Tag Archive | works

A christian can LOSE HIS FAITH by shipwrecking it in various ways

Jun13

Phrases that the Bible use

1. Shipwrecked faith: have to have sound faith 1st to even become shipwrecked – imagine a ship, then see it wrecked. Some claim – ‘no seaworthy ship to begin with’? Clearly this interpretatio…n of the analogy does not ‘hold water’!

2. Falling from grace: – so they were in grace to begin with – the very means of salvation – I thought Calvinists thought only the elect experience saving grace. And if you say ‘it wasnt SAVING faith – they were “justified” by grace but now sought to be justified by Law so Christ needsd to be formed in them AGAIN – clearly he was 1st time round but they lost it…

3. Twice dead : you get the picture – dead then born again to new life – then spiritually dead again – x2

4. Plucked up by the roots: obviously they were a living plant.

5. Reprobate – Paul said he could become this having preached to others if he did not keep his body in subjection to the Holy Spirit

6. Entangled in former sins: clearly the word former indicates they had become free from the earlier sins, and gone back to them – there is as you well know only one way to be free from sin! – true regeneration – true faith in Christ – HIS work in us!

7. Apostasy: check the root of the word – to leave one’s good standing.

8. Latter end worse than beginning – described here as having been set free then gone back, so worse than had they been unsaved in the 1st place

9. Cut out of the vine – well clearly JEsus describes these people as having been a part of himself – the vine is Jesus – how do you become part of Christ? only one way – living faith – being born of the Spirit…

10. Cut out of the Olive tree: Paul addresses these people as real Christians – he even says God has had mercy on them, and they are IN his goodness but must continue or they will be ct out of their place of faith – clearly all in the Olive Tree are REAL genuine Christians. IT is absurd to say otherwise, as the faithless Jews had been cut out of the tree, and they had been GRAFTED IN by God!!!

11. Christ has become of no effect to the Galatians: well he was of some efect to them then to have had this status reversed – BECOME of no effect – clearly an unsaved nonChristian never did enjoy the benefits of the effects of Christ

12. Err from the truth: again – must be in it to err from it – and the only ones in the truth are those who have been enlightened and rescued from darkness by JEsus Christ.

13. Wander away – away from what?

14. Treat the blood of the covenant wherewith they WERE SANCTIFIIED a common thing and despised the Spirit of Grace: these people were ACTUALLY sanctified by Christ’s blood – but went back and were lost – by deliberate choice to rebel against Christ who had cleaned them from their sins.

Jesus said “I NEVER KNEW YOU” to workers of iniquity in Matt. 7:23

Jun8

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY. (Matt. 7:22-23)

Some understand this passage to mean that works do not have much to do with salvation because the people in the passage did many good deeds in the name of the Lord (prophesying, casting out demons and other wonders) and they still weren’t saved.  Some even suggest they weren’t saved because of an attitude where they thought works in general are needed for salvation instead of relying on “faith alone”.  However, it wasn’t the good things they did, nor their attitude about works that prevented them from being true christians, but that they were evildoers (“you that work iniquity” = you who SIN) and didn’t have the right heart before God.

Notice that Jesus didn’t say “Depart from me because I didn’t want you/I didn’t die for you/I didn’t choose you” but he asked them to depart from him because they were workers of iniquity. The whole section starts out with Jesus declaring that  God REQUIRES work from us! Not as in meriting or earning salvation but as a condition.:

Matt.7:21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER which is in heaven.

Who will get to heaven according to Jesus? Those who DO the will of the Father. Doing! (A horrible word for many.) Just believing that Jesus died for our sins is not enough to be saved – not even if you combine it with confessing it with your mouth and go to church on Sundays.  You must also make sure you are cleansed from your sins and that you DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER. The people spoken of practiced lawlessness according to another translation so “work based salvation” was not the crime. Jesus did not have a negative attitude towards them because they added works to go with their faith but because they were SINNERS, and sins separate us from God. We can not have our sins and our salvation too, so obeying the commandments is important for our salvation. The moral law did not start with Moses but has always existed, and it’s always wrong to murder, lie and steal. Jesus said “I never knew you” which indicates that they had been workers of lawlessness (iniquity) all along.  They were never considered either fake or true followers of Christ, but no followers of Christ at all. Compare also with

Matthew 25:12 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I KNOW YOU NOT.

This is an indication of that the bridegroom did know them at some point (like when they had oil in their lamps) but not at that particular point when it was time to go to the wedding. Also in Luke 13:27 we can read:

When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.  But he shall say, I tell you, I KNOW YOU NOT whence ye are; depart from me, all ye WORKERS OF INIQUITY.

Jesus doesn’t say “I never knew you” here either but “I know you not”, and also here we can read that this is likely because they were “workers of iniquity” – i.e. sinners..

Hebr. 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord