Dogs Returning To Their Vomit

Show us the words, "no longer has eternal life" in scripture.

Fake Christians indeed. Jesus never knew them which means they were never saved.

On the surface that may be what these verses appear to teach, but is that really the case?

Not all belief is the same and even though this shallow ground hearer in Luke 8:13 is said to have "believed," yet he is never said to have been "saved." How do we know that the shallow ground hearer was never actually "saved"? Allow me to explain the reasons.

First, his heart condition is contrasted with that of the "good ground" hearer in the 4th soil, who's heart was "good" and "honest." Thus, his heart was not "good," being like the soil to which it corresponds, being "shallow" or "rocky," lacking sufficient depth. Such soil represents a sinner not properly prepared in heart. People who "believe" and "rejoice" at the preaching of the gospel without a prepared heart, and without a good and honest heart, and without having "root" in themselves, do not experience real salvation.

IN CONTRAST TO - Mark 4:8 - But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Luke 8:15 says, But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. So, the rocky soil represents a person not properly prepared in heart, so the seed planted ends up with a lack of "root" (lack of being firmly planted or established) and good soil represents a person properly prepared in heart who having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keeps it and bears fruit with patience.

*Unlike saving belief, temporary, shallow belief is not rooted in a regenerate heart. How can no depth of earth, no root, no moisture, no fruit, represent saving belief? Also, the same Greek word for believe "pisteuo" is used in James 2:19, in which we read that the demons believe "mental assent" that "there is one God," but they are not saved.

John has portrayed people who "believe" (at least to some extent) but are clearly not saved. There is a stage in the progress of belief in Jesus that "falls short of firmly rooted and established belief resulting in salvation." As we see in John 2:23-25, in which their belief was superficial in nature and Jesus would not entrust/commit Himself to them.

Also, in John 8:31-59, where the Jews who were said to have "believed in him" turn out to be slaves to sin, indifferent to the words of Jesus’, children of the devil, liars, accused Jesus of having a demon and were guilty of setting out to stone and kill the one they have professed to believe in. We can see at best, these Jews believed in Him (based on their own misconceptions and expectations) of Jesus, yet upon gaining further knowledge about Jesus through His words, we see they did not truly "believe unto salvation" and become children of God (John 1:12; 3:18) but were instead children of the devil.

The seed that fell on the rocky soil did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth (it sprang up, but no crop sprang up) and because it had no root it withered away. (Mark 4:6) There was some motion and movement toward growth, unlike the seed that fell by the wayside, yet the condition changed from sprang up (although it did not yet reach its desired goal) to withered away. New life is demonstrated by fruit. A plant that has no root and fails to produce fruit does not represent new life. Faith without works is dead.

Formerly saved is inconclusive, as I already thoroughly explained.

They fell away because their faith was never firmly rooted and established in a regenerate heart from the start.

I believe it is inferred in the text. Nicodemus, being a pharisee, would have understood completely what Jesus meant when he referred to Moses lifting the serpent. Using that, he would have known Jesus meant more than just a mere belief, but referred to an actual trust. As I am sure all the people of Israel believed God would save them (they had a long list of proof) but only those who had true faith looked and they are the ones who were literally born again.



It depends on context. you can use that verse to stand alone to prove God created the heavens and earth in the beginning of time.. you do not need any other passage


although we can not take a select verse out of context in order to use it to fit our belief system, and we can;t take it in isolation when it contradicts other passages of scripture

The wording of the five foolish virgins in our text is all too familiar to the reader of Matthew’s Gospel: Matthew 25:11 - "Later, the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’ 12 But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you!" *Matthew 7:21 - "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven" but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven - (See John 6:40). 22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many wonderful works?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Taking Matthew’s words literally, I read that the difference between the foolish virgins and the wise virgins: The wise virgins had oil for their lamps, while the foolish virgins did not. The wise virgins had the opportunity to obtain oil and did so. The foolish virgins had plenty of opportunity to procure oil but did not. It's possible to be in close contact with Christ, and with Christians, and yet not be saved. I am reminded of a similar passage in the Gospel of Luke:

Luke 13:23 Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few be saved?" So, he said to them, 24 "Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, let us in!’ But he will answer you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will reply, ‘I don’t know where you come from! Go away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves thrown out. 29 Then people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table in the kingdom of God. 30 But indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

Jesus may indeed be warning us in this parable that there will be a number of people who look like Christians, who associate with Christians, and who even think they are Christians, who will be shocked to learn that they are not saved at the return of our Lord and Christ never knew them. What a sobering thought!

The fact that this man is called a "servant" does not necessarily mean that he was saved.

The children of Israel (Oh Israel - Isaiah 43:1) were called the Lord’s servants, but they were not all saved. Isaiah 43:10 - "You are My witnesses, says the Lord," And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.

Leviticus 25:55 - For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Yet God later destroyed those who did not believe. (Jude 1:5)

Nehemiah 1:6 - please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.

Just like in the case of the parable of the talents, the talents represent monetary value and are distributed according to ability (Matthew 25:15). The requirement is to invest in Christ. The first two servants deposited their money with the bankers (Matthew 25:27) but the third servant buried his money in the ground (Matthew 25:25). The third servant had been given a talent according to his ability and the opportunity to believe and bear fruit in accordance but chose to reject it.

Also, the fact that the latter man in this parable is called "wicked" and "slothful" and an "unprofitable servant" (Matthew 25:30) who is "cast out into outer darkness" indicates that he was not a true disciple of the master. The idea of this parable is that all true believers will produce fruit in varying degrees. All genuine believers are fruitful, but not all are equally fruitful (Matthew 13:23). Those who produce no results are not truly converted.

This man's characterization of the master maligns him as "reaping and gathering" what he had no right to claim as his own. This wicked, lazy servant does not represent a genuine believer as it's obvious that he had no true knowledge of the master. Two of these servants were children of God, but not the third. Children of God are not cast out into outer darkness.

You come to dislike someone when you discover that they are untrue to you when at first you trusted in them. No one can do that with Jesus. You and I can be played for the fool, He cannot.

what could God do that would betray you?

Other than not keeping his promise to keep you from falling?

Some people seem to have more faith in self-preservation than they do in God's preservation. Psalm 37:28 - For the Lord loves justice and does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

Anyone that rejects God is a fool because while He cannot be played for a fool, neither does he "play" anyone. He asked Peter three times, "do you love Me?" not because He needed confirmation but, I believe, to let Peter know what He already did know. Even though Peter's denial appeared to reveal otherwise, I don't believe Peter's denial stemmed from a lack of love but from the fear of man.
Jesus showed Peter perfect love that cast out that fear.

Yet, the world is in rebellion against God.

Because the world fails to say that God is right, does not negate the reality that He is.

That is in regard to the context of falling back on the law for security. Those believed they need something "more" than Jesus. I believe that it the proverbial "vomit." The law failed to sustain life, but is continually regurgitated, and lapped back up again.

Again, by reason of the fear of man they were bewitched... the context might have even touched upon that if I recall correctly. I'd have to go back and look it over to be sure of it. I do recall Paul saying something about "for fear of the Jews" in regard to Peter.

20For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22[p]It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

Again entangled specifies they were once untangled, & that can only come by true salvation.
to return from anything means they left that previous state of sin to salvation.