Unconditional Eternal Security?
Once in Christ, Never Out?
● The Bible does not teach unconditional eternal security; if you return to sin, you will be lost.
● No one on this earth would be more eternally secure than what Satan was in heaven and he was kicked out.
○ Isa. 14:12-15 - "12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north … 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."
○ Satan took a huge fall - he started in heaven and got cast down to hell
■ The reason for his fall: PRIDE (1 Tim. 3:6)
● A bishop is not to be a novice (one new to the faith) ○ You’re setting a person up if you elevate them too soon ○ He can’t handle being over folks if he just got saved ○ You don’t want him to fall into pride like the devil
● Pride: the condemnation of the devil
○ Condemnation - Greek krima (S:G2917), cp. English crime
○ Pride caused someone who already was in heaven to get kicked out
○ The more God allows us to be exalted we have to humble ourselves so God doesn’t have to humble us
■ Example: Paul (2 Cor. 12:7-9 - "7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. … ")
● Paul had a thorn to keep him from getting too high or inflated, to keep him level
● God gave him a thorn to use him more & help him to handle it
○ Some pain, issue, and fight is allowed by God so you don’t get too beside yourself, and can
● Luke 15:32 - "It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."
○ The prodigal son in the parable starts off as the son and in the house but he went away, backslid
■ The sheep, the coin, and the son in this chapter did not start off lost; they all started off where they should be but they got lost
○ The son does not represent a sinner getting saved from sin; he represents a saint who turns from God, leaves the house, dies and then comes back and becomes alive again
● Jude 1:3, 4, 6, 8, 11-12 - "… 12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds [they are] without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots…"
○ Jude gave all diligence to write (v. 3) and he’s is talking about men who were crept in unawares (v. 4)
■ He compared them to “the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (v. 6)
■ v. 8 starts with “Likewise” because he’s making a comparison
○ These are people in the church - “they feast with you” (v. 12)
■ They were TWICE dead (v. 12)
● We are born / start spiritually dead (cp. Eph. 2:1-3 he quickened us, made us alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins)
● When we receive the Spirit, we become spiritually alive - we receive everlasting life when we’re born again
● These people in Jude were twice dead - they started off dead, became alive, then died again (a second time)
■ They had fruit but it withered (v. 12)
● Cp. John 15:1-2 - Jesus said, "1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”
○ If someone has been grafted into Jesus, if He sees any fruit, the Father purges it so it brings forth more fruit
○ Any branch that is IN Him and doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away
● Cp. John 15:3-6, 10-11 - Jesus says, “3 Now ye are clean through the word … 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned. … 10 If ye keep my com
○ He says, “Abide in me, and I in you” (v. 4) - that show you have an OPTION
■ Some wrongly say once in Christ never out no matter what you do
■ The vine is Christ (v. 1)
○ Jesus says if someone doesn’t abide in Him, he’s cast forth as a branch - goes from Him - withered, gathered, cast into the fire, and burnt
■ In Jude their fruit withered just like this
● There are two instances of Jesus being OUTSIDE
○ Example #1: THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS
■ John was the one talking about abiding in Him by abiding in His love and keeping His commandments; if not, you’ll be cast forth
● John wrote what Jesus said in Revelation as well
■ Rev. 2:4-5 - “4 Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
● Jesus is talking: they left Him, and if they didn’t get it together, He’d come and remove the candlestick
● What is the candlestick? The church (Rev. 1:20)
○ He said He’d remove the whole church
○ Example #2: THE CHURCH OF THE LAODICEANS
■ Rev. 3:20 - “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
● Jesus is outside of the individuals of that church
■ It is NOT a “once in Christ, never out, no matter what you do” - you have to be saved to stay and for God to stay with you
● We can also learn from the church of Sardis
○ Rev. 3:5 - “5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”
■ It is possible for your name to be blotted out of the book of life
○ Cp. Rev. 22:18-19 - "18 … If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book."
■ Remember, Revelation is written to the 7 churches of Asia (Rev. 1:11) - he’s writing to the church
■ Throughout the Bible, people always had a choice even after God saved them if they wanted to stay saved or make it in
● You must live right and walk right
● Rom. 6:1-2 - "1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
○ It’s forbidden by God to continue in sin - it should not happen
● 1 Cor. 6:9-11 - "9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
○ This tells us who shall not inherit the kingdom of God ○ Effeminate (S:G3120) - soft
■ Speaks of a man who carries himself soft.
○ Abusers of themselves with mankind (S:G733) - one who lies with a male as with a female; a sodomite
■ Compound word: from S:G730 (a male) and S:G2845 (a bed, conceive, a couch, cohabitation, the male sperm)
■ This word speaks of a male who lies with a male - cp. Homosexual