The biggest argument among the body of Christ is about the believers being able to sin and lose their salvation and/or the believers remaining righteous even after sinning. This is the most sensitive topic to tackle because I might be labelled as heretic. However, we must be careful that we don’t derail the people who are eagerly seeking to be saved with such topics. What does the bible say around this topic? Well, the bible needs the spiritual understanding because if not tackled with the spiritual understanding, it will only bring derangement in our Christian society.
The bible says, “And he believed in the Lord, and He (God) accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). This is how Abraham received his righteousness, it was only by faith. The bible is clear that he received that righteousness after looking at the stars, and I have mentioned in one of the topics that the stars represent angels and angels represent God’s messengers which are the pastors. I also mentioned that in those days they were preached to by the stars, I elaborated using Psalm 19.
Let me refresh your minds, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3). So I established that the word declare, is the same word as count or number in the Hebrew. I established that, when God said to Abraham that he must look at the stars and see if he could number them, the word number there denotes engagement between Abraham and the stars and he believed the Lord through the stars.
Immediately after Abraham departed from this area he fell to sin which is adultery. The Holy Spirit says of adultery, “...How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). This is the greatest wickedness even before the Law of Moses was established. But you will hear people saying that if you don’t follow the Ten Commandments you will become licentious. It is not true! The truth is that, Joseph discerned this by the Holy Spirit that lying with his boss’s wife was great wickedness against God, this was before the law. So, Abraham sinned by sleeping with his maid, this is after receiving the assurance of the promise son being fulfilled in the same chapter 15.
Sarah his wife, who didn’t receive the same assurance from the Lord suggested to him that he should go in to their maid perhaps she might obtain children by her. Although Abraham committed this sin, he didn’t lose his righteousness. But a quick reminder to everyone, the bible records this, “For the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23). This is, when you receive the word of God and believe in it, you will become righteous. However, when you sin, you are inviting death physically over your life which could consequently result in frustrations.
In this instance, the Lord decided to disappear from Abraham for about 16 years until Hagar’s son Ishmael was bit grown. Yet we don’t see Abraham losing his righteousness neither do we see the Lord demanding that he should renew their relationship. What we see in Genesis 17 is the Lord creating a covenant with Abraham. However, people will come with verses like in Hebrews 6 or 10 without realising there is John 5:24.
Let’s discuss Hebrews 6; “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6). We have to look at these verses with the spiritual eyes and not with malicious intentions.
The Holy Spirit here is referring to Christians who have been enlightened, not saved and have tasted (experienced) the good word of God that if they end up falling away, it will be impossible for them to brought back to repentance. Let us first discuss the word repentance in the Greek; it is metanoia (μετάνοια) the noun of the verb repent. The word metanoia means reversal (of decision). This word has to do with the changing of the mind. Now, as we are still discussing this word, we are likely to conclude that people can repent and not be saved.
Before we can conclude on that, let us consider the example of Judas Iscariot, he was with Jesus and he performed miracles and he was not yet repented towards God. To whom was he repented to? For instance, the Pharisees were repented people towards the Law of Moses and not towards God. So people can repent and not have repented towards God. Here we have to understand that this person is not yet repented towards God since the bible writer states the impossibility for that person to be renewed unto repentance.
The person might have been enlightened and repented but not towards God, and now if the person has to be saved, he will have to be renewed unto repentance, and then he will be saved. We have to understand that no one loses their righteousness or their salvation. If they are truly saved, they will be saved and Jesus will keep them in His hands. Let us see what He says, “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day” (John 6:39).
It is clear! Jesus will not lose anyone whom the Father has given to Him. If the Father has brought you to Jesus, then you will not be lost. The bible says, “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:25-28).
The Lord Jesus says, ‘He gives us eternal life, and we will never perish, neither shall ANYONE snatch us out of His hand.’ Who is snatch us out of His hands? It is the devil. Then there will be people who will say, what if I am the one who want out? What made Adam to lose the benefits of the Paradise? It was the temptation brought forth by the devil, and now we know how it feels to be under the devil’s territory, how can we say to Jesus, ‘It’s very cosy in Your hands’, or ‘It’s very peaceful Lord, I need to be sick a little bit again.’ Impossible!
I know some people will say, ‘What about Hebrews 10:26?’ Let us read, “For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgement, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:26-29).
