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NASB | John 15:6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 15:6 "If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. |
Bible Question:
Once saved always saved? In Matthew 25:14-30, was the lazy slave a subject of the kingdom? If so, how would he have lost his salvation due to laziness since he already was a recipient of the daily protection and caring of his master? Did he not believe that his master was serious about the orders he had given him? Does effort matter to salvation? In John 15:6, are the branches which were thrown away and burned originally part of the vine? John 15:1 tells us that the vine is Christ. If those branches were part of the vine, how is someone part of Christ without being a Christian? Were these "false branches"? Is salvation like a freeze-dried fruitcake, lasting indefinitely without spoilage or must those who seek for eternal life with God constantly discipline themselves to ensure they are faithful until death? If they must discipline themselves, how do they do that by belief? Is there an expectation that they will be disciplined miraculously or must conscious decisions be made to control their own behavior? AO |
Bible Answer: Read Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.... Although we are Christians, we will never be perfect in this world. However, its not even a matter of discipline to live the word of God. When we grow into a personal relationship with Christ, we want to shine His Light. Yes, some thngs do require discipline at first,but later come from the heart. We live by the spirit which convicts us when we do wrong so that with the help of Our Lord, we can change those things in our lives that are unfavorable to God. Before I was saved, I had a horrible mouth, when I left the church that morning I was saved, the Lord took my foul mouth. I did not conciously stop cursing, the Lord delivered me from it amonst many other bad habits. In John 15, Jesus is talking about those that are not fruitful in their works. I don't believe that he means those branches will be cut off of eternal life, but be cut off the blessings that we receive now from God. If we don't have God, we are nothing and we will not prosper. Without the Lord in our hearts and lives, we would wither away. I believe what Jesus is saying to us here is that we being a part of the vine of Christ, cannot be fruitful without him. I don't believe this scripture is talking about salvation, but about our growth as Christians. Salvation is a gift from God, has nothing to do with works. But, once we are saved and we grow in that salvation, we learn from the Word of God that we need to put Christ first in all that we do. When we do this our lives will prosper. When we rely on ourselves or man, that is when we wither from the vine. I do hope this helps you. God Bless your efforts to learn His Truths.......Barb |