Truth & Trouble
Chad & Terry (a pastor and deacon duo) discuss hot topics, current events, and church life from a biblical perspective.
Truth & Trouble
Saved Forever
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
On this episode, Chad and Terry discuss why they believe the Bible is clear on the matter of "once saved, always saved."
All right, good afternoon and welcome to Truth and Trouble. I'm Chad. I'm Terry. And uh man, well, I think we've got some good stuff to talk about today and uh gonna share with you. Have a good week, man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah, it's been pretty good.
SPEAKER_01We had a great Bible study, Utah, on. I I I'm telling you, uh I w we were in uh Matthew chapter six in our men's Bible study. It starts at six o'clock on Monday nights. And it's not just for Mount Vernon, folks. Anybody's welcome, and uh, we would love to have you come and be a part of that. I forgot to start my timer. There we go. And uh anyway, um, and so we would love for you to come be a part of it. But man, I uh Monday night, I really did. I said this when we left. I I think it was probably for me the I thought it was one of the best ones we've had because it was really deep.
SPEAKER_00It was. And and and it's like I said before I started, I said we're gonna talk about something I've never really thought about a whole lot and surely never done a study on.
SPEAKER_01So well, it was good. And I and something else, so I ask you how your week was. Let me say this, and then we're gonna jump into our subject for today. I saw something really good, and so just so our folks that watch can know, if you get a chance, go see that new uh angel movie, uh The Brink of War. Man, that was good. I I saw it. It's uh it's about Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev and uh during the Cold War, and I'm telling you, that was really, really good. It was um, of course, I'm a child of the 80s, you know, so I I enjoyed that, but it it was good. All right, so listen, here's what uh Terry and I, each week, Terry always say, hey, what do you want to talk about this week? And and so we kind of go back and forth, but I was pretty locked in when you asked me. Um I want to talk, we're gonna talk about there's a lot of names you could give this, uh, but today we're gonna begin a conversation uh, and we could talk about this for a long time because there's a lot of information. But we're gonna talk about the security of the believer. That's how my Calvinist brothers would say it. You know, and and I agree with them on this point. I'm very much a believer in the security of the believer. Uh some of you maybe if you're from other denominations other than the Baptist faith, uh some people call it, and we Baptists call it this too, they'll say once saved, always saved, and uh people use that to kind of throw shade at us a little bit sometimes, I think, because they know you know there are people who don't believe that. But I want to tell you for me, and uh and I let me tell you how I came to this. I'm not throwing shade, but I had a r really interesting, you know, conversation with someone online this past week about this, and uh, she asked me a lot of questions, and so you know, I thought, well, you know, a lot of people would probably be interested in this that aren't gonna go look up each verse, but might want to hear from us uh about this, so I wanted to talk about it for just a little bit. But let me tell you uh what I believe absolutely firmly is that once you are saved, you cannot lose your salvation. Um you agree with that, too? Correct. Absolutely, 100%. All right. So so here's here's why I think that you better be careful. Ever even suggesting that you can lose your salvation, and this would this would be my reasoning. Uh, two things you better understand before you say that you can lose your salvation. Number one, uh well, let me back up. I got so much I want to say about this. First of all, before you say things, you really ought to dig a little deeper than just a casual reading of an English Bible and that being the end of it, because there are a lot more to some of these things. Um, the Bible requires us. I wish I could tell you that, you know, the scripture does say that if you have the Holy Spirit, you have no need of a teacher. But I also believe that, oh man, discernment would help you to understand some of these things, but but the Bible's a deep book, and and you really need to go back and dig in some studies, know a little something about original languages and things to really have a deep understanding of it. So here's two things I would I believe are absolutely clear. Let's just say for a moment that I that you could lose your salvation. Well, then that's problematic because two things are instantly clear. If you can lose your salvation, it cannot be gotten back. You got one bite at the apple, and I'm gonna show you with a scripture that says that. And the second thing you would have to understand is if you could lose your salvation, you would lose it instantly. I don't think I would be hard pressed to believe that you could walk down the aisle of the church to give your life to Jesus. Let's just say that's where it happened, or pray with a friend and give your life to Jesus, you would lose it by the end of your first day. Almost certainly. Oh, yeah. And the reason I say that is because it, man, I cannot imagine the arrogance to think I'm good enough for God. And to say that I'm you can if you believe you can lose your salvation and you somehow believe you haven't lost it, then you believe you've been good enough to keep it. So, in other words, you're believing that you've been good enough for God. I could throw you so many screws. I could that that doesn't survive the smell test for a minute because the the truth is the word of God's clear about it.
