Page 20 - Inside Report - 4Q 2016

“

How can you depart

(Continued from page 9.)

” from the faith unless you
(Luke 10:17). Judas was certainly among this group of successful

evangelists and was used by the Lord to witness to others.
We sometimes picture Judas as going around constantly
were irst in the faith?

rubbing his hands together with evil delight, trying to steal other
people’s money. When Judas joined the disciples, his heart had

been touched by the teachings of Christ. His intentions were good,

yet he eventually allowed his own opinions to guide him more
than the teachings of Jesus. Slowly he began to resist the Savior’s will depart from the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1). How can you depart from

the faith unless you were irst in the faith?
plans because he felt he knew better and he eventually fell away.

The doctrine of predestination, as taught by Calvin, is dangerous
Stories of people like Judas, Saul, Balaam, and others are given
becauseitgivespeopleafalsesenseofsecurity.Paulwarned,“Ideclare to us “as examples, and they were written for our admonition”

to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received (1 Corinthians 10:11) so that we would not follow in their ways.

Jesus makes it clear in His message to the church of Sardis and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast
that if the people did not repent and turn from their bad behavior, that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain”

they would lose their salvation.“He who overcomes shall be (1 Corinthians 15:1, 2, emphasis supplied). The word “if ” suggests

clothed in white garments, and I
that ongoing faith is a condition for our
will not blot out his name from the
salvation. If we do not hold fast, we are

Book of Life; but I will confess his
believing in vain.
It is unbiblical to teach that we
name before My Father and before
His angels” (Revelation 3:5).
continue to be among God’s chosen

You Are Chosen
when we go off and do our own thing.

By this we know that we know Him,
What then does it mean to
if we keep His commandments. He
be “God’s elect”? (Titus 1:1). The
who says,“I know Him,”and does
Greek word for elect, eklektoi,
not keep His commandments, is a
means “chosen ones” or “picked
liar, and the truth is not in him. But
out.” I once heard a minister
whoever keeps His word, truly the
explain that election means that
love of God is perfected in him. By
God has cast His vote for you,
this we know that we are in Him. He
the devil has voted against you,
and you have the tie-breaking
who says he abides in Him ought
himself also to walk just as He
vote. Everyone is called to follow
walked (1 John 2:3–6).
the Lord, but not all respond.
When Jesus told the parable of the
When you have an abiding trust

wedding feast, He described how many of the initial guests made in Jesus, you can know that you are a child of God and that He will

excuses and didn’t come. So the king told his servants to “go into inish what He began in your life.“Being conident of this very thing,
the highways, and as many as you ind, invite to the wedding” that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the

(Matthew 22:9). God has not invited a select few to receive the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). How do we complete the race

gospel invitation. He wants as many as possible to enter the that we began when we irst accepted the Savior? “Looking unto
kingdom. Jesus ended this story by explaining,“For many are Jesus, the author and inisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

called, but few are chosen” (verse 14).
We can have the assurance of salvation if we keep our eyes on

God’s elect are those who respond to His call. Those who Christ and hold fast to His Word. We can know that we have eternal
heed the Lord’s bidding are the chosen ones, but everyone is life when we continue to walk in God’s ways by faith. But if we believe

given the call. The message is to go “to every nation, tribe, that once we accept Jesus we can turn away from Him and still be

tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6), but not everyone will saved, we are swallowing an artiicial gospel that could leave us with
accept the invitation. Some will even turn to God but then will great disappointment.

turn away.“The Spirit expressly says that in latter times some

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Inside Report 4Q 2016