By: Robert Serreyn
Question? Is John 15:6, Ezekiel 3:20,21 and 2 Peter 2:20-22 all proof that a saved person can be unsaved?
Answer:
The short answer is NO.
ALWAYS REMEMBER “Once saved ALWAYS Saved”. There is NOTHING you can or cannot do to get unsaved, if you could get unsaved by doing or not doing some sin, thought, deed, action or whatever then salvation would than be by works BECAUSE you were doing or not doing something to get unsaved.
(John 6:37) All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
(John 10:28,29) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (29) My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
(Ephesians 1:13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.
The reason why people THINK they can lose their salvation comes from the problem of certain verses that are MISSAPPLIED and pulled out of context to support a FALSE TEACHING and or belief.
EXAMINATION of John 15:6
(John 15:6) 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.
In John Chapter 15 Jesus is talking to his disciples about being FRUIT BEARING christians, and unless we abide in FELLOWSHIP with Christ (doing his will) such as living according and applying his word to our lives, Sharing the Gospel ect. we cannot and will not bear fruit worthy of blessing or reward.
Take NOTICE that it says that MEN GATHER THEM, gather what? the branches, what are the branches? the branches is our testimony, the works we do, the words we say, and our actions we exhibit. and if all those DO NOT line up with each other than people will take our testimony and throw it in the trash to be burned so to speak.
Back in Bible times people would take there trash to the burning heaps and pits of trash outside of the city to be burned and that is the exact thought that is conveyed here in John 15:6.
NOTHING in this verse speaking of being unsaved or going to hell.
EXAMINATION of Ezekiel 3:20,21
(Ezekiel 3:20,21) Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
(21) Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
The KEY to understanding these two verses is V17
(Ezekiel 3:17) Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
The righteousness of the righteous man IS NOT refering to salvation but to a citizen of Israel KEEPING the Mosaic Law, the penalty of death mentioned here IS NOT eternal damnation but of physical death. The ONLY salvation mentioned in V18 for the wicked is “TO SAVE HIS LIFE” physically. (to be kept alive).
(Ezekiel 3:18) When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
EXAMINATION of 2 Peter 2:20-22
(2 Peter 2:20-22) For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. (21) For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (22) But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Many Churches, and Pastors say that these verses teach that a person once saved is become lost because of sin (Pollutions of the World), but this is not so,
Take NOTICE what it does NOT SAY, NOWHERE is it mentioned that these people have TRUSTED in Christ as their saviour in fact verses 18-22 is refering to LOST and UNSAVED people.
In V20 The word KNOWLEDGE is the Greek Word EPIGNOSIS and means “ACKNOWLEDGEMENT” but NOT A PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE”
V21 says that these people had:
– KNOWLEDGE of the Gospel.
– They had HEARD the Gospel and had been witness to (to have known the way of righteousness)
– But chose to REJECTED (to turn from) and NOT to believe the Gospel.
V22 describes a dog returning to its vomit and the sow to the mud.
– The Dog and Sow are representative of Lost, UNSAVED people.
– The Vomit and Mire (Mud) are representative of the sinful lifestyle they went back to.
These people tried to CLAIM to have been saved albeit by their OWN SELF – REFORMATION, but never had Trusted in Christ ALONE as their saviour the only means of salvation and complete payment for sin.
(Acts 4:12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
(Acts 13:38,39) Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: (39) And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
In Conclusion:
Eternal Security IS THE GOSPEL, if you are not saved eternally then you are NOT SAVED. God OFFERS ONLY one kind of salvation and that is EVERLASTING LIFE.
To NOT BELIEVE in eternal security is BEYOND my reasoning of understanding.
To believe that a person can lose their salvation can only mean one of three things.
– #1 Willful REJECTION of the TRUTH of God’s Word.
– #2 IGNORANCE of God’s Word from lack of personal study.
– #3 DECIEVED by false teaching to REJECT the truth of God’s Word.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to know IS Jesus Christ as savior, just simply believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross and DIED and shed his blood, was BURIED and three days later RESURRECTED from the dead to pay for your sins.
-Christ DIED for you – Romans 5:8
-Christ PAID your sins in full – 2 Corinthians 5:21,1 Peter 2:24
-BELIEVE (Trust In Completely) in Christ ALONE as the complete payment of sin for salvation – John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8,9
“For the wages(payment) of sin is death (eternal torment in hell); but the GIFT(salvation) of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 6:23
IT IS THAT SIMPLE – THE GOSPEL TRUTH