]

I don’t think you know Calvinism because the 5th major tenet of Calvinism is ‘perseverance of the saints’ and it is the same as once saved always saved.

Actually you have just proven you don't know the difference between the Biblical truth of "Perseverance of the Saints" and the easy believism heresy of "once saved, always saved."

Suggest you do some reading of prime source documents instead of the falsehoods of others, like the above hit piece.

[Cvengr]

If Catholics are right, then Peter lost his salvation when he denied Christ 3 times after he had tasted the word and been enlightened by God the Father per his confession in Matt 16:18.

Accordingly, there is no Apostolic succession to carry on the line because it ceased with Peter.

[verga]

John 21.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Well, since we know that an angel, Lucifer fell from the grace of God, I don’t see how we are exempt.

I think we will be judged by our thoughts and actions at the end of our lives. It is difficult to see how it could be otherwise.

I do admit that without Christ’s sacrifice, all we do would be for naught.

But if we do nothing are we worthy of his sacrifice and thus his grace?

I think not. I believe those who claim otherwise make but a mockery of his existence.

However, to paraphrase Queen Elizabeth I, there is only one Jesus Christ. The rest is detail.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

One of the greatest gifts of God is the freedom of choice. Control, as it were, over our own decisions in life. Whether to do good or evil.

A person who becomes an alcoholic has given up much of their God-given freedom in order to satisfy base desires. Thus allowing Satan to have that much more influence and control over him.

[Cvengr]

Which is why we place control in the hands of God.

IMHO, we all are mislead from the initial fall in the Garden, since we all now possess the knowledge of the tree of good and evil, we surely die from that knowledge.

We too easily confuse good and evil for righteousness and justice, i.e. holiness. That confusion distracts us from relying on His Providence, and instead thinking we can control it for Him.

[PieterCasparzen]

Well, since we know that an angel, Lucifer fell from the grace of God

It was God's will, his plan. God created the heavens and the earth, thus everything happens according to his plan.

I don’t see how we are exempt.

Those who will be with the Lord at the moment they die, and are thus saved, were saved from the foundation of the world:

Matthew 25:34 "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:"

Ephesians 1:4 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:"

Acts 13:48 "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."

Romans 8:29-30 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

Ephesians 1:5 "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

Ephesians 1:11 "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"

God, as Creator, knows what his creation will be; all happens according to his will, and this is mentioned in many places in the Bible.

God is everlasting; he has no beginning and no end. We, as the creature, not the creator, do not have any idea how the future will unfold. We thus have no excuse to be slack in what God commands of us in his revealed Word, the Bible - which exhorts us to have faith and live according to the Bible. We see things from our space-time perspective; we are limited. Thus we see the Bible exhort us to have the faith of a child. And the Bible exhorts us to persevere. This is because we are human and we need the exhortations of the Bible.

I do admit that without Christ’s sacrifice, all we do would be for naught.

Yes, because God's Law is eternal, and his perfect justice requires that the penalty for sin be paid. There is no justice if sin goes unpunished. Thus the ancient Israelits were required to give blood sacrifice to expiate their sins. There are various examples in the Old Testament of what happens when one is in God's presence.

But if we do nothing are we worthy of his sacrifice and thus his grace?

Even the true believer is still born into sin, they are not perfect. Thus they, like unbelievers, in and of themselves are not worthy of salvation. Even our best works are tainted with sin and are unacceptable to God. That's what Grace is, a gift. A gift freely given, that's why it's called Grace. We're saved by the Grace of God, not because of anything we've done or could ever do to merit him saving us.

Romans 3

"20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"

The true believer is exhorted, even commanded, by Christ to follow his commandments:

John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

They will desire to be obedient to Christ and thus their good works are a necessary accompaniment to their conversion to Christ, when God's Holy Spirit came to dwell within them:

1 Corinthians 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

A Christian should become confident of their salvation as they learn and study the Bible. Yet - have they really understood it and taken God's Law to heart ? They should add to this intellectual understanding with practical application in their lives, in not being only a hearer of the Word, but a doer of the Word as well.

James 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."

Philippians 2:13 "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

Collossians 1:10 "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

Titus 2:14 "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

Hebrews 10:24 "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:"

We therefore know from Scripture that we can never make ourselves worthy of salvation by doing good works. We should always me mindful of the fact that we will never merit our salvation - we will always rely on Christ alone, who IS our salvation.

In fact, the only way we can approach God is through the mediation of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. If he is one's Savior - he is also one's Lord, thus one needs to follow his commandments. For the true believer, it is no longer an option. For the true believer, there is only joyful obedience to his commandments, the Law Word of God, i.e., the Bible.

[PieterCasparzen]

A person who becomes an alcoholic has given up much of their God-given freedom in order to satisfy base desires. Thus allowing Satan to have that much more influence and control over him.

Such a situation is inconsistent with the Holy Spirit dwelling within the person.

1 John 3

"10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."

If we drink (or smoke, etc.) a substance, and when we do we think and say and do sinful things, it's the substance that's controlling our thoughts, words and actions. If the Holy Spirit were indwelling, it would be helping us to stay on the straight and narrow path.

1 Corinthians 6

"9 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,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."