A professing believer is a saved Christian. That does not necessarily mean he is a disciple in following Jesus Christ. If they are unrepentant workers of iniquity, they are at risk of being disqualified from attending the Marriage Supper to be castaways and thus later received after the great tribulation as vessels unto dishonor but they are still in His House as the least of the brethren.
A saved believer that trusts Jesus Christ to help him to follow Him is a disciple of Jesus Christ Whom prepared & kept by Him shall be received as vessels unto honor in His House at the pre trib rapture event to attend the Marriage Supper in His honor.
John 8:[SUP]30 [/SUP]As he spake these words, many believed on him. [SUP]31 [/SUP]Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; [SUP]32 [/SUP]And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. [SUP]33 [/SUP]They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? [SUP]34 [/SUP]Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. [SUP]35 [/SUP]And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. [SUP]36 [/SUP]If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Jesus wants saved believers to be His disciples so that they may bear fruit & that their joy may be full. Indeed, anyone being His disciples can expect to be pruned to bear more fruit.
John 15:1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. [SUP]2 [/SUP]Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. [SUP]3 [/SUP]Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. [SUP]4 [/SUP]Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [SUP]5 [/SUP]I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. [SUP]6 [/SUP]If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. [SUP]7 [/SUP]If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.[SUP]8 [/SUP]Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. [SUP]9 [/SUP]As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. [SUP]10 [/SUP]If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. [SUP]11 [/SUP]These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
The consequence of verse 6 is not about loss of salvation, but the consequence for not abiding in Him as His disciple when being unrepentant workers of iniquity. One can go to Him and trust Him as their Good Shepherd to help them to discern good and evil by the meat of the KJV and by Him, to depart from iniquity just as we are to look to the author & finisher of our faith to help us lay aside every weight & sin in running that race as we rest in Him our confidence in Him to finish what He has started in us.
Hebrews 12:1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, [SUP]2 [/SUP]Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1 Corinthians 9:[SUP]24 [/SUP]Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. [SUP]25 [/SUP]And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. [SUP]26 [/SUP]I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: [SUP]27 [/SUP]But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
1 John 3:[SUP]3 [/SUP]And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure..........[SUP]8 [/SUP]He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Philippians 1:[SUP]6 [/SUP]Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: [SUP]7 [/SUP]Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. [SUP]8 [/SUP]For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. [SUP]9 [/SUP]And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; [SUP]10 [/SUP]That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. [SUP]11 [/SUP]Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
2 Timothy 4:[SUP]18 [/SUP]And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Salvation is not complicated; but discipleship in running that race is when believers misunderstand scripture thinking salvation is at risk when the dire consequence for not abiding in Him as His disciples will involves more than the loss of the reward of crowns, but winding up being a castaway; to be left behind at the pre trib rapture event as disqualified to attend the Supper.
