1. Salvation is received by faith and it is kept by faith.
(Ephesians 2:8; Galatians 2:20,21; Hebrews 10:38; 1 Peter 1:5) Genuine faith proves itself by the presence of good works and absence of evil works or dead works. We can only abide in Christ by a faith that obeys His Word.

2. An unrepentant believer (engaging in presumptuous, continued sin) proves that He is rejecting Jesus by rejecting or disobeying His commandments. According to God’s Word, such a person is in danger of hell fire. (Matthew 5:29, 30; 1 Timothy 4:1; 5:12,15; Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26,27; 1 John 2:24,25; 2 Peter 2:20)

There is a dangerous doctrine floating around in great popularity these days amidst the Church. The effect it is having on the Church is devastating beyond compare. It is one of the reasons why many are living out their christianity on such a low plane so as to hardly be distinguishable from the world. They are not making any real difference in their world of influence as they are barely "making it" themselves be they ever so busy in "christian" and "church" activities. Many are also gradually falling away from the faith to their eternal destruction. They are engaging in presumptuous sins leading the way into hell because deep on the inside of them they just, "know" that no matter how far they wander away from the way of righteousness, they will never be finally "abandoned" by God. They say it is because they have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ and "God is a good Father; He will never throw His children out permanently from His Kingdom."

This doctrine is a lie straight from the pit of hell. There are "nice" people who have embraced it. However, we are not called to take any doctrine blindly, even from "good" people, especially when we have the whole Word of God available to us and are at the same time instructed to "try the spirits" and "prove all things". (1 John 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:21)

This doctrine as stated in the title of this section, is the teaching that once a person is saved, no matter what he does, he will be fully and finally accepted by God because Jesus’ Blood guarantees his salvation and the Holy Spirit, which is a "deposit" or "security" inside of him, guarantees that his salvation is secure.

At the outset let us point out the biblical teaching on this topic. It is simply this: a person who is saved can never lose his salvation only if he "continues" in the Lord (Hebrews 3:6, 14) and a person is eternally secure only if he "abides" in Jesus Christ (John 15:6). This is simply to say that a born again person who is disobedient and unrepentant will lose his salvation because he has become an enemy of God and God will not invite His enemies into His eternal kingdom. The Bible is replete with chapter and verse expounding this doctrine with warnings given by way of examples from the Old Testament.

Beloved, when we approach the Holy Scriptures for light, we must never come to it with a predisposed feeling or notion on any subject and look for "our" own view or the "popular’ view or the "traditional" view within the text. Please remember also that the christian is called to not only test and prove all things, but also to "quench not the Spirit and to "despise not prophesyings." (1 Thessalonians 5:19, 20) Look up all the references from the Holy Bible and let the Spirit of God speak to you even now as you read the following prayerfully.

We submit to the reader that any person who is humble enough and willing to let God speak, will most assuredly come away from the Word with the truth on this subject as stated in this section. May God get all the Glory.

Let us proceed to study this all important subject as taught by the Holy Spirit in the inerrant Word of God.

We must first of all understand that salvation is free but it will cost us everything to follow Jesus Christ (Luke 14:33). Do we understand that this is biblical teaching, beloved and the implications that naturally follow from it? Or to put it another way we are saved by grace which is by definition, free and yet we must "not receive in vain the grace of God" nor "do despite unto the Spirit of grace" nor "fail of the grace of God". Is it not obvious that christians are capable of doing such horrible things?

Beloved do not let Satan give you his convenient, "theological" interpretation that these things are "only hypothetical" statements. Such a heretical understanding as this would render the very intent of these scriptures ineffective in the reader’s spiritual life. Make no mistake; these are sobering warnings for the believer and not just hypothetical in nature. Please read again slowly and carefully the following scriptures Hebrews 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? Please read the whole of chapter 10 of the Book of Hebrews and you will find that we have not at all deviated from the context in which this verse is given.

It is a warning to believers. The Lord will never give warnings if it is not possible to reap the very consequences stated in the warnings when ignored.

Does this not make sense O believer? Can you not see that it is utterly ridiculous to issue warnings if they do not have any substantial application to the persons to whom they are given? In other words if I am saved and can never lose my salvation, why would the Lord bother to tell me to be careful. Why would he tell me that if I reject Him by sinning against him repeatedly, I will be punished more severely than those who perished under the law of Moses.

Some even argue that well, Jesus Himself declared that His Father is greater than He and that no one is able to pluck the believer out His Father's Hand. (John 10:29) However, one can choose to "come out His Hand if they wish." Please remember that the promise is dependent on the condition Jesus set forth in verse 27, i.e. "My sheep [are the ones] that hear my voice ... and obey me." We must not divorce any promise given in scripture from the condition which God requires of the believer before they can expect fulfillment of the promise. In this case, once again as in John 15, unless the believer abides or obeys the Lord, he will not have eternal security. God certainly does not make such a promise to those who will not serve Him.

