Once Saved Always Saved? No

 

The 'Once Saved Always Saved' teaching is horribly false if not very dangerous. We will evaluate the issue through Scripture. Ezekiel Ch 3:20 Similarly, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits wickedness, I will place a stumbling block before him - he will die; because you failed to warn him, he will die in his sin; his righteous acts which he did will not be remembered; and I will hold you responsible for his death. Even though the righteous man was not warned he is still held responsible for turning away from righteousness and committing wickedness. Please carefully note the man was once 'Righteous' but turned to do 'Wickedness'. He was, in a sense, once saved--but he turned to wickedness and was held responsible. Ezekiel Ch 33: 13 So if, after I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, he begins trusting in his own [former] righteousness and starts committing crimes; then none of his [former] righteous actions will be remembered; on the contrary, he will die for the evil deeds he has committed. The very same teaching is taught in Ch 33:13 as in Ch 3:20. This is very important. Something isn't taught twice in Scripture without it being important. Now we will look at 2 Peter Ch 2: 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the Way of righteousness than, fully knowing, to turn from the holy command delivered to them. 22 What has happened to them accords with the true proverb, "A dog returns to its own vomit." Yes, "The pig washed itself, only to wallow in the mud!" Peter teaches us that it would have been better for them not to have known the Way of Righteousness--that means they did know--than to turn from the Holy Command delivered to them. Is Peter teaching from Ezekiel Ch 3 and Ch 33? Did he know the teachings of the Prophets? What authority did Peter say this under? Was this his own view or a direct truth from G-D? Let's see: 2 Timothy Ch 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults and training in right living; All Scripture.  Not some. And remember, when Paul was writing to Timothy what is called the New Testament wasn't put together yet. So what Scriptures was Paul referring to? The Tanack (the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings). Peter was not writing anything on his own. He wrote what the HOLY SPIRIT showed him to write. Now we will look at Matthew 7   Ch 7: 21 "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that Day, many will say to me, `Lord, Lord! Didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we expel demons in your name? Didn't we perform many miracles in your name?' 23 Then I will tell them to their faces, `I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!' YESHUA teaches not everyone who calls HIM 'LORD' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those do who do what HIS FATHER in Heaven wants (we'll talk about the Torah in another teaching). These people will claim that they did many things in YESHUA'S NAME. Therefore they knew YESHUA'S NAME and performed many miracles and prophecy and expelled demons. To someone who doesn't have discernment these type of people might seem like real, G-D Fearing men who love YESHUA. But YESHUA knows the heart. These people were workers of lawlessness (Torah Violators). What is sin: 1 John Ch 3:4 Everyone who keeps sinning is violating Torah - indeed, sin is violation of Torah. So how can the law be 'Done Away With' is sin is violation of the law? What would we have to compare our sins to? Why would we need a SAVIOR? Do not we learn in Romans Ch 5: 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in that the Messiah died on our behalf while we were still sinners. We were all dead in our sins--violators of the Torah--the Law. The Name of YESHUA holds Eternal Power and the people in Matthew Ch 7 were abusing that power. They were workers of lawlessness. But wait? Doesn't Paul teach us that anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved? Doesn't Matthew write that anyone who believes on the Name of YESHUA will have Eternal Life. Yes. Now we're getting into the 'Heart' issue. YESHUA came to teach the Spirit of the Law. Moses taught the Letter of the Law. YESHUA knows what is in our hearts and what isn't. YESHUA gave us this command in Matthew Ch 10: 38 And anyone who does not take up his execution-stake and follow me is not worthy of me. This is how we  truly follow YESHUA: We die to the world and ourselves and become a new creation in YESHUA 2 Corinthians Ch 5:17 17 Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation - the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new! But wait, doesn't that mean I'll always be saved so 'Once Saved Always Saved' is real. No. Pay attention to what Paul writes. He says if anyone is 'United' with the MESSIAH. The only way to be 'United' with the MESSIAH is to die to the world and your flesh, become spiritually minded, and pick up your cross and follow YESHUA. Picking up your cross means you are dead to the world and are going to your death--but in doing so you are risen with MESSIAH YESHUA from the dead. Listen to what James writes. James Ch 2: 26 Indeed, just as the body without a spirit is dead, so too faith without actions is dead. Your new faith must be accompanied by actions. True faith. Not just watered down faith. This is the faith we live by:   Galatians Ch 2:20 When the Messiah was executed on the stake as a criminal, I was too; so that my proud ego no longer lives. But the Messiah lives in me, and the life I now live in my body I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of God had, who loved me and gave himself up for me. I want to point out that everyone who left Egypt during the Exodus crossed the Red Sea and were present when G-D descended on Mt. Sinai in fire. But how many of those people actually entered the Land of Israel? They knew the truth but chose the way of wickedness. I'll end with Matthew Ch 7:     Matthew Ch 7:13 "Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; 14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it. The hard road leads to life. When YESHUA commanded we pick up our Cross and follow HIM, HE was showing us the doorway to the narrow gate and hard road. When we pick up our Cross and follow YESHUA, entering through the narrow gate and walking the hard road, we are walking toward the Kingdom of Heaven. Any other path leads to destruction. Once saved always saved? No. Once 'Loved' always 'Loved' by my SAVIOR who died for me is the path I walk. I'm dead to this world. It is YESHUA MESSIAH who lives in me and I live in my flesh by his faithfulness. Am I capable of turning back onto the broad road. You bet. Will I? Not on my life for YESHUA is my life. So does this lead to a works of Salvation type issue? We are saved by grace through faith. But pay close attention to what James teaches.   James Ch 2:24 You see that a person is declared righteous because of actions and not because of faith alone.   A person is declared Righteous by his actions (works) and not faith alone. He did not teach a person was saved by his works. Our works show the world how much we love G-D through HIS SON, YESHUA MESSIAH. We grow from the One True Vine and bear fruit and the FATHER prunes us in order for us to bear more fruit. Shalom and blessings and love.

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