What the Early Church Fathers Said about Eternal Security [podcast]
WHAT EARLY DISCIPLES SAID
CONCERNING THE DOCTRINE OF “ETERNAL SECURITY”
(excerpt from the book Lie of the Ages)
These are some seriously sobering quotes…..
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Was OSAS (once saved always saved; eternal security) a doctrine of Christ and His apostles and those who truly followed Christ thereafter? Please see below and share this to warn others.
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine…” Acts 2:42
The “apostles’ doctrine” is the compilation of the teachings of Jesus Christ and His apostles who wrote the Holy Spirit-inspired books which make up the canon of the New Testament. Nothing could be nor ever will be more authoritatively divine than Holy Scripture.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
This chapter features the intriguing and telling words of some of the earliest servants of Christ who lived to carry forth the Gospel and work of Jesus after the twelve were deceased. One should witness a consistency in these words with the doctrine of Christ and His holy apostles as recorded in the New Testament Scriptures. These early disciples spoke in accordance with the oracles of God (1 Pet. 4:11). Regrettably, as time went on under this New Covenant era, the prophesied apostasy in the church world began to transpire and escalate. Deceivers began to wax worse and worse and they will continue until the return of our LORD and the ultimate setting up of His eternal kingdom (2 Tim. 3:13).
These men, whose words you are about to read, were not far removed from the original apostles of our LORD and His Gospel and held fast to His Word – “the apostle’s doctrine” (Acts 2:42).
Perhaps these words, since they are consistent with what we read in the whole of the Word of God, are worthy to be accepted as supplemental, yet not on the same level of authority as the truth of Holy Writ. The purpose of placing these words in this volume is to show a preponderance of witnesses to the divine truth once delivered to the saints of Christ (Jude 3-4). This is an historical witness to the truth of Scripture. Some who read this will have been surrounded by those who espouse the reformers, John Calvin, and leaders of the evangelical world and yet have had little exposure to the words of other men and their view of Bible truth.
Knowing truth from error is the result of becoming intimately and personally familiar with the contents of the New Testament Scriptures. As we behold what Christ and His apostles taught we are then able to rightly divide the Word of truth and discern who is and who is not teaching and speaking according to the original Gospel Reqe 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16; Heb. 5:11-14.
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation…” 1 Timothy 1:15
Today, many who are within professing Christendom, go back to church history and men like John Calvin, a man with no genuine kingdom authority whatsoever – because he simply did not honor the counsel of God (Isa. 8:20; 1 Pet. 4:11). If we are going to look back to mere men for inspiration and authority, why not go a little further back than Calvin? Why not do the right thing and look to “holy men of God” who “spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”? (See 2 Pet. 1:20-21.) When we do, we will find John Calvin to be a heretical false teacher who spent his years poisoning the church world with his “private interpretation” and outright and outlandish falsehoods.
No man’s teachings or view are on the same level as Holy Scripture (Prov. 21:30; Rom. 3:4).
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:20-21
It is unfortunate that some people today follow the teachings of mere men, so-called reformers, all while they have complete access to the very Word of God. We make the word of God of no effect when we place the words of mere men above the truth given us of the Almighty.
“This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition…Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” Mark 7:6-9, 13
It can be perhaps witnessed, when studying the Church as it functioned through the New Testament centuries, that after Christ and His apostles left the earth, there was a steady decline in doctrinal purity leading up to our day. This was long ago prophesied – “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse” (2 Tim. 3:13). It is interesting to observe the words of some of the leaders in the Church world throughout these New Testament centuries. Many of these men held to the biblical revelation of salvation – how it is received and how it is maintained. It may interest you to know that Polycarp was the direct disciple of the apostle John. These men addressed this unconditional eternal security matter that had already sprung forth from diabolical origins soon after Christ had risen again from the dead. Later, John Calvin came on the scene and grossly perverted the grace of God as foretold by Jude in Jude 3-4. Men like John Calvin set forth and re-established the lie that would continue through the centuries to be responsible for the damnation of millions of souls who believed and died believing they were eternally secure no matter what spiritual state they died in.
