How Can I Overcome Mom Rage?
This is this weeks top Titus 2 question and our panel of Titus 2 women are here to answer it with their wisdom! They will also be answering the following! These are long answers, but let me tell you…there is such wisdom in these responses. Overcoming Mom Rage is towards the bottom, but I do encourage you to read the others as well!
-How do you be a good wife to a husband who is disrespectful to you?
-Can someone lose their salvation by continuing to live a sinful life after claiming to be saved?
(We actually have two different views on this so I encourage you to read both sides)
Have a Titus 2 Question that needs an answer? Click the button below to submit it to our panel! Don’t worry, you will remain anonymous!
-How do You be a Good Wife to a Husband who is Disrespectful to You?
(Bethany)
How do you be a good wife to a husband who is disrespectful to you?
— 1 Peter 3:1, 2, “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.”
The context of this passage gives insight into the answer to the above question. The whole of 1 Peter provides a lot of guidance for the Christian walk. In chapter two, Peter specifically says to “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.” (1 Peter 2:17) and a couple verses later he says, “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:19-25)
Then, beginning chapter three is the word “likewise”. Meaning ‘in the same way’… we do what Jesus did. There’s no greater example. When someone reviles us (‘criticizing in an abusive or angrily insulting manner’), we do not return it back to them. When we suffer at the hands of others, we don’t lash out in defense or hurt - we commit ourselves “to him that judgeth righteously” - God! We give ourselves into his hands knowing that “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:26-28)
Continuing to read in 1 Peter chapter 3, we find in verse 7 that husbands are to give “honour into the wife, as unto the weaker vessel”. They’re to treat their wives tenderly, loving them as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25-33). But what if they don’t? Back to our opening verse - 1 Peter 3:1, 2, “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.”
“If any obey not the word”… wives still are commanded to be in subjection to (‘to be under’) their husbands and behave chastely (‘innocent, modest, clean, pure’) to win their man to the LORD.
Read the rest of 1 Peter chapter three (the whole book!) for more direction. “Having compassion one of another” … “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.” … “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts” … “For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.”
Study the Scriptures for how a good wife ought to be (see Proverbs 31 and Ephesians 5 for starters) and then put it into practice, because you want to please God, not just to hopefully get the results you want. Trust in God, that he will work this for your good. Put in the work and sacrifice it takes to build your home, to make it a safe haven for your husband and children. Be intentional. Focus on your relationship with the LORD, making what changes you need to in your own life instead of trying to “fix” or “teach” your husband, and let God do the rest.
— Proverbs 14:1, “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”
— Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”
Anonymous
How to be a good wife to a husband disrespectful to you?
It took me years of doing this wrong before I stopped trying in my own strength and fully submitted (ongoing process) to the Lord.
I wasted so much time fighting a spiritual battle within the flesh rather than going to the Lord.
My advice is to crawl into the lap of our Heavenly Father and tell him everything. Cry out to Him, ask Him to defend you. Ask Him to show you how you can do better.
Marriages are harder because we are so much more connected with the person, but it's not different then other trials we face with people. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, it is a Spiritual battle.
It's time to go to war against the enemy's influence over your family. Fast and pray. Anoint and pray over your home. Find a trusted older woman to speak truth into your life, hold you accountable and pray with you.
Know your truth, know who you are in Jesus, you are a beloved daughter of a King. Use the armor in Ephesians 6 and take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.
Be quick to forgive and show grace because this is the gift through Jesus that has been given to us. It doesn't mean to be a lump that doesn't stand up for yourself, but cover those conversations in prayer with the Lord's leading first.
Pray the Psalms where David cries out to the Lord asking Him to defend him from his enemies. Your husband isn't your enemy, but you have a real enemy, the devil and his fallen angels with a plan against your marriage.
Get that worship music going, the song The Truth by Megan Woods has been very helpful for me when I need to redirect my feelings to The Truth.
(Miranda)
-How do you be a good wife to a husband who is disrespectful to you?
We have to first ensure that we are posturing ourselves correctly before the Lord. Anytime I feel disrespected, offended, unappreciated, etc. I like to remember Philippians 2:1-16 and work through what it looks like to have the mind of Christ when holding out the word of life to others.
Once I am in the right posture before the Lord, I can then ask myself questions like, why does my husband disrespect me? What is under the surface that is causing him to react towards me in such a negative way? Is there anything I am doing to contribute to his stress, workload, responsibilities, and emotions? Or is it all external things? Or do I need to have a conversation to find out what is bothering him? Then, pray on these things. Ask if you can pray together on these things. Show him 1 Peter 3:1-6 lived out.
