Where is God When You Walk Away?

 

The born-again child of God (John 3:3-8) who has trusted in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6) cannot lose his salvation and is eternally secure (John 10:28-29; Romans 8:38-39). Jesus promised that He would never cast out any who have come to Him, for it is His Father’s will that He should lose none of His children and that all of them have eternal life (John 6:37-40).

In His prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for every one of us who have trusted Him, for He kept secure every one whom the Father had given Him. Notably, that did not include Judas Iscariot, the “son of perdition,” who outwardly appeared to follow Him but who never had placed his faith in Him (John 17:9-24).

Once we are God’s children (Romans 8:14), He exhorts us to leave evil and wickedness behind (2 Timothy 2:19). But even the apostle Paul said he had to "die daily" to his flesh and yield to the Spirit to avoid sinning, a battle he did not always win, for none of us can (Romans 7:14-23). When we do sin (Romans 3:10,23; 1 John 1:8-10), it is our old sin nature winning out, not the Holy Spirit within us, Who cannot sin (1 John 1:4-7).

If God were to throw us out of His family whenever we sin, or whenever we sin "enough," how could He then chasten us (Hebrews 12:5-11) as a Father chastens His children? What would sinning "enough" to merit expulsion from God’s family even mean? Holy God does not differentiate levels of sin, and He cannot tolerate in His presence any sin or any sinner who has not been washed clean in the blood of Christ (Romans 3:25; Revelation 1:5) and taken on His robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10).

If a believer were expelled from God’s family whenever he sinned, even if the sin is so grievous that he tries to convince others of lies and false teachings, it would leave no room for the chastening hand of God to correct and perfect him, leading him back to the truth and to the right path (Hebrews 12:5-11).

Why would any child of God “walk away” from the faith? Reasons could include loss of mental faculties or psychiatric illness, or severe life circumstances causing one to doubt God or to be angry with Him. Or, perhaps most commonly, falling in with the wrong crowd and being influenced by them (2 Peter 3:16-17), or listening to and believing the lies Satan is blasting over the airwaves (Colossians 2:8; 2 Timothy 3:13; 4:3) through his wicked people in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

We should stand firm in our faith (1 Corinthians 16:13; 2 Peter 1:10; Ephesians 6:11-14), but pride or unbelief may cause us to fall from stedfastness into reproach, temptations, lust or condemnation, meaning disapproval but not damnation (1 Corinthians 10:12; 1 Timothy 6:9; Hebrews 4:11; 2 Peter 3:17; James 5:12)

Knowing that his time is limited, the devil is working overtime to spread false teachings, to keep people from being saved by the truth and to ruin the fruitfulness and testimony of those who are saved. For this reason, we must constantly be on guard not to believe his lies (1 Peter 5:8-10), by studying God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16), knowing and standing for what we believe (Colossians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 15:57-58), and putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).

But what if we do drift away by turning our path, attention, and affection to the world and away from Him? As the saying goes, if we find ourselves separated from God, it is we who have moved, and not Him. He cannot change or lie (Hebrews 13:8; Titus 1:2), for He is faithful (Psalm 89:8; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:13) and true (James 1:17), and He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

So what does God do with His child who has “walked away” and may even be encouraging others to do the same? First, He speaks with His still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12), perhaps convicting them of their error through a Bible verse they see or hear (2 Timothy 3:16), or a word from a Godly friend (Proverbs 27:17). If it is not too late and their conscience has not yet been seared (1 Timothy 4:2), He speaks to them through His Spirit.

Then it may take harsher measures, just as a loving earthly father resorts to when his child still disobeys in response to “the look” that means “Don’t even think about doing that again;” the verbal correction, and the “time out.” Then the earthly father may take away the child’s privileges, and God may allow Satan to remove what is important in the life of His child – health, wealth, job, and even family.

We see God allowing Satan this power in the life of Job (Job 1:8-22) even though God considered Job to be His faithful servant, to perfect Job and to glorify God when He restored all to Job (Job 42:10-17).

But what if God allows trials into the life of His child to correct him and to increase his faith, and yet the child still rebels? As our late pastor at our former church used to say, “Sometimes God gets more glory from His child’s death than from his life.” Even within the church, or called-out body of believers, there are vessels which honor the Father and are suitable for His use, and those which dishonor Him (2 Timothy 2:19-21).

