Scriptural Apologetics 101 Salvation by John Scott Roesch - HTML preview

your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood,

or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as

for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 16 And the

people answered and said, God forbid that we should

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Salvation By Grace Through Faith

forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; 17 For the LORD

our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of

the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which

did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all

the way wherein we went, and among all the people

through whom we passed: 18 And the LORD drave out

from before us all the people, even the Amorites which

dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD;

for he is our God. 19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye

cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a

jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor

your sins. 20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange

gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you,

after that he hath done you good. 21 And the people said

unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD. 22 And

Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against

yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him.

And they said, We are witnesses. 23 Now therefore put

away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and

incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. 24 And

the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we

serve, and his voice will we obey.

Luke 10

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41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha,

Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that

good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

There is a major difference between believing in God and accepting Him. It is like seeing a check on a table for $50,000 with your name on it. Knowing it is there is one thing, claiming it as your own is another. If you acknowledge it’s there and its worth, but choose to ignore it, it can do nothing for you like paying bills or saving for your future.

But if you reach out and claim it, then it becomes purposeful to you.

James 2:19

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the

devils also believe, and tremble.

The devils, or demons, all believe in God. Until Satan’s attempted coup, they served Him. Does their belief in God change their final destination? Apparently not, as 110

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Jesus said in Matthew 25:41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”

Believing in the existence of God will not change your destination. We are all born with free will; the right to make our own decisions. There are many religions around the world that are forced on the people in those areas; Islam is one. Many tribal religions do the same.

Jesus invites, He never forces anyone to accept Him.

“Whosoever will” means that some will not.

Proverbs 1

24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched

out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at

nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26

I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your

fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and

your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and

anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon

me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they

shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and

did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none

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of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore

shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled

with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the

simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall

destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell

safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Jesus did not die for a select few. He died for the Jew as well as the Gentile; the rich and poor; the feeble and the rugged; the fearful and the brave. The first recorded death in the age of grace was the thief on the cross. Jesus died for the serial killer, the habitual rapist, the drunkard, the drug dealer, and user.

So often when we see those we think of as

“undesirables”, we seem to forget that Jesus died for them as well. The soul of a homeless person is as precious to Jesus as our own. As everyone has free will, when given the opportunity to make a choice for Christ, there are only two answers. When someone says “later”, they are saying “no”.

Whether or not they tell the Holy Spirit to leave them be, or simply refuse His calling, this is blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. God never promises another opportunity, and if the 112

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Spirit chooses not to knock on their heart’s door again, their eternal fate is sealed.

Acts 26

26 For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also

I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things

are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a

corner. 27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I

know that thou believest. 28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul,

Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

Scripture never records Agrippa’s conversion. He was so close to a much better eternity, and I’d like to think that at some point he did make the right choice, but if he didn’t, he’s been regretting that bad decision for almost 2000

years and will continue regretting it for all eternity.

2 Peter 2:1

¶ But there were false prophets also among the people,

even as there shall be false teachers among you, who

privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the

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Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift

destruction.

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Heaven Has a Response

Some might ask “Why would an angel rejoice over a repentant sinner? They have no stake in the plan of salvation, and not a lot to do with people.”

As for the last part of that statement, in biblical times angels were very active in the affairs of mankind, and as Bro.

Joe Roberts pointed out in his study of angels, guardian angels are mentioned in the New Testament.

Why would an angel rejoice when someone is saved?

It begins with what they witnessed.

Matthew 26

51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus

stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a

servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. 52 Then

said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place:

for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and

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he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of

angels?

It’s hard not to picture all the angels and the host of heaven witnessing this event. It was their Creator that underwent everything on Calvary for us; they probably could not identify with Jesus’ pain or suffering, but they could and did witness it.

God loved us enough to carry out the plan of salvation. When someone is saved, this makes the Trinity happy, and whatever makes God happy is going to make the angels rejoice as well. They see that for this now repentant sinner, the plan worked; the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ was not done for that particular sinner in vain; one more lost sheep has returned to the fold.

Salvation is conditional: if it were automatic, the angels would have no need to rejoice because then it would simply be status quo.

Luke 15

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7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over

one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine

just persons, which need no repentance. 8 Either what

woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece,

doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek

diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she

calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying,

Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had

lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence

of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

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Limitless Grace

How abundant is the grace of God? Is there a limit to what sins it can blot out? How do the “seven deadly sins”

affect God’s grace? When God said “whosoever will”, this would have been the time to list any disqualifiers, yet He did not.

David Berkowitz, the son of Sam, a serial killer still in prison today, was nearly killed by an inmate who sliced his throat with a razor. He admits that if he had died at that time, he would have gone to hell. But he did not; in prison, after all his murders; after all he did in life beyond that, God’s grace was sufficient for him. He now has an eternal home in heaven.

Ted Bundy was a thief, rapist, kidnapper, necrophiliac, and serial killer. He kept the severed heads of at least four of his victims in his apartment as mementos.

Attorney Polly Nelson, a member of his last defense team, wrote: “Ted was the very definition of heartless evil.” You’d think there was nothing redeemable about this man.