Once you understand the roots of the problems, you can work to keep your heart soft towards your husband as you pray for God to deliver him from those things. Ask God to give your husband a heart that will love, honor, and cherish you. Don't give up praying for him. Set aside time to specifically pray for him and for your marriage.
Make attending church a priority. If he doesn't want to go with you, then it's ok for you to go without him. Be the example that you wish to see in your husband. Give him respect, honor, and unconditional love.
What we do NOT want to do is snap back and get defensive. That has the opposite effect and will only push him further away. (Easier said than done, believe me, I know!)
If he is a Christ follower, and if you are consistent, it won't take long for him to notice how you are making him feel different, and he will begin to respond differently. He likely won't even realize you are doing anything differently either, so don't be disappointed if you don't receive recognition or appreciation right away. That will come with time!
If he is not a Christ-follower, then get on your knees and do not give up praying for his salvation! Read this advice over and over and over, and be fervent in your prayers. Ask the Holy Spirit to take over completely and draw your husband to the gospel with the fragrant aroma of Christ in you.
Be sure to pour into yourself, daily, with the Word. Get into a Bible study, make worship music a priority in your home. Do whatever you can to create a God-honoring atmosphere at home. But be careful not to get snooty or prideful about it. My husband was spiritually less mature than me for years, and he was severely intimidated by me. Any attempts I made at "teaching" him what I knew backfired on me every time. Pray for godly men to come into his life. If he doesn't have any, tell him about our group, and how much you love it, and encourage him to join the husband's version.
The most important thing I ever learned about marriage is from a book called Sacred Marriage, by Gary Thomas. He says, marriage is not intended to make you happy, but to make you more holy. Once I set my husband free from the burden of making me happy, and focused on how God was growing ME through learning how to love my husband like Jesus loves me, my marriage became so much healthier. Continue to look to Jesus to satisfy your deepest longings for love and acceptance, and your marriage will grow. I promise The Power of a Praying Wife is a great resource, too.
You can get the book here:
Prayers and hugs to you!
(Kylie)
How do you be a good wife to a husband who is disrespectful to you?
Marriage can be very hard sometimes. And it can be harder when spouses don’t treat each other with respect as they should.
But our obedience and submission to our husbands do not depend on their behavior. We are obedient and submissive to them because we love and want to obey God.
We are to honor and respect them and be in submission unless they are asking you to go against God or to sin.
The best advice is to continue to walk in faith. To set a good example in our walk. Wives can set the whole tone and atmosphere of the house. And when we are joyful in our walk and walk with the fruit of the spirit it does affect those around us. It will make others take notice and help plant seeds in their life. Our obedience to God does not hinge on if our spouse is being obedient to God. Scripture tells us how to deal with those that are disrespectful, who treat us bad. Who persecute and revile us. We are not supposed to give the same back to them that they give to us. We are supposed to be image bearers of Christ and reflect that in our behavior. We are to remain blameless before God.
“according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”
Ephesians 1:4 KJV
“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.”
Romans 12:17 KJV
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
Matthew 5:44 KJV
Husbands can be won by a wives conversation even when they are not in obedience of the word. When they see you walking in the spirit and in obedience it can heavily affect them
“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:”
1 Peter 3:1-5 KJV
If you continue to put in effort in your walk and be an example it can have a powerful effect on your husband. Be consistent in your walk and take joy in being a daughter of God.
Do not disregard the power of prayer. The fervent pray of a righteous man will availeth much. The power of a pray can do so much.
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
Matthew 21:22 KJV
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”
1 John 5:14 KJV
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
James 5:16 KJV
Mostly surrender it to God. Take it to Him and lay it at His feet
Can Someone Lose Their Salvation After Being Saved?
Note from Isabel: This one had such good responses from the ladies! I have tried my best to include everything they said! I would like to say, there are a few differing opinions on this topic. I encourage the reader to really dive into Scripture, spend a lot of time in prayer, and seek for themselves truth. In my personal opinion, I do not believe we can lose our salvation. When I look to Scripture, I feel it is very clear we have security in the Lord and once we are His we are His. This does not give us a license to go and sin. When I see people who claim to be a child of God, and then fall away into unrepentant sin…then I start to question if they were ever really saved in the first place. These women have such good advice, but please do your own research. Cling to Christ and let HIM guide you. Comment your thoughts below under this post!
(Bethany)
Can someone lose their salvation after someone is saved?
Can someone lose their salvation after continuing to live a sinful life after claiming to be saved?
