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spaxx
Junior Member
205 Posts |
 Posted - 10/11/2008 : 13:59:37
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The United States is in a renewed period of evangelical fervor, and those who share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those outside the one and only true Church established by Christ, must understand the religious viewpoints of their separated brethren. Experience shows that Baptists and other fundamentalists are among the least receptive to the fullness of the Gospel message, because they labor under the false impression that they, alone adhere to the basic doctrines set forth in the Bible. If the following clarification helps correct this false impression, then Glory to the Father, Glory to The Son, and Glory to The Holy Ghost. Blessed be the Holy and undivided Trinity, now and forever. Amen
A very common and popular belief among protestant sects, especially the baptists and the so-called fundamentalists, is that all you need to do in order to be certain of salvation is "accept Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior". One need only make a once in a lifetime commitment. And no matter what you do for the rest of your life, you can be absolutely certain of salvation, when you die. Once you "accept Christ as you personal lord and saviour", it is an impossibility that you will ever lose your salvation.
For example, in the Baptist Faith and Message of June 14, 2000, Southern Baptists explained:
"All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end"
Surely, we agree that God in His omniscience knows who shall endure until the end! But can the average believer know with certainty that he or she shall persevere in the faith until the end?
This pernicious doctrine of "Saved Once, Saved Forever", echoes the teachings of the heresiarch Martin Luther.
In his work, titled Erlangen (Pg. 126, Vol. 29), Luther says:
"It does not matter what people do; it only matters what they believe."
In work titled, The Babylonian Captivity ( Enders, Vol. 3, Pg. 193) Luther says:
"A person that is baptized cannot, though he would, lose his salvation by any sins however grievous, unless he refuses to believe. For no sins can damn him but unbelief alone."
In another of his works titles Saemmtliche Schriften (Letter No. 99, 1 Aug. 1521, From 'The Wittenberg Project', 'The Wartburg Segment', translated by Erika Flore), Luther says:
"Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides... No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day."
In a nutshell, sin as thou wilst, just believe that you are saved.
Now, Baptists teach that if a person has at some point in his life believed in the atoning Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and made a profession of faith, then that person has been regenerated and justified, and may rest assured in the knowledge that he will without fail go to heaven, no matter what sort of scandalous life, grievous sins, or even horrible apostasy that he may subsequently embrace. In the Baptist Faith and Message of June 14, 2001, Southern Baptists reiterated this doctrine thus:
"Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation"
Is this not a clear repudiation of Jesus Chrits's teaching that not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father (Matt. 7:21)?
The baptist doctrine runs counter to the teachings of the Bible, and is, in reality, a sin of presumption, because Jesus did not die just so that we may freely sin. The idea of Eternal Assurance implicitly removes our free will (recall that the heresiarch, John Calvin, also taught this false doctrine), to include our ability to say "NO" to God and His offer of salvation at a later date. Worse still, this teaching gives us implicit license to commit sins that the Bible explicitly tells us are sure barriers to entering the kingdom of Heaven!
An example should illustrate this more clearly. Let us imagine a person who undergoes a profound and tearful conversion, and makes a very credible confession of faith. For years that person is a stalwart pillar of the local church, and clearly walks in the ways of the Lord. But then, for reasons unfathomable to mere mortals, that person backslides severely. Let us imagine that this person falls into a very serious sin, such as adultery or homosexuality (and many of us know seemingly good Christians who have cheated on their husbands or wives). Now, lets suppose that this person, who once believed and proclaimed the Lord Jesus, is surprised by death while in the very act of committing adultery. Some Baptists will say that this sad soul, having once been saved, will still go to heaven, although he will enjoy a lesser reward or a "tarnished crown".
But such an opinion flagrantly violates the Biblical warning that adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21, 1 Cor. 6:9-10, Eph. 5:3-5, Rev. 22:15). Conversely, some Baptists will say that this person was never saved to begin with. But this opinion begs the question of Assurance in our Salvation, for how can any of us fathom God's inscrutable judgments? Surely we must say with the Apostle Paul:
Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Cor. 10:12).
