“1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:1–4 *NASB) (*All Scripture is in NASB unless otherwise noted)
“5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Eternity is a long time. It never ends. The most important thing in life is to be sure you are really headed for Heaven, according to God’s Word, the Holy Bible. Assurance of going to Heaven will give your soul true inner peace. The “test” of true salvation, that Paul was referring to above, in 2 Corinthians 13:5, is an ongoing two-fold test of repentance and belief.
Real repentance means turning away from living for sinful pleasures and self-rule. Sincere belief means trusting God with one’s entire life, which goes far beyond intellectual head knowledge, that merely knows God really exists. Sincere saving faith both believes and trusts God to be in control. It must come from the heart to truly be saving faith.
“14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’.” (Mark 1:14–15 NKJV)
Repentance that results in salvation, and that involves a real and lasting commitment, kept by the power and help of the Holy Spirit, is repentance that has a deep desire to do your best to keep going the right way, which is only God’s way. It’s true that no one will be perfect, at always doing the right thing, until face to face with the Lord Jesus. Then, Christians will finally be perfected, as we will first look into Jesus’s eyes of perfect love.
But till that moment, saving faith and repentance must include a sincere desire to at least aim at perfection in obediently letting God be in control. God’s saving grace alone can empower you to have a true faith and repentance, that is nothing like the feigned repentance of the highly-religious Pharisees, a facade the Lord clearly despised. Jesus even referred to them as “snakes” (Matthew 12:34; 23:33 NLT), as did His predecessor John (Matthew 3:7b NLT). Real repentance requires the subsequent fruit of obedience.
“7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance’;” (Matthew 3:7–8)
The good news is, if you know in your heart that you have not yet sincerely and fully repented, or turned away from wanting to control your own choices, and have not yet turned away from living however you want to live, and if you have the desire to turn everything in your life over to Jesus as your Lord, it’s not too late.
Jesus harshly rebuked the hypocritical Pharisees, because He saw deep within their self-righteous hearts that they did not want to live by His Father’s rules, but only by their own rules, for the sake of appearing righteous before others. (Matthew 23:23; John 7:24) Feigned repentance is not the true repentance that the Lord honors by saving a person’s soul.
The well-known Scripture passage of Ephesians 2:8-9 is all about how we can only be saved by God’s grace, through placing our faith in what only He is able to do for us. And even our faith is a free grace gift from God that we must receive to truly believe in Him as our Lord, who promises us eternal salvation. But the very next verse, Ephesians 2:10, makes it so clear that good works will indeed follow a true salvation experience.
“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8–10)
Our obedience may not always be as consistent as it should be, but some measure of good works of obedience will follow, till a born again believer sees Jesus. Reading Ephesians 2:8-10 makes it clear that our doing good works of obedience is one of the reasons God created us. God saved us from the eternal punishment we deserve, because of our sinful rebellion against Him, so we can enjoy the benefits and blessings of obeying Him.
“20 . . . I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.” (Acts 26:20 NIV)
“24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James 2:24–26)
Many people misunderstand and fail to realize that the good works, which God greatly affirms (Matthew 5:16), are works made out of obedience to Him. Bearing the “peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11) means avoiding sinful habits, living only to please God, guided by His power to obey His holy commands.
The good works, “which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10), are good works of obeying all of His commands, for living in the right ways. God created us to live in those right ways before Him, with all the fullness of His pleasure and joy.
Such good works go far beyond serving in a volunteer role at church on Sundays, though that, in itself, is indeed one of the many wonderful ways to let “your good works” shine, as you serve and honor God (Matthew 5:16). But serving needy people, even at church, does not exempt anyone from our need to obey God in every other area of life too.
Some people, who consider themselves Christians, think that if only they will attend church regularly, that sufficiently counts for their good works. And then they feel they are free to live however they want to live during the rest of the week, as if they’ve maxed out their need for doing good works. This is not the Scripture-based lifestyle of a born again Christian. And such a lifestyle does not support assurance of real salvation.
Every aspect of ongoing obedience is a born again Christian’s good works before the Lord. Serving others by meeting their needs is wonderful and good, but it doesn’t take the place of submissively obeying Christ in all other ways, if He truly is your “Lord”. The good works, that Christ calls every born again Christian to continually do, include obeying Him in every way He lovingly commands, “and His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Obeying God is a good thing that totally frees us.
“16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 17 Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:16–17)
That’s why God, out of His immeasurable love, chastens His true followers when we disobey Him. God disciplines us so we will not go on sinning (Hebrews 12:10-11). Sin tremendously grieves the indwelling Holy Spirit, and therefore, He is not going to allow a born again Christian to become so familiar with our sinful ways that they become sinful habits we enjoy practicing. When that is true of one’s lifestyle, they seriously need to question the authenticity of their salvation.
