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FALLING FROM GRACE
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Help; I’ve fallen and I can’t get up
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Paul Simon’s Lyrics; “You know, the nearer your destination, the more
you slip slidin’ away”.
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Falling from Grace – The
question comes; can someone who has been saved
lose his salvation because he has “Slip Slidin’ Away” in one form or another?
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“Back sliding” can take the form of unfaithfulness;
sexual perversions, lying, cheating, stealing to just outright avoidance of
fellowshipping with other Believers in Church.
·
I
had a friend once tell me of how far away he has drifted from God, till there
was NO HOPE for him. It was too late to
change. – The question was; How
did he know that?
·
Doctrine – The “Falling from
Grace” doctrine is certainly taught in the Church today – The doctrine
teaches that salvation is dependent upon the conduct or actions or
works of man; which brings us to the
next question; How many WORKS is enough?
The Law
·
First of all – It’s because of
scripture that we became conscious of our sin and the fact that everyone who
sins, breaks the law of God and becomes a part of lawlessness.
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Scripture teaches that even the smallest item of
God’s Law should not be trivialized, but taken seriously.
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The Law is important; but in
its finality, it shows us that WE
ARE CRAZY to think that by our own efforts we can do anything to save
ourselves.
·
Think about it – Paul says we are FOOLISH
to think that our flesh could start, perpetuate and finish
the supernatural transaction of death into life. – Without the mercy and grace
of God, we stand hopeless.
Romans 3:20 – The Law made us conscious of our Sin
20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (NIV2011)
20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (NIV2011)
1 John 3:4 - Sin is lawlessness
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. (NIV2011)
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. (NIV2011)
Matthew 5:19 - Take the smallest item in God’s law
seriously
19 "Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. (MSG)
19 "Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. (MSG)
Galatians 3:3 - It’s foolishness to think you can
save yourself
3 Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? (MSG)
3 Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? (MSG)
So here’s where we are
- The Bible says that we
are all sinners and because of sin, we are separated from God. This makes us the object of God’s
wrath - The penalty for our sin is death – We are doomed to be out of
the presence of God and into everlasting destruction for eternity.
- The only way to
escape the wrath of God is to embrace Christ and His work on the cross.
- Jesus bore our sins
in His righteous body so that our body would “die to sin”.
Rom 3:23 – We have all sinned
23 for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God, NIV
Isa 59:2 – Sin separates
us from God
2 But your iniquities have separated you from
your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not
hear. NIV
Eph 2:3 – We are objects
of God’s wrath
3 All of us also lived among them at one time,
gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires
and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. NIV
Rom 6:23 – The wages of sin is death
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV
2 Thess 1:9 – Everlasting destruction
out of the presence of God
9 They will be punished with everlasting
destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the
majesty of his power
Rom 3:10 -11 – No one seeks God on his own
10 As it is written: "There is no one
righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands, no one who
seeks God. NIV
1 Peter 2:24 – Jesus bore our sins on the
cross
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the
tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his
wounds you have been healed. NIV
What does all that
mean?
·
What this means is that the Laws of God
only pointed to the fact that we are all destined to Hell fire, and that all we
can do is to TRY to imitate what the Laws in scriptures require in order to be
saved. – It would seem that WE CANNOT BE SURE that we CAN be saved…
·
BAM –
You have to know that you have arrived, before you can know that you
have fallen.
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Good News – Salvation comes from
the Lord alone. – We are saved by the GRACE of God, it is not a reward for what
we have done, but is a GIFT from God.
·
The Believer no longer stands condemned; – He has
ALREADY passed from death into life; the Law has been fully satisfied by
the sacrifice of the life of Jesus Christ on the Cross. – It’s not what WE did;
it’s what HE did. – It’s not Jesus plus something else; it’s a done deal.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – We are saved by Grace – It’s a
Gift from God
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (NLT)
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (NLT)
Jonah 2:9 – Salvation comes from the Lord alone
9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone.” (NLT)
9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone.” (NLT)
John 5:24 – Believers have already passed from
death to life
24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. (NLT)
24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. (NLT)
Romans 8:1-4 - No
condemnation – The law is fully satisfied
1 So now there is no condemnation for those
who belong to Christ Jesus.
2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
3 The Law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. (NLT)
2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
3 The Law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. (NLT)
Make Believers
- I dislike anything
that smacks of doubt, I
want to KNOW FOR SURE – I don’t want to be blown about by every wave of
theology or new thought. - So some things need to be settled and the big
one is; are you a child of God or not. - IN or OUT.