SPEAKER_00And and and thank God it's not like that, that I don't have to earn my salvage. Yeah. Like you I said it before on the podcast, like you said in the pulpit, I wouldn't trust my best 50, I wouldn't trust my best five minutes to get me in there.
SPEAKER_01Me either. And and you know the thing about that is um, yeah, I mean, I and I was I thought about that thought, you know, I said, I say that too much. I'm not gonna say, but but I wouldn't. I wouldn't trust the best 15 minutes I ever lived to get me into heaven. And and I think that underestimates the holiness of God. So, so one of the verses that people bring up and and they say, well, that says you can lose your salvation, and it doesn't, but it's it's just making the point. And and in the author of Hebrews writes this in Hebrews chapter 6. He says, for in in verse, starting in verse 4, he says, 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, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify themselves, crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put him to open shame. That passage clearly says that if you could if you lose salvation, you cannot get it back. So don't think, I mean, that's what it I mean, is that the way you read that? Oh, yeah. Yeah. So I mean, he he is very, very clear in what he's saying there that and uh, you know, I think there's a broader point, and I'm not, you know, we got a lot we want to get to, but it you could you could fixate in on that and understand that he's saying, he's saying, look, don't don't fool yourself. I mean, if if you um if you have you weren't saved, and I think that's the point of this, you can very easily be not saved. And because you can walk an aisle of a church, you can pray the prayer after a preacher, but never have seriously intended to give your life to Jesus and not be saved. Right. You can be d dunked under that water out there until your skin shrivels up and still not be a follower of Jesus Christ. Uh because it goes back to something you and I talk about a lot, it's about the heart, right?
SPEAKER_00Right. And and you know, anybody can look on the outward appearance to be a follower. Yeah. And the Bible talks about, I mean, there's numerous people. Jesus brings it up, you know, and I know a lot of people use that Matthew 7, that that verse that oh, they call they will call me Lord, Lord, but I don't know him. And they cast out demons in his name. I mean, they done a lot of a lot of religious stuff.
SPEAKER_01Religious stuff. Yeah. Spiritual stuff. Yeah. Because here's the thing, in 1 John, we're told to test the spirits to know that they are from God. Yeah. Yeah. So so just throwing this out there, just a good uh, for instance, because you know, you say, well, I've done spiritual things, and and I hear that from people, especially people who get maybe associated with people who aren't the most solid Bible teachers, and uh and get off in some strange doctrine sometimes. And you'll hear things about well, things about speaking in tongues and all those kind of things. In first John, John writes to discern the spirits to know whether they are from God. And and one of the things that I think is important, I I've, you know, people say, well, the Holy Spirit will cause you to speak in tongues. There was a time. The Bible also says there's a time that will cease when that which is complete has come, and I firmly believe that. I believe, my belief, I'm a cessationist, they call us, people that believe the way I do, that when the canon of scripture was formed, uh, in 1540, I think it was, I may have that date wrong. I think I do. But anyway, when the canon of scripture was completed, there actually is no historical evidence that it's Pung ceased in all the historical record of the church until until uh the early Pentecost in 1901, the early uh Pentecostal movement, and it started in Topeka, Kansas, of all places. And uh, not Jerusalem, Topeka, Kansas. And uh and it peaked back up. So I say that not to bash on that, but just to point out, there are a lot of things that are spiritual that aren't from the Holy Spirit. And and so, you know, you could do a lot of spiritual things like you're talking about with that Matthew 7 verse. The problem is, Jesus didn't say I knew you, but you've lost it. He said, I never knew you. Yeah. So that's not Jesus himself says this isn't about someone who's lost salvation. He says this is about someone who I never had a relationship with. You're you're studying over there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you go ahead. I gotta find my verse.