QUOTES FROM EARLY CHURCH FATHERS BEFORE THE CORRUPTION OF UNCONDITIONAL ETERNAL SECURITY SET IN: (In quoting these men, we are not condoning everything they might have taught in other areas of doctrine.)
“Watch for your life’s sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh. But often shall ye come together, seeking the things which are befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit you, if ye be not made perfect in the last time.” (Didache, A.D.140)
“That eternal fire has been prepared for him as he apostatized from God of his own free-will, and likewise for all who unrepentant continue in the apostasy, he now blasphemes, by means of such men, the Lord who brings judgment [upon him] as being already condemned, and imputes the guilt of his apostasy to his Maker, not to his own voluntary disposition.” (Justin Martyr, fragment in Irenaeus’ Against Heresies, 5:26:1, A.D.156)
“Christ shall not die again in behalf of those who now commit sin, for death shall no more have dominion over Him; but the Son shall come in the glory of the Father, requiring from His stewards and dispensers the money which He had entrusted to them, with usury; and from those to whom He had given most shall He demand most. We ought not, therefore, as that presbyter remarks, to be puffed up, nor be severe upon those of old time, but ought ourselves to fear, lest perchance, after [we have come to] the knowledge of Christ, if we do things displeasing to God, we obtain no further forgiveness of sins, but be shut out from His kingdom. And therefore it was that Paul said, ‘For if [God] spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest He also spare not thee, who, when thou wert a wild olive tree, wert grafted into the fatness of the olive tree, and wert made a partaker of its fatness.’” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 4:27:2 A.D. 180)
“But some think as if God were under a necessity of bestowing even on the unworthy, what He has engaged (to give); and they turn His liberality into slavery. But if it is of necessity that God grants us the symbol of death, then He does so unwillingly. But who permits a gift to be permanently retained which he has granted unwillingly? For do not many afterward fall out of (grace)? Is not this gift taken away from many?” (Tertullian, On Repentance, 6 A.D. 204)
“Therefore, the ones who are pardoned are those who slip into sin unintentionally and incautiously. He who sins willfully has no pardon.” (Lactantius, A.D. 304)
“By believing in Him you will live. But by disbelieving you will be punished.” (Apostolic Constitutions, A.D. 390)
“Grace with the Lord, when once learned and undertaken by us, should never afterward be cancelled by repetition of sin.” (Tertullian, A.D. 203)
“He who keeps them will be glorified in the kingdom of God. However, he who chooses other things will be destroyed with his works.” (Barnabas, A.D. 70)
“Only those who fear the Lord and keep His commandments have life with God; but as for those who do not keep His commandments, there is no life in them.” (Barnabas, A.D. 70)
“We ought therefore, brethren, carefully to inquire concerning our salvation. Otherwise, the wicked one, having made his entrance by deceit, may hurl us forth from our life.” (Barnabas, A.D. 70)
“Let us therefore repent with the whole heart, so that none of us perish by the way.” (Second Clement, A.D. 150)
“I hold further, that those of you who have confessed and known this man to be Christ, yet who have gone back for some reason to the legal dispensation [i.e. the Mosaic Law] and have denied that this man is Christ, and have not repented before death—you will by no means be saved.” (Justin Martyr, A.D. 160)
“Rather, we should fear ourselves, lest perchance, after we have come to the knowledge of Christ, if we do those things displeasing to God, we obtain not further forgiveness for sin, but are shut out of His kingdom.” (Irenaeus, A.D. 180)
“He who hopes for everlasting rest knows also that the entrance to it is toilsome and narrow. So let him who has once received the gospel not turn back.” (Clement of Alexandria, A.D. 195)
“God gives forgiveness of past sins. However, as to future sins, each one procures this for himself. He does this by repenting, by condemning past deeds, and by begging the Father to blot them out.” (Clement of Alexandria, A.D. 195)
“The world returned to sin…and so it is destined to fire. So is the man who after baptism renews his sins.” (Tertullian, A.D. 198)
“Rather they must be preserved. It is not the actual attainment, but the perfecting, that keeps a man for God.” (Cyprian, A.D. 250)
