The Message of the Cross (23) People without Salvation despite Their Confession of Faith (2)
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November 01, 2020 |
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 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 7:21).
“…There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this” (1 John 5:16).
When people accepted the Lord, they set the ultimate goal to receive true salvation and enter Heaven. If they say, “Lord! Lord!” but they cannot enter Heaven, how pitiful it would be! Let’s take a look at a few of the cases in which, despite their confessions of faith, people will not be able to receive salvation and will not enter Heaven.
Case 1: Blaspheming against, Interfering with, and Speaking against the Holy Spirit
“Blaspheming against,” “interfering with,” and “speaking against” the Holy Spirit refer to words spoken and deeds performed in opposition to God’s works (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:20-30; Luke 12:10). Unlike persecution of the church by unbelievers who do not know God, these words and acts come from people who profess their faith in God and know the truth. There is no salvation for such individuals as they knowingly oppose God’s works following their evil.
After witnessing the healings of diseases and infirmities and demons being driven out by God’s power, if an individual still blasphemes against, interferes with, and speaks against the Holy Spirit by labeling such manifestations “works of Satan,” how could he possibly be deemed a child of God? Upon witnessing a work of God that cannot be imitated by the ability of man, a goodhearted believer of God could do nothing other than offer thanks and glorify God.
Instead, evildoers are quick to deny works of the Holy Spirit and oppose God. Evil spirits do not possess the power to heal people of their diseases or infirmities. There is no way they would permit people to glorify God by driving out evil spirits and healing of the sick! The guidance given concerning blasphemy also applies to interfering with the ministry of God’s servants who manifest His power. Such interference is the same as directly opposing God because they only serve to deny a man of God as well as the works of the Holy Spirit manifested through them.
During the Exodus when the Israelites had nothing to eat, they placed all the blame on Moses and Aaron and grumbled against them. Moses said to them, “For the LORD hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD” (Exodus 16:8). In the first five Verses of Acts 5 is a story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. They had vowed to sell a piece of their property and give the profits to God. In their greed, however, they kept some of the profits for themselves and brought only a portion of the profits to Peter. They pretended they were giving all they had made. Since the couple had deceived not Peter but the Holy Spirit and lied to God Himself, they faced death without even being given an opportunity to repent (Acts 5:1-11).
Case 2: Putting the Son of God to Open Shame by Crucifying Him Again
We read in Hebrews 6:4-6, “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” These verses refer to people who, despite having received the Holy Spirit, experienced God’s grace, learned of the existence of Heaven and Hell, and heard and come to believe in the Word of the truth, nevertheless become tempted, abandon God, return to the world, and openly work to prevent God’s glory from being revealed.
However, Satan will work even more fiercely against all those who go back to the world even after having experienced God’s grace in the midst of the work of the Holy Spirit as the darkness in them will be even greater. They will perpetrate greater evil than nonbelievers, deny the grace they once received, and even spearhead the persecution of the church and believers. People who put Our Lord to open shame will not be able to receive the spirit of repentance, so they will eventually arrive at death.
Just think of Judas Iscariot, who at one point had been one of Jesus’ disciples. He had been a firsthand witness to Jesus’ ministry but, seeking after his own interests, ended up betraying Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Apparently, unable to overcome his remorse and regret, Judas committed suicide without having an opportunity to repent of what he had done.
Case 3: Sinning Willfully after Receiving the Knowledge of the Truth
Hebrews 10:26-27 tells us, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” This passage points specifically to people who know and believe in the truth but keep on committing the very sins against which God has warned us.
As 2 Peter 2:21-22 reminds us, “For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ‘A dog returns to its own vomit,’ and, ‘A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire,’” people who sin willfully are aware that they have sinned. They repent of what they have done, but then return to a sinful pattern of life.
There was a time when King David was tempted for a while and committed a horrific sin of murder. When a prophet pointed it out, however, the king was quick to repent and turn from his ways. When he was subject to God’s trials on account of his sin, David could overcome them with humility, which in turn enabled him to root out the sinful attributes from his heart and become perfect in God’s eyes. The story of King Saul, however, was a completely different one. Even when Prophet Samuel came by and reminded him of his wrongdoings, the king only produced an excuse and did not repent.
This is also true today. If an individual who professes his faith and knows the truth commits sin, he must rend his heart in repentance, walk in the light, and bear good fruit as the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for him with groanings too deep for words and reminds him of his wrongdoings. When he sins willfully, however, God will turn His face away from Him and in such an event, the person will not be able to receive the spirit of repentance and will end up quenching the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, although your names were recorded in the Book of Life when you accepted the Lord, unless you repent before God and destroy the wall of sins, the names will be blotted out (Revelation 3:5).
Furthermore, even if a wrongdoing we have committed is not “a sin leading to death,” without casting it away and repenting of it we will never be filled with the Holy Spirit, even be tempted by Satan and compelled to commit “a sin leading to death,” and the salvation will be a shameful one at best. Therefore, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will fight against sin to the point of shedding blood and get rid of from every form of evil (Hebrews 12:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:22).
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