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But Bundy, who had been raised in church, did accept Jesus and His forgiveness, a forgiveness available because God does not grade sin on a curve. A “white lie” is as wrong as adultery. You are either keeping God’s law or breaking it. Black and white.

2 Corinthians 12

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might

depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is

sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in

weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my

infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God’s grace and Christ’s blood is able to atone even the worst of sinners.

1 Timothy 1:15

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom

I am chief.

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The Rewards of Soulwinning

In the states, we have many terms for celebrities; one of the most popular terms is a “star” because they stand out more than those around them. In a crowd, they are typically the center of a lot of attention, and despite the fact they typically are not any smarter than the rest of us, many hold the opinions of a star higher than of most people, and when you hear some star’s opinion, you have to wonder why.

In Daniel, we read that those who win souls will be brighter than stars, these being the heavenly type. When you lead someone to the Lord, it produces a natural high feeling; this is the Holy Spirit inside you flooding you with humility, inner peace, and outer joy all at once.

You also feel a bonding of sorts with that person; you are doing of the Lord’s will and work in your life has changed the eternal destination of someone, as much as it changed their physical life as well.

Proverbs 11:30

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¶ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that

winneth souls is wise.

The phrase “he that winneth” here is the Hebrew word ַח ֵ֖ק�ְו

(wə·lō·qê·aḥ) and is usually translated as to take away, take, seize, draw, or carry away.

The person we are “winning” here is really the big winner. The humility that we feel when we bring someone to Christ is needed to keep us from feeling like we are more than the instrument God has chosen to use.

The bond shared by both is why Paul often called those he won his children. You feel protective and proud of them.

Daniel 12:3

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the

firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the

stars for ever and ever.

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God’s Ground

Ours is a bloody religion. For hundreds of years, animals were sacrificed daily at the tabernacle, their blood poured out to cover the sins of the people. Thousands were sacrificed as the first temple was dedicated to the Lord, and the same sacrifices continued until the exile into Babylon and the destruction of that first temple.

The second and third temples saw that same blood spilled there daily as animal after animal had their blood spilled out for the same reason.

Hebrews 9:22

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood;

and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Let’s look at a single word in that verse “shedding”, the Greek word is αἱματεκχυσίας (ai·mat·ek·chy·sí·as). It literally means blood gush, not the sprinkling of blood, but 122

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the outpouring of it. This means a living sacrifice because a dead sacrifice would just leak their blood out.

Cain’s sacrifice was unacceptable for two reasons.

First, it represented the work of his hands. His sweat had gone into growing that fruit; God wants us to be good workers, but that won’t cover our sins. Secondly, it was a bloodless sacrifice. There was no remission of sin in it.

The blood of the animals of those ages covered the sins of the people, but something better was needed, something that could cleanse the people from their sin. That would require a better sacrifice than animals. Those animals had to be healthy, without spot or blemish, and young.

These animals were representative of Christ and the atonement He made for all who would accept Him as He shed His blood upon the cross of Calvary.

Ephesians 1:7

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the

forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

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Some will tell you that you must be baptized to be saved. They actually have that 100% backwards. How much blood is in baptism? Barring some unforeseen obstacle or a major incident being involved in the process, none.

But the sweat of our brow is involved, making it a

“work”. Just as Cain’s sacrifice was rejected, pouring, sprinkling, or splashing of an unregenerated person is also rejected. And it certainly is not considered baptism.

Some think that there is saving grace in taking part in the Lord’s Supper, possibly because it represents the Lord’s body and blood. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:26,

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.”

The word of emphasis in this verse is “shew” or show. You aren’t taking a part in, and you are not being covered by it. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial, not a means of salvation.

There is no act or action that you can perform which will redeem you in the eyes of God. There is nothing within yourself that can span the immense chasm between God and man that was formed in Eden.

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God wants everyone to be saved, so He made the plan simple. By preparing His plan before the foundation of the world, He was not only able to time the event, but to lay out prophesies concerning it, so everyone had warning.

God did all the work in the plan. He left the Throne of Heaven, put on flesh as He was born to a virgin, lived a sinless life while befriending His disciples, and performed miracles for others because of His love for them.

He allowed Himself to be captured, tried, condemned to death, and be crucified on the Wednesday before the Passover that Thursday. On the Sunday following, He raised Himself from the dead; all this God did Himself.

We only must repent and ask God to accept Jesus’

blood in place of our own to cleanse our sins. This is simply accepting His grace through our faith.

Ephesians 2

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of

yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any

man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created

in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before

ordained that we should walk in them.

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The instant that a sinner asks Jesus into their heart, they are justified, and they would go to heaven if they died in that second. Salvation and justification occur at the exact same time. Nothing else is needed; not baptism, eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, nor any type of confirmation from a priest or anyone.

Salvation only involves two people, the sinner and God. Leading someone to God is different than saving someone. Jesus knows everyone’s heart and inner feelings better than we do. We can lie to ourselves, but we cannot lie to God.

When someone asks Jesus into their heart, God does not require a testing phase. He doesn’t need to seek anyone’s approval; God is the final Judge on matters of everything.

