Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | "ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED"!!! | Matt 22:37 | Robert Nicholson | 64457 | ||
FTimA: The book of James is written to Christians. You have referred to James 5:19-20 regarding the erring brother. "Brethren if any of you do err(wander) from the truth, and one convert him (or turn him back) Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins" The example given by James is a brother who has received the truth, but has gone astray. When a saint goes astray and gets away from the Lord, those which are spiritual have a responsiblity to try and restore such a person back to the truth and to God. Sin in a Christian's life does not put them outside the family of God, but clouds our daily fellowship with God and with fellow believers. When a person is restored they are prevented from carrying on sinning and away from God, thus a multitude of sins are prevented from happening at all. To save their soul from death does not refer to eternal death which the unbeliever will suffer, but rather physical death which can be a result of persistent disobedience and dishonor to the testimony of Christ. The Lord loves us too much to allow us to carry on without discipline. we read "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Heb. 12:6 Examples of this are seen in Acts 5:5-10 regarding Ananius and Sapphira who lied to to God and thought they could deceive him. The second example is found in 1 Cor. 11: 27-30 regarding those who partaking of the Lord's supper unworthly and Paul writes "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and manny sleep.(are dead) It is a serious business to purposely dishonor the Lord and rather than allow us to carry on in disobedience he may see fit to take us home to heaven. In 2 Peter 3: 17,18 This is also written to "beloved" saints who are born again. First, he gives them a word of warning v. 17 and in V. 18 an exhortation. Paul wants them to stay focussed on Christ and not to be turned aside by the false teachers of the day which we cover in Chapter 2. The Christian is not exempt from the three fold enemy the world, the flesh, and the devil. None of the three can ever take from us the life which is eternally ours in Christ, but they can spoil our life for God on this earth. Stedfastness as in V.19 is there consistent and faithful life. The scriptures make it clear that those who are saved should never become complacent in their lives. we are warned to "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8. Our motive in faithfulness to Christ is not to preserve the security we have in him, but rather to bring glory and honor to him in our lives. Peace in his name Robert |
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2 | "ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED"!!! | Matt 22:37 | roviear | 64461 | ||
Robert, quick point: death isn't actually a punishment for true believers, for we're going to be with God. I believe that our punishment is the continued separation from fellowship with the Lord, which means that we don't enjoy the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5). For myself, I cannot stand being miserable, therefore, I seek the Spirit's help in revealing my sins or why I'm feeling separated. Most times I don't actually need to seek too hard for I know what the issue is! Also, the Bible doesn't actually say that Ananias and Sapphira themselves were true believers, only that they were in the midst of the believers. They attempted to deceive the Lord because they mistakenly believed that He only saw the outward appearance. I don't remember who else spoke about A and S, but I read it recently. It was a short, but pretty good discourse on the topic. In Christ, Estelle |
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3 | "ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED"!!! | Matt 22:37 | Robert Nicholson | 64504 | ||
Good morning Estelle: I agree with you that when we allow things in our lives which take us away from God we become miserable and want to make it right. I believe this is the normal Christian life. We experience the mountains and the valleys, but know that Christ is with us all the way. I would suggest however, in the case of a person who wilfully and habitually turns from Christ, that if they are truly his that he will chasten them. His chastening is preventative rather than punitive. As in the case of those in 1 Cor. 11 whom Paul speaks about, it would appear that they died. Their deaths were not punitive but preventative in that the Lord could not allow them to continue in wilful disobedience. I believe this is the thought that James is teaching in James 5:19-20. Your brother in Christ Robert |
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