CAN A CHILD OF GOD FALL FROM THE GRACE OF GOD, Part 2
Good morning to you, our listening audience. I come to you once
again with the plea, "What saith the scriptures?" Whatever we say or
do in religion must be based upon the teaching of the Word of God, the
book we call the Bible, without addition nor subtraction.
I began a study last week upon the subject, "CAN A CHILD OF GOD
SO SIN SO AS TO BE LOST IN ETERNITY?" Or, "Can a child of God fall
away from the grace of God?" I presented about 7 passages from God's
Word that warn Christians of the danger of apostasy, the danger of
turning away from God. I continue with the same format. We shall
introduce passages which warn each of us about going back into the
ways of the world; the danger of walking in sin.
I turn first to the context of Luke 15, the parable of the
Prodigal Son. I shall not read the complete context because of the
length of it. But, you remember this boy asked of his father that he
might receive his inheritance. Upon receiving it, he went to a far
country and wasted it with riotous (or evil) living. Finally, when his
inheritance was all spent, he found himself feeding swine. A
despicable occupation for a Jew. He decided to go back to his father's
house and confess his sins.
The Father, eagerly looking for his return, met him and restored
him to his place in the family. Someone says, you see preacher, this
child returned to his father. And that is so. But, did you notice what
the father said. "For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was
lost, and is found." Had the son died? NO!! Was the son actually lost?
No! He knew the way back home. What is meant by the terms "He was
dead" and "He was lost"? It means that he was separated (one meaning
of the term "dead") from the father's love and fellowship. Being lost
means he was away from the father.
Someone says, "Don't you see that this boy was always a child of
his fathers?" And I agree. But, he was a lost child, a separated
child, a child away from the care and protection of his father. Had
that boy died in the pig pen, he would have died out of the fellowship
of the father. Away from the blessings of the Father.
You will note that the Father did not force the boy to return
home. He did not send the elder brother out looking for him. So,
likewise, when a Christian turns back to the ways of the world and
walks in sins once more, God will not force his return. We each have
the choice as to the life we live. Jehovah desires our faithfulness.
Our continual obedience. But the decision rests with each one. I serve
God because I wish to serve Him, not because he forces or compels me.
And the same is so with each one in this listening audience, and as
far as that goes for all who live in the flesh.
So, I ask you a question. While the boy in the parable was
feeding the swine, was he in fellowship with his father or was he lost
from that relationship? The father states that he was lost. He was
dead. Oh, he was not dead physically, but he was away from the Father.
Can a child of God be lost? Jesus seemed to think so, or this parable
has no meaning to it.
I now read from 1 Corinthians 9:26, 27, "I therefore so run, as
not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air: but I buffet my
body, and bring it unto bondage; lest by any means, after that I have
preached to others, I myself should be rejected (or as the King James
version states, 'castaway')." Paul, are you telling us that you could
become a castaway or be rejected? Sorta sounds like it, doesn't it?
Paul recognized that if his body was not kept under subjection that he
would be rejected by the Lord. Paul had to keep himself under control.
He could not live in the lust of the flesh and still please God.
Neither can you, nor I, my friends. We, too, must keep our bodies
under control at all times. We, too, must buffet our bodies. I, nor
are you, any better than the apostle Paul. And what Paul felt, we too
must understand. If we would please the Lord, we simply cannot walk in
the sins of the world about us. Does this mean that we must live a
perfectly sinless life at all times, that we cannot sin. No, it does
not mean that. It does mean that the child of God does not desire to
commit sin. When sin is committed, we must confess that sin and ask
for God's forgiveness. As we stated in our lesson last week, we are
not discussing whether or not a Christian SHOULD commit sin, or
whether or not the Christian will sin. All students of the Word of God
know that if we say we have no sin the truth is not in us. So states
John in 1 John 1:8. But, can a Christian revert back to the ways of
the world, walk, live in sin. Surely he can. And if he dies in that
condition, what shall be the eternal destiny of that one. Paul says
that one would become a castaway or be rejected.
We now turn to Galatians 5:4, "Ye are severed from Christ, ye who
would be justified by the law, ye are fallen away from grace." Who is
the "Ye" in the context? To whom is Paul writing this letter? He is
writing unto the churches of Galatia (chapter 1, verse 2), unto
brethren in the Lord (chapter 1, verse 11); those who had been
baptized into Christ (chapter 3, verse 27); children of God. There
were some of them who wished to bind circumcision upon the Gentile
converts. Paul is telling them, if they seek to bind circumcision upon
the new converts, seek to be justified by the law, then they were
fallen away from grace. Can one fall from the rooftop of a building if
they were never on the rooftop? How can one fall from the grace of
God, if that one has never been in the grace of God? It would be an
impossibility to fall from grace unless one was in that grace. And
yet, Paul warns, "those who would seek to be justified by the law, ye
are fallen away from grace." So, we ask again, Is it possible for a
child of God to fall from Grace. The inspired apostle seems to think
that it is. And in view of all the other passages we have studied, the
inspired Word of God teaches the danger of apostasy and the
possibility of one's falling away from the living God.
