Many
believers cruise along in life, happy in the knowledge that they are saved by
grace. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that kind of thinking.
However,
we often fail to see the many obstacles and pitfalls we will inevitably encounter
in our faith journey, which is by no means an effortless cruise because temptation,
deception, spiritual warfare and complacency will inevitably present challenges.
Many
are unaware of these threats to their spiritual well-being. Perhaps they
hold a very positive outlook—that believers saved by grace will serve God free
from various temptations and struggles, ride away into the sunset and thence
into a blissful eternity. Or they may be too naïve or stubborn to heed the many
warnings in scripture about the dangers posed by the world, flesh and the devil.
Probably, they do not study God’s word in depth and, even if they do, they do
not meditate on it and consider some of its serious implications.
What
are some of these shocking implications
(which we hardly hear over the pulpit as it often dishes out seeker sensitive,
motivational, entertaining or ear-tickling material)?
“Dear
brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God
has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away” (2 Peter
1:10). And if we don't work hard and do
these things, does this not suggest that we might just fall away?
He
who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his
name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and
before His angels (Revelation 3:5). Does
this not suggest that believers who fail to overcome will be blotted out from
the Book of Life?
Then
they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by
all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one
another, and will hate one another. Then
many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will
abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be
saved (Matthew 24:9-13). Does this not
suggest that he who fails to endure amid end-time persecution, lawlessness and
deception will not be saved?
And
you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy,
and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the
faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the
gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which
I, Paul, became a minister (Colossians 1:21-23). Does this not suggest that unless believers continue to be steadfast in
the faith, we will not be ushered into God’s presence one day?
Moreover,
brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you
received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast
that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain (1 Corinthians
15: 1-2). Does this not suggest that if we fail to hold fast to the truth, we
would have believed in vain (ie. lose our eternal salvation)? Notice that
salvation is CONDITIONAL.
For
if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth,
there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of
judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. For you have
need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive
what is promised. Or, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and
will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks
back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” (Hebrews 10: 26-27, Hebrews 10: 36-38). Does this not suggest that it is not enough
for believers to start well but finish well, that God will judge His people if
they shrink back and choose to willfully live in sin?
For
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the
cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the
cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the
same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed
them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not
pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now
these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as
they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The
people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in
sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single
day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed
by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the
Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were
written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall (1
Corinthians 10:1-12). Does this not tell
us one thing—that Paul was using the failure on the part of the wilderness wayfarers
to enter the Promised Land as an object lesson to believers today that if we
practise idolatry and immorality and persist in unbelief, like them, we will
miss out on heaven (even if we are genuine believers)? Notice the last verse: “Therefore
let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
Take care,
brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that
turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it
is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of
sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first
confidence firm to the end (Hebrews 3:12-14). Does this not suggest that in order to receive God’s
promise of eternal rest, we need to endure till the end and remain faithful?
I hope that, as a believer who studies God’s Word, meditates upon it and desires to follow God, you will take some time to consider some of these serious implications. And, as a result, take action. May you draw strength as you pray and rely on the Holy Spirit.
Postscript
Never
be lulled into a false sense of eternal security by the premise, “Once Saved,
Always Saved”, which tends to promote complacency.
On
one hand, there are professing believers, who have the form of religion but not
the substance, the reality of God within their souls. The many warnings in scripture
about falling away are not primarily directed at them. You see, you can’t “unsave”
a person who is not saved in the first place.
On
the other hand, there are countless warnings by Jesus, Paul, Peter and the
writer of Hebrews about the real danger of GENUINE BELIEVERS falling away, which
we easily brush off because we hold the view that genuine believers will
definitely be saved eventually because of the work of the Holy Spirit—a
position which is unrealistic as man is basically evil and has a will (volition)
which he can exercise to willfully sin or deny God, a factor which Calvinism
ignores completely. When we discount man’s corruption and the operation of his
will (volition), we will be led to embrace the lie of “Once Saved, Always Saved”.
Not
only genuine believers may fall away
and lose their salvation but many will do so in these last days. And this
falling away in scriptures does not refer to professing believers.
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