When people, who consider themselves Christians, are able to practice sinning without remorse, they most likely have never been born again (1 John 3:8). True Christians, who practice doing things they know are wrong, due to being out of close fellowship with the Lord Jesus, and due to having become too spiritually calloused to discern the Holy Spirit’s conviction, will always be very miserable people.
True Christians feel remorseful about their sin. True Christians cannot be oblivious to their sin. The indwelling Holy Spirit, who seals their soul, will not allow that to happen.
Yes, some measure of sinning is inevitable, until we will have seen Jesus, and will have been transformed into His perfect likeness (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 John 1:8; 3:2). For Jesus’ beloved disciple John said, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). But for all who are truly Holy Spirit-inhabited born again Christians, our Holy Father makes sure He fashions each of our heart to turn back to Him, before we will have backslidden too far from the heart of His will and close fellowship (Psalm 33:15).
“13 The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; 14 From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.” (Psalm 33:13–15)
If you feel you’ve reached such a spiritually calloused point, of enjoying practicing sinful habits without remorse, then you most likely have never been truly saved. But the relieving good news is, you still can be saved, and you need to be, before it’s too late. Hell really is real, and eternal, as is its “unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43). But the only reason anyone will have ended up in hell is because they will have put off sincerely trusting Jesus Christ, to be their “Lord”, until it’s too late. Trusting Jesus as your “Lord” means submitting to His supreme control as your Master, or heart and life Controller.
“28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.” (Luke 13:28)
23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:23)
This website’s theme Bible verses, Matthew 7:13-23, also found on the Home Page, are very significant words of warning that the Lord Jesus Christ lovingly spoke to us:
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:13–23)
The Lord Jesus spoke these truths to lovingly warn us, so that neither we, nor any of our loved ones, will fail to make the life commitment that is mandatory for going to Heaven. Sincerely doing what is necessary to be born again, and to have eternal assurance of going to Heaven, can never be done in our own human strength, or by our own human will, but only by the free grace of God, and the supernatural spiritual power He freely offers.
Yes, receiving God’s saving grace is indeed free, but it’s also very costly. God’s saving grace is costly because only those who are willing to surrender their entire life to Him, and to the control of His supreme authority, can receive it. It’s a miraculous transformation that happens to all who are truly born again to new life in Jesus Christ as their Lord.
Let’s now look at Matthew 7:13-14 again, this time in the New King James Version, before focusing on what exactly is necessary to gain the assurance of spending eternity in Heaven, because “difficult is the way which leads to life”, meaning eternal life, indeed. And as Jesus clearly said up front, without apology, “there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14). Choose to be one of the few!
“13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13–14 NKJV)
Jesus made it ever so clear that only a few people, in comparison to the multitudes, will actually find the true and narrow way that leads to Heaven’s gate. Possibly this is because it is by far the most difficult of the two ways to choose. Possibly also because most people love going their own way, living life in whatever ways they want to live, without holy restraints. Many are deceived into thinking that choosing to “enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” is worth more than obediently living for the Lord (Hebrew 11:24-26).
Those who turn away from the only true and narrow way to Heaven have been totally deceived by Satan, who is sometimes referred to as the serpent, the evil one who first tempted Eve to disobey God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-13; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:16-18; Luke 10:18; John 8:44; Romans 16:20; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:14-15; Ephesians 6:11-12; James 4:7-8;1 Peter 5:8; Jude 1:6-9; Revelation 20:10).
The Bible tells us Satan will ultimately be “thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet” will have already been thrown. at the end of the seven-year great tribulation; “and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
Refuse to let Satan deceive you about Jesus your Maker’s eternal truth. Christ Jesus is calling you to the true peace and wonderful freedom found only in being fully devoted to Him. Please turn to Christ with your whole heart today. He loves you and yearns for you to turn to Him. Jesus is now waiting so patiently on you, dear friend.
“3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)
The majority of deceived people, who fail at choosing submission to the Lord Jesus, are “double-minded” (James 1:8). Double-minded people erroneously think they can live for worldly pleasures and for the Lord at the same time (1 John 2:15-17; 3:4-10; James 4:4). Christ also warns us, in Matthew 7:21-23, that many people, when finally standing before Him on Judgment Day, will claim they did many great things to serve Him in His name. But reality will be that they actually rejected Christ’s supreme authority in their life, as could have been clearly seen by their sensual lifestyle of sinful, worldly habits.
