Eternal Security – See you in Heaven

What happens to a Christian who rejects Christ’s sacrifice?

Some people believe that a Christian who rejects Christ’s sacrifice or falls away from the Lord, loses his salvation or was never saved in the first place. Is this true? A common Bible passage they refer to is in Hebrews 10:26-31. Let’s take a look at this.

The author of the book of Hebrews is writing to Christians who are being pressured to return to Judaism and give up on their Christian faith. These Christians were in danger of returning to animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins instead of holding fast to the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb. 2:1-18; 3:12; 7:11-28; 10:1-18).

After focusing on the sufficient sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross to perfect them and give them total acceptance before God (10:1-18), the writer of Hebrews admonishes his readers to boldly “draw near” to God in a “new and living way” without unbelief or consciousness of sin or guilt (10:19-22). They are to persevere in the faith (10:23) and Christian fellowship till Christ’s return (10:24-25), when the promise of the eternal inheritance will be awarded to those who persevere (cf. Heb. 9:15; 10:35-37).

The warning in Hebrews 10:26-31 applies to genuine Christians as do all the other warnings in the book of Hebrews. If one honestly looks at all the times “we” is used in this book (2:1, 3; 3:6; 4:3, 13; 7:26; 10:10, 19, 39; 12:1, 25; 13:6; et al), he would conclude that the author of Hebrews is including himself and is therefore addressing Christians. Let’s look at verse 26: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. ” The author’s use of “we” (hēmōn) in verse 26, also means he does not exclude himself from potential apostasy. The word “For” (gar) connects this section with the previous one (10:19-25) which is explicitly addressed to Christians. They are to hold fast to their Christian confession and not forsake assembling together (10:24-25). So this connective gar introduces the danger of “willfully” (10:26) not holding fast to their Christian confession and forsaking their assembling together. This danger in Hebrews 10:26-31 is the reason why they should not apostatize i.e. reject Christ’s sacrifice (10:1-18) and forsake assembling together (10:24-25).

Nothing in the transition from the encouragement section (10:19-25) to the warning section (10:26-31) suggests a change in audience. Both sections are to genuine Christians. Notice the phrase “the knowledge of the truth” (tēn epignōsin tēn alētheias) in verse 26 does not mean mere information here in light of the context, but a genuine and personal knowledge which only a believer in Jesus can possess. The only other usages of this phrase in the New Testament refer to believers (cf. I Tim. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25; 3:7; Titus 1:1). Also, the phrase in Hebrews 10:30, “His people” (ton laon autou) alludes to the fact that those who are to be judged are God’s people. They have been redeemed by Him.

To substantiate the genuineness of their Christian faith further, the author of Hebrews has already described his readers as having been “enlightened” by the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:4a; cf. 10:32), which leads to “tasting” or receiving the gift of eternal life (Hebrews 6:4b; cf. John 4:10; Rom. 6:23; cf. Heb. 2:9), which makes possible partnership (Hebrews 6:4c; cf. 1:9; 3:1, 14) with the Holy Spirit, under Whom they feed on the Word and taste God’s power (Hebrews 6:5). Only a believer can “fall away” from the Lord. One cannot fall away from the Lord unless he HAS the Lord. These Christians were in danger of returning to animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins instead of holding fast to the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb. 2:1-18; 3:12; 7:11-28; 10:1-18).

Since these are genuine Christians, we know that they have everlasting life which can never be lost (John 10:28-29). Jesus promises that those who hear and believe His promise of everlasting life “shall not come into judgment” for their sins (John 5:24), including the sin of apostasy or turning away from Christ’s sacrifice. Christ guarantees that those who believe in Him will “never be cast out” of God’s family (John 6:37) nor will they ever die spiritually (John 11:25-26). No one and nothing can separate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). Believers in Jesus are sealed by the Holy Spirit after hearing and believing the gospel, so that they will be safely and securely delivered to heaven in the future (Ephesians 1:13-14). God’s Word does not contradict itself. So it is important to interpret Hebrews 10:26-31 in a way that harmonizes with the clear teaching of salvation by grace through faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:15-16; Romans 4:5; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16; I John 5:1, 13).

In the background of this willful sin of apostasy (10:26), is the “presumptuous” sin in which no sacrifice was provided for (Numbers 15:29-31). So when a believer apostatizes, there is no place to turn to, to secure sacrificial protection against God’s temporal wrath and retribution. To turn one’s back on the only sacrifice that God accepts, is to fall under God’s temporal judgment. An apostate changes sides so to speak, and puts himself on the side of God’s enemies (James 4:4), and can therefore experience God’s fiery wrath (cf. Hebrews 6:4-8).

When Hebrews 10:27 says, “but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries,” it means that whereas no sacrifice for sins remains, there does remain a certain fearful expectation of judgment from God. Since fear is punishment (cf. I John 4:18), the fearful expectation is itself a part of God’s judgment on the Christian who departs from the Christian faith.

A more severe punishment is also in the mind of the author of Hebrews. “Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (Hebrews 10:28). A quick, sure death accompanied a severe infraction of the Old Covenant (e.g. blasphemy, Lev. 24:11-16; murder, Lev. 24:17; Numbers 35:30; false prophecy, Deut. 18:20; etc.). But especially in mind here is idolatry and the rejection of the decision of a priest or judge (cf. Deut. 17:2-13), since Hebrews 10:28 alludes to Deuteronomy 17:6.

Please keep in mind that Solomon died while steeped in idolatry (I Kings 11:1-43) and yet he was a believer in the coming Messiah. God declared that Solomon would be His son and He, God, will be Solomon’s Father (I Chronicles 28:6). Hence, Solomon is a believer in the coming Messiah because he is a child of God (cf. John 1:12). Also, God used Solomon to author three books of the Bible: Proverbs (Solomon was the principal author), Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes. The Bible says that the human authors of the Bible were “holy men of God” who “spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Even though Solomon was an idolater, the Bible says he was a “holy” man of God. How can this be? He is “holy” in God’s eyes because he has been set apart from his sin and shame by virtue of his faith in the coming Messiah who would die for all of his sins – including the sin of idolatry (cf. Isaiah 53; Colossians 2:13-14).

