An Article In Favor Of Once Saved Always So With A Reply From Me Written In The Early 90s

THE APOSTASY THEORY (CONFUSED WITH “CHASTISEMENT”) I. What is it? Apostasy as taught by many denominations contends that after one has been saved, pardoned of past sins, and become a child of God, it is possible for him to do wrong and die and go to hell. This idea is without Bible sanction. It is based on the evil theory that one is saved by outward obedience to the laws of Christ, and therefore if he stays saved it can only be so by his keeping all the laws of Christ. The doctrine of falling from grace to the point of being damned in hell after one has been saved, is a natural, logical result of a mistaken concept of how one becomes a child of God in the first place. If one is saved by outward obedience to the ceremonies and rites of the Lord’s church (that is, by good works), it inevitably follows that the only way he can stay saved is by “digging out” his own salvation by his own good works or by a mixture of his own good works and the grace of God. This specifically contradicts the Bible plan of salvation. (Rom. 1:16; 4:4,5; 11:6; Eph. 2:8–10). II. This is conceded. It is held by Baptists that children of God should live clean, separate, holy, obedient lives of service to God and man. It is acknowledged that children of God do sin and may do very wrong. It is recognized that God condemns sin in the lives of all of his children. But the issue is, what kind of condemnation and punishment does God prescribe and administer to his children for their sins? Is it hell fire and damnation punishment? Or has God provided a means of punishing His children in the flesh for the deeds of the flesh? This is the issue. There is no saved person who does not at some time sin, by overt act, by thought, or by neglect of testimony and service to Christ. (I Kings 8:46, Ecc. 7:20; Luke 11:1–4; Rom. 7:15–23; I Jn. 1:8). It is conceded that the Bible teaches children of God may fall, apostatize, make shipwreck for the faith, and fall short of the expressed desire of the Lord for their lives. But it is also specifically taught that a child of God cannot and will not be cast into hell because of his sins. Every child of God lives in a depraved, sinful body even after he is saved. He will have sin in him unto death. After he is saved he should honorably confess his sin to the Lord and ask for daily pardon. (Luke 11:1–4). To neglect this incurs the hand of Christ’s chastisement upon him. That man shall have sin in him until death, even though his is born again, is clearly taught (James 1:15; I Cor. 15: 56,57). Just as one who offends his neighbor, even without knowledge or personal intent, should seek reconciliation with his neighbor, even so should a child of God ask pardon for a known or unknown wrong against God, daily. To neglect acknowledging such personal sins to God is to become an active subject of the Lord’s punishment, called chastisement. III Chastisement, not hell, is God’s punishment for apostatizers. The old testament is replete with examples of God’s chastening His own chosen nation of Israel and His children who walked unworthily. For example, Miriam, Aaron, and Moses were all personally victims of God’s severe chastisement because of their own sins of disobedience to Him (Num. 12: 9–15; Duet. 32:48–52; 34:6). Moses and Aaron had their lives shortened, they were killed by the Lord because of their sins, but they did not go to hell (Luke 9:27–36). David sinned a very great sin against God, but he was not sent to hell for it. God chastened him until he repented. (Ps. 51:1–14). The Psalmist declared that God would visit His children with the rod and many stripes, because of their sins and apostasy, but he asserted they should not be cast off into hell. (Ps. 37:23–28; 89:27–35).

