Real Spiritual Maturity Must Become the Christian’s Priority

Paula White Exposed [video]

THAT’s My King! Pastor Lockridge [video]

Powerful Prayers from Children-This Will Shake You [video]

The Fear of the LORD is to Hate Evil: Pride, and Arrogancy #shorts [video]

This Last Days church will never survive without it.

The power of the gospel to save is as real today as it ever was. Its power to heal our hurts, to comfort our hearts, and to do all kinds of tangible miracles is still available, too.

But what about the power of the gospel to actually mature believers, particularly to bring spiritual maturity to the collective members of a local body so that we are led to measure up to the stature that belongs to Jesus Christ? Is that power still available? Yes! It is still available, too! But it must be believed and appropriated in order to be realized in the same way that the gospel’s power to save, heal, comfort, and do miracles must be.

We are so far from understanding the theme of spiritual maturity that many believers do not even know that it is a part of the gospel message. This is true even among many who believe in spiritual gifts. Only a tiny percentage of Christians really have a vision for the fullness of Jesus Christ in the body, or even see it as a part of the gospel message. But the gospel is a whole life message. It brings change immediately, it saves ultimately, and between the two it grows us up.

How We Got Here

There are several contributing factors which have led to our present spiritual dilemma. The primary one is that for the last 500 years we have prioritized preaching for saving over teaching for spiritual maturity. Another one is that it is much easier to preach the saving part of the gospel than it is to submit to the maturing part of the gospel. And finally, the natural man likes things that can be measured and boasted about, and preaching for saving usually yields a headcount. But there are no immediate grand results from submitting to the power of the gospel for spiritual maturity. They come over time.

Even though Christianity today is accustomed to prioritizing salvation over spiritual maturity, this does not change the fact that we are spiritual creatures, born after God Himself. As spiritual creatures, whether we feel like it or not, our new default is to be spiritual. But the natural man fights the spiritual man for all he is worth (which is not very much, by the way). As born-again believers, we are reprogrammed away from the natural man altogether, but we are all too familiar with how difficult it is to keep him in check. Nonetheless, our new spiritually advanced DNA leads us to preach not only the gospel that saves, but also the gospel that grows us up into the full measure of the stature that belongs to Jesus Christ. I do not discount the great importance of preaching the gospel that saves, but only advocate that we also teach and practice spiritual growth by it, too; and it is through our growing up spiritually that we will see more people saved, anyway.

Reformation but Not Spiritual Maturity

I mentioned earlier that a major contributing factor to our lack of spiritual fitness is that for nearly 500 years we have prioritized numerical growth, giving very little attention to spiritual maturity. Allow me to give an overview to show you what I mean.

By the time of the death of the beloved apostle John, the center for the church for all practical purposes had moved to Rome, under the leadership of Clement of Rome, who was later named the bishop of Rome. Within just a few short generations, succeeding church leaders began dominating Christian thought and doctrine entirely. Having left the Spirit’s leadership and fallen captive to Satan’s religious bondage, the early church evolved into a damning religious institution. Roman Catholicism purposefully set out to bring all people everywhere under its thumb. Its leaders interpreted the scriptures to say that all souls who wanted to claim Christ would have to come under the established church. Thus they taught that any hope of salvation had to come from the Catholic Church; and their dogma reigned supreme throughout much of the world for nearly 1400 years.

Amazingly, it still enslaves more than a billion souls today!

Then, about 500 years ago, God loosed Truth that resulted in the freeing of countless souls throughout the institution’s horrid domain around the world. Whole families and even nations had been under the Roman religious system for generations, but finally God raised up Christian reformers who, in the face of papal authority, established soundly through the scriptures that anyone could be saved by grace through faith in Christ alone – apart from the Catholic Church or any other institution. And with that, the battle for proclaiming Christ alone through open evangelism had begun!

