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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s message will be a blessing to you and your family.

You know, after we trust Jesus Christ as our Savior, it is the will of God that we serve the Lord. the Lord. But some people learn lessons the hard way. They don’t serve the Lord like they should, and so God has to chase and has to discipline. But one of the things that is of very great hindrance to our service for the Lord is never really being sure that you’re saved. You see, you can’t grow in the Lord when you’re always doubting whether or not am I really saved?

Do I really have eternal life. I’m my really God’s child. There are two teachings that are very prevalent in theological circles, which means in the ecumenical realm and the church realm. And those two teachings come from the teaching of Armenianism or Calvinism. Somebody asked me, says, are you Armenian or are you a Calvinist? And they want me to tell them which one I am. I said, I’m neither one. They said, well, Well, you’ve got to be one of the other.”

I says, no, I don’t. Well, are you a five-point Calvinist or a three-point Calvinist or a one-point Calvinist? I says, I’m no point Calvinist. Well, they don’t like that because you see, people like to put labels on you, say, this is what you are. I wrote it down here so it’s very simple and very clear for you to understand. Introduction. While they appear to be on the opposite extremes of the theological spectrum, Calvinist beliefs in eternal security and Armenian belief you can lose your salvation.

So you know that things that are different are not the same and you know that that’s not the same. One is that you are eternally secure and the other one you can lose it. So you say well you’ve got to believe one of those. Yeah but in Quotes. The Calvinist believe that you have eternal life as long as you persevere and that you will persevere if you’re really saved. The consistent Calvinist, the one who believes in the perseverance of the saints, means if you got it, you’ll live it.

But if you don’t live it, it’s because you never had it. There are those who teach that if you You are saved. You are a Christian. You are born again, happy, turn alive, God’s child. Well then you will. Automatic. You will live right. But if you don’t, it’s a sign you never really were saved to start with. So you got to get saved for real the next time. And this time really mean business. But if you don’t perform, it’s because you weren’t really serious about the situation and you weren’t really saved.

Now, do I believe that? No. I believe that you can be saved today. Have eternal life. You may never show it in your life. Still be Christian. And I believe the Bible teaches that. Now, the other of you concerning the Armenians, look at this, the absolute Armenian who’s you can lose your salvation arrives at the same conclusion in the end. No certain assurance of going to heaven until you die. If a person believes that when you really say it, you will live it.

You will in all your life can’t know for sure that they are really a Christian until they have lived it and know for sure that when they die, they finally made it. Because if they in their life ever go back on what they started out on this Christian walk, if they fail it in the future, they’re supposed to believe by their own testimony. They never really were saved. So how do they know that tomorrow or the next week or the next year they won’t really mess up?

And if they really do mess up, they’re supposed to believe… Well, I will never really saved in the first place because if you really say you’re not going to do that and yet many of them do just that. So they have reasons to question their salvation so they don’t really know they’re going to make it because they believe in the perseverance of the saint. The saints will persevere. I don’t believe the saints have to persevere. I believe that I’m saved and that God saves me and it’s his job to keep me saved.

I will saved by his power and I am kept saved by his power. I am not kept saved by my God. good deeds. Therefore I know today I have eternal life and I do not believe in the perseverance of the saints because I know that in me dwelleth no good thing in my flesh. I know that I still sin. I still do things that are wrong. I don’t have to worry about what happens if you really mess up. Well really messing up or tell on the lie or having a dirty thought.

Still sin. But I don’t have to worry about about any sin condemning me to hell because I can’t go there. I’m saved by grace. Now, on the other hand, here’s the others who teach that you can lose your salvation. And they believe that if you do something bad enough, long enough that you’re eventually you’re going to lose your salvation, but they don’t know how many sins they have to commit and they don’t know exactly what point you really lost it.

So that they don’t nearly know when they lost it, they don’t know when to get it back again. And then they don’t know for sure that they’re going to really hang on until they die to know for sure that they made it. You see, that’s not the Bible. Neither one has assurance, but can you be sure of going to heaven? Yes, she can. So I’m not an Armenian because you see, I don’t believe you can lose it. I don’t believe in the perseverance of the saints.

