Dividing the Word Part Three:
Lordship Salvation and the Perversion of Scripture
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Welcome to another installment of “Dividing the Word.” Today, we are going to look at three passages of Scripture that cause confusion in the “Christian” community. We are going to clear up the misconceptions surrounding these passages by rightly dividing God’s Word.
Hebrews 10:26-30
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.”
There are “Christians” who use the preceding passage to wrongfully teach that a believer on Jesus Christ can lose his or her salvation because of sin. Let’s call this teaching what it is: A Satanic attack on the Biblical concept of the eternal security of believers on Jesus Christ, meant to undermine a believer’s complete faith in Jesus Christ. This false teaching is delivered by either true Christians who cannot rightly divide the word of truth, or by fake Christians who are working for Satan to spread lies. This passage from Hebrews is one of the portions of Scripture that “Christians” abuse in order to teach that eternal salvation is dependent on the lifestyle of the believer. We are going to do away with the lies surrounding this passage of Scripture.
The problem begins with the following phrase: “if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth”. Some “Christians” say that this Scripture is teaching that if a believer knowingly and willingly sins once they are saved, then that believer is risking the loss of their salvation. The Lordship Salvation crowd loves verses like Hebrews 10:26, because it seems on the surface to support their false doctrine that eternal salvation is dependent on a believer’s lifestyle. Of course, Lordship Salvationists have to take Scripture out of context in order to teach their nonsense, and that is precisely what they have done here. Let’s go ahead and leave the Lordship Salvation crowd to their imaginations, while we learn the truth about what is actually being taught in this passage from Hebrews. We will begin by finding out who the book of Hebrews was written for, which we will discern by using clues in the book itself.
Hebrews
The very name of the book of Hebrews is our biggest clue. Hebrews are Jews. The book of Galatians was written for the believers in Galatia. The book of Ephesians was written for believers in Ephesus. The book of Hebrews was written for Hebrews, or Jews, but more specifically, for Jews who had believed on Jesus Christ. Books like Galatians or Ephesians are particularly useful to believers in the age of grace, because those books were written to Gentile believers saved in the age of grace. The book of Hebrews was written in order to help the Jews understand why their religious customs were no longer needed. God had made a new covenant with the Jews, different from the one God had made with their fathers through Moses, and one which extended its reach to include the Gentiles. The Jews needed to understand what had changed, how it had changed, and why it had changed. The Jews had always enjoyed a special relationship with God naturally, because of their Jewish bloodline. Jews were a religious people, keeping the customs taught to them by Moses and passed down by their fathers. The Jews were dedicated to obeying the Ten Commandments, observing holy days, abstaining from certain meats, etc. The Jews were accustomed to having a high priest who would offer sacrifices for their sins, as well as for his own. All of these things were a part of the law, and the law was a system with flaws.
Hebrews 7:18-19: “For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment (the law) going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope (Jesus) did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”
The law was weak and unprofitable, while Jesus was called “a better hope”. The word “better” is used a number of times in Hebrews to describe the new covenant that came with Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 7:22: “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.”
Hebrews 8:6: “But now hath he (Jesus) obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.”
Hebrews 9:19-23: “For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.” (The Old Testament (law) was instituted with the blood of calves and goats. The New Testament (grace) was instituted with the blood of Jesus Christ).
Why was it necessary to repeatedly describe the new way that God had established as “better?” Because the Jews were religious by nature, and they needed to understand that Jesus Christ was superior to their laws and religion. Note the following two verses of Scripture:
Hebrews 6:1: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,”
Hebrews 9:14: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Jews were religious and performed the works of the law in order to be obedient to God. With Jesus Christ as the new high priest and “the mediator of the new testament” (Hebrews 9:15), the works of the law were no longer required by God. Jews needed to repent, or change their minds, from their dedication to the works of the law. These works were now called “dead works”, because they belonged to a system that had been done away with.
Hebrews 8:13: “In that he saith, A new covenant (salvation by faith in Jesus Christ), he hath made the first old (the works of the law). Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”
Because the works of the law were now “dead works”, Jews needed to leave them behind and have “faith toward God”. Faith in what God had done through Jesus Christ did away with the old system of the law, which was dead, and gave the Jews a way “to serve the living God”. Let’s step outside the book of Hebrews to find some other verses of Scripture that will shed light on this subject.
John 1:17: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
The law was Old Testament. Jesus Christ brought in the New Testament.
Matthew 26:29: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” – Jesus Christ
The switch from law to grace, from the customs of Moses to the faith of Jesus Christ, was refused by many Jews, and this caused them to miss out on what God had prepared for them.
Romans 9:31-32: “But Israel (the Jewish nation), which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;”
God no longer granted righteousness to those who kept the law. Righteousness was now given in exchange for faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 4:5-6: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him (Jesus Christ) that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,”
Romans 3:27-28: “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
The book of Acts gives many examples of Jews becoming upset over the teaching of faith in Jesus Christ. These Jews did not believe on Jesus, but there were other Jews who were being converted. Even for these Jews who believed, some of them struggled with their lifelong dedication to the law, thinking that the law was still meant to be observed. When the gospel of Christ was opened up to the Gentiles, certain Jews were quick to impose the law on them.
Acts 15:5: “But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees (strict and religious Jews) which believed (on Jesus Christ), saying, That it was needful to circumcise them (the Gentile believers), and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
The apostles met and discussed this matter, and soon afterwards, letters were written to certain Gentile believers who had been told they must keep the law. Here was the message to these Gentiles:
Acts 15:24: “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:”
Here is another example of Jews being confused about this change from law to grace:
Acts 21:18-22: “And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs (of the law). What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.”
God’s move from law to grace was a very divisive issue amongst the Jews, and even those Jews who believed on Jesus Christ were looking for answers regarding the purpose of the law in the age of grace. The book of Hebrews informed the Jews that a better covenant had been prepared by God, and God now called for repentance (a change of mind) from strict adherence to the law, to be replaced by faith in Jesus Christ. So now we see that this book had a Jewish audience in mind, as Gentiles were not concerned with the law.
Romans 2:14: “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:”
Having said all of that, while the book of Hebrews was written primarily for the Jews, it is very educational for all believers on Jesus Christ.
2nd Timothy 3:16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
The book of Hebrews explains and describes to all believers the nature of Jesus Christ’s duty as their eternal high priest.
Hebrews 7:21: “(For those priests (Old Testament priests) were made without an oath; but this (Jesus Christ) with an oath by him (God) that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent (change His mind), Thou (Jesus) art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)”
Hebrews 7:24-27: “But this man (Jesus), because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.”
The Fathers
Hebrews 1:1-2: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,”
Who are “the fathers”? They were Jews from past generations. Most every time that “fathers” were mentioned throughout the New Testament, it was in reference to Jews of the Old Testament. God focused on the Jews in the Old Testament. Those Jews were the “fathers” of the Jews mentioned in the New Testament. Let’s look at some examples of Scripture where “fathers” spoke of Jews, and please note the underlined sections which connect these fathers to the Jews (mentions of God’s actions in the Old Testament, specific Jews named, religion and traditions held by the Jews, etc.).
Luke 1:54-55: “He (God) hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.”
Luke 1:72-73: “To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,”
John 4:19-20: “The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
John 6:31: “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He (God) gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
John 7:22: “Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.”
Acts 3:13: “The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye (Jews) delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.”
Acts 3:22: “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren (Jews), like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.”
Acts 22:3: “I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.”
Romans 9:3-5: “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”
Galatians 1:14: “And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.”
The “fathers” were the Old Testament Jews, the Jews who were under the old covenant delivered to them by Moses.
Jewish Brethren
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul would refer to fellow believers on Jesus Christ as “brethren.” Here are a couple of examples:
Galatians 5:13: “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
Ephesians 6:10: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
When Paul referred to Gentiles as “brethren,” Paul was speaking to Gentile believers on Jesus Christ. In other words, these were Gentiles who had been saved. When a person believes on Jesus Christ, that person is adopted into the family of God.
