“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)
Not unless you perform certain works, they will say, not unless you continue in a life void of sin, unless you remain holy, righteous and pure in His sight, completely forsaking not only every lustful desire, but every thought against Him.
“See,” they will say, “it says right there.”
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil. 2:12)
“And there, look right there.”
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” (James 2:14)
And when you point to that opening verse and offer them 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.” They will say, “No, we’re not, we must do something, His grace towards salvation is not free, because it says right there.”
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?” (James 2:21)
And then, if you have not studied to show yourself approved, you will begin to walk one of the most perilous parts of the path to that strait gate, you will begin to doubt the truths revealed to you by the Holy Spirit, and you will start to question the assurance of your salvation.
There are many ways to backslide, as the Scriptures call it my friends, and this is one of the most dangerous, for if you lose your assurance of the promises of eternal salvation solely by grace through faith, every word of the Scriptures will begin to seem doubtful in their truths to you.
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2nd Cor. 2:11)
All forward progress in our seeking the face of God comes to a halt when we question His assurances towards our salvation by grace through faith, nothing remains but doubt, and no one who doubts in this regard can serve fervently and with great love and obedience if there is a fear within them that who they serve may remove that which He has promised if they make a mistake, if they step off the path, if they sin against Him.
“And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” (Romans 11:6)
Many millions have believed the intentional lies placed before them by the cult of Romanism in this regard, that there is no assurance, that certain works must be done and continued in their entire lives, and even then the promises cannot be believed. Only they hold the keys to heaven they say, and this cult of lies has led millions to hell.
Every religious organization ever conceived by man that does not believe that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ was sufficient in and of itself, apart from any work by us, for the salvation of a person’s soul is a lie, and in every respect, a damnable lie, for none who follow such teachings will enter into the Kingdom of the Almighty God.
And it starts by losing, or never accepting, the assurance of the promises in the Word of God that we are saved by grace through faith.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
They profess to serve a Risen Savior who is not able to save us unless we add something to His shed blood.
There is, in my opinion, no greater definition of pride, and no more of a damnable lie and offense to the Lord than to say His sacrifice was insufficient. Who would serve such a God who could not save us from our sins, from the wrath of God, from eternal damnation unless we helped Him?
And it begins when we doubt our assurances in the promises, in the truths of the Scriptures concerning our salvation.
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
No one knows more freedom in this life than those who have, and believe without a doubt, that they are and forever will be one of the chosen of the Most High God, and none are more hated and cast out from society than those who live their lives in this assurance.
