The Gospel Spotlight
(Electronic Edition)
(Romans 1:16)
March
The Gospel Spotlight is a
publication of the
Contents
When Christians Sin - By David Padfield
Once Saved
Always Saved - by Greg Gwin
SHORT
SAYINGS:
WHAT DOES
THE
YOU MUST DO
YOUR PART.
"The
Bible" - Richard Thetford
When Christians Sin
By David Padfield - Reflections On Truth - November
1998
It is a sad, but true, fact that Christians
sometimes sin (1 John1:5 - 2:2). From this passage we learn that only a liar
would deny that he ever sins and that confessing our sins to Christ is required
for Christians to obtain forgiveness.
The book of
Acts records the occasion when a Christian, Simon the sorcerer, sinned before
God and man (Acts 8:9-24). Simon sinned by attempting to purchase the power the
Holy Spirit had given to the apostles and was destined to perish because of his
sin, for his heart was not right with God (Acts 8:21). He was told to
"repent" in order to be forgiven by God (Acts
In order
that we may appreciate the awfulness of sin and blessings of forgiveness, let
us study what happens when Christians sin.
Righteous
People Can Become Unrighteous
The Old
Testament prophet Ezekiel said, "when a righteous man turns away from his
righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations
that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has
done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is
guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die"
(Ezek.
Christians
can depart from God and be hardened by sin. The Hebrew writer said,
"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief
in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is
called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of
sin" (Heb. 3:12).
Christians
can also fall from grace (Gal. 5:4) and leave their first love (Rev. 2:4-5).
Paul also warned, "let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he
fall" (1 Cor.
There are
some religious groups who teach that it is impossible to fall from grace. Sam
Morris, a noted Baptist preacher, said: "We 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… All the prayers a man may pray,
all the Bibles he may read, all the churches he may belong to, all the services
he may attend, all the sermons he may practice, all the debts he may pay, all
the ordinances he may observe, all the laws he may keep, all the benevolent
acts he may perform will not make his soul one whit safer; and all the sins he
may commit from idolatry to murder will not make his soul in any more danger…
The way a man lives has nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul…
The way I live has nothing whatsoever to do with the salvation of my
soul." (Do A Christian’s Sins Damn His Soul?, Sam Morris,
How Can
A Christian Obtain Forgiveness?
Christians
are God’s children, and as such we can go to our Father and ask His forgiveness
— we can address Him as "Our Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:8).
Christians
are required to repent of their sins before God will grant forgiveness (Acts
Confession
of our sins is also required before Christians can be forgiven, for John said,
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). This is not a
confession of faith in Christ, but confession of our sins. The word
"confess" means "to confess by way of admitting oneself guilty
of what one is accused of, the result of inward conviction" (Vine).
Prayer is a
natural extension of repentance and confession (Acts 8:22). As Christians we
have "an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1
John 2:1; Heb. 4:14-16).
King David
of Israel provides a wonderful example of on individual who sought God’s
forgiveness by acknowledging his sins, turning away from them and asking God’s
forgiveness (Psa. 51:1-13).
There is
not one example this side of Calvary where any non-Christian is told to
"pray" as a part of his forgiveness. When Ananias came to Saul of
Tarsus he found him praying. Every Baptist preacher I have ever met would have
knelt down beside him and encouraged him to keep praying — maybe he would
eventually "pray through." However, Ananias told him to stop praying
and start obeying! Ananis said, "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be
baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts
22:16).
When God
Forgives His Children
Some of the
most beautiful and poetic passages in the Bible deal with the manner in which
God forgives His repentant children.
The great
prophet Micah said God "will again have compassion on us, and will subdue
our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea"
(Micah 7:19). When God forgives us our sins will be removed "as far as the
east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us"
(Psa. 103:12). God will blot out our sins and remember them against us no more
(Psa. 51:9; cf. Acts 3:19).
Our sins
are wiped out of His memory, never to brought up again!
When
Should Christians Forgive Others?
Some
Christians are under the mistaken idea that we can or should forgive other
people, regardless of whether God has forgiven them of their sins or not.
Yes, we are
commanded to forgive others, for Jesus said, "Forgive, and you will be
forgiven" (Luke 6:37). Jesus also taught that "if you do not forgive,
neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses" (Matt. 6:15;
Mark 11:26). The parable of the unmerciful servant plainly shows that God will
not forgive us if we do not forgive others (Matt. 18:21-35).
However, we
are to forgive other people only when they repent! The sinning brother must ask
for forgiveness. "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against
you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you
seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I
repent,’ you shall forgive him." (Luke 17:3-4).
Let me say
it again — the sinning brother must repent before you can forgive him (Luke 17:4).
Remember that "repentance" includes restitution and amendment of
life.
