One
of the most contentious issues facing Christians is the doctrine of
eternal security, or to put it simply, can someone who is saved
become unsaved? There are 2 separate things that need to be unpacked,
I think, is the free gift of salvation through the blood sacrifice of
Jesus Christ on the cross/tree, which is offered an act of unmerited
favor to us on God's part. This involves the forgiveness of sins,
receiving the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and all spiritual
blessings in Christ Jesus; etc. Now, this other part, which is
misunderstood pertains to receiving the inheritance, which is
“CONDITIONAL.” Let me repeat that, again. The free gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, but the inheritance is
CONDITIONAL; and is based on our “good works.”
In most Scriptures
that are read on this matter the issue is not Salvation, but rather
Destination (the Heavenly inheritance). The two blessings are NOT the
same but certainly related. There is also the matter of type and
anti-type: The children of Israel was in Egyptian bondage, which is
symbolic of sin. They were delivered or separated from their bondage
to the slavery of Egypt by going through or rather down into or
underneath the waters of the Red Sea; seeing the Egyptians no more.
This is a type of baptism (1 Peter 3; 20-21; Rom 6: 1-7;16) where sin no
longer has them as captives or slaves. The next or intermediate phase
is the "Wilderness Experience" to prove whether we will
obey God's commandments as a holy nation for the children of Israel;
and us, now (1 Peter 2: 9). Lastly, is the promise "actualized"
such as inheriting or possessing all the things that as heirs we are
entitled to; but it does not necessarily mean we will receive them.
Exodus
3: 8a
I
have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to
bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land
flowing with milk and honey...
Moreover,
brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our
fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And
were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; v5 But
with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown
in the wilderness.
14 For
we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast to the end, 16 For
who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was
it not all who came out of
Egypt, led by
Moses? 17 Now
with whom was He angry forty years? Was
it not with those who
sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
Hebrews
4: 1-2, 11
Therefore,
since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest
any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For
indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the
word which they heard did not profit them, [a]not
being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone
fall according to the same example of disobedience.
32 And
now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace,
which is able to build you up and to give you the
inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
9 Or
do you not know that the unrighteous[a] will
not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither
the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who
practice homosexuality,[b] 10 nor
thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers
will inherit
the kingdom of God. 11 And such
were some of you. But you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Galatians
5: 19-21
19 Now the
works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity,
sensuality, 20 idolatry,
sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries,
dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,[a] drunkenness,
orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you
before, that those who do[b] such
things will not inherit
the kingdom of God.
5 For
you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually
immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has
no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let
no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these
things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of
disobedience. 7 Therefore do
not become partners with them;
50 I
tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God, nor
does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
3 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to
his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, 4 to an
inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept
in heaven for you, 5 who
by God's power are being guarded through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
12 giving
thanks[a] to
the Father, who has qualified you[b] to
share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
23 Whatever
you do, work heartily, as
for the Lord and not for
men, 24 knowing
that from the Lord you will
receive the inheritance as your reward. You
are serving the Lord Christ.
13 In
him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with
the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who
is the guarantee[a] of our inheritance
until we acquire possession of it,[b] to
the praise of his glory.
For
we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them.
NOTE:
The word ordain means, according to Merriam
Websters Dictionary to
establish or order by appointment, decree, or law.
7 He
that overcomes shall inherit all things;
and I will be his God, and he shall be my son
NOTE:
You must overcome the things of this world (struggles in the
flesh) and then you “shall” (future tense) inherit all things
(the Kingdom of God/Christ).
22 For
I delight in the law of God after the inward man:23 But
I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is
in my members.24 O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of
this death? 25 I
thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I
myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
NOTE:
Does this mean since the Apostle Paul was struggling so mightily
with sin that he lost or in danger of losing his salvation?
12 For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places.
1 Simon
Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that
have obtained like precious faith with us through the
righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ:2 Grace
and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God,
and of Jesus our Lord, 4 Whereby
are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by
these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped
the corruption that is in the world through lust.5 And
beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;
and to virtue knowledge;6 And
to knowledge temperance;
and to temperance patience;
and to patience godliness;7 And
to godliness brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly
kindness, charity. 8 For
if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that
ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ.9 But
he that lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off,
and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
22 But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness
and self-control. Against such things there is no
law. 24 Those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires. 25 Since
we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Who
gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous
for good works. WEB
CONCLUSION:
We
have been redeemed or purchased like Gomer, the prostitute who became
the wife of the prophet Amos from the slave market of sin. While we
were yet sinners, Jesus died for our sins but will we be like Gomer,
although she belonged to another man. she continued to run away and
found herself right back in the brothels indulging in her whoredoms;
and yet, Amos would search to find her and bring her back, Why??
Because he loved her.
Romans
6: 12-13, 16
12 Therefore
do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in
its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as
[b]instruments
of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being
alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness to God. 16 Do
you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you
are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading
to
death, or of obedience leading
to
righteousness?
Luke
16: 13a
13 “No
servant can serve two masters;
for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will
be loyal to the one and despise the other.
Philippians
2: 12
12 Wherefore,
my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but
now much more in my absence, work
out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Hebrews
10: 29, 31
29 Of
how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy,
who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the
blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing,
and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 31 It
is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God.
Romans
5: 6, 8-10
6 For
when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly.
8 But
God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much
more then, being now justified by his blood, we “shall be” saved
from wrath through him.
10 For
if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of
his Son, much more, being reconciled, we “shall be” saved by his
life.
I
have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the
world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I
have overcome the world!” Berean
Study Bible
Jesus
says: “He that Overcometh”
1.
Eat from the Tree of Life Rev. 2: 7);
2.
Not be hurt by the “Second Death” (Rev. 2: 11);
3.
Eat the hidden manna; receive a new name written in white stone (Rev.
2: 17);
4.
Have power over the nations (Rev. 2: 28);
5.
Become a pillar in God's Heavenly Temple and have Jesus' new name
written upon you (Rev. 3: 12);
6.
To be seated “in” the Heavenly Throne alongside Jesus (Rev. 3;
21);
7.
Will inherit all things (Rev. 21: 7);
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St Apt 701
Tacoma, WA 98402
October 4, 2018
robertrandle51@yahoo.com