No. The Bible is clear that one cannot “lose” their salvation. It is God who keeps us, not our own selves:
— John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.“
— John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
>> That everlasting life begins when our heart is made new - the moment we trust Christ as our Saviour. Everlasting means forever, never ceasing, that there is no end.
— Romans 10:9-13, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.“
— Ezekiel 36:26, 27, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.“
— 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.“
>> As Jesus died on the cross for us “once for all”, so are we saved once forever.
— Hebrews 10:10, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.“
>> By grace alone are we saved. If we could do something to lose our salvation, that would be works. Salvation can only be by us accepting God’s gift of Jesus dying on the cross. No strings attached.
— Ephesians 2:4-9, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.“
>> Eternal life is God’s PROMISE to us when we accept his free gift of salvation:
— 1 John 2:25, “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.“
— Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“
>> Eternal life is a well that springs up inside of us once we’re saved and never dries up:
— John 4:14, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.“
>> We have assurance that we can KNOW that we have eternal life when we believe on Jesus. Without a doubt.
— 1 John 5:11-13, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.“
>> NOTHING can separate us from God. He justifies us, he makes intercession for us, we cannot be condemned! We are MORE than conquerors through him that loved us:
— Romans 8:31-39, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.“
— Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.“
>> The Apostle Paul spoke of how he still sinned after salvation and how it’s a battle between his flesh and his mind to do good or evil:
— Romans 7:15-25, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.“
>> …. That’s why it’s so important that we put on the armour of God, so we can fight against the sin that is within us and without in the world:
— Ephesians 6:10-18, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;“
>> It is a choice we must make to die daily to our flesh, to put on our “new man” by renewing our minds, and to follow after what is true and holy, what God leads us to:
— Matthew 16:24, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.“
— Ephesians 4:20-24, “But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
— Romans 12:1, 2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.“
— Romans 6:11-15, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.“
— Romans 13:14, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.“
— Hebrews 12:1, 2, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.“
>> We have the freedom to make our own decisions, and we will bear the consequences of them, as seen in Hebrews 12:5-11, quoted further below. We will be judged for the things we do.
— Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.“
— 1 Peter 2:16, “As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.“
— 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.“
— Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.“
>> When we choose not to follow after God, he chastens us - corrects us to draw us back to him. He does not do this to unbelievers - only ones who are his sons and daughters:
— Hebrews 12:5-11, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 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.“
>> If we continually choose to follow after unrighteousness and ignore God’s chastening, defiling our body and mind, he may take us home to heaven rather than allowing us to remain on earth:
— 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
>> Jesus died on the cross once for all (Hebrews 10:10). He will not do it again. So when we sin after salvation, those sins must go under the blood he already shed, like all our sins from before salvation. Our confession, his forgiveness.
— Hebrews 10:26, 27, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.“
— 1 John 1:5-9, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.“
>> Our sins are already crucified on the cross with Jesus. We must leave them there with our old man, and live in faith.
— Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.“
— Galatians 6:14, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.“
— Galatians 3:11, “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”
>> Both an understanding of salvation, and discipleship are crucial.
>> So many people are told that salvation is praying a prayer, or just feeling sorry for the sins they’ve committed, or simply believing in Jesus.
Salvation is confession, repentance, and an acceptance of God’s free gift which he gave out of his great love for us.
There is nothing good in us that can redeem us from death.
— Titus 3:4-7, “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
— Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing,
and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
— Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
>> It’s not just a belief…
— James 2:17-26, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
>> … it’s repenting of our sins and accepting God’s gift of Jesus dying on the cross to pay for our sins - Jesus’ death was required because he alone was sinless and perfect. He alone could take on our sins and be the payment that justice demanded. He was God, as proven by his resurrection from death.
— Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
— Romans 5:8-10, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
— Acts 10:39, 40, “And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;”
— John 11:25-27, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”
>> Coming to the realization that I am a sinner in need of a Saviour, that I can do nothing of my own and must put all of my faith and trust on Jesus, is humbling. It’s beautiful. And it’s what brings us to our knees before a holy God.
As for discipleship, someone who has just been saved must:
>> 1. Get plugged into a Bible-believing and -teaching local church.
— Hebrews 10:24, 25, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”)
>> 2. Dive into the Word of God.
— 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
— 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
>> 3. Pray that God will connect them with someone who can guide them through being a Christian and that they won’t become tangled up in falsehoods.
— Titus 2:1-8, “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.”
— Hebrews 10:22-25, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
— 1 Timothy 1:4-7, “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.”
— 1 Timothy 1:4-7, “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.”
>> 4. Focus on building their relationship with God through Bible reading and prayer.
