Romans 11:20 ..Don’t be conceited, but FEAR; 21 for if God didn’t spare the natural branches [the Jews], neither will he spare you. 22 See then the GOODNESS *and* SEVERITY of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, IF YOU CONTINUE in his GOODNESS; OTHERWISE YOU WILL ALSO BE CUT OFF [like in Mt. 7:19 and John 15:6].
“Continuing in His kindness is required to avoid being cut off from this tree.”
“There are upwards of 80 passages in the New Testament that suggest in one way or another that a believer can fall away from the faith.”
9:00 John Calvin‘s explanation is that Paul is basically lying to his readers to scare them. R. C. Sproul avoided the passage completely.
Dilemma: Calvinist pastors who teach the perseverance of the saints ‘omega’ version of OSAS personally know those who were certainly born-again and did not persevere.
Time Stamps Basics and History: 0:00 Can lose salvation: 16:25 Cant lose salvation: 24:57 Implications: 41:23 My Testimony: 50:49
Here are some of the verses I found: Conditional Security Passages (51)
2 Peter 2:19–22, Hebrews 6:4–8, 1 Corinthians 9:24–27, Hebrews 10:26–31, Mark 4:13–20, Hebrews 3:12–19, Galatians 5:4–7, Romans 11:18–23, James 5:19–20, Colossians 1:21–23, Matthew 7:21-23, Hebrews 10:35–39, 1 Timothy 4:1, Revelation 2:4–5, Acts 14:22, John 15:1–4, Hebrews 12:14–17, 2 Peter 1:3, Matthew 10:22, Matthew 25:1–13, Luke 12:46–48, Luke 21:34–36, 2 Peter 1:10–11, 2 Peter 3:14-17, 1 Timothy 1:18–19, Matthew 5:13, Acts 11:23, Galatians 4:9–11, 1 Thessalonians 3:4–5, Hebrews 2:1–3, Revelation 2:13, Revelation 2:16–17, Matthew 13:18-23, Luke 8:11–15, Luke 14:34-35, Matthew 3:10, Luke 3:9, Matthew 24:4-13, Mark 9:43–50, Luke 13:6-9, John 8:31-32, Romans 8:12–17, Hebrews 6:11–12, Hebrews 10:22–24, Galatians 6:7–9, Philippians 3:17–4:1, 1 Peter 1:6–9, 2 Peter 2:1–3, 1 Timothy 6:10, 2 Timothy 2:22–26, 1 John 2:24, Revelation 2:25–29, Revelation 3:10–11, Revelation 3:12–13, Revelation 3:21–22.
Once Save Always Saved Passages (14)
Ephesians 1:13-14, John 10:26-30, Romans 8:28-39, John 6:37-40, Philippians 1:6, Romans 6:3-5,8, I Corinthians 1:7-9, 1 Peter 1:3-5, John 14:16, Ephesians 4:30, Hebrews 13:5-6, Jude 24-25, John 5:24, 2 Corinthians 1:22
Jesus and Paul did NOT see Adam and Eve as a metaphor, but taught Genesis as being truth.
Plus, science confirms the earth has to be young, not mentioned here — and is not addressed at all in our public, atheism indoctrination schools.
Related:
The 10 Best Evidences from Science that Confirm a Young Earth
1. Very Little Sediment on the Seafloor
2. Bent Rock Layers
3. Soft Tissue in Fossils
4. Faint Sun Paradox
5. Rapidly Decaying Magnetic Field
6. Helium in Radioactive Rocks
7. Carbon-14 in Fossils, Coal, and Diamonds
8. Short-Lived Comets
9. Very Little Salt in the Sea
10. DNA in “Ancient” Bacteria
Those who believe in eternal security (once saved, always saved) and false-grace theologies are at extreme risk of falling away and spending eternity in hell.
I’m concerned for pre-tribbers too.
Why? When they enter into the Tribulation period, and they can’t buy food, water, medicine, electricity or anything else, it will be easy to take the Mark of the Beast.