- J.
Vernon McGee
says he believes in The Security
of the Believer; they are saved period. He also believes in The Insecurity of the Make Believer; those who wonder
if they’re saved. – He points out that you might just want to take an inventory
of your life. - Are the things of God important to you? – There are really
only two commandments from Jesus.
- Do you love the Lord
your God with all your heart; with all your soul and with all your mind?
- Do you love your
neighbor as Christ has loved you?
- The
Test
is examining the fruit from your garden. – What kind of fruit can people
see on your tree? – We are not to judge others; but we are encouraged to
be fruit inspectors. – A good tree cannot bare bad fruit. – You will be
known by YOUR fruit.
James 1:5-8 – DOUBT makes
you unstable
6 He who doubts is like a wave of the sea,
blown and tossed by the wind.
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he
does. NIV
Matt 22:37-40 – The TEST
37 Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: `Love your
neighbor as yourself.'
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments."
John 13:34 – Love one
another as JESUS LOVED YOU
34 "A new command I give you: LOVE one
another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. NIV
Matt 7:16-20 – You will
know a Believer by their FRUITS
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do
men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?
17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but
a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor
can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut
down and thrown into the fire.
20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
NKJV
Maybe Saved
- Some people confess
that they are saved, but then they leave the fellowship of believers which
is an indicator that they were never a part of it to begin with or
they would have stayed. – This is not about changing Churches or Church
Hopping; it’s about NO church except maybe for Easter and Christmas.
- Have you confessed
that you are sinner – Repented and changed your ways?
- Have you confessed
with your mouth before other men that Jesus is your Lord?
- Have you believed
in your heart that Jesus was raised from the dead?
- Do you believe He
will come again and receive you to Himself and you will dwell with
Him?
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YES, I DID ALL THAT – BUT
I HAVE STUMBLED - NYOBS 16.13 - MAYBE
SAVED
1 John 2:19 – It’s possible you were never part of
the body
19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
(NIV2011)
Rom 10:9-10
Confess with your mouth and Believe in your heart
9 That if you confess
with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that
you confess and are saved. NIV
John 14:2-3
– He will come again and get the believer.
2 In My Father's house are
many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself;
that where I am, there you may be also.
NKJV
But, I stumbled
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Don’t pat yourself on the back
like you are somebody special. – ALL have STUMBLED; ALL have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, not just you.
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Good News; when we stumble, God
will re-direct our steps and will still HOLD ON to us even when we have
let go. – We are still His and all things will work out in His Plan.
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Jesus Christ will not lose even one person that has
been given to him by the Father. – NOT ONE - The Believer is declared righteous even when
he has stumbled.
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The only question that you have is
- Are you His, did you believe, did you
accept Him? – Are you a Believer or a Make-Believer?
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The Believer will joyfully agree
with God’s word and will strive in his spirit to do the will of God. – Are you
striving? – Do you have the desire? – It would not even cross your mind about “Falling
from Grace” if God did not already have a calling on your life.
Romans 3:23 – ALL have sinned and fall short of
God’s glory
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (NLT)
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (NLT)
Psalm 37:23-24 – If the Believer stumbles, GOD
holds on
23 The LORD directs the steps of the
godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. (NLT)
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. (NLT)
Romans 8:28 – All things work together for Good
for the Believer
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (NASB)
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (NASB)
John 6:37-39 – Christ will not lose even one
person
37 However,
those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.
38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.
39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. (NLT)
38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.
39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. (NLT)
Romans 10:4 - Believers are declared righteous
4 Christ is the culmination (the end) of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. (NIV2011)
4 Christ is the culmination (the end) of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. (NIV2011)
Romans 7:22 – I joyfully agree with the commands
of God
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, (NASB
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, (NASB
Un-Forgiven
- Either we have been
forgiven or we still need to be forgiven. One or the Other.
- When Jesus the Christ
sacrificed His life on the Cross;
- IT’S
LIKE
WE HAVE NEVER SINNED in the
first place. - WHAT? – Yes, it’s
in the Book. - The
- SO THEN
WE CAN STILL SIN
– Yes, we can still sin and be saved, but God will not be mocked. - A
Homosexual that is a child of God will give up his life style of sin. - Whoever
is born of God will not LIVE in sin, they will not PRACTICE sin.