The promises of God are conditional. Yet, God never made sinless perfection of one’s life a condition requisite to his eternal salvation. Blessings and rewards from the Lord are conditioned upon man’s faithfulness and obedience after he is saved. God warns that if His children disobey Him or when they disobey Him, they shall have due punishment awaiting for their disobedience, but the punishment is not said to be hell punishment. The servant who “knew His Lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Lk. 12:47). Ananias and Sapphira were killed for their lying, but the Bible says nothing about their going to hell for it. Members of the Corinth church killed for their taking the Lord’s supper unworthily. Paul then proceeded to state that men of God should judge themselves, “that they might not be judged with the world” (See I Cor. 11:30–32; Acts 5:1–9). Hebrews 12:5–10 declares that all children of God receive chastisement from their heavenly Father, for their personal profit, that they might be partakers of His holiness. Verse 11 reads “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” It is God’s purpose in chastening His children to lead them to lives of holiness and fruit-bearing. In all the references made in the Bible concerning a child of God falling, apostasy, making shipwreck of faith, etc., there is not one statement that any child of God ever went to hell or might even go to hell. Some may even have all their works burned, yet it is specifically declared that such as children of God “shall be saved, yet so as by fire.” (I Cor. 3:13– 15) God will no more cast his children into hell for their sins than a father would cast his disobedient son into a flaming fiery furnace. IV Hell-Apostatizers’ Objections Answered Those who contend that there will be children of God in hell who went there after they had once been saved, offer numerous Scriptures that warn against sin and God’s punishment for sin. But no scripture states or teaches by actual necessary inference that any child of God may ever go to hell. The main types of arguments are as follows: A. Angels Fell— They contend that angels fell, and are we better than angels? (Jude 6). The answer is, angels were never saved or offered salvation. Angels were under the law. God’s children are under grace, which saves to the uttermost (Eph. 2:8– 10; Heb. 7:25). Jesus “tasted death for every man” not for angels. (Heb. 2:9) When a sinner accepts the grace of God he becomes a person safe from the fires of hell, more sage than any angel has ever been. B. Adam and Eve Fell— They object that Adam and Eve fell (Gen. 3:1–9). This is true, but Adam and Eve were under law when they fell, not under grace. Grace or redemption had not so much as been offered. What is more, did Adam and Eve go to hell? C. King Saul Fell Apostasy teachers object that King Saul fell; and he was the king of Israel (1Sam.9:16) It is further supposed by those who hold the idea that just because Saul prophesied, with the spirit of prophecy upon him (not within him) he must have been a child of god (1Sam. 10:6–12) God gave him “another heart” it is stated that it was a “new heart.” Prophecy dose not prove that one is a child of God. There are lying, false prophets. Balaam’s ass prophesied (Num. 22:28) was he a child of God? (John 11:49–51) prophecy dose not prove that one is a child of God (Matt. 7:15,21–23;24:24) Even if Saul were saved, is there any statement that his fall caused him to go to hell? Indeed there is not. The most apostasy can do is “suppose” he went to hell. Do righteous men die for their sins? Some teach that righteous men shall die for their sins, and “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ez. 18:4,24; 33:18). The term “soul” as it is used here means, “ the individual” who sins shall die, This warning was made against Israel in a time of moral lapse concerning obedience to the Law of Moses. This concerns “capital punishment” which was inflicted upon those who broke the Ten Commandments, without mercy under the testimony of two or three witnesses (Heb. 10;28) Even a righteous man

might break one of the Ten Commandments, and for such under two or three witnesses it was decreed that that soul (individual) should die, but nothing is said about his going to hell. The Bible does not sat such. E. God threatens to forsake those who forsake Him, (I Chron. 28:9; 2 Chron. 15:2; Jer. 18:7–10). This is true, but in no place does He say He will forsake His children and abandon them to hell. God withdrew His protection from Israel many times and permitted them to be chastened by idolatrous nations because they abandoned God’s law. But this has nothing to do with one’s personal salvation. He did forsake His people, to the point of permitting them to go into Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman captivity. But does that mean all whom He forsook to these captives went to hell? If it does, then Daniel the prophet, the three Hebrew children, and many of God’s good prophets went to hell, because they were carried into captivity. The very most that apostatizers can get from Old Testament Scriptures where God threatens to forsake Israel, is a mere supposition that He meant they would go to hell. This is not what God meant. F. Judas Iscariot Fell— Apostasy reminds one that Judas Iscariot