.
All of these warnings are about gaining or losing eternal life!
There are 10 NT passages listed for each section …
Warnings given to everyone & Warnings given to church members.
It is necessary to understand … Obeying God, following His instructions, etc.
is NOT doing good works/deeds, which are done toward our fellow human beings.
Note: no passages about entering the kingdom of God/heaven have been included.
WARNINGS GIVEN TO EVERYONE
“What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? …
if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:16-17)
“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.
But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Mark 13:13, and see Matthew 10:21-23)
The believer must endure in his/her faith through any time of terrible persecution of Christians.
Many NT verses teach: A believer’s faith must endure until death for him/her to be saved.
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world,
and is himself destroyed or lost?” (Luke 9:23-25)
How can anyone say, “These verses don’t apply to me, I’m saved.”
“He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world
will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25)
“… if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24)
As in several other “I AM” verses, there is no “he” after “I AM” in the original Greek.
Unfortunately, many translations have added “he” for whatever reasons.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
‘Lord, Lord …’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21)
Belief-faith-works are not enough – it is God’s will that we really know Him intimately!
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:27)
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.
… If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him
… He who does not love Me does not keep My words” (John 14:21-24)
IMO, no one enters heaven who does NOT love Jesus,
and no one enters heaven who does NOT obey Jesus’ commands.
“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:14)
IMO, no one enters heaven who is NOT Jesus’ friend.
“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:7-8)
cowardly: not enough faith to stand up for Jesus, unwilling to endure persecutions, etc.
unbelieving: simply non-believers
Jesus says the overcomer is the one who overcomes as He overcame!
“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on My throne,
as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Rev 3:21)
WARNINGS GIVEN TO CHURCH MEMBERS
Believers overcome sin by following the Spirit and by repenting of (forsaking) their sins!
“Death” here means eternal death; Jesus does NOT go around killing believers who sin!
"… you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether (slaves) of sin leading to death,
or (slaves) of obedience leading to righteousness … For the wages of sin is death”
(Romans 6:16, 23)
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,
but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally-minded is death, but to be spiritually-minded is life and peace.
… For if you live according to the flesh you will die;
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:5-14)
The law of sowing and reaping is one of God’s most basic easily-understood laws!
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption,
but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Galatians 6:7-8)
“Now I am glad I sent it (a letter), not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you
to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have,
so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to have
leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow.
But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” (2 Cor 7:9-10, NLT)
Yes, when believers repent of their sins, their salvation continues (they do not lose it).
This repentance is a most important part of the fellowship that God requires of man.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
“Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown
brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” (James 1:15-16)
Yes, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)
“Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
But we are not of those who draw back to perdition (destruction) …” (Hebrews 10:38-39)
In the NT, believers who draw back from the faith are those whose faith has NOT endured.
This passage teaches what happens to believers who fall away (draw back) from the faith.
“In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest:
whoever does NOT practice righteousness is NOT of God” (1 John 3:10)
Please notice the difference between God’s children and Satan’s children!
“Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life …
He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” (Revelation 2:10-11)
If you research it, you will find that the crown of life means eternal life.
Many NT verses teach: A believer’s faith must endure until death for him/her to be saved.
Jesus says the overcomer is the one who overcomes as He overcame!
“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on My throne,
as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Rev 3:21)
