The Preserved Saints

 

Let us take a look at the characters in the New Testament who fell away from God.

Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus.

Do scriptures tell us that Judas was a real believer? No! In fact Jesus said that he was a thief.  He loved money! He was greedy for gain like some believers today that follow Jesus just to get “blessed” with money. Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord with a kiss. What does this tell you? That he was two faced! Judas could sit and sup with Jesus and watch all the miracles but all he had on his mind was the money that could be made from hanging around Jesus!

“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Mathew 6:24

Demas who left Paul.

Was this guy a real Christian? NO! Demas loved this present world and what does the bible say about those who love the world? That God’s love is not in him or in other words he is not saved.

 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:10

 

Hymenaeus and Alexander

 Paul says that they were blasphemers. Are blasphemers true Christians? I don’t think so! When one teaches things contrary to scriptures then they are blaspheming. They were turned over to Satan because they did not love the truth. What does the Bible say about those who do not love the truth? They don’t have the truth!

 “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10

Who does the Bible say are preserved and kept until the end? The true born again Christian and God knows who are really his. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about the preserving of the saints.

 

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Jude 1:1, 2

Preserved in the Greek is tereo which means to attend to carefully, take care of, guard, keep safe, protect.

  Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I Thessalonians .” 5:23

 Sanctified in the Greek is hagiazō –consecrated and set apart for God.

 

 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.  Jude 1:24,  

Is able in the Greek is- dynamai- to be capable, strong and powerful

Keep in the Greek is  – phylassō – to guard a person (or thing) that he may remain safe, to guard from being lost or perishing, to keep from being snatched away, preserve safe and unimpaired

From falling in the Greek- aptaistos – exempt from falling

To present you in the Greek is – histēmi- to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set, to make firm, fix establish

Faultless in the Greek is – amōmos- morally: without blemish, faultless, unblameable

 Before the presence in the Greek is-  katenōpion- before God as judge

of his- glory in the Greek is – doxa- opinion, judgment, view, magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace

So as you can see brethren, those who fall away from Jesus are those who are not saved in the first place. Those who are born of God overcome the world and the wicked one cannot touch them for God preserves them and keeps them from falling even unto the end!

“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”  1 John 5:4

“We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” 1 John 5:18

The Fear of the Lord

The emotion fear can have both positive and negative connotations. Let me explain; Fear is a natural response to danger. You know what would happen if you put your hand on a burning stove element and just the thought of it sends a sensation of fear through your whole body.

Sports athletes experience fear when they are competing and explorers, scientists, all fear when they venture out into the unknown. Fear, understood properly,can actually have healthy benefits. The word fear actually means, an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. (web. Dic)

Fear is a God given emotion and just so you know, not all fear is from the devil. The emphasis should be not on fear itself but on what you fear. If you fear the devil or his antics, then your fear is misplaced. However, if you fear God then your fear is a very healthy and wise fear. Scriptures tell us that God’s saints are to fear him with trembling, astonishment and awe. This is not a tormenting fear like the devil puts on you but a holy fear. If you do not fear God, you need to check out what god you believe in because it certainly is not the God of the Bible.

Why are we to fear God? Because he has the power to send to hell, to destroy, to kill, and he disciplines for sin. The Hebrew word for fear is ra`ad and it means “to be in dread” which in English means to anticipate with great apprehension or to fear.

And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.’ Job 28:28

Fear came upon me, and trembling which made all my bones to shake. Job 4:14

Oh fear the Lord, ye saints, for there is no want to them that fear him. Psalm 34:9

The Greek word for fear is Phobos-the same root word for phobia, means to Dred, have foreboding, trepidation.

For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 2 Corinthians 7:11

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12, 13

The type of fear that God does not want you to have is the fear of cowardice. In Greek this type of fear is called Delia. This means to lack bravery or to have an excessive fear of danger or pain. This type of fear causes such anxiety that it makes an unstable or unbalanced individual. Extreme fear can immobilize and cause sickness in both the body and mind.

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; Hebrews 2:15

The problem with teaching that all fear is of the devil, is that it also removes the healthy fear which we are to have, the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord causes dread, astonishment, reverence, awe, respect and worship. Without the fear of the Lord, people become foolish. They do not take God seriously and therefore they flaunt their sin before him. This godless mentality will result in eternal punishment and that is something a wise person will fear!

“There is no fear of God before [their] eyes” (Psalm 36:1; Romans 3:18).

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.” Prov. 23:17-18

The benefits of fearing the Lord are long life, safety, security, provision, and salvation. This healthy fear comes from being established in God’s word and brings a faith that is real and lasting!

The fear of the LORD leads to life Proverbs 19:23

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe Proverbs 29:25

Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You” Psalm 119:37-38

Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him Psalm 33:8

 

 

 

Faith alone (sola fide)

It is God who is the author (originator) of salvation. The Bibles says that Christians are justified by faith alone apart from the deeds of the law.

We are not justified by works of any kind. Salvation is a Gift which means that it is not earned by merit but simply bestowed upon the individual by Grace. Which means, by God’s undeserving mercy, because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice at the cross we are saved.

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. Galatians 3:11

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: Philippians 3:9

The Galatians law keepers rejects “faith alone” (sola fide), misinterpreting James 2:2 4,3 by saying that a person is not justified by faith alone. Their argument is that Paul does not mean faith without works. These law keepers or Pharisees. see good works of charity, as essential to justification. What James was saying is, that if a man is saved by faith alone, he will perform good deeds based on a change of nature, through the born again miracle,and not as a means of justification.

By blending faith and works as a means of salvation the law keepers put themselves under the law to be judged by the law. They will never be able to live up to God’s standard of perfection. For Jesus said to think a bad thought is sin. To hate is to kill and to lust is to commit adultery. Thinking is the same as doing according to Jesus Christ.

Saving faith is not mental assent to the gospel but rather a change of heart by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN TO SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD! In other words, God must regenerate the dead in sins spirit of man and bring it to life , reconnecting it to God,as was originally intended, like Adam before the fall. 

Law keeping is the old sinful nature trying in a self righteous attitude to obey God but being born of God is the new creature serving God from a new heart –a miraculously changed nature.

Acts 16:14 says that Lydia, like those from Philippi and Ephesus, was a person “whose heart the Lord opened” to the Gospel. The heart (spirit) must be made new by God to be saved. The devil believes in Jesus but he is not saved.

The reason that salvation is by faith alone, is because Jesus Christ is enough and God’s grace is sufficient. “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace;” Romans 4:16

Saving faith is a gift of God. One cannot drum up faith through his own recognizance. GRACE is the means of salvation and faith is the imputation (ascribing an attribution to another) of God’s righteousness through Jesus Christ.

Sola Scriptura.

Maranatha brethren!