Nonetheless, Baptists are quick to point out several Bible verses that, at first glance, seem to promise Eternal Security. In true heretical fashion, they pick and choose, what appears to agree with their impious doctrines. Whatever contradicts their beliefs, they quickly, and silently, gloss over, turning a blind eye.
Let us look at the most commonly-cited verses.
John 10:27-28:
My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
Jesus is very clear here that His sheep are those that not only hear his voice, but also follow him. And what does it mean to follow Him? A few chapters later in the Gospel of John, Jesus explains that those who follow Him are those who keep His commandments:
If you love me, keep My commandments … He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me (John 14:15, 21).
Following Jesus is contingent upon ones actions and intentions. As a result, we can contravene Gods commands, and hence stop loving Jesus. At that point, is one still one of the flock of Jesus Christ? Most certainly not.
Indeed, John clarifies this whole matter when he discusses the topic of "security" in the plainest of terms, saying that:
The way we may be sure to know Him is to keep his commandments. Whoever says. 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:3-5).
This verse alone should suffice to expose the Baptist doctrine of "Once Saved, Always Saved" as a deadly delusion.
Matthew 25:31-46 further illuminates this passage. At the Last Judgment, the true flock of Jesus Christ is revealed as those persons who have performed Christian works of love (charity). Oddly, the righteous are actually surprised to hear of their salvation (Matt.25:37-39), as though they did not exactly presume to be assured
of their own salvation! So too, there is another flock, the damned, who are equally surprised by their judgment of perdition for failing to perform works of charity.
If you read about the sheep and the goats in Matt. 25:31-46, you'll probably notice that both believed. But also notice that only one worked? And what was the final end of those who did no works? (See verses 45-46). Since the goats believed, why then were they not saved also?
Brethren, following the Biblical logic of Matt. 25, our assurance of salvation seems to be directly related not to the loudness with which we shout the name of Jesus, but by the perseverance with which we perform Christian acts of mercy (charity).
Romans 8:29-30:
For whom he foreknew, he also predestinated to be made conformable to the image of his Son; that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. And whom he predestinated, them he also called. And whom he called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified.
This passage proves that God knows whom He has called to glory. It says nothing whatsoever about our individual ability to know that we ourselves are saved without any doubt. Indeed, God's ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8), and his judgments are beyond our annulment (Job 40:8).
This passage further reminds us that God loves us, and nothing under the heavens can separate us from the love of God. But we, being creatures endowed with free will, can turn away from the fellowship of God. We can, in our hubris or fleshly impulses, say "No" at any time to God's free offer of salvation. We can refuse that offer, or we can renege on the offer after having once accepted it.
1 Peter 1:5:
Peter opens his First Epistle by exclaiming that we are kept through faith for salvation. But Peter immediately goes on to say that:
if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourself throughout the time of your stay here in fear (1 Peter. 1:17).
This is not a call to self-assurance, but rather a call to:
let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall(1 Cor. 10:12).
1 John 3:9:
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
By this passage, any one who commits any sin should deeply fear for his or her salvation. For indeed,
If we say that we have no sin, then we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John. 1:9).
John makes it very clear that if we confess our sins, and walk in the light (i.e. practice works of righteousness and do not sin), we are forgiven. But we have no assurance that we shall not depart from this life while committing sins that remove us from the fellowship of Jesus Christ (see 1 John 1:5-7). Indeed, John himself explains:
All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin leading to death (1 John. 17).
If we in fact die in such mortal sin unto death, can we then presume that we are truly born of God? Most certainly not!
1 John 5:13:
These things have I written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
In this passage, the knowledge that one has eternal life is conditional upon the things that John has written in this Epistle, to include:
In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother (1 John. 3:10).
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in work and truth (1 John. 3:18).
Luke 6:46-49:
Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.
Jesus clearly says that not only are we have to hear His words, but we must to DO WHAT HE TELLS US, if we expect to partake of salvation. Hence, sin prevents us from knowing with certainty that we have been saved.