SPEAKER_01Okay, we'll find your verse, and while you find it, would it be okay if I move to the uh parable of the sower? Sure, that'd be great. I tell you what, for the sake of time, let's let's take a break right here. Okay. Uh, and then we will come back to it, and when we come back, we're gonna jump into the parable of the sower, okay? All right. All right, we're back with you. Uh just uh I'm gonna start this. You know, of course, I say start, we've already been talking about, but let me jump in. I want to show you uh a passage uh that I think is important. One you probably will be familiar with. We're talking about uh the security of the believer, the fact that once we've been saved, we've been saved forever because we're not saved by our ability to keep it, and we're not saved by our good deeds after salvation. We are saved by what Jesus did and what Jesus did alone. And uh and so we're we're talking about that. And so I want to read a passage because one of the things, Terry, would you agree that a lot of times people say, Well, I feel this way, or I feel you know, does that drive you nuts?
SPEAKER_00It does, but I get it too. I do too because I get the feels a lot, especially in church, you know. Yeah, yeah, you know, and you know, I mean I get fired up sometimes.
SPEAKER_01But and sometimes, you know, I just said as we as we went to break that that sometimes we have a um I was supposed to restart something, y'all. I'm so sorry. Uh sometimes we uh we forget. Sometimes we we we we're supposed to be able to discern the spirits. Well, that's we're gonna feel that, and we gotta know the difference. Am I feeling this with my with my worldly, fleshly body, or am I just is the Holy Spirit showing me something? So I I agree, I get the feel, you know, some things I think I don't feel right about that. But you but you never want to trust that unless you can back that up with scripture. Right. Because you know, our uh the heart, the Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things. That's right. So that being said, I sometimes people I've had people say to me, well, oh, I just can't believe that because that doesn't feel right to me, because that means that a lot of people in church are probably lost. Well, there's a reason that you think that, and it's because a lot of people in church are lost. I mean, I I wish they weren't, and I, you know, I'm preaching every Sunday trying to pull people in to say, no, don't, don't, don't, you know, don't be lost, realize that you need Jesus. Um, but but I think it's important. So I want to go to the parable of the soul because this is the one where people say, Well, could he really mean that um some of those people weren't saved? Well, yeah, he says it. So, so let's look at what he says. In Luke chapter 8, I'm gonna start reading in verse 4. It says, When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying journeying to him, he spoke by way of a parable. The sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. Other seed fell into the good soil and the and grew up and produced a crop a hundred times as great. And as he said these things he would call out, He who has ears, let him hear. And his disciples began questioning him as he asked what this parable meant. And he said, To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it it is in parables, so that seeing they may see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this the seed is the word of God. Those beside the road or those who have heard, then the devil comes and takes the way, takes the word from their hearts, so that they will not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, and these have no firm root, they believe for a while, and in time temp and in time of temptation fall away. The seed which fell among the thorns, that that that one, by the way, is going to be the controversial one. But then verse 14 the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way, they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word and in honest and good heart and hold it fast and bear fruit with perseverance. Now, there are four types of four results of the seed being so. The gospel is always the same. Seeds always the same. The problem's not the seed, the problem's the soil, and the soil is the hearts of men. And there are four kinds talked about. There's the hard ground on the side of the road. That's those who are just unresponsive. They they don't whatever, and don't care, right? All right. Yes, what you're understanding? Yep. All right. The second one is the rocky ground, and it says they uh that that it they it says uh they hear and receive the word with joy, but they have no firm root. I think these are the ones who have what we talked about uh a couple weeks ago, that demonic faith. They uh they have that um I can't say it, but anyway, they have that they they they believe it, but they they don't they don't they don't put their trust in they don't place themselves under Jesus' authority. Right. Okay. I I I see that all the time. I I call this good old boy syndrome. A lot of people in our community, a lot of people in this world that, oh, I believe what the word says about Jesus, now let's go party it up, you know, and they're doing their thing and they thinking they can chase the world and that too. Just doesn't work that way. And so they they're not they're not saved people. They you know they they they want to say they believe it because they think that's respectable. You know, we do live in the Bible belt. Right, right. But then that you got the thorny ground, and that's another group that's not saved. Um Terry, so so do any of those ring a bell, any of that sound like something you see in life with p I I don't think either of those three are saved, but of course the good soil one are is saved.
