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The Nature of Free Will OR Whether a Saved Person's Choices Can Affect his Salvation

#1 · February 18, 2008, 5:19 am

Quote from Forum Archives on February 18, 2008, 5:19 am
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
The Nature of Free Will OR Whether a Saved Person's Choices Can Affect his Salvation

This Bible Note is part of the answer given to a very important question in the Bible Notes message board. The question:

"What does the Bible say about eternal security? Someone recently asked me if we can lose our salvation. I loaned him a book on the subject, but it only confused him. What scripture texts give the best answer to this important doctrine?" (asked by Desert Preacher)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Scripture passage that I find to be one of the most clear on this subject is found in 2 Peter Chapter 2. I recommend reading the whole chapter to get the whole context, but I will be quoting here from the latter part of the chapter.

I would like to point out that there are two different groups of people described in the latter portion of 2 Peter Chapter 2. There is the group of very wicked people who try to influence, to persuade, to allure the other group away from God and righteousness and back into the sinful corruption of the world. Then there is the group of people who have been delivered out of the corruption of the world and are being persuaded to go back to it.

It is this second group of people that presents to us a remarkably clear answer to this very important question. I will, therefore, attempt to focus our attention upon the second group and to show what the Bible says about them.

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest: to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
(2 Peter 2:17-18)

In these two verses, we see at least three very important things: the final destination of the wicked, the clean escape of the saved, and the allurement to sin. Then, I will present a fourth important idea a little further down in the passage: the worst case scenario.

1. The Destination of the Wicked --the "first group" I mentioned above (the very wicked people who definitely are NOT saved)

to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever speaks of an eternal punishment, an eternal separation from God.

The destination of the wicked is clearly taught throughout the entire context of the Bible. Those who are not saved from sin will utterly perish. They will find their place in the lake which burneth with fire and brimestone. For, the wicked shall be turned into hell... (Psalm 9:17).

2. The Clean Escape of the Saved

The second group in this passage of Scripture are clearly the saved people, the Christians. For of whom else could it be said that they have clean escaped from them who live in error? In fact, this declaration of Scripture goes against the theology of many people today, because clean escaped means to "certainly escape", to "escape indeed", or "to escape of a truth".

The real clincher of this concept is the fact that the verse states that they were clean escaped. This could not refer to the future time of eternal bliss, because there will be no wicked ones there to tempt the saints in heaven.

Referring to the city of God: And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
(Rev 21:27)

This second group, which I will called the saved people or the saints, are definitely and clearly saved from or out of the life of sin. There is a line of separation between the saved and the wicked. One cannot be both wicked and saved at the same time.

To further prove this important point, I quote from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

The apostle Paul declares that the Christians to whom he was writing had been in the past -- such were some of you -- I repeat had been practicing sinners, wicked people. But, he makes it very clear that their relationship with God put an end to such an existence of wickedness. The passage also clearly teaches that those who do such things would by no means (apart from deliverance from them) inherit the kingdom of God!

So the line is Scripturally drawn between the saved and the wicked. We are either wicked -- bound by our sin -- or we are saved -- delivered from our sin. We are either living for God a righteous, holy life, or we are living for the Devil a sinful, wicked life. Certainly, there are degrees of heights and depths in these two realms of experience, but we cannot at the same time be on both sides of such a line of definite demarcation.

3. The Allurement to Sin

This is a very scary thought in the light of having an eternal soul that has been saved from sin. The very idea that someone would try to entice the saved one back into the wicked life from whence they had escaped is astonishing, but it shows how terribly wicked the wicked (and the Devil) can be.

Peter wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the saved could be allured back into the very sin from which they had been delivered. This in itself shows by implication that the saved people still have the freedom to choose between salvation and sin. If this is not enough for the reader to realize how much God respects the very freedom of will that He created us to exercise, then please read on, because this passage of Scripture does NOT stop with an implied possibility.

4. The Worst Case Scenario

Up to this point we have seen that Peter was beginning to imply at least that the saved could actually be allured away from their salvation and choose to leave it for the allurements of sin. Now, though, he delves into the actuality -- the reality -- of those same saved people giving in to the temptation and forsaking the way of salvation to return to the sin they had once forsaken.

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (2 Peter 2:20-21)

This is quite a chunk of Scripture to swallow. I will try to break it down a bit, but it all goes together.