Galatians 3:26: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Though Paul was a Jew, he could refer to Gentile believers as “brethren” because all believers belong to the family of God. In the book of Hebrews, the term “brethren” did not mean the same thing as it did in the epistles of Paul, which were letters to Gentile believers. (The author of Hebrews is unknown, although it is believed to have been Paul. While it is true that the wording of Hebrews sounds like that of Paul’s, it must be remembered that Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles. Would Paul have written a book to the Jews? Just something to consider.) When it came to Gentiles, the term “brethren” implied saved Gentiles, but in Hebrews, note the following verse:
Hebrews 3:12: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
The preceding verse warned certain “brethren” to be sure that they did not have a “heart of unbelief”. The heart comes into play when a person becomes saved.
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
A person must believe on Jesus Christ in his or her heart. A person who doesn’t believe on Jesus Christ possesses a “heart of unbelief”.
Now, with all of this in mind, we have something to consider here. Let’s follow the trail.
1. Believers on Jesus Christ are all adopted into the family of God. These believers are the children of God.
2. The term “brethren” was used many times in the epistles of Paul to refer to believers on Jesus Christ.
3. If “brethren” automatically and consistently refers to fellow believers, then how could Hebrews 3:12 say the following:
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
The preceding verse implies that someone belonging to the “brethren” being addressed by the book of Hebrews can in fact be an unbeliever. So who are these “brethren?” You already know by now. They are Jews. The author of Hebrews was a Jew, and he was writing to fellow Jews that claimed to be believers on Jesus Christ. The author was writing to his Jewish brethren to explain to them why Jesus Christ was better than the law, and also to warn any of the brethren who had not truly believed in their hearts that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the mediator of the new covenant.
Warnings and Concern
Let’s look at some key passages from Hebrews that illustrate the concern for his Jewish brethren held by the author of the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews 2:3: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”
The author placed himself into the hypothetical scenario by using “we” instead of “you.” The author was able to do this because he was a Jew, just like those he was writing to. The author did not want to see any of his brethren reject the eternal salvation offered by God through Jesus Christ.
There is another thing of interest to note here. If you recall in “Dividing the Word” parts one and two, I mentioned that God used signs and miracles to prove Himself to the Jews.
1st Corinthians 1:22: “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”
The Jews always needed a sign in order to believe that something was from God. The prophets of the Old Testament were used by God to speak to His people, the Jews, and “God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost” proved Himself to the Jews. Note the following:
Hebrews 1:1-2: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”
In the Old Testament, under the law, God used prophets to speak on His behalf to the Jews. Did you ever wonder why God doesn’t use prophets anymore? The answer is simple. We are in the age of grace, and during this age, God speaks to everyone, both Jew and Gentile, through Jesus Christ. There are no signs and miracles in the age of grace, because God is not focused on the Jews, since God broadened His scope to offer salvation to the Gentiles. There will come a day when suddenly, without warning, the Rapture will call out the Holy Spirit, along with all believers on Jesus Christ. This event will mark the end of the age of grace and the beginning of the Tribulation. God will return His focus to the Jews, and do you know what comes along with that? Signs, miracles, and prophets.
Revelation 11:3-6: “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”
Hebrews 3:12: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
We already looked at this verse. People believe with the heart that Jesus Christ died for their sins, was buried, and rose again. A person who possesses a heart of unbelief cannot be saved, and the author of Hebrews did not want to see any of his Jewish brethren suffer such a fate.
Hebrews 6:1-6: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. 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, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 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.”
We previously looked at some of this. The author was telling his Jewish brethren to change their minds from serving the law to having faith in God through Jesus Christ. There were new doctrines to explore, and a commitment to the law would prevent a person from going forward “unto perfection”. How do you go on to perfection? You believe on Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:14: “For by one offering (His death on the cross) he (Jesus Christ) hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (those who have believed on Him).”
Faith in Jesus Christ perfects the believer. The law was unable to perfect anything.
Hebrews 7:19: “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”
Now, we must discern the meaning of the following: “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, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance;” Who are these hypothetical people? They are not believers who fell into a life of sin, as some people would have you to believe. Note that these people mentioned in Hebrews were “once enlightened”, and have “tasted” of God’s gift. Nothing is said about these people ever believing on Jesus Christ. They have heard of Jesus, meaning they were enlightened, but they didn’t believe on Him. Or consider the comparison to tasting something. Imagine if you took a spoonful of ice cream and put it into your mouth. You would taste the ice cream, and it would probably taste good. But if you don’t swallow the ice cream, you never ate it, and your experience with it remains that you merely tasted it. The author of Hebrews warned the Jews that once they were enlightened about Jesus Christ and had tasted of eternal salvation, if they were to “fall away”, or stop short of believing on Jesus, there may not be another chance for repentance ever, meaning they will never change their minds and believe. Let’s look at some other Scripture which will help explain this more.
John 10:14: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Jesus Christ said He is the truth.
2nd Timothy 2:25: “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;”
It does no good for a person to merely hear of or possess the truth. A person must acknowledge, or believe, the truth. The phrase “repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” is referring to the change of mind that causes a person to believe on the truth, which is Jesus Christ. We find the very same concept in the following verse:
2nd Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Why has the age of grace been allowed to continue for so long? Why hasn’t God pulled the plug on this age and commenced the Tribulation? Because God is patient, and He desires to see everyone come to a place of repentance, which means the same thing in this verse as it did in the previous verse. Repentance is a change of mind. If someone tells you a truth, you must choose whether to believe it or not. If you choose to believe it, you have repented. If you choose not to believe it, you have not repented. Now looking again at Hebrews 6:1-6, you can see how when a person has been enlightened about Jesus Christ, and has tasted of eternal salvation, but chooses not to believe, then that person may never again come to the place where they have the chance to change their mind and believe.
With the foundation laid, we are ready to look at the focal point of this article.
Hebrews 10:26-30
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.”
Some “Christians” abuse this portion of Scripture. They say this passage teaches that if you are saved, but you willingly sin, then you lose your salvation. That’s wishful thinking coming from a prideful bunch of people who think they are above sin. Knowing what we now know about the book of Hebrews, we can easily see through the lies of the Lordship Salvation crowd and learn what is actually being taught by this passage.
Do you recall how a person must experience an “acknowledging of the truth” in order to be saved? Well take a look at the following: “if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins”. I have underlined two sections. Let’s break them down.
1. The phrase “if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth” refers to people who have heard about Jesus Christ and have chosen not to believe on Him. These people “have received the knowledge of the truth”, but there has been no “acknowledging of the truth”. Is it said that these people ever believed on Jesus Christ? No. They simply received the good news about Him. They chose not to believe, and their unbelief in Jesus Christ is a sin. Unbelief is the only sin that will take a person to Hell.
John 3:18: “He that believeth on him (Jesus Christ) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
2. The phrase “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins” refers to Jesus Christ’s offering of Himself on the cross.
Hebrews 10:12: “But this man (Jesus Christ), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”
Jesus died on the cross to once and for all pay for the sins of the world. This is the only sacrifice that is acceptable to God. If you want to go to Heaven, you must believe on the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for you. It’s this or nothing. If you don’t believe on Jesus Christ, then you are rejecting His sacrifice and saying that you can do better. No one will make it to Heaven based on their own works, no matter how good they are. Anyone who doesn’t believe on Jesus Christ will one day be judged by his or her works.
Revelation 20:12: “And I saw the dead (unbelievers who have been brought back to life for judgment), small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
I don’t want to be ugly here, but the Bible teaches that it’s Jesus Christ or the highway to Hell. If you receive the news about Jesus, and you refuse to believe on Him, there is no other sacrifice that you can offer God that will get you into Heaven.
John 6:28-29: “Then said they unto him (Jesus Christ), What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
Now let’s go forward and look at what else this passage from Hebrews teaches.
“He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
Remember how the book of Hebrews explained the difference between the customs of Moses and the grace of Jesus Christ to the Jews? The first system had been replaced with the newer, better system. If someone hated the first covenant, Moses’ law, that person “died without mercy”. Remember, Moses’ law made nothing perfect, and the blood of bulls and goats was used to satisfy God’s penalty for sin (Hebrews 9:13). The new covenant, which Jesus Christ instituted with His death on the cross, perfects the believer and is made possible by the blood of Jesus, the very Son of God. Now if a person who hated Moses’ law “died without mercy”, then what do you suppose will be the fate of the person who rejects the Son of God? This person, in essence, is saying that the blood of Jesus Christ is not good enough. Anyone who goes this route is forgetting that “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins”, and the punishment is going to be an eternity in Hell. So yes, the punishment is quite serious.
