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Many have gone back to sins they were once freed from. They claim that they still believe. But that is only when you corner them and ask them. They don't give anyone any indication that they are believers and they are in bondage to the sins they were once freed from.
There are many who were genuinely living a born again life, for many years and there is no way they could have lived the sanctified life and known the truths that they once espoused without that born again experience that they testified too. But as the decades rolled by they went through a divorce or something and started drinking and withdrew from church and started doing the things they used to do before they got saved. Now they visit the bars every night and hang around with sinners and pretend to be just like them.
This is real. Not a made up scenario. And the question that must be answered is "are they going to heaven because of their past experience even though they have backslidden?" Is their confession that they still believe enough to excuse their decadence and drunkeness? Of course not. We would tell them to repent before it is too late. But to tell them that they never were born again in the first place would be a desperate effort to make a false doctrine make sense to oneself. Don't you think?
There are many who were genuinely living a born again life, for many years and there is no way they could have lived the sanctified life and known the truths that they once espoused without that born again experience that they testified too. But as the decades rolled by they went through a divorce or something and started drinking and withdrew from church and started doing the things they used to do before they got saved. Now they visit the bars every night and hang around with sinners and pretend to be just like them.
This is real. Not a made up scenario. And the question that must be answered is "are they going to heaven because of their past experience even though they have backslidden?" Is their confession that they still believe enough to excuse their decadence and drunkeness? Of course not. We would tell them to repent before it is too late. But to tell them that they never were born again in the first place would be a desperate effort to make a false doctrine make sense to oneself. Don't you think?
Jesus said whoever recieves his gift has passed from death to life
We are said to be made new creatures
We are said that we have been given every spiritual blessing under heaven
we are said we have been given the spirit as a pledge UNTIL the day of redemption (ressurection day)
We are said to have been justified, perfected forever. And that he who began a good work in us will complete it until the day of christ
We are told he will never leave nor forsake us. And even if we tried to run where are we going to go that God is not there. Where can we hide from God?
We are told that we will never die, live forever and be risen on the last day.
we are told that we will spend eternity with him, and even if we are faithless he is faithful; why? He can;t deny himself
Its not about us. It’s About God and his promise.
We can’t earn sa;cation. The first sin we commited we lost the ability to save ourselves.
Gods standard is perfection. And the moment we break that standard we are dependent on God. If we came to him for salvation. We and he saves us and gives us all the promise I showed above. The only way salvation can be lost is that God broke his promise. And he denies himself.
Salvation is not about how worthy we are. No one living or dead is worthy of eternal life. When God rescued the people from Egypt. The angel did not look at the worthiness of the people inside. He looked at the blood on the door. Tha animal that sacrificed his life for the salvation of the people.
The law teaches the same thing.. Gods standard is perfection. And the only means of atonement is the blood of the animal that was sacrificed.
Adam and eve was taught this, that sin caused death. But an animal that was killed to cover their nakedness before God.
If we look at a person and see there sin and try to judge them, who are we? 1st, who are we to think we are better than those people in Gods eyes? (Thank God I am not like the sinner) and number 2, should we not be looking at our own sin and not the sin of others. And why if we are looking at their sin, are we looking at them? To make ourselves feel better?
I know this. Alot of people who think we will ion heaven will be missing, and a lot of people we think will not make it will be there.
Salvation is Gods. Its his to give, its his to keep. We have no part in this process. That is why it is of grace.
Sanctification is empowered by God but we have to react to his work in us. Many will grow in leaps and bounds, Many will remain babes in christ and need to continue to be fed mil. And many will have ups and downs where they have times of great victory in christ, and times where their flesh gets the best of them.
Who are we to judge if they are saved or not? Who are we?