— 2 Peter 3:17, 18, “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
— Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17-23, “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
— James 4:6-8, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
That holy Spirit of promise” which seals us (Ephesians 1:13) is not referring to something in the future. It is right now, in the present - the Holy Spirit that indwells us at salvation.
— Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.“ (redemption = deliverance from this world = death or the second coming of Christ)
— John 14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;“
— John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.“
— Romans 5:1-6, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.“
— 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.“
— 2 Timothy 1:13, 14, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.“
Ephesians 1:15, 16, “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;“
Why would Paul be thankful to hear of the Ephesians’ faith if the next time they willfully sinned they would lose their salvation?
Luke 15:7, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.“
Why would heaven rejoice over a sinner’s repentance if they could cast that away tomorrow?
John 3:3-7, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
Physical birth happens once. Re-birth, being born again through faith in Jesus, happens once. There is a time and place that it occurs. You may not remember exactly when or where it was that you called on the LORD for salvation, but if you called on him in truth, you can be sure that it happened, because he said it would!
— John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.“
The question was posed, “If we say once saved always saved, then what is the purpose of obedience? Prayer? Trust? Fasting? Denying ourselves? Picking up our cross? What motivation would we have to not sin or to be obedient unto what God asks us?”
The answer is, because we love him. Because he loves us. Because we want to please him and bring him glory. Because we want to give our lives back to him in gratefulness for what he did for us. Because we desire to point others to him. Because we are to be set apart from the world. Because we are to let our lights shine.
— John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.“
— 1 John 4:9-19, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.“
— Philippians 2:12, 13, “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.”
— Mark 8:34, 35, “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.“
— 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 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.“
— Matthew 5:13-16, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.“
— 1 Peter 1:15, 16, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.“
John 10:9-11, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
What kind of abundant life would Jesus be giving us if we were constantly having to check, “did I do something I shouldn’t have today? did I ask for his salvation today? was I perfect in my choice of his grace today?”
Matthew 7:21-23, “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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
We can do everything “right”. We can say all the “right” stuff. But unless Jesus is the one keeping us, unless Jesus knows us, we are without hope.
Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
Jesus is the unshakable foundation, the Rock that we can stand on. Not trusting in a decision we made for today’s time - trusting in his power for eternity.
Grace is God giving us something good that we do not deserve. Mercy is God not giving us something bad that we do deserve. We do not deserve his grace! We never ever could deserve his goodness. Yet he made a way for us to find grace in his sight, through Jesus Christ. We do deserve death! We deserve hell! We deserve eternal damnation and destruction! Yet he made a way for us to be saved from that, by accepting his gift of justification once forever.
Hebrews 10:26, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,”
This verse is saying that Jesus will not die again on the cross for sins we commit after our salvation. He already died. He already paid the price. His death covers all sin, his blood covers us always. There will not be another sacrifice - he already made that sacrifice once for all people and for all time (Hebrews 10:10).
2 Corinthians 6:1, 2, “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)“
THE day of salvation. Singular.
1 John 5:4-13, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
(Miranda)
-Can someone lose their salvation by continuing to live a sinful life after claiming to be saved?
Miranda’s visual example to help you better understand.
I think the more important question, most often, regarding this topic is not "can I lose salvation", but rather, do I fully understand salvation? Do I fully understand my sin before a holy God, and what was required to set me free from that sin?
If you can truly answer yes to those questions, and are confident in your salvation, then no, you can never lose that. However, though we are sealed by the Holy Spirit under God's grace at the moment of justification, we will continue to walk a path called sanctification until we get to Heaven. This road is the process of growing in our faith, in our understanding of God's word, learning what God expects of us, and learning how to resist temptation and sin, and walk in the freedom we have in Christ. Sin will still happen on that journey, unfortunately. Jesus died for all of our sin - past, present, and future.
Now, there are times and seasons that can happen in a believer's life where it may appear that they have no understanding of what salvation looks like. There may even be someone who used to be strong in the Lord, and now has decided to "deconstruct." This is very popular right now. In these scenarios, we have to assume one of two things. 1. They were not truly saved. Or 2. We trust that in the process of God accomplishing His sanctifying work in their life, He has allowed them to stray in whatever way they are straying, and He has a perfect plan to bring them back to His ways. God is sovereign over our life and our salvation, and He knows what is best for us. There are times that He allows us to walk in the ways that seem right in our own eyes, but He sees the big picture. There might be a spiritual truth that will become concrete in that person's life after they come to the other side of their struggle. God will use that in their life to strengthen their faith and lead others into the Kingdom. The hard part is that we don't see that big picture, and we stress and worry and cry over the unrepentant sin in the lives of our loved ones, (which we should absolutely pray about!) But we have to remember to trust God through those seasons. We have to trust, that "God who began a good work in us, or them, will carry it out to completion." Philippians 1:6
Also, one more thought on that last one...if someone has accepted Jesus as their Savior, and there is no discipleship, it's going to be a lot harder for them to walk in a godly way on their own. So many times we celebrate when a sinner repents, but then we leave them to figure out what the Christian walk looks like on their own. Discipleship is so important!
