What Does the Future Hold For Me?

                                         "Highway to The Sky" by Jim Sher/ © copyrighted\ www.flickr.com/photos/blyzz/8464682670

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR ME?

PART 6

Now regarding the things to come. Well, we've already discussed Heaven and Hell previously. Yet, what about the things regarding “the end”? Things respecting judgment and the resurrection? First off, these things are very near! For we read, “He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.'” (Revelation 22:20) Let's take a look and see...

THE SAINTS RESURRECTED

So, now, let us examine these things in chronological order. First at hand is the resurrection of the saints. For it is written, “But we do not want you to be uniformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left [Christians], will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) We also read, “But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” (1Cor.15:23) We see then, that the Christians are the first to be resurrected, that is after Christ, who is the “firstfruit.”

THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Now, immediately after the resurrection of the saints, a time called, “The Tribulation,” will begin and last for seven years. This period can further be divided into two sections. The first half will be a period of relative peace. For the false Messiah – the Antichrist will be ruling the world. Then in the middle of this period he will break the covenant and all-out havoc will ensue, such as the world has never seen before! He will demand worship as if he were God. All those who refuse to bow will lose their lives.

Just to very briefly look at another view that is commonly held. Many insist that the Christians will have to go through the great tribulation. However, if you closely look at the book of Revelation, you will notice that all mention of the church falls silent after the first chapters regarding the seven churches. Instead, you will find everything referring to Israel. For the church will have been taken from the Earth to be with Jesus Christ, and now once more, God will be dealing with the Jews. Hence the latter half of the great tribulation is also known, biblically, as “Jacob's trouble.”

This will be a time of great distress! We read of such things as this: “The sea, became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.” “The sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by its fierce heat.” (Revelation 16:3,8) We also read, “I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17) This is but a sample of the terrifying things that will transpire upon the Earth during the seven year tribulation period when God judges the ungodly.

As I mentioned earlier, this period will also be a time when God again deals with Israel. Out of this company, only a remnant will be saved. The Bible speaks of the “144,000.” These “144,000,” will be a witness in the Earth. Many from the nations will be saved during the tribulation period because of their witness. So what will become of these believers? It is written, “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.” (Revelation 20:4-5) Notice that this company is to the exclusion of all believers prior to the Tribulation period. So then, we see another company of believers, this time from those who were saved during the tribulation period.

THE MELLENIUM

After the tribulation events are completed, Jesus Christ Himself will reign upon the Earth in the midst of the Jewish nation of Israel. This period of time will last for 1000 years. It will be a period of true peace under the true Messiah, as opposed to the imitation peace under the false Messiah of the Antichrist.

ARMAGEDDON

After this 1000 year period will be the Battle of Armageddon. At this point Satan is released from the pit and will gather the non-believers from the nations in an attempt to overthrow Christ and the Jewish nation. He will promptly be overthrown by Christ Himself. The ungodly of the world will now be resurrected and cast into the Lake of Fire, where all the unholy angels are, including Satan himself. This will be their permanent home. From here on, God will reign forever and ever in the new heavens and Earth wherein righteousness dwells! (See 2Peter 3:11-13)

I know I left out a tremendous amount of details, but this simplifies things in order to get the general gist of how the “end time” events play out. This then, brings our six part series to a close. Thank you for taking the time to read this six part series! See you soon, for more informative posts!

Victor J. Reimer

*Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyrighted © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

How Can I Get In On It?

                                         "Gesichert 1"/ www.flickr.com/photos/anonymouscollective/17094198893

HOW CAN I GET IN ON IT?

PART 4

Here we are again! Let us now put this critical puzzle piece in place.

A REMEDY FOR THE DIAGNOSIS

Last time we saw that Jesus Christ was called, “the Lamb of God.” We also saw, that all the sacrifices in the Old Testament spoke of Him. Before that, we saw that all God's rules, including the ten commandments, could only show us that we are sinful, just as a mirror does. We concluded that there was no hope in and of ourselves. We saw that we needed a deliver to save us! Then, we received the news that Jesus had arrived to, “take away our sin.” Yet, how would He do this? Well, just like the lambs had to die, so Jesus would die. Just like the person in the Old Testament would lay their hand on the head of the sacrificial animal, showing that all their sins were transferred to the animal, so all your sin and my sin was heaped on Jesus. Then, just as the animal had to die for the sins of that person as their substitute, so Jesus died to pay for all your sin that was heaped upon Him. For it is written, “And the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6b) Look! Jesus Christ took your place, your sin, and your death! In this way the wages for your sin was paid in full – past and future too! We know what the Scriptures say, “The wages of sin is death,” and “Without shedding of blood [death], is no forgiveness.” (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:22) That is why Jesus died – there was no other remedy!