Moving on, what else does this passage from Hebrews have to say?
“For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.”
We have deduced who the audience was for the book of Hebrews (Jews). However, when you read the preceding passage, it may seem to contradict that conclusion by stating that “The Lord shall judge his people.” The term “his people” leads some to think that this is in reference to people who are saved. This is not the case. There are many times in the New Testament where Scripture is referring back to Old Testament Scripture. This particular verse from Hebrews is doing just that.
Deuteronomy 32:35-36: “To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For the Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.”
God was dealing with the Jews in the book of Deuteronomy, so it was appropriate that material from Deuteronomy would appear in the book of Hebrews, a book written to Jews. God’s people, in these instances, were Jews, not believers on Jesus Christ.
Allow me to get sidetracked just for a moment. Did you happen to notice the use of the word “repent” in the passage from Deuteronomy? You didn’t think I was going to let that one go, did you? In my article “Repentance 101,” I prove that repentance is not “turning from sin.” That definition is a complete lie that is constantly being spread by the Lordship Salvation crowd. Repentance is a simple change of mind. The reason that Lordship Salvationists want you to believe that repentance is “turning from sin” is because they want you to believe that Jesus Christ cannot save you without works of your own. Lordship Salvationists have “trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant” to be unworthy, because they do not believe the blood of Jesus Christ is good enough to save a person’s soul. If repentance is “turning from sin,” then God could never repent, because God is not a sinner. And yet, in the passage from Deuteronomy, we find that God did “repent himself for his servants”. And earlier, we came across the fact that “The Lord sware and will not repent” regarding the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. That very clearly means God will not change His mind concerning what He promised. Lordship Salvationists will never show you these verses, because these verses make Lordship Salvation’s definition of repentance look as stupid as it truly is. I’m not trying to be ugly, but let’s face the fact that to call repentance a “turning away from sin” is to ignore a wealth of evidence from the Bible which proves that repentance is a change of mind. I am utterly amazed at the willing ignorance of the Lordship Salvation crowd on this topic, and I will take every chance I get to expose their intentional lack of reasoning over the concept of repentance.
Getting back on track, there is a little bit more from Hebrews 10 that we need to look at. The chapter closes out with the following two verses:
Hebrews 10:38-39: “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”
Two sections are underlined. Let’s examine them.
1. The phrase “if any man draw back” is not referring to a person who has been saved but slips into a lifestyle of sin. The phrase is speaking of the hypothetical situation of a Jewish person hearing the good news about Jesus Christ and then turning away from believing on Jesus. This person arrives at the truth, but then he chooses to “draw back”. Faith is mentioned in the first part of the verse, because faith in Jesus Christ is what saves the soul. Drawing back was turning away from that faith, and it was likely followed by a return to the law and works that the Jews were accustomed to.
2. The writer says “we (Jews who have believed on Jesus Christ) are not of them who draw back unto perdition (damnation); but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Remember, a person who draws back from belief on Jesus Christ will remain lost and destined for Hell. So what saves a soul? What takes a person to Heaven when they die? Believing on Jesus Christ, the one and only sacrifice that was and is acceptable to God. Drawing back, or turning away from belief on Jesus, brings about damnation. Believing on Jesus results in “the saving of the soul.” With this verse, the writer clearly explains what drawing back is. It is not living in sin. Drawing back is turning away from believing on Jesus Christ.
Do you see how easy that was? Do you see why “rightly dividing the word of truth” is so important? Here’s what you have to consider: You can believe the lies of the Lordship Salvation crowd. You can believe that sin will steal away a believer’s eternal salvation. You can let Lordship Salvationists abuse Scripture and pervert it to mean what they want it to mean. Or you can say no to the lies. There’s this wonderful tool that God gave us. It’s called “thinking.” Religion seems to have a very serious and negative side effect on people. Religion seems to take away people’s ability to think. This is why we have Catholics confessing sins to a priest and bowing down to pictures and statues. This is why we have Pentecostals screaming out gibberish and acting as though they are possessed by demons. This is why we have Lordship Salvationists condemning everyone to Hell besides themselves, based on a severe misunderstanding of Scripture. Folks, don’t listen to religion. Religion is man made. Religion counts on you being a follower. Religion does not want you to know the truth. Religion wants you to let someone else, or some other institution, tell you what the truth is. If you are saved, religion will stunt your growth. If you are lost, religion will keep you from going to Heaven. Say no to religion and say yes to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said He was “the truth.” You don’t need religion to tell you what the truth is, because now you already now. Believe on Jesus, and He will send you His Holy Spirit. You will be sealed with this Holy Spirit, and you will have a guide to lead you into more truth. Get yourself a King James Bible. Read that Bible. Pray for wisdom. Open your eyes. Pay attention. Look at context. You can be smarter than the average religious person. Religion is blinding. Religion keeps you in the dark. Jesus Christ is “Light” (John 1:7-9).
We have learned the truth about Hebrews 10:26. We have considered the purpose for the entire book of Hebrews. We have rightly divided the Word of God. This could have been summed up more quickly. But why do that? Let’s leave the Lordship Salvation crowd with nothing to stand on, and let’s watch as their lies fall back into Hell where they belong.
Now, let’s take a look at the second passage of Scripture to be examined in this article.
James 5:19-20
“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
Here we go again. Another passage of Scripture that at first glance seems to suggest that a believer on Jesus Christ can lose his salvation. If any one of the “brethren” is found to be a sinner, his soul is in danger of death. If a believer turns a sinning “brother” away from “the error of his way”, that “brother’s” soul will be saved from death. So this passage raises the following questions: Is this “error” referring to a sinful lifestyle? Is this passage speaking of a sinful believer, a brother in Christ, who needs to turn away from his sinful lifestyle?
Because of the foundation that was laid in the previous section of this article, we are going to be able to breeze through this. This passage from James is giving us the same scenario as the passage from Hebrews. A Jewish author desired to see his Jewish brethren saved. James was a Jew. And who exactly was the book of James written to?
James 1:1: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”
The “twelve tribes” are the twelve lines of the Jewish nation. If you recall, the book of Revelation describes the Tribulation, when God will return His focus to the Jews. During the Tribulation, 144,000 Jews will be sealed as the servants of God.
Revelation 7:4-8: “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.”
The twelve tribes of the Jewish nation began with the sons of Jacob.
Genesis 49:1-28: “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon. Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words. Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.”
(The tribe of Dan was omitted from the passage in Revelation. Dan was replaced by Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph, the son of Jacob. The reason for this change would be a study for another time. For now, the point to remember is that the reference “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” in the opening verse of James designates that the book was written for the Jews.)
Now, since we know that the book of James was intended for a Jewish audience, we can have the correct perspective on what was meant by the following:
James 5:19-20: “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
James was a Jew, and he was writing to his Jewish brethren. James was concerned that any of his Jewish brethren would “err from the truth”. Remember, the truth was Jesus Christ. The error that was made regarding Jesus Christ was that many Jews did not believe on Him. Recall the following:
Hebrews 10:26: “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,”
We know that the preceding passage spoke of Jews who learned of Jesus Christ but did not believe on Him. Now let’s look again at what James said in his version of the warning from Hebrews.
“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth (do not believe on Jesus Christ), and one convert him (if someone convinces the unbeliever to become a believer); Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way (not believing on Jesus Christ) shall save a soul from death (Hell, the second death), and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
James was concerned for his Jewish brethren, and he was teaching that if anyone converted an unbelieving Jew, then that person would have hidden a great number of sins. How do sins become hidden?
Hebrews 8:12-13: “For I (God) will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”
Through the new covenant, made possible by Jesus Christ, God will no longer remember the sins of those who believe on His Son. Don’t misunderstand me. While believers are alive on the earth, there are ramifications for sin. The book of 1st John teaches believers to avoid sin in order to stay in fellowship with God. Hebrews 12:5-15 talks of the discipline that God will pour out on His children who are in need of correction. So how is it true that God does not remember the sins of His children? God will punish His children while they are still in the flesh, but once God has taken His children to Heaven, sins are no longer remembered. That is why at the judgment seat of Christ, believers are judged for their works (what they did or did not do for Jesus Christ), and not for their sins (1st Corinthians 3:10-15). If God forever remembered the sins of His children, then no one could make it to Heaven, because God will not allow sin into Heaven. Sin will cost a believer their fellowship with God and rewards in Heaven, and sin in a believer’s life can even prevent others from becoming saved (1st Corinthians 15:58).