Luke 5

18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was

taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in,

and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find

by what way they might bring him in because of the

multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down

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through the tiling with his couch into the midst before

Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him,

Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

Luke 7

48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they

that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves,

Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And he said to the

woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Luke 23

42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou

comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him,

Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in

paradise.

John 4:10

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift

of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink;

thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given

thee living water.

Romans 10:13

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For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall

be saved.

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Salvation Precedes Good Works

Some confuse the order here, getting it exactly backwards. When they say, “There is no salvation without good works”, they should be saying “There are no good works without salvation”.

James 2:18

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works:

shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee

my faith by my works.

Real faith is not fruitless. The fruit it produces are good works, and it is this fruit that is evidence of our faith.

So many people constantly quote Matthew 7:1 whenever they are caught doing something wrong. “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” They don’t want us to judge them, but we are fruit inspectors. And we can only inspect the fruit we see.

Our works are the fruit that the world sees, but more importantly God keeps up with all our fruit; those we sow in front of others as well as our hidden fruit. These are the rewards in heaven that Jesus told us about. They are a result 129

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of our yielding to God’s will, of us being His representatives here on earth.

The works we do before salvation, good or ill, are a dross burned away in judgment. It is only the good works done after salvation that will remain for all eternity.

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Knowing You Are Saved

It is possible to doubt your salvation. Having a doubt is not proof you’ve either lost your salvation or were never saved. The devil does all he can to inhibit God using us, and the doubting of our salvation is one of his best tricks.

His best trick, however, is to make you believe you’ve been saved when you haven’t. The devil loves people going to hell from church pews. And he does this a lot.

Either way, wanting proof of your salvation is an understandable desire. And something best done in this life because there is no changing your destination after your last breath is drawn. John the Apostle brought this idea up in his first general epistle.

1 John 5

10 ¶ He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness

in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar;

because he believeth not the record that God gave of his

Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us

eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the

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Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not

life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on

the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have

eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son

of God.

The Witness is the Holy Ghost living in you. He is the source of agape love, love for the brethren, and love for God.

If being around fellow Christians does nothing for you; if going to church isn't a desire, then think of this as a red flag.

Think back to when you were first saved. Do you remember the relief and joy that you felt when God forgave you of your sin? If not, consider this a red flag. People who are backslidden can have many of the same red flags as confused non-believers. The answer to both is the same: Prayer.

If you can never remember asking God into your heart but can remember some ceremony that served as your point of salvation, asking Jesus into your heart is simple.

Remember the prayer of the publican; it worked for him, and will work for you:

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Luke 18

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God,

I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners,

unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice

in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the

publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as

his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying,

God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went

down to his house justified rather than the other: for every

one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that

humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The publican’s prayer was not wordy or elaborate, just simple and to the point. We don’t have to speak fancy or use the King James' English when we speak to God.

The backslider must simply remember 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Search in your heart for God’s love, it is the surest proof.

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1 John 4:7

¶ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and

every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

When in the course of your life you meet someone who says they are going to heaven and brags that they never go to church, ask them why they believe that, and what would happen to them if they were wrong.

If a Mormon asks you to read the book of Mormon and pray about it, ask if they have not ever read the Quran and prayed about it.

When someone at a funeral speaks of the recently deceased as being in heaven, ask how they know it. If the answer is not scriptural, pray for them right then, and ask God to give you an opening in the very near future to talk to them concerning their soul.

Nobody is going to like the default setting for where they go when they die. This life is the only opportunity to get it right, and we might be the only one offering them an only chance. This is why it is so important for believers to 134

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be in a place God can use us. In this day, to any particular person, we might be their only watchman.

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There are those who object to “once saved, always saved” on the basis that one could commit murder and not lose their salvation.

When Paul sent his letter to the church at Rome, he spoke of the law, of sin, and of grace, pointing out that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. He then asked them a serious question while supplying them the straight-forward answer to that question. First let us look at what he did not say, then examine what he actually said.

Paul doesn’t ask them “Shall we continue in sin that Christ died in vain?” This question would purport that all the pain, suffering, and sacrifice of Jesus, along with the perfect, eternal plan of salvation devised by the Godhead before the foundation of the world was a waste of time. Instead, Paul tells us that we should not “continue in sin, that grace may abound”, because, and only because, grace would abound.

Eternal is forever with no limiters and extends beyond time into what we today call “ever”. Just as we cannot lose salvation in heaven, we cannot lose it here on earth.

In this study we will refer to the original Greek scripture that the King James was derived from, in an effort to show that the doctrines contained in our Bible are not a 136

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corruption of what was originally written. Not all versions of the Bible can make this claim.

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No condemnation for those who are in Christ We will look at a couple of scriptures here, and to minimize any confusion on the contents and interpretation of these verses, let us look at them in the original Greek.

As we do this, realize that Greek syntax and English syntax do not directly line up. That is not with just Greek, but with about any language. So do not let the word order be a distraction.

First, we’ll show the verse in the King James Version, then as it is written in Greek, then we’ll break down and translate it one word (or phrase) at a time, giving the English equivalent along with other words that might have been used.