IT'S PERSONAL

Now, if Jesus paid the penalty for everyone's sin, including yours, why isn't everyone saved? Well, this is were it really gets to be a personal thing – trust. So we must see that the Bible speaks of three words that have essentially the same meaning: trust, believe, and faith. Let me now give you an example of how this plays out. Let's say, the government could decide to pay for everyone's debt in all its land. It could write out cheques for everyone. However, unless you cashed that cheque, it would do you no good, would it? No debt would be paid. The bank could still cause you to foreclose. Those you owed, could still sue you. See then, that it works the same way with God. He paid your debt, but unless you actually trust Jesus the Saviour as your own Saviour, it will do you no good. God will still hold you to account for your sin and you'll have to pay in Hell forever! This is why the Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” (Ephesians 2:8) Again, we read, “Whoever believes in him [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18) So, have you “cashed your cheque”?

WILL I ACCEPT GOD'S GIFT?

So, it really all “boils down” to this, who or what are you trusting, if anyone or anything at all? Are you trusting your good works? In that case, you see yourself as your own saviour, and are saying that God the Father sent His Son to die on the cross for no reason. Do you really think you know better than God? God said, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified [made right with Him] in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Further, it says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And still further, we read, “For we hold that one is justified [made right with God] apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:20, 23, 28) Instead, we read that we, “Are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” (Romans 3:24-25) Simply said, God sent His Son Jesus to pay for you by His death, in order for you to be pardoned and walk away free! We could simply say, do you think that Jesus is a sufficient Saviour for you? God tells us about those who “rebelled” against Him, that, “They were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:19)

What is your decision?

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

that whoever

believes

in him

may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world [you],

that he gave

his only Son,

that whoever believes [you?]

should not perish

but have

eternal life.”

John 3:14-16

Victor J. Reimer

*All scripture taken from the ESV.

The Extreme Extent of God's Love For You!

                                           "Olympos Climbing" by Stefanos Nikologianis/          www.flickr.com/photos/snikologiannis/702902587

THE EXTREME EXTENT OF GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU!

PART 3

A BRIEF RECAP

Just to briefly recap. In the first segment, we saw that God is holy and separate from sinners. For it is sin, that separates us from our holy Creator-God. Then, in the second segment, we saw that God's rules show us that we are sinners. Just like a mirror reveals that we have dirty faces, so the ten commandments show us that we are stained with sin. We saw too, that “the tree of knowing the rules,” could not give life. Still further, we saw that the ten commandments could not give life either! In fact, they both brought about death – separation from our holy Creator-God. So we realize then, that a mirror cannot clean one, it only reveals our dirty faces – so God's laws do the same. So, where do we turn for deliverance then? That is exactly what we want to look at today! Let's check it out!

AN ANIMAL PICTURE

So, back to the garden we go again. This time we want to look at the second tree, the tree of life. This tree offered its eaters “eternal life.” Yet, Adam and Eve chose not to eat from it. After there sin, God would clothe them with animal skins. This meant that there was death. So, as we saw earlier, this showed that there had to be a substitute for Adam and Eve. It also showed that the payment for sin was death. Lastly, it showed that the remedy had to come from God, not us. This shows, as a picture, what it would take for a person to be restored to fellowship with God.

However, God would continue to underline, and reunderline this picture through the course of the Old Testament. We would see Abel bring an animal from the flock to sacrifice. Again, the same thing was being pictured – a substitutionary death. Later, we would see Abraham place his son Isaac on an altar and a ram taking Isaac's place. Same picture again – substitution! Still later, we would see the Israelites kill the passover lambs in Egypt before their departure. Same picture again! Yet, in this instance, we're given more details. The lamb had specific requirements and eating regulations. It had to be perfect, a year old, a male, some of its blood had to be put on the person's door frame, and it had to be roasted, eaten in the home, and so on. However, this was only the beginning of God using this picture. We discover the Israelites killing tens of thousands of animals for sacrifices throughout the Old Testament, but, when we arrive in the New Testament they stop. Ever wonder why? Ever wonder what all those sacrifices were about? Why all the death?