A case in point: Jesus says: ...and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. (John 10:16). And that, ...that all may be one.(John 17:21)
These two verses are just an example out of many that could be listed. That being said, I must add that, in addition to the Catholic Church, there are now thousands of sects (folds) in the world today. So, how can any one of them claim that they obey the words of Jesus, yet He commanded that we must be one?
If they do not obey His words, then Scripture has clearly conveyed to them the fact that their house is built without a foundation and that it will fall. The thousands of sects in existence, is proof enough that those words of Jesus have come true. If the verses of Luke 6:46-49 are ignored by the sects, then the following verse has to be ignored by them as well:
Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand;... (Matt 12:25)
The belief that, inspite any sins that one may later commit, one need only "accept Jesus Christ as personal saviour, and lord" to guarantee salvation, is the most damnable sort of "hocus-pocus" superstition imaginable!
For all of us must be made manifest before the tribunal of Christ, so that each one may receive what he has won through the body, according to his works, whether good or evil. (2Cor 5:10)
Does this sound like "Once saved, always saved?"
......to be continued
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spaxx
Junior Member
205 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2008 : 10:19:34
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[size=2]And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me - Matthew xxv. 31-40.
This verse is the clearest teachings in the Bible, as to what men must do in order to have any hope of salvation. In addition to keeping God's commandments, men must labor, and persevere, in doing good works ((corporal works of mercy)) very where and always. One can only "hope" because salvation is tied to perseverance in doing good. However, human beings are inconstant when it comes to keeping good resolutions. At any time, one can turn from good to bad.
This is the will of God - your sanctification - Thess. iv 3
Follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see God - Heb xii. 14
According to Him that hath called you , Who is holy, be you also in all manner of conversation holy. Because it is written: you shall be holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy - 1Peter 1. 15, 16
The grace of God our Savior hath appeared to all men; instructing us that denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly and justly and godly in this world. Looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ - Titus ii. 11-13
And there shall not enter into it (heaven) anything defiled, nor he who practices abomination and falsehood, but only those who are written in the book of life of the Lamb. - Revelation 21:27
Fellow christian, do the above verses command us to "accept Christ as your personal savior" in order to be saved? Certainly not. For, the will of GOD is that we keep His Commandments, in order to enter heaven.
What things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap - Gal. vi. 8
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmovable ; always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord - 1 Cor.xv. 58
To labor can only mean one thing, and that is to work; it means ACTION, not words. Words are cheap.
He who overcomes shall possess these things, and I will be his GOD, and he shall be my son. But as for the cowardly and unbelieving, and abominable and murderers, and fornicators and sorcerers, and idolaters and all liars, their portion shall be in the pool that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death - Revelation 21:7-8
Where do liars spend all eternity even if they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but fail to work out their salvation by keeping His commandments? Are not Thou shalt not lie, and Thou shalt not kill two of the Ten Commandments? According to the Baptist doctrine of "Once saved, always saved", you can sin as much as you want after accepting Jesus Christ and your salvation is guaranteed, regardless.
Why do you ask me what is good? One there who is good, and he is GOD. But if you will enter into life, OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS." "Which commandments?" the man asked. Jesus said, "Never murder. Never commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false testimony. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as you love yourself - Matthew 19:17-19
These verses show that if we do not obey the commandments, we will not have eternal life. So if a person who thinks he is "saved", and then lies, steals, murders, cheats, or commits fornication/adultery...etc, how does this square up with Matt. 19:17-19, Rev. 21:7-8 and Rev. 21:27 ?
In John 5:1-9, Jesus cures a sick man at the pool, and later tells him, in ver 14, See, you are well! SIN NO MORE, THAT NOTHING WORSE BEFALL YOU. Does that sound like, "once saved, always saved"?
Yet, another example is the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-10. Jesus had rescued her from death by stoning, and, in verse 11, says Neither do I condemn you; GO, AND DO NOT SIN AGAIN. Here we see, again, Jesus caution, not to sin again.
The message here, is that if both sinned again, in the first case it would seem that indeed, SOMETHING WORSE WOULD BEFALL THE MAN and in the second case it would be a clear disobedience by the woman to a direct command of Jesus, who is God. I repeat, does that sound like, "once saved, always saved"? NO WAY!