John 3:18

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that

believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not

believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

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Pronounced Greek

Meaning

ho

ὁ

The [one]

pisteuōn

πιστεύων

believing

eis

εἰς

in

ton

τὸν

the

Huion

Υἱὸν

Son

echei

ἔχει

has

zōēn

ζωὴν

life

aiōnion

αἰώνιον ;

eternal

ho

ὁ

the [one]

de

δὲ

however

apeithōn

ἀπειθῶν

not obeying

tō

τῷ

the

Huiō

Υἱῷ ,

Son,

ouk

οὐκ

not

opsetai

ὄψεται

will see

zōēn

ζωήν ,

life

all’

ἀλλ’

but

hē

ἡ

the

orgē

ὀργὴ

wrath

tou

τοῦ

of

Theou

Θεοῦ

God

menei

μένει

abides

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ep’

ἐπ’

on

auton

αὐτόν.

him.

Next, we’ll look at Romans 8:1.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are

in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the

Spirit.

Pronounced Greek

Meaning

Ouden

Οὐδὲν

[There is] no

ara

ἄρα

therefore

nyn

νῦν

now

katakrima

κατάκριμα

condemnation

tois

τοῖς

to those

en

ἐν

in

Christō

Χριστῷ

Christ

Iēsou

Ἰησοῦ.

Jesus.

mē

⧼μὴ

⧼not

kata

κατὰ

according to

sarka

σάρκα

flesh

peripatousin περιπατοῦσιν, who walk alla

ἀλλὰ

but

kata

κατὰ

according to

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pneuma

πνεῦμα⧽.

Spirit⧽

.

These last few words inside the brackets can be looked at two ways: as a delimiter, or as an exposition. What we have read in John 3:18 would show this as exposition, the saved walk after the Spirit. This is something the unsaved cannot do.

When the saved do walk in the flesh, this walk causes feelings of guilt and remorse; a moral dilemma that causes the saint to seek the Lord for forgiveness. This is come from the Holy Spirit, and His condemnation is of the act involved, not of the believer.

The Lord's people never perish.

Here, we’ll look at John 10:28 in the original Greek since its context is self-contained, but then we’ll follow up with its surrounding scripture.

John 10:28

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never

perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

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Pronounced Greek Meaning

kagō

κἀγὼ

and I

didōmi

δίδωμι

give

autois

αὐτοῖς

them

zōēn

ζωὴν

life

aiōnion

αἰώνιον;

eternal;

kai

καὶ

and

ou

οὐ

never

mē

μὴ

not

apolōntai

ἀπόλωνται, shall they perish,

eis

εἰς

to

ton

τὸν

the

aiōna

αἰῶνα,

age,

kai

καὶ

and

ouch

οὐχ

never

harpasei

ἁρπάσει

will seize

tis

τις

anyone

auta

αὐτὰ

them

ek

ἐκ

out of

tēs

τῆς

the

cheiros

χειρός

hand

mou

μου.

of Me.

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As a child, I was convinced that my parents were superheroes. My mother was the best doctor who could make any pain disappear with a kiss. My father could beat up anyone in the world, and I knew this in my heart of hearts. I had no fear of monsters if he was around because I knew he would keep me safe. I felt protected and secured when I was around them, but there was Someone better.

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The Real Keeper

Our Lord is no butterfingers. With no exception, the safest place to ever be is in His hand. It is His grip that keeps our souls safe, protected, and saved. While Jesus was here on earth, He pointed out that His Father, Who had not put on flesh, was greater, and His grip was just as sure.

Who can take us from Him? No one can, not even ourselves. It is the Lord that keeps our souls.

It’s amazing that some can trust Jesus to save us, but not to keep us. Part of this attitude comes from those who think we are the keepers of our own salvation. That is, in one word, foolish.

God knows our limits because He is our Creator, and He knows us not just as creation, but as individuals. So, what happens when we, as His children, sin?

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us

our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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And for those who don’t get their sins forgiven. Is there any hope?

John 3:36

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he

that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath

of God abideth on him.

Are there any caveats there? There are not. If sinning caused one to lose their salvation, God would have spelled it out, because we all still sin, daily. The fact this is never covered should tell us something.

This is confirmed by Peter, who, in his first epistle, spoke of our inheritance as incorruptible, undefiled, and never fading away. These three words and phrases do not speak of anything temporary, wispy, and easily lost.

Remember, sinning is easy.

And this is something that we cannot be the cause of.

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everything we make or do is corruptible, defiled, and does fade away.

Remember, it only makes sense that to claim our inheritance, we need to be with it. Where it is, we are. So where does this cause of our inheritance originate? From the First Cause of creation; through His might and power, and His alone.

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Failing and Falling

There is a difference between falling into temptation and falling from grace. False doctrines can be started when these two acts are seen as the same thing. When we fall into temptation, we lose our closeness to God. Some often misspeak and say that we lose our position with God. Our position is exactly the same. We are sinners saved by the grace of God. That position is permanent.

Falling into sin or temptation can cost us our joy, but this is temporary. Once we seek God’s forgiveness, it returns. Yes, we can yield to temptation, falling into sin, but we never fall from grace.