But you say we are under Grace now. Yes, however the grace of God is not so cheap as the Devil would portray it. The Grace of God can be, " received in vain", "can be despised", can be rendered ineffective in the believer’s life by none other than the believer himself. You say but no one can stop God’s grace, for it is sovereign; it will see us through no matter what.

It is just at this point that we must understand these above objections in the Biblical context. God makes it quite apparent in the Old Testament as well as in the New that unless we cooperate with Him in His purposes for us, His promises will not ultimately be realized in our lives and we will be rejected finally. Yes it is true that we are sought out by the Almighty purely by grace; "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" Titus 3:5. However, we must also remember that God says, having received His grace, "Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled"

O reader, remember that the prodigal son came back to the father in a repentant state of heart and then he was accepted and never the other way around (Luke 15:21). That is, when he left the father, the father never ran after Him nor forced him back into his home though he loved his son very greatly.

The Apostle Peter did a horrible thing; he denied the Lord and that too, three times. The Lord had interceded in prayer for his recovery already and he did come back and was accepted. Note however, that he repented thoroughly of his sin. How many preachers either cleverly minimize or even completely exclude the fact that he needed to repent! His restoration was not automatic in that it did not occur without Peter doing his part. Though the Lord made all the provision, he had to repent of his own volition. Be assured that if he did not repent God would not have taken him back. Just go through the entire Bible and find one servant, one child, one prophet, one apostle of God who had sinned and was welcomed back and received by the Lord while yet in an unrepentant, rebellious state. Someone may object,"But Jesus Himself prayed for Peter; surely because of their relationship, the Lord is protecting Him before, during and after his sin and besides the prayer of the Son of God never fails." Let us sharpen our understanding by listening to the Word of God. It is true of course that Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith should not fail and that when he is recovered that he should strengthen his brethren. The Lord Himself had revealed that truth to Peter and to all of us hearers. As far as the Lord’s protection is concerned, we must not misunderstand it to be anything more than a temporary grace period, sovereignly administered if you please, to give the sinning disciple a chance to repent. It is the height of presumption, (exactly the popular sugar coated confusing doctrine which passes for sound "grace magnifying" theology of today) a most dangerous heresy if not just an irrational one at the very least, to think that the Lord will wait indefinitely. That He will make a continual, never-ending provision, because of the Father-son relationship, so that His child may repent from his sin. We will "automatically" be set right and made ready for His appearing just because we are His children. No, the Scriptures say, (Jude 1:21) Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. If we will be automatically be perfected at His appearing or our appearing before Him in Heaven by virtue of our relationship to Him and not at all because we have passed the judgment of the, "deeds done in the body" and found holy, then the Scriptures are false and the popular false doctrines are true. The Word of God abideth forever. Let God be true and every man a liar. Can you see that Christ’s Blood makes us holy and blameless but that we can defile ourselves, we can lose our inheritance? Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. (Beloved, God is not altogether one such as ourselves (Psalm 50:21). Now, about the impossibility of the prayer of Jesus to ever fail; they never fail. It is we who as a result of our disobedience fail to reap the benefits of His intercession. It is we who on account of our own disobedience fail to receive the blessings of all His precious promises. It is we who fail to truly receive His forgiveness into our lives by not confessing and forsaking our sins (Proverbs 28:13) Did God’s promise to Israel ever fail? In the lives of those who did not appropriate those great and precious promises through faith and obedience (faith plus works) they were rendered ineffective in their particular lives. However, as promises of God, they are self-standing and eternal (after all, they also make up the Word of God), ever effective to those who meet the conditions God has laid out in order to realize those promises. Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Can you see this cardinal principle of scripture, beloved?

All of God’s promises including His promises to forgive us of our sins are conditional.

Please read prayerfully these following, "difficult" passages of Scripture.

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Romans 11:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be .

1 Corinthians 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

Hebrews 3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

The above warnings are not given in vain. They are not just to make the Church a little holier. They are given as, "ensamples"; 1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

They are given as a matter of life and death. Life to those who obey and death to those who disobey. When taken as whole, it is plain to see that these scriptures are not just talking of physical death or losing an earthly, material inheritance. It should also be very obvious to any serious, sincere student of Scripture that they are, not "hypothetical" statements.

