Watchman Nee Sermons and Writings

THE WAY OF SALVATION—FAITH

BY WATCHMAN NEE 

GOD'S SALVATION BEING FOR EVERYONE

THROUGH FAITH ALONE

Over the past few evenings, we have looked at the things that man considers to be ways of salvation. If we do not twist the Word of God but trust in it, we will see from it that none of those things are a condition for salvation. As we have mentioned already, according to the Bible there is only one condition for salvation—faith. Together the words faith and believe occur in the Bible over five hundred times. Among these many verses, over a hundred verses tell us that salvation is by believing, that justification is by believing, and that we receive life by believing. In over thirty places we are told that through faith we receive this or that from God. These places show us that man is favored by God through faith and nothing else; that is, believing on Christ for salvation.

Why does the Bible put so much emphasis on faith? Tonight we will consider why faith has to be the way of salvation. But we must first ask a question. Is salvation a work of man or a work of God? Is it man's plan or is it God's plan? Does it originate with man or with God? Those who do not know God do not know salvation. Only those who know God know God's salvation. Those who know God have to admit that it is God who has initiated salvation. It is God who has planned it, and it is God who has accomplished this plan. As we have mentioned before, everything is done by God. On our side, we do not have to do anything except believe.

Why do we have to believe? It is because redemption is accomplished by Christ. God wants to make the method of salvation so simple that everyone can obtain it. That is why He requires only faith. If salvation is from God, it must be universal. If God's salvation were just for a certain group of people, God would be partial. If God's way of salvation required something from us, that something would become an obstacle to our salvation. If there were the simple requirement that man had to wait five minutes before he could be saved, even that would greatly diminish the number of saved ones in the world. Many people do not have even five minutes to wait. God would not have to require even perfect righteousness. If He were to require righteousness in only one thing, perhaps you could render Him this righteousness, but hundreds of thousands of people on earth might not be able to do so. If such were the case, salvation would not be so simple.