GOD'S REMEDY

These questions begin to be answered, when we hear John the Baptist say, “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) You see, back in the garden again, God had promised that He would send a deliver to save humankind from their sin. Now, John announces that this deliver has finally arrived, by announcing, “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” Understand then, that all the Old Testament sacrifices of animals could not remove sin, it only showed us, as in a picture, what it would take for our sin to be removed and fellowship restored with God. So, who was this deliver? None other than the Lord Jesus Christ! Notice, He is called, “the Lamb of God.” See then, that He would be the ultimate sacrifice for us! He would be the fulfillment of the Old Testament picture of the sacrificed animals! He would be your and my Substitute! The One who would pay by death the penalty for your and my sin! He would be our Savior! This is the reason why there would be no further need of sacrifices. Jesus had paid the the sin-debts of everyone! For it is written, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Then, further, we read, “We have been sanctified through the body of Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:4, 10)

IT'S PERSONAL

Think of the Passover again. Think how it had to be a male – Jesus. That there could be no blemish – sinless Jesus, and so on. Then, during the Passover, the home with the blood applied would be “passed over.” There would be no death in the home. However, in the Egyptian's home, there would be death – there was no blood applied. Yet, in the Israelite homes there was no death because a death had already taken place – the lamb had died. However, the Egyptians had no lamb. Hence, the Egyptians had to pay the price themselves. In the case of the Israelites, judgment had already fallen, but in the case of the Egyptians, it was still outstanding. What a contrast!

So, what about you, do you have “a lamb,” or will you have to pay your own sin-debt yourself?

Make sure to check back for the next critical puzzle piece in the big picture!

Victor J. Reimer

*All Scripture taken from the ESV.

How Good Do I Have to Be?

                                          "Bullseye" by Emilio Kuffer © copyrighted
                                                                www.flickr.com/photos/emiliokuffer/6384294717

HOW GOOD DO I HAVE TO BE?

PART 2

So, last time we took a look at the holiness of our Creator-God. This time, we want to take a look at how we stack up to God's expectations of His creation, namely you and I! What does our “score” look like? How does God, our ultimate Judge, judge us? Let's take a look!

First, we must take a little meander back into the garden in Eden where God had initially placed Adam and his wife Eve. It is here, that God placed two trees – two choices. A tree, we could paraphrase, “The tree of knowing what the rules are.” The second tree was called, “The tree of life.” God also explicitly warned, saying, “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) So, what was so deadly about this tree? Let's check it out!

So, Adam and Eve had it all, right? A most amazing place to live, fruit trees of every description, rivers, abundant tame creatures, perfect health, a fabulous marriage, and a perfect relationship with God – what could be better? Well, they too thought all was well until...the devil, also called Satan, snuck into the garden to tempt Eve. She caved, and ate from the tree God had warned them about – Adam ate too. They would now find out the consequences of their sin. They would find, that though the tree they ate from appeared to be good, in that it seemed to offer life, that it actually brought death, just like God had warned! From their sin, we will learn a valuable lesson – if we will listen and pay attention! Yet, what of the other tree, that did offer life, why hadn't they eaten from that tree? Yet, this is the choice they made. God would not force them against their will. God would not force them to love Him. Yet, there would tremendous ramifications. Humanity would now be on a devastating spiral of sin, broken relationships, and heartache, all because Adam and Eve chose to trust a stranger instead of the God they knew to be loving.

Suddenly, feelings of guilt and shame swept over Adam and Eve! Should they admit their guilt, or try and cover it up? With fingers trembling with nervousness, they hurriedly fashioned themselves some fig leaf clothes, and hoped their efforts would be good enough to pleases their Creator-God! Then they went and hid, cowering in shame and fear. What would God say? What would He do? How would He handle their sin against the Creator-God? They would soon find out.

God came looking. He made the initiative, because God loved them still. Now they were really beginning to realize, just how much God loved them! Yes, God grilled them, though He knew what they had done. Yet, He gave them a chance to admit their sin, but instead they played the blame game! However, God would not have the wool pulled over His eyes! For it is written, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13) The truth is, their sin brought death, just like God had warned. They were now separated from their holy, Creator-God! Their friendship was over! That was the first meaning of death. The second, was that they would also physically die, and they did. Finally, they would be cast away from God for their entire existence after their physical death. The Bible calls this, “The Second Death.”

Yet, God did not leave them there, He showed them what it would take for their relationship to be restored and for them to avoid the “Second Death.” God would take animal skins and clothe them. This would show, A, that God, and not us, has the remedy for our sin, and B, it would show that their must be a substitutionary death as payment for their sin. So, no, Adam and Eve's seamstress skills were wholly inadequate! Their efforts fell far short of God's expectations!

So, we have seen that Adam and Eve didn't score very well. We could say, they failed the test. They were unable to keep from doing evil and do the right that the devil had promised the tree could do – even though they understood what they should, and should not do. In plain words, knowing what God's rules were didn't help, as they had no power or ability to obey those rules.