But a worse punishment awaits a New Covenant believer who apostatizes. By using the form of a question, the writer raises the level of fear with the uncertainty involved in Hebrews 10:29: “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” This more severe punishment is not spelled out. But it is conceivable that there are worse punishments than a sure, quick death in the Old Testament.

For example, King Saul suffered a worse punishment than death as he went though prolonged manic-depression and paranoia. He also was consumed by fear and hatred (I Samuel 13:8-28:25), yet he was genuinely saved since Samuel said he would be with him after death in Paradise (I Samuel 28:19; cf. Luke 16:22; 23:43). That Saul was a genuine believer is also substantiated by the following:

We must first understand that “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). Under the law of the Old Testament, good works have nothing to do with salvation from hell. Salvation is always (in Old and New Testaments) based on the sufficient sacrifice of Christ’s death on the Cross and is by grace through faith alone in Christ alone (cf. Gen. 3:15; 4:3-5; 15:6; John 3:14-18; Rom. 3:21-5:1; Gal. 2:16; Ephes. 2:8-9; Heb. 9:11-10:18; 11:4).

After the prophet Samuel anointed Saul to be king over Israel, he informs Saul about various signs that will take place after he leaves Samuel’s presence (I Sam. 10:1-4). Samuel tells Saul that when he comes to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is, he “will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.” (I Sam. 10:5b-6).

The events that Samuel predicted came to pass as he said (I Sam. 10:9-11). A summary statement of these events is given in verse 9: “As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.” (I Sam. 10:9). Verses 6 and 9 clearly refer to Saul’s conversion because how else can a person be “changed into a different person” and God change their hearts?

It is also significant that during this encounter a group of prophets were prophesying (I Sam. 10:5, 10). It is likely that they were prophesying about the coming Messiah of Israel. After all, the apostle Peter said, “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). When Saul joined in with the prophesying of the prophets, he did so as a result of believing what they were saying about the coming Messiah. The Holy Spirit’s saving work in Saul’s life is manifested by Saul joining their prophetic testimony. Even if Saul had not prophesied, he would still be a new man with a new heart because salvation is always based upon faith alone in Jesus the Messiah.

This Messianic hope was also understood by Moses as revealed by the writer of Hebrews “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ [literally, “the Christ” or the Messiah] greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (Heb. 11:24-26). So Moses believed in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, but he also pursued Christ for eternal rewards just as Saul should have pursued them. But Saul did not pursue Christ as he should have, and therefore, he would forfeit eternal rewards that could have been his.

Consider King David. He should have been killed for his sins of adultery and murder (cf. Deut. 22:22; Exodus 21:12-14), but instead he went through the prolonged agony of God’s discipline for almost a year (Psalm 32:3-5; 51:8). That included physical weakening and inward grief. His vitality was dried up and he was weighed down with guilt.

This more severe judgment may also have come upon the Corinthian believers who were “weak” and “sick” and eventually died because of their mistreatment of one another at the Lord’s Supper (I Cor. 11:29-32; cf. 10:1-13). The wrath of God is not limited to unbelievers, as believers can also experience God’s present-day wrath in which He gives the disobedient believer over to the consequences of his sin resulting in self-destruction (Romans 1:18-32; 5:9-10; 13:4-5). Believers can be saved from God’s present-day wrath through the life of Christ living through them (Romans 6-8). One might also think of prolonged illness, insanity, loss of loved ones or other things in regard to a more severe punishment than physical death.

The reasons for such a punishment are found in Hebrews 10:29: “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” He has “trampled the Son of God underfoot.” His apostasy is an unruly trampling on the dignity and claims of Christ (cf. Heb. 6:6). He regards the sanctifying blood of the New Covenant, which “sanctified” him, as impure or unholy. Notice the apostate has been “sanctified,” which in the author’s mind is the same as justification – it is a completed action (cf. Hebrews 2:11; 10:10, 14).

The phrase “by which he was sanctified” (en hō hēgiasthē) contains a masculine or less likely neuter relative pronoun (hō) which cannot refer back to the word “covenant” (diathēkēs) because that word is feminine and a relative pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender and number (see Dana and Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, 1955, pp. 125-126; and see Goetchius, The Language of the New Testament, 1965, p. 336, #308). Neither can this pronoun refer back to the “Son of God” because the logical sequence of words clearly refers the subject back to the one who has “counted the blood of the covenant a common thing.” Also in the book of Hebrews Christ is the Sanctifier, not the Sanctified (Heb. 2:11; 10, 14). So the most likely antecedent is the “blood” (haima), since it agrees with the pronoun in number (singular) and gender (neuter). The “by” (en) indicates that it is by means of the blood that the apostate is sanctified. Hence, it is the apostate who is sanctified by the blood of Christ. The apostate also outraged or “insulted the Spirit of grace” by rejecting Christ’s sacrifice for all his sins.

In Hebrews 10:30, the author quotes from Deuteronomy 32:35-36. “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ ” Deuteronomy 32:35-43 refers to God’s severe chastisement of “His people,” not His “professing” or “ungenuine” people, and to their restoration. The author’s selection of Deuteronomy 32 is most appropriate. The description of His wrath against His unfaithful people sounds much worse than execution by stoning (Deut. 32:19-27; cf. Lamentations 4:6, 9). Deuteronomy 32:38-33 describes Israel’s lack of wisdom and the bitter effects of their idolatrous practices. Notice Deut. 32:31, “For their rock [pagan gods] is not like our Rock [Israel’s God], even our enemies themselves being judges.” Israel acknowledges the difference between their idolatrous gods and the true God they had turned from. Deuteronomy 32:34-39 then speaks of God’s judgment upon His people, after which He will restore them. Verse 40-43 in Deuteronomy 32 speak of God’s judgment upon His enemies. After judging His people (Deut. 32:35-36a), He will have compassion on them and ask them about the pagan gods they had turned to (Deut. 32:36b-37). This assumes that they survive the judgment.