fell, and he was one of the apostles (Mark 3:19). This is true, but he was an unbeliever. In no place is it recorded that Judas ever believed (Jn. 6:64) He was a devil (Jn. 6:70) In no place was it ever said he was a child of God or that he loved the Lord. He was a thief (Jn. 12:6). He was a wicked man, the son of perdition, who went to his own place at death (Ps. 109:6–8; John 17:12; Acts 1:25) He was a false apostle, a deceitful worker, a traitor whose end was according to his being (2 Cor. 11:13–15). G. Unfruitful branches are burned— Apostasy promoters contend that unfruitful branches are burned after being cut off from the vine. This is true, but no parable should be made to go on “all fours” (Jn. 15:1–5). Jesus is the true vine, without whom no kind of branch can exist. Every branch that produces fruit (any fruit) is purged (pruned), that it may bring forth more fruit (Jn. 15:2) Every branch that does not bring forth fruit shall be cut off and burned. This story has its parallel in Matt. 7:17 which reads “ Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit.” How many good trees bring forth good fruit? The answer is, every good tree. How many branches are pruned that they may bear more fruit? The answer is, every branch that bringeth forth good fruit. What branch is burned? Only that branch that brings forth no fruit is burned. Apostasy holders twist this scripture to make it say some good trees or good branches may bear good fruit for a while, then quit bearing fruit, and be cast into hell fire. There are two kinds of branches on the vine: The good, fruit bearing branches; and those who do not have a vital connection to the heart of the vine. These are called “water sprouts.” They never bear fruit. It is the branches which bear some fruit, that have vital heart connection with Jesus that are purged (pruned/chastened) that they may bear much fruit. No branch shall be burned that has ever borne any fruit. There are some nominal religious “suckers” who attach themselves formally with Christ, but who depend on their own good works to get them saved and keep them saved. Then they suppose that they may be cut off and burned if they are not careful. the idea is just so much “supposing” Men who have been saved may act like hogs and dogs and unregenerate men. They may fall into temptations and suffer the severe chastening of God, but God has promised that Christ would in no wise cast out any who should come to him (Jn. 6:37) No one else has a right to cast out, and Jesus promised that He would not. (Jn. 5:22–24; Ps. 37:23,24) EUGENE'S ANSWER What it means to be a child of God Unfallen beings are referred to as sons of God in the book of Job. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also among them,” Job

1:6. The whole family, in heaven and earth, is surnamed by the Father, and thus angels refer to us as brethren.—Rev. 19:9, Eph. 3:14–15, 2:6. The greater portion of the verses referring to Divine sonship are in reference to Jesus. He gave a perfect example of what it means to be a child of God. But He also clearly defines what he expects from His erring children. Sons of God are to be strangers to the world, not its friends, and every true child of God purifies himself, understanding, of course, that it is God that works in him, both to will and to do His good pleasure. I Jn. 3:1–2; Phil. 2:13., see also James 4:4. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying ‘Abba, Father’“ Gal. 4:6. Those that are sons of God have His Spirit in their hearts, and it can only be naturally concluded that those that do not have the Spirit are not the sons of God. It is those that are being sanctified that Jesus is not ashamed to call brethren (see. Heb. 2:10–11). “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 6:17 to 17:1) Notice that the promise that God will receive us as children is made on specific conditions. We are not only to come out from, but to refrain from coming in contact with the unclean. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” This is simply the definition of being a child of God, and a joint heir with Christ. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1) No such promise is made to those that are walking after the flesh. Conclusion: Becoming a child of God requires the power (Jn. 1:12) of God working in the heart. It also requires the willing cooperation of the one who is to become a host to the Holy Spirit. This change unites us with the unfallen beings, also called sons of God, by a common loyalty to our Creator. The definition of a “son of God” is simple, one who is led by the spirit of God is the son of God. He does not walk after the flesh, and since he is in Christ Jesus, he is not condemned. Sons of the devil: “I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. . . . Jesus saith unto them, ‘If ye were Abraham’s’ children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me. . . . This did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father.’ Then said they to him, ‘. . . we have one Father, even God.’ Jesus said unto them, if God were your Father, ye would love me. . . .Ye are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father, ye will do.” Jn. 8:38–44. Conclusion: Jesus gave an acid test to determine spiritual lineage. The children of the devil will fulfill the lusts of the flesh. “This I say then, Walk in the spirit [i.e. be a child of God] and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” Gal. 5:16. In other words, he that willfully “committeth sin is [a child] of the devil,” I Jn. 3:7. The fact that he may have once “been enlightened,” and been made a “partaker of the Holy Ghost,” does not safeguard him from crucifying to himself the Son of God afresh putting “Him to an open shame.” “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” Heb 6:4,6; 10:26–27. Hell Can a son of God be consigned to hell? In all the references in the Bible to “hell”, there are only two instances that refer to an actual person, or being, or group of beings as having been sent there. In “hell” at present:

