Is it possible to fall away from the truth of God and His good
graces, and lose out on salvation? The answer is,
"Yes." Extremely trying days lie just ahead for those of us in
the Church of God. Everything that we hold sacred will soon be
overthrown – everything, that is, except our faith, which
must continue until the very end. Over and over in the
Bible the brethren are admonished to live lives of overcoming,
and remain faithful to the end. How do we go about enduring
unto the end? Do we grit our teeth in rigid determination to
hang on – or is there another method of enduring until the
end? "He that shall endure unto the end, the same
shall be saved." (Mark 13:13)
Spiritually speaking, as Christians we have our ups and our
downs. We go through spiritual highs and lows, where sometimes
we feel absolutely unshakeable, and other times, we
crumble. Enduring to the end is not a matter of relying on our
own strength and will-power. If we rely on ourselves – we will
ultimately fail. We have the example of the Israelites who had
the faith to leave Egypt, but lacked the faith in God to give
them the victory to enter into the Promised Land. They did not
endure unto the end – the promised rest (Hebrews 4:1-2). Do we
have the proper faith in God to deliver us in every trial and
bring us securely to the Kingdom of God? That remains for us,
if we endure to the end.
Paul reminds us brethren that our faith must be in God alone,
"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil
heart of unbelief, in departing from the living
God." (Hebrews 3:12) How secure is our relationship with
God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ? How well do we trust
in His unchangeable nature – in His love, in His
trust-worthiness, in His providence, in His protection, in His
sovereignty, in His holiness, in His mercy, and a whole
multitude of other divine characteristics. If that faith and
full reliance is not growing, then we are actually in the
process of departing from the living God. We are
either moving forward in our understanding and trust of God, or
we are slipping away and putting our entrance into His rest in
danger. It is only through Christ that we too are assured of
victory, if we remain steadfast unto the end.
Brethren, unlike the ancient Israelites, we have been given the
greater promises and means to “hold fast the profession of
our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised.”
(Hebrews 10:23) Our faith, therefore, is in God – not in
ourselves to be able to endure whatever trial or test that may
come. It is God who governs the timing and intensity of trials
so that we may learn to rely more and more on Him. To avoid the
trial is to avoid the tremendous blessing of growing closer to
God.
Too many in God's Church have a misplaced reliance on their own
faith. An individual's misplaced reliance on inward faith might
reveal itself with an, “I’ve got it made because of
…such-an-such” – attitude. And, we do not say it openly, but
we think it inwardly – and it goes something like this: I’ve
got it made because I keep the Sabbath on Saturday – My
foundation is sure – because I know my Bible – I’ve got it made
because I follow a man who would not steer me wrong – I’ve been
in the church for ump-teen years – I’ve got it made! I’m with a
real big group – I’ve got it made!
Contrast this misplaced inward faith with an outgoing enduring
faith. "...we trust in the living God, who
is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe."
(1 Timothy 4:10) As we countdown to the return of Jesus Christ,
let’s realize that a final test of our conversion will be for
the purpose of seeing if we will remain faithful.
“…Be faithful unto death and I will
give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Once taken
for granted, our liberty is now being eroded and our religious
freedom is being encroached upon. Paul illustrated that it is
possible to lose our salvation. "Let us labor therefore to
enter into that rest [millennium and Kingdom of God],
lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."
(Hebrews 4:11)
For the people of God, there remains little doubt that there
will be sore trials, severe tests, and great temptations in
these last days. Some brethren will succumb to Satan's devices
and lose their salvation. “Now the Spirit speaks expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”
(1 Timothy 4:1) The threat is indisputable. The
question is: who among us will remain faithful in the
face of such a severe ordeal? Many people start off strong when
they first hear the message of the Kingdom of God, but are
unable to remain faithful until the end. “Many are called,
but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14) That clearly
means that many will not hold on to their precious faith, as
they should. It can happen to us – regrettably, it has come to
pass for all too many already. "Let us not be weary in well
doing: for in due season we shall reap [salvation],
if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9)
God is faithful to impart His Holy Spirit to us – a gift more
precious than our physical lives. God's Word says that we will
be presented holy, unblamable, and unreprovable in His
sight, if we continue in the faith.
(Colossians 1:23) Our faith must be in God the Father and
His Son, Jesus Christ, and not in ourselves. "...God
is faithful, who will not allow you to be tested above
that ye are able..." (1 Corinthians 10:13)