1 Corinthians 10

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed

lest he fall. 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such

as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not

suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will

with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may

be able to bear it.

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Our Walk and His Way

Does sinning cause us to set aside our belief in Christ? Is sin a greater force than God, Who holds us in His hand? If sin can cost us our salvation, would that mean that Satan is greater than God?

If we can lose our salvation, why is it called “eternal life”? Who has the keys of death and the grave, Jesus, or Lucifer? If sinning causes us to lose everything, how are we

“more than conquerors”?

Again, falling into temptation is not falling from grace. If it were, Jesus is not such a great Shepherd. He paid our debt, now and forever. Satan has no claim on us or our soul. But if he can shake our confidence in Jesus, we can lose our usefulness.

The opposite of faith is doubt. Jesus told us to have faith. The devil wants us to have doubt. So, what happens when a Christian falls into sin?

Psalm 37

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and

he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be

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utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his

hand.

Christ’s victories are our victories as well. His defeating of death has given us victory over death. His triumph over sin and temptation has broken our sin bondage.

One of my favorite New Testament verses is John 16:33.

John 16:33

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might

have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be

of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Did Jesus promise us a carefree life with no problems and life on Easy Street, or is that just some televangelists?

Jesus told us we would have tribulation. We are going to experience unfairness because of our association with our Lord and Savior. Look back at the bloodbath of our History called The Trail of Blood, the millions and millions martyred by those irregular churches who claimed to belong to Jesus but didn’t.

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That wasn’t the church, even though they called themselves that: it was the world. So how does one get killed by the world and still overcome it? All too often we think of this physical plane of existence as everything, when it is the part of creation that will be done away with as it melts in fevered heat.

The word translated as “overcome” is the word νικαω (nik·ah'·o). It means to conquer, get the victory, or prevail. We conquer the world system when our chains binding us to sin, and the second death are broken.

Our victory is the conquering of the second death, which those of the world will endure for all eternity. The first death, physical death, is simply our glorification, lasting but for the twinkling of an eye. The second death is as perpetual and eternal as our spiritual life is. We prevail when we pass over into Heaven’s Promised Land. In all this, we are overcomers.

1 John 5

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and

this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

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5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that

believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Every true child of God will strive to live such a life.

But again, so many false churches and cults have redefined salvation and its qualifications. This leads many who aren’t a child of God to believe that they are.

Many of these will think that they can do many evil acts, but as long as they go to their supposed priests and chant a few memorized lines that have no purpose or meaning, that everything is right with God. What does scripture say about Hail Marys and Our Fathers?

Matthew 6:7

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen

do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much

speaking.

Those who believe we can lose our salvation worry that we can use the Believer’s Security as a license to sin.

The truly saved would never do this; to be a Christian is a be a disciple of Christ, and that word disciple implies discipline.

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The eastern religions practice discipline without Jesus, meaning that in the end they will have nothing.

The discipline the Lord teaches us is to live a life that will bring others to the cross, not away from it. This is opposite of how the world works.

Jude

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of

these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands

of his saints,

15 ¶ To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that

are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which

they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard

speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Where the world will live their lives as they see fit, the true children of God will know that they are His ambassadors, and as His representatives, will strive to be like Him in an effort to bring others to Him. Here is some scriptural proof:

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1 John 3

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet

appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall

appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth

himself, even as he is pure.

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The Seemingly Unrepentant

To have security of the believer, you have to be a believer. More specifically, at some point you need to have repented of your sins. Remember, baptism does not save you; it is a work. Ephesians 2:9 reminds us we are not saved by works. No ceremony will save you; that is also a work.

Salvation is a very personal experience that occurs when one realizes they are bound for hell and can do nothing to change that. It’s when they understand that Jesus freely made a way for us. Someone has to die to pay our sin debt.

Jesus did so that you don’t have to. When one realizes that, repents, and asks him to forgive and save them, He does, right then and there.

Anyone who doesn’t remember doing that, even if they’ve spent their entire life in church, needs to have a one-on-one with God to ensure they don’t enter their final resting place where they’ll get no rest while screaming in pain for all eternity.

Because so many religions lie about how to get saved, there are many who think they are, but really aren’t.

And yes, the ones who lied to them will answer to God for 154

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that, but this won’t change their victim’s (possibly you) destination.

I know many Catholics who attend their services twice a year, on Resurrection Sunday and at Christmas. They live an unregenerated life; they have not fallen into sin because they never left it. The old adage says that going to church makes you a Christian just as much as going to a garage makes you a car.

When we know people like this, we need to act; to be the watchman in their life. They don’t need to get back up; they have never been up out of sin to begin with. They need to get saved. What does scripture say?

1 John 2:19

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they

had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with

us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest

that they were not all of us.

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All Things Work Together

The promise made in the Bible is often quoted as an accusation when life is not fair to someone, and they typically overlook one word.

I knew a lady who had an insurance application turned down, and she said, “I guess God doesn’t want us to have insurance.” While this is possible, to her it was a failure of God to meet what she considered a need. Yet God keeps His promises: He is the original Promise Keeper.