In America there was a famous preacher named Dr. Jowett. He had a co-worker named Mr. Barry. Mr. Barry was a pastor in a church, but he had not yet been saved. He held fast that repentance from sins and living holy were the way to salvation. Though he confessed to believe on Christ, he trusted his work to save him; having the Lord Jesus as one part of his salvation, and his work as the other part in assuring him of it. One night someone rang the doorbell of his church. After letting the bell ring for a long time, Mr. Barry reluctantly put on his night robe and went to see who it was. At the door was a young, improperly dressed girl. When he asked her bluntly what she wanted, the girl asked, "Are you the pastor?" When he admitted that he was, the girl said, "I need help to get my mother in." He thought that a girl dressed in such a way must have a terrible home. He thought that perhaps her mother was drunk, and she needed help to get her mother back into the house. He told the girl to call the police, but the girl insisted that he go. He tried his best to turn her down and told her to go to the pastor of the church nearest her. But the girl said, "Your church is the nearest church." Then he said, "It is too late now. Come back tomorrow." But she insisted that he go at once. Mr. Barry thought for a while. He was a pastor of a church with over twelve hundred members. If one of them saw him walking with this young girl dressed in that kind of way in the middle of the night, what would they think? But the girl insisted and said that if he would not go, she would not leave. Finally, he gave in and went upstairs to change. Mr. Barry later told Dr. Jowett that while he was walking to the girl's house, he pulled his hat down very low to cover his face and tucked in his coat for fear that others might see him. The place where they went was not in a nice area. When he stopped before the house that they were to enter, he saw that it was not a decent place at all. Then he asked the girl, "Why do you want me to come to such a place?" The girl answered, "My mother is very sick. She is in terrible danger. She said that she wants to get into the kingdom of God. Please get her in." Mr. Barry could not do anything except step into the house. The girl and her mother lived in a very small and dingy room. Their home was very poor. When the sick woman saw him coming, she cried out, "Please help me to get in. I cannot get in." He thought for a while and wondered what he should do. He was a pastor and a preacher, and here was a woman who was dying. She wanted to enter the kingdom of God; she wanted to be taught how to get in. What could he do? He did not know what to do. So he spoke to her in the way he spoke to his congregation. He began to tell her that Jesus was a perfect man, the son of God, that He sacrificed Himself for humanity, that He displayed such benevolence, and that Jesus went about holiness. If men repent, turn from their sins and accept him as lord, they will be saved if they persevere. Mr. Barry was talking to her with his eyes closed. When he finished, she became mad. She cried out, "No, no! This is not what I want you to speak about." Her tears began to fall. She said, "Sir, tonight is my last night on earth. Now is the time for me to settle the question of eternal perdition or entry into God's kingdom. This is my last chance. Don't try to take me for a ride or play games with me. I have sinned my whole life long. And not only have I sinned, but I have also taught my daughter to sin. Now I am dying. What can I do? Don't play games with me. All my life I have done nothing but sin. Everything I did was unclean. I never knew what being moral meant. I never knew what it was to be clean. I never knew what it was to have a conscience. Now you are telling such a sinner as me, in the state that I am in tonight, to turn from my sins and take Jesus as my model! How much work would I have to do before I could take Jesus as my model! You told me that I have to turn from my sins and follow in the footsteps of Jesus in perseverance. But how much would I have to do before I could follow in His footsteps and persevere! Don't play games with me at this hour so crucial to my eternity. Just tell me how I can get into God's kingdom. What you told me will not work for me. I cannot do any of those things." Mr. Barry was taken by surprise. He thought to himself, "These are the things that I learned in theological school. I studied them for my doctorate in theology. I have been preaching them for the past seventeen or eighteen years. And these are the things I have always been taught. But here is a woman who wants to get in, and I cannot help her." So he said, "To tell you the truth, I don't know how to get in. I only know that Jesus was the son of God and that He sacrificed Himself for the world. All I know is that if a man turns from his sins and takes Jesus as his Lord and walks as He walked, he will be a Christian." In tears the woman said, "Can you do nothing for a woman who has been sinful all her life to help her enter God's kingdom at the last hour? Is that all you can do to help a dying woman to get into God's kingdom, who will have no tomorrow and who will have no second chance?" Mr. Barry was stuck. He had nothing more to say. He thought, "I am a servant of Christ. I am a doctor of theology. I am a pastor of a twelve hundred member church. But here is a woman on her deathbed, and I cannot help her at all. She even thinks that I am playing games with her." But then Mr. Barry remembered something he had heard from his mother while sitting on her lap when he was seven years old. She had told him that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, that He was crucified, and that He shed His blood to cleanse us from sins. Jesus of Nazareth died for our sins on the cross and has become the propitiatory sacrifice, and if we simply trust in him alone, we will be saved. He remembered these words then. He had neglected these words all his life, but that day these words came back to him. Then he rose up and said, "Yes, I have something for you. You do not have to do anything, but God has done everything in His Son. He has dealt with our sins in His Son. God's Son has taken away all our sins. The One who demands the payment became the One who pays. The One who was offended became the One who suffered for the offense. The Judge has become the judged." At that word, the woman's face showed signs of joy. He went on to tell her all that his mother had told him. Then, suddenly the woman's face turned from joy to tears, and she cried, "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? What should I do now?" He then told her that she needed only to believe on Jesus to give her eternal life. No turning from sin, no walking as Jesus walked, no persevering, no work at all. At that word, the woman died. Later Mr. Barry told Dr. Jowett that on the night the woman was saved, he also got saved.

REPENTANCE FROM SIN, IS IT NECESSARY FOR SALVATION?

