Rev. David Holwick H T.U.L.I.P. #7
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
February 26, 2012
Hebrews 6:4-9
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I. More exciting than a TV series.
A. The Amazing Race.
The Amazing Race is a long-running reality TV series.
Pairs of contestants race around the globe to win prizes.
They use planes, balloons, bicycles, trains, boats and feet.
Clues led to challenges that must be overcome, always with
the knowledge that the last one to finish may get
eliminated.
Season 15 took them from Japan to Vietnam, Cambodia, Arabia,
Sweden and the Czech Republic.
On the fourth leg, contestants Zev and Justin were the first
to reach the finish line.
But one thing was missing - Zev's passport.
They raced back to find it but didn't make it in time.
They were eliminated. [1]
B. Is the Christian race any different?
1) The Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of a race many times.
a) He talks about making it to the finish line.
b) He also talks about the possibility of being
disqualified.
2) Can you live your whole life as a Christian and then not
make it to heaven?
a) Many Christian groups, perhaps most, say "yes."
1> Catholics, Orthodox, Methodists, Lutherans, and
many Pentecostals say you can lose your salvation.
2> This would be the perspective of Arminianism.
b) Calvinists, such as Presbyterians, say you can never
lose your salvation.
1> God gives it to you and no one can take it from you.
2> You can't even disown it if you wanted to.
Christian write R. B. Thieme wrote in 1973:
"Believers who become agnostics are still saved;
they are still born again.
You can even become an atheist...
if you once accepted Christ as saviour, you
cannot lose your salvation,
even though you deny God." #28931
c) Calvinists call the final point of their doctrine
the Perseverance of the Saints, the "P" in TULIP.
1> Real Christians will persevere: make it to the end.
C. Baptists tend to like perseverance of the saints.
1) Not all do - an early pastor at my first church in Ohio
thought salvation could be lost.
2) But most of us like the idea that our salvation doesn't
hang by a thread all the time.
3) We don't like big words like perseverance but prefer
catchy slogans like "Once saved, always saved," or
"eternal security."
a) Of course, what we believe is not the issue.
b) What does the Bible itself teach?
II. What perseverance of the saints really means.
A. Those who are really saved, the elect, will never lose it.
1) They can have personal failures and long periods of
backsliding.
2) Nevertheless, those who are genuine will end up coming
back to the Lord at some point in their lives.
B. True saints will persevere because God is faithful.
1) Some like to say that it is not the saints who persevere,
but God only.
2) Important promises in John 10:28-29 --
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
no one can snatch them out of my hand."
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all;
no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."
C. The logic of predestination demands eternal security for us.
1) If God determines salvation, then humans cannot undo it.
2) Our salvation is by God's grace and not our own works.
a) Even if we do evil things, if we lose salvation because
of them, then salvation hinges on works after all.
D. This only applies to real Christians.
1) Calvinists acknowledge that many people claim to be saved
but actually are not.
a) Profession is not the same as possession.
b) Falling away is proof you never belonged to begin with.
In 1 John 2:18-19, the apostle John says:
"...many antichrists have come. This is how we know it
is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they did not really belong
to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would
have remained with us; but their going showed
that none of them belonged to us."
2) Jesus himself teaches this in Matthew 7:21-23.
Calling him "Lord" and even doing miracles in his name
do not guarantee you will go to heaven.
Matthew 7:21-23:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons
and perform many miracles?'
Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from
me, you evildoers!'"
3) Those seem to be very religious and then turn away, or even
become atheists, prove they never were Christians.
a) Notice that Jesus says, "I never knew you" rather than
"I knew you once but now I don't."
b) Of course, it is possible for a real Christian to fall
into sin or even disbelief.
1> But if they are truly elect, they will return to
Jesus later on.
2> This is what perseverance of the saints means.
III. Arminians believe salvation can indeed be lost.
A. They base this belief on many Bible passages.
1) That is one of the challenges of Calvinism in general --
you can find convincing Bible verses on both sides!
2) It almost seems as if God is speaking out of both sides
of his mouth.
3) But it also means if you study them closely, you will come
to a much deeper understanding of the faith.
B. Consider the teaching of Jesus.
1) He emphasized the importance of maintaining your faith.
In the context of the tribulation before the Second Coming
he says in Mark 13:13 --
"All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands
firm to the end will be saved."
2) Jesus also describes people who believe but are shallow and
soon fall away:
Matthew 13:20-21, the parable of the seeds:
"The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is
the man who hears the word and at once receives it with
joy.
But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When
trouble or persecution comes because of the word,
he quickly falls away."
C. Paul seems to acknowledge the possibility of losing the faith.
1) In Galatians 5:4, Paul says those who go back to trusting
in the law to save them "have fallen away from grace."
2) Concerning his commitment to ministry he says in 1 Cor. 9:27:
"I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have
preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified
for the prize."
3) Warning Christians not to become complacent, he says in
1 Corinthians 10:12 --
"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that
you don't fall!"
4) (However, in the last two cases it can be taken differently.)
a) The prize may be the heavenly reward for a job well
done rather than salvation itself.
b) And the fall he speaks of in 1 Cor. 10:12 is a fall into
sin, not a fall away from salvation.
IV. The most critical passage is Hebrews 6:4-9.
A. Some believe the passage describes "almost" Christians.
1) They taste and touch, but don't have a real experience.
2) However, "sharing in the Holy Spirit" would seem to
indicate a real born-again experience.
B. The consequences of falling away are drastic.
1) If we really can fall away, there is no coming back, no
possibility of repentance or a second chance.
2) They can only face condemnation.
3) In effect, they are nailing Jesus to the cross again.
C. Is it a harsh warning, but only hypothetical? (also 10:26-29)
1) In other words, it can't really happen to you, but if
it could...
2) Note that in verse 9 he assumes his readers have not done
this and are really saved.
a) But, in the context, they have been tempted to give up
on Jesus and go back to just being Jews.
b) The author is telling them what that would really mean.
V. I believe in eternal security.
A. My salvation is founded on what God has done.
1) Notice how Paul describes standing firm in 2 Cor. 1:21-22:
"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in
Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us,
and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit,
guaranteeing what is to come."
2) Words like "ownership" and "guarantee" don't sound "iffy."
3) At the same time, I cannot take my salvation for granted.
a) If my life is filled with sin, I need to "test myself"
(2 Cor. 13:5) to see if my faith is really genuine.
b) The genuineness of my salvation is determined by God,
not me.
B. Salvation must be real to be secure.
1) Those who are really saved:
a) Realize apart from Jesus' blood they are doomed.
b) Turn away from a worldly way of life and show genuine
repentance.
c) Produce the fruit of righteous living.
d) Remain committed to God in spite of trials and
tribulations.
e) Show a real love for other believers.
2) Does this describe you?
a) If it does, you can live with the confidence God will
keep his promises to you.
b) If it doesn't, what do you think God is telling you to
do right now?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] Information on “The Amazing Race” was drawn from Wikipedia.org.
#28931 “Should the “Romans Road” Presentation of Salvation Be Amended?”
by Dan Corner, <http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/
romansrd.htm>.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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