Salvation Lost? Keep Reading December 20, 2004
Posted by Doug McHone in Daily Bible Reading.trackback
Today’s Reading is found in Hebrews 4:14-7:28.
In the days of the Law, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies one day out of the year to atone for the sins of himself and the people of the covenant. This priest was a man, just like the others, but had been called on by God for his special role. This normal man could sympathize with the people, for he had gone through the same trials and temptations of the other people and had sinned, just as they could. This is why he would make offerings for his own sins along with the sins of the others. Jesus was like a priest giving a sacrifice, but His sacrifice was himself, not some animal. And because there were no sins in His life, His sacrifice was sufficient for even me.
Hebrews 6:4-6 is a difficult read for anyone who believes that once a person has been saved they are always saved no matter what. I believe that a part of the problem here is that people only read those verses and are so stunned by them that they don’t give the following verses their due. Verses 7-8 continue to say that a farmer will destroy a field of thistles and thorns, but enjoy a field that bears fruit. The same rain falls on both fields. They each receive the same sunlight. Why is one a good field and the other a bad field? Perhaps this passage is a comparison of two people. One who has been granted saving faith and the other has made an outward showing of it, attending church and contributing where they could, but never having believed. They may believe in Jesus, but not on Jesus. Verse 9 speaks about how the church who received the letter was meant for better things than destruction, things that come with salvation. There’s the clincher! Things that come with salvation!
I’m sure this isn’t the end of this discussion, but that is my stance. Those who are apostate have been holding the societal line, many for their entire lives, but theirs wasn’t a saving faith that led them to salvation in Christ alone, through faith alone, by grace alone. If verses 4-6 are used to argue against this point, all I can say is to keep reading.
To bolster your position on “once saved, always saved”(which I do not believe either), check out Romans 11. There are a few verses in here that people give to me to support the dispensational belief of physical Israel being saved just for being physical Israel. I contend that Romans 11 disproves such a theory when read in it’s entirety(plus see, Romans 9:6) Another subject, another time.
(In the interest of saving time, I will not be typing out whole verses)
However, let’s examine verse 1 and 2. This establishes that we are talking about the physical nation of Israel. Verses 17 and 18 are telling the Gentiles that they were grafted in; because they accepted Christ. They were [once] saved. Verse 19 continues the olive tree metaphor in stating that some branches were broken off. That they(the Gentiles) might be grafted in. Who were the branches… Jews.
Verse 21 and 22 warn the non-Jews that He may not spare them either. V. 22 says to “…continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off”. The word continue here is stating that they are saved. If they were not, why would Paul tell them to continue or risk being cut off?
What we see here is that the Gentiles that were grafted in(once saved) can be cut off! Conversely, a backslidden Jew that may have just been cut off in verse 24 can be grafted back in.
Again, this comment is about once saved, always saved and is not intended to answer the claim that a physical Jew will be saved just by being a physcial Jew. That is, again, a subject for another time.
When would a graft be removed? When it proves to be incompatible to the trunk and does not receive the needed nutrients to prosper and bear fruit. With God, all things are possible, so sinners can be changed by God to be compatible, but if God makes us His own, why would we cease to be incompatible? On our own? Have we frustrated the will of God by changing our own nature and bieng?
Do the branches speak to a person or to a people?
When the logical conclusion becomes that God’s will for someone has been usurped by a person’s will, that puts God into a category of weakness. I’ll continue to study, but I don’t think this is the proper answer to this question.
CALVIN, THE SOLID ROCK
A parody
VERSE:
My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Calvin’s notes and references,
I dare not lean on Scripture truth,
But wholly trust the Institutes!
CHORUS:
On Calvin’s flower I will stand,
All bothered by free-will of man,
All bothered by free-will of man!
VERSE:
The Institutes are my sole rule,
For proper thought in Sunday school,
I will not take the Scripture stance,
For Fatalism takes no chance!
CHORUS:
Five Points are all I need,
No other facts will I concede,
No other facts will I concede!
VERSE:
If Servetus had any hope,
He’d have to bow to Reformed pope
In Calvin’s own theology,
You’re justly torched if disagreed!
CHORUS:
All heretics shall be burned,
All mercy to them shall be spurned,
All mercy to them shall be spurned!
VERSE:
The loveless grace of Calvin’s band,
Is limited by where you stand,
Arminians they do berate,
As subjects of their “Christian” hate
CHORUS:
Christ does not save all you see,
Just those of us, who will agree,
With Calvin’s own theology!
Another parady
Arminian grace! How strange the sound
Salvation hinged on ME
I once was lost then turned around
Was blind then chose to see
What “grace” is it that calls for choice
Out of some good within?
The part that willed to heed God’s voice
Proved stronger than my sin
Through many ardent gospel pleas
I sat with heart of stone
But then some hidden good in me
Propelled me toward my home
When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Because of what we’ve done
We’ve no less days to sing our praise
Than when we first begun
- Dennis Walter Cochran
I was filled with the Holy Spirit 2 1/2 years ago. I remember Gods peace and a desire to worship and serve him.
I had a love that was not my own and could not explain it.
I was drawn to scripture and could not get enough.
In late September I had a spirit of fear and torment grasp my heart. It felt like a knife had cut through my chest.My body was as though it was paralyzed and it was shaking involuntarilly for about 2 minutes.
The voice told me I had fallen away and had been judged and my light had been removed.
For several nights after that I would be awakend by voices telling me that my time was short.
I had just started learning that I could hear Gods voice and I stepped out in faith to pray for healing over a eldery man who had trouble seeing.
I know that the Lord was there because I sometimes would feel his presence so strong during worship that I would shake a little.
I went into depression for 2 months over this before I went to get antidepressants and I still wake up every night with a strange feeling.
My pastor told me it was not spiritual I know it is.
Would any of you pray and let me know if God gives you any answers for me.
I have not felt the peace from God since this has happened and I am worried that I grieved the Holy Spirit away.