Olive Tree Congregation

by Paul J. Rico (paulrico@hotmail.com)

One of the issues that plagues those who have believed in Messiah Y’Shua (Jesus) is to what degree are we assured the salvation which we have received. Can we lose it? If I lose it can I get it back? What would be the point where we lose our salvation? Does God want us to live in fear of losing our salvation? Are we to be motivated to live a holy life by fear or love? The answers to all these questions rest on whether we can really be sure of our salvation, can we know for certain that we are heaven bound? Thankfully, if we leave behind the doctrines of men, tradition and false systems of theology the Holy Scriptures will and does answer our fears and questions.

Does Scripture state that we can have assurance of our salvation?

1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Notice that this verse says you can know, that is be absolutely sure, not a wishy-washy hope, not guess, but be absolutely know for sure that you can have eternal life. Also note that what you are to know and be sure about is eternal life, not conditional life, not temporary life, not life until you sin again and not probationary life, but eternal and everlasting life. If a person has eternal life from the point at which they believe, how long does it last? The answer is of course forever. John 6:47

• Meaning of the Name of the Son of God. Mt 1:18-21, Y’Shua (Jesus) means the LORD (YHVH) saves or the LORD saves and keeps, which is why the Angel told Joseph in Matt 1:21, “You shall call His name Y’Shua for He shall save His people from their sins.” 300 times in the Tenach (OT) Y’Shua, the LORD saves, is used to refer to the deliverance and salvation provided for His people.
• God’s purpose for the earthly life of the Son of God was to be a sacrifice for sin so that the whole world, from the beginning of time to it’s end, could be given the opportunity to receive the free gift of forgiveness. Jn 3:16-18, Jn 6:47, Jn 20:31
• Belief in/on Y’Shua is the key. (Faith or Trust in Messiah’s sacrifice, not on the basis of the individual’s own worthiness or self righteousness) Acts 13:23, 38-39, Rom 4:5, Eph 2:8-9

The Bible clearly states that a person can know, that is be absolutely sure, that their destination at departure from this world is with God for all eternity. This assurance isn’t based on what we do but rather what God does for us.

Jn 6:47 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” KJV and again same verse different version: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.” NASB Notice that the point that a person receives eternal life is when they believe, not when we stand before HaShem in judgment with a supposed scale measuring our good and evil to determine the direction of our eternal destination, heaven or hell. Salvation is not based on good deeds but rather faith in Y’Shua as the only acceptable sacrifice for sin. If we receive eternal life on the basis of faith, our deeds have no bearing on the matter.

Jn 6:37,39,40 God will not allow Messiah to lose one person who comes to him in faith.

Jn 10:28,29 These are the most emphatic verses in the Bible. Shall never perish, we’re in God’s hand; he won’t let go of us. No one, not the devil, not even ourselves can wrench us out of God’s hands.

All of these scriptures (and many others) indicate that the second in time that a person believes they receive possession of eternal life. This is not temporary life but eternal, it is not life until we stumble and fall thus sinning again, it is not conditional life based on how holy we live, it is not probationary life until we sin again, it is not life until we “blow it big time” or choose to not be saved. It is not based in any way on what we accomplish for God or how holy we live a sanctified life. It is based solely on what God has done for us through the death of His Son Y’Shua the Messiah. Our security in the love of God is in no way conditional. We didn’t do anything to deserve it and there is therefore nothing we can do to divest ourselves of it. Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”

Furthermore the Holy Spirit, which every believer has received (Romans 8:9), has sealed us at the point of believing. Eph 1:13-14 This gift of the Holy Spirit is our pledge from God of our eternal salvation like an engagement ring or an earnest down payment that is not refundable (as in the purchase of real estate). If hypothetically we could ever be separated from God we would still have the Holy Spirit who is God sealed to us so that we couldn’t be separated from God.

Rom 8:31-39 It is impossible for the child of God to be separated from the love of God or eternal life with Him. This is one of the most important scriptures that a believer should study and memorize.

Why do some people believe that a person can lose salvation?

• Some believe that eternal life doesn’t start until one dies. Jn 6:47 states it begins as soon as you believe. Eph 1:13, 14 states that the second that you believe in Messiah you receive the Holy Spirit as your down payment on heaven, your engagement ring to your wedding with Messiah. It cannot be taken from you and you cannot give it back or give it up even if you wanted to. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you are not save and not part of God’s Kingdom. See Romans 8:9.
• Some believe that salvation is earned by doing good works. Rom 4:1-8, Eph 2:8-9, Titus 3:5 The Bible clearly states that that this is not the case. These verses that deal with this would require and indeed many books have been written to thoroughly deal with this subject.
• Some believe salvation is begun by faith but finished by doing good works. Gal 3:1-4, Rom 11:6 Paul clearly states that this is not the case and the whole reason he wrote the book of Galatians was to deal with teachers who were perverting the gospel by adding good works to faith for the salvation of a soul. Good works and the keeping of the Law of God have their place in a persons life, not to be saved, but rather after a person is saved. (Refer to Salvation and Legalism Study)
• Some are confused because they are unaware of how God deals with sin in the life of a believer. Jn 1:12, Heb 12:5-11, 1 Cor 3:16-17, 5:1-5, 11:27-30 God disciplines His children but never casts them out Jn 6:37, never forsakes them Heb 13:5-6, never allows them to be separated from Him Rom 8:31-39 or go to hell Jn 6:40.