Again, Peter repeats the idea that these saved people had escaped the pollutions of the world. How did they escape? through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

He then asserts without any uncertain discussion that IF they then become again entangled in the pollutions of the world AND overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

The beginning here is obviously --- by reading the context -- the state in which they were BEFORE they had escaped.

This passage clearly teaches that their is a condition worse than not having been saved. If it were true that one could NOT lose his salvation by his own choice -- by his free will -- then the condition of never having escaped sin would be worse than the case of the least of all the saved souls. But, this passage teaches that there is a case worst yet: having escaped and then becoming entrapped (entangled) once again.

The only escape from sin and hell is the wonderful salvation that God offers through His Son Jesus Christ. The only way out of the experience of salvation is to once again become entangled in sin. Now, the choice is yours. Yes, we have free will. Yes, God can truly save us and keep us. Yes, it is a cooperative effort between the soul and the Savior. God will not keep us against our will.

Lest anyone think I am teaching a fatalistic "one chance only to be saved", I am not. If a saved person falls into sin (by his own choice to commit sin), there is hope to be restored, and the sooner the better.

Hear the inspired words of John the beloved apostle:

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:1-3)

If the saved person does give in to sin, God will forgive IF that person (now a sinner by act) will repent of his sin and return to the God of his salvation. God knew that many would fall and fail and He made provision for them to return to the Father's house and to once again choose to live for the Lord, turning their back upon sin and the world.

The same sacrifice for sin, Jesus' death on the cross, that provides for our salvation from sin initially, continues to provide salvation whenever the soul truly forsakes sin and trusts in the Savior.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Note: The answer given in the message board also emphasizes God's power to save and to keep. Also, I there try to point out how important is the question of eternal security.

Click here to see the entire answer given thus far to this important question.

Yours in Christ,
Martin Overfield

Please pass this Bible Note along to any who might be interested or helped by it. To SUBSCRIBE to FREE Bible Notes, send an empty email to this address: bible_notes-subscribe@welovegod.org and respond to the confirmation email that will automatically be sent to you.

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To visit the new Bible Notes message board please visit this link:

http://www.runboard.com/bbiblenotes
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Hebrews 12:14) --To unsubscribe, send ANY message to bible_notes-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>

The Nature of Free Will OR Whether a Saved Person's Choices Can Affect his Salvation

This Bible Note is part of the answer given to a very important question in the Bible Notes message board. The question:

"What does the Bible say about eternal security? Someone recently asked me if we can lose our salvation. I loaned him a book on the subject, but it only confused him. What scripture texts give the best answer to this important doctrine?" (asked by Desert Preacher)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Scripture passage that I find to be one of the most clear on this subject is found in 2 Peter Chapter 2. I recommend reading the whole chapter to get the whole context, but I will be quoting here from the latter part of the chapter.

I would like to point out that there are two different groups of people described in the latter portion of 2 Peter Chapter 2. There is the group of very wicked people who try to influence, to persuade, to allure the other group away from God and righteousness and back into the sinful corruption of the world. Then there is the group of people who have been delivered out of the corruption of the world and are being persuaded to go back to it.

It is this second group of people that presents to us a remarkably clear answer to this very important question. I will, therefore, attempt to focus our attention upon the second group and to show what the Bible says about them.

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest: to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
(2 Peter 2:17-18)

In these two verses, we see at least three very important things: the final destination of the wicked, the clean escape of the saved, and the allurement to sin. Then, I will present a fourth important idea a little further down in the passage: the worst case scenario.

1. The Destination of the Wicked --the "first group" I mentioned above (the very wicked people who definitely are NOT saved)

to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever speaks of an eternal punishment, an eternal separation from God.

The destination of the wicked is clearly taught throughout the entire context of the Bible. Those who are not saved from sin will utterly perish. They will find their place in the lake which burneth with fire and brimestone. For, the wicked shall be turned into hell... (Psalm 9:17).

2. The Clean Escape of the Saved

The second group in this passage of Scripture are clearly the saved people, the Christians. For of whom else could it be said that they have clean escaped from them who live in error? In fact, this declaration of Scripture goes against the theology of many people today, because clean escaped means to "certainly escape", to "escape indeed", or "to escape of a truth".

The real clincher of this concept is the fact that the verse states that they were clean escaped. This could not refer to the future time of eternal bliss, because there will be no wicked ones there to tempt the saints in heaven.