Therefore, in Hebrews 10:30, the writer of Hebrews is referring to God’s temporal judgment on those who abandon their Christian confession of Him (i.e. apostate Christians). He then concludes that it is terrible to come under God’s temporal judgment. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). If any of His Christian readers were tempted to abandon their Christian faith and some were, these words of temporal judgment would have been sobering. No doubt they would be more inhibited to think about doing such a heinous thing!

Conclusion: Rather than teach that a Christian who turns away from the sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ and goes back to his old religion loses his salvation or was never saved in the first place, Hebrews 10:26-31 affirms that a person who believes in Jesus Christ for everlasting life is secure forever, but it also warns of the dangers of departing from our Savior.

Where do you look for security?

“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3

After encouraging his readers to pursue Christ instead of false teachers (2:1-23), the apostle Paul admonishes them to “seek” and “set” their minds “on things above” – namely “Christ” who is seated “at the right hand of God” in a position of power and authority (3:1-2). The reason for this is because they “died” with Christ spiritually when the Holy Spirit joined them to His death and resurrection at the moment of faith in Him for salvation (3:3a; cf. 2:12-13; Rom. 6:3-4; I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; Ephes. 1:13). And now their “life is hidden with Christ in God” so that they are safe and secure forever (3:3b).

Rather than focus on the temporary things of this earth (i.e. philosophies, possessions, pleasures, popularity, and power, etc.) to give us a sense of safety and security, we are to seek and think about heaven where our lives are “hidden with Christ in God.” Just as we would hide something of value in a safe place, so God has hidden us with Christ so that no one can steal us away from Him. No one can snatch us out of Jesus’ hands (John 10:28-29)! We are hidden and safe with the Lord. No one and nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)! Therefore, I do not need to gain a sense of safety and security through the things of this earth because I am already safe and secure forever with Christ. Knowing this amazing truth causes me to prepare for that day when I will “appear with Him in glory” (3:4).

Prayer: Father God forgive me for expending so much energy trying to protect myself or gain a sense of security from the temporary things of this earth. Help me to focus my thoughts on things above where I am hidden with Christ in God. Thank You that I am safe and secure forever with the Lord Jesus. Knowing this motivates me to draw closer to Him and live for that day when I will appear with Him in glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Can eternal life be given back to God or taken away by Him?

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29

In Romans 9-11, Paul is addressing the need of Jews to be delivered from God’s present-day wrath through justification and sanctification. Paul talks about God’s sovereign use of Israel in the past and His temporary setting aside of Israel in the present due to her rejection of His righteousness through faith in the Messiah (9:1-10:4). God chose the nation of Israel to service and blessings for the purpose of sharing those blessings with others. But since they failed (10:5- 11:10), God saw fit to elect another group called the Church (composed largely of Gentiles) to accomplish this task (11:11-25). Fortunately for Israel, because God is gracious He will again return to them and fulfill His promises to them (11:23-32).

The reason Paul is confident that God will return to Israel and fulfill His promises to them is because “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (11:29;cf. 9:4-5). God will not withdraw His promises from Israel because those promises are irreversible (“irrevocable”). The Lord did not choose Israel for her goodness, and He will not abandon her because of her sinfulness.

Likewise, God promises eternal life as a free gift to all who believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). Since “the gifts … of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29) and eternal life is a “gift of God” (Romans 6:23), then eternal life is “irrevocable.” When a person believes in Christ for His gift of eternal life, it cannot be given back to Godnor taken back by Godno matter how the believer lives because it is irreversible or permanent (John 3:16; 6:35-40; 10:28-29; 11:25-27; Romans 8:31-39; et al.). God did not save us from hell because of our goodness (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7), and He will not abandon us because of our sinfulness (cf. John 6:37; Hebrews 13:5).

This can be especially difficult for people to believe if they have experienced rejection by a parent. For example, imagine an adopted child being returned to his orphanage because his adoptive parent says he is too difficult or sinful to raise. That adopted child may conclude that God will do the same to him if he does not live up to God’s expectations. I have met many Christians who think that God’s love is like the love of their parents. If they do not measure up to God’s standards, then He will take eternal life away from them.

The truth is God’s love is not conditional or temporary like the love of people. God’s love is unconditional and eternal through Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 6:23b; 8:38-39). God accepts us permanently as His children the moment we believe in His Son Who died for our sins on the cross and rose from the dead (cf. John 1:12; I Corinthians 15:3-6; Ephesians 1:6). God guarantees to keep us as His children and never let go of us no matter how troublesome or sinful we may be after we are placed in His family (John 6:37; 10:28-29)! This should lead believers to praise God for the depths of His wisdom and knowledge (Romans 11:33-36)!!!

God promises a safe landing, not a smooth journey

“And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.” Acts 27:44b

With vivid details, Luke records the dramatic shipwreck involving the apostle Paul and the other 275 people on board (27:26-44). Although it looked like either the sea or the soldiers would kill the apostle and the other prisoners on board, God remained faithful to His promise to bring Paul and “all” on board “safely to land” so Paul could go to Rome (27:44b; cf. 27:24).

It is important to remember that God promises a safe landing, not a smooth journey. Christians will encounter “tribulation” in the world as they follow Jesus (John 16:33). But the “peace of God” is not the absence of storms in our lives, but the presence of Jesus Christ through the storms (cf. John 6:14-21; Philippians 4:6-7). The same voice that spoke this universe into existence out of nothing (Psalm 33:6, 9), can also calm our fears in the midst of our storms (Acts 27:24; cf. John 6:20). We can have His peace because He is with us and He is in control.