On Judgment Day, all deceived souls’ earthly time of rebellion, against Christ’s supreme rule, will come to have resulted in their having to spend the rest of eternity in hell, separated from God and His peaceful love, instead of in Heaven with God and all their truly saved loved ones. Tragically, their having refused to submit to the supreme authority of Christ’s Lordship will have finally caught up with them, but then it will be too late. There will no longer be any mercy for them.
“46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)
Submitting to Jesus Christ’s authority, as your “Lord” and Master, is everything when it comes to becoming a Christian, assured of being welcomed into Heaven someday. In fact, you’ll find that the word “Lord” actually means the One who is “supreme in authority”, and the “Controller” of one's life. Just look up the meaning of the original word used for “Lord” in Scripture promises about eternal salvation, such as Romans 10:9 and 10:13 (The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words, #2962).
“9 . . . if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” (Romans 10:9)
“13 . . . Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
To “confess . . . Jesus as Lord” (Romans 10:9) means to agree to let Jesus rule your life as your Lord, or Controller. It’s important to remember, 1 John 3:8 lets us know that anyone “who practices sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8), having not yet submitted to Christ as their “Lord”.
If you are willfully embracing the practice of any sinful habit, resisting repentance before the “Lord”, then the Holy Bible urges you to test yourself, “to see if you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5b). Are you willing to turn away from the enslavement of whatever sinful habit has its grip on you? If not, then that could be a very plain indication you have never been truly saved, born again of the Spirit of Christ.
26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26–27)
To “call on the name of the Lord” (Romans 10:13), for God’s forgiveness of all sins, and for His promise of eternal salvation, means to submit, or humbly bow your free will to the supreme authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Controller of your heart's choices, for all of your life. It’s a life commitment to seek to obey Him as best you can.
If someone’s commitment to Christ does not last for a lifetime, then it never has been real, and there is still hope for them to repent of living for sin and self-rule. They still have time to receive “the knowledge of the truth” that leads to real saving faith (Hebrews 10:26). But if that someone is you, do not put it off too long, lest you find yourself facing “the fury of a fire” that comes from the wrath of God your Maker and Judge (Hebrews 10:27). You do not want to hear Christ say, “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).
Even though no one will be completely perfect at submitting to Christ’s rule and authority, until we see Him face to face (1 John 3:2;1 Corinthians 13:12; 15:52), if we truly have received the Heavenly Father’s free gift of salvation, by agreeing to let His Son Jesus control our heart and life, then we will indeed want to obey Him to the best of our ability. As we do obey, the indwelling Holy Spirit changes us into Christ’s likeness more and more (2 Corinthians 3:18). If we do not want to obey Him, we have serious reason to question the authenticity of our salvation, whether we are truly headed to Heaven, or hell, according to Christ’s urgent warnings of reality in the Holy Bible.
Submitting to God’s authority is the very same as submissively obeying His commands for holiness. And God’s commands are found only in the Holy Bible. The Bible tells us to “examine everything carefully” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), so certainly we should examine whether or not our submission to God was sincere to begin with (2 Corinthians 15:5). For the apostle Paul let us know it is possible that some will have “believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:2). And all of God’s Word, the Holy Bible, was inspired by God Himself (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12).
“3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.” (1 John 2:3 NLT)
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20–21)
18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; (1 Peter 3:18)
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. (Titus 3:4–8)
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11–12)
22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. (Hebrews 9:22–28)
If you know someone who claims to be a Christian, but they do not have a yearning to obey God in every way they can, then tragically, it is possible they have never truly become a born again Christian, headed for Heaven. The concept of backsliding can be readily found in the Old Testament, before the Holy Spirit came to live in the hearts of believers in Christ. But even then, the Lord never took backsliding lightly.
7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. 10 “Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways’; 11 As I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” (Hebrews 3:7–11)
There are great Bible scholars who believe extended periods of backsliding are not a Scriptural possibility for post-resurrection born again believers, also known as New Testament Christians. Based on the promise that Christians have the Holy Spirit residing in each of us, always faithfully teaching us the right ways to choose good instead of evil, such Bible scholars’ interpretation of Scripture teaches that God will not allow us to stray very far from His holy will. They, of course, believe the story of the prodigal son is a story about a lost person getting saved, not a story of a backslider returning to God.
The indwelling Holy Spirit does lovingly convict and guide sealed believer’s hearts to turn away from sinful ways, so we will not go on willfully grieving Him, in repetition, for very long. Such teaching says that God is faithful to keep us from backsliding, but Scripture also indicates that every believer is responsible to build ourselves up in our “most holy faith” (Jude 1:20). Scripture further commands believers to “keep yourselves in the love of God”, letting us know we must do our part in cooperating with God (Jude 1:21).