I’m Paul Wittenberger’s latest guest on his Framing the World podcast. Our topic was Darwin’s theory of evolution. We discussed the impact of the theory on Christian faith, and then examined three major areas of evidence (and there are others, of course) that debunk the theory.
(Note: Larry Taylor has since repented of the this book and it’s contents and left CC)
7. Never Gossip
Gossip is a sin that most of us feel we are not guilty of, and which most of us are very guilty of. Gossip may be defined as saying anything negative, whether true or not, to anyone about the pastor or about the ministry. If there are things wrong, take it to the Lord in prayer. Tell absolutely no one, including your spouse. Do not repeat anything that would cast aspersion on the ministry in any way. Doing so dishonors Christ and His cause.
But, you say, what do you do if there are real problems? Pray about them and forget them. If that doesn’t work, take your concerns directly and only to the pastor himself, and share with him honestly. If that doesn’t work, resign, and move on. Under no circumstances should you ever say anything negative about the pastor or the ministry to anyone, even after you’ve quit.
In a situation where something in the church is so completely wrong that the sheep in the body are in spiritual danger, then say nothing to anybody, resign, and move on. If the church is a Calvary Chapel affiliate, then take your concerns and share them privately with Pastor Chuck or with Oden Fong, then drop it; leave it alone. Let them handle it. Trust God. He’ll correct the situation. But do not gossip. It is a terrible sin before God.
Matthew 8:12 12But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:42 42and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:49-50 49So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 18:8 8“If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.
“..I also practice ALWAYS having a conscience void of offense toward God and men” (Acts 24:16).
We can always overcome temptation by God’s grace:
“No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” – 1 Cor. 10:13
How would you feel if the Bible taught that you could never rise higher in your spiritual life than the man in Romans 7? Would you shout “Praise the Lord” or would you flounder in the “Slough of Despond”? Let us together be challenged to understand Romans 7 as we believe Paul intended for it to be understood.
Chapter 6 is recognized as the new birth passage of Romans, echoing chapter 5. “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2). Romans 6:1-11 explains the process of the new birth, and 6:12-23 describes the new life. Repeatedly, we are said to have died with Christ and to sin. Four times we are said to be risen with Christ, or to be alive unto God. And three times in Romans 6 we are said to be free from sin.
False teachers can increase their credibility by quoting scriptures and claiming to explain the difficult passages, especially in Paul’s letters, which ‘ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other scriptures, to their own destruction’ (2 Peter 3:16). Note that Paul’s epistles are already classed as ‘scriptures’, alongside the Old Testament, by the time 2 Peter was written; and that some parts of them were already proving ‘hard to understand’! The closing exhortation is accordingly appropriate: ‘Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position’ (2 Peter 3:17).
“A lot of people believe error today because it’s what they want to believe.” – Don McClain
49:40 Don knows someone who changed his or her view on who goes to heaven because a loved one died, and this person wanted to believe that his or her loved one went to heaven. Don then says: “you can change your views about it. That’s not going to save your friend if it’s not true.”
50:30 “I’ve known preachers who changed their view on marriage-divorce-remarriage because one of their children unscripturally divorced and remarried unscripturally. … People do oftentimes change their views because of what they want to believe.”
54:30 Black mamba snakes can kill humans in just minutes. “We should be afraid of error, because error is much more serious than a black mamba. A black mamba can kill the body, but it can’t kill the soul. False doctrine can.
1:01:50 Christian ‘liberty’ is “liberty from sin, not liberty from the authority of Christ.”
1:03:20 “Do you think Eve wanted to believe error due to her desire?”