Some believers are afraid of not landing safely in heaven when they die because they have been taught that their performance and/or power determines whether they will go to heaven, instead of Jesus’ performance on the cross (John 19:30) and His unlimited power (John 10:28-29). Please remember that God promises that His Holy Spirit, Who has “sealed” all who “have heard…the gospel” and “believed” it, will safely and securely deliver every believer in Jesus to heaven when they die or when they are gathered together in the air to be with Him forever (Ephesians 1:13-14; I Thessalonians 4:16-17). Just as God kept His promise to safely deliver the apostle Paul to Rome, so He will keep His promise to safely deliver all who believe in Jesus to heaven.

What happens to a believer who falls away from the Lord?

^“4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-8

The author of Hebrews is referring here to genuine Christians who have been “enlightened” by the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:32; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6), which leads to “tasting” or receiving the gift of eternal life (John 4:10; Rom. 6:23; cf. Hebrews 2:9), which makes possible partnership (Hebrews 1:9; 3:1, 14) with the Holy Spirit, under Whom they feed on the Word and taste God’s power (Hebrews 6:4-6). Only a believer can “fall away” from the Lord. One cannot fall away from the Lord unless he has the Lord. This “falling away” refers to casting away their Christian hope (2:1; 3:13-14; 10:26) or apostasy. These Christians were in danger of returning to animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins instead of holding fast to the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:1-18; 3:12; 7:11-28; 10:1-18).

It is humanly “impossible… to renew” a believer who has fallen away from the Lord to repentance or a change of mind so that they come back to the Lord. Why? Because they have approached Christ the same way His enemies did who crucified Him – they put Him to “open shame” by rejecting Him (6:6b). But what is impossible for people is not impossible for God (Jeremiah 32:17; Luke 18:27). The believer who falls away from the Lord is not in danger of damnation.

We have Jesus’ guarantee that if a person comes to Him for the bread of life he or she will never need that bread again: “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst’ ” (John 6:35). Christ promises that those who come to Him in faith will never hunger or thirst for everlasting life because it is permanent and cannot be lost.

We also have Jesus’ word that those who come to Him in faith will never be cast out of God’s family because Jesus is determined to do the will of the Father: ^“37All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.³⁹This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day” (John 6:37-39). The believer will never be cast out under any circumstances because Jesus is determined to do His Father’s will which is that He loses no one. Jesus has never lost a believer and He never will.

But someone may say, “Well, I guess it really doesn’t matter what we do once we get saved. Throw your faith away and mock Chrstianity, and you will still go to heaven!” The writer of Hebrews is telling us, “Oh yes it does matter if you throw away your Christian faith!” The apostate believer may be safe from the fires of hell, but he or she is not safe from the fire of God’s discipline as verses 7-8 teach:

“⁷For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; ⁸but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.” Hebrews 6:7-8

The writer of Hebrews uses an illustration from nature to summarize the consequences of pressing on to maturity as opposed to denying Christ. The field that produces according to the intention of the farmer is blessed, but the field that produces thorns and thistles is burned. So when a Christian is properly fruitful, God blesses. But when a believer produces a bad harvest, he is disciplined. This idea of blessing obedience and cursing disobedience is seen in Deuteronomy 27-28 as well.

When we become Christians by believing in Christ alone for His gift of eternal life, we are a lot like a plot of ground that belongs to God. And God has poured out His grace upon us like rain from heaven. And He has a right to expect that our lives will be fruitful, productive, and useful to Him and to other people. And when they are, God blesses that life. But if after we have received the blessings of His matchless grace, we produce briars, thorns, and fruits of a sin-cursed world, then God rejects that kind of a life and it falls under His temporal curse. And its destiny is to suffer the fire of His discipline.

The “thorns and briars” have worthless results (and harmful ones) of departure from the faith. Such land is disapproved (cf. I Corinthians 9:27). In this ancient practice after the land was burned, it was replanted. So even though burning is a picture of temporal judgment of the apostate, it also offers hope because of the purifying effect of the land. Just as the burning of a field was temporal and did not destroy the ground, so God’s judgment on His people is temporal and its purpose is to destroy their fruits, not them, so they can be productive once again for the Lord (cf. I Timothy 1:18-20). Keep in mind, however, that this judgment could lead to physical death (cf. I Corinthians 5:5; 11:30; I John 5:16).

But the writer of Hebrews does remind us that there are worse punishments than a sure, quick physical death as in the Old Testament. “²⁸Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (10:28-29).

For example, King Saul suffered a worse punishment than death as he went through prolonged manic-depression and paranoia. He also was consumed by fear and hatred (I Samuel 13:8-28:25), yet he was saved since Samuel said he would be with him after death (I Samuel 28:19). Also King David should have been killed for his adultery and murder (cf. Exodus 21:12-14; Deuteronomy 22:22), but instead he went through the prolonged agony of God’s discipline for almost a year (cf. Psalm 32:3-5; 51:8). This included physical weakening and inward grief. This “worse punishment” may also have come upon some of the Corinthians who were “weak”and “sick”and eventually died (I Corinthians 11:29-32; cf. 10:1-13). The wrath of God is not limited to non-Christians, as believers can also experience God’s present-day wrath (Romans 1:18-32; 5:9-10; 13:4-5) whereby He gives the disobedient over to the consequences of their sins resulting in self-destruction. Believers can be saved from this wrath through the life of Christ living through them (Romans 6-8).

The reasons for such a punishment are found in Hebrews 10:29 above. The apostate “has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” His apostasy is an unruly trampling on the dignity and claims of Christ (cf. 6:6). He regards the sanctifying blood of the New Covenant, which sanctified him, as impure or unholy. Notice this apostate has been “sanctified” by the blood of Christ which in the author’s mind is the same as justification (cf. 2:11; 10:10, 14).