I believe in the perseverance of God. That He saves me and He keeps me safe. So see, I’m neither one of those. Their eternal security depends upon them living it, and if they don’t live it, they didn’t have it. And I believe that people can trust Christ as Savior and be disobedient to God and still be God’s child. And God will have to chase him. Eternal security, eternally being secure means that one who has genuinely saved by God’s grace through faith alone and Christ alone shall never in the future never be in danger of God’s condemnation or loss of his salvation, but are kept, saved and secure by God’s grace and power.

So that when I trusted Christ, He saved me and I’m going to heaven based upon His word, His promise. He is going to keep me saved. I am saved by His power and kept saved by His power. If I didn’t have the power to save myself, I don’t have the power to keep myself saved. If I can believe that I’m saved by grace without my good works, Why can’t I believe I can stay saved without my good works? Because grace would still be grace.

I want you to understand these important points. Eternal security does not mean that all who profess to trust Christ actually possess eternal life. You say, what are you? works? Because grace would still be grace. I want you to understand these important points. Eternal security does not mean that all who profess to trust Christ actually possess eternal life. You say, what do you mean? That sounds contradictory. Can you profess something and it not be true? dollars in the bank. Not necessarily.

Some of y’all have already professed that when I married this girl, I’m going to be faithful to her till death to us part. And then not keep the word. You professed something, but you didn’t perform it. A person can profess that they know God and not know Him. Now you say, where’s it say that? I’m glad you asked. Look in the book of Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7, look in verse 21. Notice, and Jesus Christ is the one that’s doing the talking.

He’s the one that said this. So Jesus Christ has got, this is what God said. I had a person one time tell me something. Well, I don’t think you ought to be the judge. I said, I’m not the judge. I’m just telling you what the judge said. He’s the judge. I can tell you what he said, because he wrote it down and told us to study. This is what he said. Not everyone 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. So is it possible somebody to profess the name of the Lord? Look what else he says in verse 22, many shall say to me in that many. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out them? And in thy name done many wonderful works. They did it all in his name and did it for him. And yet he says, depart from me, I never knew you.

And so it doesn’t mean that just because they profess something that. They really are saved. And so there’s people who say, well, I’m a Christian. That doesn’t mean they are. I meet people all the time. I asked them, I said, have you trusted Christ as you saved? Oh, yes. Where are you going to die? I don’t know. Then they don’t understand it. To get saved means you got eternal life. To get saved means you don’t go to hell. To get saved means that you’re going to heaven.

That’s what being saved mean. It can’t mean anything else. Being saved means he saved you from what? From hell. I can’t go there. He says that I’ll go to heaven whenever I die. He’ll never cast me out. He’ll never lose me so I can rest assured. But a lot of people see they can say something but it doesn’t mean that it’s real. It’s not true. He said, many of y’all say, me Lord or have we not? Look what we did.

And they’re professing themselves to be believers in God. They follow His principles and His teaching but they just haven’t trusted Him, depending upon Him to get Him to heaven. The next statement, eternal security does not mean that all who trust Christ plus their good works are eternally secure. The Bible doesn’t say that God saves those who are trusting in their works and in Christ to get them to heaven or really going to heaven. If God says that if it’s by grace it can’t be by works otherwise grace is in grace.

But if it is by works it can’t be by grace Otherwise, work isn’t work. It’s how simple that is. It means you either are saved by grace or you saved by work, but you can’t be saved by both. Now, look during the book of Galatians in chapter five. Many people are trusting in a combination of Christ plus their works. Eternally secured does not refer to those people. Eternal security cannot refer to anybody that professes it but don’t possess it.

He turns security cannot refer to anybody who is trusting in Christ and their works to get them to heaven. It doesn’t refer to those people. There’s people who think you have to keep the law to be saved. Today it’s the same thing as saying you got to go to church, you got to live right, you got to give money, you got to join and pay and all these good things. No, no, no, that’s not true. That’s works for salvation.