1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: (Jude 1)
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 20–25)
30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)
19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19 NLT)
If a person, who claims to be a Christian, willfully and unrepentantly practices sin, then, based on 1 John 3:8, they are actually “of the devil”, meaning they have never been truly born again to new life in Christ. Now it is technically true, if a person really has been born again in Christ, having been sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), there is no sin so great that they could ever lose their salvation. But if we truly have the Holy Spirit living inside our soul, it sure stands to reason that He will not allow us to continue enjoying committing any sin long enough to have reason to doubt our salvation. The greatest assurance of being a citizen of Heaven is that a true Christian cannot enjoy sinning!
Also of importance to keep in mind, there is a huge difference between willfully committing a sin, aware of the consequences it will have on God’s heart and on others’ hearts, and committing a sin unknowingly, especially when we do not have the resource of time to be able to think and pray before making the decision. “Presumptuous sins” are those we commit with proud arrogance, causing much more grief to our Lord’s loving heart (Psalm 19:13). Spending time with the Lord in His Word helps us avoid committing such grievous sins. Consider this Psalm 19:7-14 passage, written in the Old Testament times, before the Holy Spirit came to be our Helper, Encourager, Comforter, Teacher and Guide.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:7–14)
Bottom line, true Christians will be remorseful over their sin and will soon come to repentance, without going on to practice and embrace repetitive sin. Enjoying practicing sin is a sure mark of a heart devoid of the Holy Spirit (Romans 7:14-25), but Jude warned us that many will “have crept in unnoticed, . . . ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and”, by the evident fruit of their choices, “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4).
Such imposters treat God’s grace like it is their license to go on willfully embracing sinful worldly habits. New Christians are likely to be very misguided when they such ungodly people, within the church, seek to hold positions of spiritual leadership, despite their example of compromise with worldly ways.
“19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.” (Jude 1: 19)
(2 Corinthians 5:9–10) 9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1–10)
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. (1 John 2:1–6)
11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11–13)
After a genuine salvation experience, all Christians will have our spiritual ups and downs, but we will grow spiritually stronger over time, as we submit to Christ’s Lordship, or control, more and more. "We make it our aim . . . to be well pleasing to Him" (2 Corinthians 5:9 NKJV).
When a person believes they had a true salvation experience in the past, but they had no one to teach them how to rightly live for the Lord, and they either continued living with sinful habits, or they later fell back into a lifestyle of enjoying practicing sin, then one of two things is true. Either they never were truly saved to begin with, and the fact that they want to be saved now is evidence that the Lord is drawing them to Himself for true salvation, or else they are one of those Christians who, on Judgment Day, will come very close to having no eternal rewards (1 Corinthians 3:15), unless they repent and start storing up treasure in Heaven.
20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:20–21)
19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19–20)
The Bible says some Christians, on Judgment Day, “will suffer loss”, but “will be saved, yet so as through fire”, referring to Christ’s refining fire (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). Jesus Christ will test all true believers’ works, to determine our eternal rewards. Our rewards will affect how we will enjoy serving and glorifying our Holy Father, our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit for all eternity without end. (Romans 2:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:10)
As we pray for loved ones, that they will live in holy ways that store up greater eternal treasure in Heaven, we can always know for sure that God’s provisions for repentance are perfect. (2 Peter 1:3) God omnisciently sees, with His perfect justice, wisdom and grace, into the hearts of every human being, as He mercifully and lovingly “fashions the hearts of them all” (Psalm 33:13-15). As we pray for loved ones, we can always trust that whatever God foreordained for them, before time began, was lovingly perfect and just.
The powerful truth, that all who reject Christ “are without excuse”, should spur our hearts to pray all the more fervently for wayward loved ones (Romans 1:20). When we ask the Heavenly Father to empower us with His grace, to really let this reality sink deeply into our soul, we must trust that God gives each soul every opportunity needed to repent. Whether a person needs repentance to be spiritually born again into God’s family for the first time, or repentance to stop robbing God, and everyone else, by sinful choices, God’s grace and love are perfect and just as He “fashions the hearts of” us all, yearning for us to draw closer to Him at all times (Psalm 33:15).
If you have not yet given your life to the Lord, He yearns to save you by His grace, and to set you free so you can live with the peace of His abundant life! Just think about the wonderful truth of John 10:10, below, that Jesus proclaimed while He was on Earth 2000 years ago. He yearns to empower you to enjoy His pure pleasures in life, in the most abundant possible way!
“10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Jesus wants all people to come to Him, to enjoy life to the fullest extent. The Bible promises every soul, who is willing to submit to Jesus Christ’s supreme authority, that He “always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). And the more that we as Christians “draw near” to the Heavenly Father through Christ, the more abundantly we will be freed to enjoy His holy pleasures, even during this relatively brief earthly life.