The word many people overlook when things do not go their way is the word “together”. Individual events won’t always go our way: remember that Jesus said, “in the world ye shall have tribulation”. That tells us our path will get rocky at times, and a faith untested is a faith unproven.

Remember this when you hear someone blaspheme the Almighty, and yes, accusing God of failing to keep a promise is blasphemy; do not forget to stand up for Him whenever possible.

Again, individual events might go against us, but it is the summation of these events that work out in our favor.

It’s not just the world to come; He wishes to bless you now.

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The scripture does not say “all things will go good”, instead it says:

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them

that love God, to them who are the called according to his

purpose.

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Everlasting Life

This is an important part of the doctrine which seems confusing to some for some reason, so again, we will see what it said in the original manuscript, and make sure we are understanding this correctly.

John 5:24

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and

believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and

shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from

death unto life.

Pronounced Greek

Meaning

Amēn

Ἀμὴν,

Truly

amēn

ἀμὴν

truly

legō

λέγω

I say

hymin

ὑμῖν

to you

hoti

ὅτι

that

ho

ὁ

the [one]

ton

τὸν

the

logon

λόγον

word

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mou

μου

of Me

akouōn

ἀκούων,

hearing

kai

καὶ

and

pisteuōn

πιστεύων

believing

tō

τῷ

the [One]

pempsanti

πέμψαντί

having sent

me

με,

Me,

echei

ἔχει

he has

zōēn

ζωὴν

life

aiōnion

αἰώνιον

eternal

kai

καὶ

and

eis

εἰς

into

krisin

κρίσιν

judgment

ouk

οὐκ

not

erchetai

ἔρχεται,

comes,

alla

ἀλλὰ

but

metabebēken μεταβέβηκεν has passed ek

ἐκ

out of

tou

τοῦ

-

thanatou

θανάτου

death

eis

εἰς

into

tēn

τὴν

-

zōēn

ζωήν.

Life

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This verse explains itself very clearly without any stipulations, even in the following verse. Anything I say cannot drive its point home any better.

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How Mercy Works

God’s mercy on unrighteousness is limited to those that are His. It is what we would call a pardon: that we won’t be eternally punished for this misdeed we have enacted.

Under the law, justice must be enacted. The sinner in his or her unregenerated state is included in this. The unsaved person who stands before the Great White Throne for Judgment has no right to representation, no one to plead their case to the Ultimate Supreme Court Justice.

They will also have no right to remain silent; any lie, if it able to be spoken, is instantaneously exposed. For the believer, God’s hand is the safest place to be, but for the sinner, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. When believers ask for forgiveness, our unrighteousness is seen through the blood of Jesus. The lost cannot claim this. How does mercy work for those who are redeemed?

Hebrews 8:12

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their

sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

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Forgiveness is also Permanent

When God created mankind, He gave us free will; the ability to make our own choices and decisions. The entire purpose of the inclusion of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was so that we could exercise that right.

It was the choice with a consequence. Yes, each time they ate, they got to pick which fruit they ate (or at least Eve did). Back then, everything was what we now classify as organic. But these were random, subjective choices, meaning you could not make a wrong one, unless you decided to try a kumquat more than once.

The tree of knowledge of good and evil was an objective decision. The knowledge of good was the obedience to God by not eating the fruit of that tree. The knowledge of evil was disobedience to God by eating said fruit.

This realization is what “opened their eyes”

afterwards. A little late, but they got it. All of mankind was now under a judgment, and one that was not in our favor.

But God, in His infinite wisdom, was ready for this. And the payment for this discretion was a deep one.

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When the earth’s population was but two, everyone alive knew God was real, that He was the only God, and that He meant what He said. It was not but a few generations later that false gods were created, God was defied, and His words would be ignored.

This was the state of this world when He sent His Son, to suffer and die for us so that we could be returned to His fold. Because He wants all to be saved, He made our side of the plan simple: just believe.

He stands by His children, keeping them safe in His sure grip. We still have free will, and this can cause us to fail Him, but our advocate, the same Jesus who loves us enough to have died for us, pleads our case, and has never lost, nor will He ever lose. It is this perpetual perfect record that ensures our security in the hand of God. How permanent is forgiveness?

John 6:37

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him

that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

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Bigger Than God’s Love

God has no peers, not now nor ever, so there is no one who can love us as much as He does. His love goes beyond the saved because Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.

Some sinners have never heard of Jesus. Some sinners believe they are saved when they are not, so they’ve heard of Him. Some sinners deny Jesus, hating not only Him, but those here who represent Him to the lost and dying world. Some sinners go as far as the worship the Adversary.

Yet God loves each and every one of these people as much as He loves you or me. He would rather be their advocate than their judge.

No matter how many they have beaten, raped, or murdered; no matter how many sacrifices to the evil one; no matter how they’ve persecuted His children, He loves them enough that if they call on Him, He will hear them.

There is no sin big enough to make anyone unredeemable. There is no one so evil that God does not love them enough to respond if they repent. He knows each and every one of us as individuals, and although He died for the 164

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entire world, He would have died for any single one of us if He had to.

That is the purest definition of love.

Romans 8

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors

through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that

neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor

powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor

height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to

separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus

our Lord.

