As we come to the lesson of the security of the Christian, we need to learn the warning of John in 1 John 3:7 "Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous." There are some in the religious world that teach that when we are once saved we are always saved. The purpose of this lesson is to not only examine this doctrine but to learn what we have to do to be safe, what we must do to secure our salvation. Sin separated men from God in the beginning and sin is the dreaded thing that can separate the Christian from God now. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:3,"But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." This caused Paul to say in 1 Corinthians 9:27 "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." Although God loves us and has saved us from our past sins, he cannot and will not tolerate sin from the Child of God any more than He will tolerate sin from those who have not been obedient to the Gospel of His Son. Paul writes in 1 Cor. 10:12 " Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." Those therefore that are so sure they are saved are the very ones who are in the greatest danger. Study carefully the following scriptures and see the truth on the security of the Child of God.
Fill in the following blanks:
1. "Having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the have suffered .
(1 Tim. 1:19)
Paul tells Timothy that it is possible for men to make shipwreck of their faith.
2. "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will from the , giving heed to deceiving spirits and of demons. (1 Tim. 4:1)
Again Paul tells Timothy that men will depart from the faith.
3. "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has the faith, and is worse than an (1 Tim. 5:8)
4. "For the love of is the root of all kinds of evil: for which some have from the , and have through with many sorrows. (1 Tim. 6:10)
5. "By professing it some have concerning the . Grace be with you. Amen." (1 Tim. 6:21)
6. "Who have strayed concerning the , saying that the resurrection has already passed, and they the of some." (2 Tim. 2:18).
"Having condemnation, because they have their first ." (1 Tim. 5:12)
Thus we see that the child of God can make shipwreck of the faith, depart from the faith, deny the faith, be led astray from the faith, err from the faith, overthrow the faith and cast off the faith.
THOSE WHO BECAME CURSED CHILDREN
In 2 Pet. 2 the apostle tells about a people who had been bought by the Lord and had escaped the pollutions of the world who went astray and became cursed children. Fill in the number of the proper verse out of this chapter that has in the statements of the left hand side of the page:
1. "Even denying the Lord that bought them"--------------verse
2. "They have escaped the pollutions of the world"--------verse
3. "and gone astray"--------------------------------------verse
4. "accursed children"---------------------------------------verse
5. "Will receive the wages of unrighteousness"-----------verse
6. "bring on themselves swift destruction"---------------verse
Here you have a complete picture of those who fell from the Lord's favor. They were bought by the Lord, had escaped the pollutions of the world, then went astray and became cursed children. Peter tells us they will receive the reward of unrighteousness because they have brought upon them selves swift destruction.
COMPLETE THESE VERSES:
Paul declares in 1 Cor. 10:12, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed ."
In Galatians 5:4 , Paul says, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law: ye are from .
The teaching of the scriptures is clear. If the Child of God sins and transgresses God's law and will not repent of the transgression. he will be separated from the grace of God. Paul preaches in 1 Cor. 10 that in the days of Israel 23,000 fell in one day. They fell because they rebelled against God. Here are twenty-three thousand irrefutable arguments that the child of God can fall, and Paul sounds the warning in verse twelve. "Therefore slet him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." We are not to be deceived into thinking sin is not sin. Sin is sin wherever and whenever it is found. John says in 1 John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." John was writing to "his little children", so to children of God. Paul tells the churches of Galatia, who had gone back to Moses's law to be circumcised by its authority, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace.
WHEN WE FALL
The student with a logical mind will want to know now what we are to do when and if we transgress God's law. Paul teaches in Gal. 6:1 that the fallen child of God must be restored. John teaches in 1 John 1:2 that we have an advocate with the Father and that advocate is Christ. We are to use Him when we sin and ask forgiveness for our sins and if we are penitent and will repent and pray we can be forgiven. Peter told Simon in Acts 8:22 to repent and pray that he might be forgiven.
***All Bible texts and quotations are taken from the New King James Version. |