A dozen years or so later, after Martin Luther openly challenged papal supremacy, new authority was assumed by King Henry VIII over the Church of England, and he continued the fight against any unbridled Christian who preached that souls are saved by faith alone. But the cat was already out of the bag; and by the grace of God, within just a few decades, multitudes of people who had lived in the darkest dungeon of humanity’s existence for centuries burst into the glorious light of the gospel! Countless numbers of people were set free to read the Bible for themselves for the first time (at least as quickly as they became available) and to evangelize. And for the first time in more than 1000 years, the world discovered that any and every man, woman, and child was a priest in his or her own right through faith in Jesus Christ. Surely the heavens shouted in delight when, after so many centuries of hellish religious bondage, earthly humanity realized that it was not in Jerusalem, or “in this mountain” (John 4:20-24), or under Rome’s Catholicism, or the Church of England, or anywhere else that they would have to worship! But as wonderful as that was for the gospel to have been loosed, the road to spiritual maturity had only just begun. At this point, the deeper understanding of the believer as a new creation and his enablement by the Spirit to actually grow up into Christ’s image was not even known, much less pursued on a large scale. And since so much of our modern-era evangelical doctrine finds its base in Reformation theology, I dare say that, in spite of great spiritual awakenings around the world over more recent centuries, today’s most vocal voices in Christianity are more influenced by John Calvin from 500 years ago than by the Spirit of God of eternity past! Authentic spiritual understanding for authentic spiritual maturity is provided for by Christ in us, the hope of the glory of God on earth; but mainstream evangelicalism is still in the dark ages on this truth.

The apostle Paul knew this revelation was deep and easy to overlook. He prayed earnestly that believers everywhere would come to an understanding of all that had been accomplished through the work of Jesus Christ for His glory to be revealed in us here and now, as well as for our eternal glory (Ephesians 1:15-23)! It is in knowing and appropriating those benefits which we have received for this age that we are made a truly spiritual people in this age – something that only segments of Christianity have touched in recent centuries.

Is there any wonder why we are not growing up into the image of Christ? And what about taking on the demonic battles that are lurking at our doorstep? How many among the Christian community are ready to take on Satan’s spiritual forces as he marches against this Last Days church? Can you not hear the Spirit of the Lord crying out to you and me that we MUST become a spiritually mature church if we expect to endure victoriously the times in which we live? Let us look at more evidence of why we are still spiritual babies, not ready for this late hour.

Great Awakenings but Not Spiritual Maturity

The Great Awakenings of the 1700s and 1800s boosted preaching for salvation and renewal for those already saved – and it was very effectual. God used a few inspired men to call the world to attention. Men such as Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and John Wesley started, followed in the next century by Charles Finney, James McCready, Barton Stone, and others. These led tens of thousands into repentance from sin and faith toward God. Their preaching set on fire hundreds of other fiery preachers, then thousands. From England to America, makeshift pulpits popped up on busy streets and in the open fields, wherever there were people. And this was wonderful! Oh, how many of us would love to see this kind of revival preaching now! But it would have to happen on the streets and in the fields, since the churches far and wide, large and small, are in their own Dark Age and will NOT let God in! And many do not even realize it! Again our point is made that, as wonderful as this power preaching for salvation was then, there was still no knowledge of or emphasis given to spiritual maturity as it relates to the whole body coming into the image of Christ.

In the same way, there is lack in that area today. In the largest denomination in America, in fact, the call for salvation (watered down though it usually is) is still the focus of preaching every Sunday – even to those who are already saved! Is there any wonder why the body of Christ is so spiritually immature? Oh, what a spiritual awakening we need to get us out of the nursery! Limiting ourselves to the traditions and priorities of revivals past will not allow God’s people to come into lasting spiritual maturity – which was God’s goal from the beginning, and which is an absolute MUST if we are to endure these last chapters of these Last Days, not to mention our need to become His spotless, glorious bride!