Adam and Eve had thought that they knew better than God. Yet, they were sorely mistaken! Even though God had lovingly given them an amazing place to live and had generously provided them with everything they could ever want, yet, they thought that God was withholding something good – He was not. The reality is that Satan had lied. God, on the other hand, had spoken the truth. Satan didn't give a care about them, but God loved them deeply! Where was Satan to be found after their misadventure? Yet, God sought them out even though they had sinned against Him! Now we know who really loved them, don't we?!

God, however, was not yet done explaining things to us humans! He really wanted us to understand His holiness and our helplessness. So what did God do? He gave humanity even more rules! Yes, God gave the ten commandments! God was going to show just what He expected from us! He told us not to mess around with those whom we're not married to. He even went on during His walk on Earth to inform us that that included even having such thoughts! He also told us not to murder, and again, He would later explain this to mean, even the thought of wanting to do such! Of course we are also told not to, steal, cheat, or worship anything or anyone other than Himself! This is just a sample of what He told us, but it gives us an idea of what He commanded.

So, how have you fared? What would you give yourself? Maybe 75%? I don't know. However, would it surprise you if God demands 100% perfection for you to get a passing grade? Well, it's true! You say, “Impossible!” Yep, that is exactly the point God was making by giving the ten commandments! God's point was the same as with Adam and Eve – we can't follow His rules – they just bring death. In fact, these rules display to us that God is holy and that we are evil, sinful beings. They show that we cannot possibly save ourselves by trying to be good. The truth is, even our good, is seen as “filthy rags” by our holy Creator-God. This is very bad news for us. Our sin, stands as a great big chasm, between us and God.

Do we have any hope? Absolutely! That is just what we'll be looking into next time! See you then!

Victor J. Reimer

*All Scripture taken form the ESV.

What Is God Like?

                                               FreeImages.com/Mike Johnson

What's Your Relationship Like With God?

TAKING IN THE BIG PICTURE

This will be a six part series. Included will be:

1. What Is God Like?
2. How Good Do I Have to Be?
3. The Extreme Extent of Jesus' Love For You!
4. How Can I Get In On It?
5. Can I “Know” I'm Saved?
6. What Does The Future Hold For Me?

The Holy Bible is a unique book given to us by our Creator-God. This amazing book tells about the most important things of this life and the one to come. This book unfolds to us the character of God, His expectations of us, and declares all we need to know about the future too. What an incredible book! Let us touch on some of the most vital subjects it contains. Are you ready? Let's go!

WHAT IS GOD LIKE?

PART 1

The first words God chooses to share with us are, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) We know then, that God created everything – it was not left to chance, or an accident – God designed it! All these things He fashioned in six literal days. On day six, the climax of God's epic creation - people. He made both a man, Adam, and a woman, Eve. These would be the first two people, and they would be husband and wife. From these two, come the rest of humanity! These two human beings, God would place in the most awe-inspiring place, the garden that He personally designed for them - Eden. They had need of nothing, all was perfect. God had proven Himself to be a God of love! Yet, did the first man and woman reciprocate that love?

I wonder now, if you were to get out a canvas and paint a masterpiece, who you would say it belonged to, and who would have the right to do with it as they pleased? I'm sure you'd respond, “It's mine, I can do with it whatever I want!” Ah, you're right! So it is with God! He made you and me and then wrapped around us His marvelous creation for us to enjoy! Wow, what an awesome God! Who could we possibly compare Him too? The Bible says of Him, “I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:5) Yes, we are answerable to God, because He made us. He has every right as such, to tell us how things must be done, and in some sense, the Bible He gave us, is His instruction book for us!

So what is God like? Can we chat with Him? Can we go to live with Him in His home called Heaven when we die? Is He an angry God, or a caring and loving God? Well, we already noted that God is loving. However, we want to get a fuller picture of God, and we will get to these answers soon enough, but for now, we want to look at the fact that God is holy.

First of all, what does “holy” even mean? Well, it means to be without sin. “What is sin,” you ask? It is that which misses the bull's eye of a target. You see, God has placed certain rules for the people of His creation. We'll be looking at this subject more in another segment, but for now, we'll see that these rules show us the absolute perfection of our Creator-God. God has never sinned and the truth is, it is impossible for Him to sin. Now, not only is God holy, but His dwelling place, called Heaven, is also holy. For the Bible says, “His holy heaven.” (Psalm 20:6)

We further read of God that He is, “Holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:26) Yet God's desire is that we have a relationship with Him and worship Him. For we read, “But this command I gave them, 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.'” (Jeremiah 7:23) We see then, that God is holy, that we are sinners, and that God is “separate from sinners. Yet, we see too, that God desires a real relationship with you and me. That is what God has always intended and desired. He desires to shower His love and blessings upon us!