Alex co-founded Bethlehem Bible College in Bethlehem (yes, that one) and served as a professor and dean of students for many years. Alex received his MA in Missiology (1989) from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore KY; MA in Education (1976) from N. Georgia University in Dahlonega GA; BS in Secondary Education (1973) from Lee University in Cleveland, TN; BA in Biblical Education (1970) from Lee University in Cleveland, TN. He has also been a pastor and missionary for the United Methodist Church. Having lived in Israel from 1946-2015, Alex has seen a LOT! He shares his perspective about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as a Palestinian Christian who has lived through much of the conflict.
The truth about Romans 11, which explains a lot about what’s happened regarding the true Judaics, and what will happen in the future.
“Replacement theology” isn’t Biblical, since God still has a plan for the true Judaics, the “natural branches,” who will be grafted in again after the “fullness of the Gentiles” happens.
Currently, the majority are still “enemies of the Gospel” (verse 28) until the fullness of the Gentiles happens, which will be the real Christianity, Greatest Awakening, when we finally get our act together, life in the Son — Jesus’ prayer of oneness in John 17 and God’s desire of unity and holiness in Ephesians 4:11-16 realized!
Key Points:
• Hearts were hardened; though, small remnant v. 7 – 8
• “Fell” v. 11, 22
• the natural branches were broken off v. 17
• “..a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in,26 and so all Israel will be saved.” v. 25
• “Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake.” v. 28
Thomas R. Schreiner is JAMES BUCHANAN HARRISON PROFESSOR OF NEW TESTAMENT INTERPRETATION AND PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGY (1997) at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
I looked through the comments under Thomas Schreiner’s video, and post the best-of below. This one introduces Gordon Fee’s excellent article:
Dr. Schreiner is a major NT scholar and I think he has some valuable insights on a lot of the NT. But on the matter of “speaking in tongues” his own lack of experience or the experiences in his churches make him myopic to the text. We need to be careful not to read our own experience or lack of experience, as is Schreiner, back into scripture. The scriptures are addressing people who had certain common experiences, and IF we today have a similar experience to them, the texts make much more sense. For example, Paul’s epistles are addressed to first generation Christians who mostly experienced a dramatic encounter with the Holy Spirit in their conversion. They knew the joy of sins forgiven, deliverances from demons, and Gods love poured out in their hearts; and as Paul says to the Corinthians, “they lacked no spiritual gift.’ I mean, Paul’s explanation in 1 Corinthians 12-14 was not instruction to those who knew nothing in experience of these things. He was correcting certain abuses. …
An opposing view from another eminent NT scholar [Gordon Fee], for those who really seek to know the word.
Gordon Fee is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Regent College, where he taught for sixteen years. His teaching experience also includes serving schools in Washington, California, Kentucky, as well as Wheaton College in Illinois (five years) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts (twelve years).
Gordon Fee is a noted New Testament scholar, having published several books and articles in his field of specialization, New Testament textual criticism. He also published a textbook on New Testament interpretation, co-authored two books for lay people on biblical interpretation, as well as scholarly-popular commentaries on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus and on Galatians, and major commentaries on 1 Corinthians and Philippians. He is also the author of a major work on the Holy Spirit and the Person of Christ in the letters of Paul.
Gordon Fee served as the general editor of the New International Commentary series until 2012….
..it is a common error among Cessationists to interpret all accounts of the gift of tongues through the events of Pentecost in Acts 2, in which tongues was clearly understood by the Jewish observers as human languages/dialects. This is a grievous error, because instead of taking all of the accounts of tongues in to account and then forming a theology of the nature of the gift, Cessationists force the well-rounded peg of the full Scriptural witness through the square hole of one passage. The Pentecostal interpretation, on the other hand, takes all of the passages into account first, and then puts together a holistic theology of tongues. …
“So many pastors go out of their way confirming people’s salvation. I don’t see this approach in Scripture; it’s actually quite the opposite. Great fear and terrible trembling must overtake us daily. It will determine where we will spend forever”
So many pastors go out of their way confirming people’s salvation. They make it easy to get saved. They want them to feel secure in their eternity. Why? I don’t see this approach in Scripture. It’s actually quite the opposite.