My salvation is not dependent on my works, my works are a reflection and evidence of a transformed life. Hebrews 11 outlines all of the people from the Old Testament who were justified by their faith, not by the works they had done. 1 John 5:13 says that we can KNOW that we have eternal life. We dont have to wait and see if salvation will be granted to us. We can be confident in the finished work of Christ and live out obedience to Him because of our love and gratitude for what He has done, and not because of duty or in order to make sure we earn it.
-In speaking of apostates, I'm going to quote an article from Got Questions because I cant say it better. I believe Hebrews 10:26 speaks of:
"those who move toward Christ, right up to the edge of saving belief, who hear and understand the Gospel, and are on the verge of saving faith, but then reject what they have learned and turn away. These are people who are perhaps even aware of their sin and even make a profession of faith. But rather than going on to spiritual maturity, their interest in Christ begins to diminish, the things of the world have more attraction to them rather than less, and eventually they lose all desire for the things of God and they turn away."
From "https://www.gotquestions.org/Hebrews-10-26.html"
-1 John 2-3 give the best summary I can find about how all of this works together. I’m not going to paste 2 chapters here, lol, but I will highlight 2 important takeaways.
-1 John 2:19 says "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
-1 John 3:9 says "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God 's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God."
I have wrestled with this topic so very much. I have spent time living in opposition and defiance of God's will for my life. I lived a life not pleasing to the Lord… all when I was supposed to be a Christian. And yet I am confident of my salvation before that time. Had I lost my salvation? If I had died during that season, would I have gone to hell?
The whole of Scripture has taught me that no, I did not lose my salvation and no I would have been received into eternal life. I would have had to answer to my sin, as I still will when the time comes. But in his grace, Jesus had me firmly in his hand the whole time and by his grace, did not will for me to die during that season. My free will did not supersede his sovereignty.
And this is why I believe this. When Jesus died on the Christ, he died for all of my sins, before I was ever born. His justification for me was written in his book of life, before time began. To be justified means to be counted as righteous. To lose salvation, means that God would have to go back on his word, revoke his declaration of forgiveness of my sins for all time and start over. He would have to reverse the sentence that Jesus paid for me already. He died once, for the sins of all. (Rom 6:10, 1 Pet 3:18, Heb 7:27)
We've already talked about Ephesians 1:13-14. For me to lose my salvation, Jesus would have to remove his mark of salvation from me, lose his deposit (or take it back), withdraw His Spirit from me, break his promise of a guaranteed inheritance, and his glory would be greatly diminished because his power wasn't enough to keep me saved.
Romans 8:30 says, "Those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."
-This verse guarantees that those Christ justifies will be glorified. We know that glorification comes when we die and go to Heaven. If I can lose my salvation, then this verse is a lie. I can't be once justified and then not be guaranteed glorification.
Salvation is the free gift of God (Romans 6:23) God's gifts cannot be revoked (Romans 11:29). I can't do anything to earn it, which also means I can't do anything to lose it. Nothing can snatch me out of God's hand, not even the devil himself. (John 10:28-29).
Jude 24-25: "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
-For whatever reason, God chose not to keep me from stumbling during that season of my life. He saw a bigger picture that I couldnt see. He allowed me to wander, he allowed me to exercise my free will, but in His grace, love, and mercy, He knew His plan to woo me back and set me apart for His glorious purposes. He never let me go. My obedience did keep me in his grip, His love, and his covenant with me did that.
I end with Romans 11:33-36:
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Everything I do for him is out of an overwhelming sense of love, honor, and gratitude. Not that i have to pay him back, or be good enough to secure my righteousness. Faith in Christ produces good works and obedience. But it never requires it. Because I am not able to keep up with that requirement. If I could there would be no reason for Jesus to have come in the first place. This is why the good news, is good news. Christ did for me what I am unable to do for myself. Anything good that comes out of me is purely the work of the Spirit. He is the one who initiated the work in my life, and he is the one that carries it out to completion.