Here is the patience of the Saints, who keep the commandments of GOD, and the faith of Jesus. - Revelation 14:12
Now, if by "accepting Christ as personal lord and savior", we are already "saved", then what is the purpose of having to obey the commandments?
It follows, therefore, that all those who think that they are saved, commit the sin of presumption, in believing the false protestant-invented doctrine, as 1Cor x. 1-12 and 2Cor x. 18 tell us.
Moreover, their is no genuine historical document written before 1500 in which such a doctrine is defined and taught. Again, read Matt xxv. 31-46. There, you will that both the sheep and the goats thought that they would be saved, the goats were rejected because of the sin of presumption, simply because they did no works. They presumed that without works they would get into heaven. They sought to enter heaven through a backdoor. Holy Scripture clearly shows that the false doctrine of "once saved, always saved" has no Scriptural basis whatsoever.
So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1Cor xiii. 13)
Now, if we are saved by faith alone, then what is the purpose of telling us to have hope, as Scripture tells us? There would be no need for hope if we are already saved. And what does that verse say about love? It says love is greater than faith. For those who say they are saved by faith alone, are they not insinuating that faith is greater than love? Aren't they ignoring both hope and love?
It was in the 16th century that Martin Luther, an apostate catholic friar, "invented" the false and pernicious doctrine of "Once saved, always saved", when in Romans 3:28 he added the word "alone" to his German translation of the Bible. That verse then read, "...a man is justified by faith alone". This action on his part was an embarrassment to the other reformers, and so you will not find that little word "alone" in Romans 3:28 of the King James or any other Protestant Bible except Luther's version of the Bible.
In a letter to Melanchthon, August 1, 1521, regarding "Once saved always saved" Luther says:
Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly... No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day.
Compare this to the commands of Jesus to sin no more. Is this the meaning of "Once saved always saved"? Shall we throw out the ten commandments along with scores of other verses? No, not according to John 14:15, which teaches that, If you love me you will keep my commandments
How, then, can anyone possibly reconcile those Words of Christ with that quote from Luther above? Of what purpose does that verse serve with Luther's twisted theology?
How about "Thou shalt not commit adultery and thou shalt not kill? Should we believe the words of Luther or the Words of GOD?
Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. - Matt 7:13-14
Based on this verse one would have to conclude that those who "accept Christ as personal Savior" are the few who make it through the narrow gate. This is a horrible deception because, nowhere in Scripture are we taught that, in order to attain salvation, we are to "accept Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior" in order to attain salvation.
One must conclude that this is a strange and unknown doctrine; a doctrine of devils; a product of spirits of error; a doctrine of men.
We are, indeeed, clearly warned in 1 Tim 4:1, Hebrews 13:9, Colossians 2:22, Isaias 29:13, against such poisonous and destructive doctrines. In vain, therefore, do men worship God, who follow the doctrines and commandments (precepts) of men - (Matth xv. 9; Mark vii. 7).
But why has this doctrine seduced millions? This doctrine is attractive for the simple reason that it offers an extremely easy and comfortable path to salvation; a path that requires absolutely no effort on the part of the individual. But we know that, according to Scripture, the easy way is not the way to eternal salvation, but to eternal damnation. This way has been described as broad (to accommodate the greater part of mankind), and easy (exactly what the greater part of mankind prefers).
If believers of "Once Saved, Always Saved" read the Bible at all, as they always say, then at least some would quickly notice that this strange doctrine is terribly at variance with Scripture; it appears no where in the Bible. So, how is it that none notices this? How is it that, almost, all of them, are blind, and blissfully follow their false pastors to the abyss?
The answer is BLINDNESS; these false teachers of perverse doctrines are blinded by their PRIDE (self). You see them in packed football stadiums and convention centers; you watch them from the comfort of your living rooms, prancing up and down your TV screens. They jet allover the world to "spread the gospel". And wherever they go, they mesmerize their audiences.
But because of pride, God has justly chastises them with spiritual blindness. And as long as they are blind, they, and their followers, are unable to see that they are on the broad road to eternal perdition. For, if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the pit (Matthew xv. 14).