If we are dishonoring God by ruining our own testimony and discouraging or deceiving others, God may not only prune us as He would unfruitful branches (John 15:1-2), but He may allow Satan to take our life and destroy our flesh (Ezekiel 18:24-26) before we can do more damage.

Even then, however, our loving Father takes us home to be with Him throughout eternity. We cannot lose our salvation or our relationship to God as His born-again children, even though we can lose the joy of our salvation while on earth (Psalm 51:12), our fellowship with God (1 John 1:3-6), our earthly life itself (Matthew 10:28; Romans 6:23), and the eternal rewards we could have had by fulfilling God’s perfect plan for our lives (2 John 1:8-9).

All of the above applies only to the person who has truly realized that they are a sinner in need of a Savior; that Jesus Christ paid in full for all of their sins (Romans 3:23-26); that He is the Son of God (1 John 5:20) Who rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:4); and who has asked Him to be his Lord and Savior (Luke 23:42-43). When we are saved, we become a new creation in Christ, and there should be evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17). As Jesus said, “by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:15-20).

No doubt there are many who have said the “sinner's prayer” without truly repenting or placing their faith in Christ, and without asking Him into their heart (Matthew 7:21-23). They may have done it only to please someone else, to fit in with their peer group, or even to try to go to Heaven without having a relationship with Christ.

These people are still unsaved, and they may subsequently "walk away" or “fall away” from the faith they never really had. But only God knows the hearts (Psalm 44:21; 139:23) and knows whether they have accepted or rejected His Son.

Therefore, I believe that a better way to state "Once Saved, Always Saved" is "Once TRULY Saved, always saved." May we remain stedfast, unmoveable, and continuing in the work He has so graciously appointed to us (1 Corinthians 15:58), always setting Him before us and at our right hand, so that we shall not be moved (Psalm 16:8). Once we are truly saved and born again as a new creation in Christ, may we stand fast and walk with Him in the light, yield to His Holy Spirit guiding us into truth, and may we do all to His glory!

© 2015 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

Identity

 

Photo by Laurie Collett 2024

Until recently, most people had never heard of NPD, or National Public Database. But now, because of possibly the largest ever breach of individual US personal data, millions or even billions of Americans have their Social Security Number, email and physical address, phone number, and/or passwords exposed on the Dark Web, potentially for sale to the highest bidder.

Although the breach apparently happened in April, the news did not surface until August – plenty of time for bad actors to do considerable damage, unbeknownst to the victims. 

Imagine finding out – too late – that your identity has been stolen. The thief has opened accounts, taken out loans, and received health care in your name; mortgaged your house to the hilt; sold your property and pocketed the proceeds; fraudulently claimed and received an income tax refund; destroyed your credit; wiped out your savings; and left you with mounds of credit card debt. Your accounts are frozen, you can’t access funds from your paycheck, and you will be evicted from your home.

Ideally, you find out in time to reverse at least some of these losses and to protect yourself from further danger. Ironically, these remedial steps involve countless hours of disclosing the stolen data, and more, online, to identity and credit monitoring bureaus, government agencies, and law enforcement, leaving the victim to wonder whether they are improving their situation or exposing themselves to further harm.  

Although born-again believers (John 3:3-8) are far from immune to identity theft, we can have the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and joy in our salvation (Habakkuk 3:18). Our identity is secure in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, Who died on the cross to pay for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), so that all who trust Him as the only Way (John 14:6) to Heaven have eternal life (John 3:16).

Our balance sheet may look dismal, but our self-image is unblemished, for we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). Society and false friends may look on us as no better than paupers, but we know that we are royalty, daughters and sons of the King, betrothed to Jesus Christ Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10) and joint heirs with Him! (Romans 8:14-17). We are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God! (Ephesians 2:19)

Our clothes may be tattered, but we are clothed in Christ’s perfect righteousness! (Isaiah 61:10). When God the Father looks at us, He no longer sees our sin, for Christ has paid our sin debt in full. Now God sees only the pristine holiness of His Son, now miraculously deposited to our heavenly account (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2).