That means you’re trying to earn it. And if you’re not good enough, long enough, then you’re not going to have it. Well, that’s not the Bible. Galatians chapter 5 looked there in verse 2. So he says in verse 2, Behold, I Paul send to you that if you be circumcised, that means to keep the law. Christ shall profit you how much? Nothing, Christ profits you nothing. Those that are seeking to save themselves by the law or by being circumcised, which was under the law.

He says, then Christ profits you nothing. He’s what I’m trusting Christ, but I’m gonna do this also. Well, then you’re not trusting Him. Trusting Him means I’m taking Him at His word and depending upon Him. But if you try to earn it, say you’re depending upon yourself, so you’re not really trusting Christ. You say, what’s the difference? Hell, that’s the difference. Heaven or Hell? Is it critical? Yes it is. Otherwise, how do you know you’re not one of those that simply says, Lord, Lord, I went to church and I sent them the choir and I followed your teachings and I even prayed and I did all these wonderful things.

And God says, I’m sorry, I don’t even know know who you are. I never knew you. You never were saved. It’s got to refer to somebody because he says many are going to say this. So there’s many people that are sitting in a lot of churches all over the world that are guilty of this. And how do you know it ain’t you? You say, I’ve heard this all my life. But do you really understand? Are you really dependent upon him to take you to heaven when you die?

Here in verse four, he says, Christ is become up and And here’s those two words, no effect unto you. Whosoever of you are justified by the Lord, you’re fallen from grace. See, if you’re trying to save yourself by the law, by your good deeds, then you have rejected salvation by grace. You want to get salvation by earning it, by your works. And God says, you can’t have it. He says, Christ has become of no effect unto you. In the words of no effect, no salvation.

You can know the right language. You can go to the right church. You can hear the right things. But personally nobody can do this for you. Only you can trust Christ as Savior for you. And if you never do that, you will not be saved. You will not go to heaven when you die. Now in Titus 3.5, it simply makes a statement. He says, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, not by works of righteousness which we have done.

So nobody was ever saved or ever will be saved by their works. So you can’t say, I’m trusting Christ, but I’m going to do this other just in case. Well, your just in case just cost you. Then this doesn’t count. You either have to depend upon him and him alone as you’re only hope to get them or you are not trusting him. You’re not totally leaning and relying upon him as your Savior. You believe somehow that you have to live a certain way and perform in order to help save you or to help keep you saved or to prove that you’re saved and all that stuff.

Now you don’t get it. churches are full of people who don’t get it. In Romans chapter 4 and verse 4 and 5, two of my favorite verses of the Bible is Ephesians 2, 8 and 9. Quote it with it, “…for by grace are you say through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.” It’s a gift of God, it’s not of works. And people can’t believe that it could be so simple.

Or look, number three in your notes, Eternal security does not mean that knowing for sure that you are saved forever should be a licensed to sin, but rather grants you liberty to serve Christ. A lot of people think, well, if you believe in that, and they call it that, hey, that damned of old doctrine, then that means you just got a license. Go out here and live like the devil and still go to heaven when you die. In other words, think that you don’t deserve to go now.

If in other words, if that’s just a teaching that was damn your soul to hell and you believe that, you just giving people a license to go out here and sin and then think that she’s going to go to heaven whenever they die. Well, if they did, would that be grace? You’re saved by what? And people don’t believe that you ought to be able to go to heaven and believe something like that. And that’s too easy. That’s too simple.

It’s got to be complicated. Do I advocate Christians living in sin? Anybody who listens to me knows that’s not true. I want you to live as godly as you can every day of your life, all of your life, but not to get to heaven. Because if you’re dependent upon that to get you to heaven, as I’ve said before, you’re lost as a hound dog in the end of a soup bone. You don’t get it. I should serve the Lord.

I should live right because I’m going to heaven because I am God’s child, but not to be a child of God. I want you to turn in your Bible to Romans chapter 6. I want you to see this verse. Romans and chapter 6. The Bible tells us that God’s grace is greater than our sin. Look at verse 1 of all in Romans 5 and verse 20, Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, graced it much more abound.