So, we are beginning to get a little understanding of God and His holiness, but just what does this imply for you and me? We'll dive into next time! See you there!

Victor J. Reimer

*All Scripture taken from the ESV.

Eternal Security - Truth or Myth?

What is “eternal security” you ask? It is the belief where it is believed that “once saved always saved.” In plain words, it is the belief that once you become a Christian that there is nothing that can alter that fact, and that there is nothing that can keep you out of Heaven.

A lot has been written on this subject, both for and against. There has been the writing of many technical books and articles. These authors use words like Calvinism and Arminianism to categorize people. Personally I’m not very interested in what these systems teach or don’t teach. I don’t believe in being put in a box in this manner. What I’m interested in is in what God has told us in the Holy Bible, that which He has given to us. Indeed, it is always a dangerous thing to be a follower of a person. It is much better to be taught of the Holy Spirit with an open Bible in your hands.

This article will not so much delve into the solving of every verse and argument that is so commonly given when it comes to this subject. Rather it will focus on the heart of the issue at hand. The real matter is not pitted between Christians who believe in “eternal security” and Christians who argue that you can “lose your salvation.” No. The issue is much more serious than that. Instead it boils down to who actually believes the gospel message as God has presented it in the Bible, and those who don’t believe that message as true.

The term “eternal security” is a cleverly disguised term, and I’m sure Satan is the master planner behind it. What we’re actually talking about is “everlasting life” or “eternal life” depending on the translation. The argument really comes down to whether one can lose “everlasting life” or not. It is a lot easier to reject “eternal security” than it is to reject “everlasting life”, yet they are in reality referring to one and the same thing. Because the term “eternal security” is not a biblical term, a person can say, “I don’t believe it!” However, if we use the proper term, “eternal life,” then it becomes much harder to say, “I don’t believe in “eternal life!”” Why would it be harder? Because it would be an outright rejection of the plainest of Scripture texts! Indeed “the serpent [is] more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made”! (Genesis 3:1)

So why does one so often feel frustrated when we are trying to convince someone that we can be eternally secure and they argue that we can lose our salvation? It is because they are in unbelief as regards to the gospel itself. No wonder we can’t convince them – they haven’t even believed the gospel in the first place!

You say, “Really, isn’t that a little extreme?” No, I don’t. The remainder of this article will explain why I believe this way.

The Gospel

This whole argument really breaks down to those who actually believe the gospel and those who don’t. There must be a poor understanding of the gospel when one does not believe in “eternal life”, or else an outright rejection of the gospel.  Now I don’t like the term “eternal security”, so I’m dropping the term for the most part from here on in and will use the biblical term “eternal life” instead. So why do people reject the teaching of “eternal life”?

The problem is that someplace along the line people have not understood that they are indeed sinners. A sinner is someone who is a slave to sin and Satan. They fall far short of God’s holiness as described in the 10 commandments. A person on their own has no hope of ever being as holy as God, which is necessary to have a relationship with God. So the question is, “How can we be as perfect as God so that we can have this relationship?”

Before we answer that important question, one needs to understand what the “wage” of sin is, that is, we need to know what the consequence of sin is. The Bible is very clear that “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  This death refers to all its three aspects: friendship-wise with God, physically, and eternally in the Lake of Fire.

We’ve already seen that it is impossible for us to live up to the 10 commandments to become as perfect as God. (Not to mention that it can’t pay for our sins.) Instead the commandments act like a mirror, revealing that we are sin-stained sinners. We also know that a mirror makes a pretty lousy washcloth! In fact it will only make matters much worse if we try using it to clean ourselves up.

The truth be told, this is why Jesus died. Jesus died, to pay the wage or consequence of our sin, instead of us. All our sins on Him were laid and He bore the wrath of God for them. That is why God turned His back on His Son while He hung upon the cursed tree. Then He said, “It is finished”. (John 19:30) Or, the payment for sin is complete.

We also know that Jesus paid the penalty for every person that has ever lived. So why are not all people saved, you ask, if all have had their debt of sin paid for? Ephesians 2:8-9 gives us the answer – we must believe it. It is written, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.”

God has offered us everlasting life. We must believe that Jesus, who is the God-man, bore this debt for us; that He was my personal Substitute. God promised us everlasting life if we believe the gospel. Therefore those who do not believe in “eternal security”, which is “eternal life”, don’t believe the gospel that Jesus paid their debt of sin in full. Therefore they don’t have everlasting life. Therefore they don’t believe in “eternal security”.