“23 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:23–25)
We should continually ask the Lord to guide us toward testing ourselves, in holy ways, that let us know whether or not our choices and habits are pleasing to Him. Testing ourselves, to be sure we are “in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5), should result in ever-increasing peaceful assurance that we have the eternal joys of Heaven to look forward to, and hopefully also, that we will be abundantly welcomed into Heaven. (2 Peter 1:11)
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (2 Peter 1:10–11)
If born again Christians truly want to grow spiritually stronger, and truly want to break free from destructive sinful habits that make us, and others, stumble, we must be humbly willing to yield to other mature Christians’ gentle, loving corrections. James reminds us that “we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2a). This realization confirms our need for one another’s gentle reminders to obey God, and it should remind us also to “stay strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19–20)
We all need continual, loving reminders to keep turning away from “the sin that so easily entangles us” (Hebrews 12:1b). Our hearts have been fashioned in such a way that we thrive from another’s encouragement to keep growing spiritually stronger, eagerly awaiting that moment we will finally see Jesus, our Maker, Redeemer and Lord.
28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. (1 John 2:28–29)
The infinite power of Christ’s sinless blood, shed for our forgiveness on the cross, and the triumphant power of His resurrection are “the weapons of our warfare”, that enable us to overcome the temptations the devil sends our way (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). (1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:12-17)
God’s grace positionally cleansed us in full, during the miraculous moment when we were born again and He “seated us with Him in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:4-7). But God’s grace is also continually available and active for our ongoing practical cleansing, which requires our intentional cooperation to “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
The big challenge of our daily battle is, we must grow to want to be cleansed more and more, spiritually dying to the forbidden pleasures our sinful fallen flesh craves. The indwelling Holy Spirit is always desiring to help us in our times of weakness to grow spiritually stronger. We must willfully and actively cooperate with Him, and the result will be ever-increasing assurance of our being headed for Heaven’s true and narrow gate.
“6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the hu
“1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)
Once a believer in Christ has been saved, we have been set free from the power of our sin, but we are still spiritually vulnerable to the lies of Satan, the deceiver. And every Christian’s soul will still struggle against the sinful lusts of our own fallen flesh. But the indwelling Holy Spirit of God is always speaking wisdom to our heart, yearning to help us rise above sin’s power at any moment. Sin grieves the heart of God, and it should grieve every Christian’s heart for that reason too. Sin is the reason Christ had to suffer a horrendous death on the cross.
The Bible assures us that there is a way to know with certainty that we are headed for Heaven (1 John 5:11-13), but God’s provision for assurance of eternal salvation has everything to do with whether or not a person enjoys practicing sinful habits. The apostle Paul confessed that he did the very things he hated and did not want to do, but he also confessed that doing those things made him feel like a “wretched man” (Romans 7:24) (See Romans 7:19-24). A born again Christian cannot continue practicing sin without feeling miserable about sinning, which is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s love inside their heart, drawing them away from sinful habits.
“11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11–13)
We love to claim the above passage, 1 John 5:11-13, for the sake of teaching about the assurance of eternal salvation, but we often fail to remember the reality of the things John was referring to, things that were written “so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). John had just finished writing about the reality that true Christians seek to abstain from all sinful ways, that are like those of the lost world.
Specific warnings John had just finished writing, that help true Christians know they do indeed have assurance of eternal life with God, include “do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). Another truth John had just written about was that “the one who practices sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8). The clear implication is that the one who enjoys practicing sin has never been spiritually born again as a true follower of Christ. If a person intentionally practices living in ways that they know do not line up with the holy commands of the Lord Jesus, then Jesus clearly is not the one in control of their choices, but rather, the devil is still their master.
43 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. (John 8:43–45)
People who love God and want to spend eternity with Him in Heaven are people who are still growing to understand more and more of the truths of the Holy Bible. The only reason we can understand God’s unchanging truth is because we have been saved by God’s grace. God’s Spirit must open the eyes of our understanding every time we prayerfully read the Bible and seek to hear and understand His holy voice, inaudibly heard within our hearts.
You may have heard it said that the Holy Bible is living, and therefore, it reads you more than you read it. It’s true! The Holy Bible “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Living Word that “became flesh” (John 1:14). This great truth is another reason Jesus is the only Way to Heaven. (John 14:6)
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NKJV)
As we read Hebrews 6:4-9 below, think about the perfect love the Holy Father has for you, that He was willing to let His perfectly sinless and only Son, Jesus, suffer in agony on the cross. The Holy Father had so much love for you, and for all people, that He was even willing to let Jesus take upon Himself the shame of all our sins, as well as the full penalty for all our sins. The Bible says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV). Considering that truth, let’s now read Hebrews 6:4-9, a passage many misunderstand.
