Post by Brother Ben on Jan 16, 2012 13:24:09 GMT -5
I would like to consider the theory that man, once saved, could, through sin and unbelief, return again to an unsaved state.
If a man could lose his salvation, through whatever acts or failure of faith has been deemed by those who embrace this, could he turn again and be "saved again?"
Here are some obstacles such an one would have to overcome:
1. The Gospel is hid. Paul made clear in 2 Cor. 4:3, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:" (vs. 3) If one, as some term, falls from grace, then they are now again in the state of being "lost." And, being lost, the gospel at that point, is hid from them. They, unlike a mere backslider in heart, have the indwelling Spirit of God convicting them of their erring state, but are now "unsaved," and the entire work of redemption must begin afresh.
2. The mind is blinded. The "pathway" back to the Saviour is now shrouded in sin and darkness. Again, Paul says, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (vs. 4) Like a blind man, the sinner fallen from their salvation is now blind and incapable of seeing the light that can save. Unless Christ's atonement, which has already been accounted to them once, be committed again, the blinded sinner cannot see the light of the knowledge of God.
3. They are spiritually dead, again. Eph. 2:1,2 tells us: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:" There is NO transitional state for those who were once saints, now fallen from grace, for a simple turn around. According to the scriptures, those who are no "in Christ," are dead in tresspasses and sins, walking according to the course of this world,
4. Their God is now Satan. Now walk according to the prince of the power of the air. Christ is no longer their Lord, but intead they, again, belong to Satan.
5. The Priestly Offering for sin was made once for all. Heb. 10:9-14 states: "[9] Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
[10] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
[11] And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
[12] But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
[13] From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
[14] For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
So, if one can become "unsaved" again, this sacrifice by effect, has been committed twice, or more, (depending to the numerous occasions of falling away.) However, the text explains that the ONE offering hath perfected FOR EVER then that are sanctified. So, then, how encompassing is this sanctification?
Heb. 10:15-18
[15] Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
[16] This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
[17] And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
[18] Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
God promised:
A. He would write his law upon their hearts and minds
B. Their sins and iniquities would be remembered no more.
C. There is NO MORE offering for sin.
If that is the case, though backslidden in heart, the believer has the conscious troubling law of God condemning their sinful state, the blessedness of having ALL sin remembered no more, and the "once for all" offering for sin still in tact for them.
6. Furthermore, "re-sacrifice" is IMPOSSIBLE.
Heb. 6
[4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
[5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
[6] If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Those who have been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY, will have to crucify the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. This is not going to happen, verse 4 tells us, ". . . it is impossible. . . "
7. We are made complete in him and all trespass is forgiven:
Col. 2
[10] And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
[11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
[12] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
[13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
[14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
This is called spiritual circumcision. Just as the Hebrews of old were marked by the visible sign of circumcision, Christ, through the work of the cross, has cut the flesh away from man, the place were sin dwells, and has forgiven us of ALL trespasses and blotted out the handwriting that was against us.
The belief that one can lose their salvation is sometimes called, Arminianism, based on the teachings of a Dutch pastor and theologian who lived in the late 1500's by the name of James Armins, sometimes called Jacobus Arminus. Though Arminus differred with Calvin and some of the contemporary Reformers, he said this:
"I never taught that a true believer can… fall away from the faith… yet I will not conceal, that there are passages of Scripture which seem to me to wear this aspect; and those answers to them which I have been permitted to see, are not of such as kind as to approve themselves on all points to my understanding."
Furthermore, the text of the Articles of Remonstrance says that no believer can be plucked from from Christ's hand, and the matter of falling away, "loss of salvation" required further study before it could be taught with any certainty.
In their articles of Remonstrance, his followers, on the topic of Apostasy wrote:
Apostasy (turning from Christ) is only committed through a deliberate, willful rejection of Jesus and renunciation of saving faith. Such apostasy is irremediable.
Irremediable means there is no remedy. In other words apostasy, falling from salvation was final and irreversible.
