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     Good morning and welcome to the Berean Break.  My name is George A. Sinkie and I am so glad that you have joined us here this morning.  This program is a serious study of the word of God.  You will not hear man-made doctrines supported, instead they will be exposed as the false teaching that they are.  Neither will you hear the mere thoughts or ideas of man promoted as if they were the will of God.  As we begin our study let’s go to God in prayer:

Great God in heaven, We thank You for this day, You have blessed us with.  As we study together at this time, help us to open our hearts and our minds to Your will.  Help us to escape the snares of the devil and to turn our lives totally over to You.  We thank You now for Jesus and it is by His authority we come to You now.  AMEN!!

     I hope that you have a Bible and I encourage you to get it ready right now.  That way you can check out what is said on this program.  I also encourage you to have a paper and pen handy to write down all the Scriptures for future study.  We should do that with all the teaching that we receive.  Each one of us is accountable for our souls and we must follow God’s will to be right with Him.

     Throughout this lesson I will be using the terms child of God and Christian.  When I use these words I will be meaning the Scriptural definition of these term, that is someone who devotes themselves to following only the word of God.  At times, however, I will be quoting from members of man-made denominational groups, when they use these terms they have varying definitions and definitions that do not harmonize with the word of God.  Hopefully this will not confuse you since they often use the same words as we find in the Bible.

     The question for study this morning ties together with the grace of God.  We have looked at this topic in other lessons.  Today’s question is:  Can a child of God, a Christian, who has been saved by the grace of God, conduct themselves in such a way that they will fall away from that grace, and end up being lost eternally?  I am not talking about whether one “should” fall away, or “will” fall away, but “CAN.”  IS IT POSSIBLE for a child of God to fall away, or in other words, commit sins and be lost eternally lost?  I know that you will encounter teaching that says that is impossible and so I want to ground you in the truth so that you do not fall for this false doctrine.

     There are those in the religious world who teach that a child of God cannot possibly be cast from the presence of Jehovah when this life is over.  What are your feelings about this subject?  Do you believe that a child of God can turn away from God and be eternally lost?  Or, do you believe that a child of God cannot possibly be lost.
     Allow me to make this question just as clear as possible.  Years ago, a man by the name of Sam Morris, a Baptist preacher in Stamford, Texas at the time, wrote an article entitled, “Do a Christian’s sins damn his soul?”  Here is a quote from that article:  “We… [author’s note:  by ‘we’ Mr. Morris means the Baptist group he is a part of, but not all Baptists would agree with him. GAS]… take the position that a Christian’s sins do not damn his soul.  The way a Christian lives, what he says, his character, his conduct, or his attitude toward other people have nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul.  And all the sins he may commit from murder to idolatry will not make his soul in any more danger.”
     Another Baptist preacher, a Mr. Bill Foster, from Louisville, Kentucky, made this comment:  “If I killed my wife and mother and debauched a thousand women I couldn’t go to hell — in fact, I couldn’t go to hell if I wanted to.”
     Now if you just joined us I want you to know that these are quotes from Baptist preachers and in no way reflect my belief or Bible teaching.  These two statements appear repulsive to the true follower of God, yet, they genuinely represent the official view of many religious bodies today.  This is not to say that all who attend those denominations accept this view on this subject.  But, this is the position that one is driven to if he or she accepts the tenets and teaching of Calvinism.
     Calvinism is named after John Calvin a promoter of man-made doctrines in the 1500’s.  The doctrine of “eternal security” is the last of the five major points of Calvinism and many man-made denominations teach “eternal security” as one of their official doctrines.
     Do you believe the statements of Mr. Sam Morris and Mr. Bill Foster, as I just read?  If so, I trust you will stay with me for the next few moments and be challenged by a study of God’s Word on this important subject.  As always, if you disagree with the teaching given here, please let me hear from you.

     As always, we are going to look at what the Word of God teaches on this topic and will be looking at a number of passages to support what is said here.  I ask that you please let the Word of God be your guide.  Now let’s open the Word.
     Revelation 2:10, says, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer.  Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.  Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
     Notice especially that last sentence, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”  You will note that faithfulness is demanded until death.  In the very face of death itself, Jesus said one must be faithful if one would receive the crown of life.  If Jesus admonishes us to be faithful, it necessarily follows that one can become unfaithful, and if so, that one would not receive the crown of life.  That is what the Lord thinks about continuing faithfulness.
     Turn over to Revelation 21:8, there it says, “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
     Jesus said, “All liars,” not just non-Christian liars.  Not just liars who have never become children of God.  Can a child of God lie?  Who would deny that?  And what if that lying child of God dies without repenting of that lie?  The same would be true for all the types of sins mentioned here.

     Let’s look at some of the writing of Paul.  Open your Bible to 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, and read, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.”
     Paul is talking about the children of God under the Mosaical age, the Israelites.
     But, in verses five through eleven, he points out that many of them fell and Jehovah was displeased with them, even destroyed many of them.  They, God’s children, became idolaters; they, God’s children, committed fornication; they, God’s children murmured.  What happened to them?  They perished by the destroyer.  Then the writer gives us verse twelve, 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
     Can a Christian fall?  Who, with a sincere and humble heart, would deny that?  If a child of God cannot fall, why, then, does Paul warn against falling?  Was he writing to the Corinthian brethren just to take up space?  Or, was he writing to them to warn them against sin?  Look at what Paul writes in verse 14, 1 Corinthians 10:14, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
     Can a child of God commit idolatry?  If not, why the warning?

     Where did Peter stand on this issue.  Read with me 2 Peter 2:4, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;”
     Are children of God today more secure than angels?  If so, why would the inspired writer warn his readers of this danger?

     Is it possible for a person to enter into Christ, become a branch, yet be cut off and cast into the fire?  Listen to the Lord John 15:2-6, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”
     Did you hear Jesus?  He said one can be a branch in Him, yet be cut off and cast into the fire.  Again you should note that the branch in this context is identified as a person in verse six, “if anyone.”  Jesus is not discussing religious groups, as some try to distort this verse to mean.  He is discussing men and women.
     He says that one may be joined to Him, become a branch; and then be cut off and cast into the fire.  That sounds very clear that one can become an apostate, and as such be lost.

     I see that our time is almost gone for today.  We will continue with this important subject next Lord’s Day, Lord willing, when we take another Berean Break.  I hope that you will be able to be with us next week.  I also hope that if you have any questions or comments, you will sent them to us.

     This Berean Break is brought to you, in love, by the pre-denominational and non-denominational church of Christ that meets at 1600 East First Avenue in Mitchell SD.  You are welcome to meet with us at 10:00 Sunday mornings for our assembly followed by a time of Bible Study, also on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 for an additional time to study God’s Word.  If you have a comment or a sincere Bible question, please call or text me at 605-770-5555.  We want to remind you of the non-denominational TV program, “KNOW YOUR BIBLE” on KDLT-TV at 9:00 on Sunday mornings.  This is George A. Sinkie for the Lord’s church, here in Mitchell, good-bye for now.  Remember that we care about you and may God bless you as you do His will.

[printable PDF][audio MP3]
[go to: part 1; part 2; part 3]