I was just thinking...
Is every runner that starts a race guaranteed to finish? Of course not. He may pull a muscle, or have some other type of physical problem that makes him unable to continue. Also, would he be allowed to place in the race if he doesn’t run according to the rules? Again, of course not. He will be disqualified. Why then do many within the church guarantee, through their doctrines, that all who start the race of salvation automatically receive the prize of eternal life?
Referring to the gaining of the “prize,” Paul put it this way;
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
(1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
He makes it clear in this passage that the prize is the “crown that will last forever,” which is eternal life. Why run in such a way as to get the prize if, having entered the race, you have already been guaranteed to receive it?
Is every pregnancy carried through to completion? Of course not. Unfortunately, there are miscarriages. Also, a woman may terminate her pregnancy, by choice, through abortion. Within certain nations, the government will make the choice for the woman, forcing her to abort her child based upon their own criteria. Conception, therefore, does not guarantee birth. This is just as true in the spiritual realm.
Why then does the church guarantee new birth in Christ no matter what takes place after we have been conceived, like Mary, by the Holy Spirit? It’s because, I believe, we have confused conception with birth. Understanding the process of salvation, Paul made the following statement toward the new believers in the city of Galatia; “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” (Galatians 4:19) He was concerned that within some Christians Christ would not be fully formed. In other words, they would not go full term in Christ.
If you do not put into practice self-control with the help of the Holy Spirit, will you automatically be a person with self-control? Of course not. This goes for every other fruit of the Spirit as well. If, therefore, you do not work together with the Holy Spirit, thereby receiving the grace of God in vain (2 Cor. 6:1), will you still be guaranteed to receive His salvation? The doctrines of demons (i.e. “Once saved, always saved”) will tell you “Yes, of course, you will.” The fruit of that teaching is the widespread spiritual apathy that has leavened the church in America. It is the mark of the foolish virgins.
Jesus declared that “he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22, 24:13), and “By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:19). Through many other verses the Lord warns and exhorts His children to continue abiding in Him lest we fall away in unbelief and lose our way. We are warned by Paul in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, that the return of Christ will be preceded by a great apostasy, the tragic defection from Christ by some of His followers. From this passage alone it becomes very apparent that the return of Jesus Christ is very near because we see more and more people within the church quickly exiting the path of salvation onto the broad path of destruction. May the Lord open our eyes to the truth before He shuts the door of His ark of deliverance.
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