James 5:19-20 was never meant to imply that loss of eternal salvation was possible for a believer on Jesus Christ. The passage also was not a warning about a believer’s lifestyle of sin. The passage was simply a plea for Jews to be sure that none of their Jewish brothers and sisters would be found to be unbelievers on Jesus Christ, and this plea was made by James, who was a Jew himself.
We are ready to look at the third and final passage of Scripture to be examined in this article. This one was not written specifically to Jews, but it fits in with our overall theme here.
2nd Peter 2:20-21
“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. 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.”
Can you see it already? Can you see what a passage like this does to the Lordship Salvation crowd? It excites them, because here is another opportunity to take Scripture out of context and use the Word of God to teach heresy. I have seen this passage mentioned as “evidence” to prove that a believer on Jesus Christ can lose his salvation if he falls into a life of sin. It saddens me to see Scripture abused by Lordship Salvationists. It saddens me more to see countless followers parroting the heresies of their Lordship Salvation heroes and mentors. These followers seem to think they are doing a great service for God. In reality, these followers are the equivalent of religious sheep. They are led into fields of lies by their Lordship Salvation teachers, who are false teachers spreading doctrines of devils. It’s amazing to watch as people simply repeat something without stopping to actually think about what they are saying. Is the concept of Lordship Salvation taught in the Holy Bible? Does the very Word of God support the doctrine of Lordship Salvation? No. And yet, people cling to their religious views and ways. One of the reasons for this willing ignorance is that Lordship Salvationists pervert Scripture in order to create the “evidence” they need.
“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.”
First of all, this passage from the book of 2nd Peter is speaking of false teachers.
2nd Peter 2:1: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”
This is how the chapter opens, and the rest of the chapter deals with the subject of false teachers. Instead of teaching “the acknowledging of the truth” (2nd Timothy 2:25), which is believing on Jesus Christ, these false teachers cause “the way of truth” to be “evil spoken of.” Why do these false teachers make this error? They are not saved. Look again at the following, which speaks of these false teachers:
“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.”
Pollution is anything that is blinding a person from seeing the truth, such as distractions, lies, etc. Once the knowledge of Jesus Christ has made its way to a person, that person has successfully “escaped the pollutions of the world” and has been presented with the truth. Now if that person chooses not to believe on Jesus Christ, and is tangled up with pollutions yet again, then it is worse for that person than had they never known of Jesus Christ at all. Folks, religion is pollution. Many people choose religion over Jesus Christ. They know of Jesus Christ, but they choose religion over Him. Instead of believing on Jesus Christ as the Savior, on His blood as the blood of the new covenant, on His sacrifice as the acceptable offering for their sins, many people choose to instead follow religion. They believe that their church will save them. They believe that turning from certain sins will make them acceptable to God. They believe that something, anything, other than Jesus Christ plays a part in their salvation. That is religion, and it is not Biblical.
“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.”
False teachers “have known the way of righteousness”. The way to attain righteousness is to believe on Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:22: “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:”
False teachers, though they were made aware of Jesus Christ, decided “to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”
1st John 3:23: “And this is his (God’s) commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he (Jesus) gave us commandment.”
False teachers have turned away from Jesus Christ, and they have chosen the bondage of religion instead. God’s commandment is to believe on Jesus, while the commandment of Jesus is to “love one another”. The book of 1st John deals with Christian fellowship, but more specifically, a believer’s relationship with God and other believers. Jesus Christ’s commandment to “love one another” was an instruction for believers to love other believers. Have you ever noticed what the Lordship Salvation crowd does? They seem to take pleasure in saying that other believers are not saved. They live in a delusional world where they think they are so much holier than all other believers, and they are quick to point out that all other believers are not as good as they are and thus are not saved. It would be one thing if they thought other believers were not living right, and so they were trying to lift up their brothers and sisters in Christ to help them live better. This is not the case. Lordship Salvationists enjoy condemning other believers to Hell. Consider the following:
Galatians 6:1: “Brethren (believers on Jesus Christ), if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
In the Lordship Salvation crowd, you won’t find a “spirit of meekness” attempting to “restore” a fellow believer to a spiritual position. Instead, you will find the following attitude:
“I am saved because I have turned from all my sins. Oh, you say you’re a believer? And you still sin? Then clearly you never believed on Jesus and have never been saved.”
That is prideful nonsense. Now you may have noticed me being hard on the Lordship Salvation crowd. You may have noticed the many times I have placed the word “Christian” in apostrophes. Am I going against what I am teaching? Am I not having a love for the brethren? The reason I am tough on the Lordship Salvation crowd and refer to them as “Christians” is because I do not know that they are actually saved. Instead of simple belief on Jesus Christ, these people think they are earning their way to Heaven through their holy living. Are they really saved? Have they really believed on Jesus Christ? Have they believed on His blood to be the full payment for their sins? It doesn’t sound like it to me. Consider this: The law gives the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). The Lordship Salvation crowd says you must stop sinning in order to be saved. Therefore, Lordship Salvation teaches that you must keep the law in order to be saved.
Galatians 5:4: “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”
Galatians 2:21: “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
The following verses are not clear enough for Lordship Salvationists:
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” – Jesus
Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom (Jesus Christ) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
Colossians 1:14: “In whom (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he (God) saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”
I won’t spend any more time on this passage from 2nd Peter, because you either understand by now, or you have already chosen to be religious and ignore the truth.
Conclusion
The Bible. Source of truth and wisdom. Source of lies and confusion. It all depends on the person viewing the material. The Bible is like the Internet. You can use the Internet to gain knowledge, or you can use the Internet to become stupid. There are intellectual things you can do on the Internet. You can study various topics, watch educational videos, and network with others to broaden your horizons. On the other hand, you can get involved in a lot of nonsense online, such as spending hours on Facebook feeding off of drama, rumors, and gossip. A person must choose how he or she will use the Internet. Likewise, a person must choose how he or she will use the Bible. A person can approach the Bible with an open mind, paying attention to context, and that person will find an endless supply of truth and wisdom. Or a person can approach the Bible with a narrow mind, taking Scripture out of context and choosing to be religious, and that person will create lies and confusion. Why would someone choose the latter? Why would someone choose to ignore truth in order to stay in bondage to systems of religion? When the apostle Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia, which had become infected with the idea that they had to obey the law, Paul had to remind these believers about the “liberty” they had in Jesus Christ. There is a very interesting verse in the book of Galatians, which was a question that Paul inquired of the Galatian believers who had wrongfully become religious.
Galatians 4:16: “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”
There is a very strange phenomenon within the “Christian” community. There are many “Christians” who have extremely distorted views on what it means to be saved. When you try to point out the truth to these people, using the Bible for evidence, these people become short and irrational. They will actually see you as an enemy. I can recall a time I was debating a Lordship Salvationist online. His arguments were based on a horrible perversion of Scripture. After I had shared as much truth with this man as he could stand, he responded with the following:
“There is nothing more that can be said to you.”
I had become this man’s enemy because I presented the truth, which was good news. There are “Christians” who prefer to be religious rather than to be set free by Jesus Christ.
Galatians 4:21: “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?”
For some people, religion means obeying the Old Testament law, such as keeping the Ten Commandments. For others, religion means attending church, repeating memorized prayers, clutching beads, confessing sins to a priest, abstaining from certain foods, tithing, etc. Folks, like it or not, religion isn’t what God requires. Religion is tied to the Old Testament law. Look carefully at the following:
Colossians 2:8-17: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 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: 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. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us (the law), which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
Galatians 5:13: “For, brethren (believers on Jesus Christ), ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
In this installment of “Dividing the Word,” we have learned the truth about several passages of Scripture that are abused by the Lordship Salvation crowd. These passages do not teach that sin will terminate a believer’s eternal salvation. When reading the Bible, always take note of the Scripture’s context and/or intended audience. These important factors led us to the true meanings of today’s selected passages of Scripture, rather than the perverted meanings assumed by the Lordship Salvation crowd.