Referring to the city of God: And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
(Rev 21:27)

This second group, which I will called the saved people or the saints, are definitely and clearly saved from or out of the life of sin. There is a line of separation between the saved and the wicked. One cannot be both wicked and saved at the same time.

To further prove this important point, I quote from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

The apostle Paul declares that the Christians to whom he was writing had been in the past -- such were some of you -- I repeat had been practicing sinners, wicked people. But, he makes it very clear that their relationship with God put an end to such an existence of wickedness. The passage also clearly teaches that those who do such things would by no means (apart from deliverance from them) inherit the kingdom of God!

So the line is Scripturally drawn between the saved and the wicked. We are either wicked -- bound by our sin -- or we are saved -- delivered from our sin. We are either living for God a righteous, holy life, or we are living for the Devil a sinful, wicked life. Certainly, there are degrees of heights and depths in these two realms of experience, but we cannot at the same time be on both sides of such a line of definite demarcation.

3. The Allurement to Sin

This is a very scary thought in the light of having an eternal soul that has been saved from sin. The very idea that someone would try to entice the saved one back into the wicked life from whence they had escaped is astonishing, but it shows how terribly wicked the wicked (and the Devil) can be.

Peter wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the saved could be allured back into the very sin from which they had been delivered. This in itself shows by implication that the saved people still have the freedom to choose between salvation and sin. If this is not enough for the reader to realize how much God respects the very freedom of will that He created us to exercise, then please read on, because this passage of Scripture does NOT stop with an implied possibility.

4. The Worst Case Scenario

Up to this point we have seen that Peter was beginning to imply at least that the saved could actually be allured away from their salvation and choose to leave it for the allurements of sin. Now, though, he delves into the actuality -- the reality -- of those same saved people giving in to the temptation and forsaking the way of salvation to return to the sin they had once forsaken.

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (2 Peter 2:20-21)

This is quite a chunk of Scripture to swallow. I will try to break it down a bit, but it all goes together.

Again, Peter repeats the idea that these saved people had escaped the pollutions of the world. How did they escape? through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

He then asserts without any uncertain discussion that IF they then become again entangled in the pollutions of the world AND overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

The beginning here is obviously --- by reading the context -- the state in which they were BEFORE they had escaped.

This passage clearly teaches that their is a condition worse than not having been saved. If it were true that one could NOT lose his salvation by his own choice -- by his free will -- then the condition of never having escaped sin would be worse than the case of the least of all the saved souls. But, this passage teaches that there is a case worst yet: having escaped and then becoming entrapped (entangled) once again.

The only escape from sin and hell is the wonderful salvation that God offers through His Son Jesus Christ. The only way out of the experience of salvation is to once again become entangled in sin. Now, the choice is yours. Yes, we have free will. Yes, God can truly save us and keep us. Yes, it is a cooperative effort between the soul and the Savior. God will not keep us against our will.

Lest anyone think I am teaching a fatalistic "one chance only to be saved", I am not. If a saved person falls into sin (by his own choice to commit sin), there is hope to be restored, and the sooner the better.

Hear the inspired words of John the beloved apostle:

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:1-3)

If the saved person does give in to sin, God will forgive IF that person (now a sinner by act) will repent of his sin and return to the God of his salvation. God knew that many would fall and fail and He made provision for them to return to the Father's house and to once again choose to live for the Lord, turning their back upon sin and the world.

The same sacrifice for sin, Jesus' death on the cross, that provides for our salvation from sin initially, continues to provide salvation whenever the soul truly forsakes sin and trusts in the Savior.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Note: The answer given in the message board also emphasizes God's power to save and to keep. Also, I there try to point out how important is the question of eternal security.

Click here to see the entire answer given thus far to this important question.

Yours in Christ,
Martin Overfield

Please pass this Bible Note along to any who might be interested or helped by it. To SUBSCRIBE to FREE Bible Notes, send an empty email to this address: bible_notes-subscribe@welovegod.org and respond to the confirmation email that will automatically be sent to you.

To read Bible Notes on the Internet and/or search the archives click on the following link:
http://welovegod.org/groups/bible_notes/

To visit the new Bible Notes message board please visit this link:

http://www.runboard.com/bbiblenotes

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Hebrews 12:14) --To unsubscribe, send ANY message to bible_notes-unsubscribe@welovegod.org