Our earthly treasures may be decimated, but we have laid up treasures in Heaven that no thief can steal and no physical process can damage (Matthew 6:20). Work done for Jesus with the right motive and souls led to Him will be eternally rewarded with crowns (1 Corinthians 3:13-15), which we will cast at Jesus’ feet in gratitude for our salvation (Revelation 4:10).

We may lose our country club privileges, but we still have access to the most exclusive club of all! One day we will enter through the straight and narrow gate of Heaven (Matthew 7:13-14), beautiful beyond imagination (Isaiah 64:4; 1 Corinthians 2:9), where we will never die, age, or experience pain, sorrow or sin (Revelation 21:4). We will have infinite time to enjoy our loved ones and new friends in Him, and even Jesus Christ Himself, seen face-to-face and known as He now knows us! (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Despite the exclusive and top-tier rewards of Heaven, membership is all-inclusive, open to whosoever will call on the Name of Jesus Christ to be saved! (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13). So if your identity is not yet secure in Him, trust Him as your Lord and Savior today! Your financial identity could become compromised, but once you become His follower, you will never lose your position or privileges in Him!

Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ! (Romans 8:35-39). In Him, our identity, soul and being are held tight in His hand, which is firmly gripped by the hand of God the Father (John 10:28-29) and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13).

While my husband and I were at our beach house, our dinner conversation turned to venting our frustrations and anxiety over the growing perils of the world we live in – not only cybercrime, but war, terrorism, political upheaval, pandemics, natural disasters, and Christian persecution, among others. Praise God that these are predicted in His Word, signaling His imminent return (Matthew 24), and that they are but temporal and fleeting concerns compared with the peace and joy we will experience in our eternal home! (Romans 8:18).

Indeed, God calmed our fears by showing us a beautiful sunset, pictured above, a reminder of His faithfulness in governing the universe and His amazing creativity and artistry. Such vivid colors and dramatic shapes would not be possible without the clouds in the evening sky, just as the trials and dark moments in our life contrast with and thereby enhance our appreciation of His many blessings.

And to top off His visual love letter, He presented us with a half-circle rainbow, as seen below, a symbol of His faithfulness and protection! (Genesis 9:11-17). God is good, all the time, and we can be secure in our identity in Him!  

Photo by Richard Collett 2024

© 2024 Laurie Collett

Salvation’s Instant Rewards Program

 

At the moment we call out to Jesus in prayer, realizing that we are a wretched sinner in desperate need of Him as our personal Savior, and we place our faith in His death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only way to Heaven (John 14:6), we are automatically enrolled in an instant rewards program beyond compare!

We are positionally justified in Christ.(Romans 3:24,25,28; 5:1,9; 8:30; Galatians 3:11,24) All our sins, past, present and future, are forgiven and paid for by Christ’s death on the cross (Psalm 103:12). When God looks at us, He no longer sees our sins, but only the perfect righteousness of His Son (Ephesians 4:24; 1 Peter 3:14). In His eyes, it is “just as if” we had never sinned (1 John 2:2;4:10).

We are adopted as a child of God the Father, and a joint heir with Christ, through our relationship to Our Father and as the betrothed of God the Son (Romans 8:16-17). When we are born again, we become part of the church, which is the bride of Christ. (Revelation 19:7-9). Just as an earthly bride gains access to the family, legal, and financial heritage of her husband, every believer is elevated to heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6) and entitled to live, rule, and reign in His kingdom (Romans 5:17; Revelation 20:6).

We are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). This doesn’t mean that we will never sin again, because we still have our sin nature, but we will no longer want to sin (Romans 7:14-25). We will want to yield to the Holy Spirit, pleasing Him with our life, choices, habits, words, and thoughts (Romans 8:1-5). Others recognize that we are different from what we used to be and different from the world (1 Peter 1:14-16), because we are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).

We are indwelled by the Holy Spirit (John 14:17).  He enters our heart and remains there throughout our earthly life, guiding us, teaching us from God’s Word, convicting us of sin, comforting us in difficult times and giving us wisdom. He is our constant Comforter (John 16:7), Companion, and Guide. How can He leave us, for He inhabits our very body as His temple! (1 Corinthians 3:16).

At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit give us at least one spiritual gift to be used to tell others about Jesus, to encourage and teach other believers, and to glorify God.in all that we do (1 Corinthians 12:13-28).