“A son who deserts his father in order not to pay him obedience is considered deserving of being disinherited and having his name removed forever from his family.” (Lactaintius, A.D. 304)
“He who sins after baptism, unless he forsakes his sins, will be condemned to Gehenna.” (Apostolic Constitutions, A.D. 390)
“These things, beloved, we write unto you, not merely to admonish you of your duty, but also to remind ourselves. For we are struggling on the same arena, and the same conflict is assigned to both of us. Wherefore let us give up vain and fruitless cares, and approach to the glorious and venerable rule of our holy calling. Let us attend to what is good, pleasing, and acceptable in the sight of Him who formed us. Let us look stedfastly to the blood of Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God, which, having been shed for our salvation, has set the grace of repentance before the whole world. Let us turn to every age that has passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has granted a place of repentance to all such as would be converted unto Him. Noah preached repentance, and as many as listened to him were saved. Jonah proclaimed destruction to the Ninevites but they, repenting of their sins, propitiated God by prayer, and obtained salvation, although they were aliens [to the covenant] of God.” (Clement to the Corinthians, 7:33-36)
“Day and night ye were anxious for the whole brotherhood, that the number of God’s elect might be saved with mercy and a good conscience.” (Clement to the Corinthians, 2:7, 8)
“On account of envy, Aaron and Miriam had to make their abode without the camp. Envy brought down Dathan and Abiram alive to Hades.”(Clement to the Corinthians, 4:20, 21)
“Having obtained good proof that thy mind is fixed in God as upon an immovable rock, I loudly glorify [His name] that I have been thought worthy [to behold] thy blameless face which may I ever enjoy in God! I entreat thee, by the grace with which thou art clothed, to press forward in thy course, and to exhort all that they may be saved. Maintain thy position with all care, both in the flesh and spirit.” (The Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp, 1:1)
“What we gather from all these quotes is that the early Church believed one was saved by faith in Christ and His blood, apart from works. That we’re redeemed and washed from our sins, there must be repentance, if one sinned and did not repent they would be lost. They believed God’s foreknowledge and predestination, and they believed by blaspheming the Holy Spirit and/or forsaking God that one would lose salvation.” unknown
“God is a God of mercy and compassion, He is long suffering, patient, and willing to call you back, but if one persists in willful abandonment and blasphemy against His Spirit, how can He put up with that?” unknown
Justin Martyr- c. 100/114AD – c. 162/168 AD. He was another early Christian apologist (defender) of the faith and was martyred by beheading. His works represent the earliest surviving Christian apologies of notable size:
• Man acts by his own free will and not by fate. (20)
• We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, chastisements, and rewards are rendered according to the merit of each man’s actions. Otherwise, if all things happen by fate, then nothing is in our own power. For if it be predestined that one man be good and another man evil, then the first is not deserving of praise or the other to be blamed. Unless humans have the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions-whatever
they may be…. For neither would a man be worthy of reward or praise if he did not of himself choose the good, but was merely created for that end. Likewise, if a man were evil, he would not deserve punishment, since he was not evil of himself, being unable to do anything else than what he was made for.(21)
• But that you may not have a pretext for saying that Christ must have been crucified, and that those who transgressed must have been among your nation, and that the matter could not have been otherwise, I said briefly by anticipation, that God, wishing men and angels to follow His will, resolved to create them free to do righteousness; possessing reason, that they may know by whom they are created, and through whom they, not existing formerly, do now exist; and with a law that they should be judged by Him, if they do anything contrary to right reason: and of ourselves we, men and angels, shall be convicted of having acted sinfully, unless we repent beforehand. But if the word of God foretells that some angels and men shall be certainly punished, it did so because it foreknew that they would be unchangeably [wicked], but not because God had created them so.