So, we can see that, like Calvinism, Arminianism is ANOTHER form of Reformed Theology and is NOT the final word on this issue.
If a man could lose his salvation, through whatever acts or failure of faith has been deemed by those who embrace this, could he turn again and be "saved again?"
Here are some obstacles such an one would have to overcome:
1. The Gospel is hid. Paul made clear in 2 Cor. 4:3, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:" (vs. 3) If one, as some term, falls from grace, then they are now again in the state of being "lost." And, being lost, the gospel at that point, is hid from them. They, unlike a mere backslider in heart, have the indwelling Spirit of God convicting them of their erring state, but are now "unsaved," and the entire work of redemption must begin afresh.
2. The mind is blinded. The "pathway" back to the Saviour is now shrouded in sin and darkness. Again, Paul says, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (vs. 4) Like a blind man, the sinner fallen from their salvation is now blind and incapable of seeing the light that can save. Unless Christ's atonement, which has already been accounted to them once, be committed again, the blinded sinner cannot see the light of the knowledge of God.
3. They are spiritually dead, again. Eph. 2:1,2 tells us: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:" There is NO transitional state for those who were once saints, now fallen from grace, for a simple turn around. According to the scriptures, those who are no "in Christ," are dead in tresspasses and sins, walking according to the course of this world,
4. Their God is now Satan. Now walk according to the prince of the power of the air. Christ is no longer their Lord, but intead they, again, belong to Satan.
5. The Priestly Offering for sin was made once for all. Heb. 10:9-14 states: "[9] Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
[10] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
[11] And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
[12] But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
[13] From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
[14] For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
So, if one can become "unsaved" again, this sacrifice by effect, has been committed twice, or more, (depending to the numerous occasions of falling away.) However, the text explains that the ONE offering hath perfected FOR EVER then that are sanctified. So, then, how encompassing is this sanctification?
Heb. 10:15-18
[15] Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
[16] This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
[17] And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
[18] Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
God promised:
A. He would write his law upon their hearts and minds
B. Their sins and iniquities would be remembered no more.
C. There is NO MORE offering for sin.
If that is the case, though backslidden in heart, the believer has the conscious troubling law of God condemning their sinful state, the blessedness of having ALL sin remembered no more, and the "once for all" offering for sin still in tact for them.
6. Furthermore, "re-sacrifice" is IMPOSSIBLE.
Heb. 6
[4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
[5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
[6] If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Those who have been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY, will have to crucify the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. This is not going to happen, verse 4 tells us, ". . . it is impossible. . . "
7. We are made complete in him and all trespass is forgiven:
Col. 2
[10] And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
[11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
[12] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
[13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
[14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
This is called spiritual circumcision. Just as the Hebrews of old were marked by the visible sign of circumcision, Christ, through the work of the cross, has cut the flesh away from man, the place were sin dwells, and has forgiven us of ALL trespasses and blotted out the handwriting that was against us.
The belief that one can lose their salvation is sometimes called, Arminianism, based on the teachings of a Dutch pastor and theologian who lived in the late 1500's by the name of James Armins, sometimes called Jacobus Arminus. Though Arminus differred with Calvin and some of the contemporary Reformers, he said this:
"I never taught that a true believer can… fall away from the faith… yet I will not conceal, that there are passages of Scripture which seem to me to wear this aspect; and those answers to them which I have been permitted to see, are not of such as kind as to approve themselves on all points to my understanding."
Furthermore, the text of the Articles of Remonstrance says that no believer can be plucked from from Christ's hand, and the matter of falling away, "loss of salvation" required further study before it could be taught with any certainty.
In their articles of Remonstrance, his followers, on the topic of Apostasy wrote:
Apostasy (turning from Christ) is only committed through a deliberate, willful rejection of Jesus and renunciation of saving faith. Such apostasy is irremediable.
Irremediable means there is no remedy. In other words apostasy, falling from salvation was final and irreversible.
So, we can see that, like Calvinism, Arminianism is ANOTHER form of Reformed Theology and is NOT the final word on this issue.