We have immediate, continuous access to God the Father on His throne 24/7, because Christ is the perfect sacrifice and the Great High Priest Who tore away the veil separating sinners from Holy God (Hebrews 10:5-20). We never have to make an appointment or worry that His line is busy, for we can boldly approach the throne of grace! (Hebrews 4:14-16). The Spirit makes our prayer requests clearly known to the Father when we don’t even know how or what to pray! (Romans 8:26).

We have abundant life (John 10:10) beginning at the moment of salvation. Life is richer and more meaningful because the Holy Spirit leads us, and we are never alone, because He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).He is the Friend Who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

We have the assurance of security that nothing can separate us from God’s love. We did nothing to earn our salvation, and there is nothing we can do to lose it (Romans 8:35-39), for we are held securely in the double grip of Jesus’ hand clasped tightly in the Father’s hand (John 10:28-29).

All this is just the beginning! From the moment of salvation, we begin our Christian journey of progressive sanctification – of becoming more like Christ as we yield increasingly to the Holy Spirit. And one day, we shall be raised to our glorified bodies and be forever complete in Him!

© 2013 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives 

Once Written, Always Written

 

On a trip to Washington, DC, many years ago, I stood in awe in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress, admiring the architectural design and vast spaces that sweep the eye heavenward, the unblemished white marble columns and facades suggesting uprightness and security, the intricately patterned ceilings and floors reflecting great attention to detail, and the ornate sculptures and murals depicting all the fields of knowledge stored in the Library’s volumes. When it first opened in 1897, it was described as the "largest, costliest, and safest" library in the world.

Not to mention the books! The original collection of President Jefferson was somewhat controversial because of the wide range of its content, including foreign language works, religion, philosophy, science, literature and other fields not usually contained in a law library. But Jefferson’s contention was that every topic imaginable could be of potential use to a Congressman at some point in his service. His view was upheld to this day, ever since the copyright law of 1870 mandated that all copyright applicants send two copies of their work to be included in the Library. There are now several specialty galleries, each a definitive library in its own field, including one containing only the Gutenberg Bible and other Bibles of historical importance.

The experience got me thinking about God’s library of books in which he records all the details of our physical and spiritual lives. It reminded me of an episode of "Twilight Zone" in which a young woman takes a job in a vast library where she appears to be the only person present. Her only duty, for which she is rewarded with a generous paycheck, is to reshelve stacks of books she finds placed on carts at the beginning of each workday. 

But her only caveat is that she must never open any of the books! Oddly, each of the volumes has a single name inscribed on the spine, and no other title or hint to the contents. One day, as she is reading titles on the books she needs to shelve, she is shocked to see her own name on one of these. Despite the stern admonition she was given, she can't resist the temptation to open it. She is surprised that about two thirds of the pages are empty, and awestruck as she watches an invisible hand inscribe the words on the last page with writing on it, "She opened the book even though she had been warned not to do so or she would face dire consequences..."

God lays out for us in no uncertain terms what we are to do and not to do. Yet ever since Adam and Eve, man has disobeyed even the simplest of God's commands, resulting in the curse of sin and the need for a Savior to free us from it (Genesis 3).

A dear sister in Christ once asked me to teach a Bible lesson on the Book of Life. Specifically, her question was if names of believers are written there permanently, as most verses indicate, or if names can be blotted out, as suggested by other verses.

Under the Law, and subsequently in Old Testament times, God kept books of the living, and to blot someone’s name out of the book represented their physical death (Exodus 32:31-35; Psalm 69:20-29). Both the Old and New Testament refer to other books recording each person’s works, with these deeds forming a basis for rewards or punishments (Malachi 3:16; Isaiah 65:6-7; Daniel 7:9-10; Revelation 20:11-15).

This is similar to, but far more extensive than, kings of old keeping records of their subjects’ services to be rewarded and bad deeds to be judged and punished (Esther 6:1,2; 2:23; Ezra 4:15). God’s books are so complete that He even records our every wandering and our every tear (Psalm 56:8), as well as a complete blueprint of our physical appearance long before we are even born (Psalm 139:16).