SPEAKER_00Right. But what's interesting to me is that both the stony and the thorny soil appear to be Christians.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah. Well, you know, Jesus gave the parable of the tares and the wheat, so there are gonna be some who spring up and look just like the wheat does, but they aren't, right? That's right.
SPEAKER_00So but to me in this passage is there's two different times. Oh let's see. And bring no fruit to maturity. Right. And then at the end, and bear no fruit with and bear it, the good, they bear fruit with perseverance. Right. To me, that's the litmus test. The fruit. John 15 makes clearly the fruit. And because James says faith apart from works is dead, right? So works don't have anything to do with it, but it's a it's a uh fruit of it because an evidence of his salvation that's come through faith. Right. And then 1 John 2, 4, uh whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in it. That's pretty strong. Pretty straight. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So and and so so, yeah, I mean, all that's and that's exactly right. So yes, there, I don't, as much as I do I wish everyone in church was saved, yes. And no, it's not the touchy feel good to make it that everyone, but they're not, and the word of God tells us they're not gonna be. We shouldn't expect that. We should, you know, and and and so we know there are tares in, you know, the in among the wheat. And and so, uh, you know, it's not that they were saved and lost it, because the scripture in other places, you know, the scripture is true to itself, it does not contradict itself. And so and so we should understand that only three-quarters of those who hear are not gonna be saved. You know, I think that's the reason that Jesus told us that the road was the road was narrow that leads to salvation, the road was wide that leads to destruction. That's right. And um, so I I think that's important. Um, you know, uh because first of all, if let's say they fall away, then it's too late. You can't so and if someone is set thinks, well I got saved when I was, you know, a kid, and then I lived for the world, you know, and I knew I knew what the gospel said, but then I fell away. Well then Hebrew six makes clear you can't get it back, you're just lost forever. Because there, you know, that you can't recrucify Jesus. That's the point of Hebrew six. So, so can you have a season when you don't do right? You're gonna have there's not a day that you will have that you don't do something that would take away your salvation.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, I mean thank God for Jesus, because that's what God sees us through. Which is that lens. Yeah. And not not our own goodness, because we're all horrible.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think the problem I have with that thinking, Terry, is the idea that that someone may say, Well, you know, I was, I fell, somebody that believes you can lose your salvation may say, Well, I fell away, but I'm back now. Well, number one, Hebrews 6 says you can't come back. The other problem you have is though, it if you can lose your salvation, you will lose it every single day. And if you and if you have a problem with me saying that, then understand who God is. God is perfect. So that that thought that you have that you shouldn't have, it doesn't take a certain number of sin. It would only take one to make us unfit for the kingdom of God. That's right. And there's no degrees either. No, because James 2 10 says very clearly that if you keep the whole royal law and stumble at yet one point, you are guilty of it all. So, you know, you you come home and you're frustrated, and husband or you know, your spouse does something that irritates you and you have a um an angry, not you know, I I don't know that anger is always sinful, but you have a mean thought of some way, you know. And uh, well, there you go. You just lost your salvation. You say, Well, I didn't even say anything out loud. I'm not bad. I'm doing all these lovely things in the church. Doesn't matter, you you've lost your salvation because God is holy and perfect, and unless you are holy and perfect, then you're not worthy of being in his presence. And the only and here's the problem is we'll say, well, you know, I just had a thought. He knew it though, right? And so yeah, it's and and you say, well, it was just one. It only takes one. You know, it doesn't take a lot of sin, it just takes anything. And here's the crazy thing. If we think we can be saved, what do you do with the fact that Isaiah said, your righteousness, which is your best 15 minutes? By the way, your righteousness is but filthy rags. And that's a gross statement. I'm not even gonna get into what that actually means. Yeah, we don't need to. No, that's but anyway, but here's the thing so your you know, your best day. Oh, I've been good now. I'm I'm saved now, but I I had lost it for a while. Well, first of all, the Hebrews 6 says you can't get in. back and then the other side of it is okay if you got it back for ten minutes you're gonna lose it again because none of us are righteous. How about how about this thing?
SPEAKER_00So to to to lose your to lose your salvation okay you would have to do something bad or sin or what whatever it is. So let's just say you let's get anything that that's bad enough. So how how then do you believe you can be good enough to get salvation? That's the point of Hebrews 6. You have to recrucify Jesus and you can't do it. So if you can't be good enough to get it you can't be bad enough to lose it.
