Does “Abide” Mean that One Must Continue? Is Your Salvation Secure? [podcast]

Must one “abide” in Christ to the end after being saved in order to be in eternal glory with Christ, the Father, and their saints?

Yes.

Typically, like the false religionists of Christ’s day, they put aside the WORD of God to keep their heretical tradition. In others words, they made their idol false doctrines king and final authority instead of God’s Word (Mark 7:6-9).

John 15:1-6

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. 
3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 
4  ABIDE (remain, continue) 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. 

Of this passage, we received a typical reply from an indoctrinated eternal security pawn.

“This is a warning for false converts. They were never saved in the first place. Jesus will not lose one that his father has given him..so if the false convert takes heed to this warning..hopefully they would be led to true salvation through the gospel.” Craig

MY REPLY:

Nice try. Typically, like false religionists of Christ’s day, they put aside the WORD of God to keep their heretical tradition. In others words, they made their idol false doctrines king and final authority instead of God’s Word (Mark 7:6-9). The context of John 15:1-6. Context John 15:1-6. Notice the term “IN ME” appears 5 times …. so were they in Christ, or saved? Yes. In Verse 3 they were cleansed by His Word (regeneration Titus 3:5-7). Also in this passage, the word “abide” appears 5 times. “Abide” means to remain, to continue in Him. So, why would Jesus be telling the counterfeit, a lost souls to continue in Him if they weren’t even saved? That would be lunacy.

Of this passage, Alan Heron writes:

“Craig, this cannot be true, as Jesus explicitly stated that this person WAS ‘in Him’, but IF he didn’t REMAIN ‘in Him’, he would be cast off. There’s no mention of this person being self-deluded into BELIEVING that he was in Christ, merely Jesus’ statement that this person WAS in Him. You can’t be cut off from a vine that you were never a part of. To argue otherwise is deny basic logic.”

Undeniably, un-conditional eternal security is the first lie Satan told to mankind which caused his fall – and he’s still telling the same lie (Genesis 2:17; 3:4). Jesus taught “If a man abide (remain) 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” (John 15:6). See also Ezekiel 33:12-13; Matthew 10:22; 24:13; 2 Peter 2:20-21; Hebrews 10:26-39, etc.).

The eternal security frauds, cowards, HATE Jesus’s teaching on the absolute necessity of abiding, continuing with Him after being saved – or else suffering the consequence of eternal fire (John 15:6). It’s time to man up, read John 15 honestly, and take personal accountability before the LORD who uttered those words.

The finished work of Christ is a foundational truth of Christianity, but His accomplishment on that cross does not arbitrarily, automatically guarantee the final salvation of the individual He graciously saved in the past. Christ’s perfect and completed work to save mankind does not change the God-given free will of each human being – AND THE UTTER IMPERATIVE, ESSENTIAL OF FAITH-FILLED OBEDIENCE, abiding, ENDURING TO THE END.

When Jesus stated “It is finished,” that did NOT cancel or negate or diminish from ANYTHING else He stated. Jesus says to those He saves that they must “abide” in Him or they will be burned in the fires of eternal damnation (John 15:6). To “abide” simply means to intimately fellowship with, remain in and continue in, which is essential. He says we must “endure to the end” to be saved into eternal glory (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; John 15:6, etc.).

Jesus certainly did pay the perfect price to purchase you out of sin, back to the Father, and yet, your appropriation of that gift is a requirement. Christ’s perfect sacrifice does not in any way remove what Christ Himself mandated for you to do in order for you to remain in Him and be with Him eternally! Salvation is conditional, not un-conditional. And it’s only those who refuse to truly repent and meet those conditions who ravenously balk at such a clear observation of Scripture. They have chosen NOT to love the LORD with all their being and are still in love with self and therefore violently react to the biblical truth that they are personally accountable to God – to obey Him or perish (Matthew 7:21; 1 John 2:4; 3:3-10; Titus 1:16; Revelation 2:26; 3:5, etc.).

Biblically speaking, the perfect finished work of Christ is only appropriated by those who repent, abide in Christ, enduring to the end in love, faith and worship of Him. Remember that true saving faith ALWAYS, without exception will be witnessed in the fruit of good works (Revelation 2:26). All who get saved and don’t abide, remain, endure, continue in Christ to the end of their lives on earth, will perish, and their suffering will be even worse! (Hebrews 10:29-21; 2 Peter 2:20-21).

Eternal security/OSAS is diabolically designed to justify sin and lukewarmness, prevent the once saved person from living a repentant life, denying self in this sinful world, taking up the cross, and following Jesus for real! OSAS is the lie Satan uses to steal back the souls he lost (Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 3:3-10; Revelation 2:4-5; 3:15-16, etc.). This is the very first lie of Satan which led to the fall of mankind (Genesis 2:17; 3:4).

Get saved – Stay saved! It’s not enough to get saved. One must stay saved.

God is working in the lives of every abiding believer! YAYYYYYY Jesus!

OSAS is a Christ-denying, cross-rejecting message. It circumvents what God demands – that you truly repent, lay down your life, take up the cross, and live a crucified life (Luke 9:23-24; Galatians 2:20; 5:24; Colossians 3:3, etc.). YOU are no match for sin – so just die so Christ can reign and conquer in your life! (Luke 9:23-24; 1 Peter 4:1-2, etc.)

“Work out (not for) your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13

Your part is to “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” and His part is working in you “to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

“Continue” – a Bible Word/Truth Deliberately Avoided by False Teacher

“In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” Colossians 1:22-23

“By which also ye are saved, IF ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:2

Jesus said to His own disciples that He required them to endure to the end to be saved therefore we must conclude that any man teaching otherwise is a false teacher and lying against the LORD.

“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 10:22

“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:10-13

What could Jesus possibly have meant other than what He said?

IF you don’t authentically love the truth, aren’t humble, aren’t willing to change, you are a foolish virgin who will be shut out of Christ’s eternal kingdom! Repent now. (Matthew 18:3-4; 25:1-3)

Paul didn’t believe he was un-conditionally eternally secure. He told us that he knew he was in jeopardy of losing it all if he didn’t remain in Christ, a crucified vessel:

“But I keep under my body (a continual necessity), and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 1 Corinthians 9:27

Many times we hear John 10:28-29 cited to “prove” OSAS when the person saying this never considers the condition Jesus gave for such a promise not to be plucked out of His hand.