In the Old Testament, one’s sinful or disobedient acts could merit physical punishment or even death, but faith in God and obedience to His commandments was counted as righteousness and rewarded with being in Paradise. Salvation was based on faith, on the belief that God is Who He says He is and is worthy of trust and obedience (Hebrews 11: 23-29), even though no one except Jesus was capable of keeping the law perfectly. Jesus Christ, Son of God, had not yet walked the earth in the flesh and had not yet died for our sins, so trusting Him as Savior was not how Old Testament saints were saved.

But after Jesus’ earthly ministry, death, burial and resurrection, the New Testament refers to the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3) containing the names of all those who are saved and who will have eternal life with Christ in Heaven. It is more completely named the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 13:8; 21:27) because it was the blood of the Lamb, Who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), that redeemed those who are saved. Those names were foreordained and foreknown by God since before the beginning of the world (Romans 8:29-30).

The clear promise of Jesus is to not, for any reason, blot out the names of believers from the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 3:5), but to read their names to God the Father and to the angels. Once a person is born again and places their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:1-4), it is not possible for that person to lose their salvation or to have their name removed from the Lamb’s Book of Life (Romans 8:37-39; John 10:28-29).

Conversely, because of God’s foreknowledge of who would reject His freely given offer of salvation (John 3:18-19) to “whosoever” would believe in His Son (John 3:16) as the only way to Heaven (John 14:6), those names were “not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) Those unbelievers still living at the Rapture will be left behind, and at the Great White Throne Judgment, those who worshipped the Antichrist (Revelation 13:8; 17:8) will be cast into the lake of fire because their name was not found in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15).

As extensive and well-preserved as the Library of Congress is, it will one day be burned to a crisp with the rest of the earth (2 Peter 3:10). But there is nothing we can do that would escape God’s attention or His perfect record-keeping system, and those records will last forever. 

No one may notice what we do on earth, but when believers face Christ in glory, we will experience the joy of hearing Him say “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21,23) for every good deed done with the right motive to glorify Him. Or, we may undergo painful loss as we see some of our works that were praised during our lifetime burn up like hay in the flames, because He saw our wrong motive of pride or self-righteousness (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

But in His amazing promise we can rest secure – once we place our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only way to Heaven (John 14:6), nothing can blot our name out of the Lamb’s Book of Life, because He wrote it there in the indelible ink of His blood since before the foundation of the world! Trust Him as your Lord and Savior today!

© 2012 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives, edited and expanded

Can You Walk Away from the Faith?

 

Photo by Liftam 2008

God’s freely given gift of salvation and eternal life, once received, changes us forever. Born-again believers who have placed their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6) cannot return to eternal death, any more than a butterfly can go back to being a caterpillar or than a child can return to the egg and sperm from whence he came.

How then can we explain those who say they are saved but then appear to walk away from the faith, as brought up by a dear reader of this blog in her comments on the post, “Who Needs the Law?” If a person trusts Christ but then chooses to walk away from the faith, can they lose their salvation, as some Scripture verses appear to suggest at first glance?

One of these verses is 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.

The verse refers to false teachers preaching heresy, perverting the truth of the Gospel and telling lies to delude others without even feeling guilty, because their conscience is seared as with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:2). 

For example, they preach salvation by works, saying that to be saved, it is necessary not to marry and to follow strict dietary laws, implying wrongly that we are saved not by God’s grace, but by our own self-righteousness in keeping the law (1 Timothy 4:3).

Or, the product of false belief may be a reprobate mind that rebels against God’s authority, not only wanting to sin, but taking pride in it (Romans 1:28).

Even though a born-again believer in Christ has the Holy Spirit within (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13), and hence the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), he still has the sin nature of Adam (Romans 5:12). He may fall prey to these lies, particularly if he neglects Bible study, prayer, and worship. He may have quenched and grieved the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19; Ephesians 4:30) within him so many times that he no longer hears His warning against false teaching and against sin.

In this case, some souls who appear to have accepted Christ, to have been born again (John 3:3-8), and even show evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17) suddenly “walk away” from the faith. In the movie Signs, a faithful preacher and man of God “loses” his faith when his wife dies in a car accident.

No doubt we all know of real life examples where someone we thought was a born-again Christian becomes a Jehovah’s Witness, Muslim, or Mormon and even tries to convert Christian friends to these religions. If they were born again into God’s family, have they now lost the salvation that God gave them (Ephesians 2:4-9) and that only God can keep (John 10:28-29) for them? Have they lost the gift He promised them of “eternal” life? Would not that negate almighty God’s total, complete and perfect power? 