The person who believes we can “lose our salvation” is not trusting in Jesus as their Savior. Instead they are still trusting in themselves. They believe that they can lose their salvation when they commit an act of sin.

Some believe that any act of sin damns you and you must immediately confess that sin in order to stay saved, or in reality to get saved again. Others believe it is only when you commit a “mortal” sin that you lose your salvation. This doctrine has its roots in the Catholic Church and is a teaching of Satan. Who, I ask, is the judge in whether a sin is bad enough to damn you? When has a person walked too far in sin? What is clear is that these people don’t believe their sins are forgiven. They don’t think Jesus’ statement, “It is finished!” is true. They have made Jesus into a liar.

Further, these people think that you remain “in Adam”, that is, not regenerated. For if one has been “born again”, how can one be unborn? How can a butterfly return to being a caterpillar once it’s gone through metamorphosis? Impossible! Neither do they realize that sin is no longer one’s master. We read, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old HAS passed away; behold, the new HAS come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Galatians 5:24 and 25 must also be understood: “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [Therefore] we [can]…also walk by the Spirit.” Look, there has taken place a great change in the true believer. For it is written, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:12-14) It is the “Father, who has qualified” the believer “to share in the inheritance” – not we by keeping our lives holy. It is “the Father” who “HAS delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” – not us! (Colossians 1:13) We are NOT our own savior! It is Jesus Christ who is the one and only Savior! All glory be to Him!

Again, Jesus offers “everlasting life”. These people think that “everlasting” has an end. Again, this makes a mockery of what Jesus promised. Thus they join the crowd at the foot of the cross who mocked the Lord Jesus Christ as He hung there in His death-throes.

These people argue that those who believe in “eternal life” will then go on living in sin because it won’t matter. I ask those who would have the gall to promote such gibberish, do you really think that a person who is set free from slavery with all its brutality would want to go and live under that system again? I think not! Even Paul the apostle anticipates this response, and writes, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! HOW can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)

Why do you think Paul the apostle had to address this very question in Romans? Is it not because he argued that we are permanently under grace and not law? Therefore some mockingly said, “Well, then can’t we sin as much as we want?” To this stupidity Paul answered, “The condemnation of those who think such is deserved!” (A paraphrase of Romans 3:8 and 6:1-2)

There are many false teachers today. Some of these false teachers are promoting the belief that one can lose their salvation. This is damnable heresy. If we can lose our salvation, then Christ’s work on the cross was insufficient and we must earn our way to Heaven. If Christ’s work is insufficient then our trust is not in Christ Jesus but ourselves. The responsibility becomes ours to live a 100% perfect life in order to be saved or stay saved – this is a lie. We can in no way save ourselves. It is utterly impossible! In no way can we contribute to our salvation. If we think we can keep ourselves from sinning, then we have not understood just how sinful one is, and are still dependent on law-keeping. Romans 3:20 says, “For by works of law no human being will be justified [made perfectly innocent] in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

Those who believe we can, of our own selves, keep our salvation, do not understand that this is impossible. These people do not understand just how far short of the glory of God they fall. That is, they don’t understand how far short they come from God’s perfection. You cannot be as perfect as God by your own doing – you will always fail. It is only by Jesus taking our sin and imparting His perfection to us that we can stand before the perfectly holy God. It is Jesus who gives us the victory in our lives – not me.

The Pharisees

Amazingly the Pharisees themselves had a motto that they could lose their salvation. They believed they were saved by doing good and by continuing to do good once saved in order to stay saved. That is why they snubbed their noses at those who weren’t doing so well spiritually! What’s changed?!

If we have to keep from sinning, then we are not saved by faith alone. Then we are saved by faith + works. Again, we find another Catholic doctrine!

Let me ask, did God come to earth to save us because we lived such good lives, or did He come because we were sinners? It then stands that God came to save us not because we were worthy but because He loved us. If then we can lose our salvation, it shows that God’s love is conditional. But we know that God’s love is unconditional.

If Christ’s shed blood is not adequate to save us, then we have put Jesus Christ on the same value scale as the goats of the Old Testament – sacrifices that couldn’t take away our sins! Now think about that!

What then is the requirement for salvation? It is simply believing in Jesus as our Savior. We cannot add anything to His finished work. If we think we have to keep from sin in order to not lose our salvation, then we have become our own savior. We have then become a god and are worthy of worship. Now that is blasphemy!