Have you ever heard of a song like that? Grace greater than our sin? You see, there are people who believe you can lose your salvation because you’ve committed some sin. Well, aren’t you supposed to believe that God’s grace is greater than my sin? So if grace is greater than any of my sins, what sin can condemn me to hell? They can’t. So the question comes, well, then shall I live in sin that grace may more abound? So we have more grace, commit more sins?

No. Look in chapter 6 and verse 1. What shall we say to? In other words, because what I’m saying is true, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? And the next words are God forbid. No. That’s not the will of God. Just because I I know I’m God’s child and know I have eternal life and know that I can’t go to hell in the future. Does it mean that that’s a licensed permission from God to live like you please, like it doesn’t matter?

No. It is permission from God that now I can live for the Lord. God wants me to voluntarily choose because I love Him because of what He’s done for me, that I will serve Him, that I will honor Him. Not because I have to, but because I want to. Nobody has tried to get me to serve God. Nobody is constantly every week trying to yank it. You know you really need to serve the Lord. You really need to do this and you need to go to church and you need to pray and you need to…

What? Because I do it, because I want to.CEO. That’s better than done because I have to. I can’t make you serve God. I can’t make you right with God. But if you love God, then you’ll want to do those things. And you’ll love God when you really understand what He did for you. When you know He really paid for my son, He really did give me turn on. He really will never cast me out. He’ll never lose me. He really did all that for me.

Now I serve the Lord because knowing that I have eternal security brings such wonderful peace, enjoy and happiness that I have in heaven whenever I die. And because of that, I want to serve the Lord. Therefore it works that way. It’s not a license to sin. The Lord tells us in His Word, do not let your liberty become a stumbling block, but to use us as an occasion to serve the Lord, but not an occasion for the flesh,” says Aaron, a book of Galatians, is grace greater than our sin or is sin greater than grace.

Grace is greater than our sin. And even though you do things wrong from this point on, God’s grace is greater than your sin and you’re saved by grace. And love covers a multitude of sin, but he didn’t just cover it, he washed them all away. The next point I want you to see there in number four, eternal security does not mean that a Christian can live as he pleases and get away without chastisement. You cannot live like you want and expect everything to be okay and you to escape God’s chasing.

Take your Bible, look in Hebrews chapter 12. This is a very, very important verse that you need to see. Hebrews chapter 12, you need to underline this verse in your Bible. As a child of God, you need to understand that though your heavenly Father loves you, You can’t live as you please and get away with it, but you can live as you please. You can live to please God, and you can live not to please God. There will still be a child, but you’re going to suffer the consequences.

If you’ll live the please God, God’s going to bless you. Rewards you when you get to heaven. And you’ll have an inner peace and joy knowing that you’re obeying your heavenly Father. But if you choose not to obey God, yeah, you still is child. When you’re forfeit many of God’s blessings and life that He could have done for you, you’re going to forfeit a lot of rewards that you could have had. You could have been used by God, but you weren’t.

You may be set on the shelf and not used, not fit for the master’s use. And God says that He may do something else. He says many are sick and some are weak and some are dead. He’s taken home before their time. So you see, you can’t live as you please and get away with Him. God says, be not deceived. He is not mocked. For whatsoever man’s soeth, that shall he also reap. And you can sow to the flesh, and you can sow to the spirit.

Means you can obey God and you don’t have to obey God. But if you don’t obey God, God says, because you are his child, he will chase in you. Look at in verse six, for whom the Lord loveth, he’s chasing it. Now why would God chasing his children because he loves them. And he says, and scourge of every son, every son whom he receive it. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior and you won’t serve God, you won’t obey Him.

God your heavenly Father says, He is going to chasten you. I know that if I don’t serve the Lord, I already know the consequences. I know He’s going to chasten me. And He may not tell me exactly how He’s going to do it. But I can rest assured in the fact that he will. He may cut my life short or many things happen in my life that would not have happened had I served the Lord. So it’s better for a child of God to put God first and serve him because he is your heavenly father.