The apostle Paul said it is possible for a believer to “deny the faith” by not providing for his family, making him worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8). Does that mean that a Christian father who can no longer earn money because he loses his job or becomes disabled is no longer saved? What about the Christian father who makes bad business decisions motivated by greed, or who falls prey to a drug, alcohol or gambling addiction that consumes his earnings?

And Paul added that young widows who were once faithful in serving Christ may “cast off their first faith,” turning to idleness, gossip, and worldly ways, resulting in their “damnation,” meaning not eternal damnation, or loss of salvation, but rather reproach (1 Timothy 5:11-15). The analogy would be to a student getting a demerit on his record, but not getting expelled from school.

Sadly, many who are saved do not live as if they were saved, and sometimes we refer to these as “backslidden” (Jeremiah 2:19; 5:6; 8:5). Yet when the nation of Israel was backsliding, God asked her to return to Him, for He would be merciful and no longer angry, and He would love, heal and provide for her (Jeremiah 3:12,22; Hosea 4:16;14:4)  

If a son walks away from his father; disrespects him, his faith, and his heritage; and squanders his inheritance, as in the parable of the prodigal son, he is still his father’s child, and nothing can change that fact. When the prodigal came to his senses, his father welcomed him back with loving arms, ran to meet him, and celebrated his return  (Luke 15:11-32).

But what if the prodigal had died while he was still in the pig pen? Would that have made him any less the son of his father? In modern times, sadly we hear all too often of a son rebelling against his father, running away, stealing from the family and even murdering his own father. But can all these evil wrongs change the biological fact that the two are inexorably united as flesh and blood?

Once we are saved, we are God’s children (Romans 8:16-21). Just as a father cannot do away with the fact that his son is biologically his, so Our Father does not expel us from His family even if we walk away from Him. Once we are saved by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), we become His child forever. Similarly, He did not disown His chosen people Israel even when they were repeatedly unfaithful and served false gods.

A loving father would not simply ignore his disobedient or runaway child, but would do all within his power to restore their relationship. Similarly, God will never abandon His rebellious child, but will remain faithful and true as He guides him back to loving fellowship using all measures at His disposal. 

Let us listen to God's still, small, voice when He lovingly entreats us to return to fellowship with Him, and not wait until He has to smack us on the head with a 2 x 4 to get our attention!

© 2015 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

Are You Sure You’re Saved?

Minden Cathedral photo by TUBS 2010

What does it mean to be “saved?” Salvation, or receiving eternal life in Heaven, requires believing that Jesus Christ is God, the perfect, sinless Sacrifice Who died to pay our sin debt (John 1:29). Cults that deny His divinity fail this requirement.

It requires acknowledging that we are sinners deserving eternal death in hell, and repenting of our sins (Romans 3:23; 6:23). This knocks out Satan and his minions who believe and know the Bible and know who Jesus is (James 2:19), but who feel their sins are justified because of their pride.

It requires believing the Gospel of Grace, putting our trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only way (John 14:6) to Heaven (unlike Buddhists and others who believe in multiple paths to nirvana). Faith, no matter how intense or sincere, is saving faith only if it is faith in Christ and His completed work of salvation on Calvary’s cross.

It requires a personal relationship with Him, recognizing that we are sinners in need of a Savior and making Him Lord of our life. This eliminates those with a "head" knowledge of Who Christ is and what He did, without a heart relationship -- many professing Christians may fall into this category (Luke 13: 23-27). As our former pastor once said, the distance between being lost and being saved may be only 18 inches – the distance between the brain and the heart.

Romans 10:9 [I]f thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Once saved, we are always saved, because:

When we are “born again” (John 3: 3-8) by confessing and turning away from sin, and by placing our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus as the only Way to Heaven, we are indwelled by and sealed with the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 1:13-14; Ephesians 2: 22).

We did nothing to merit or earn our salvation, and there is nothing we (or anyone or anything) can do to lose it or take it away, provided it was a genuine, heartfelt spiritual rebirth (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We are in the double grip of eternal security – Christ holding us tightly within His hand, which is held tightly within the Father’s hand (John 10:27-29).