Hebrews 10:26-30
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.”
There are “Christians” who use the preceding passage to wrongfully teach that a believer on Jesus Christ can lose his or her salvation because of sin. Let’s call this teaching what it is: A Satanic attack on the Biblical concept of the eternal security of believers on Jesus Christ, meant to undermine a believer’s complete faith in Jesus Christ. This false teaching is delivered by either true Christians who cannot rightly divide the word of truth, or by fake Christians who are working for Satan to spread lies. This passage from Hebrews is one of the portions of Scripture that “Christians” abuse in order to teach that eternal salvation is dependent on the lifestyle of the believer. We are going to do away with the lies surrounding this passage of Scripture.
The problem begins with the following phrase: “if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth”. Some “Christians” say that this Scripture is teaching that if a believer knowingly and willingly sins once they are saved, then that believer is risking the loss of their salvation. The Lordship Salvation crowd loves verses like Hebrews 10:26, because it seems on the surface to support their false doctrine that eternal salvation is dependent on a believer’s lifestyle. Of course, Lordship Salvationists have to take Scripture out of context in order to teach their nonsense, and that is precisely what they have done here. Let’s go ahead and leave the Lordship Salvation crowd to their imaginations, while we learn the truth about what is actually being taught in this passage from Hebrews. We will begin by finding out who the book of Hebrews was written for, which we will discern by using clues in the book itself.
Hebrews
The very name of the book of Hebrews is our biggest clue. Hebrews are Jews. The book of Galatians was written for the believers in Galatia. The book of Ephesians was written for believers in Ephesus. The book of Hebrews was written for Hebrews, or Jews, but more specifically, for Jews who had believed on Jesus Christ. Books like Galatians or Ephesians are particularly useful to believers in the age of grace, because those books were written to Gentile believers saved in the age of grace. The book of Hebrews was written in order to help the Jews understand why their religious customs were no longer needed. God had made a new covenant with the Jews, different from the one God had made with their fathers through Moses, and one which extended its reach to include the Gentiles. The Jews needed to understand what had changed, how it had changed, and why it had changed. The Jews had always enjoyed a special relationship with God naturally, because of their Jewish bloodline. Jews were a religious people, keeping the customs taught to them by Moses and passed down by their fathers. The Jews were dedicated to obeying the Ten Commandments, observing holy days, abstaining from certain meats, etc. The Jews were accustomed to having a high priest who would offer sacrifices for their sins, as well as for his own. All of these things were a part of the law, and the law was a system with flaws.
Hebrews 7:18-19: “For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment (the law) going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope (Jesus) did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”
The law was weak and unprofitable, while Jesus was called “a better hope”. The word “better” is used a number of times in Hebrews to describe the new covenant that came with Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 7:22: “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.”
Hebrews 8:6: “But now hath he (Jesus) obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.”
Hebrews 9:19-23: “For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.” (The Old Testament (law) was instituted with the blood of calves and goats. The New Testament (grace) was instituted with the blood of Jesus Christ).
Why was it necessary to repeatedly describe the new way that God had established as “better?” Because the Jews were religious by nature, and they needed to understand that Jesus Christ was superior to their laws and religion. Note the following two verses of Scripture:
Hebrews 6:1: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,”
Hebrews 9:14: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Jews were religious and performed the works of the law in order to be obedient to God. With Jesus Christ as the new high priest and “the mediator of the new testament” (Hebrews 9:15), the works of the law were no longer required by God. Jews needed to repent, or change their minds, from their dedication to the works of the law. These works were now called “dead works”, because they belonged to a system that had been done away with.
Hebrews 8:13: “In that he saith, A new covenant (salvation by faith in Jesus Christ), he hath made the first old (the works of the law). Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”
Because the works of the law were now “dead works”, Jews needed to leave them behind and have “faith toward God”. Faith in what God had done through Jesus Christ did away with the old system of the law, which was dead, and gave the Jews a way “to serve the living God”. Let’s step outside the book of Hebrews to find some other verses of Scripture that will shed light on this subject.
John 1:17: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
The law was Old Testament. Jesus Christ brought in the New Testament.
Matthew 26:29: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” – Jesus Christ
The switch from law to grace, from the customs of Moses to the faith of Jesus Christ, was refused by many Jews, and this caused them to miss out on what God had prepared for them.
Romans 9:31-32: “But Israel (the Jewish nation), which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;”
God no longer granted righteousness to those who kept the law. Righteousness was now given in exchange for faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 4:5-6: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him (Jesus Christ) that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,”
Romans 3:27-28: “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
The book of Acts gives many examples of Jews becoming upset over the teaching of faith in Jesus Christ. These Jews did not believe on Jesus, but there were other Jews who were being converted. Even for these Jews who believed, some of them struggled with their lifelong dedication to the law, thinking that the law was still meant to be observed. When the gospel of Christ was opened up to the Gentiles, certain Jews were quick to impose the law on them.
Acts 15:5: “But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees (strict and religious Jews) which believed (on Jesus Christ), saying, That it was needful to circumcise them (the Gentile believers), and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
The apostles met and discussed this matter, and soon afterwards, letters were written to certain Gentile believers who had been told they must keep the law. Here was the message to these Gentiles:
Acts 15:24: “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:”
Here is another example of Jews being confused about this change from law to grace:
Acts 21:18-22: “And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs (of the law). What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.”
God’s move from law to grace was a very divisive issue amongst the Jews, and even those Jews who believed on Jesus Christ were looking for answers regarding the purpose of the law in the age of grace. The book of Hebrews informed the Jews that a better covenant had been prepared by God, and God now called for repentance (a change of mind) from strict adherence to the law, to be replaced by faith in Jesus Christ. So now we see that this book had a Jewish audience in mind, as Gentiles were not concerned with the law.
Romans 2:14: “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:”
Having said all of that, while the book of Hebrews was written primarily for the Jews, it is very educational for all believers on Jesus Christ.
2nd Timothy 3:16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
The book of Hebrews explains and describes to all believers the nature of Jesus Christ’s duty as their eternal high priest.
Hebrews 7:21: “(For those priests (Old Testament priests) were made without an oath; but this (Jesus Christ) with an oath by him (God) that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent (change His mind), Thou (Jesus) art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)”
Hebrews 7:24-27: “But this man (Jesus), because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.”
The Fathers
Hebrews 1:1-2: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,”
Who are “the fathers”? They were Jews from past generations. Most every time that “fathers” were mentioned throughout the New Testament, it was in reference to Jews of the Old Testament. God focused on the Jews in the Old Testament. Those Jews were the “fathers” of the Jews mentioned in the New Testament. Let’s look at some examples of Scripture where “fathers” spoke of Jews, and please note the underlined sections which connect these fathers to the Jews (mentions of God’s actions in the Old Testament, specific Jews named, religion and traditions held by the Jews, etc.).
Luke 1:54-55: “He (God) hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.”
Luke 1:72-73: “To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,”
John 4:19-20: “The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
John 6:31: “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He (God) gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
John 7:22: “Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.”
Acts 3:13: “The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye (Jews) delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.”
Acts 3:22: “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren (Jews), like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.”
Acts 22:3: “I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.”
Romans 9:3-5: “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”
Galatians 1:14: “And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.”
The “fathers” were the Old Testament Jews, the Jews who were under the old covenant delivered to them by Moses.
Jewish Brethren
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul would refer to fellow believers on Jesus Christ as “brethren.” Here are a couple of examples:
Galatians 5:13: “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
Ephesians 6:10: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
When Paul referred to Gentiles as “brethren,” Paul was speaking to Gentile believers on Jesus Christ. In other words, these were Gentiles who had been saved. When a person believes on Jesus Christ, that person is adopted into the family of God.
Galatians 3:26: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Though Paul was a Jew, he could refer to Gentile believers as “brethren” because all believers belong to the family of God. In the book of Hebrews, the term “brethren” did not mean the same thing as it did in the epistles of Paul, which were letters to Gentile believers. (The author of Hebrews is unknown, although it is believed to have been Paul. While it is true that the wording of Hebrews sounds like that of Paul’s, it must be remembered that Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles. Would Paul have written a book to the Jews? Just something to consider.) When it came to Gentiles, the term “brethren” implied saved Gentiles, but in Hebrews, note the following verse:
Hebrews 3:12: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
The preceding verse warned certain “brethren” to be sure that they did not have a “heart of unbelief”. The heart comes into play when a person becomes saved.