...to be continued[/size=3] |
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spaxx
Junior Member
205 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2009 : 09:17:46
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Dear Reader, you might have recently heard about the following all too common occurrence in USA.
On Tuesday 4th August, 2009, Geoge Sodini, 48, shot up a Pittsburgh fitness class murdering three women and maiming nine others. As is rather fashionable nowadays, the women were in the aerobics classroom. But before committing this dastardly act, he left a poignant self-portrait on line that shows that although a social failure, he was successful, owned a house, was physically presentable, and apparently believed the protestant doctrine of "Once saved, always saved".
Sodini had worked as a software developer for a large Pittsburgh law firm for ten years, had just received a raise, and liked his boss. A relatively successful life not withstanding, he went ahead and snuffed out three innocent lives and left others traumatized, probably for life.
I bring up this incident for two reasons, namely to, 1) expose the false and deadly doctrine of "once saved, always saved" also known as "eternal security", 2) as a practical example of the rotten fruits of the principle of private interpretation of Scripture, even though this has already been abundantly and sufficiently done by more competent persons.
In his self-portrait, we read the following statement:
"Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus. At least that is what I was told. Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell. Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid. People judge but that does not matter. I was reading the Bible and The Integrity of God beginning yesterday, because soon I will see them."
Here, we see how this man, after maturely reflecting on this deceptive and pernicious belief, is convinced that he shall see God after committing his dastardly crimes. He, however,forgets, or rather, someone forgot to tell him that:
"If we sin willfully after having the knowledge of the truth, there is now left no sacrifice for sins, But a certain dreadful expectation of judgment, and the rage of a fire which shall consume the adversaries. A man making void the law of Moses, dieth without any mercy... " ((Heb 10:26-29)
What is the law of Moses, if not the commandment of God, which Sodini, after careful thought and mature deliberation, willfully transgressed.
Jack Rickard, deacon at the Plum church, which focuses on the intense study of Scripture, and which Sodini attended for years, said: "George Sodini rests in heaven now because he professed a faith in Jesus years before his shooting rampage. The Bible makes it clear that professing a faith in Jesus as savior means you will have complete eternal salvation." You can read more at http://pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_637429.html
Shortly before stepping into eternity, assured by his pastor that eternal life would be his regardless of what he did, Sodini calmly murdered three innocent women in cold blood, and then took his own life.
Which reminds me of the following:
"... He that could have transgressed, and hath not transgressed: and could do evil things, and hath not done them: Therefore are his goods established in the Lord, and all the church of the saints shall declare his alms." (Eccl 31:10-11).
This verse, refers to he who departs this life confirmed in virtue. But Sodini was anything but virtuous. He could have transgressed and indeed did transgress. He could do evil things, and hath willfully done them. Is it possible that his goods are established in the Lord ? Most certainly not. He is getting to know what it means to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31) because, God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7.)
But what are we to learn from this?
Well, in the first place, we see a good example of the bad fruits of private interpretation of Scripture. It is not only from contemporary self-appointed pastors, but also from false prophets throughout christian history, that we hear poisonous doctrines straight from hell. The protestant rallying cry: "salvation is through faith alone, apart from works" and the erroneous claim that "works are not necessary for salvation", was first uttered by the apostate catholic monk Martin Luther.
Yet, Scripture clearly teaches, and often repeats, that one of the standards by which we shall be judged on the last day, is our works: "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels: And then will he render to every man according to his works." (Matthew 16:27)
The Book of the Apocalypse (called "Revelations" by protestants) reiterates this in Apoc 20: 13. And in Apoc 22: 13, says: "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to his works."
One wonders whether, or not, these passages are present in protestant bibles. And if they be present, then what sort of spiritual blindness afflicts the protestant, if it not be a just punishment from God, on account of pride.
Geoge Sodini stepped into eternity with the protestant dogma of: "salvation is through faith alone, apart from works" on his lips, and the fresh blood of three innocent women on his hands, to prove it, in a negative sense. |
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Are Baptist Teachings About Salvation Biblical?
