Falling from Grace
No Christian wakes up one morning and says, “You know what, I think I’ll start drifting away from God today.” It doesn’t happen like that, wouldn’t you agree? Moving away from God is usually a very gradual thing as our conversion and initial passion cool and we start focusing on other things, allowing them to pull us in other directions.
Some say, “aren’t we ‘once saved, always saved’?” The Lord did say, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). But although “no one” can snatch them away, it does not say we can’t walk away on our own. The Bible has much to say on this topic, let’s not proof text with that one isolated verse.
Free will is crucial to the view I take. Those who align with “once saved, always saved” tend to believe in Calvinistic Predestination, and according to that view if we are predestined (have no real choice) then once saved how can we be lost? The trouble is, I don’t think that’s the correct view of predestination. Yes, God knows ahead who will be saved (foreknowledge), but he doesn’t force anything. And if we have free will to accept Jesus as Lord, we have free will to later reject him as Lord. Scripture to back that up?
Hebrews 6 talks about those who have been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift, sharing in the Holy Spirit, tasting the goodness of God’s Word – then fall away. It is hard to restore them.
I Timothy 4 says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times, some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared…”
Jesus talked of seed (God’s Word) thrown on various surfaces. Symbolically, some on rocky soil believe but do not allow roots to form. “They believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away” (Luke 8:13).
Hebrews 2 tells us, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it…how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” And Hebrews 3 continues. “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God, but exhort one another every day…that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
Some become Christians during good times and don’t commit for the hard times that may come. Jesus says, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake (isn’t that happening today?). And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another” (Matthew 24:9, 10).
The Apostle Peter talks about how, after escaping the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord, we can once again get entangled and overcome. “For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness then after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered” (2 Peter 2:21).
Are you getting the picture? From Jesus, from Peter, from Paul, from the writer of the book of Hebrews, all agree that we can fall away, turn back, depart from the faith. The question becomes, what can we do to prevent this? One thing that helps keep us on track is involvement with a local church. Are you taking advantage of that? Oh, I know, there are hypocrites there, there are some hard-to-take and insincere people there. Like in any social group. But if you make the effort to find a good, Bible teaching, evangelistic, socially active congregation, there are also good, knowledgeable Christians in those churches. From them you can learn, you can be encouraged, sometimes challenged. Are you part of a Sunday class or mid-week small group? Relationships are formed there and are vital. Are you reading the Bible personally, praying regularly, and looking for service opportunities? This provides a communication line with the Lord, talking to him and allowing him to talk to you; and serving takes us beyond being a pew setting spectator.
Question: Falling away is unlikely if we take commonsense actions. Are you living on the edge? Don’t fall from grace.
Some say, “aren’t we ‘once saved, always saved’?” The Lord did say, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). But although “no one” can snatch them away, it does not say we can’t walk away on our own. The Bible has much to say on this topic, let’s not proof text with that one isolated verse.
Free will is crucial to the view I take. Those who align with “once saved, always saved” tend to believe in Calvinistic Predestination, and according to that view if we are predestined (have no real choice) then once saved how can we be lost? The trouble is, I don’t think that’s the correct view of predestination. Yes, God knows ahead who will be saved (foreknowledge), but he doesn’t force anything. And if we have free will to accept Jesus as Lord, we have free will to later reject him as Lord. Scripture to back that up?
Hebrews 6 talks about those who have been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift, sharing in the Holy Spirit, tasting the goodness of God’s Word – then fall away. It is hard to restore them.
I Timothy 4 says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times, some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared…”
Jesus talked of seed (God’s Word) thrown on various surfaces. Symbolically, some on rocky soil believe but do not allow roots to form. “They believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away” (Luke 8:13).
Hebrews 2 tells us, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it…how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” And Hebrews 3 continues. “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God, but exhort one another every day…that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
Some become Christians during good times and don’t commit for the hard times that may come. Jesus says, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake (isn’t that happening today?). And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another” (Matthew 24:9, 10).
The Apostle Peter talks about how, after escaping the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord, we can once again get entangled and overcome. “For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness then after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered” (2 Peter 2:21).
Are you getting the picture? From Jesus, from Peter, from Paul, from the writer of the book of Hebrews, all agree that we can fall away, turn back, depart from the faith. The question becomes, what can we do to prevent this? One thing that helps keep us on track is involvement with a local church. Are you taking advantage of that? Oh, I know, there are hypocrites there, there are some hard-to-take and insincere people there. Like in any social group. But if you make the effort to find a good, Bible teaching, evangelistic, socially active congregation, there are also good, knowledgeable Christians in those churches. From them you can learn, you can be encouraged, sometimes challenged. Are you part of a Sunday class or mid-week small group? Relationships are formed there and are vital. Are you reading the Bible personally, praying regularly, and looking for service opportunities? This provides a communication line with the Lord, talking to him and allowing him to talk to you; and serving takes us beyond being a pew setting spectator.
Question: Falling away is unlikely if we take commonsense actions. Are you living on the edge? Don’t fall from grace.
Posted in Waking Up Eutychus