“4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. 9 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.” (Hebrews 6:4–9)
Regarding the above Hebrews 6:4-9 passage, what about a lost person who sincerely thought they were saved, based on a previous experience they had, thinking it was true salvation, even though they had merely gone through some external motions of man-made requirements? And then, while thinking they were truly saved and headed for Heaven, though they were not, they later fell into very rebellious living?
If an unsaved or spiritually confused person has not yet come to fully understand “the knowledge of the truth” that leads to salvation (Hebrews 10:26), and has never definitely and defiantly turned their back on God, meaning they have never “fallen away” (Hebrews 6:4) from all possibility of trusting in God to save them, but they are still considering submitting to His Lordship and receiving His free gift of salvation, then they most definitely can still be saved by God’s amazing grace. Yes, God’s grace is infinitely able to cover all our sins, even the very worst of sins!
The Greek word for our current day English phrase, “fallen away”, in Hebrews 4:6, means “to apostatize” (The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words). If a non-Christian has not totally deserted all possibility of receiving Christ as Lord, meaning they are still breathing, and if they are still open to considering the possibility of submitting to Christ’s supreme authority in their life, they are not guilty of the unpardonable sin of apostasy.
It is possible at times that God may remove some of His spiritual influence, giving resistant lost people “over to a depraved mind” (Romans 1:28). God’s intent is that they will come to see how miserable their lifestyle of perversion and separation from Him really is, before their days on earth end and it is too late for them to repent. God may allow the deluding influence of a hallucinogen, such as alcohol, to accomplish this, or some other form of affliction. But we can know God is able to get the attention of any soul He perfectly foreknows will eventually turn their free will over to His supreme authority. (See Isaiah 5:5-25) Sometimes the way God gets people’s undivided attention is not very pleasant though. (Hebrews 10:30-31)
“18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man . . . . 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:18–32)
The Greek word for “depraved”, in Romans 1:28, means “unapproved, . . . worthless . . . castaway, rejected, reprobate” (The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words). But hey, there is not a single born again Christian who was not once deserving of hell, before Christ saved us by His grace. So once again, we must pray for each lost person’s salvation, remembering, “‘but for the grace of God’, there go I” (John Bradford, circa 1510-1555).
“9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
Think about the difference between Simon Peter’s three denials of Christ and Judas Iscariot’s total betrayal of Christ. After Peter shamefully denied three times that he even knew Christ, Peter soon repented, as seen by his being one of the first ones to show up at Christ’s empty tomb.
But after Judas betrayed Christ, for only “thirty pieces of silver” (Matthew 26:15), having helped put Christ to open shame, through the torture of the cross, Judas clearly never sincerely repented, but instead “went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).
There’s a huge eternal difference between the sin of denying Christ, soon being followed by repenting of whatever our verbal or visual denials of His supreme authority may have been, and the sin of ultimately betraying Christ, by putting an end to all possibility of ever bowing to Christ as Lord of all.
Without question, both Peter and Judas had been very involved in the outward observable motions of appearing to follow Christ. But Peter’s subsequent repentance, and good works of obedience, that followed his day of backsliding denials, proved his faith was genuine, while Judas’s subsequent lack of repentance and good works proved his pretense of faith had been feigned all along. Judas had been a false follower of Christ, just going through the motions to look like he was a true follower.
24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. (Romans 5:6–9)
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! 16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:8–18)
19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:19–23)
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:8–13)
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” (Galatians 2:20–21)
For the non-Christian, the sobering truth of Hebrews 6:4-9 is a serious warning to never completely turn your back on God and His only plan of true hope for eternal salvation. Trusting that what Christ accomplished, through His death on the cross and His victorious resurrection, can count for the forgiveness of all your sins, is the only way to inherit the promise of spending eternal life in Heaven.
Only Christianity embraces a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who loves all sinners enough that He was willing to take the penalty for all our sins. And only Christianity is based on an ancient historical document that not only tells how time and the human race began, but that also makes a claim to having been inspired by the Creator, Himself, of all things, including mankind.
Please realize that Christ Jesus paid your sin debt in full to the Holy Father on the cross, a debt that you never could have paid on your own, by trying to do enough good works to escape the just punishment of paying for your sins in hell’s eternal flames. God’s amazing grace is irresistible, if only you will trust Him to save your soul. The Holy Father is yearning to save you right now. Yes, the Lord Jesus is patiently waiting. The Holy Spirit yearns to enter your heart and set you free, for forever.