Sunday School / Bible Studies but Not Spiritual Maturity

In the continuing evolution of evangelical Christianity, Bible study was first given emphasis through what came to be known as Sunday School. Most historians attribute its origin to Sunday Bible-reading lessons for children that took place in England, starting in the 1780s. As a part of the industrial revolution, thousands of young children were forced to work in awful conditions and for unthinkable hours six days a week, making it impossible for them to attend school; so God raised up a man named Robert Raikes, an Anglican evangelical, to start teaching these underprivileged children to read the Bible on Sundays, their only day off. From that was born Sunday School, which eventually spread to America. From that humble beginning, Bible study became a regular part of early elementary education. Then approximately 100 years later, when the state began to take over the responsibility of educating children, Bible training began to be moved out to the churches for Sunday study only, where it became a mainstay for the next 100 years. More recently, evangelicalism has largely turned from authentic Bible study in Sunday School to opinion-based discussions about God, with perhaps an accompanying Bible reference or two to support free thinking. Even so, the early Sunday School program set the pattern for regimented Bible study among 20th century evangelicals. Of course, there have been many other outstanding programs for Bible study that have contributed to excellent Bible training as well. But the point is that even 200 years of consistent Bible study has not solved the believer’s handicap of Spirit-life underdevelopment. Again, this is primarily due to our unwillingness to progress beyond doctrines and traditions established in centuries past.

There are those believers who, in their earnest pursuit to walk with the Lord, have returned to the land where He and His apostles walked. They have gone to Israel, as well as to the lands of Paul’s missionary journeys. Other believers have pursued a closer walk with Him by going back to get seminary training, and some have even learned a little Greek and/or Hebrew, so they can read the Bible in its own language; but few have come away from any of those things having grown deeper in their spiritual understanding of all that has been accomplished through Christ for us in real time. To truly walk as Jesus walked still seems far away; and to pursue the fullness of Christ in the body is, for all practical purposes, foreign. Once again, Christianity as a religious practice has failed to actually yield Spirit-filled Christ-likeness on a large scale. Millions and millions of genuine believers today have been kept in the state of the natural man by traditional thinking and doing which can be traced back to early religious ideas since the Reformation. Oh, if only we could break out of the nursery and enter into Bible study and fellowship with spiritual understanding that would lead us all to spiritual maturity! Indeed, the world is waiting!

Pentecostal Denominationalism but Not Spiritual Maturity

Consider the Pentecostal denominations. Their origins can usually be traced back to truly authentic spiritual awakenings at the turn of the 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s. Some churches that considered themselves Pentecostal genuinely sought to allow the Spirit to have His way. Their meetings were obviously accompanied by the Spirit’s presence, evidenced by the activity of spiritual gifts just as was the case with the church of Corinth. The opportunity was certainly there for believers to develop into spiritual maturity and deep Christ-likeness. In the end, however, they followed in the footsteps of the church at Corinth, too. They had all the gifts but never reached spiritual maturity. Eventually they gave in to a religious form, and the Spirit’s power faded; but they continued to duplicate the habits and practices of their early stages, nonetheless, not knowing that the Spirit had moved out.

The largest Pentecostal denominations in the world have become nothing more than giant religious institutions. Just like their more spiritually conservative brothers and sisters in Christ have done, their system is tiered, weighty, and burdensome on local churches. They have long snuffed out any hope for true spiritual development. Here again, the effort of the Spirit to bring about deep spiritual understanding that leads to a deep spiritual walk was overwhelmed by Christianity becoming religious.

The Charismatic Movement but Not Spiritual Maturity

I should not neglect to mention a genuine move of the Holy Spirit that started in America in the 1950s and spread around the world, called the Charismatic Movement. The Spirit of the Lord moved afresh on God’s people of every denomination. Tens of thousands of churches were started in America alone by believers who came out of traditional churches which refused to allow the Spirit His liberty in their meetings. Many of those newly organized churches sought to mature spiritually – not only in their worship meetings, but also as corporate bodies growing up into the measure of the stature of Christ. But they experienced burnout when too many became so emotionally driven that they moved away from a truly Biblical foundation. Today, theology among the remnants of the Charismatic Movement, for the most part, is about as emotionally exaggerated and theologically twisted as it could ever be. Yet when evaluating that movement along with all the others, we must separate what men have done from what God was trying to do through men. If we discern between God’s way and men’s results, we can take the good and grow while leaving the bad behind.

Even though God’s work in that season of spiritual awakening did not lead to widespread spiritual maturity, it was certainly an authentic work which impacted the body of Christ around the world on a scale that no previous move had done. Yet we still groan within ourselves to become more like Him. God has not failed; we have. And even though we know there is something missing, and we read the scriptures spelling it out, we have yet to make the connection for the long-term. Oh, that God would take us to the fullness of Christ’s measure soon!