PRAYER: Holy Father, I love You supremely. LORD Jesus, Savior of my soul, thank You for coming to die for my sins – for redeeming my life. Thank You. Thank You Jesus! Thank You. I cling to Thee alone and to the words of Your holy truth. You promised that as I stand upon Your unchanging truth, that I would forever stand in Thee! Thank You! On Christ the solid rock I do stand and all other ground is sinking sand! So be it Jesus! In Jesus’ Name, amen!
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Adultery
“Flee Fornication” [podcast]
One of the greatest fears any parent in our day should have, would be for their child to grow up and NOT have a genuinely God fearing mate. Pray saints. Pray parents. Sanctify yourselves. “Come out of her” (Revelation 18:4).
“Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.” Leviticus 19:29
Example of prostitution: Whoring out one’s daughter would be to send them to college to learn the ways of the world, of Satan who is “the god of this world,” where they are taught how to fulfill the role of the man—and not a woman (1 Timothy 5:14). No godly parent does such.
Having seen you buy his lies, Satan is laughing you all the way into hell, the bank of unrepentant sinners.
Whoredom has and does today destroy nations. We are seeing a once strong America brought to its knees for the whoredom, namely of those who vainly claim Christ as Savior.
“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have COMMITTED FORNICATION with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” Revelation 18:3
“And the kings of the earth, who have COMMITTED FORNICATION and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning.” Revelation 18:9
“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and ADULTEROUS generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.” Matthew 12:39
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Flee Fornication
“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
“The Pure in Heart”
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8
Only those who are born again and die with a pure heart will be with the LORD.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” 2 Timothy 4:7
“Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:” 1 Timothy 1:19
“Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” Matthew 11:12
On the topic of fornication brother Allen Campbell writes:
“Someone asked me if it’s okay to have relations with a person you love. No, having relations with your boyfriend or girlfriend is called fornication and is a serious sin, because it’s a sin against your own body. Your body is a temple for the Holy Ghost that is in you. Since your body belongs to God, for it has been bought with a price, we must glorify God with our bodies. If you’re committing fornication or adultery and do not repent, then you will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 KJV – Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 KJV – Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Revelation 21:7-8 KJV – He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Let’s LEARN Scripture, BELIEVE and OBEY our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”
Fornication of Many Forms—all life-destroying and condemned by God
The word “immoral” appears exactly ZERO times in God’s Word, the King James Bible.
“Fornication” appears 36 times.
“Adultery” appears 40 times.
“Lust(s) appears 43 times.
“sodomite(s)” appears 5 times.
Let’s never use the words “sexually immoral” again. Let’s use God’s words for such sin. After all, the use of the phrase “sexually immoral” is subject to sinful man’s definition while the Bible words listed above are clear and convicting.
It’s not “promiscuous”—a word found no where in God’s Word (KJB). The Bible calls all sin outside of the marriage between one man and one woman “fornication.”
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should ABSTAIN FROM FORNICATION:” 1 Thessalonians 4:3
Say it with me out loud: “call it what it IS!”
WE often hear of counterfeits, pretending to be Christians, say things like “Well, I don’t care what you do behind closed doors.” To one such lost soul, the following reply was given:
GOD cares about the souls of men for whom He sent His only begotten Son to die (John 3:16). He cares about all “sexuality,” that is, as it pertains to “fornication” which is any and all sex outside of the marriage bed between one man and one woman. ALL, every fornicator is going to burn in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8, 27; 22:14, etc.).
Sex is Only Safe in Marriage – between one man and one woman.
“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” Hebrews 13:4
All fornication is sin.
ALL sex outside of that which is between one man and one woman in marriage, is sin. “Fornication” includes every form of sexual perversion.
All forms of fornication is sin. Fornication is any sexual activity with self or anyone outside of ones opposite sex marriage partner.
MESSAGE RECEIVED:
“What about people who are in a relationship and live together and supposedly are not having sex?”
REPLY:
Good morning sister. I didn’t quite understand the first part of your question but as far as living together, cohabiting, such should be for married people only. “FLEE fornication” right? It seems that our LORD’s Word hems us in…. either marry or flee. Seems we have to determine if we truly desire to marry that person and if so, move into doing so, or flee.
