>>> Part 1 here - http://csplalumni.blogspot.com.ng/2015/12/understanding-error-in-once-saved.html
>>> Part 2 here -http://csplalumni.blogspot.com.ng/2015/12/understanding-error-in-once-saved_16.html
Before reading this article any further, may I request that you kindly pause for as long as necessary to reflect on this question and then answer it. “What is the supreme goal for which God gave us the Lord Jesus Christ?”
Until we answer this question correctly, we may never really understand the fundamental error that lies beneath the doctrine of ‘ONCE-SAVED-FOREVER-SAVED’. Most times, when the doctrine is discussed, the debate usually revolves around how the forgiveness that Christ procured for us at Calvary has led to the justification of the believer, and ultimately qualifies him automatically for heaven.
This is why our brothers and sisters that believe the doctrine are quick to point out that all sins that a believer commits – past, present, and future – have already been paid for. And that as a consequence of that, no believer in Jesus Christ can ever go to hell on the account of his sins.
But is the matter of sin the core issue at stake? Is dealing with sin the fundamental reason that Christ came? Is sin the issue that determines both the evidence of our salvation, and the rewards therein? I postulate that the answer to all these questions is a capital NO.
In getting a clear answer in this respect, please let us start from the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER which is in heaven.” Let us also add 1 John 2:17, “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF GOD ABIDETH FOR EVER.”
It is from these words of Jesus, and numerous similar passages, that we take the premise of this article. And it is this: The supreme reason for which Christ came, is to reconcile us back to the Father, so that we can DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER. It is in doing the will of the Father that He is glorified in our lives.
And it is DOING HIS WILL that confirms/proves our submission to His Lordship and sovereignty. The affirmation of the Lordship and sovereignty of God is NOT in lip-service – it is in a demonstrable proof. And the proof lies in DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER. Jesus made this point clearly in Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” So, obedience to the will of the Father is the proof of our submission to His Lordship.
Any believer that toys with sin in any form, or continues in sin, clearly does not know God as 1 John 2:3-4 says. For “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). But as important as dealing with the question of sin is, we must realise that it is just A PATHWAY to a greater goal – the goal of DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER. “… be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.( Isaiah 52:11).
Whereas the matter of holiness (in the common usage of the word) is part of the will of the Father for our lives – IT IS NOT ITS TOTALITY. The will of the Father has deeper connotations. It encompasses the sum total of God’s purpose for creating an individual, and sending him into the world. Let us illustrate this point with the life of Christ. Jesus lived a sinless life all through His days. But it was not until the final phase of His life that we saw an open conflict between His will and the will of the Father. With much prayers, and divine assistance, Jesus overcame and did the will of the Father. He went to the cross and died a shameful death. Now, let us look at the other side of the coin. If Jesus had continued with His 100% sinless life, and yet bypassed THE CROSS (Matthew 26:39), would His life have truly glorified the Father? Of course, the answer is NO. And that is the point of this article. Doing the will of the Father is bigger than the issue of dealing with sins in a believer’s life.
For Jesus Christ, the foundation for doing the will of the Father in the matter of the cross was laid in the place of obedience and yielding to the Father in the smaller areas of life. And it is only believers that have learnt to be faithful to God in the smaller areas of life that will be empowered by God to manifest faithfulness in the bigger spheres of doing His will. This is an undeniable and irrevocable spiritual law. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much….” (Luke 16:10) And yieldedness is the key.
Here is the testimony of Jesus: “For I came down from heaven, not to do MINE OWN WILL, but THE WILL OF HIM THAT SENT ME” (John 6:38). Also, “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do THE WILL OF HIM THAT SENT ME, and to finish his work.” (John 4:34). This is the ultimate example of what it means to DENY SELF to do THE WILL OF THE FATHER. It is NOT about me, it is all about the Father. It is NOT about what I want, it is all about what the Father wants. And this is the example that Jesus instituted for all those that will follow His steps in doing the will of the Father. We see it in Luke 9:23, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” That is how to follow His steps in doing the will of the Father daily.
A genuinely saved life is the life that is dedicated to living for God, and depending on Him minute-by-minute. A life that has no desires of its own outside the desires of the Father. A life that has no ambition of its own outside the Father. A life that has no opinion of its own outside the Father. All these are the foundation principles of obedience and yieldedness to God as Apostle Paul admonished in Romans 12:1-2 – PRESENT YOURSELVES, and this is the goal “… that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, WILL OF GOD.” It is ONLY believers that actively DENY SELF of its natural cravings- for relevance, for acceptance, for fame, for wealth, for position, etc - that will EXPERIENCE THE WILL OF GOD.
The believer that is not earnest in ACTIVELY seeking and doing the will of God, (thinking that he is forever saved because the blood will always cleanse him) DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF SALVATION. And will be shocked on the Last Day - unless he repents. It is our sonship privilege to seek cleansing through the blood when we mistakenly fall into unrighteousness. That is the purpose of the blood. It was NOT designed to be a get-out-of-jail card for believers that choose to luxuriate in the lap of sin. Conscious yieldedness to the will of the Father is the key. And this yieldedness comes from the place of moment-by-moment dependence on the Father - to discern and to do His will IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.
The Gospel is all about raising believers that DEPEND ENTIRELY ON GOD ALONE FOR EVERYTHING. For the definition of their lives. For the provision for their lives. For the direction of their lives at every turn. Believers that depend ONLY on God to be their Justifier when they are wronged. To be their Comforter when they are ill-treated. Men and women that GOD ALONE will be their ALL-IN-ALL.
In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus gave a parable that teaches importunity in the place of prayer. In addition to this great lesson, there is something else that we can learn from that parable. The widow was camped continuously at the gate of the unjust judge for justice. Apart from the judge, she had NO OPTIONS. And so she waited on him. In the final analysis, Jesus used her story to highlight the type of faith that He’ll love to see on earth on His return - men and women that have NO OPTIONS but GOD ALONE. That is the desire behind the rhetorical question: “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Verse 8)
This rhetorical question defines the pursuit of end-time disciples whose hearts truly pant after God. Disciples that are sold out to depending entirely on God; SEEKING HIS WILL and, by grace, DOING HIS WILL – for their lives, for their families, for their nations, for their generations. The word ‘SEEKING’ is crucial. For unlike our initial salvation, knowing the will of God is not a free gift. It is a pursuit. It is an aspiration (Colossians 1:9). It is a prayer (Colossians 4:12). And many careless believers may die not fully understanding THE WILL OF GOD for their lives – talk less of doing it.
As we look inwards, what sort of disciples are we? Are we disciples that are concerned with nothing else but the will of God in all situations? Disciples that are not in competition to outrun, outshine, or outwit anybody else in life? Disciples that are contented to be confined within the parameters that have been set for our lives by the WILL OF GOD? As we daily seek to know Christ more, are these our greatest pursuits in life? Are we willing to continue these pursuits TILL THE END in spite of trials, tribulation, persecution, chastisement, etc. This is what it means to be a genuine disciple of Christ.
“Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” (Revelation 3:3)
Jesus is coming back for a WAITING AND WATCHING people. May our eyes be opened to His great purpose in saving us. And may His love continually draw us closer to His heart until we see Him in glory. Amen.
Thanks for reading, God bless.
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