No one can count on seeing tomorrow’s sunrise, so please don’t put off accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Repent of sinfully living for yourself, and trust Jesus to be your Lord of all. Repent and believe, before it’s too late. Once the Heavenly Father tells Jesus the time has come to arise, from the right hand of His throne in Heaven, and to go raise all true Christians “up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17 NKJV), it will be most difficult to repent of living for sin and self-rule. Give your life to Jesus, before that climactic time of utter chaos suddenly changes everything. (Matthew 24:36-44; Revelation 2:21-23)
“21 ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 22 ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.” (Revelation 2:21–23)
13 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.” (2 Chronicles 7:13–15)
As we pray for potentially-lost loved ones, who seem to be so resistant to God’s patient mercy, grace and love for them, we must remember that Jesus, who is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, commands His followers to judge the observable fruit of others’ choices “with righteous judgment”, not “according to appearance” (John 7:24). For we do not ever know their whole situation, at least not the way God does.
Our only accurate Standard for judging other Christian's fruit “with righteous judgment” (John 7:24) is the Plum Line of God’s Word, the Holy Bible. God is calling on all true believers to be sympathetic faithful prayer warriors, who earnestly intercede for the salvation of all lost people with utmost mercy, compassion, patience and love.
We are never to judge the choices of non-Christians, but only the fruit of those who claim to be Christians (1 Corinthians 5:12). When we relate to people who have not yet made a life commitment to Christ as their Lord, we must remember that it was totally God’s kindness, patience and grace that led us to true repentance, worthy of His promise of eternal peace in Heaven.
“4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who will render to each person according to his deeds: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and ind
“9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation . . . .” (2 Peter 3:9–15a)
“1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— 2 for He says, ‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’—" (2 Corinthians 6:1–2)
“7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today if you hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. 10 Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, “They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways; 11 As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest.” ’ ” (Hebrews 3:7–11)
“12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, 15 while it is said, ‘Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me’.” (Hebrews 3:12–15)
Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. (Isaiah 30:18)
“I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.” (Jeremiah 24:7)
The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness. (Jeremiah 31:3)
“Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12–13)
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:3–7)
“16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16–17)
Can a Born Again Christian Lose Their Salvation?
Once again, if someone was truly born again to salvation, they were sealed by “the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13), and “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:29), including themselves and their own sinfulness. So remembering that great promise, let’s now consider the phrase, “falls away”, in Hebrews 3:12, which of course precedes the phrase “fallen away”, in Hebrews 6:6, that we’ve already covered.
The descriptive words that precede “falls away from the living God” are so significant in understanding Hebrews 3:12, that is, “an evil, unbelieving heart” (Hebrews 3:12). Having “an evil, unbelieving heart”, capable of “falling away” from all possibility of being saved, means to feel willfully and maliciously “hurtful” toward God and His holy purposes, not wanting His kingdom to succeed in enduring forever to His praise (The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words). Instead of wanting to give honor to God, having “an evil, unbelieving heart” means wanting to do damage to God’s reputation and kingdom (Hebrews 3:12). And a phrase that is also of great significance is the phrase “as long as it is still called ‘Today’” (Hebrews 3:13 NASB).
After Judas hung himself, it was no longer “still called ‘Today’” (Hebrews 3:13 NASB) for Judas, and there was no longer opportunity for him to genuinely repent. If Judas would have sincerely repented of his sin, God certainly would have welcomed him into His family and the forever kingdom of His love. God would have filled Judas’ heart with His true peace, to help him face whatever his tomorrows might have held. But Judas’ final choice clearly proves he never was a sincere follower of Jesus from the beginning. (John 6:64-71; 12:4-6; 13:11)
In no way does this mean that all who take their own life were never truly saved to begin with. But regarding Judas’ situation, there are many other verses in the Holy Bible that let us know he never was a true follower of Jesus. (John 6:64-71; 12:4-6; 13:11)
No matter what you’ve done, God’s arms are opened wide for you to repent and come to Him as your Lord and Savior. There are even true stories of Satanists who have repented of living for sin and self-rule, and of their past deliberate satanic worship, in order to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord of all.
Yes, dear friend, God’s grace can save anyone, “as long as it is still called ‘Today’” (Hebrews 3:13 NASB).
But now the frightening and extreme warning of 1 John 3:8 should be an urgent spiritual wake-up call for all who claim to be God-fearing Christians. It says, “the one who practices sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8 NASB). That’s about as plain as it gets.
So for all truly born again believers, who profess that we have sincerely submitted to Jesus Christ as our “Lord”, let’s make sure the choices and habits we are practicing truly let others know we are Christians, by the observable spiritual fruit of our lifestyle.
Our lifestyle habits should give clear evidence that we have indeed found the True and Narrow Gate, that leads to eternal life in Heaven. For our Lord Jesus not only said that He is the only way to Heaven (John 14:6), but He also said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16a, 20b NASB), which are the observable evidences and consequences of our choices, whether good or bad.