“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18
As we see exemplified by the beloved Joseph, when tempted by Potipher’s wife, he dashed! Why? Fornication cannot be overcome otherwise or by staying in the fire and expecting not to be burned (Genesis 39).
“Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” 1 Corinthians 7:1-2
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
“3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.”
God has a beautiful plan. – If we will simply do things HIS way and no other. HE is able. HE is greater than anything you face today. Memorize Ephesians 3:20 and Mark 10:27, now.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
A Life Pleasing to God
1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.”
God has a beautiful plan. Perhaps, at least in part, God’s “Thou shalt” nots mean “Don’t hurt yourself”!
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Abiding
LIE OF THE AGES: From the Garden to Glory [podcast]
Excerpt from the book Lie of the Ages
The First Lie and the Fall of Man
“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” ~ Genesis 3:1-5
Have you ever wondered what the first lie ever told was? Who told it? Why was it told? What was the result of it? Can the fruit be seen and felt today? Can its effects be traced throughout history and even into the future?
According to the Genesis account, the Garden of Eden was the sanctuary of the Most High, where He communed with the first man and woman He had made in His very own image. The Garden was a sinless, guiltless sanctuary of unimaginable relational bliss between the LORD Almighty and the man and woman. The Garden of Eden was the place of pure truth and love—a place where lies were not even suspected.
Enter Satan.
Enter the lie.
Enter the seduction.
Enter no fear of God.
Enter stolen restraint.
Enter sin.
Enter the fall of man.
Enter alienation from the Creator.
Garden Scene—The First Lie
Do you think this first lie may hold some insight into the work of Satan and his war against God and His treasured people today?
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die…(Now here’s what the woman said:) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Now here’s what Satan said:) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” ~ Genesis 2:16-17; 3:3-4
In the book of origins (Genesis) where every major biblical doctrine is rooted (has its beginning), there can be found the keys and answers to life. Mankind’s Maker, his beginning, his ultimate enemy, temptation, sin, the resulting fall, and the redemption of man are revealed in the first chapters of this all-important first book of the Holy Bible.
Perhaps there could be no greater occupation than for the student of Scripture to undertake, pour over, pray over, and dismantle the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. In this endeavor, he will gain insight into the origins and purpose of creation, pitfalls facing mankind, divine restoration, and the keys to living a victorious life in harmony with his Creator.
Sin entered the human experience through the temptation and fall of the first man (Rom. 5). By this the enemy gained a foothold and has warred with that sole creation made in the image of the Maker Himself. But it is sin that is man’s problem, not circumstance or self-esteem nor any other diagnosis. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (See Jer. 17:9.)
Someone has wisely stated: “The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.”
From the very beginning, Satan has tempted man to believe that breaking the commandment of His Maker was not to be feared or avoided and could not harm him. The temptation for man is if he is going to determine truth on his own terms and how it fits his own lifestyle, or repent and humbly accept and obey what God says.
Cain was a religionist. He refused relationship with the LORD because he chose to do things his own way instead of God’s (Gen. 4:1-7). In his pride, Cain wanted to make up his own rules – he was lawless. Religion is where men have created a god in their own image and follow those teachings which render obedience to that false god. The most deceptive and evil form of religion is that which is close to the truth and uses Bible Scriptures out of context to make up that doctrine which circumvents obedience to the plain truth of God. (See Jesus rebuke the Pharisees in Matt. 23.)
Who are we going to believe and trust? Whose report will you believe? Since the LORD and the devil stated something in direct opposition to each other, we know that one of them is a liar. As He gave the first man and woman the option, so the LORD gives us the choice to trust and obey Him or not to obey Him. Each of us will decide who it is that is going to be a liar in our hearts—the Almighty, or Satan.
God said (Gen. 2:17): “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof THOU SHALT SURELY DIE.”
Satan said (Gen. 3:4): “And the serpent said unto the woman, YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE.”