SPEAKER_01No. Now you could be bad enough that the evidence would suggest you're not saved. Right.
SPEAKER_00And that's very likely the truth with most of those people that's right that's right so so the apostle John I mean he gives numerous counts but I like this one in 1 John 219 they went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would they would have continued with us but they went out that it might become lame and they are all not of us. Yeah. So there was people right there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah same way that and people were saying well did they lose their salvation because that would have been these people were just like us and they had questions and so he's answering their questions and he says no they just never were of us they weren't truly saved in the first place. That is what the verse is saying okay um and then uh I want to come back there's another verse I want to look at we got about a minute and a half so let's let's go ahead and pause right here and we're gonna come back right after the break and I want us to look at uh 2 Peter 2 verses 20 through 22. I think that one's important too okay so we'll come right back to all right thank y'all right we're back and uh we're talking uh again today we're talking about uh the security of the believer or as some people like to say it once saved always saved something we very much believe in but Terry here's the thing that's important we don't uh I'm I'm speaking for both of us but I because I know we've talked about this we don't believe these things because they they feel good to us we believe them because the word of God says that yeah you know and I that's hard to deny um and I'm gonna I'm gonna give you a verse that absolutely says once saved always people say is that in the Bible? And and and you know what drives me nuts? People who haven't studied their scripture very much who say well no I don't think that's in the Bible because they've heard a preacher or somebody say that because they couldn't take them to the verse. Yes it is man we need to we need to know some of these things does it say once saved always saved? No but but it says something very very clear. I mean it's in clear and I'll get you to it in just a minute it's actually in Hebrews 7 but anyway um but so so you know that that always troubles me when people are basing things off their feelings. But so how do you feel about I'm gonna say this before we jump into this other passage I want to look at um do you wish sometimes we could I I I know for the sake of our own salvation man it's just a relief that we can't lose it right I mean like you said I you know Jesus but as a pastor it would be cool if you could preach that you could lose your salvation because if I could I mean let me tell you why you hadn't thought about that have you? Because I can say that I was mistaken you'd get scared of the Jesus could we not leave the Southern Baptist convention in baptisms every year. Oh I know you were saved last week but you better run on up here this way. Do you cuss this week? Oh well brother you're going to hell if you don't come up here. And so you might and people say to me well why do some churches preach that I don't know that that's not why to be honest.
SPEAKER_00You know in Hebrews the passage you read because I in in the next verse some of the commentators say he kind of realizes he's being kind of harsh because it he's like I don't want you to think I can't remember exactly how he words it but after right after those verses so he may have been trying to do the same thing.
SPEAKER_01I yeah I I just cannot help but think is that not you know because you know here it oh well I don't want to I don't want to cast dispersions but but you got you better be careful about who you listen to and know what their motives are. Because it would be better for me as a pastor uh to be able to preach uh to preach that you could lose your salvation I got to remember to learn to start that timer. But anyway it would be better for me to be able to preach that you could that you could lose your salvation because then you could get you could you could elicit a response from people I don't do that I as well preach the truth you know I'm not looking for a spotlight of some kind. Somebody may say well why are you doing a podcast? Because you know I I want to preach the truth and I want to explain this gives us an opportunity to explain it where we don't always have that opportunity.
SPEAKER_00And I'm glad you asked that some people say why why are you doing a podcast? Look I just want you to know him. Yeah I want you to know Jesus like I know the one that's so faithful he stays with you and doesn't get you every time you mess up so that's why that's why I want to do things like that made me just say something I want to go back to it.