The reason it is impossible for us to renew an apostate back to repentance is because God reserves that believer for the fire of His discipline (6:8). And if repentance is ever going to happen in this life, it will only happen after they have gone through the scorching heat of God’s temporal judgment. Hebrews 10:30 says, “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’” This verse does not say God will judge the unsaved. It says “The Lord will judge His people.”

Rather than teach that a Christian who falls away from the Lord loses his salvation or was never saved in the first place, Hebrews 6:4-8 affirms the eternal security of the believer but also warns of the dangers of departing from our Savior.

Secure Forever in Christ

When a person believes in Jesus Christ for eternal life (John 3:16) he or she is secure forever in Him. Here are thirty-three reasons why this is true:

1. The Great Commitment. Matthew 28:20. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus Christ gives His disciples the Great Commission, which is to make disciples of all the nations. Along with this Great Commission, Jesus also gives His disciples the Great Commitment, “…and lo, I am with you always (lit. “the whole of every day”), even to the end of the age.” In Matthew, the phrase, “the end of the age,” refers to the church age (cf. Matt. 13:39, 40, 49). Since Christ is guaranteeing His presence with believers until He returns at the end of the age, it is impossible for believers to lose their salvation.

2. Always Family. John 1:12-13; 3:3-8; 6:37; Galatians 3:26; I John 5:1. The moment a person believes in Christ, he becomes God’s child forever. He is born into God’s family and he cannot ever be born out of it. In John 6:37, Jesus declares that those who come to Him “will by no means be cast out.” In John’s Gospel “coming to Christ” is a metaphor for “believing” (John 6:35, 37). Just as an earthly father’s son will always be his son no matter what the son does, so too, a believer will always be God’s child because Christ will never cast him out of His family.

3. The Simple Look of Faith. John 3:14-15. Just as the afflicted Israelite could look in faith at the bronze serpent lifted up on the pole and “live” (Numbers 21:8-9), so too, the one who looks in faith to Christ who was “lifted up” on the cross will “live” eternally.

4. Secure from Perishing in Hell. John 3:15-16; 10:27-28. Faith alone in Christ alone secures the believer from ever perishing in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:15). The moment an individual believes in Christ he has the assurance that he “shall never perish” (10:28).

5. The Eternal Gift. John 3:15-16, 36; 4:10-14; 5:24; 6:40, 47; 11:25-26; Romans 6:23. At the moment of faith in Christ, the believer can know that he or she possesses eternal life, “he who believes…has…” The gift of eternal life cannot be lost because that would be inconsistent with the nature (i.e. perpetual/eternal) of the gift. For if the gift can be lost, it would not be eternal, but temporal.

6. Permanent Thirst Quencher. John 4:10-14; 6:35; Revelation 22:17. Whoever drinks of the living water that Christ freely offers will “never thirst” again. The phrase “will never thirst” is highly emphatic in the Greek language (John 4:14a; 6:35b). The need which this water meets can never reoccur. Christ calls this “living water” eternal life in John 4:14b. Therefore, eternal life can never be lost because a believer can never thirst again for it.

7. Free from Judgment. John 5:24; Romans 8:33-34. When a person believes in Christ for eternal life, he or she possesses “eternal life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24). For the believer, assurance is available at the moment of faith because Christ guarantees that there is no judgment. That is to say, there is no judgment to determine whether a believer goes to heaven or hell because the believer already has eternal life. He has passed from death to life already. When an individual trusts Christ, he is translated from the sphere of death (where a non-believer has nothing in him which is acceptable to God – John 3:18; Rom. 3:9-20; 8:8) to the sphere of life (where the believer is totally acceptable to God – John 5:24; Heb. 10:10, 14). In the sphere of life, God has no charge against the believer (Romans 8:33-34). The believer is justified (declared totally righteous) of all things on the basis of his faith (Romans 3:21-26; 4:5, 8; 8:33-34). Therefore, no one is able to threaten a believer’s eternal destiny!

8. No More Hunger. John 6:35, 48-51. Whoever eats of the Bread of life shall never hunger again. The need which this bread meets can never reoccur. Christ identifies Himself as the Bread of life in John 6:33, 35; 6:48, 51. “Eating” and “believing” are synonymous in John’s Gospel because both are the means for obtaining eternal life (John 6:47, 50-51, 58). Hence, believing in Christ satisfies an individual’s spiritual hunger forever. Therefore, a believer cannot ever lose eternal life because he can never hunger for it again.

9. Guaranteed Resurrection. John 6:37-40. Every believer in Jesus not only has eternal life, but will still belong to Christ when he or she is resurrected on “the last day.”

10. Johannine Metaphors or Figures of Speech. The Gospel of John uses metaphors to describe the instantaneousness of saving faith and conversion: to receive (John 1:12); to be born (John 1:13; 3:3-8); to take a look (John 3:14-15); to ask for a gift (John 4:10); to take a drink (John 4:10-14); to be raised from the dead (John 5:25-29); to come (John 6:35, 37); to eat bread (John 6:50-51); to eat Christ’s flesh and drink His blood (John 6:53-54, 56-58); to follow, as in a sheep committing his safety and well-being to His Good Shepherd (John 10:1-5, 25-29); and to be bathed once for all (John 13:10). Conversion takes place at a point in time. It is not a process. Therefore, a believer can know he is secure forever at the moment of faith in Christ alone for eternal life.

11. The Secure Grip. John 10:27-29. The believer is securely held by both God the Son’s and God the Father’s hands and they will never let him go. Nor is anyone, including the believer, strong enough to escape God’s grip. So the believer’s eternal security is not based upon his or her grip upon God, but upon God’s forever grip upon him or her.

