Bible Question: Yes I did read Revalation 20, thanks for the sarcasm, am I to understand from the stand you are taking that you believe that once "saved" always "saved". The start of Matthew 25v32 says He will gather all the nations, v34 says come to me all who are blessed and take your inheritence. Romans 2 v7 says To those who persistance in doing good seek glory honor and immortality he will give eternal life. I think that when God gives us the right to use His name through Christ that we should honor that name in deeds and thanks and that if we continue in our old way of life we risk our eternal future.Hebrews 10 v 26-27 |
Bible Answer: For the record, Yes, I do believe that once one is genuinely saved, that he is always saved. Now .. which left field you are getting this from out of this passage I am still trying to figure out. Anyways, Read Matthew 25:31-33 carefully. Verse 31: Speaks of who is hosting this gathering. Said to be the Son of Man, that it will be at his "Glorious Throne". Verse 32: Says who is being gathered. "All the nations" are brought before him. This verse goes on to what will happen to them. He will separate them one from another. He uses the analogy of a shepherd tending his flock. Verse 33: How they are separated. Those who are his faithful, in other words "Saved", are counted as his "sheep" using the analogy, and will be placed on the right. Those who are not his faithful, in other words "Unsaved", are counted as "goats" using the analogy, and will be placed on the left. Now .. Verse 34 begins a new thought. He starts with this phrase "Then the King will say to those on his right ...". The first 3 verses of this passage already tells us that everyone was separated. Now he goes into why they were separated and how starting with verse 34. In verse 34, he is speaking directly to the ones on his right. He tells them what they will inherit in verse 34. Then beginning in verse 35, he goes through the ordeal of revealing what they did in life. Hence, as is reflected in Revelation 20, they were judged by their actions. This continues to Verse 41, where he begins a new train of throught. Now he is speaking to the others. Those on his left. He begins exactly as he did in verse 34. Telling us who he was speaking to and what they will inherit, in this case punishment in eternal fire. For the remainder of the chapter telling us what they did in life to deserve such. Hence, like with the ones on the right, they were judged by their actions. Now, it's nice that you bring up Romans 2:7. Did you read the context passage? Romans 2:1-16? The entire passage is about the Final judgement and how our actions will reflect upon it. Verse 5 of the passage tells that those who remain stubborn and unrepentant store up wrath and righteous judgement from God, such as is described what will happen to the ones on the left in Matthew 25. Another thing to note is that this passage immediately follows a passage in Romans that spells out a very detailed outline of a person's progress through sin and disobedience. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul writes about an unsaved person. That the Person is continuously given chances to repent, and if that person does not, that he will be granted what the person desires until finally he is brought to final judgement, death. Chapter 2 of romans is expanding on that thought. You then bring up Hebrews 1:26-27. Did you read also the context passage Hebrews 1:26-31? The author, through out the whole chapter, is speaking about the sarcifice made by christ on the cross in comparrison to the yearly ones made by the priests under the mosaic law. Look at verse 29. Here he basically clarifies what he said in verse 26 about the ones who recieve "the knowledge of truth". He gives a list of sins. 1) Trampling the son of God under his foot. 2) reguarded the blood of the covenant unclean. 3) and insulted the Spirit of Grace. This person basically is asking for God's judgement. The author is essentially saying that if you reject the sacrifice made by Christ, then you reject only sacrifice capable of saving you from death. All of these passages say the same basic thing. If you refuse the gift of Salvation from God, then you lose any and all chance at eternal life. Jesusman |