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Scriptural Proof

We’re going look at three biblical characters, an event in each of their lives, and see what is recorded about them after the event. Each of these people are held in the highest regard with stellar reputations, and are quite well known.

Abraham (recorded in Genesis 12)

11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter

into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I

know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12

Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall

see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will

kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee,

thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake;

and my soul shall live because of thee.

Abram’s lie was an omission. Yes, Sarai was his sister, they had the same father, but this deception would (1) 166

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prevent his own perceived death (2) potentially cause Sarai to sin, and (3) cause one or more Egyptians to commit adultery without knowing it.

This was a lie, cut and dry, and it is pointed out by many that it only takes one lie to be a liar. What does scripture say about “all liars”?

Revelation 21:8

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and

murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and

idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake

which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second

death.

David (recorded in 2 Samuel 11)

15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the

forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that

he may be smitten, and die. 16 And it came to pass, when

Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place

where he knew that valiant men were. 17 And the men of

the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some

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of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite

died also.

David decided to cover up his adultery with Bathsheba by adding murder to the mix. Just as it only takes one lie to be a liar, it only takes one murder to be a murderer.

What does scripture say about murderers?

Revelation 21:8

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and

murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and

idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake

which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second

death.

Peter (recorded in Matthew 26)

71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid

saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow

was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 And again he denied

with an oath, I do not know the man.

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On a single night, even after he had been warned he would do this, Peter denied knowing our Lord three times.

These lies were certainly told under duress, but there are no exclusions given for the fate of all liars in the scriptures.

Revelation 21:8

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and

murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and

idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake

which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second

death.

If Abraham and Peter were liars and David was a murderer, and the scripture tells us these have their part in the lake of fire, which is the second death, why do we speak of these three as if they were in heaven? What say the scriptures of these three after they passed on?

Abraham (recorded in Luke 16)

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which

was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed

with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table:

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moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it

came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the

angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and

was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in

torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his

bosom.

David (recorded in Revelation 3:7)

¶ And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write;

These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that

hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man

shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

Peter (recorded in Revelation 21)

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates,

and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon,

which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of

Israel: 13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates;

on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in

them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

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The only way lairs and murderers avoid the lake of fire is if there was some way for them to cease being liars and murderers. Where animal sacrifices covered sin, the blood of Jesus actually cleansed it.

This cleansing was so deep and complete that there was never any proof that the sin had ever occurred. And yet we have learned that sin must always be punished; always be accounted for.

Romans 4

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man,

unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7

Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and

whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the

Lord will not impute sin.

If these people weren’t imputed with their own sin, someone had to have it charged to their own account. History tells us of many wonderful plans. The invasion of Normandy was such a plan; mankind landing on the moon was one; the successful building of a suspension bridge or skyscraper is the result of a well thought out design and plan.

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Plans require logistics, and it is all the failings that pop up and interfere with plan A which leads to coming up with plan B and beyond. Fortunately for all of us, the plan of salvation was thought up, out, and through on the original plan.

The necessary piece of the plan; the cornerstone that is, had to be someone outside of the curse of sin. No human qualified, and this included, contrary to what the Catholics teach, Jesus’ mother: Mary. She wasn’t immaculately conceived, and it wasn’t necessary for her to be because we don’t get our sin nature from our mothers: we get it from our fathers.

This is the importance of the virgin birth. If Joseph had been Jesus’ father, Jesus would have died for His own sins, not ours.

It was His decision to do this, and this is wonderful because He was the only one qualified for the plan. The hundreds of thousands of rams and bulls that were sacrificed all pointed to Jesus. It was not just His death and resurrection, it was Him bearing the sins of the entire world on our behalf, and in our place.

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2 Corinthians 5

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God

did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye

reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for

us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the

righteousness of God in him.

Falling into sin is different from being subject to it, much like a pebble is different from a boulder. Are Christians sinless? Not according to scripture.

1 John 1

8 ¶ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and

the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful

and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we

make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Sins are a stumbling block to us: they will break our stride, cause us some grief, and occasionally knock us down, 173

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but we are able to get back up and continue our walk while we seek His forgiveness.

To the unbeliever, the original sin is akin to Mount Everest atop one side of a handcuff made of razor wire wrapped tightly on their wrist. It cuts, it hurts, and it has full control over him or her. The only blood on that cuff is the unbelievers, and there is no mistaking what is in control of that situation.

The only escape from that cuff is someone else’s blood, and only a certain Someone else’s blood. The believer will occasionally be tripped up by sin, but he or she will never ever be bound by it again.

Romans 6

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye

should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your

members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but

yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the

dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness

unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for

ye are not under the law, but under grace.

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God’s Seal is Permanent

Every born-again child of God has His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, living inside us. This is not an occasional visit, like family during the holidays, but a permanent dwelling.

We, as Christians, are sojourners here; our home is in heaven. The Holy Spirit has residence in us while we are here.

Remember when Jesus said, “I and my Father are one”? Just as He is one with the Father, He is one with the Spirit as well.

Hebrews 13

5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be

content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will

never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly

say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man

shall do unto me.