SPEAKER_01What if your spouse every time you did something that that that upset them in some way I don't know about you it happens a lot for me because I I I can be an upsetting guy I guess but what if what if every time your spouse got upset with you that's it leaving you that's it yeah what kind of life would that be why do we think Jesus loves us less than our spouse does isn't that crazy that's why I can't get over that's why I can't get over it exactly right so so there's this passage in in uh and just bring some up because we talked about the passage in in Hebrews 6. We pointed out that that makes it very clear you know he's he's being facetious there saying you can't lose if you can lose your salvation you can't recrucify Jesus so just go on about your life you're lost but that he's not saying that he's telling us you know that he's explaining why that can't be that but there's another one that I want to come to 2 Peter 2 verses 20 through 22 and it says this for if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ they are entangled in them and are overcome the last state has become worse for them than the first for it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it to turn away from the holy commandment handed to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb a dog returns to its own vomit and a sow almost said a sow a sow after washing returns to wallowing in the mire. In other words what he's saying there is not that you can lose your salvation he he's saying he's speaking to that person that was choked out by the thorns because remember those are the distractions of the world and he even says right then they are again entangled in them those things of the world. So that's someone who never placed them who believes in Jesus but that's not enough to save you. I think that that is a cure for some of what people think when it comes to having trouble understanding that you can't lose your salvation because they don't under they think that it's simpler than it is to get saved in the first place just by saying I believe in Jesus won't save you. And and I think now now can you say I don't I I believe in Jesus and then not get it and then later truly commit yourself to sure you can but you you can't fall away once you've truly committed yourself to him and I think that's what's in that and that's what this is talking about. Exactly right that sound right to you now the one other thing that I I want to point out and I'm gonna I'm gonna go over to John chapter 15 because I preached on this one a lot man especially I preached on this one a lot back during at the first of the year but there's a passage that people kind of people don't always understand this because some translates especially the the King James translation King James translation is not the best English translation of the scripture to get some things right and it really misses it in this passage. But in this passage it says I'm the true vine Jesus speaking here he says I'm the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that that does not bear fruit he takes away and every branch that bears fruit he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit and I've I've heard people say to me well that that there that right there says that every branch that's in him doesn't bear fruit he takes away let me point out something. I'm gonna give you a Greek word Terry finally you do finally I'm gonna give you a Greek word. All right the word there is arrow a I R O it is the same word that in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 is translated when Paul describes what we call the rapture that we will be caught up together with him in the air. That's the same word. It means it it doesn't mean he takes it takes it away even in the New American standard uh it misses it because what it actually says is he is lifted up and the picture if you know anything you these people the culture Jesus is speaking in understood how the vineyard works and and so what happens in the vineyard is is if and and I picture it because I grew up you know I picture a butterbean vine okay I'm an old country boy. So if you ever saw a leaf get down in the dirt you know in your garden of say a a vine a butterbean vine and one of the leaves gets down there, they're sturdier than grapes. Grapes are very tender. And so if that leaf gets down in there what the what the vine dresser is going to do is he is going to pick it up that's the arrow okay he takes away he he he what it's actually saying there if you go back and understand it in the original language is that he picks it up. And what a vine dresser would do is they will actually and they do this today uh probably if you went down the road to Landry Vineyards you might see this but they will go through with a bucket of water and a rag or a sponge and they will take those vines that have fallen off the trellis and they will cleanse them. And so they pick them up and very tenderly put them back. And so that's when he says take away he's not saying I'm throwing that one away he says that every branch he he makes it so that it can better bear fruit the ones that are bearing fruit he'll prune them sometimes that's when we have life lessons this is not about losing salvation people take the scriptures so out of context on us. And he does go on he says he if anyone does not abide in me which is in the Greek the word mona twice in one podcast I got you on the Greek word. So so he says he says if anyone does not abide in me that's the word monet matter of fact it's the root of the same word that is used where he says that in my father's house are many the King James m incorrectly says mansions. It's really dwelling places and that's the from the same word. If you anyone who does not dwell in me, he's saying someone that's not saved there. And and that person is thrown away but but in verse in verse two when he says takes away he's not getting rid of that one. That one's in him it just needs to be cleansed up and he's teaching it and placing it tenderly back on the trellis. And so I when people try to use that verse you know I that one that one's that one's not the most complicated one to really dig into the original language and understand what it's talking about.
SPEAKER_00So in my Bible you talk about abide in that so from that from verse four to verse ten Jesus thought so much about that that it was so important he said it ten times. That's exactly right yeah you know just in just in those six verses so so it's that's very important when it comes to salvation to abide in him that's right yeah and that means to live in him that's right and and so I'll go back where I would agree with someone who says but what you do is important.