12. Guaranteed Destiny. John 11:25-26. Christ guarantees the eternal destiny of every person who believes in Him. He promises a future resurrection and never-ending life to those who believe in Him.

13. The Eternal Comforter. John 14:16-17. Jesus promised that the “Comforter” (lit. “called to one’s side, called to one’s aid”), the Holy Spirit, would personally take up residence in the believer’s body “forever.” Therefore, there is never a time when a believer is without the God of the universe living in him or her.

14. Finished Work. John 19:30. Immediately prior to His death, Jesus referred to His finished work on the cross when He said “It is finished” (tetelestai). This verb is in the perfect tense, which denotes existing results to the present from a completed action. This means Christ made the full payment for our sin debt when He died on the cross and it remains paid in full to the present. Therefore, a believer’s salvation is just as complete and secure as the work upon which it rests.

15. The Promise of God. I John 2:25; 5:9-13. Believers can know they are saved forever because they have God’s promise of eternal life. Remember, God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:17-18).

16. God’s Love. I John 4:9-10. God manifested His love toward us when He sent His Son so that we may possess eternal life through Him. This love was not a response to man’s love, but was God’s initiative. God’s Son became the “propitiation” (lit. “satisfaction”) for our sins. Therefore, eternal life cannot be lost by the believer because Christ has satisfied God’s holy nature forever by taking the punishment for our sins. Because of Jesus’ death, God’s holy character is free to pour out His love (His best) on those who believe in His Son.

17. The Irrevocable Gift. Romans 11:29. The gifts of God, including eternal life, are irrevocable, i.e. incapable of being recalled or taken back by the Giver.

18. It is Logical. Romans 5:8-10, 15, 17, 20; 8:32. God did the most for us when we were His enemies and will do much more for us as His beloved child.

19. The Inseparable Love of God. Romans 8:35-39. No one and nothing and can separate a believer from God’s love in Christ. Remember, “any other created thing” includes “you.”

20. Fruitless Believers Are Secure for Eternity. I Corinthians 3:11-15. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, a believer’s works will be tested by fire to determine what, if any, rewards the believer will receive (I Cor. 3:11-15; Romans 14:9-12; 2 Cor. 5:10; I John 4:17; Revelation 22:12). A believer whose works (“hay, wood, straw”) are all burned up does not lose his salvation from hell, “but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (I Cor. 3:15).

21. The Body of Christ. I Corinthians 12:12-27. The Head of the body, Christ (Ephes. 1:22-23), cannot ever say to any member of His body (believer) He does not need him or her. He cannot reject His own body.

22. Unlimited Forgiveness. Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; 2:13; 3:13; Hebrews 10:17-18. Christ’s death provides unlimited forgiveness for the believer. All sins we have ever done or will do were future looking from the cross – everything is forgiven.

23. Sealed Until Delivered. Ephesians 1:13-14. When an individual believes the truth of the gospel, he or she is “sealed” by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. There is no power greater than God who can break the seal (not even Satan or the believer himself). Something that is sealed by God is as secure as God’s promise, and in the case of the believer His promise is to keep the believer until he is safely and securely delivered in to the presence of God forever.

24. Seated with Christ. Ephesians 2:6. Believers are described as being made (by God) to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The aorist indicative of the verb sugkathizo, “to cause to sit down together,” portrays this event as taking place in past time. So from God’s viewpoint, believers are now seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Therefore, the certainty of a believer’s eternal destiny is underscored by the fact that they are already seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

25. Completed Salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9. The use of the perfect tense verb conveys existing results to the present from a completed action (“you have been saved”). Therefore, a believer’s salvation exists in a finished state which cannot be altered or taken away.

26. Citizens of Heaven. Philippians 3:20. The apostle Paul gives a positive reason why believers should follow his example of spiritual progress (3:12-17) and it is because their citizenship already exists in heaven. Since Philippi was a Roman colony, its residents were “citizens” of Rome who enjoyed the same rights and privileges as if they were living in Rome. So Paul is arguing that just as the believers were Roman citizens even though they were not living in Rome, so too, they were citizens of heaven even though they were living on earth. This citizenship is not future, but it already exists for the believer because the copula verb “is” (huparchei), stresses actual existence. The believer’s eternal destiny is so certain that their citizenship in heaven already exists.

27. Certainty of Future Not Based Upon Morality. I Thessalonians 5:9-11. Whether believers live watchfully (“we wake,” gregopeo is defined as moral watchfulness in 5:5-7) or unwatchfully (“we…sleep,” katheudo is defined as moral unwatchfulness in 5:5-7), their future with Christ is certain.

28. God’s Faithfulness. 2 Timothy 2:13. If we don’t believe in Christ any longer (“we are faithless”), God “remains faithful” to His promise of eternal life. He “cannot deny Himself” including believers who are members of His body.

29. Unfaithful Believers Are Still in God’s House. 2 Timothy 2:17-21. Although some believers’ faith may be overthrown by false teaching, their eternal destiny is not endangered, “the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His.’” God “knows” intimately all those who have a relationship with Him, including believers with faltering faith. For God’s house is composed of both faithful (“vessels of … honor”) and unfaithful believers (“vessels of … dishonor”).

30. Disobedient Believers Who Are Assured of Their Salvation. The apostles Peter and Thomas, who denied knowing the Lord or doubted His promise to rise from the dead (John 13:10-11). The Corinthians, who were factious, immoral and prone to drunkenness (I Cor. 1:2, 4-9; 6:11, 15, 19-20; 15:1-2, 11, 51-58). The Galatians, who were lapsing into the worst form of legalism (Galatians 1:2-5, 8-9; 3:1-5, 26-29; 4:1-9, 19; 5:1). The audience of James, who were arrogant, argumentative, slanderous, and temperamental (James 1:1-2, 16-18; 2:1; 5:7-9).