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
A person must believe on Jesus Christ in his or her heart. A person who doesn’t believe on Jesus Christ possesses a “heart of unbelief”.
Now, with all of this in mind, we have something to consider here. Let’s follow the trail.
1. Believers on Jesus Christ are all adopted into the family of God. These believers are the children of God.
2. The term “brethren” was used many times in the epistles of Paul to refer to believers on Jesus Christ.
3. If “brethren” automatically and consistently refers to fellow believers, then how could Hebrews 3:12 say the following:
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
The preceding verse implies that someone belonging to the “brethren” being addressed by the book of Hebrews can in fact be an unbeliever. So who are these “brethren?” You already know by now. They are Jews. The author of Hebrews was a Jew, and he was writing to fellow Jews that claimed to be believers on Jesus Christ. The author was writing to his Jewish brethren to explain to them why Jesus Christ was better than the law, and also to warn any of the brethren who had not truly believed in their hearts that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the mediator of the new covenant.
Warnings and Concern
Let’s look at some key passages from Hebrews that illustrate the concern for his Jewish brethren held by the author of the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews 2:3: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”
The author placed himself into the hypothetical scenario by using “we” instead of “you.” The author was able to do this because he was a Jew, just like those he was writing to. The author did not want to see any of his brethren reject the eternal salvation offered by God through Jesus Christ.
There is another thing of interest to note here. If you recall in “Dividing the Word” parts one and two, I mentioned that God used signs and miracles to prove Himself to the Jews.
1st Corinthians 1:22: “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”
The Jews always needed a sign in order to believe that something was from God. The prophets of the Old Testament were used by God to speak to His people, the Jews, and “God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost” proved Himself to the Jews. Note the following:
Hebrews 1:1-2: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”
In the Old Testament, under the law, God used prophets to speak on His behalf to the Jews. Did you ever wonder why God doesn’t use prophets anymore? The answer is simple. We are in the age of grace, and during this age, God speaks to everyone, both Jew and Gentile, through Jesus Christ. There are no signs and miracles in the age of grace, because God is not focused on the Jews, since God broadened His scope to offer salvation to the Gentiles. There will come a day when suddenly, without warning, the Rapture will call out the Holy Spirit, along with all believers on Jesus Christ. This event will mark the end of the age of grace and the beginning of the Tribulation. God will return His focus to the Jews, and do you know what comes along with that? Signs, miracles, and prophets.
Revelation 11:3-6: “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”
Hebrews 3:12: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
We already looked at this verse. People believe with the heart that Jesus Christ died for their sins, was buried, and rose again. A person who possesses a heart of unbelief cannot be saved, and the author of Hebrews did not want to see any of his Jewish brethren suffer such a fate.
Hebrews 6:1-6: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. 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, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 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.”
We previously looked at some of this. The author was telling his Jewish brethren to change their minds from serving the law to having faith in God through Jesus Christ. There were new doctrines to explore, and a commitment to the law would prevent a person from going forward “unto perfection”. How do you go on to perfection? You believe on Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:14: “For by one offering (His death on the cross) he (Jesus Christ) hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (those who have believed on Him).”
Faith in Jesus Christ perfects the believer. The law was unable to perfect anything.
Hebrews 7:19: “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”
Now, we must discern the meaning of the following: “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, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance;” Who are these hypothetical people? They are not believers who fell into a life of sin, as some people would have you to believe. Note that these people mentioned in Hebrews were “once enlightened”, and have “tasted” of God’s gift. Nothing is said about these people ever believing on Jesus Christ. They have heard of Jesus, meaning they were enlightened, but they didn’t believe on Him. Or consider the comparison to tasting something. Imagine if you took a spoonful of ice cream and put it into your mouth. You would taste the ice cream, and it would probably taste good. But if you don’t swallow the ice cream, you never ate it, and your experience with it remains that you merely tasted it. The author of Hebrews warned the Jews that once they were enlightened about Jesus Christ and had tasted of eternal salvation, if they were to “fall away”, or stop short of believing on Jesus, there may not be another chance for repentance ever, meaning they will never change their minds and believe. Let’s look at some other Scripture which will help explain this more.
John 10:14: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Jesus Christ said He is the truth.
2nd Timothy 2:25: “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;”
It does no good for a person to merely hear of or possess the truth. A person must acknowledge, or believe, the truth. The phrase “repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” is referring to the change of mind that causes a person to believe on the truth, which is Jesus Christ. We find the very same concept in the following verse:
2nd Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Why has the age of grace been allowed to continue for so long? Why hasn’t God pulled the plug on this age and commenced the Tribulation? Because God is patient, and He desires to see everyone come to a place of repentance, which means the same thing in this verse as it did in the previous verse. Repentance is a change of mind. If someone tells you a truth, you must choose whether to believe it or not. If you choose to believe it, you have repented. If you choose not to believe it, you have not repented. Now looking again at Hebrews 6:1-6, you can see how when a person has been enlightened about Jesus Christ, and has tasted of eternal salvation, but chooses not to believe, then that person may never again come to the place where they have the chance to change their mind and believe.
With the foundation laid, we are ready to look at the focal point of this article.
Hebrews 10:26-30
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.”
Some “Christians” abuse this portion of Scripture. They say this passage teaches that if you are saved, but you willingly sin, then you lose your salvation. That’s wishful thinking coming from a prideful bunch of people who think they are above sin. Knowing what we now know about the book of Hebrews, we can easily see through the lies of the Lordship Salvation crowd and learn what is actually being taught by this passage.
Do you recall how a person must experience an “acknowledging of the truth” in order to be saved? Well take a look at the following: “if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins”. I have underlined two sections. Let’s break them down.
1. The phrase “if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth” refers to people who have heard about Jesus Christ and have chosen not to believe on Him. These people “have received the knowledge of the truth”, but there has been no “acknowledging of the truth”. Is it said that these people ever believed on Jesus Christ? No. They simply received the good news about Him. They chose not to believe, and their unbelief in Jesus Christ is a sin. Unbelief is the only sin that will take a person to Hell.
John 3:18: “He that believeth on him (Jesus Christ) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
2. The phrase “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins” refers to Jesus Christ’s offering of Himself on the cross.
Hebrews 10:12: “But this man (Jesus Christ), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”
Jesus died on the cross to once and for all pay for the sins of the world. This is the only sacrifice that is acceptable to God. If you want to go to Heaven, you must believe on the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for you. It’s this or nothing. If you don’t believe on Jesus Christ, then you are rejecting His sacrifice and saying that you can do better. No one will make it to Heaven based on their own works, no matter how good they are. Anyone who doesn’t believe on Jesus Christ will one day be judged by his or her works.
Revelation 20:12: “And I saw the dead (unbelievers who have been brought back to life for judgment), small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
I don’t want to be ugly here, but the Bible teaches that it’s Jesus Christ or the highway to Hell. If you receive the news about Jesus, and you refuse to believe on Him, there is no other sacrifice that you can offer God that will get you into Heaven.
John 6:28-29: “Then said they unto him (Jesus Christ), What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
Now let’s go forward and look at what else this passage from Hebrews teaches.
“He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
Remember how the book of Hebrews explained the difference between the customs of Moses and the grace of Jesus Christ to the Jews? The first system had been replaced with the newer, better system. If someone hated the first covenant, Moses’ law, that person “died without mercy”. Remember, Moses’ law made nothing perfect, and the blood of bulls and goats was used to satisfy God’s penalty for sin (Hebrews 9:13). The new covenant, which Jesus Christ instituted with His death on the cross, perfects the believer and is made possible by the blood of Jesus, the very Son of God. Now if a person who hated Moses’ law “died without mercy”, then what do you suppose will be the fate of the person who rejects the Son of God? This person, in essence, is saying that the blood of Jesus Christ is not good enough. Anyone who goes this route is forgetting that “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins”, and the punishment is going to be an eternity in Hell. So yes, the punishment is quite serious.