Beginning in Acts 2, Immanuel ceased from being Jesus, and the Holy Ghost took on that role, living within us.

The “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” speaks of God the Holy Spirit.

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One day on God’s calendar begins the perpetual Jubilee, when we will receive all that is ours, the great Inheritance. We will be in God’s presence for all eternity, and at that point, the Holy Ghost will no longer need to dwell within us.

Revelation 21

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming

down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned

for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven

saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he

will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God

himself shall be with them, and be their God.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in us is our seal, His presence is proof that we are His, and the evil one cannot claim us. Sin might grieve the Holy Spirit, but it doesn’t chase Him away.

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Conclusion

Can a Christian ever die a spiritual death? This is what it is all about. Is there any way that anyone who repents, believes in Jesus, and has asked Him to save them, ever ends up in the lake of fire for all eternity?

That does not sound like being saved to me, to be honest. Salvation has to be a permanent state for it to have any meaning. When someone is tossed off of a ship and are flailing in the water, tossing them a life preserver is not rescuing them, but it can lead to them being rescued. It is only when they’ve been returned to the ship that the rescue is complete. In our case, Jesus is not the life preserver, He is the ship. And once onboard His ship, His hug keeps you from falling overboard again, ever.

How permanent is this rescue? For the last time in this study, let us look past all these translations that can be slanted to promote a particular position on this, and go back to the original manuscript.

John 11:26

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

Believest thou this?

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Pronounced Greek

Meaning

kai

καὶ

and

pas

πᾶς

everyone

ho

ὁ

-

zōn

ζῶν

living

kai

καὶ

and

pisteuōn

πιστεύων

believing

eis

εἰς

in

eme

ἐμὲ,

Me,

ou

οὐ

never

mē

μὴ

not

apothanē

ἀποθάνῃ,

shall die,

eis

εἰς

to

ton

τὸν

the

aiōna

αἰῶνα.

age,

pisteueis

πιστεύεις

Believe you

touto

τοῦτο?

this?

Sinning does not change your belief in Jesus. If you had it before you sinned, you have it after your sin. Even if a believer denounces Jesus, whether by force of others against their own will, by brainwashing, or by seeking the 178

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pleasures of the world (AKA backsliding), they are still sealed.

What did God say? Never leave. Never forsake. No stipulations on us.

John 11

23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24

Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in

the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I

am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,

though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever

liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou

this?

The believer will never know how hot the lake of fire is, will come to terms with those they know who are in the lake of fire as the tears are wiped away from our eyes, and will never experience time away from God for all eternity.

They are saved. They are sealed. This is what the Bible teaches. This is why our sin is credited to Jesus. He didn’t take the beatings, have that thorny crown shoved onto 179

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his head, have nails driven through His wrists and feet, and spend hours on that cross breathing only by dragging his shredded back up and down that roughhewn cross with all its splinters getting embedded into his muscles, just so that we can live the best life we can, get caught in a violent crime, and say the wrong word with our last breath, and end up in the lake of fire. We are not under the law, we’re under grace.

With grace comes mercy, and the greatest mercy is this: Those that have repented and placed their faith in Jesus are born from above, and it is this second birth that ensures with all certainty by the words of Jesus Himself that we will never experience the second death.

Saying otherwise is calling God a liar.

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About the Author

Bro John Roesch was born in Rockledge, Florida in 1961.

He spent his early years attending Sunset Drive Baptist Church in West Melbourne, and remained there until a mission they associated with was started in Merritt Island, this becoming Parkway Baptist Church, where he was saved and baptized under the ministry of Bro. Paul Maddox. His father, Bro. Russell Roesch, was the supply pastor there, until he was called to the American Baptist Church in Melbourne in 1969 to become their pastor in 1970.

Bro. John has no formal college education, but has been known to pay attention on occasion, and has studied under his father and much ABA literature which he loves to read, learning apologetics, hoping to pass those teachings on to others. His view is that if you can’t explain your belief to others, how can you explain to them how the doctrines, including salvation, work?

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Other Books by this Author

Scriptural Apologetics 101 ISBN 978-1-387-45213-2

Scriptural Apologetics 101 serves as an excellent book for studying the basic Bible Doctrines. They are set forth in a simple and easily understandable way. Bible Teacher John Scott Roesch is a very knowledgeable teacher of the Bible.

Each reader would do well by learning from this book.

Available from

https://www.lulu.com/search?page=1&q=Scriptural+Apolo getics+101&pageSize=10&adult_audience_rating=00

And many other bookstores such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, and more

The Facts About Backsliding ISBN 978-1-387-47891-0

When someone we know is headstrong, they are often referred to as “stubborn as a mule”. And this can be anyone who bucks the standard, whether they are right or wrong.

We’ve all known someone who will go right simply because they were told to go left. For many of us, this applies to our spiritual life as well; we’ve all felt the urge, in a moment of passion, to rebel against what we know and have been taught is right.

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Available from

https://www.lulu.com/shop/john-roesch/the-facts-about-backsliding/paperback/product-

6p95d4.html?page=1&pageSize=4

And many other bookstores such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, and more

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