But Jesus Said: “I will build My church.”

Regardless of the tremendous spiritual warfare that keeps the body of Christ as spiritual babies, our Lord said that He would build His church. Any true believer who honestly evaluates the general spiritual condition of Christianity today would have to concede that the Lord is not the one who put this mess together. He has built the church indeed, in that He is the author of our salvation individually; but we have built ourselves together corporately. Nonetheless, based upon His promise, He will build His corporate body His way; and just like many of you, I can hardly wait to see it come together!

We have all the ingredients. The scriptures declaring what we should become are clearly seen in the Bible. The example of how we are to follow the Father’s perfect way was set by His Son. His aid and guidance are freely offered by the grace of His Spirit within. And His promise is sure.

We need only to ask Him to show us every area in our thought and practice that should be removed, and then remove it, or allow Him to do so. We should seek a continuing infilling of His Spirit and provide a place that is wholly hospitable for Him within. We should abide in His Word and believe it completely. We should come together when He calls us to. We should wait patiently on Him and be sensitive to obey. We should not lose hope but instead take heart. We can appropriate and facilitate His work by doing these things, but only HE can do the work itself. Let us not frustrate His Spirit but yield. This Last Days church will never survive without Him!

Do you want to get deeper into God’s Word? If so, send a reply requesting the “Moments with My Master” email that is sent out to edify the body of Christ.

Apostasy

Favorite Eternal Security “Proof” Text? [podcast]

Excerpt from the book Lie of the Ages

Does John 10:27-29 Prove “Eternal Security”?

WHO are Jesus’ Sheep? Defined by, in God’s Word.

John 10:27-29

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” ~ John 10:27-29

Verse 27 is the condition necessary to appropriate the promises of verses 28-29.

Those who believe that a man can never lose his salvation, use this John 10:28-29 text but ignore the prerequisite, the divinely given condition – v27. Watch this:

Firstly, in this passage Jesus identifies those sheep whom He makes the security promise to. He says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” In this we see one part divine and two parts the responsibility of the individual:

“I know them”—the divine part toward those who are truly in Christ, presently abiding (v. 27)
Those who are His sheep “hear” His “voice” and “follow” Him—the individual’s responsibility (v. 27)

The promise to be kept is a conditional promise which requires that we choose to continue to hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:27-29). Many today wrongly detach our LORD’s words in verse 27 from verses 28-29. In doing so, they perpetrate their “eternal security” mythology.

The problem for the eternal securists is that v27 has been intentionally been ignored…. It’s the actual condition Jesus gives for receiving the assurance promises He then gives in v28-29.

Those who seek to spread the “once saved always saved” heresy use John 10:28-29 to their advantage and conveniently ignore the preceding words of Christ in verse 27. Verses 28-29 are promises of security to those who have been genuinely born again and are currently abiding in Christ – hearing His voice and following Him (John 15:1-6). Many ignore the previous qualifying words (v. 27) of Jesus where Christ tells us that only those who are hearing His voice and following Him are promised that they are secure and will never perish. There is a condition to being secure in Christ—knowing Him—which requires continuing to abide in Him, hear His voice and follow Him (see also John 15).

“Jesus will neither leave us nor forsake us, but we can leave and forsake Him by choosing our sins OVER His love, grace and mercy!” Dino Filardo

Eternal securists have been taught to selectively interpret Scripture while ignoring mountains of Bible truth, in order to come to a predetermined conclusion.

Many a false teacher has built his own ministry empire dishonestly peddling this passage. Take a closer look. Anchor the promise to be kept in verses 28-29 on verse 27 where Jesus identifies who His sheep are – those who hear and continue to hear His voice and continue to follow Him (present tense). The promise to be kept is a glorious and yet conditional promise which requires that the individual recipient of the salvation gift of God chooses to continue to hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:27-29). Many today wrongly detach our LORD’s words in verse 27 from verses 28-29 of John 10. In doing so, they perpetrate their “eternal security” or otherwise called “once saved always saved” mythology. Beware as this was the first lie Satan told mankind, which led to the fall (Genesis 2:17; 3:4).