Kylie (the other argument)
Can Someone lose their salvation after continuing to live a sinful life after claiming to be saved?
I want to preface this by saying this is my understanding from teachings, reading, studying, prayer with God and personal experiences.
I think we should always read and study for ourselves and test everything with scripture leaning on God's understanding not on man’s.
I will never get offended if others don’t share the same opinions or agree with me. I think it’s always great to discuss different points of views, as iron sharpens iron.
Yes, someone can lose the promise of salvation. Salvation is not assured until our redemption day in heaven. God has put a down payment on us but we have free will and we have to choose his gift of grace and salvation everyday. We cannot earn salvation through works; it is only through His grace and our faith that we can attain salvation. But faith is not just a word we say. It is a verb. It is a way of living. You have to have evidence of your faith to be one of God’s sheep. We have the promise of salvation but salvation is not guaranteed until redemption day. We are sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit. I always think of it in terms of putting earnest money down on a house. God gives the earnest of our inheritance as a down payment (sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.) we do not receive our full inheritance once we believe in God and get baptized. Our full inheritance is the kingdom of God which we will receive upon judgment day. If we are faithful and obedient then when we die we receive our full inheritance. If we continue to live a life of sin, are disobedient or are unrepentant and do not pick up our crosses to follow Jesus then no we will not receive salvation.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV
Faith is our only salvation but true faith will have works. With true faith there is a transformation in life and behavior. Works and good fruit will automatically follow with true faith and a love of God.
Because faith without works is dead. If you have dead faith with no fruits or evidence then you do not really have faith. You must have evidence of your faith. We are still to obey God. We are still to read and obey what the Bible tells us. We are told to go sin no more, to have the fruit of the spirit. We are instructed how we should act, and how we should serve. We are instructed what to mark and avoid, how to resist the devil. How to surrender to God and deny our flesh. If we are continually giving in to our flesh, sinning, unrepentant then there is no grace anymore. Those that hear the truth and know but continue to walk or live in the flesh there is no longer any sacrifice to cover their sins. We are told that hearers of the word are not just by the law but doers of the word are justified.
Your works are your fruit. And a tree that does not bear fruit will be cast into the fire. Faith is made perfect by works.
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?”
James 2:14 KJV
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
James 2:17 KJV
“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”
James 2:18 KJV
“Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”
James 2:22 KJV
“Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
Matthew 7:19 KJV
If we say once saved always saved, then what is the purpose of obedience? Prayer? Trust? Fasting? Denying ourselves? Picking up our cross? What motivation would we have to not sin or to be obedient unto what God asks us? We still must choose the gift of salvation God gifts us with. He has offered it freely and gives it with grace to all those who accept it. Jesus paid the price for all our sins. For anyone (male, female, sinner, saint, slave, free, Jew or Gentile) that chooses to accept and believe in Him. But someone can accept it but later on in life reject it. Only God can give us salvation through His grace and our faith but it is our choice to accept it and the obedience that comes along with faith.
We are to work out soul salvation with fear and trembling. Turning from sin, following God’s commandments and trusting in His will. We do still need to keep God’s word.
“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.”
Philippians 2:12 KJV
“But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”
Luke 11:28 KJV
“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.”
Matthew 7:21 KJV
“(for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”
Romans 2:13 KJV
“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.”
Luke 13:24-27 KJV
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
1 John 2:4 KJV
We can reject the gift of salvation by not being obedient, by not walking in the spirit, by not living by the word. If we continually willfully sin after we know the truth there is no sacrifice for our sins any longer. God gives us free will. Our free will is between choosing to follow God’s word and live obediently, or to chose to give in to our fleshly desires, or chose to be lukewarm. It says nothing can pluck God’s children from His hand. But we must be His children to not be snatched from His hand. He knows us how? By our fruits. We hear his voice and follow Him and He will know us by the evidence of our faith (fruit) and obedience unto Him. Not everyone is God’s sheep. And God will harvest the wheat (believing Christian’s) and burn the tares (unbelievers). Once the wheat is harvested the wheat (obedient believers) will be put in the barn and will be separated from the chaff (disobedient Christians/lukewarm Christian’s) who will be blown away. (Chaff looks like a wheat grain but is only an empty husk. So it is likening it to someone who says and looks like they are living a Christian life but were not in their heart with true faith)
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,”
Hebrews 10:26 KJV
“But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.”
John 10:26-30 KJV
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
John 10:14 KJV
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”
Matthew 7:16 KJV
“For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.”
Luke 6:44 KJV
“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
Matthew 7:20 KJV
“Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.”