In 2 Peter 1:10, we read, "Wherefore, brethren, give the more
diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these
things, ye shall never stumble:" First, note, the apostle is
addressing "brethren." Who are brethren? They are those in the family
of God, having the same Father, they are brethren. What were these
brethren warned against doing? Peter says that they (and us) must do
"these things." What are "these things"? The "these things" are the
things listed in the preceding verses: faith, virtue, knowledge, self-
control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. He says
that if we do these things we shall never stumble. What if I do not
add these virtues on a continuing basis to my life? I will fall,
stumble. You will also notice the writer says that we are to make our
calling and election sure. Do we have a part in securing eternal
salvation? Of course we do. It is by our own choice that I choose to
obey Jehovah and to remain faithful. God has not put a protective
bubble around us and removed our choice in our desire to serve Him.
Though He has promised to be with us, we must continually seek His
companionship and guidance, which comes through His word.
Hebrews 4:1, reads, "Let us therefore give diligence to enter
into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of
disobedience." The writer says, "Let US." Words mean something. Who
are the "us" in this verse. It would be the ones to whom he is writing
and himself. In other words, Christians. Specifically, Jewish
Christians of the first century. But, also, all who shall become
Christians through the teachings of the apostles. That includes you
and it includes me, if we have obeyed the words of Christ Jesus and
become His disciples, the child of God. Thus, to "us" he says, "that
no man fall." Can the Christian fall? Surely, he can. What if he or
she does fall? Are they pleasing unto Jehovah? To ask the question is
to answer it. The falling in this context involves becoming
"disobedient." Read the verse again, "Let us therefore give diligence
to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of
disobedience." Can the Christian become disobedient? The Hebrew writer
seems to think that he can. Will the disobedient be saved? Who would
so affirm?
Revelation 3:5, reads, "He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed
in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book
of life." What does it mean to "blot his name out." It means to erase
it, to remove it from the page. In order for us to not have our name
blotted out, we must overcome. We simply cannot give in to the flesh
and expect our name to be confessed before the Father. In order to
have one's name blotted out of the book of life, it necessarily
follows that one's name was in that book of life. How could a name be
blotted out that was not there in the first place? So, one who has
been placed in God's book may have that name removed, blotted out.
Doesn't that sound a child of God can so sin so as to lose heaven? To
have his or her name removed from God's record.
In the same third chapter of Revelation, this time in verses 14-
16, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things
saith the Amen, the faithful land true witness, the beginning of the
creation of God: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:
I would that thou art cold or hot. So because thou art lukewarm, and
neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth." Here is a
group of lukewarm Christians whom John says the Lord shall "spew out
of His mouth." What does it mean to "spew out of His mouth." It means
to dispose of. They had become nauseating unto the Lord. Do you
honestly think that a group of God's people thus described are going
to be accepted by the Lord? And yet, there are those who claim that
the way a Christian lives has nothing to do with the eternal destiny
of their soul. Who can believe that?
Romans 8:13, reads, "for if ye live (walk) after the flesh, ye
must die;" You will note that Paul is speaking to brethren, members of
the family of God. And he states that if they live or walk after the
flesh they would did. He is not discussing physical death, for all
must face physical death. Paul is discussing spiritual death,
separation from Jehovah. Do we mean that a child of God can be
separated from the Father. That is exactly what is stated. Paul says
that to live or walk after the flesh will bring about spiritual death,
separation from the father. Yes, indeed, a child of God can so sin so
as to be lost in eternity.
1 John 3:15, reads, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer,
and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." Can
one brother hate another brother. Who would deny that this can happen?
But, John states if that condition develops, if would have the same
consequences as becoming a murderer. But, John also affirms that no
murderer hath eternal life. Thus, a brother that hates another brother
cannot have eternal life in him. Here is a brother who has lost his
eternal life because of hating another brother. Doesn't that sound
like a child of God can so sin so as to lose his or her eternal life?
Look at your Bible. The first four book have been written to
convince the world that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The next book,
the book of Acts, was written to tell people how to become the child
of God. The next 22 books were written to tell the children of God how
to live and act. What purpose would it be to write 22 books to tell
children of God how to act if they cannot lose their eternal reward?
But, again I see that our time is gone. We shall continue this
study next Lord's Day. Until then we bid you a pleasant good morning.
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