Instead of synthesizing the whole of Scripture, false teachers isolate certain verses for their own self-serving agenda and purpose (2 Corinthians 2:17, etc.).

The sheep Jesus’ promises are going to be kept are those who endure to the end, abide (remain) with Him (John 15:1-6). The Great Shepherd defines His sheep as those who are presently hearing His voice and following Him (present tense). John 10:27-29

It’s not difficult to mislead people in the direction of the sinful nature of their hearts – because then they can evade truly repenting which is a major life change and necessity for salvation. This is why Paul foretold of this hour and how men would “heap to themselves (false) teachers having itching ears.” (2 Timothy 4:3) “Itching ears” here represents unrepentant hearts.

OSAS people make a vain attempt at redefining the words of Scripture to fit their own self-serving agenda of lukewarmness, cross-less rebellion. For example they hyper-focus on “eternal” in the term “eternal life” while intentionally refusing to synthesize the whole of what Scripture states. They hyper-focus on the word “gift” and teach that a gift could never be lost which the rest of Scripture does not agree with. They then take the word “sealed” and make it to be permanent which it cannot possibly be because the same Greek word for “sealed” is used of Jesus’ tomb which we all know was NOT permanently sealed (Matthew 27:66). In this they bear false witness against the LORD and act like some Scriptures are more divinely inspired than others. This practice reveals the evil and deceit of their own hearts. Not just some Scripture in the Bible but rather “ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) It must all be synthesized, put together, compared (1 Corinthians 2:13). Error will result in the hearts and lives of those who do not search, study, and revere “ALL scripture” in God’s Word.

Eternal security deceivers don’t want to talk about Bible verses that contradict and expose their proof texts. You see, they don’t want to get awaken by the truth to the scam they’ve bought into. The wolves who they gullibly believe instead of God’s Word, taught them to cry “context, context” all while THEY are the beguilers who are taking Scripture out of context. Just like the demonic democrats in America, they accuse their adversaries of the exact thing THEY themselves are guilty of (Romans 2:1-3).

YOU are defending OSAS and yet you gave no Bible verses? Self-deception. If “once saved always saved” were true, WHY O WHY didn’t God tell us? Such a term, phrase, or concept appear no where in Scripture and the verses you use to “prove” it are taken out of their context. OSAS is undeniably the very first lie Satan ever told and it led to the fall of mankind from a HOLY God (Genesis 2:17; 3:4). If OSAS isn’t a doctrine of devils, nothing is! (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

Is the unchanging, Almighty God no longer “Holy, holy, holy” now that He sent His only begotten Son? (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8) If He’s still holy, no unrepentant person with sin will enter His holy Heaven (Revelation 21:8, 27, etc.).

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Hebrews 12:14

HOW is it that so many treat the words of JESUS recorded in John 10 more divinely authoritative than the words of JESUS recorded in John 15? False teachers.

Most of the dupes who cite John 10:28-29 to “prove” they can never lose their salvation, 1. Don’t even know what the preceding verse says (v27), and 2. Have no clue what JESUS says in John 15:6.

“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

In this John 10 passage used by the unconditional eternal security crew to peddle their wares, some neglect to look closely at verse 27 to see who Jesus was specifically speaking to when He promised “they shall never perish.” “They” refers to those who “hear my voice” and “follow me.” According to verse 27 the promise of eternal security is conditional. Assurance of salvation is only to those who are presently following Christ. In verse 27 we learn that protection from judgment to come is only to those who are currently 1) hearing His voice, 2) known by Him, and 3) following Him. This is consistent with the message seen in the whole of Holy Writ.

“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.” 2 Peter 2:20-22

WHO did Jesus say His true sheep are?

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (Jn. 10:27). According to these words of Christ, those who “know” Jesus and “follow” Him are given the promise that they will “never perish.” As long as the follower hears His voice and follows Him, they are assured “eternal life.” This is exactly what the Son of God taught just a few chapters later in John 15 where He says that if a branch that is in Him does not remain or abide in Him, that person will be cut off and cast into the fire (hell).