Without question, the message and call of God’s Holy Word, the Bible, is to live in such a way that gives clear evidence, to all who are watching, that our claim to Christianity is real, and therefore, has the result of bearing pure, lasting fruit, that greatly honors God.
8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” (John 15:8)
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; (Hebrews 12:1–4)
Only the Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Jesus ultimately wants you to “share His holiness”, with the fullness of His perfect true joy and peace, and that’s why Heaven is worth waiting for (Hebrews 12:10). If you will accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will be part of His forever family. With all the family of God, you will have reason to “greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8b-9). And the Bible promises, Christ’s inheritance will be yours!
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:10–11)
We hope to help you honestly examine the spiritual reality of the fruit of your choices. Honestly ask yourself, or better, ask God, “Do the habits I practice truly honor You as my Lord?” Honestly and prayerfully considering such questions is how you can do what the apostle Paul urged all of us to do, that is, “Test yourselves to be sure you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Corinthians 15:5a NASB).
We so want to help you make sure neither you, nor any loved ones within the sphere of your influence, will be found among the deceived and devastated multitudes, who will tragically have to hear Christ say,
“Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23 NASB).
Our prayer is, when you stand before the Lord Jesus Christ on Judgment Day, “that you may receive a full reward” (2 John 1:8b NASB), and that “the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you” (2 Peter 1:10-11 NASB).
2 John 1: 8 (NASB) 8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.
2 Peter 1:10–11 (NASB) 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
It is our desire to help you make sure you will be welcomed into Heaven, through the True and Narrow Gate that the Lord Jesus provided for you to enter, when He died for you on the cross 2000 years ago.
Becoming a born again Christian is not a step by step process as much as it is a total change of heart and perspective.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Being a born again Christian means you’ve decided to honor the Lord Jesus Christ’ supreme authority, as the One in control. (Colossians 1:18)
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-19 NASB, 28:20 NIV)
Have you sincerely turned away from sinfully doing life the way you think life should be done? And have you sincerely invited Jesus Christ to come in and transform your entire being, and ways of living, into something right and pure and victorious?
If you’re not sure, but you want to be sure, with all your heart, then below is an example of the kind of prayer that, if sincerely prayed to the one and only True and Triune God of all the ages, will result in your truly being born again to new life in Christ. Because of the sinless blood Christ shed for you, He wants to cover all your sins with His righteousness and grace, so you can live right for Him, and experience true freedom, peace and joy.
Realize God your Creator is watching you right now. He not only sees you, but He knows your name, and everything about you. God knows the pain and emptiness, deep inside your heart, better than you can imagine. He cares. And He loves you more than you could ever fathom.
God yearns to forgive you in full and to embrace you as His very own. He can hardly wait for you to turn away from your sin, to trust Him forever. So pray this sincerely to the Lord God Most High, who is the Holy Father, the Holy Lord Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Holy Spirit. The Savior is waiting now to enter your heart.
7 So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. (John 10:7–11)
27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27–30)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” (Acts 2:38–40)
12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; (Romans 3:22–25)
PRAYER TO BE BORN AGAIN AND SURE OF GOING TO HEAVEN:
Lord God, I need You. I’m finally really ready to let You have control of everything. Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me enough to let Your perfect Son, Jesus Christ, die in my place, to take the punishment for all my sins. I believe Jesus defeated the power of sin, death and hell, and then arose from His grave. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for so willingly suffering in my place, on the cross that I deserved. Oh Lord God, please forgive me of all my sins against You, past, present and future. I receive You, Jesus, as my Lord, and I give You first place, to rule my life. I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my heart. Make me whole and brand new. I’m ready to let You change me into a new person, free from the bondage of sin. Help me live for You now Lord God. Help me form new habits that will give evidence to everyone that I really do belong to You. Thank You for saving me from spending eternity in hell. Thank You for Your saving grace. I’m so glad I’m now free to live for Your honor, and I look so forward to spending eternity with You in Heaven. I love You, my Savior, my Leader and my Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If you just sincerely prayed the above prayer to the Lord, welcome to the eternal family of God! We so hope and pray you will continue to read other parts of this website that can help you learn how grow stronger as a victorious Christian. We rejoice with you to celebrate the reality that you are now a born again Christian, a true child of God! We give all praise to our Lord’s Holy Name!
(*All Bible verses referenced are from NASB, The New American Standard Bible - 1995, unless otherwise noted. All Bible verses listed individually are in bold print.)
3‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. (Revelation 3:3)
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 ‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ” (Revelation 3:14–22)
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:22–23)
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