The Two Judgments

How does the judgment seat at one death really work? Acts 24:15 God judges our sin at the judgment seats for rewards or loss of ‘rewards for the saved’ and for ‘punishment for the damned’, not to determine salvation or even which judgment seat one will attend.

1) The Judgment Seat of Christ, only for the saved. 2 Cor 5:10, 1 Cor 3:11-15

• This is for those who are part of the first resurrection unto life. Jn 5:24-29, Rev 20:4-6
• People appear before this judgment to determine rewards and loss of rewards.

2) The White Throne Judgment, judgment for Satan, his angels, the Beast, the Antichrist, The false Prophet and the lost. 2 Thess 1:7-9, Rev 20:7-15

• This is for those who are part of the second resurrection unto death.
• People appear before this judgment to determine punishment.

The difference between going to the Judgment Seat of Christ and the White Throne Judgment is clearly stated as being whether a person is saved or lost, believes in the sacrifice of Y’Shua or doesn’t believe. Jn 3:18, 36, 1 Jn 5:9-13

What Happens When a Believer Sins?

A) When a believer sins they DO NOT lose their salvation.

• Jn 6:47 When we believe, the second we believe, we receive eternal life not temporary life, not conditional life, not life until we sin again, not probationary life.
• Jn 6:37,39 Y’Shua promised that He would lose not even one of those who were given to Him by the Father.
• Jn 10:28-30 “…and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. “I and the Father are one.” These are possibly the most emphatic verses in the Bible. Notice again that it is Messiah who gives eternal life, and they who receive this eternal life shall never perish! When you look up the word “never” which occurs in John 10:28 in Strong’s Concordance, you find that it comes from five different Greek words which are spelled in English: OU, ME, EIS, HO, and AION. The words OU and ME form a double negative meaning “Not at all, by no means, in no case, never.” This double negative was used to state denials or prohibitions emphatically (Dana and Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, p. 266). The remaining three words combine to form an idiomatic expression meaning “forever” (The Englishman’s Greek New ‘Testament, p. 276). When you put all of these meanings together, you find that when Messiah says “never” here in this verse it carries with it very powerful assurance—much more than one word “never” ordinarily carries with it in our minds. If we were to take this most emphatic way of saying “never” in the Greek and try to bring it across into the English, John 10:28 would read something like this: “And I give unto them eternal life and they shall not at all, no, never, by any means, male or female, in any case (even neuter), perpetually, forever perish.”
• Eph 1:13, 14 The second that we believe we receive the Holy Spirit as our earnest down payment. Earnest payments are non-refundable, so that if the contract is reneged on the earnest payment still belongs to the person who didn’t receive the full benefit of the contract. In real estate contracts if a person wants to tie up a property they would offer a purchase contract with earnest money as a down payment. If for some reason the deal doesn’t come to fruition, the earnest money is forfeited to the seller. In the same way God has given us an earnest down payment on our salvation which is Himself the Holy Spirit. If we were to lose our salvation (and this is only hypothetical and not possible), then we would still have the Holy Spirit indwelling and united with our spirits so that we would still have as our possession our relationship with God. We would therefore still have our salvation, it is a secondary safety system which God has built into our salvation, which is to say we can not lose our salvation in any way.

B) Whenever a believer sins they inflict suffering upon themselves. Galatians 6:7, Exodus 15:26 God in his love doesn’t want His children to suffer, He therefore has told us in advance that there are certain things which will cause suffering in the life of believer. The reason that He has given us Laws and commandments to live by is to alleviate the possibility of self inflicted suffering. While some think that all of God’s Laws are to stop people from having a good time the reality is exactly the opposite. The things that God has told us to do and not to do are designed to keep us healthy, wealthy and wise. To refuse the guidance of the Almighty is to inflict certain suffering on ourselves. To choose to sin is to choose to suffer. Gal 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. ⁸For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. ¹⁰So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

C) When a believer sins they lose blessings here on earth. When a person refuses to be obedient to the Word of God, God as a result holds back blessings which He would like to bestow upon His children. God can not bless a believer living in sin because they are preoccupied with their sin and disobedience. Consider the person committing sin in an immoral affair, their time and the places which they go prevent them from being introduced to the person that God would like to introduce them to nor can they be involved with that person who is really God’s will for their life. But because the one person is determined to live in sin, they have disqualified themselves from having a relationship with the person who is being faithful to the Word of God. God would not inflict the unfaithful upon the faithful servant, with maybe the exception of the prophet Hosea.