The lie of the ages began in the very cradle of creation. The aim of the enemy of all souls was the first man and woman who were uniquely created in the image of the One who made all things. Adam and Eve were the subjects of Satan’s deadly lie—the first lie ever told. Apparently, this cunning enemy understood that if he could cause the man and woman to take things into their own hands and violate the instruction of their Maker, they would be ushered out of His Garden (presence) and forfeit their place with Him.
Mankind’s enemy led him to believe that he could violate the instruction of his holy Maker and still remain within His approval. Like Adam and Eve, it is readily observed that men naturally internalize this philosophy as “I can sin with no fear of consequences.” Is it possible that this lie is still leading men and women to believe that they “shall not surely die” if they live in direct opposition to the LORD?
Concerning this most insidious and destructive lie of the serpent, the Life in the Spirit Study Bible states:
“‘YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE’…The first lie proposed by Satan was a form of antinomianism (lawlessness), denying the judgment of death for sin and apostasy. One of the basic sins of humankind is unbelief in God’s word. It is believing that somehow God does not really mean what He says about salvation, righteousness, sin, judgment, and death. Satan’s most persistent lie is that unrepentant, deliberate sin and rebellion against God will not necessarily bring separation from God and eternal condemnation.”
As he did with the first man and woman, the adversary tells us “Ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:4).
Escaping the judgment of a holy God has long been the vain imagination of depraved men, fueled by the enemy of all righteousness who has come “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (Jn. 10:10).
“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” ~ Ecclesiastes 8:11
“Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.” ~ Psalms 10:13
Question: “Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God?
Answer: “He hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.”
The hearts of those who are not in fellowship with the LORD say “The LORD will not ‘require it’ of me. He will not bring me into accountability for my life in this world. After all, He has not done anything to me for my wrongdoing thus far. I am okay in my sins; God will just overlook them.”
Lucifer’s lure capitalizes on the sinful nature of men, preying upon his desire to be his own god, controlling his own destiny. Somehow, according to this revelation and others, it is within man’s makeup to believe that because his Creator is not presently executing tangible judgment for his sin, he believes that God is not going to judge him at all. So, unregenerate man goes on sinning with reckless abandon, not realizing that that Great and Terrible Day of Judgment lies just ahead.
The first man and woman bought into the first lie that claims there is no consequence for violating the command of the one true God. Such self-deception is no new thing. Since the first man and woman, people have sought to define right and wrong on their own terms instead of simply acknowledging what the LORD says. As the first couple found out, it is a losing endeavor to determine truth by how it fits one’s lifestyle instead of by God’s non-negotiable counsel given us in His Word (Jn. 17:17; Rom. 3:3-4; 2 Tim. 3:16). Defining truth on one’s own terms is buying into the lie of the ages presented to every man by the evil one who “walketh about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).
When men seek to redefine truth on their own terms, they unwittingly create a god in their own image—one who accepts them in their sins with no judgment. They then migrate to pastors and teachers who will tickle their itching ears with smooth messages void of the full-counsel revelation of Holy Scripture (Jer. 5:30-31; 2 Tim. 4:2-4).
After Adam and Eve, it was their son Cain who sought to make up his own way to God on his own terms. He failed. To Cain and to all who seek through religion, whether self-styled or organized, the Almighty would ask: “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door” (Gen. 4:7).
The LORD says to Cain “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” This simply means “If you will do things the way I prescribed, will I not fully accept you as I did your brother Abel?” Cain hardened his heart and refused to do things God’s way by offering the type of sacrifice God requires. Due to his own choice to rebel against the Most High he became so filled with the enemy that he killed his own brother (Gen. 4).
This is a classic example of how the enemy led this man Cain to believe that he could make up his own rules, violating the holy Creator and still escape His just judgment. Like Cain, millions of faithful religionists today have a mere formula of godliness while denying the power of a truly surrendered life to the one true God who sent His only begotten Son as the only sacrifice for the sins of men (2 Timothy 3:5).