Those who abide or remain under the shadow of His holy and protective wing shall remain secure in Him (Ps. 91:1). The Good Shepherd here said: “Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” No man can pluck us out of His protection except ourselves by our own decisions. We who are abiding are protected from the snare of other men drawing us away as we remain walking with the Son of God. If you’re tucked, you won’t get plucked. If you’re not tucked under the wing of intimacy with Jesus, you will, can, and are likely to be plucked out of His holy hand by your own sinful unbelief. The LORD told us “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev. 3:11).

It’s also notable that those who emphasize John 10 to convince themselves and others that they are “eternally secure”, don’t even know much less acknowledge the words of the Savior in John 15:1-6.

Telling.

“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

Jesus taught repeatedly that some would not continue to follow Him (“abide”) and hear His voice and would consequently “fall away.” There is record of some who once believed and then stopped believing (Lk. 8:13; 13:23-30; Jn. 6:66; Acts 8:14-23).

Lie of the Ages (the book)

WHY do eternal securists get all upset when their fairy tale is exposed? Well, they are hiding behind the thin veneer of this heresy, feeling all secure, emboldened to live as they please, feeling assured in their lukewarmness and sin … denying Jesus instead of self, refusing to take up the cross that Jesus commanded all who would follow Him truly (Luke 9:23-24). Christ’s apostle Paul speaks of self-serving “enemies of the cross of Christ.” (Philippians 3:18-19) What’s behind this myth? The Psychology of Eternal Security [book]

Another Example of the Twisting of Scripture

The eternal securists seek to justify their OSAS heresy by misusing the following passage…. but in this Paul is speaking of those who go to Heaven, the judgment of saints, and not those who fell away and won’t be there because they will be in hell. They will not be present when this happens….

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:13-15

One More….

Common Objection to Conditional Eternal Security….

“What about Romans 8:38-39 where it says nothing can separate us from the love of God?”

REPLY:

Simple: Notice the word LOVE not life. God will love us all the way into hell if we choose not to repent. His soul will even “weep in secret places for your pride” which comes before destruction (Jeremiah 13:17). The LORD is “Holy, holy, holy,” He’s just, and He will not ever coexist with sin. See the fall of lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:13-19; Luke 10:18). The wages of sin is still death and the LORD will damn every soul that dies in sin, with no exception (Psalms 5:4; Habakkuk 1:13; Isaiah 6:3; Romans 6:23; Revelation 4:8; 21:8; 22:11, etc.). Read Jesus’s parable of the prodigal son Lk 15. Did the father love and miss his son? Yes. Did the father (represents God) go chase him down? No. The son who departed had to choose to return. Much truth there. Speaking of Romans, read 11:20-22. Now read 2 Peter 2:20-22 and the book of Hebrews.

1 John 2:19 is often also utilized to “prove” eternal security. Not.

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1 John 2:19

Interestingly, the word “never” does not appear in this verse above which is so often used to “prove” OSAS. Let’s read it again with an objective mind. And, also remember what Jesus says about the primary importance of His teaching of the seed and the soil, the sower and the Word:

“And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” Mark 4:13

The honest student of the whole Counsel of God’s Word knows that numerous clear Bible truths reveal that a saved person can turn away from the LORD, so we know that the apostle John could not possibly be saying that a saved person could never depart from the LORD. In my opinion, this verse is the best argument the eternal security proponent has, yet it’s not enough. There must be two or three witnesses and not just one (2 Cor. 13:1). After a closer examination of this text, one will find that verse 19 does not teach or justify “once saved always saved.” When any one verse is taken to the exclusion of the whole Word of God, one will certainly misunderstand the doctrine of the LORD which can only be apprehended by “study.” (2 Tim. 2:15) This verse is like any other verse of Scripture – it must be taken in light of the entire Counsel of God. The context to be considered is 1 John 2:18-29).

In examining the context in which 1 John 2:19 is set, we see that false teachers whom John calls “many antichrists,” had come and were telling these believers that Jesus was not the Christ (v22).

