Honest Truth seekers know from the source of all spiritual Truth–the Holy Bible–that in order to receive eternal life one must qualify for it by proving one’s love for and faith in the Author of the Holy
Scriptures. To not know the Truth and to operate outside of it is to enter “perdition.” Conversely, to know the Truth and not believe and obey it is to “draw back into perdition” (Heb. 10:36,38,39) and to “crucify Christ afresh” (Heb. 6:4-6) with each sin. Each time we sin we spiritually nail Jesus to the cross. When this happens His grace no longer comes into play. The Almighty tells us time and again that to continue to sin after receiving forgiveness of “the sins of the PAST” (justification–Rom. 3:25) is to reject His grace and to renounce our justification. He commands  that we QUIT SIN UTTERLY. Recall that Jesus told the prostitute and the man at the pool of Bethesda to “SIN NO MORE.” That was not an option–THAT WAS A COMMAND.  As a former “sinner saved by grace,” I know how daunting the thought of living free of sin is to those who have spent most of their lives wallowing in the sin-soaked death bed that is Catholicism/Protestantism. One former missionary and pillar of the church voiced what many haven’t the spiritual spine to admit: “Obeying God is just too much trouble.” Another pillar who had been a seminary student explained that Jesus died so that we would not have to obey God. It seems that He has set the standard for salvation so high that no human being can attain it. Therefore He sent Jesus to do it in our stead. All we need to do is to believe that convenient bit of Satanic theology which the Lord refutes time and again in His Holy Word.

Perhaps the summation of all of God’s writings relative to the faith-salvation connection is found in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Hebrew Christians, chapter 10, verses 26-31. In this passage he warns that if we (including Paul) continue to sin after knowing the Truth, Christ’s sacrifice no longer cleanses our sins in that we “trample Him under foot, reject the blood He shed for our sins, and insult the (Holy) Spirit of grace,” thereby nullifying grace. Only those who obey the Holy Spirit are true Christians (Rom. 8:14). Those who continue to sin after receiving forgiveness for their past sins not only insult the Spirit, but also refuse to be led by God’s Spirit, which makes them counterfeit Christians. These “sinners saved by grace” make up the Counterfeit Church which offers a counterfeit salvation supplied by a counterfeit god and a counterfeit savior.

Paul noted that all who call themselves God’s people “run the race” of life. However, only those who run it according to God’s race rules win the prize–eternal life (1 Cor. 9:21). Note that Paul uses the word “wins,” meaning that effort–WORK–must be done in order to received the reward. Those who have ever run competitively know how much work must be done to prepare for and run a race. Neither faith nor grace, nor a combination of the two, is enough to “win” salvation. Jesus made this clear in John 15:13,14 where He said to His 12 disciples: “Greater love has no man than that He lay down His life for His friends. You are My friends IF YOU DO WHATSOEVER I TELL YOU TO DO.” Note that Jesus did not say “try to obey Me.” He said in no uncertain terms that in order for His death to count for them they had to OBEY HIM COMPLETELY. Dear reader, please believe this: IF YOU DO NOT OBEY HIS WORDS (GENESIS TO REVELATION), HE DID NOT DIE FOR YOU. This is a message I remind myself of regularly. Paul said that he could do all manner of religious things, including being martyred, and still be denied salvation if he did not obey the Word of the Lord. Are we better than Paul? Billions of people reply a silent “Yes.” This is life and death information. I hope you study the references I have provided, believe and obey them. Only those who do so will qualify for salvation. L.J.