Page 9 - Inside Report - 4Q 2016

Secure in Christ

your money is federally insured. So, feeling safe, you decide to
Some may be wondering: “If it’s possible to lose our salvation,
deposit your money into this bank.
can we live with any security and assurance of eternal life?”
What would happen if, the next day, you decide to withdraw

Well, what are the conditions for being secure in our salvation?
$100 and that same teller tells you,“You cannot withdraw money
Let’s consider another passage often quoted to support the
from our bank.”You protest but are told,“Look, we promise
theory of “once saved, always saved.” A proper understanding of you that your money is in the bank and is secure; you just can’t

these verses will clear up misconceptions about salvation.
take any of it out.” Of course, that’s not security—it’s robbery!

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. Likewise, when you lose your choice to walk away from God, you
are no longer freely serving Him.You have become a hostage.
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither
Still, God wants you to be secure in your salvation.“These
shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who
things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son
has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to
of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you
snatch them out of My Father’s hand (John 10:27–29).
may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13,
emphasis added). The condition for knowing you have eternal life A similar verse states,“All that the Father gives Me will come

is continuing to believe in the name and character of Jesus.
to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out”

Falling Away
(John 6:37). It is certainly true that when we hear the Shepherd’s
voice and come to Christ,

Once you have accepted Jesus
we are safe in His hands. No

into your life, is it possible to fall away? one, not even the devil, can
“Some fell on
Consider Jesus’ parable of the sower, which take away our assurance.
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describes the gospel seed being spread on But do these verses

different types of soil. Notice what happens w
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when the truth falls onto one type of heart:
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to turn away from Him?
Some fell on stony places, where they earth ...”
We know that the Bible
did not have much earth; and they says,“God is love”(1 John
immediately sprang up because they
4:8) and that love does not
had no depth of earth. But when the
force love.You cannot force
sun was up they were scorched, and someone to love you. Let’s
because they had no root they withered
face it—forced love is rape!
away (Matthew 13:5, 6).
God promises that when we

Now, if the seed “immediately sprang freely come to Him, He will

up,” it means these people welcomed it into their hearts. They
never turn us away.Yet it is against the very nature of God to force
us to stay with Him if we tire of His kingdom, just as Lucifer grew
believed what they heard, and the seed sprouted. Thus, if it
“withered away,” something that was once living had died. That weary of it. Thus, these passages focus on God’s side of the equation.

means some people who have received salvation at some point We may trust that when we come to the Lord, we will not be rejected.
But we are always free—because of His love—to walk away.
lost it because they did not grow deeper roots in Christ.
A Bible example of someone who was chosen by God and If we abide in Him, God will never let go of us, but we are

even Spirit-illed, but then fell away, was King Saul. He was not always free to let go of Him, to stop abiding whenever we please.
Faithfulness in a marriage requires commitment on the part of
picked through a general election, but was chosen by God. Did the
Lord choose Saul to make an example of him and then cast him both parties.

away? No! God chose this Benjamite because he was the Lord’s The security of our salvation could be compared to putting
your money into a bank. Lots of banks like to use the word
choice. At irst Saul was illed with the Spirit and even prophesied,
but he allowed pride to spring up in his heart, grieved away the “security” in their title to emphasize that your money is safe with

Holy Spirit, and then lost his salvation.
them. The message they want you to believe is,“You can trust us
Judas was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. When Christ sent him with your cash.”

out to preach the gospel (along with seventy others), they all came Suppose you visit a bank and are given a tour of the facilities.
One of the tellers shows you all the alarms and cameras set up to
back to report,“Even the demons are subject to us in Your name”
catch bank robbers. The teller points out the bulletproof glass, the

(Continued on page 20.)
many security guards, and the secured vault. Finally, you are told

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Inside Report 4Q 2016