Matthew 12:33 KJV
“Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Matthew 13:30 KJV
“whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 3:12 KJV
God warns us there will be those that call themselves Christians but do not truly have faith. There will be those that are lukewarm that he will spit out and say I never knew you. That trees that bear no fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire.
“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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Matthew 7:21-23 KJV
“Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
Matthew 7:19 KJV
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
Revelation 3:15-16 KJV
It’s important to remember though if you have true faith and are trying to walk with Christ, then we will gain our salvation.
We will all sin and we will all stumble and fall occasionally but that does not mean you do not have faith. We will have trials during our walk, we will be sanctified and purified. Sometimes things will be very hard. We will be tested, we will falter or fail. But faith means everyday choosing to accept that gift of salvation and trying to follow Christ. Our works will be tested by fire on judgment day and works done out of faith will be treasures rewarded to you in heaven. But we do need to try to be obedient and follow Christ daily. Be repentant when we sin and follow His voice. Many that call themselves Christians are not true followers. Many are called but few are chosen.
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22:14 KJV
There are many verses that promise eternal life and that it is a free gift from God. (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:4-9, 1 John 2:28 are a few examples) But that gift only comes through the grace of believing in Jesus Christ.
We have to live in faith, walk by faith, and be obedient for those promises to apply to us. If we walk in the flesh not in the spirit even when believing Christ is our Savior then that gift of salvation we will have willfully rejected.
If we are living by faith, obeying God and His commandments then we absolutely have salvation. But we do have to choose to obey in our walk going forward trying to love and obey Christ daily. My understanding is we can not just say yes we believe in Christ then we automatically get to go to heaven. Believing and faith require us to show that in our daily lives and actions which is why we are to put away the old and be transformed daily by His word and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus died once for us to pay for all sin for everyone. But I understand that verse (Hebrews 10:26) to mean we are no longer covered by the sacrifice of Jesus' sins if we continue to willingly sin after hearing and accepting the truth. Once we hear the truth and habitually willingly disobey or willfully continually sin without repentance, we are no longer covered by the law of the spirit and His grace.
We fast, pray, trust etc. because we love God!! And if we love God we want to obey Him and do His will. But loving Him and living by faith means we need to obey His word. We have free will so there are consequences to our actions. If we choose not to be obedient and live by faith we do not obtain salvation as salvation is only obtained through faith. My understanding is faith is something we do, it's not something we just say.
We can do and say “all the right things” but if we do not have Jesus in us it means nothing. That’s 100% correct. It is only through the grace of God that we could ever obtain heaven. But it does require our faith. It requires our acceptance of that free gift. Our acceptance is by living in faith and obeying God.
My understanding is yes we absolutely should be self examining and repenting daily. We are to choose everyday to walk in the spirit and live by faith. To be image bearers of God and we should daily be reflecting on our actions, thoughts and words. If they are glorifying God, if they are in obedience to God’s word. We are to pick up our crosses daily. Which means we are to deny our fleshly desires and turn away from sin daily. We will never be perfect no matter how hard we try. We will always fall short and sin. Living by faith means we try though.
I do not understand it as someone can lose their salvation by just sinning once, a few times or even so so many. We will all sin, we will all stumble and falter. Many will even turn away and come back again. But continuing to do things we know are sins with the intention of just asking forgiveness means you are habitually sinning without repentance. True repentance means you try to avoid that sin, you put it away. Willfully sinning means you sin knowing God's word, knowing it’s wrong but not caring and doing it anyway because your flesh wants to. This doesn’t mean you can’t come back to Christ at any time and truly repentant. We always have a chance at forgiveness and redemption until our last breath.
But someone can believe in Christ and then their love can wax cold and turn bitter and they can reject God. People can get deceived and led astray. Scripture tells us how important it is to walk with Christ daily, knowing the word, doing the will of the Father and pick up our crosses.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2- I understand this verse is referring back to Isaiah 49:8 citing the prophecy of Jesus coming to spread the gospel. The day of salvation now means, this is the accepted time God made for the gospel to be shared. The day of salvation is now referring to from Christ beginning to teach the gospel until the day of judgment when there will be no more opportunity for grace. If today is the day you hear it then accept that promise of salvation and go forward living in Christ.