Picture
what happens when you forgive someone that God has not yet forgiven. Suppose a
person lies about you and you "forgive" them, even though they have
not repented nor asked for your forgiveness. If you "forgive" this
person it means that you are never going to bring this matter up to them again
— nor will you bring the matter up to others or yourself. However, after you
have "forgiven" this person, they are still destined to perish, for
"all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and
brimstone, which is the second death (Rev. 21:8).
The truth
is that the best thing you could do for this person is to bring them back to
God — "if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him
back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will
save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19-20).
It comes as
a shock to many Christians, but there are some people we should not even pray
for! When a brother or sister in Christ continues in their sin until their
death, God has commanded us to not even pray for that person. "If anyone
sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and
He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is
sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that." (1
John 5:16).
Conclusion
Let us all
see the enormity of sin and willingness of our Father to forgive. God has set
conditions for forgiveness of His erring children. When a Christian sins, he
must repent and pray (Acts 8:22).
Non-Christians
(those who can not call upon God as their "Father") must
"repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
Have you
been forgiven by God on the basis of His will? -
Once Saved Always Saved
- by Greg Gwin
This popular denominational doctrine is also known
as "The Impossibility of Apostasy" or "The Perseverance of the
Saints." The Westminister Confession describes it this way: "They
whom God hath accepted in His beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His
Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of Grace; but
shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved."
This doctrine is NOT supported by what is taught
in God’s Word. Note:
"Christ is become of no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace."
(Galatians 5:4) This verse shows that some that were in God’s grace could fall
from His grace. How can this Scripture be harmonized with the statement above?
"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of
you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one
another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end." (Hebrews 3:12-14) This
passage is addressed to "brethren," and they are warned about the
possibility of "departing from the living God" and about being
"hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Their salvation was
conditional upon holding "the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto
the end."
"For if after they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse
with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known
the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the
true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was
washed to her wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:20-22)
Observe those who are described in this text -
people who had "escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge
of the Lord." These people were saved, but they could be
"entangled" again and "overcome."
And, that latter state would be worse than before
they had ever known the Lord. Clearly, they could be lost after having been
saved.
More Bible verses are available on this subject,
but just these three passages make it clear that "once saved, always
saved" is not taught in God’s Word.
SHORT
SAYINGS:
· The most impressive sermons are the ones that leave you
wondering how the preacher knew about you.
· Some people use language to express thought, some to
conceal thought, and some instead of thought.
· Some people think they are broad-minded just because they
are too lazy to form an opinion.
· A lot of people are willing to give God the credit, but
few will give Him the cash.
· He who talks to you about others may talk to others about
you.
· Sitting in a church house will no more make you a
Christian than sitting in a hen house will make you a hen.
· Some people’s minds are like concrete; all mixed up and
thoroughly set.
· The devil’s best work is done many times by those who
claim to love the Lord.
· Those who pride themselves in being hard-boiled are often
only half-baked.
WHAT
DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST TEACH? via. The Gospel Digest.
We are
often asked questions about our teaching. Usually they are framed: "What
does the church of Christ teach about this?" Sometimes members of the
church ask, "What is the teaching of the church on this point?"
We feel
that these questions are dangerous. Denominationalism, in our thinking, is
revealed in such questions. Partyism and sectarianism are fostered by these
thoughts. A love for party and creed rather than a desire for truth is
manifest. Do not ask what the church teaches. It would be better to ask what
the Bible teaches.
The Bible
is right; it is our guide; it is our authority in religion. We can never go
wrong by following the Bible. To follow the former generation in the church can
many times cause us to drift away from the truth. ———
YOU MUST
DO YOUR PART.
No man can
save himself from his sins, but everyone must turn to the Lord, in His
appointed way, and look to Him alone for salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ, and
He alone, has authority to forgive sin and save souls.
In the
conversion of man there must be cooperation between God and man. God presents
the evidence to prove that Jesus Christ is His Son, but man does the believing.
God offers the motive to induce man to repent, but man does the repenting. God
persuades man to confess His Son, but man does the confessing. God appeals to
man to be baptized, but man chooses to be baptized. God provides the strait and
narrow path which leads to life everlasting, but man must walk in it. —The
Sunday Visitor.
"The Bible"
Richard Thetford
A mother
once gave her son a Bible and wrote these words inside the flyleaf: "This
Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Bible." How
true those words are. When we take the time to study our Bible then we become
more focused on living a righteous life before God. The Bible says: "Study
to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15). We cannot know how to
properly divide God’s Word unless we do study.
On the
other hand if we go about life living for ourselves, not caring about what
God’s will for us is, then we will get caught up in sin and serve Satan.
Everyone of us holds the key to life not only in this life but in eternity.
That key is the Bible. Have you picked up the Bible lately, to study it, so
that you will not be ashamed when your final day on this earth comes? Don’t let
sin keep you from God’s Word!- "Castleton
Light" March 23, 2003
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