No sin, past, present or future, and no trick or trap of Satan or his demons or of evil men – nothing --could cause us to lose our salvation (Romans 8:38-39).

When we are born again, we are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). One of the paradoxes of the Christian life is that we must die to truly live (1 Corinthians 15: 36-38). As we trust Christ as our Savior and turn away from our sins, we die daily to our flesh, that is, our sin nature, that would control us (Romans 6:6-14). We must fight this spiritual battle between our sin nature and the indwelling Holy Spirit by putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17). The change that He began in us at the moment of salvation He will continue until He brings us home (Philippians 1:6).

Before the beginning of the world, God knew who would be saved by accepting His amazing offer of eternal life by grace through faith (Ephesians 1:3-15), yet the mystery is that He did so without taking away our free will to choose eternal life in Christ or to reject Him and suffer eternal death in hell. God makes no mistakes, and if we could lose our salvation, His foreknowledge would have been wrong. 

Romans 8 describes the domino effect of God’s foreknowledge: because of it, He has predestined believers to be like Christ, justified (made “just as if” we had never sinned), and glorified. Because of that, we are beyond condemnation: God is for us, so who can be against us? (Romans 8:29-37).

God saved us for a purpose, and each of us is fitted into His body as precisely as a stone block is fitted into a cathedral vault. If one could lose their salvation, the building would fall apart (Ephesians 2: 18-22).

Although we must daily fight the battle between sin, which ultimately results in death (Romans 6:23), and the new, abundant life we received at the moment of salvation through the indwelling Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ has won the war on our behalf. We know how it will all turn out; we can look forward not only to the Rapture but to His glorious appearing as we return to earth with Him to fight the Battle of Armageddon; and we can stand victorious on His promise of eternal life.

He has permanently conquered sin and death for all who trust in Him as Lord and Savior (1 Cor: 15:20-22; 55-57). Praise God for His amazing love, mercy and grace, allowing us to choose salvation through faith in His Son!  Praise God that He securely keeps that gift for us forever!

© 2013 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

 

Our Shepherd Securely Saves Us

Of all the metaphors Jesus could have used to describe His followers, calling us sheep is not very flattering (Matthew 15:24; Psalm 119:176). Yet deservedly so, for compared to Him, we lack wisdom (James 1:5), strength (Psalm 6:2) and even common sense (Psalm 69:5). We tend to wander away from the path (Psalm 107:40) straight into danger (Psalm 141:9), and to follow a herd mentality that collectively as well as individually often gets us into trouble (Job 14:1).

Without His guidance (Psalm 119:105), mercy (Romans 9:16) and protection (2 Samuel 22:2) we are helpless, vulnerable to predators, and doomed to death (1 Peter 5:8). But His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and He alone can save us (Acts 4:12) and keep us (Romans 8:39; 1 Peter 1:5). Sheep are simple creatures, and thankfully, so is the path to salvation – all we must do is believe (Acts 16:31).

Jesus criticized the Pharisees for not believing in Him, and therefore not being part of His flock (John 10:26). They were trying to confuse the simplicity of His message by adding to, omitting, and changing God’s Word (Revelation 22:18-19). Unlike the Pharisees, believers in Christ hear His voice; for He knows us and we follow Him (John 10:27).

Once we believe that He died to pay for our sins and reconcile us to Holy God (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2); that He was buried; and that He rose again (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) so that all who trust Him will live forever with Him (John 3:16), we have a relationship with Him in which He knows, guides and protects us and we trust , follow and obey Him (Psalm 23). This is so simple that a child can be saved (Matthew 18:3-4), just as a child soon grows to know, love and obey the parents who nurture, care for, and teach him (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4)

In contrast, the Pharisees preached a doctrine of their own legalistic tradition (Matthew 15:3-6), in which salvation was based on following the law (Matthew 19:17-20), respecting religious rituals, and painstakingly counting out the tithe even from the seeds they gathered from their herbs (Matthew 23:23). But in this self-righteous system of salvation by good works (Galatians 1:8-9), they ignored the greatest commandment, which is to love God and to love one another (Matthew 22:36-40).