Let’s look at verses 18 and 19 together:

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1 John 2:18-19

Note here that it is specifically of these “antichrists” that John speaks and says that “if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”

John was speaking of those who were once saved but then departed from the faith (1 Tim 4:1), they believed and then fell away (Luke 8:12-13) …. then departed from the believers in that fellowship.

Teddy Caldwell writes:

“OSAS insists that those are professing believers, but 1 John 2:18 says such people are antichrists. 1 John 2:22 says an antichrist is one who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Anyone who does that isn’t a believer and isn’t even trying to look like one.”

Concerning 1 John 2:19, Donald Stamps, in the Life in the Spirit Study Bible, writes:

“‘THEY WENT OUT FROM US.’ When the antichrists departed from their fellowship with true believers, they were not in a saving relationship with Christ. This allows for two possibilities: (1) They were never true believers to begin with, or (2) they had once been in a saving relationship with Christ but afterward abandoned their faith in Christ.”

Right here in verse 24 of this passage we see the doctrine of personal responsibility to “remain” in faithful obedience to the LORD or lose one’s place with God (1 Cor. 15:2; Gal. 6:9; Col. 1:23). This is a teaching found throughout Holy Writ – the divine requirement to stay saved or lose all in eternity, “suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (Jude 7)

“Let that therefore abide (remain) in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. IF (denotes condition) that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” 1 John 2:24-25

Verse 24 alone tells us that we cannot think that verse 19 means that someone who is at some point in right standing with God can never depart from Him and lose out. Also, verse 25 tells us that “eternal life” (not just rewards) is at stake and the promise contingent upon the believer abiding or remaining in that “which ye have heard from the beginning” which is the Gospel. “Eternal life” is assured as long as one is remaining rooted in Jesus Christ. This is the overwhelmingly consistent message of God’s Word.

In verse 26 John says “These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.” Verse 19 is written about the deceivers who sought to “seduce” these disciples John was addressing and not of true believers.

With all of Scripture in consideration, we can conclude that 1 John 2:19 is a specific example and not a rule of doctrine.

If you truly wish to search out this matter, let me encourage you to closely examine, break down and study this entire text (1 Jn. 2:18-29). In order to ascertain truth, one must compare the verse in question with all other related Scriptures, beginning with the context in which the verse is set (Isa. 28:9-10; 1 Cor. 2:13).

Go here for more on the misuse of 1 John 2:19.

Eternal Security / OSAS Exploded

The Damning Myth of Unconditional Eternal Security! [podcast]

HELL Awaits! SO YOU THINK YOU ARE ETERNALLY SECURE? WHO TOLD YOU THAT LIE? NOT GOD! IT SIMPLY DOESN’T MATTER HOW POPULAR A PREACHER IS – IF HE’S TEACHING SATAN’S FIRST LIE THAT CAUSED THE FALL OF THE HUMAN RACE – OSAS/ETERNAL SECURITY – HE’S A FALSE TEACHER, AN AGENT OF SATAN (Genesis 2:17; 3:4). OF COURSE he’s popular – he’s not preaching the cross but rather excuses for sin against a Holy God! RUN from that devil! You will be safe and eternally secure when you get to Heaven, not before. ARE YOU enduring sound doctrine today or walking […]

5 Soul Damning Sins Named! Learning from History! [podcast]

THE 5 SINS THAT KEPT ISRAEL (God’s own covenant people) OUT OF THEIR PROMISED LAND OF BLESSINGS and will keep us out if not relinquished. Friend, please read 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 with all your might. Make this text your meat. The world seeks to romance sin but if God says it’s sin, that’s what it is. Toning down the terms changes nothing. Judgment Day is on the way. We are fighting the good fight of faith, “striving against sin” and “more than conquerors” over sin through Jesus who loves us and bought us with His own blood! (1 Timothy 6:12; […]

The Myth of Eternal Security [podcast]

