Colossians 1:21-23
ESV
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Some people believe that once you are saved that you can
never lose your salvation. Others believe that you can lose your salvation –
that just as you chose to receive Christ by your free will, that you can later
on choose to reject him. And, there are plenty of scriptures to support both
beliefs.
Yet, my intention here is not to get into a theological
debate on that subject. My goal here is merely to present to you what the
scriptures teach with regard to our salvation from sin. For, there are many
false teachings within the church with regard to our salvation from sin which
are leading many people astray, and which are giving them a false hope, based
on a lie.
Thus, based off this passage of scripture today, we can see
clearly that before our faith in Jesus Christ we were bound in our sins, doing
(practicing) evil deeds, and that we were alienated from God (See Rom. 3:23).
So, this means that, when we are saved from our sins, our
sinful lifestyles should now be past tense. And, that is what scripture
teaches, too, that faith in Jesus means we now die with him to sin, not just
one time, but daily, and that we now live to him and to his righteousness (Lu.
9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Pet. 2:24).
For, we were reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus
Christ, shed for us on the cross. He bought us back for God with his blood that
we might now be God’s possession, and that we might now glorify God with our
lives – with our minds, bodies, and emotions. And, He died for us on that cross
that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up
for us (1 Co. 6:19-20; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14).
And, he did this that he may present us holy and blameless
and above reproach before him, IF we continue in the faith, stable and
steadfast, not shifting from the gospel message of our salvation which was
taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles.
We Must Continue
So, what this is saying is that our salvation is conditional
upon us living what we say we believe. And, it is also saying that it is
continuous, and progressive, and that we must walk (in lifestyle) according to
(in agreement with) the Spirit of God, IF we want to be saved from our sins and
to have eternal life with God (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn.
1:5-9; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 5:19-20; Gal. 6:7-8, etc.).
So, whether you can be saved from your sins and later on
reject Christ and lose your salvation is really not the issue here. The issue
here is “What is salvation?” Well, it isn’t a one-time deal which takes place
in your life which secures you heaven and which can never be taken away from
you, no matter how you live your life from that moment forward.
And, this is where a lot of people fall into error and think
their salvation is secure and so that they can live however they want and still
go to heaven when they die.
Yet, that is not what the scriptures teach. Our promise of
eternal life with God is always tied in with our walks of faith in scripture.
For, if we walk according to the flesh, no matter what we profess with our
lips, we are going to die in our sins without God and without hope of eternal
life with God. But, if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the
flesh, then we will live with Christ for eternity. So, our salvation from sin
is continuous.
Colossians 1:24-27
ESV
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
When we present to people the truth of the gospel of our
salvation, though, and we tell people that praying a sinner’s prayer or merely
acknowledging who Jesus is, and who he was, is not going to guarantee them
salvation from sin and eternal life with God, we are going to be met with
opposition. We are going to have people try to argue with us or accuse us
falsely of teaching works-based salvation, or who will accuse us falsely of
being self-righteous, bigoted, intolerant, hateful, prideful, judgmental, and
the like.
But, we have to be willing to suffer disgrace for the name
of Jesus Christ, if need be, in order to tell people the truth that is going to
set them free from sin, if they will follow it, and if they will follow Jesus
Christ with their lives.
And, I am not talking here only of those outside the
gatherings of the church. I am speaking to those who profess faith in Jesus
Christ. I am sharing with you the truth that is taught in scripture regarding our
salvation from sin so that you will believe the truth, and so that you will be
genuinely saved, being saved, and so that one day your salvation will be
complete when Christ returns. For, you must walk (in lifestyle) according to
the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh if you want eternal life with
God.
Colossians 1:28-29
ESV
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
We can’t teach the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ
without warning people against living in sin, against idolatry, against
complacency, and regarding judgment. For, we are saved from the judgment of
hell and damnation when we are believing in and following Jesus Christ with our
lives.
We, too, are saved from our slavery (addiction, bondage) to
sin when we are walking in the Spirit and no longer by the flesh. And, so we
must warn people (including those who profess faith in Jesus Christ) against
taking God’s grace for granted, thinking that his grace gives us free license
to sin against him.
And, the goal of this teaching, and the goal of these
warnings is not to be negative or judgmental or to be critical, but it is so
that people can know the truth that is going to set them free, and so they will
reject the lies that are keeping them still bound in their sins, still
wallowing in the mud. And, it is so that those who profess faith in Jesus
Christ might grow to maturity in Christ.
And, this is no picnic teaching these biblical truths over
and over again, which is what scripture does, too. For, we know it means we
will be hated and rejected, even by many people within the gatherings of the
church, and even by those who are preachers and teachers of the Word within the
church.
Yet, because we love God, and we are called according to his
purposes, and because we love our fellow humans, we will persevere in telling
them the truth which can set them free.
But, we don’t do this in our own willpower or strength, but
only according to the will of God and his purposes for us, and in his power and
strength at work within our hearts and lives. So, all the glory and praise
belong to Him.
God is With Us
An Original Work / June 11, 2019
Based off Psalm 46
God’s our refuge. He is our strength,
A present help to us when in pain.
Therefore, we will not be afraid,
Although the earth beneath us gives way.
Though the mountains be moved to the sea,
Roaring waters abound so free,
And the mountains now tremble so,
We will not fear, God is near, we know.
God is with us and He makes glad
The hearts of all who to Christ have fled.
Christ is in us, so we’ll not fall
When on our Savior our hearts do call.
God will help us, as mornings arise,
To be faithful to His design.
Nations raging, and tempers flare.
Our God is with us. We know He cares.
Come and see the works of the Lord.
He’s armed for battle with His great sword.
He’s the Word, and He is the Life.
He gives us strength in all of our strife.
Be still and know that He is our God.
He’s exalted where’er He trods.
The Lord Almighty, with us still;
The God of Jacob, our citadel.
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