1) Evil angels, 2 Pt. 2:4 (hell = incarceration on earth) in “hell” in the past: 2) Jesus, the Son of God, Acts 2:31 (hell = grave) Not even one wicked individual is named as going there, much less a righteous or ex-righteous person. This is no more of an argument for eternal security than it is for universalism (the idea that all men will be saved). Though the Bible clearly spells out the method of salvation, and gives examples of the lives of both converted and unconverted men, it also says to “judge nothing before the time.” I Cor. 4:5. The Bible does not pronounce men’s judgments before their case comes up, although many men have condemned themselves already. “Hell” as generally used in speech is a reference to the lake of fire that will eventually devour death and the grave (“hell”), as well as the devil, his angels, and the despisers of God’s grace. Even the inhabitants of Sodom, destroyed already by fire and brimstone, will face that judgment, but had not faced it yet in the day of Jesus (Rev. 20:9–15, Matt. 11:24). I believe the following verses show simply that God does give us the privilege of putting our affections where we choose, and of reaping the results of the decisions that we make during our probationary time: “Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.” I Tim. 5:12 {They are lost. Why? They gave up their first faith. If this is the reason they are damned, they must have been saved before giving up the faith. “Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear, for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: On them which fell, severity, but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off,” Rom. 11:20–22. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward, for ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. . .Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Heb. 10:35–39. “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, then, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” II Pt. 2:20–21 {Described here is a class of people that escaped the world. Thus, they were partakers of the divine nature (1:4). If their eternal destiny is heaven, then verse 21 is nothing but falsehood. “By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” I Cor. 15:2. “I,” Paul, bring my body “into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” I Cor. 9:27. “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved,” Matt. 24:13. This condition is especially applicable to God’s children (Heb. 3:6). “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Rev. 22:19. This is a meaningless threat if one does not admit the obvious implication—it is possible for someone that has their name in the book of life and a place reserved in the holy city to

loose it. See also Rev. 3:5 and Ex. 32:32–33 for the condition of keeping your name in the book and Rev. 21:27 for proof that that is the deciding factor in our eternal destiny. The Bible gives a reason why not everyone will be saved. “. . .In them that perish, because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thes. 2:10–12). The fate of one, who like Demas (Phel. 24, 2 Tim. 4:10) , forsakes the service of the Creator for the love of the world is clearly defined. God removes his Spirit from them, leaving them with strong delusion, and even the little truth that they had and despised is taken away (Mk. 4:25). The rest of this article is devoted to answering questions that should be raised in regard to the article “Apostasy Theory”. The arguments used so far are able to stand alone, and the reasoning and refutings below, like Paul’s reasoning on Mars’ hill, are admittedly pale next to a clear “Thus saith the Lord”. It is only hoped that they would help clear up seeming contradictions in the minds of those whose minds are barricaded with arguments in favor of eternal security. Chastisement—Is it punishment? God delights in exercising justice (Jer. 9:23–24). When a crime is punished, justice demands that the sentence meet the crime. Over punishment and under punishment unlike are unjust. The penalty for sin is eternal death, with suffering proportional to the guilt. Jesus has paid this penalty in full for all who will accept Him as their substitute. To punish a child of God for a forgiven sin is to violate justice. The Bible speaks plainly about chastisement. Rather than justice, it is a merciful correction that we are to rejoice in. Beyond chastisement, Christians and worldlings alike suffer from the law of cause and effect. We reap what we sow. Chastisement, far from being a terrestrial purgatory, is