SUSTAINED CONVERSION

By Gary Ray Branscome

It is a great comfort to know that we do not have to keep ourselves from falling away from the faith. On the contrary, the Bible plainly tells us that we “are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (1Peter 1:5). Nevertheless, the only reason God needs to keep us from falling from faith is that without His help we would all fall away. As it is written, “No one can keep his own soul alive” (Psalm 22:29).

However, Satan is attacking that aspect of the gospel on two fronts. On one hand we have to deal with those who trust in works, rather than grace, to keep them from losing salvation. That error is refuted by the words, “kept by the power of God” and by the words “To Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before His glorious presence with great joy, To the only wise God, our Savior,” which tell us that it is God who keeps us “from falling,” not us (1Peter 1:5, Jude 1:24-25).

On the other hand, we have to deal with those who claim that once a person is saved they can live in sin and still be saved. And, that doctrine comes straight out of hell. Now many who teach that doctrine would never actually live in sin themselves. However, they have come from a background where they were in constant fear of losing salvation, and in trying to counter one false doctrine have created another. The vile fruit of that heresy is seen in congregations that tolerate fornication and abortion, accept unrepentant homosexuals, and even elevate those guilty of sexual sin to positions of leadership. That heresy is condemned by the words, “They commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one repents of his wickedness: all of them are like Sodom in my sight” (Jeremiah 23:14).

Because explaining away passages of Scripture is rebellious and irresponsible, we need to take a serious look at all of the passages that warn us of danger. At the same time, we should never interpret those passages to contradict the passages that plainly tell us that we are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,” not by our own efforts (1Peter 1:5). So let us look at some of those passages.

The first tells us that, “Those on the rock are those, who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but having no root, believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8:13). This passage seems to be speaking of those who like the gospel message when they first hear it, but do not think that they have much to be forgiven of, and, therefore, do not value forgiveness. As it is written, “He who [thinks that he] is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:47).

The second passage says, “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and became partakers of the Holy Spirit, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, And have then fallen away, to be brought back again to repentance” (Hebrews 6:4-6). This passage was written as a warning to those from a Jewish background who were thinking about returning to Judaism, in order to escape persecution.

The third passage says, “Christ is of no benefit to those of you who seek righteousness by the law; you are fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). Those words are God’s warning to anyone seeking to make himself righteous through obedience to the law.

The fourth passage says, “I buffet my body, and bring it under my control: lest there be any way that I, after having preached to others, might be rejected” (1Corinthians 9:27). Those words of Paul are God’s warning to those who think that they can live in sin and still be saved. And, the words, “The law is not meant for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the irreverent and profane, for those who strike or kill their fathers or mothers, for murders, for those who sin sexually, for sodomites, for kidnapers and slave traders, for liars and perjurers, and for any other thing that is contrary to sound teaching,” tell us that those who sin willfully place themselves back under the condemnation of the Law (1Timothy 1:9-10).

Every one of the passages just quoted is the Word of God, and as such should be taken seriously. Far from letting us sin, the Bible tells us that “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and they are opposed to each other: so that you cannot do the things that you would,” (Galatians 5:17). At the same time, none of those passages should ever be interpreted to contradict the fact that we, “are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (1Peter 1:5). Or the words, “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 8:38-39). Because, “The heart is deceitful above all things,” God wants us to teach His Word faithfully instead of trying to make it agree with our ideas (Jeremiah 17:9). And, if some things seem contradictory to our puny finite minds, then we should admit our ignorance instead of trying to change what the Bible says.

How God Sustained Job

The book of Job tells us that God did not withdraw His blessing from Job because Job had sinned, but because Job was becoming self-righteous. And, everything that God allowed Job to suffer worked “together for good,” to keep Job from losing his salvation (Romans 8:28).

Because, “No flesh will ever be declared righteous in God’s sight by the deeds of the law,” the words, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright,” are not telling us that Job was righteous because he kept the law, but because he trusted in Christ (Romans 3:20, Job 1:1). In fact, Job’s own words, “I know that my redeemer lives, and that He will stand at a future time upon the earth,” tell us that he was trusting in Christ (Job 19:25). The words, “So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes… For Job has said, I am righteous: and God has treated me unjustly,” then tell us that Job had become self-righteous, and, therefore, was in danger of losing his salvation (Job 32:1 and 34:5). And, the words, “Then Job answered the LORD, and said… Who am I but one who obscures your purpose without understanding? I have spoken about things that I did not understand; things too wonderful for me… Therefore I am ashamed of myself, and repent in dust and ashes,” tell us that what Job suffered led him to see his sin, humbled him, and kept him from losing his salvation (Job 42:1-6). As it is written, “When we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, so that we will not be condemned with the world” (1Corinthians 11:32).

Job’s “comforters” erred because they assumed that Job was being punished for a sin, without understanding the danger of self-righteousness and the purpose of God’s chastening.

[Note: The words, “After this Job lived for one hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his grandsons, even to the fourth generation,” tell us that Job lived sometime after the flood, during the period when people lived far longer than they do now.]