31. Unconditional Acceptance. Hebrews 10:10, 14. Christ’s completed work on the cross makes believers unconditionally and completely acceptable (“perfect”) to God forever. To be “sanctified” means to be “set apart” from our guilt and shame forever. Note the perfect tenses (“have been sanctified,” in verse 10 and “has perfected” in verse 14).

32. A Permanent Helper. Hebrews 13:5-6. Believers are to be content with what they have because they will always possess the permanent assistance of the Lord: “I will never leave (lit. “abandon or desert”) you nor forsake (lit. “to leave helpless”) you.” Since the Lord will never turn His back on the needs of believers, it is impossible for them to be without God’s security forever.

33. Eternal Names. Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:15; 21:27; Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Hebrews 12:23. When the world was created, God wrote the names of those who would receive eternal life in the Book of Life in anticipation of Christ’s death (Rev. 13:8; 17:8). Every believer’s eternal identity rests on the fact that his name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Revelation 3:5 affirms that an overcoming (victorious) believer will not have his name erased from the Book of Life. Since this phrase is a figure of speech called a litotes (i.e. a positive affirmation expressed by negating its opposite), John is saying that an overcoming believer’s eternal name is supremely secure. It is not logical to conclude that a non-overcoming believer will have his name erased from the Book of Life because a litotes is not making a negative affirmation, but rather a positive one. The overcoming Christian’s honored name will never be erased. For the overcoming Christian, his reward is anything but the loss of his eternal name. This relates to his or her eternal reward as seen before and after this part of the verse: “they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (Rev. 3:4b-5). Revelation 3:5 is not commenting on whether some name will or may be erased, but rather that certain names shall in no way be erased, but confessed or recognized for faithful service before God the Father and His angels. Revelation 3:5 is not talking about salvation, but rewards for discipleship. This can be seen in Revelation 3:4 as only the worthy ones will walk with the Lord in white, and so in 3:5 only those who are worthy will have their name publicly recognized before God the Father and His angels.

Conclusion: The security which God provides believers forever is intended to motivate them to faithfully live for Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit until they go to be with Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Galatians 2:20; 5:16-26; I John 4:19).

Can a Christian commit Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

“³¹Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. ³²Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” Matthew 12:31-32

Many Christians fear that they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and will not go to heaven when they die. Is it possible for a Christian to commit this sin? Let us look at the context of this passage in Matthew 12:22-37 to determine first, what is blasphemy of the Holy Spirt, and second, who can commit this sin.

After Jesus healed a “blind and mute” demon-possessed man “the multitudes” asked if Jesus could be “the Son of David,” the descendant of king David who would be their Messianic King (12:22-23). The Pharisees could not deny that Jesus performed a miracle, so they attributed the power by which He cast out this demon to “Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons” (12:24). The Pharisees knew Jesus performed this miracle by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 3:2), yet they offered a different explanation so that the multitudes would not conclude that Jesus was their Messianic King.

Jesus responds to this charge of the Pharisees by giving three reasons why it is false:

Satan would not empower Jesus to cast out a demon because that would divide his kingdom and bring it to destruction (12:25-26).
Since the Pharisees believe that Jewish exorcists cast out demons by God’s power, it is inconsistent for them to charge Jesus of casting out demons by Satan’s power (12:27). The Pharisees knew that “If” Jesus casts out demons “by the Spirit of God” (and He does), then it means “the kingdom of God has come upon them” (12:28).
Before a robber can enter a strong man’s house, he must have more power to subdue the strong man, meaning if Christ can cast out a demon He must be stronger than Satan (12:29). But Satan would not give Jesus more power than his own. So Jesus refutes this false charge of the Pharisees on three counts.

Jesus invites the crowd to decide to either be “with” Him or “against” Him (12:30). Then He acknowledges that a God-Man (“Son of Man”) living among people may not be fully understood so He says, “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him” (12:32a). It is possible for a non-Christian to blaspheme (“slander, defame, speak against”) Christ and later seek His forgiveness as in the case of Saul (Acts 9:3-5; 26:9-11; Philippians 3:6, 9; cf. Luke 23:34). However, “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit…will not be forgiven” (12:32b).

“Blasphemy” (12:31) has the idea of uttering false charges which defame or damage another person’s reputation. In this historical context, blasphemy of the Holy Spirt involved attributing to Satan the works which were knowingly performed by the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. The religious leaders of Israel, the Pharisees, knew that what Jesus did was the work of the Holy Spirit. They knew Jesus was from God because no one could perform the miracles that He performed unless “God was with Him” (John 3:2). Yet they knowingly attributed the work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus to Satan.

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven by God or is impossible for God to forgive. No, He says blasphemy of the Holy Spirit “will not be forgiven men…will not be forgiven him” (12:31b, 32b). God is willing and able to forgive any all sins (cf. Psalm 103:2a, 3a; Isaiah 38:17; Micah 7:19b). He is also willing and able to forgive those who seek His forgiveness (Psalm 86:5; Acts 10:43). The form of the Greek statement in Matthew 12:32 is not saying that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. It is saying that there is no case or example of forgiveness for this sin “in this age or in the age to come” (Matt. 12:32). So instead of referring to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as “the unpardonable sin,” it is more accurate to refer to it as “the unpardoned sin.”

Can a Christian commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Absolutely not, because the Word of God clearly teaches that anyone who believes in Christ receives at that moment a positional forgiveness for all of his sins – past, present, and future (Acts 10:43; Ephes. 1:7; Col. 2:13-14). This forgiveness is perfect, complete, and permanent (Heb. 10:10-18). Therefore, a non-Christian who later believes in Christ for eternal life is not capable of blaspheming the Holy Spirit because he seeks and obtains God’s unlimited forgiveness when he believes in Jesus for His gift of salvation (Acts 10:43; Ephes. 2:8-9). It is also impossible for a Christian to commit this sin because he not only has permanent positional forgiveness of sins the moment he believed in Jesus (Acts 10:43), but he also has available to him when he confesses his sin, God’s daily fellowship forgiveness (I John 1:9; cf. Matthew 6:12, 14-15).

