► QUESTION: Pastor Randy, can a person lose their salvation ►Yes, we can lose our salvation if we abandon the faith or forsake Jesus Christ. The Words of Jesus Himself are the key to understanding our true security in Christ (which we indeed do have as we daily abide in Him). In Rev. 2:4 Jesus Christ said to the Church at Ephesus: “I have somewhat AGAINST thee, because THOU hast LEFT thy First Love.” They did not somehow lose their first love — Jesus said they actually LEFT Him (note: we lose things accidentally, whereas we can leave people intentionally). However, when we read Jesus’ letter to the Church in Laodicea He says, “So then because THOU art LUKEWARM (apostate), and neither cold nor hot, I WILL SPUE (expel) THEE OUT OF My MOUTH” (Rev. 3:16). Ephesus *neglected* their First Love—Laodicea *rejected* their First Love! And that is the pattern: what we neglect we will eventually reject! What was “merely” neglected in Ephesus became what was outright rejected in Laodicea. If we NEGLECT the Lord (when we intentionally leave Him and His Cross for other things—even good things), our leaving will eventually become a losing, and we will forfeit our salvation, and our names will by removed from the Book of Life by Jesus Himself (Rev. 3:5). Jesus also said, “But WHOSOEVER shall DENY ME before men, HIM WILL I ALSO DENY before MY FATHER which is in Heaven” (Mt. 10:33). The first word “whosoever” is all-inclusive ... it means EVERYBODY, including Christians. Jesus said that He will never forsake us, but He did not say that we cannot forsake Him. Unfortunately many have abandoned the Lord Jesus Christ, and many more will [depart from THE faith] in the last days (1 Tim. 4:1). The Apostle Paul said it simply in 2 Tim. 2:1, “IF we suffer, we SHALL also reign with Him: IF WE DENY HIM, HE ALSO WILL DENY US.” Do any of us leave our Savior (and our salvation) overnight? Never. It is a slow cooling off, not just through compromise [which is a powerful force we all militate against], but basically we cool off through not staying in continual loving fellowship with the Lover of our souls, but rather we remain in His Word. This is not a hard, complicated thing of using a daily check-list to make sure we’re “doing” everything we are expected to be doing. We all know that’s not it. It’s not doing, it’s being. Being in Christ. Being in love with Him. Being at His feet all day long. This abiding in Him is very pleasant and enjoyable, even when we are surrounded by ungodly stress, and horrendous temptations. We don’t work for our salvation — we REST in his Finished Work; we keep our faith activated by remaining in the Word of God, obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit -- abiding in Christ (2 Jn. 9). We delight in His Presence within us, and we delight in His Law of Life (Rom. 7:22; 8:1-2). Scripture becomes our breath of life. We enjoy Christ—which is the revolutionary way to live the Christian life. In a word: we just “abide” in Him. Hide in Him. Stay in Him. And if we move away, we need to return back Home, to the Cross where we belong. The one main thrust in our life is that we will not worship other gods. Through His strong grace we cut off idols from our lives. Our God is a jealous God and will not share us with the idols we love. We WORSHIP the Living God exclusively. As we abide in His Life, and do not leave our First Love, there will be no problem for us to someday reject the coming Mark of the Beast (which actually will be the worship of the Antichrist). Through the “blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, and by not loving our lives unto death” (Rev. 12:11), we will overcome the Dragon (Satan). The key to our entire life is found in the very Words of Jesus Christ, believing every one of them, meditating on them, and intentionally abiding in His life-giving words (Jn. 15:7). John said it like this: “Whosoever transgresseth, and ABIDETH NOT in the doctrine of Christ, HATH NOT GOD. HE THAT ABIDETH IN THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, he hath BOTH the Father and the Son” (2 Jn. 9). I have personally forsaken all forms of OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved), and am Christ’s voluntary love-slave. By Gods grace, I will not den y Him. I delight in beholding Him because He is holding me. Our holding each other will someday be in person. “Even so, come Lord Jesus” for your Bride after the 6th Seal (Rev. 6:12-14; Mt. 24:29-31). Keep us FILLED with the Holy Spirit, our lamps burning daily and hourly, and even moment by moment. Love Him—don’t leave Him. Embrace the Cross, and Calvary will embrace you with is supernatural energy. Jesus “became the Life-giving Spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45), so that He can enter into your human spirit, regenerating you with the Life of God—your becoming “one spirit with THE LORD” (1 Cor. 6:17). Don’t return to the cisterns of the world, you have the Living Fountains of Eternity springing up within your spirit (Jn. 4:14, 24). Drink Him daily. The Apostle said it perfectly when he wrote, “How shall we ESCAPE if we NEGLECT so great SALVATION?” (Heb. 2:3)
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 23:32:23 +0000
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