There should be a never-ending wrestling match regarding our position in Christ. It’s common to lose it, challenging to retain it.
It costs everything. It’s never settled until we die.
Great fear and terrible trembling must overtake us daily. It will determine where we will spend forever.
Very good. Many falsely use Romans 7 as an excuse to not overcome sin by God’s grace.
Verses 5 & 6 are key:
5 For when we were in the flesh [Jews under the law], the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members to bring out fruit to death. 6 But now we have been *discharged from the law*, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in *newness of the spirit*, and not in *oldness of the letter*.
As is Romans 8:
Verse 4 says the *law* is fulfilled in us if we walk according to the Holy Spirit.
Verse 13 says we will die if we live after the flesh, but will live if we put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit.
Verse 14 says those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God.
Verse 1: we have “no condemnation,” not because we said a prayer to be born-again (the start), but because we’re actually “in Christ Jesus” because we don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Galatians 5 is parallel: the two lists. Verse 24: “Those WHO BELONG TO CHRIST have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.” Whereas, those who live in the “works of the flesh” list will not inherit the kingdom, which we know for sure means salvation because of what Paul warns us in Galatians 6 about sowing and reaping.
“Haughty pride is the opposite of the spirit of humility that God seeks.”
“Pride has been called the cancer of the soul, the beginning of all sin, and sin in its final form.”
“Pride is viewed as a great sin and rebellion against God because it presumes to possess excellence and glory that belong to God alone.”
“Prideful people treat others with contempt and cruelty.”
“Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
“Pride is taking the glory that belongs to God alone and keeping it for ourselves.”
“Pride is essentially self-worship.”
“Work out your salvation; pride has to go.”
“Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
“We are not to boast about ourselves. If we want to boast, then we are to proclaim the glories of God. … It is what God says about us that makes the difference.”
“Do not be caught in this trap, pride. Fight and get delivered by the Spirit of God.”
Disappointing. Heiser is just teaching Martin Luther’s “only believe” false doctrine. “You can’t lose it through any sin,” he says, which he then explains through logic, ignoring what the NT says in *dozens* of warning verses, that we absolutely will lose our salvation through willful sinning, unless we completely repent, which sometimes requires reconciliation, getting right with those we remember we’ve hurt in some way (Jesus’ statement to reconcile in Mt. 5:23-24 and what Paul always practiced, Acts 24:16).
Tragically, many pastors today are falsely rejecting God’s precious gift of praying in tongues because they say it’s not exactly like what happened in Acts 2, when many foreigners were in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and could hear the newly Spirit-filled Christians speaking in their own languages. “So this is always the way it’s supposed to happen or it’s not Biblical tongues,” pastors say.
Paul explains God’s gift of praying in tongues to God privately, to be free:
1 Cor. 13:1 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love….
1 Cor. 14:1 Follow after love and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in another language speaks not to men, but to God; for no one understands; but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, exhortation, and consolation. 4 He who speaks in another language edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the assembly. 5 Now I desire to have you all speak with other languages [everyone could pray in tongues], but rather that you would prophesy [during public church services]. For he is greater who prophesies than he who speaks with other languages, unless he interprets, that the assembly may be built up.
“We see in places like 2 Timothy 3 how in the last days, perilous times will come. Clearly, we’re living in such times today. People are driven, unfortunately by a spirit of fear. When I wrote my last book, Unmasking the Future, which came before masking up. We are on the road to de-mask-us.” – Caspar McCloud, Sunday Message 9/26/21 at 37:30
THE SOLUTION
1 John 4
7 Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God….12 ..If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.
16 ..God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 In this, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.
• • •
NOTE: Most pastors have been teaching this backwards, saying “believing in God’s perfect love casts out fear,” while this entire text is about us loving others.
Annihilationism is contrary to clear Biblical teachings. Some people want to soften God’s judgments, and compromise God’s Word in order to seem more socially acceptable but Jesus warned about hell in 46 verses.