Moving on, what else does this passage from Hebrews have to say?
“For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.”
We have deduced who the audience was for the book of Hebrews (Jews). However, when you read the preceding passage, it may seem to contradict that conclusion by stating that “The Lord shall judge his people.” The term “his people” leads some to think that this is in reference to people who are saved. This is not the case. There are many times in the New Testament where Scripture is referring back to Old Testament Scripture. This particular verse from Hebrews is doing just that.
Deuteronomy 32:35-36: “To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For the Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.”
God was dealing with the Jews in the book of Deuteronomy, so it was appropriate that material from Deuteronomy would appear in the book of Hebrews, a book written to Jews. God’s people, in these instances, were Jews, not believers on Jesus Christ.
Allow me to get sidetracked just for a moment. Did you happen to notice the use of the word “repent” in the passage from Deuteronomy? You didn’t think I was going to let that one go, did you? In my article “Repentance 101,” I prove that repentance is not “turning from sin.” That definition is a complete lie that is constantly being spread by the Lordship Salvation crowd. Repentance is a simple change of mind. The reason that Lordship Salvationists want you to believe that repentance is “turning from sin” is because they want you to believe that Jesus Christ cannot save you without works of your own. Lordship Salvationists have “trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant” to be unworthy, because they do not believe the blood of Jesus Christ is good enough to save a person’s soul. If repentance is “turning from sin,” then God could never repent, because God is not a sinner. And yet, in the passage from Deuteronomy, we find that God did “repent himself for his servants”. And earlier, we came across the fact that “The Lord sware and will not repent” regarding the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. That very clearly means God will not change His mind concerning what He promised. Lordship Salvationists will never show you these verses, because these verses make Lordship Salvation’s definition of repentance look as stupid as it truly is. I’m not trying to be ugly, but let’s face the fact that to call repentance a “turning away from sin” is to ignore a wealth of evidence from the Bible which proves that repentance is a change of mind. I am utterly amazed at the willing ignorance of the Lordship Salvation crowd on this topic, and I will take every chance I get to expose their intentional lack of reasoning over the concept of repentance.
Getting back on track, there is a little bit more from Hebrews 10 that we need to look at. The chapter closes out with the following two verses:
Hebrews 10:38-39: “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”
Two sections are underlined. Let’s examine them.
1. The phrase “if any man draw back” is not referring to a person who has been saved but slips into a lifestyle of sin. The phrase is speaking of the hypothetical situation of a Jewish person hearing the good news about Jesus Christ and then turning away from believing on Jesus. This person arrives at the truth, but then he chooses to “draw back”. Faith is mentioned in the first part of the verse, because faith in Jesus Christ is what saves the soul. Drawing back was turning away from that faith, and it was likely followed by a return to the law and works that the Jews were accustomed to.
2. The writer says “we (Jews who have believed on Jesus Christ) are not of them who draw back unto perdition (damnation); but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Remember, a person who draws back from belief on Jesus Christ will remain lost and destined for Hell. So what saves a soul? What takes a person to Heaven when they die? Believing on Jesus Christ, the one and only sacrifice that was and is acceptable to God. Drawing back, or turning away from belief on Jesus, brings about damnation. Believing on Jesus results in “the saving of the soul.” With this verse, the writer clearly explains what drawing back is. It is not living in sin. Drawing back is turning away from believing on Jesus Christ.
Do you see how easy that was? Do you see why “rightly dividing the word of truth” is so important? Here’s what you have to consider: You can believe the lies of the Lordship Salvation crowd. You can believe that sin will steal away a believer’s eternal salvation. You can let Lordship Salvationists abuse Scripture and pervert it to mean what they want it to mean. Or you can say no to the lies. There’s this wonderful tool that God gave us. It’s called “thinking.” Religion seems to have a very serious and negative side effect on people. Religion seems to take away people’s ability to think. This is why we have Catholics confessing sins to a priest and bowing down to pictures and statues. This is why we have Pentecostals screaming out gibberish and acting as though they are possessed by demons. This is why we have Lordship Salvationists condemning everyone to Hell besides themselves, based on a severe misunderstanding of Scripture. Folks, don’t listen to religion. Religion is man made. Religion counts on you being a follower. Religion does not want you to know the truth. Religion wants you to let someone else, or some other institution, tell you what the truth is. If you are saved, religion will stunt your growth. If you are lost, religion will keep you from going to Heaven. Say no to religion and say yes to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said He was “the truth.” You don’t need religion to tell you what the truth is, because now you already now. Believe on Jesus, and He will send you His Holy Spirit. You will be sealed with this Holy Spirit, and you will have a guide to lead you into more truth. Get yourself a King James Bible. Read that Bible. Pray for wisdom. Open your eyes. Pay attention. Look at context. You can be smarter than the average religious person. Religion is blinding. Religion keeps you in the dark. Jesus Christ is “Light” (John 1:7-9).
We have learned the truth about Hebrews 10:26. We have considered the purpose for the entire book of Hebrews. We have rightly divided the Word of God. This could have been summed up more quickly. But why do that? Let’s leave the Lordship Salvation crowd with nothing to stand on, and let’s watch as their lies fall back into Hell where they belong.
Now, let’s take a look at the second passage of Scripture to be examined in this article.
James 5:19-20
“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
Here we go again. Another passage of Scripture that at first glance seems to suggest that a believer on Jesus Christ can lose his salvation. If any one of the “brethren” is found to be a sinner, his soul is in danger of death. If a believer turns a sinning “brother” away from “the error of his way”, that “brother’s” soul will be saved from death. So this passage raises the following questions: Is this “error” referring to a sinful lifestyle? Is this passage speaking of a sinful believer, a brother in Christ, who needs to turn away from his sinful lifestyle?
Because of the foundation that was laid in the previous section of this article, we are going to be able to breeze through this. This passage from James is giving us the same scenario as the passage from Hebrews. A Jewish author desired to see his Jewish brethren saved. James was a Jew. And who exactly was the book of James written to?
James 1:1: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”
The “twelve tribes” are the twelve lines of the Jewish nation. If you recall, the book of Revelation describes the Tribulation, when God will return His focus to the Jews. During the Tribulation, 144,000 Jews will be sealed as the servants of God.
Revelation 7:4-8: “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.”
The twelve tribes of the Jewish nation began with the sons of Jacob.
Genesis 49:1-28: “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon. Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words. Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.”
(The tribe of Dan was omitted from the passage in Revelation. Dan was replaced by Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph, the son of Jacob. The reason for this change would be a study for another time. For now, the point to remember is that the reference “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” in the opening verse of James designates that the book was written for the Jews.)
Now, since we know that the book of James was intended for a Jewish audience, we can have the correct perspective on what was meant by the following:
James 5:19-20: “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
James was a Jew, and he was writing to his Jewish brethren. James was concerned that any of his Jewish brethren would “err from the truth”. Remember, the truth was Jesus Christ. The error that was made regarding Jesus Christ was that many Jews did not believe on Him. Recall the following:
Hebrews 10:26: “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,”
We know that the preceding passage spoke of Jews who learned of Jesus Christ but did not believe on Him. Now let’s look again at what James said in his version of the warning from Hebrews.
“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth (do not believe on Jesus Christ), and one convert him (if someone convinces the unbeliever to become a believer); Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way (not believing on Jesus Christ) shall save a soul from death (Hell, the second death), and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
James was concerned for his Jewish brethren, and he was teaching that if anyone converted an unbelieving Jew, then that person would have hidden a great number of sins. How do sins become hidden?
Hebrews 8:12-13: “For I (God) will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”
Through the new covenant, made possible by Jesus Christ, God will no longer remember the sins of those who believe on His Son. Don’t misunderstand me. While believers are alive on the earth, there are ramifications for sin. The book of 1st John teaches believers to avoid sin in order to stay in fellowship with God. Hebrews 12:5-15 talks of the discipline that God will pour out on His children who are in need of correction. So how is it true that God does not remember the sins of His children? God will punish His children while they are still in the flesh, but once God has taken His children to Heaven, sins are no longer remembered. That is why at the judgment seat of Christ, believers are judged for their works (what they did or did not do for Jesus Christ), and not for their sins (1st Corinthians 3:10-15). If God forever remembered the sins of His children, then no one could make it to Heaven, because God will not allow sin into Heaven. Sin will cost a believer their fellowship with God and rewards in Heaven, and sin in a believer’s life can even prevent others from becoming saved (1st Corinthians 15:58).