a revelation of God’s supreme care, and though it does not seem “joyous”, yet we can choose to believe it is so, for it worketh the peaceable fruit of righteousness. God’s children, like Job and Abraham, may expect at times to be tested even when at the height of their faithfulness. Ez. 18:26 states that if a man dies in sin after living a righteous life, he will die for his sins. Notice that he dies once, and after that, the judgment comes (Heb. 9:27), and he dies again. The word soul in Ez. 18 is the same as used throughout the rest of the Old Testament. Before going on in dealing with the arguments in the article, I would like to suggest some reasoning. Our God is a reasonable God (Is. 1:18). IF eternal security is true, then one of the following must be true: A) God takes away our power to choose to rebel at conversion. B) God miraculously takes away the sin from us at death that we refused to forsake during life. C) Heaven will have sinners in it. IF (A) is true, then it must not be wrong to take away the power of choice. If it is not wrong to take away that power, then God must be charged folly in allowing sin to occur. This can not be. IF (B) is true, then it must be O.K. to make sinners Holy despite the action of their will. If that is O.K., and God wills that all be saved, and has paid the price for all to be saved, then He should save all by simply making their hearts holy at death. IF (C) is true, there was never a good reason to make Satan leave. While eternal security taken to its logical end produces chaos, the truth reveals the justice and wisdom of God. God is Love. He loves all His creation. He would have saved Lucifer, but only deeper revelations of God’s love can lead to repentance (Rom. 2:4), and Lucifer had been too deeply familiar with God’s love to be reachable. Human’s can reach the same irretrievable level of hardness.

Those that sin come under the condemnation of the law (Rom. 3:19), and are counted as “under the law”. Christ was made to be sin for us, made to suffer with the guilty and in their place; he was made “under the law” (Rom. 4:4–5) to redeem, not the unfallen beings, but those that were condemned under the law. If it would have been possible to save man any other way, it would have been done in answer to Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39). If the law could have been done away with, it would not have required the life of the Son of God to pay its penalty. By paying its penalty, Christ showed that the law was holy, just, and good. If man could have been saved by removing his power of choice, it would have been much better to have saved him from sinning than to save him after sinning. The Bible describes many types of people that will not go to heaven—”And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie” “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God.” “. . .Fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness . . . witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders. . . revellings, and such like: of which I told you before . . . that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Rev. 21:27, I Cor. 6:9–10, Gal. 5:19–21 (see Eph. 5:5). Only a faith that works is a saving faith. James referred to this principle when he said “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” James 2:24. Neither work nor faith has merit, but a working faith can appropriate the promises of God’s grace to itself. A dead faith can not. The burden of proof lies with those that believe they can be saved in their sins, for the weight of evidence falls heavily on the side of “free will”. Eternal security, while daring to allege that “free will” is based on mere conjecture, is nothing more than mere conjecture itself. If it were the truth, it would be most comforting, and the theme of great rejoicing in the scriptures, but where are the texts that say: “Having salvation, even though they have cast off their first faith.” (not I Tim. 5:12) “Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but be assured: For though God spared not the natural branches, he will spare thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: On them which fell, severity, but toward thee, goodness, if you were honestly saved in the past: otherwise, you were never part of the tree.” (not Rom. 9:20–22) “Cast not away therefore your confidence in your great recompense of reward, for ye have need of assurance, that, after ye have backslidden and rebelled, ye might receive the promise anyway. . .Now the just shall live by faith for a while: but if any man draw back, my soul shall find a way to make him like ‘my Son, in whom I am well pleased’. But we are not of them that draw back unto chastisement, but of them that believe to a comparatively painless saving of the soul.” (not Heb. 10:35–39) “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 eternal life with not much reward, but at least it isn’t hell. At least that is a lot better than not knowing about salvation.” (not II Pt. 2:20–21) “By which also ye are saved, and its a good idea to keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless your belief only produces eternal salvation, and not enough rewards.” (not I Cor. 15:2) “But he that doesn’t endure unto the end, the same shall be saved nonetheless.” (not Matt. 24:13) What about grace? What does it mean to be “under grace”? First, we know that grace establishes the law of God, rather than abolishing it (Rom. 3:31). Second, we know that grace enables us to

