Can Your Soul Be Forfeited Forever?

My Friends, I Thank God Always, for the opportunity to share His Words and His ways to all of mankind. And too, I thanked him this day, for All of You!
For I was blessed today, by a special friend,(Teresa) who took the time to visit us here, and was kind enough to make a comment. In her comment, she had mentioned how these "Food For Thoughts" helped her, as well as others search there souls. Hence Thee inspiration I needed, to once again place My "Pen to Paper" for this "Food For Thought" being mindful of my friends remarks. One's Soul!

Can Eternal Life be Forfeited?

My friends, there is a doctrine in the world today that is known as the "Doctrine of the Impossibility of Apostasy," or the "Unconditional Security of the Believer." It means that a child of God, one whose sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ, cannot so sin as to finally be lost. Simply stated, it is the doctrine "Once saved always saved", or "Once in grace always in grace." Have you ever heard of those my friends?

These False doctrines, made up, by foolish man goes back to the old doctrine of predestination and foreordination, the theory that God decreed before the world began that a certain elect number should be saved and a certain fixed number could not be saved. It is the idea that the child of God can never so sin so as to finally be lost. This false teaching has been expressed this way: "If you seek it you can't find it; if you find it you cant get it, if you get it you cant lose it, and if you lose it you never had it."

Well my friends, this "Food For Thought" has to do with the child of God. For I am not discussing God, but the child of God. Can a child of God so sin as to finally be lost? Can the child of God forfeit his eternal life? Can He Loose His Soul? My friends, I'm certain we all can agree that God can do all things. For we dare not ever question His power, His will, His mercy, His love, His goodness, His wrath, or His faithfulness. God has the power to keep one saved, but does he exercise that power? Is man not a Free Moral Agent? Or perhaps is a mere object in God's hand only to be moved by God's impluse? Is salvation conditional or unconditional? Is there anything that man himself can do so as to be lost? These my friends, are the questions that challenge our thinking at this time. Are They Not?

The Origin of "Unconditional Security"

My friends, the doctrine of "once saved always saved" is not new. It originated in the garden of Eden when the serpent came to Eve and said, "Ye shall not surely die" (Gen:3:4). God had already pronounced that the curse of death would be upon Adam the day that he would eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen.2:16-17). Adam did not die physically on the day that he ate of the tree because as we all know, he lived several hundred years after that, but he died spiritually. My friends, the word "death" that is translated from the Greek word "Thanatos" is the separation of the soul from the body, but it is also used in the scriptures as "the separation of man from God"

My friends, before people are converted to Christ they are said to be "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph.2:1,2); that is, they are separated from God, they are lost. Spiritual Life is union with God; Spiritual death is separation from God. For the account in Gen: 2 we can see that when Adam and Eve sinned they separated themselves from God. They were not born sinners, as some foolish man still proclaim today, for we too, like Adam and Eve are not born sinners. Sin is the transgression of the law (1Jno 3:4). Adam and Eve became sinners when they sinned and that is how we become sinners. It was man who separated himself from God. God had the power to prohibit man from sinning but the fact is, God did not exercise that power because man was created as a "Free Moral Agent". "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezek. 18:20).

Can A Believer Cease To Believe?

My friends, most will agree that salvation is dependent upon faith and obedience to God/Christ and there Word. But is it possible for a child of God to depart from the faith? Is it possible for him to cease to be a believer and obedient, and thereby forfeit his eternal life? For the child of God is one who is in covenant relationship with God by obedience of the gospel(His Word). He is a new creature (2 Cor.5:17) and made such because he was baptized into Christ(Gal 3:27). He is saved believer, but what may happen to his faith? His faith may fail. Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:32, "but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not." The child of God may depart from the faith (1 Tim. 4:1). Here the Holy Spirit through Paul predicted that men would apostatize from the truth. The child of God may throw away his faith and his good conscience and make shipwreck of the faith (1 Tim. 1:18).

My friends, here, Faith and a good conscience were once possessed but they were thrust away and shipwreck was made concerning the faith. The child of God may deny the faith (1 Tim. 5:8). He may cast off the faith (1 Tim. 5:12). He may even turn after Satan (1 Tim. 5:15). He may err concerning the faith (1 Tim. 6:20,21). His faith may be overthrown (1 Tim. 2:16-18). The word "Faith" in these scriptures my friends, is the word "pistis" in the Greek, the same word that is used in Romans 5:1, where Paul writes that we are "justified by faith." The faith that saves, then can be denied, overthrown, shipwrecked, and cast off. As a result one is turned over to Satan, condemned.

So my friends, I ask, once again, Can a child of God become an "UnBeliever"? And choose to become "Disobedient"? The writer of Hebrews Chap 10:32-39, describes a certain class as those who had been enlightened, endured, and had a better possession. They were exhorted to remain faithful; however, there were some that "shrink back unto perdition." Yes, my friends it is possible that a child of God can go back into perdition and thereby become an unbeliever.

It is Possible For A Child of God to Sin

That it is possible for a child of God to sin is very evident from the scriptures. It is argued, however by foolish man, that it is impossible for a child of God to sin and (1 John 3:9) is often times referred to in an effort to prove there foolish contention. Yet another example of foolish man, to "Add to & Take Away" From the Word of God! Pray for them! For in the first chapter of (1 Jno v.8-9), we find "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all sin." In view of the fact that John tells his readers that if they say that they have no sin they deceive themselves, and because he tells them that if they will confess their sins God will forgive them of their sins, he could not be teaching that it is "Impossible" to sin as in (1 Jno.3:9). So then John wrote in (1 John 2:1), "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." If it is impossible for a child of God to sin, why this assurance? How could John be saying that it is impossible to sin when he had already told his readers that if they would confess their sins God would forgive them and that if they sin they have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ?

My friends, I recall sharing with you, the thought, that "Words" do matter! In a previous writing. For here, the word "cannot" does not always mean "impossible" as is seen in the following instances. Judah said of Benjamin, "The lad cannot leave his father" (Gen. 44:22). Was it impossible for Benjamin to go down to Egypt? No, because later he did go down to Egypt. Jesus said that the sons of the bride-chamber cannot fast as long as they have the bridegroom with them (Mark 2:19). Was it impossible for them to fast in the presence of the bridegroom? When certain ones were invited to a great feast, they made excuses and one said, "I have married a wife, therefore I cannot come" (Luke. 14:20). Was it impossible for him to attend the supper?

My friends, a child of God cannot make a practice of sin, and continue to be like Christ. He is to exhibit the life of Christ but the practice of sin will prohibit him from doing it. For a gospel preacher one said, "No one who is born of God makes a practice of sinning", referring of course to (1 Jno 3:9).

In Part II of this "Food For Thought"
I'll Be Discussing:

It Is Not Impossible For A Child of God to Sin
The Child of God Can Be Lost
Warnings Against Falling
Examples of Falling

In The Conclusion of This "Food For Thought"
I'll Be Discussing:

How To Keep From Falling
Closing Remarks

Stay Tuned My Friends!

Jim