When a child of God is unrepentant, the Lord will send chastisement. He will send various means of punishment to correct His child. However, if the child does not receive the forbearance,the patience, "goodness of God which leadeth" him "to repentance", then the Lord will finally forsake the child and the sonship will be lost because the child was not "worthy" of His Lord. One objects, "but that’s ridiculous, no one is ever worthy of God’s Love!" Be wary of Satan O believer for he twists scripture and takes it out of context in order to produce a doctrine foreign to the Word of God often and deals in broad generalizations (diverting form the truth God wants to communicate to free our hearts) where the scripture is quite specific and pointed. While it is absolutely true that no one is ever worthy of God’s Love in and of himself, when we are made worthy of His Love by virtue of grace then we are called hold onto that worthiness; to be worthy of Him by our obedience. Satan will dull our spiritual reasoning faculties if we let him and confuse us by feeding us incorrect and totally irrelevant arguments. What do Matthew 10:37, 38, Luke 21:34-36, Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:12, 2 Thessalonians 1:5, and Revelation 3:4 say? It is not addressed to the world but to Christians who are supposed to follow the Lord whole heartedly. They are commandments and warnings. Is it not made plain and obvious in the Word of God that we can prove ourselves worthy or unworthy directly by our obedience or disobedience? We can walk worthy of Him and of eternal life. Again, we are made worthy by His blood and yet while not taking any part away in the least from the complete efficacy of His Holy Blood alone to make us worthy, we must show our worthiness to that grace granted through His Blood, that sonship that was given us and proven by the Holy Spirit causing us to "cry, Abba Father", by nothing more or less than by our obedience, otherwise we will be counted unworthy of Him and His love and be cast out. You see, the only way in which we can be counted worthy by God is by our obedience to His commandments, which simply means that we are indeed abiding in Him; John 15:10, 6, Hebrews 6:7, 8 otherwise we will be cut off and cast out! Please note that verse 9 in Hebrews 6 applies only to those who are walking in the light as He is in the light as verse 10 proves. Not only did they minister in righteousness but are presently obedient. You see beloved, God remembers our past obedience and good deeds but He is more concerned with our present state. In fact, all our former obedience or righteousness as a believer will count as nothing and we will be sent to Hell if presently we are in rebellion before God. Ezekiel 18:24 In the context of Ezekiel and of the whole Bible it is understood that the person depicted here as having turned away from righteousness or from God, is unrepentant even until his death for it is written that God cries out "… why will ye die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 18:31) and "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?" (Ezekiel 18:23) and God is

"not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance " (2 Peter 3:9) . The following statement may be considered the greatest heresy ever stated by many of today’s christians, however it is nonetheless true. Jesus’ Blood is renedered completely ineffective in the life of a believer who continues in willful disobedience to Him. 1 John 1:7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin The last phrase and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin is not to be taken as a parenthetical statement or as something unconnected with the rest of the verse. Let's not twist the scriptures nor take away its contextual poignancy. It is clearly stating not only do we have true fellowship with one another in the Body of Christ when we obey God’s commandments, but the Holy Blood is continuously effectual and protective and a guarantee of our eternal life and inheritance only if we are walking in obedience to the light that has been given us and not in rebellion against that light (which is to say of course not in rebellion against God.) Hebrews 10:26 makes it even more clear For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. When this person goes to Hell he definitely will no longer be His child because God has no children in Hell. One need only read scripture with a little bit of sincerity to see that God does abandon those who abandon Him. Read carefully 2 Chronicles 15:2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Please read once more the whole of chapter 3 of Hebrews and 1 Corinthians 10

Galatians 6:7, 8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (written to believers)

Let us, as many as are in the faith, take heed that we do not make shipwreck of our faith! 1 Ti 1:19-20 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Just as in 1 Cor 5, where the fornicator is delivered over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so these here are delivered over to the enemy in the hopes that they will repent. It is not automatic! They have to make the choice to humbly receive God's goodness in leading them to repentance or reject it to their own doom. God never forces the free will of man to do anything but he remains a free moral agent always.

There will be many people on Judgment Day who will be horribly surprised as the Master rejects them when He separates the goats from the sheep. Among them will be unbelievers who never gave their heart to the Lord in the first place and have never tasted of His Good Word but throughout their lives despised His gracious offer of Eternal Life through His Son, as well as those who have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and tasted of the Grace of God in Christ but also ultimately despised and forfeited the Eternal Inheritance for the passing pleasures, pride and lusts of this world. Take the warnings of God seriously, you who have been born again and be sure to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil.2:12) Make certain that you do not find yourself among that number which by and by defected from the Lord's army.

Note the following also written to believers as a warning! Don't be deceived!

He that committeth sin is of the devil but he that doeth righteousness is from God. (1John 3:8-9)

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1-4)