serve God acceptably with Godly fear (Heb. 12:28). Grace, that is, any gift that we do not deserve, consists of much more than forgiveness. The power to overcome sin is supernatural, and is only available because of grace. “Under grace” is contrasted with “under the law.” Paul speaking of himself, and a class of people “whose damnation is just” said “What then, are we better than they? No, in no wise.” Paul knew that even his life of faithfulness had no redeeming value, no merit to atone for his past transgressions. The law has no power to forgive, and no power to give spiritual life. But, what the law could not do for weak sinful flesh, “God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,” was able to do. He condemned sin in the flesh and gave us power to walk “not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Rom. 8:3–4. Those not covered by grace were invariably condemned by the law, and under its power, and the only power it has ever had is to condemn. Those covered by grace, were pardoned for sins “that are past” and “strengthened with might by His spirit, in the inner man” to resist temptation (Rom. 3:25, Eph. 3:16). They were under the control of grace, under grace. Those that fall from this position may claim a title to forgiveness while spurning grace’s power to reform their life, but they only deceive themselves. “God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” “He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption.” Gal. 6:7–8. It has been suggested that the Bible record of Saul receiving “another” heart from God does not imply that it was a regenerate heart. What other option is there? Either God took away one heart of stone and replaced it with another just as hard, or Saul was converted. While there is no proof here, one view is certainly more reasonable than the other. God’s warnings that sin separates the soul from Him, (Is. 59:2), can not be taken lightly. God gave a “glorious” ceremonial law to Moses to teach us in types and symbols about the plan of salvation. A question has been asked, “Would a parent give up its child to die a cruel death because it was rebellious.?” Supposing the answer to be “no”, the same has been used as an argument for eternal security. But the Bible says “If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of the father, or the voice of the mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place,. . . and all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear, (Duet. 21:18–21). The parents’ love for the child was never to be abated, but love for the whole body of young people demanded the destruction of the rebellious. Like the parents obedient to this command, our Loving Father will not shrink from disowning and destroying those that He has recreated in His own likeness when they defile that likeness. The good of the universe demands it. A tree is known by its fruit, not vice versa. When a tree begins to bring forth evil fruit, you can be sure that it is an evil tree (Matt. 5:16–20). Christ’s parable is not a mystery. To say that branches bringing forth evil fruit are pruned, while fruitless branches are cut off is to make the illustration untrue. The fact that a branch is pruned is evidence enough that its fruit is desirable. Jesus defined the fruit-bearing branches as those that had an abiding relationship with him (John 15:4). All others were represented by the fruitless branches in the parable, and they were burned. Indeed, Christ promised that those that come to Him he would in no wise cast out. But Christian security is offered only on the condition of abiding in Him (I Jn. 2:28). Once you enter Christ’s home, you may abide there or leave. If you leave, He has not cast you out. Christ has never threatened or promised to put us under house arrest. We are free to leave.

Ps. 37:23–28 has been used to support eternal security. This is a curiosity, for the verses clearly define those that receive the blessing of God—the “righteous”, the “good man”, the “saints”, and who does not—the “wicked”. Luke 12:47–48 has been urged in favor of eternal security with this reasoning: A) The servant was wicked, but was not sent to hell. so B) He must have been saved, and the stripes must refer to his temporal chastisement. But the Bible gives a better explanation of the parable. First we must understand that A) The times of ignorance, God winks at, and (B) God is not able to save those that are without law (Rom. 2:12) unless their conscience has made them a law unto themselves (Rom. 2:13–15). If we examine the second servant, it is clear that he did not know God’s law. God would have winked at his ignorance if he had lived up the light he had, but God did not “wink” at his transgression. His thoughts, rather than excusing him, accused him, and he was lost. If the second servant was lost, there is no need question the state of the first servant, for both received the same punishment, in greater or lesser degree. And, does the parable give their fate itself? “The Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers,” Lk. 12:46. We are all agreed on the portion of the unbelievers. I rest my case.