And when you do something wrong, you’re still his child, but he is going to chasing you. Look there in the last part of verse five, verse five. My son despised not by the chasing of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. You see, my son despised not the chasing of the Lord. That means that when you’re a child of God, that means you still can do things wrong and you’re still his child. Because if you weren’t, then God wouldn’t be chasing you as his child if you were no longer his child because you did something wrong.

And that said, oh, that shows you’re not his child. No. That means God’s children still do a lot of things they shouldn’t do. We do a lot of things wrong. But when God has to the chasteness. The Bible says, says now no chaste for the present seems to be joyous. How many of y’all have ever enjoyed a good whooping? No chaste for the present seems to be joyous, but you’re hoping that the chaste and you give to that little son or daughter will benefit them in their life.

And so you inflict a little temporary pain, hoping that’s going to save them from a lot of hurts down the road. That’s what the Lord does. Look in verse 11. Now, now, present tense, now, no chasening for the present, seem to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterwards, it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised there by them. In other words, God says, because you’re my child, you can’t live as you please and get away with it.

I’m your father. I’m going to have to chase in you. And because I chasing you means I love you. Otherwise, God would just let you do whatever you want and get away with it. But he doesn’t. He will give you personalized attention. Now he’s long suffering, but he’s a good father. Look at the next statement. In the little box, the absolute assurance of eternal salvation is based on the unfailing and sure promises of God. I want you to look in Romans chapter 4 very quickly.

The book of Romans in chapter 4. I refer to these verses quite often. And notice the contrast, as I stated here in the notes in order to show the contrast between grace and works. Paul and Roman states, now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. In other words, if you had to earn your salvation. Then God says that he would be in debt to you and going to heaven would be your reward.

In the words, you live in such a good way that God is in debt to let you go to heaven. And that’s why a lot of people think it is. But that means that you have to work. It means that God’s in debt to you and it means that heaven would be a reward, something you earned and you had a right to it. God says that’s not the way it’s going to be. He says it’s by grace. But to him that work if not doesn’t work, but simply believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for what?

God gives you his righteousness without your works. God doesn’t want you to try to earn it, work for it, buy, pay for it. And heaven is not your reward for you living a good life. You live good enough and I’ll let you go. That’s not what it is. People don’t understand the Bible. God says you cannot earn eternal life, you cannot work for it. The other verse I want you to see there in chapter four, look in verse 16.

There’s three words in verse 16. Three words, faith, grace and sure. But look in verse 16. Therefore it, being saved, have an eternal life, becoming God’s child, good to heaven when you die. Eternal security, all of it. It is a faith that’s yours, that’s yours. your faith, that it might be by grace. That’s God’s grace. You see, I’m supposed to take my faith, my confidence, and put it into what he did for me. Believe it, he did that for me.

And God says he would save me by grace, unmerited. I don’t merit it. I don’t work for it. I don’t deserve it. He says, to the end, or for this purpose, it might be, what’s the word? That it might be sure to all the seed everybody believes. In other words, the only way you could be positive of going to heaven when you die is that it must simply be by faith, not your work, because if you have to do it by your works, well, you won’t know it until you die.

And then that means you’ve got to live a certain way. And then you would never be sure. So God says it’s by faith. You trust Him and He will give you eternal life by grace. Grace means you didn’t deserve But I’ll save you by grace. For by grace are you saved that it might be sure, positive. You can know it. And that’s simple. That’s awesome. And think of how many people don’t understand this. And you know it. You know you have eternal life.

And yet there’s a lot of people who say, yes, they’re saved. They’re Christians. They trusted the Lord. And don’t know where they go when they die. And the reason is because they got some element of works involved in it. And they won’t say, oh yeah, I believe it’s salvation by works. No, they won’t say this by works. But how could you lose it? Bad works. So then good works is keeping it. But bad works is taking it away from you.

So they’re eventually going to heaven depending upon their works. And that’s not salvation. And God will not say one person who trusts in their works. Or a combination of race plus works. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the Gospel with friends and loved ones.

This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Mail. The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, and God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline.

Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. And we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.