This sounds like a believer or should I say a born again Christian can lose their salvation or their righteousness if they sin. Right? All sin is deliberate. All sins were written in the Torah, point me any sin that a person who knew the Torah would say 'I wasn't aware it was sin.' This book is written to the Jews who understood this principle the writer is talking about here. Therefore, I conclude no one can sin without knowing or sin mistakably because wwhen you lie you know you are sinning. What does this passage imply to a believer of the true gospel of grace?
This letter is written to the Hebrew speaking Christians which are the Jews by origin. They understand better the things pertaining to the sacrifices for sins because they have been doing that. If you brought a sacrifice for sins in the temple, you would go free, and if you would sin again you would bring another sacrifice. But now, Paul writes to them that, because Jesus cannot die twice or thrice, if you wilfully sin, that same process of sacrificing for sins will not happen. Now, how can this be explained in a way that Christians who have never been under the law understand?
Let us understand this first, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever” (Hebrews 7:26-28).
The bible states that when Jesus died, He died once for all. Meaning that, He died for the Indians, Chinese, Arabs, Whites, Blacks and the Coloured people. Jesus did not only die for the children of Israel. He died once, and this He did for all forever. When one accepts Him in their life, it is as if Jesus dies now for them, the blood of Jesus washes their sins for His death is timeless. Paul also states something important here when he explains that He does not need to sacrifice daily for His own first; Jesus as our High Priest, went into the Holy of holies (Sanctuary) without first offering His own sacrifice for sins as high priests would do, but for ours straightaway in fact He was that sacrifice.
Therefore, since He cannot die again for us, when we accept Him in our lives we are covered up for life. Let us read what Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24). This is unqualified! Therefore, I cannot qualify it, it is clear that when you believe in the word of Jesus Christ, you have eternal life and you have passed from death into life but have escaped judgment. Now look at this, you don’t bypass death but you pass through it, but He redeems you from harsh judgment by believing in Christ or by accepting Him.
Eternal life means eternal life, unending. It would not be eternal life if you would receive it today while you are doing good and tomorrow because you ate whilst in fasting you forfeit it. Then, that is not eternal life He is talking about. Eternal in the Greek is aiōnios (αἰώνιος), meaning perpetual in English. The word perpetual in English means continuing forever or indefinitely; and uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing (Source: Advanced English Dictionary). We have to understand that this eternal life we receive it here on earth while we are alive, it continues with us even after death and it is uninterrupted.
Then some people will come to you and say, “For if, after they escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire’” (2 Peter 2:20-22).
This sounds like a believer after being washed clean by the blood of Jesus can still fall if they are not careful. In fact, the last line of the last verse might make us conclude that one can lose their salvation. Let us follow this from the previous verses from verses 14 to 16; “Having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet” (2 Peter 2:14-16).
The intention of this message is not to cause argument concerning this. I wanted you to look at the preceding verses before you can conclude that a believer can lose their righteousness. It is talking about people who know the way of righteousness but have not given their lives to Jesus Christ. Before we can conclude, Peter by the Spirit mentions that their eyes are full adultery and they cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They are the people who knows God but have not changed their minds towards God meaning repented.
So, Peter does not imply that they were holy or they were saints, he tells us from the beginning that they are adulterous, they practice covetous and are accursed. In God we are legitimate sons born by the blood of Jesus, so don’t sideline yourself from God’s family. The whole passage above is not referring to you child of God, because you cannot forsake the way of righteousness either way.
How can you deny Jesus once you have known Him? It is impossible!
If right now this message does not make sense, it is because you still believe that salvation is supposed to be fought for instead of it being received as a gift lest we should boast (read Ephesians 2). I believe that you need Jesus in your life to be the Saviour of your life, you can make this prayer; “Lord Jesus, I thank You for loving me, although I have wronged you, even after everything that I have done, Your blood still washes me, saving me from the mire, I thank You Father, that in You, there is eternal life, peace, joy, no economic meltdown shall befall me, not even a deadly virus shall overtake me, because Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour, now and forever, Amen.”
Child of God, all your sins are forgiven you, past, present and future. You are now part of the new creation saved by the blood of Jesus and heaven is your home. Work out now your salvation in fear and trembling. God loves you for eternity and never forget that wherever you go.
Stay in health...
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