When he was able to successfully persuade the first man to violate the command of the LORD, Satan gained access to authority over the man by the sin of the man (Isaiah 59:1-2; Ephesians 4:27; James 4:7). Jesus re-gained that authority for His highest and prized creation and all those who come into relationship with Him experience the abundant blessings that come along with being saved by His precious blood (Jn. 10:10; Rom. 5:17; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).
“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)” Romans 5:17
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” ~ John 3:16-17
PRAYER: Father in Heaven, please unite my heart to fear Thy name and keep it from falling prey to this same lie that led to Adam and Eve’s fall. Quicken my heart in the fear of the LORD. Please teach me that there are many harsh consequences for disobeying You, by not doing what You say, by sinning against You. Convict my heart of sin, and I beg You to make my conscience extremely sensitive to Your conviction and leading. Change my heart, O LORD. Grant me a heart of flesh that delights to live in Your presence and do Your perfect will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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Apostasy
“The Certainty of the Words of Truth” [podcast]
Nicholas, the Apostate Deceiver
Historians say that Nicholas (Acts 6:5), a deacon in the first century church, backslid, and led his followers to believe that living in sin would not affect one’s relationship with Christ. The term Nicolaitans is said to come from those who followed Nicholas. Nico-laitans is a compound Greek word. Nico means “to conquer,” and laitans means “the laity.” Satan used Nicholas to conquer his followers through the lie of lawlessness. The evil spirit of Nicholas lives on today through many lawless leaders who operate in the church world in this late hour.
Nicholas taught free love. He and his followers taught that the deeds of believers could not affect their relationship with God. This is antinomianism, which means lawlessness. The Bible clearly refutes such a lie as we will witness in our walk through the Holy Scriptures.
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy 2:19
“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:16
The Bible states here, that those who “profess that they know God” and yet “deny him…in works,” are “abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
By this lie of lawlessness, the enemy of souls conquered the people.
“But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans (means “conquer the laity”), which I also hate…So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.” Revelation 2:6, 15
Here is some modern terminology for this age-old doctrine:
- Once Saved, Always Saved
- Eternal security (unconditional)
- Calvinism, perseverance of the saints doctrine
In Revelation 2, Jesus Christ tells us that He “hates” two things — “the deeds” and “doctrine of the Nicolaitans.” The Son of God despises the doctrine that teaches that the deeds of men have no effect upon their relationship with Him.
The Scriptures continuously reveal the divine hatred for the acceptance, and even doctrinal authorization, for living in the sins which the LORD tells us violate His holiness, reveal a wicked heart, and will prevent one from entering into the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8, 27).
The word “lasciviousness” appears six times in the Bible and means “lack of restraint (from sinning); license for sin; licentiousness.”
To underscore the utter, divine hatred against this lie of lawlessness, it should be noted that this is the only place in Scripture where Jesus Christ, Himself, states that He hates something.
Though they may vary in packaging, these are all kin to the same lawless “ye shall not surely die” lie, which is the lie of the ages.
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2
“For ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.” Jeremiah 23:36b
“Thus saith the Lord; Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord’s house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word.” Jeremiah 26:2
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19
“Hath God said” ?
Always remember that whenever you have someone casting doubt on God’s Word, words, you are dealing with a person who is under Satan’s control, is a rejecter of the LORD, and therefore His truth, and is a child of the devil. Every time.
Notice what we see Satan doing in the Garden of Eden just before he changed, altered, added one word to God’s words:
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1
Then, in verse 4 we read how Satan added just one three-letter word which changed the meaning of what God said and changed world history.
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:” Genesis 3:4
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17
“Thou shalt surely die” from God was then changed by Satan to “Ye shall NOT surely die.”
This is the first time we see what’s known as the “eternal security” lie. It’s also known as “once saved always saved” or “perseverance of the saints” heresy. Any person teaching or believeing this lie has partnered with Satan himself.
Knowing “the certainty of the words of truth”
“Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
19 That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
21 that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee? Proverbs 22:17-21
“that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth” – and how can we “know the certainty of the words of truth” if we aren’t even reading them – if we are not reading the preserved Word of God but rather a cheap counterfeit?
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