My understanding is being born of water and spirit is not referring to human water birth at all. But that’s a very different conversation
I think there is a lot of over-explaining happening just because of the wealth of scripture on this subject. We have been saved by the sacrificial death Jesus died for us. Once we have accepted that we then begin to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29)
Matthew 5:13 where it talks of whether the salt has its savor. I think it’s as simple as that. Do you as an individual bear the fruits of the spirit are you a salt that has savor? If the answer is yes, then you have truly accepted Jesus as he meant for you to accept him. This topic is very nuisance and circumstantial but I believe Romans 9:15 puts it best “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” If God has had mercy on you and shown you the truth then accept it and be conformed to the image of Christ in your own unique and wonderful way. Psalm 139:13-16 describes this to us. So I agree that then you would not have to worry about losing your salvation if you are salty, bear much fruit, and emit light from within. If you reflect and see this is not fully true, then repent and continue to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit taking comfort that his grace is sufficient to not only forgive but to also empower you to overcome whatever it is that is stopping you from walking in the fullness of the Spirit of God.
How to Overcome Mom Rage?
(Miranda)
-How can I overcome “mom rage”?
*Make sure you are spending time in the Word. It's ok if your kids see you reading your Bible and praying. Make it a priority. The housework can wait. Your relationship with Jesus can't. Even just 15-30 minutes earlier in the morning before the kids get up can make a huge difference. Or after they go to bed, whatever works for you.
*Exercise! It is the one thing you can do to boost your mood almost immediately every day! Find a workout video on YouTube. If you need to, use it as a chance to be silly with your kids. But get moving!
* Do whatever you can to make sure you have some sort of time to do things YOU like to do, at least once a week.
-If you like to read, set a timer for 20 min and make all the kids pick a book to look at/read, and let them see that it's an important time for you.
-Listen to a podcast or an audio book while you're folding laundry or washing dishes.
-If you like music, have a dance party with the kids to start every day! Let loose! Have fun with your kids!
*It sounds simple, but really, teach yourself to enjoy your kids. I have to do this myself. Unfortunately, motherhood is harder for me than I had always dreamed. Being a mom has taught me that I can be a very selfish person, and I desperately need Jesus! So many times over the last few years, I have allowed myself to view my children as an inconvenience to me rather than a blessing. I hate saying that, but it's the cold, hard truth. I've allowed so many other things to take precedence. And that's easy to do when our days and schedules are full to the brim. But really, in the exploration and moments when I take time to really do something fun with my kids, God is reminding me that children are a blessing. (Psalm 127)
MY children are a blessing. YOUR children are a blessing! And they have so much to contribute to our lives and to the world!
Take some time, TODAY, to remember that your children are a blessing. They are gift, given to you, for a very specific reason. They aren't going to be perfect, so stop expecting them to be. When they make stupid choices, let them know that it was stupid but then let them know that your love is still there. And then live it, even when they do the same stupid thing 5 min later. We are all learning in this life together. Choose Grace. You got this!
(Kylie)
How to overcome “mom rage” ?
Being a mom can be a hard season to be in. It’s important to have grace with yourself because we are all human and have human emotions. And it can be overwhelming sometimes.
Scripture tells us it is our job to be examples to our children and to raise them up in the way of the Lord. They do learn by our behavior. So our anger and frustration we need to surrender to the Lord. Oftentimes we will need His help to not act on our anger. But when we lay it at Jesus feet He can help carry it.
Proverbs 22:6-Train up a child in the way in the way he should go: And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Psalm 127:3-6- “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: And the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; So are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”
Ephesians 6:1-4-Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with thee that thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Proverbs 29:15- “the rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringer his mother shame”
Proverbs 29:17- “correct thy son and he shall give thee rest; yea he shall give delight unto thy soul”
Proverbs 23:24-25- “the father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: And he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall”
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 KJV
Take time to find time to rest and recenter yourself with the Lord. Even if it’s just a few minutes each day. Try to read a little scripture and meditate on it.
I’ve found reciting Bible verses can help call me down and recenter me when I’m having a hard time with self control. Ask Him to help you have peace in your heart. And to help you focus on the joy of motherhood and the privilege of raising disciples of Christ instead of dwelling on the hardships or trials. These trials work our patience and in that help sanctify us in Christ.
These are some of my favorite verses that help recenter me. Find something of the ones that resonate and give you peace or hope:
“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”
Isaiah 43:1-7 KJV
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
Psalm 23:1-6 KJV
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-7 KJV
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Matthew 5:3-12 KJV
Find something that helps you in caring for yourself as well as your kids. You need poured into as well.
Reading, gardening, listening to music, cooking, etc. something you enjoy and helps you recenter with the Lord.
Your children are a blessing. Have grace with yourself when you fail and try again the next day. We all make mistakes and our children need to learn that we can make mistakes and we will still be loved. By parents and by God. Allow your love of God to help the fruit of the spirit follow you in your actions.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Galatians 5:22-26 KJV
