Secure eternal salvation 1 began with a simple Scriptural proof that eternal salvation is only for them that obey Him.
The final conclusion of people trying to reject that was:
If God willed I never sin again, I wouldn't. And in heaven He does and I won't!
It is not God's will to obediently depart from iniquity while in the mortal body, but obedience against sins will only be required after the resurrection, while in the spiritual body.
I.e. eternal salvation is only for them who obey Him after the resurrection, not before.
Another declaration by OSAS is that God is 'exclusively sovereign' over their salvation, and they have neither responsibility to Him for it, nor are 'cooperators' with Him in it, and to teach such self-responsibility and cooperation in salvation is 'pride of works'.
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.
For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
Scripture shows that with salvation, God has put His trust in His people to keep His salvation and ministry pure from vanity and hypocrisy:
Christians are entrusted by God not to put Christ to an open shame, by publicly crucifying Christ afresh through sins and trespasses, and so making His crucifixion once again a cursed thing to be despised by the unbelievers: the cross and blood of Jesus is vain, because it does not deliver from sins and trespasses common to all flesh.
Christian responsibility in salvation is to obey Him in all things in the heart and in the body, as a testimony and witness of the truth of His saving grace through obedience to the faith of Jesus: the power of His blood being able to free His people from their sins, neither to remain servants to sins, in their mortal bodies.
Otherwise, through open sins of disobedience, Jesus' salvation is made a laughingstock and scorn to them of the world:
Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
Hypocrites that preach unconditional salvation in sins, so sear their consciences to the truth, that they do not see their plain hypocrisy, that the rest of the world sees.
Jesus' salvation by grace has been scorned, since 'Christians' began to preach and believe they are saved through unconditional grace by faith alone, so that their sins are not 'seen' by God, though He sees the same sins in others: OSAS teaches that God is in fact a respecter of persons, judging the sins of one while excusing them of another.
The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness...so that they are without excuse.
With salvation, God puts His trust in His people to live obediently to Him in their hearts and bodies, that none of the world my say of His Dear Son's eternal salvation:
"Oh, so you can sin like us, but you are not judged for them like us, because you 'believe in Jesus'. God sees my sins, but He doesn't see yours, because you 'have faith in Jesus'. You're not responsible for your sins and won't have to give account for them like us, because Jesus' grace has you 'covered'."
Christians are certainly responsible for God's salvation entrusted in their souls, and they are to cooperate with Him in His salvation by continual obedience to Him, that Jesus and His salvation by grace through faith be not rightly and openly scorned as a lie.
It is not about Christians that may sin and err and be forgiven through confession and repentance at the cross.
It is about having a pernicious doctrine of lies, by which their sins and errors are already forgiven, and so they have no need to repent at all:
For she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
OSAS hypocrisy of unconditional salvation by faith alone needs no repentance from dead works, nor obedience to Jesus from the heart.
Why? Because God does not 'will it' on earth, but only later in heaven. Otherwise, of course, they would do so. Or say they say.
Very good post with some excellent points.
I would like to interject the following three verses into the discussion (what I'm about to say applies to
born again Christians only):
1 Pet 1:23,
being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by [the] living and abiding word of God.
Eph 2:10,
For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has before prepared that we should walk in them.
Heb 10:14,
For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
I'd think one has to admit that their sinning cancells out
incorruptible seed, God's workmanship, and being
perfected forever is a bit strange. What does
incorruptible mean if not something that doesn't corrupt? Did God perform shoddy
workmanship when he put Christ in them (Col 1:27)? How does one negate something that Jesus
perfected forever?
I don't know about you, but I sin multiple times a day. Any idea on how many I get before I make the incorruptible seed corrupt, destroy God's workmanship, or annul the perfection Jesus gave me? I'd think it would drive the Christian nuts over worry about their standing with the Father if they think they could lose their salvation by committing some arbitrary number of sins. At least it would ruin my life if I had to worry about that!
Though I sin, I always try to confess them, to admit them to God, and He is gracious enough to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness (you too by the way).
1 John 1:8-9,
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This looks petty open ended. I don't see there is a limit. If I confess one sin, God will forgive me. If I commit one million sins, God will forgive me one million times. Seems a bit strange to our judgmental human ears, but I don't know how to take it any other way. God must know something we don't know. Of course He does!
The more I know God and His true graciousness, the more I will want to serve Him. I don't make resolutions, "I'll stop doing this or that." or, "I'm never going to commit that sin again." Nobody can do that.
Rom 7:18,
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.
The whole 7th chapter of Romans is a great commentary on the uselessness of working on the flesh. "No good thing" is pretty clear. You can's make a silk purse form a sow's ear.
Our faithful walk comes, not from taming the flesh, but from looking towards the savior from sin, our Lord Jesus Christ. I don't look at my flesh since there is no good thing in it! I don't look to my sins, but to the savior of my sins.
Gal 3:1-3,
1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
God bless you brother, and may He do something real special just for you today.