James 5:19-20 was never meant to imply that loss of eternal salvation was possible for a believer on Jesus Christ. The passage also was not a warning about a believer’s lifestyle of sin. The passage was simply a plea for Jews to be sure that none of their Jewish brothers and sisters would be found to be unbelievers on Jesus Christ, and this plea was made by James, who was a Jew himself.
We are ready to look at the third and final passage of Scripture to be examined in this article. This one was not written specifically to Jews, but it fits in with our overall theme here.
2nd Peter 2:20-21
“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. 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.”
Can you see it already? Can you see what a passage like this does to the Lordship Salvation crowd? It excites them, because here is another opportunity to take Scripture out of context and use the Word of God to teach heresy. I have seen this passage mentioned as “evidence” to prove that a believer on Jesus Christ can lose his salvation if he falls into a life of sin. It saddens me to see Scripture abused by Lordship Salvationists. It saddens me more to see countless followers parroting the heresies of their Lordship Salvation heroes and mentors. These followers seem to think they are doing a great service for God. In reality, these followers are the equivalent of religious sheep. They are led into fields of lies by their Lordship Salvation teachers, who are false teachers spreading doctrines of devils. It’s amazing to watch as people simply repeat something without stopping to actually think about what they are saying. Is the concept of Lordship Salvation taught in the Holy Bible? Does the very Word of God support the doctrine of Lordship Salvation? No. And yet, people cling to their religious views and ways. One of the reasons for this willing ignorance is that Lordship Salvationists pervert Scripture in order to create the “evidence” they need.
“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.”
First of all, this passage from the book of 2nd Peter is speaking of false teachers.
2nd Peter 2:1: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”
This is how the chapter opens, and the rest of the chapter deals with the subject of false teachers. Instead of teaching “the acknowledging of the truth” (2nd Timothy 2:25), which is believing on Jesus Christ, these false teachers cause “the way of truth” to be “evil spoken of.” Why do these false teachers make this error? They are not saved. Look again at the following, which speaks of these false teachers:
“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.”
Pollution is anything that is blinding a person from seeing the truth, such as distractions, lies, etc. Once the knowledge of Jesus Christ has made its way to a person, that person has successfully “escaped the pollutions of the world” and has been presented with the truth. Now if that person chooses not to believe on Jesus Christ, and is tangled up with pollutions yet again, then it is worse for that person than had they never known of Jesus Christ at all. Folks, religion is pollution. Many people choose religion over Jesus Christ. They know of Jesus Christ, but they choose religion over Him. Instead of believing on Jesus Christ as the Savior, on His blood as the blood of the new covenant, on His sacrifice as the acceptable offering for their sins, many people choose to instead follow religion. They believe that their church will save them. They believe that turning from certain sins will make them acceptable to God. They believe that something, anything, other than Jesus Christ plays a part in their salvation. That is religion, and it is not Biblical.
“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.”
False teachers “have known the way of righteousness”. The way to attain righteousness is to believe on Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:22: “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:”
False teachers, though they were made aware of Jesus Christ, decided “to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”
1st John 3:23: “And this is his (God’s) commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he (Jesus) gave us commandment.”
False teachers have turned away from Jesus Christ, and they have chosen the bondage of religion instead. God’s commandment is to believe on Jesus, while the commandment of Jesus is to “love one another”. The book of 1st John deals with Christian fellowship, but more specifically, a believer’s relationship with God and other believers. Jesus Christ’s commandment to “love one another” was an instruction for believers to love other believers. Have you ever noticed what the Lordship Salvation crowd does? They seem to take pleasure in saying that other believers are not saved. They live in a delusional world where they think they are so much holier than all other believers, and they are quick to point out that all other believers are not as good as they are and thus are not saved. It would be one thing if they thought other believers were not living right, and so they were trying to lift up their brothers and sisters in Christ to help them live better. This is not the case. Lordship Salvationists enjoy condemning other believers to Hell. Consider the following:
Galatians 6:1: “Brethren (believers on Jesus Christ), if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
In the Lordship Salvation crowd, you won’t find a “spirit of meekness” attempting to “restore” a fellow believer to a spiritual position. Instead, you will find the following attitude:
“I am saved because I have turned from all my sins. Oh, you say you’re a believer? And you still sin? Then clearly you never believed on Jesus and have never been saved.”
That is prideful nonsense. Now you may have noticed me being hard on the Lordship Salvation crowd. You may have noticed the many times I have placed the word “Christian” in apostrophes. Am I going against what I am teaching? Am I not having a love for the brethren? The reason I am tough on the Lordship Salvation crowd and refer to them as “Christians” is because I do not know that they are actually saved. Instead of simple belief on Jesus Christ, these people think they are earning their way to Heaven through their holy living. Are they really saved? Have they really believed on Jesus Christ? Have they believed on His blood to be the full payment for their sins? It doesn’t sound like it to me. Consider this: The law gives the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). The Lordship Salvation crowd says you must stop sinning in order to be saved. Therefore, Lordship Salvation teaches that you must keep the law in order to be saved.
Galatians 5:4: “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”
Galatians 2:21: “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
The following verses are not clear enough for Lordship Salvationists:
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” – Jesus
Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom (Jesus Christ) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
Colossians 1:14: “In whom (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he (God) saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”
I won’t spend any more time on this passage from 2nd Peter, because you either understand by now, or you have already chosen to be religious and ignore the truth.
Conclusion
The Bible. Source of truth and wisdom. Source of lies and confusion. It all depends on the person viewing the material. The Bible is like the Internet. You can use the Internet to gain knowledge, or you can use the Internet to become stupid. There are intellectual things you can do on the Internet. You can study various topics, watch educational videos, and network with others to broaden your horizons. On the other hand, you can get involved in a lot of nonsense online, such as spending hours on Facebook feeding off of drama, rumors, and gossip. A person must choose how he or she will use the Internet. Likewise, a person must choose how he or she will use the Bible. A person can approach the Bible with an open mind, paying attention to context, and that person will find an endless supply of truth and wisdom. Or a person can approach the Bible with a narrow mind, taking Scripture out of context and choosing to be religious, and that person will create lies and confusion. Why would someone choose the latter? Why would someone choose to ignore truth in order to stay in bondage to systems of religion? When the apostle Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia, which had become infected with the idea that they had to obey the law, Paul had to remind these believers about the “liberty” they had in Jesus Christ. There is a very interesting verse in the book of Galatians, which was a question that Paul inquired of the Galatian believers who had wrongfully become religious.
Galatians 4:16: “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”
There is a very strange phenomenon within the “Christian” community. There are many “Christians” who have extremely distorted views on what it means to be saved. When you try to point out the truth to these people, using the Bible for evidence, these people become short and irrational. They will actually see you as an enemy. I can recall a time I was debating a Lordship Salvationist online. His arguments were based on a horrible perversion of Scripture. After I had shared as much truth with this man as he could stand, he responded with the following:
“There is nothing more that can be said to you.”
I had become this man’s enemy because I presented the truth, which was good news. There are “Christians” who prefer to be religious rather than to be set free by Jesus Christ.
Galatians 4:21: “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?”
For some people, religion means obeying the Old Testament law, such as keeping the Ten Commandments. For others, religion means attending church, repeating memorized prayers, clutching beads, confessing sins to a priest, abstaining from certain foods, tithing, etc. Folks, like it or not, religion isn’t what God requires. Religion is tied to the Old Testament law. Look carefully at the following:
Colossians 2:8-17: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 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: 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. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us (the law), which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
Galatians 5:13: “For, brethren (believers on Jesus Christ), ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
In this installment of “Dividing the Word,” we have learned the truth about several passages of Scripture that are abused by the Lordship Salvation crowd. These passages do not teach that sin will terminate a believer’s eternal salvation. When reading the Bible, always take note of the Scripture’s context and/or intended audience. These important factors led us to the true meanings of today’s selected passages of Scripture, rather than the perverted meanings assumed by the Lordship Salvation crowd.