Now that we have seen that it is the Spirit of God that gives life and that without the Spirit we are considered dead it is time to address a doctrine concerning this. This is a crucial doctrine and also very dangerous. If not understood correctly it could cost you everything! This doctrine gets promoted freely by most churches and pastors today. After leading a person to Christ with a very clever, emotionally charged, presentation they say the following, “You are now saved forever” or “once saved always saved”. See they erroneously believe that you cannot lose your salvation. It is such a popular belief or church tradition, that you will be ostracized if you even try to disagree with this. The reason probably being, that it gives people license to continue living as they like or as hell and still have salvation. People are willing to accept Christ but are usually not willing to give up they’re fleshly lifestyle. And the pastors want it that way also because then they can continue in their own fleshly lifestyle. The result of this doctrine is catastrophic! Many come to Christ but very few actually transform and become what God wants them be. With their lips they praise the Lord but inwardly they are still not seeking the Lord.
But what does the word say about this? This is what Jesus said on the matter
Revelation 3
5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
The Lord says we have to overcome. That means there is something we have to do, there is change that needs to happen. Only when this change has happened or you have overcome that which you should then only will you not be blotted out. What does that mean? Well if there are those whose names will not be blotted out because they overcome then those that do not overcome will be blotted out of the book of life. Remember we know that if we do not have the Spirit of God we are blotted out. So if we don’t overcome we once again die in spirit, a second time, we will be twice dead. Jude also speaks of these people. In his letter he strongly exhorts the people not be fleshly and warns them that people who continue being fleshly will die again. In fact he calls them twice dead.
Jude
12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;
13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
Paul also addresses this issue
Hebrew 6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;
8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
So what Paul is saying is that once you receive of the Spirit of God and partake of it you cannot go back to a fleshly lifestyle. If you should go back or continue in a fleshly lifestyle you are ignoring the Spirit of God that wants to lead you to repentance and transformation. Paul says it is impossible to receive the Spirit again if you, with your ignorance, let your new spirit die a second time. Because you cannot crucify Christ again.
Jesus also spoke on the matter
Matthew 12
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
This specific passage of scripture is in particular a subject of debate. Quite simply because people don’t know the precepts and statutes of God. They don’t realize that we are to look for Him” here a little there a little”. Many people believe you actually have to swear at the Spirit for this statute to count. That is actually not the case at all. You see blaspheming is the same as being unfaithful or disobedient. It means not listening to the Spirit of God. In the book of Ezekiel the Lord explains to us what He considers blasphemy.
Ezekiel 20
27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me.
Simply put if we are unfaithful to the Spirit of God in this life we are committing the unpardonable sin. We will die a spiritual death once again and be considered twice dead. Because we cannot be led to repentance again because we cannot crucify Christ again. The answer is plain and staring us in the face. We are not to continue in our fleshly lifestyle, we need to change. We need to transform according to the leading of the Spirit of God. If we do not do that we will die. After all the wages of sin is death!!
Romans 6
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That then is conclusive proof that salvation can be lost. Don’t let a modern-day lacksey daisy church system tell you otherwise. You cannot continue in your fleshly lifestyle, you have to change, you have to overcome!! Not doing so can and will cost you everything.
Next time we will continue, till then.
God bless.
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