SPEAKER_01Oh my goodness yes not to keep your salvation see here's the thing how arrogant would I be if I said I've been good enough to keep my salvation and let me tell you right now if I'm ever standing in the line at heaven I don't think it's gonna work just like this but just you know in my little brain if I'm ever standing in the line to get into heaven and the dude right in front of me says I got saved and and uh and I kept my salvation because I was good enough to keep it I'm fixing duck because I figure there can be some lightning bolts right there. You know I I mean because none of us not a day in our life have we are you're our righteousness that you think is good enough that you have has kept you saved or made you it's filthy raise the only hope I got Terry is Jesus Christ. That's right. And and to say that I could lose my salvation but I somehow now have it is is taking glory from Jesus and giving it to me for my ability to keep it shame on us. That's right that's that's true.
SPEAKER_00I would be scared to do that at all. You know and that's what I think a lot of a lot of people think they can rely on their good works. You know some people even because I got some notes I think they mistakenly think because they have free will which I kind of have a problem with that word. I I like free choice better because we are like well we yourself not to sin. Yeah you know so I I don't I kind of brought that but when it's all God I mean your salvation is a gift from God nothing nothing you can do no matter how good how bad no matter your circumstance it's all God in fact I had a note in here to what to your point if you can't if you couldn't earn it in the first place you cannot be good enough to keep it because it takes sinless perfection to be right with God.
SPEAKER_01Yeah that's the thing I'm I think people miss when they say well I I hadn't lost it because I don't have I haven't fallen away I've fallen away have you fallen away there's not a if you say you're in in anybody who hears this that says they have not fallen away I doubt it I bet you have I bet you have and by falling away let me clear up I don't want to make a mess of that by falling by falling away what I mean is you've sinned enough to separate yourself from God were it not for the blood of Jesus yeah I think you mean falling down.
SPEAKER_00Falling down that's a yes yes better better way to back up not a fall away but fall down that's right so I I just kind of I made a note and I summarized some things I read and some verses it is God that acts God that imputes God that saves and God that sovereignly completes the salvation of the believer.
SPEAKER_01Since it is his word he will preserve those who he calls absolutely so yeah well and to that oh I said there was a verse I told you and let me let me give you this because um let me find my verse I and and and we need to kind of wrap it up right there if that's okay you got a whole lot more I got a whole lot more we gotta stop sometimes can we make this a podcast and not a seminary can we do that right all right so we're gonna cut it right there but let me tell you you say the Bible doesn't say once saved, always saved? Let me give you God's final word on this Hebrews 7 25 therefore he, capital H meaning Jesus, is also able to save forever those who come to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them. Boom boom mic drop it says he saves you forever I don't know how you guys interpret forever but I would say he saves you forever. Once you're saved you're always safe same thing right that's right that's what but not only that don't miss this part because this is key he says why why are we saved forever? Since he, Jesus, always lives to make intercession for them. You know why you're saved in the first place? Because Jesus Christ paid the price for your sin and every time your sin is brought before the courts of heaven Jesus says he's guilty but I paid for the sin already that's his intercession and for you to get lost again God would have to ignore the prayer of Jesus. That's right. Preach. Woo that right there is truth and so there is no possible intelligent I'm not by intellectual scholarly way that you can interpret the word of God to say you can lose your salvation. You can nitpick verses that you don't truly understand, take them out of, you know, if you don't go back and understand some of the things. And it can be confusing in in the in the English translations but understand the Bible clearly states that he saves forever and that he the reason you're saved is that he's praying on your behalf and so for you to get lost God's got to ignore the prayers of Jesus his son. That's right.
SPEAKER_00You know I I thought about one thing and I just want to say this before we go because Satan would love for you to doubt his word. Oh man you know and I've heard Joe B or one of the preachers too Satan always he he wants to try to get you to doubt the worth of God the work of God and the word of God. Absolutely so that's what he's working at doing. And if he can get you to doubt that so like you said do be careful who you listen to there's so much information out now that you can learn it's confusing. Yeah and it is so so research who you're reading on and that but it is a lot of good information now.
SPEAKER_01So yeah absolutely and and uh and here's the thing you you you can doubt a lot of things but I'll never doubt Jesus he is enough that's right he is enough all right well thank you guys for being with us and uh we will see y'all again next week thanks bye