- The old nature can have an act of sin, but not deliberate or consciously
or habitually, nor presumptuously, but involuntary SINS and
it is forgiven – erased – never again to be remembered. NYOBS
30.16 - SINLESS
2 Cor 5:17 – NEW
Creation in Christ - Old creation is GONE
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! NIV
1 John 3:9 – We cannot
continue to sin
9 No one who is born of God will continue to
sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning,
because he has been born of God. NIV
Rom 8:16 – We are God’s child
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that
we are God's children. NIV
Ezek 36:26 – We have a new
heart and a new spirit
26 I will give you a new heart and put a
new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you
a heart of flesh.
1 Cor 3:16 – God’s Spirit lives in us
16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's
temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? NIV
Heb 10:14 – His ONE
sacrifice made us perfect forever.
14 Because by one sacrifice he (Jesus) has made perfect forever those who are being made
holy. NIV
Col 2:13 – When DEAD in our sins – God made us Alive
13 When you were dead in your sins and in
the un-circumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with
Christ. He forgave us ALL our
sins, NIV
Heb 10:17-18 – God will
remember the Sins no more
17 "Their sins and lawless acts I will
remember no more."
18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no
longer any sacrifice for sin.
NIV
Heb 7:27 – His sacrifice was ONCE AND FOR ALL
27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need
to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the
sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he
offered himself. NIV
Galatians 6:7 - Do not be
deceived: God cannot be mocked
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (NIV2011)
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (NIV2011)
Predestination
·
From the very beginning, God had a plan to shape the
lives of the Believer, to conform them to the Image of Jesus Christ and it is
predestined that God will complete that conformation that He has begun.
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Jesus Christ has the authority to give
eternal life; all you have to do is to BELIEVE IT. NYOBS
29.28 - PREDESTINATION REVISITED
John 17:2 – Christ has the authority to give
eternal life
2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
(NIV2011)
Romans 8:29-30 – God will complete what He has
begun
29 God knew what he was doing
from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of
those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son
stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original
and intended shape of our lives there in him.
30 After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.
30 After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.
(MSG)
Phil 1:6 – He who begun
the work in us will complete it
6 being confident of this very thing, that He
who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus
Christ; NKJV
Help; I’ve fallen and I can’t get up
·
Falling from Grace is a doctrine of DOUBT.
·
IT’S A LIE born out of the
pit of hell that says you have fallen so far that you can’t get back
up. – If you have stumbled down the wrong path, then turn around NOW.
- The
MOST PROGRESSIVE
·
If you will humble yourself and pray and seek God’s face
and turn from your fallen ways, then He will hear from heaven, and will
forgive your sin and will heal your spirit and His eyes will be open and His
ears attentive to the prayers that you offer.
·
A Believer in Jesus Christ will not stay in SIN. If you don’t try to “get back up”,
then you are a Make Believer and were never His. - He will tell you plainly,
‘I never knew you.
·
If you were once saved, you are forever saved;
NO ifs ands or buts – nothing can EVER separate you
from the Love of God.
John 3:16-18 – Whoever Believes has eternal life
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (NIV2011)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (NIV2011)
Romans 8:38-39 – Nothing can separate us from God
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT)
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT)
2 Chronicles 7:14-15 - Humble – Pray – Seek – I
will hear
14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their .15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their .15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
Matthew 7:23 - I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (NIV2011)
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (NIV2011)
Two
Schools of Thought –
Parallel truths, both taught in the Bible – Divine Sovereignty and Human
Freedom
·
Calvinism – Men are so fallen
that they are dead in their sins and unable to seek God’s face. God in
his Mercy has pre-destined SOME people to be saved; His Grace is
irresistible to those He elected. – Man can do nothing; and has nothing to do
with his Salvation; it’s all God.
·
Arminianism – God has extended His
Grace to ALL people and it’s up to each individual to accept or resist. – His Grace is an influence-and-response
fashion that can be both freely accepted and freely denied –
Man has FREE WILL to choose. – Life is
choice driven.
·
Either way – You will know the
Believer by their fruits - If God has a call on your life; you have eternal
security; if you are a MAKE BELIEVER; you were never a part of the body.
A BELIEVER CAN’T FALL FROM
GRACE.
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I
am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical
information, and scripture verses.
Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further that I
otherwise ever could have.
Bethel Baptist Church – Forrest L. Keener
Great Doctrines of the
Bible – W.A. Criswell
Message Bible; The – MSG
New American Standard
Bible - NASB
New International Version
Bible – NIV
New Living Translation
Bible – NLT
Thru the Bible – J. Vernon McGee
Wikipedia
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