“For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.” Psalms 73:27 BAD NEWS FOR CROSS-LESS COUNTERFEITS WHO HIDE BEHIND THE “ETERNAL SECURITY” SHAM: YOU WILL BE ETERNALLY SECURE WHEN AND IF YOU ARE WITH JESUS IN ETERNITY, NOT BEFORE! Can’t leave Christ after He saves you? Think again… dear one who continues to search for a way to justify your sin, for not truly repenting and laying down your life in this fleeting sinful world and overcoming (Luke 9:23-24; 14:27, 33; 17:33; 19:27; Titus 2:11-14; , etc.). All […]

Grace vs Holiness [podcast]

“The horrible travesty we have in America today is Christianity without holiness.” A.W. Tozer Grace and holiness come only from God. The LORD is Holy and He extends salvation by grace to repentant, believing sinners at the moment of conversion. Grave vs Holiness: WHY is one of these two so overwhelmingly overemphasized by today’s pastors and self-appointed “grace teachers,” when the other is prioritized by God as is demonstrated by the number of times it appears in Holy Scripture? Which word appears more times in the Bible?: Grace, or Holiness LET’S DO THE MATH: Comparing Grace and Holiness 170 […]

Articles

Laboring Fervently for Christ’s Body [podcast]

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.” Colossians 4:12-13

One source notes:

“Epaphras’ prayer is a powerful New Testament model of intercession found in Colossians 4:12. As the founder of the church in Colossae, Epaphras is described by the Apostle Paul as ‘wrestling’ or ‘laboring earnestly’ in prayer so that his congregation would stand mature, firm, and fully assured in the will of God.”

Jesus Heals the Paralytic Man who was Dropped Down to Him from the Roof

Mark 2

“1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.” Mark 2:1-12

The Dynamic Prayer Life of Epaphras: Life Changing Prayer Nugget!!!! [podcast]

Emulating Epaphras! LIFE CHANGER! Who are those top 3-5 people you pray for every morning? (rhetorical question) Okay, ever wonder how to pray for someone? You will never again have that wonder after your grab this 1 Bible verse! All who are learning to love God are then equally learning to love people – to love others and put them above ourselves (Philippians 2:3-5). Why not assertively, proactively have a list of people you are lifting in prayer every morning? Isn’t that what we can learn from brother Epap? WHO? WHAT? … Let us learn from the life of Epaphras. […]

Prayer Mission of Epaphras [podcast]

Praying daily, diligently, God’s will for others, changes you. EVER wonder how or what to pray for others? Wonder no more! Amazing! 1 Bible Verse to a changed life! The all encompassing prayer!!! Simple and biblical!!! Life changing! Never again wonder how or what to pray for others or yourself! Do you have specific people you lift in prayer each morning? “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:” 1 Samuel 12:23 WHEN you ask someone to “pray […]

Abiding

Abiding Under the Shadow of the Almighty [podcast]

“O Lord, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke. 16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: Jeremiah 15:15-16

Dwelling “in the secret place of the most High”

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” Psalms 91:1-2

“In the secret place of the Most High – Spoken probably in reference to the Holy of holies. He who enters legitimately there shall be covered with the cloud of God’s glory – the protection of the all-sufficient God. This was the privilege of the high priest only, under the law: but under the new covenant all believers in Christ have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus; and those who thus enter are safe from every evil.” Adam Clarke

“[Psalms] 91:1, 2 Jesus is the One who in a preeminent way dwelt in the secret place of the Most High, and abode under the shadow of the Almighty. There never was a life like His. He lived in absolute, unbroken fellowship with God, His Father. He never acted in self-will but did only those things that the Father directed. Though He was perfect God, He was also perfect Man, and He lived His life on earth in utter and complete dependence on God. Without equivocation He could look up and say, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him I will trust.” Believer’s Bible Commentary

Dwelling in the Secret Place of the Most High [podcast]

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3 Prayer communion is inseparably connected with knowing God (John 17:3). Knowing the Father and the Son is the whole purpose for which He made you. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” 1 John 1:3-4 Beloved of […]

The Cardinal Characteristic of Knowing God [podcast]

The word “love” appears 311 times in God’s Word. It’s one thing to know the Bible. It’s another thing to know the God of the Bible. “Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.” Deuteronomy 13:4 This is why He created you – to know Him. “And this is life eternal (the whole purpose for it), that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3 The disciple has nothing more important […]