The Galatians

These Jewish Christians had left the system of the Law. They had placed their trust in Jesus Christ to save them. People argue that these people had now become lost again. However, these Jewish Christians thought they could add law-keeping to their new belief and still be under God’s grace. Paul was saying, “You’re wrong!” If you go back to the Law, you have given up grace – you can’t have both! It was not a matter of being lost, but a matter of making it clear that Law has nothing to do with grace. The falling was from grace to law, not falling from saved to lost.

In reality Paul the apostle was saying, “Hey look, those Pharisees who believe that you can lose your salvation by not keeping from sin are wrong. Keep away from the false teaching of ‘staying away from sin and doing good’ in order to maintain your salvation.” For it is written, “Yet because of false brothers [Pharisees] secretly brought in – who slipped in to spy out your freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring you into slavery – to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” (Galatians 2:4-5)

This is the same lie Satan told Adam and Eve. He said, “Yeah, go ahead and eat from the tree of knowing the right and the wrong; it won’t do any harm.” What a lie, and it is still a favourite tool of the Devil today. Satan told them that they could gain “eternal life” by avoiding the wrong and doing the right. How, I ask, is that different than the teaching that you can keep being saved when you “avoid the wrong and do the right”? It is precisely the same lie the Deceiver spoke to Adam and Eve so long ago.

Now, when a person is saved, they may begin to believe the very lie that the Serpent tried to entice Eve with. This will bring the Christian into a time of defeat, depression, and failure. It does not make them lost. The penalty for sin has already been paid. However, we also should be experiencing victory in our Christian lives once we’re saved. If we’re not, it shows that we have reverted back to trying to better ourselves by law-keeping. This will bring sin and defeat into our practical Christian walk. Only in this will there be a “falling away.” There will be a “falling away” into law which will in turn bring a lack of victory in our Christian lives. This does not affect our sin-debt having been paid. That happened in the past and can’t be undone. Neither can it affect the third and final stage of our salvation when we are once and for all taken out of the very presence of sin, when we’re ushered into our eternal dwellings. We are told that we have a “guaranteed inheritance.” The only part in question is whether we, in a practical sense, have victory through Christ in our daily walk, or defeat because we’ve reverted back to self and the law.

The Single Sacrifice

Hebrews says we have been perfected by a single sacrifice for sins. It is never to be repeated. If then we can lose our salvation, we would be lost forever without possibility of being saved again. For it would be necessary for Christ to come and die again. This, once again, would make a liar out of God! We read, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:12) Jesus said, “It is finished!” and it is just what He meant.

You may interject with a comment, “But it says we can “drift away”.” Drift away from what? We must remember who is being addressed and why. Well these were people who had been Jewish law-keepers and had since gotten saved, who were now slowly “drifting” back to their old law-keeping ways. They were not “drifting” into sin as some suppose. Besides, even if it should refer to “drifting” into sin, God would chastise the person to bring them back into obedience. The writer of Hebrews is very clear on that point, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:6) This is really a very similar situation as to what we found with the Galatians.

The Arguments

We could go on with all kinds of rebuttals from those who are in unbelief, but the Scriptures also say this, “There are some things in them [Scriptures] that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” Don’t think that those who don’t believe the gospel that gives us eternal life will stop there. No, they will also “twist” the rest of the Bible “to their own destruction” and those of their hearers. (2 Peter 3:16)

Remember, when studying the Bible, never use an obscure verse(s) to interpret the obvious verses of the Bible. 

The Certainty of Salvation

Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” (John 10:28) If we can lose our salvation then Jesus is yet again a liar! We also read in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and BELIEVES me HAS eternal life. He does NOT come into judgment, but HAS passed from death to life.” Once again, if we can lose our salvation, then Jesus is a pathological liar by now!

Again, in 1 John 5:13 we read, “I write these things to you who BELIEVE in the name of the Son of God that you may KNOW that you HAVE eternal life.” It is becoming ever clearer that those who believe you can lose your salvation don’t believe the gospel. They don’t believe Jesus is capable of saving them on His own. No, they believe that Jesus requires our help!

Looking now to 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. We read, “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” If we can lose our salvation, then God has not done His job to establish us. If we can lose our salvation, then God’s guarantee is no good. What kind of a God is this? He would be a negligent liar! Do you not see how blasphemous this false teaching is?!

Then what about Ephesians 4:30? It says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” How can one grieve the Holy Spirit? Is it not by sin? Yet, we are only told not to, not that we will lose our salvation. To the contrary – that we are “sealed for the day of redemption.” If that seal can be broken by us, then God has put on a faulty seal. Not only that, we have made ourselves stronger than God if we think we can remove His seal. And by the way, that seal is the Holy Spirit Himself.