What causes the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? In Matthew 12:33-37, Jesus teaches that a person’s words reflect the condition of his heart. The words of the Pharisees were a manifestation of their hardened hearts (cf. Matt. 15:19 which says “blasphemies” arise out of an evil “heart”). It takes a hardened heart to recognize the power of the Holy Spirit and then knowingly attribute that power to Satan. The Pharisees knew Jesus was from God (John 3:2), yet they attribute the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him to the devil. Although the Pharisees had been given an enormous amount of light from Jesus who is “the Light” (John 1:4-9; 8:12), they deceitfully attribute it to the kingdom of Satan. The Pharisees knew Jesus healed the demon-possessed man by the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they offered a different explanation to deceive the crowds from moving toward faith in Jesus as their Messianic King. So instead of Jesus being recognized as God in human flesh (John 1:1, 14), He was regarded as the incarnation of Satan!

Any individual or religious system that attributes the power of God in and through Jesus Christ to Satan will not be forgiven because his heart (or their hearts are) is too hardened to seek God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, any individual or religious system that denies that “Jesus is the Christ,” the Messiah-God in human flesh who is equal with God the Father, is “antichrist” (I John 2:22-23).

In summary, what is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? It is knowingly attributing the work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ to Satan. Who can commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Non-Christians whose hearts are too hardened to seek God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 10:43).

If you are afraid of having blasphemed the Holy Spirit, ask yourself, “Am I willing to seek God’s forgiveness for this? Do I believe in Jesus Christ alone to give me eternal life and complete forgiveness of all sins (John 3:16; Acts 10:43)? If so, according to Jesus Christ, you will go to heaven. Sometimes Christians are overly introspective and miss out on the joy of being forever secure in Christ. Doesn’t that sound like the work of the devil who has “come…to steal…kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10a) the joy of believers being secure in Jesus Christ? Dismiss the devil’s lies and embrace the truth that you are forever secure the moment you believe in Jesus for His gift of everlasting life (John 3:16; 6:35-40; 10:28-29).

What happens when you believe in Jesus for everlasting life?

Every month thousands of Filipinos are coming to faith in Christ. What happens the moment you believe in Jesus for everlasting life?

1. God became your Father in Heaven and you became His child forever (John 1:12).

2. You were saved forever from Hell (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9).

3. Jesus gave you everlasting life which can never be lost (John 3:16; 10:28-29).

4. You are guaranteed never to be judged for your sins in the future (John 5:24).

5. Rivers of living water (the Holy Spirit) now flow out of your heart to be a blessing to others (John 7:38-39).

6. Jesus and God the Father now hold you in their hands and no one is strong enough to snatch you out of their hands (John 10:28-29).

7. You now have never ending life and are guaranteed a future resurrection when you will receive a glorified body that is free from sin and death (John 11:25-26; I Corinthians 15:35-57).

8. God forgave all of your sins – past, present, and future sins (Acts 10:43; Colossians 2:13-14).

9. You were declared totally righteous before a holy God (Romans 3:22-26; 4:5).

10. You now have peace with God (Romans 5:1).

11. You are now under grace, not the Old Testament Law, so that you can trust Christ to give you victory over sin (Romans 6:14).

12. You are Christ’s bride, not His hostage (Romans 7:4; 2 Corinthians 11:2).

13. Jesus now lives inside of you through His Holy Spirit and He promises never to leave you (Romans 8:11; Hebrews 13:5).

14. Your physical body is now a temple of the Holy Spirit and is to be used to glorify God (I Corinthians 6:19-20).

15. God gave you one or more spiritual gifts to be used to serve Him and others in His body, the Church (Romans 12:4-8; I Corinthians 12:1-14:40; Ephesians 4:11-13; I Peter 4:7-11).

16. You were placed in the Body of Christ, the Church, by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13).

17. You have a new motivation to live for Christ now, not for yourself (2 Corinthians 5:15).

18. You have a new mindset now to see others as Christ see them – as people whom Jesus loves and wants to save (2 Corinthians 5:16; cf. I Timothy 2:3-5).

19. You have a new ministry now to preach the gospel of Christ to the lost so they can be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

20. You are now an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

21. You were crucified with Christ so that He can live His life through you (Galatians 2:20).

22. You are now a “saint” (set apart from your sin and shame to serve God) at the core of your being, not a sinner (Ephesians 1:1; cf. Romans 1:7; 8:27; I Corinthians 1:2; 14:33; Ephesians 1:15; 3:8, 18; 4:12; 5:3, 6:18; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2; I Thessalonians 3:13).

23. You are totally accepted by God in Christ (Ephesians 1:6).

24. You were “redeemed” or “purchased” off the slave market of sin so that now you do not have to sin (Ephesians 1:7).

25. You were “sealed” by the Holy Spirit who will safely and securely deliver you to heaven when you die or when Jesus removes the church from the earth (Ephesians 1:13-14).

26. You are now the “inheritance” of God the Father (Ephesians 1:18).

27. You are seated next to the exalted Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenly places above all enemies of God, including the devil (Ephesians 1:20-21; 2:5-6).

28. You are now God’s masterpiece, not a mistake (Ephesians 2:10).

29. You now have direct access to God’s throne of grace (Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 4:15-16).

30. You are now a citizen of Heaven (Philippians 3:20).

31. You have been delivered from the power of darkness to one day reside in the future kingdom of God’s Son on earth (Colossians 1:13; Revelation 20:4-6).

32. You have been reconciled to God through Christ (Colossians 1:20).

33. You are now complete in Christ, lacking nothing before God (Colossians 2:9-10).

34. You have been made perfect forever in the sight of a holy God according to Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the Cross, not your own performance (Hebrews 10:14).