D) When a believer sins they bring God’s discipline upon themselves. Hebrews 12:5-11 our Loving Father disciplines every child that He receives. That discipline will be as sharp and stinging as needed to get the child back on course, the road to righteous holy living. When a lost person upon hearing the gospel thinks, “If I’m saved by grace instead of good works and keeping the Laws of God, that means I can go out and sin as much as I want and still be saved” that person has yet to receive and understand the correction and discipline of God. God does save a person by faith without good works, but He saves a person from the guilty and penalty of sin so that they can be free from the power of sin also. God doesn’t allow His children to sin and go on with their lives uncorrected. We should note that it is because God loves us that He disciplines us.

A good father doesn’t allow his small child to play in the street with traffic going through. If the child were to be hit by a vehicle severe injury or even death could occur. If that small child disobeys and plays in the street, the good father will give instruction and warning to his son. If the child in defiance stamps his foot at the father and states he will play where ever he wants to, the loving father will have to employ some more “persuasive education” to ensure the child’s safety and future. The father who has to discipline his child doesn’t do it because he hate the child, but rather it is a demonstration of the father’s love and concern for his son. If someone sees another family’s child in danger, they may speak a warning to the child, they may inform the child’s parents of the situation, but not administer discipline for that is the job of the child’s parent and family. To not receive discipline from our Loving Father is proof that He is not your father. Check yourself and if you find that you are not the recipient of the discipline of God then you need to trust in Messiah and His sacrifice for sin so that you too can become a child of God.

God also gives His children His own Holy Spirit to indwell them. Our bodies become the temple of God and because we have that Spirit we now have the power to live a spiritually victorious life, victorious over the power of sin in our life.

E) When a believer sins they lose rewards in Heaven. Matt 5:19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

What Should Believers Do When They Sin?

• 2 Chronicles 7:12-14 Humble yourself, pray, seek the Lord, turn from wicked ways.
• James 5:19-20 Turn back to the truth.
• 1 John 1:9 Confess your sins. This isn’t for forgiveness, as the believer in Messiah is already forgiven for their sins based on the sacrifice of Messiah Acts 13:38-39. If the believer is already forgiven, and they are, the question most people have is what if confession for. To understand confession of sins we should start at a Greek dictionary, using an English dictionary doesn’t help here since the apostle John didn’t have one. The Greek word ὁμολογέω homologeō; from ὁμόλογος homologos (of one mind); to speak the same, to agree:—acknowledge. It does not mean to ask for forgiveness. The word homo means the same and the word logeo means to speak so the combination means to speak the same, in this case to name sin the same way that God names it. This leaves no room for self deception, for the only person being fooled by the lie is ourselves. Others around us are not fooled, and certainly God hasn’t been fooled. He sees our sin and has an accurate record of it. The reason for confession are at least four: (Confession and your apology, but saying I’m sorry for sinning against you God isn’t the same thing as begging for forgiveness, which He has already given to the believer at the point of salvation. Begging for forgiveness, saying “God please forgive me,” would be a prayer of unbelief since forgiveness was already promised and assured by God at the point of salvation.)
  • Cleansing
  • Healing
  • Restoration of fellowship
  • Cessation of discipline
• Romans 8:26 Seek restoration.
• Galatians 5:16-18,25 Return to walking in the Spirit.
• Ephesians 5:7, 1 Corinthians 10:14 Run, flee from taking part in sin.
• Ephesians 5:17 Seek to know the will of God.
• Ephesians 5:18 Return to living under the control of the Spirit of God.
• 1 John 1:7 Return to walking in the Light.
• 2 John 1:8 Watch yourself carefully what you do in the future.
• John 8:11 Go and sin no more.

How Do I, as a Believer, Keep From Sinning in the Future?

• Make an uncompromising dedication to the Holiness of God. Romans 12:1-2
• Learn to live a Spirit filled life. Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
• Take every thought captive to Messiah. 2 Corinthians 10:5 “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”
• Search the Scriptures daily prayerfully asking God, What do you want me to learn, to believe and how do you want me to live? 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture (ALL: Genesis to Revelation) is inspired by God (God breathed, the ultimate authority, holy and without error, the truth) and profitable (good for our general welfare) for teaching (doctrine, what to believe), for reproof (what not to believe), for correction (how not to live), for training in righteousness (how to live); ¹⁷so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped (having every blessing intended by God) for every good work.