Acts 2:40---And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Can you be talked out of holiness? That is the real target of my bible study today.
We all know that if Jesus died for all, then all were lost. We also all know that without the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ, there is no salvation for anyone, Jew or Gentile. All of our hope and faith in salvation is in the sacrifice of Jesus upon the Cross.
This sacrifice of flesh and blood (The Passover Emblems), is our atonement. It is the blood of the body of Jesus that washes away our sins at the time of water baptism. And it is the blood applied at the moment of baptism that changes us from an ungodly sinner to a holy person with sins forgiven and totally remitted to never be remembered against us again. We know then that our sins separate between us and God. And when these are removed, our separated status changes and we come into the unity of Christ. At the moment of this unity, the Holy Ghost comes into the human temple and we begin to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance. We are now sanctified by the blood and the water and the Spirit.
After we are saved then what? This is the pivotal question many will face. Are you once saved always saved? Is the initial salvation of Christ the only spiritual experience of the mind, body, and soul? If you are not once saved always saved, are there any sins that can separate you from Christ? How does living holy after the blood cleansing of water baptism affect your salvation? Can a person be lost if they reject the holiness given to them at the moment of their new birth? Is holiness also eternally imputed in the once saved always saved golden package? And if you are counted holy forever as the once saved always saved groups teach, then it is true nothing you do can cause you to be lost or fall from grace. Here is where modern Pentecostalism stands today. They stand at the crossroads of eternal security and faith. If you turn left onto the eternal security highway you never need any faith because you are eternally secure because you accepted Christ as your personal Savior. So there is no free-moral exercise of faith on this highway of predestination. But, is there a living faith after salvation? If you continue straight on the highway of faith what will you discover?
A few years back in South Africa a nice young couple with a daughter were progressing nicely in the Apostolic doctrine. They were learning and growing. But a liberal charismatic pastor turned them away from holiness that I was putting into them. It was not long, he also turned them into my enemies. They departed from all holiness and went back to the life of a liberal charismatic. What tool of deception did this pastor work on their mind? It is a simple tool of deception. The devil has used it now for quite a few years. It goes like this:
Only Jesus can save you right?
You cannot save yourself right?
Then you must trust in Jesus alone, by faith alone, and by grace alone, right?
If your salvation is not by your own works, how can works after salvation save you, right?
If you try to do anything after salvation to be saved, you are trying to be saved by your own works, right?
The scripture says: not of works lest any man should boast, right?
Not of works means in getting saved, right?
Not of works means after salvation, right?
Okay, you have now agreed that performance religion is unscriptural, right?
Now, accept the fact that holiness standards are man trying to please God and Calvary is Jesus pleasing God the Father for our salvation. Do you accept this?
Now, can you do anything greater than what Jesus did on Calvary?
If Jesus saved you, how can you save yourself by performance religion that holds a standard of holiness?
At this point the victim is rendered totally hopeless. If they deny Jesus alone saved them, they consider themselves a very evil sinner. If they believe there is faith works after salvation, they consider themselves trying to save themselves by their performance. If they accept the once saved always saved, once holy always holy, doctrine: then nothing they do, no sin they commit, after accepting Jesus as their personal Savior can cause them to be lost. They conclude then, that they have no obligations after salvation to live holy or to be a moral person. They can sin for all their worth and never be lost. And they can dress any way they want and it will not be held against them.
This couple in South Africa chose to accept the doctrine of this charismatic pastor and they departed from me. The last pictures I saw of the wife she had on pants, wearing earrings and makeup. Their little girl had on pants and earrings. The husband was wearing shorts and his face was painted up with paint stripes like he was supporting some sports team. They were among a very ungodly looking charismatic church group. I was so sad to see this. But, after these many years I have seen many turn aside into vain jangling. This is why I say:
If a person CAN be deceived, they will be deceived.
After salvation are there any requirements Christians must comply with to stay saved? Notice I did not say to get saved. But let me deal with that also right here.
True Jesus died for all on Calvary. But does this automatically give everyone blanket salvation? Must a person hear and believe the Gospel? If so, is this not an act of the person to accept the blood shed atonement on Calvary? And if a person must accept this and believe it, is this not works? A person had to do something. And doing something is works, right? Is accepting doing something? Is believing doing something? And if it is, although it is an exercise of the mind, is it not true this is evidence a person must do something to be saved?
Can a person be saved who refuses to repent? Isn't repentance something a person does? Isn't what a person does works? What makes all these works acceptable to God? It is the faith behind believing and accepting that produces the work of repentance. It is the faith behind them that is what produces repentance. And this faith is given to us by the goodness of God. Without the goodness of faith we can do nothing. And believe me, faith is the blessing of the goodness of God. Not all people have this goodness of faith. Look at this verse:
Romans 2:4---Or despiseth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Although Calvary is complete. The finished work of redemption is over. No man can add to it or take from it. Yet everyone must do something to receive it. To do anything is
performance or works. If you do not do these things the finished work of Calvary will profit a person nothing. They can die in their sins. Therefore, we conclude that there is a required performance of faith works by every individual or they will be lost.
Please differentiate between New Testament faith works and Old Testament Law works. There is nothing in this Bible Study about performance of Law works. Any verse of scripture in context of Law works cannot be used against faith works of the New Testament that have no connection to the Law.