Again, John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned.” God attaches no strings. If we believe, we are not condemned. If we can lose our salvation, then this statement by Jesus is – you guessed it, a lie!

Listen to these words carefully that John pens, “Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son HAS life [eternal]; whoever does not have the Son of God DOES NOT have life [eternal].” 1 John 5:10-12

You tell me, who is the liar, is it actually God, or is it you who don’t believe? In Revelation 21:8, it is written, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” If you are teaching that one can lose “eternal life”, then you are a liar.

Adam and Eve only got the boot from the garden when they decided to believe Satan and call God a liar, but for those who don’t believe that there is “eternal life…in his Son”, “their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.”

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place in in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in the book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life [eternal] in his name.” (John 20:27-31)

You see, it is either God’s word, or it is man’s word. Whom will you believe? Will you believe that God gives you eternal life, or do you believe that you give yourself eternal life? Understand that when you say that you can do something to keep yourself saved, that in reality you are saying that ‘I give myself eternal life’. And that is just the lie that Satan has been convincing the world of for thousands of years. Either you will believe Satan or God. Whom will you choose this day?

The Facts

I want to make the point that doubt is different than not believing we have eternal life. Of course Satan is going to whisper into our ears from time to time with a message of doubt. We then turn back to the Scriptures as did Christ Jesus when tempted, and refute Satan with the FACTS!

You see, when we look to self, doubt creeps in. Then when we look to Jesus Christ, we are assured of our salvation. When we look to ourselves, we begin to wonder, Have I done so and so? However, when we look to Jesus Christ, we realize that He’s done it all and we can “REST” in HIS “Finished” work.

As we mature in the faith, we will grow ever more confident in our Savior. As we study God’s Word the Holy Spirit will show us the things of Jesus Christ and our trust in Him will multiply. We will also with time see how God is at work in our own lives and realize that it is by the grace of God alone.

The Joy of Liberty

The purpose of this testimony is to show the false teachings that kept me in bondage all those years and how I now enjoy the liberty I have.

 Just for context’s sake, I attended a typical evangelical church.

Now of course there is always a foundation that one has to start with, and it is the foundation that is most critical. Jesus taught this in the parable of the “house builder.” There was one fellow who built on the sand and another who dug down deep and laid the foundation on the rock. Of course the rock represents Jesus Christ as our Savior. The sand typifies false ways to be saved, which ultimately is self-effort.

This church’s practical teaching says that there are scores of different ways to be saved. I personally had invited Jesus into my heart. This was good enough for them. The truth is that I was not saved at all; I just thought I was. I continued to think for the next 20 or so years of my life that I could lose my salvation if I didn’t confess my sins and do good. In fact, even under that meticulous burden, I had no assurance that I was saved, and for good reason – I wasn’t!

The truth is that the Bible teaches that there is only 1 way to be saved. All other ways are false. Jesus said, “I am the way…no man comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) Paul the apostle in Galatians says that whoever preaches a different way is accursed. Pretty strong words! You see, either you trust Jesus as your Savior, or you trust in your own ingenuities to save you. This is what Cain tried; he brought fruit and veggies and God did not accept Cain’s way. Cain was building his house on the sand. Abel in turn was building on the rock. Abel demonstrated, by bringing an animal to sacrifice, that he believed that Jesus would come one day as “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world”, including his sin. No, there is only 1 way to be saved.

When I came to realize what Jesus did for me, I placed my trust in Him alone as my Savior, believing that He paid my debt of sin in full – past, present, and future. Then being truly saved, I had full assurance of being saved and having eternal life. Yes, Satan tried to whisper a little doubt in my ear from time to time, but I just kept going back to the Scriptures to refute his lies. Indeed Jesus does offer “rest” for those who come to Him on His terms. I have received that “rest” He spoke of and it is wonderful!

Not only have I been delivered from the consequences of sin, God has also in His mercy liberated me from the power of sin. What a life of rest it is! Now to await the Savior’s return to deliver every believer from the very presence of sin! All three aspects of salvation are entered by faith. We cannot of ourselves get rid of the consequences of our sin, we cannot of our own effort have power over sin once saved, and neither can we enter Heaven and be free from the presence of sin by our own doing! All is by faith in God. The instant we look to ourselves instead of Jesus Christ there will be failure, defeat, discouragement, depression and problems of all kinds. In Christ is the joy of liberty!

I fully believe that what the proponents of the “you can lose your salvation” crowd needs, is NOT assurance but SALVATION! Then when they are truly saved, and not just religious, then they will have the assurance that they’re saved and will believe in “eternal life!”