Although a good shepherd will guard his flock even to the point of jeopardizing his own life (John 10:15), earthly sheep eventually die from natural causes. But the Good (John 10:11,14), Great (Hebrews 13:20), and Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) promises His sheep eternal life! (John 10:28)

Once we hear His voice, believe in, and follow Jesus Christ, we are His forever, for no man can remove us from His secure grip (John 10:28). He loves us infinitely (1 John 4:8), is omnipotent (Genesis 18:14) and all-knowing (Psalm 139:6), so it is His desire (2 Peter 3:9) and completely within His power and wisdom not only to save us (Hebrews 7:25), but to keep us and to give us eternal life (John 3:16).

Just in case we had any doubts about this, Jesus goes on to assure us that His Father is completely on board with this plan, being the ultimate backup defense. God the Father, Who is greater than all, gave all believers to God the Son for safekeeping, which is a fail-safe plan because Jesus the Son and God the Father are One (John 10:29).

To make it absolutely clear that once we are saved, we cannot lose our salvation, Jesus reassures us that we are in the double grip of His hand, surrounded by the Father’s hand (John 10:29-30). No one, nothing, no power could pluck us from the hand of God the Father, which surrounds the hand of God the Son, where we are securely kept from all evil, harm and danger.

The three Persons of the Trinity – God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit always act together, in one accord, for they are united in will (Luke 3:22). Therefore, the Holy Spirit must also participate in ensuring the eternal security of the believer.

Not only are we held securely in the impenetrable grip of Christ, and further protected by the omnipotent hand of the Father, but this fortress is also sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30). No question that in this sealed double grip we are eternally safe!

In contrast, the Pharisees’ grip is weak and their religiosity completely impotent to save (Matthew 23:15). When they attempted to capture Jesus for alleged blasphemy, He escaped out of their hand (John 10:33-39).

As our pastor likes to say, religion is dangerous, deadly, and will lead you straight to hell. We are saved not by baptism, attending church, or tithing, but by His grace through our faith in His death, burial and resurrection, not by works (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-9). Those who are “good Baptists” or those of any denomination, but who have never believed in Him, heard His voice and followed His lead are doomed to hell (Mark 16:16).

They may protest that they did many good works in the name of Jesus. But He will counter that He never knew them, command that they leave His presence, and call them “workers of inquity” (Luke 13:23-28; Matthew 7:22-23). Saved or unsaved, we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), but those who have trusted Christ are forgiven (1 John 1:9); our sins are paid for in full by His shed blood (Galatians 3:13), and removed from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

He robes believers in His righteousness (Revelation 19:8), which is our wedding garment at the marriage feast, whereas those who have not trusted Him will be ashamed at their lack of this garment and be cast out into utter darkness (Matthew 22:2-14).

The parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7) illustrates that we can only be found when we know we are lost. Notice that the ninety nine sheep are not in the safety of the sheepfold, as the hymn states, but in the wilderness, which is a type of sin. The Shepherd leaves the ninety nine sheep who are unaware of their plight and finds the single lost sheep, laying it across his shoulders all the way home, and rejoicing with his friends and neighbors.

Jesus explains the parable by saying that all heaven will rejoice over a sinner who repents, rather than over ninety nine self-righteous people who think they are holy, have no reason to repent, and have no need of the Shepherd.

To drive the point home, He then tells the parable of the lost (prodigal) son, who was lost but was found when he came to the end of himself, realized he was unworthy, and returned to His Father (Luke 15:11-32).

Some reading this may protest that the backslidden Christian is no longer part of Jesus’ flock. But to argue this would be to contradict the doctrine of eternal security. If we did nothing to earn our salvation, there is nothing we can do to lose it, even if were foolish enough so to desire.

The Great Shepherd made an eternal promise with His sheep, wrote it in His shed blood, and He alone can make us perfect (mature or complete) in every good work, according to His will, for His pleasure. His “everlasting covenant” means that it can never be broken by our own actions, omissions, or evil thoughts, nor by anyone, anything, or any power (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Praise God that through Christ, our pastors, deacons and teachers can be undershepherds, feeding His flock with pure motives, not for financial gain, and being good examples for believers to follow. Praise God that when Jesus Christ, the chief Shepherd, appears, He will reward these undershepherds with a crown of glory that will never fade! (1 Peter 5:1-4)

© 2017 Laurie Collett