A person must accept the following verses:
REV 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of
those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
REV 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and
they were judged every man according to their works.
These verses do not say a person is saved by faith only (see James 2:17-26).
This shows us that works, both good and evil will be judged. It shows us faith without works is dead.
How can anyone say that repentance is not faith and not good works?
How can anyone say being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ is not faith and not good works?
How can anyone say being filled with the Holy Ghost is not by faith and something that happens by the works of prayer and praise?
These are the first works. Let us now look at this verse:
REV 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
repent, and
do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place,
except thou repent.
This whole church congregation was commanded by Jesus himself to repent. They did not have the blanket once saved always saved, once holy always holy golden ticket. Jesus said this church needed to repent. This is something they must do. If they obey this is faith works. If they do their first works, this is their faith works. And if they refuse, he said he would remove the candlestick from among that church. Many churches are dark inside with their liberalism and they refuse to repent and do the first faith works as found in Acts 2:38.
Is obedience a work, a performance? Yes. Faithful students look up each of the following verses and get the intent of works. Prove to yourself if you do not measure up after salvation and change your behavior and your life, you will be lost. Get a revelation how faith saves you and keeps you saved by the obedience of faith. Learn that the words "performance and works" are not evil and they are not bad. And neither of them take anything away from the salvation work of Jesus on the Cross.
Romans 2:8;
Romans 6:16;
Romans 15:18;
Romans 16:19;
Romans 16:26;
Galatians 3:1;
Galatians 5:7;
2Corinthians 2:9;
2Corinthians 10:5;
2Thessalonians 1:8;
Hebrew 5:9;
1Peter 1:14;
1Peter 4:17
Ok, you have finished reading these verses. What did you learn. Did you learn you had a once saved, once holy golden ticket and you can do anything you want and still be saved? Or did you learn there is faith after faith salvation that you must personally perform and work out? How about this verse:
PHI 2:12 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.
Paul said nothing here about any golden ticket straight to heaven by faith only in the finished work of Calvary for salvation.
Now, back to holiness.
Is holiness something God does or is it something we do.
Both.
When you receive full and complete remission of sins at the time of water baptism, you are washed by the waters of regeneration (1Tim 3:5). You are cleansed totally. There is no sin in you any more to condemn you (Rom 8:1). You are made holy by the blood of Jesus. This is where your holiness begins. And this is the holiness you are to keep with you the rest of your life.
If you are baptized unholy, and dressed unholy, you need to go back. Only the ungodly bury people in partial nakedness. Most who are buried are buried in clothing which they like and hope to be resurrected in. The same in water baptism. Many preachers do not care they will baptize you any way you are. This is false. A woman should be dressed in her first holiness. A man likewise. You are coming up out of the water to live a resurrected life. See that you go down and come up proper.
Since holiness begins at the time of water baptism, it is the responsibility of the baptizer to make sure the candidate is properly prepared. Do not expect the sinful nature to be washed away and you put them down in shorts and halter tops and bring them up that way. This is a snare upon the soul and many of these eventually go back to this life style. We want holiness to prevail from the moment of repentance until this soul is safe on the other side waiting for the resurrection, or safe and rapture ready.
Holiness is performance and it is works. But in saying this, we admit it is faith performance and faith works, because without this faith behind our holiness we do not believe that how a person dresses will save them. You can dress up a sinner in holiness clothing but it will not save them. In fact many people going to church dress up and they are not saved. But a person who is saved who dresses in holiness, they exemplify the very nature of Jesus Christ. And no one can prove Jesus Christ went about Israel in ungodly and worldly garments that rendered him partial naked. Jesus despised the nakedness the priest and temple cult forced upon him on the Cross. It was shameful and he hated it.
HEB 12:2 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.
If Jesus despised the shame of his own nakedness upon the Cross, why would he love your nakedness? Your nakedness was a shame from Genesis 3:10.
Holiness is a nature of God. He said: "
be ye holy for I am holy" (1Peter 1:16).
Is there any image of God in heaven or Jesus upon the earth where they were dressed in any unholy manner? If God has on garments is this performance and works? Why do we allow men to invent these catchy words and then pervert them to mean holiness is evil because it is performance and works just as God himself presents it?
Can someone talk you out of holiness with catchy words and false interpretations of the Word of God?
Can someone actually prove to you that God no longer accepts holiness as a part of the Christian life after salvation?
Can you be so ignorant, or so caught up in the lusts of the flesh, desiring and wanting worldliness so bad: you will pervert the Word of God?
If you can be deceived that after initial salvation you are not responsible to save yourself from falling: then you will become a victim of a lying spirit. What else will these lying spirits convince you is not acceptable to God? After all, once faith performance and faith works are no longer a love within your heart, will not the love of the world enter in? And if the love of the world enters in, will you not begin a lot of sinful performances and works?
You can keep yourself saved after initial salvation and Jesus will show you how. If you have a good Pastor he will not only teach you, he will do his best to present you faultless before the throne of Jesus. If you have a bad pastor, he will allow you all the liberty you desire to live any ungodly way you want. And he will brainwash you into believing you have the golden ticket and nothing you can do will save you or keep you saved.
I say as did Peter on the day of Pentecost:
"Acts 2:40b---saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Bishop Reckart
Keep yourself saved after Jesus saves you