I have been touched in my heart many times by this story. If there is salvation, it should be available to anyone. If you say that one must be baptized before he can be saved, then the thief on the cross could not be saved, because he was not baptized. If you say that one cannot be saved unless he turns from his sins and perseveres till the end, then neither Samson the Nazarene nor Solomon King of Israel could be saved. I am not saying that we should not be baptized or turn from sin. Actually, these are very important things for a child of God to do after he gets saved. But the condition for salvation is not restitution, baptism, confession, perseverance or repentance or turning from sins. The word 'repentance', in the bible, is nothing but a changed mind; it is realizing that one is a sinner worthy of condemnation, and that Jesus is the way to escape condemnation. Repentance is not sorrow for sin, neither a pledge or conviction to turn from one’s evil ways. The word of God quite clearly shows that turning from sin is work in Jonah 3:10- “and God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way.”. Interestingly enough, this same passage proves that the word ‘repent’ in the bible is not the modern definition that has been ascribed to the word: “and God repented of the evil that he had said the he would do unto them”.  Here we see God repenting. He is changing his mind. He is rethinking.  In both the original Hebrew and Greek languages, the words translated as ‘repent’ simply means ‘a change in mind’ just as shown in this passage in Jonah. The English word repent used to also have this same meaning. This can easily be evaluated from the Latin root words. Re-, meaning to change or perform again, and –pent, meaning to think. When the Lord Jesus said "Repent and believe the Gospel!" He was not calling on sinners to forsake their sins to be saved. He was calling on them to change their minds, and go from unbelief to belief. But in modernity, it has been changed to mean ‘feeling sorrow for and turning from sin.’ Many Christians have appealed to the secular dictionaries for the definition of repentance, attempting to prove it means to feel sorrow for, or turn from sin. One must realize, however, that dictionary definitions are influenced by what society ascribes to the word. The modern definition of repentance has been influenced by the many legalistic reformations throughout church history, and by the manner in which the word is widely used today. However, God’s word says in Jonah 3:10- “and God repented of the evil that he had said the he would do unto them”. Surely God did not turn from sin! That is because repent, in the bible, simply means to change one’s mind. Otherwise God would be a sinner; for he repents more than anyone else in the entire bible! Biblical repentance is to rethink; it is to realize one is a sinner, needs a savior, and change his thinking from unbelief in Jesus to belief on him for salvation. It is not an intention to turn from sin, nor sorrow for sin. As a matter of fact, the phrase "repent of your sins" does not even exists in the bible! This phrase is not mentioned even once. Yet people will often attempt to save sinners by preaching this very thing. We now see why Mr.Barry was initially incapable of saving the woman; he was adding works to salvation. He was calling on her to turn from her sins, to persevere, to prove herself with works in addition to accepting Christ. Instead of telling her from the beginning what Paul told the Phillippian Jailer "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.", the pastor was calling on her to turn from her sins; to do the works of the law in addition to faith in order to be saved. This is an accursed message which cannot save a sinner. It puts man at the mercy of the law- with a false presentation that salvation is by faith in Christ alone, but you must also do your part and live right, or at least be willing to live right. It demands a sinner to prove he is saved, to turn from his sins, to pursue holiness for salvation. But this is nothing but a message of works using faith in Jesus as wrapping paper. It causes sinners to look toward their lifestyles as an indicator of proving they are saved. One cannot tell a lost sinner to believe and stop sinning, or at least be willing to stop sinning in order to be saved. It is a faith plus works plan of salvation. This message is no different than the message of every other man-made religion in the world: believe in a particular faith system, abstain from evil, and do good, or at least mean to do well, only then can you be sure you are saved. What a complicated message! This is why the message of the cross is foolishness to them that are perishing. They do not see the "simplicity which is in Christ." It is hard for corrupt man to believe that he does not have to do anything, intend anything, nor cease anything to be saved. We conclude, therefore, that repenting (changing the mind) is necessary for salvation; repenting from sins, or turning from sins is not. That would be a clear salvation by works.

Legalistic denominations and other religious systems often argue that telling sinners that they must simply believe on Christ alone for salvation is giving a license to sin, and that all sinners would superficially become Christians If this message were given. But nothing can be further from the truth! Man often vehemently rejects the notion that he does not need to perform anything to be saved, that all he must do is believe and he will be forgiven for eternity regardless of how he lives afterwards. Few are those who have the humility to realize that they must simply believe on the finished work of Christ, without adding any repentance from sin or good intentions to turn from them. The majority of unbelievers (and mostly 'false believers) cannot accept that belief in Christ alone is what justifies, and therefore they seek to add many things as qualifications for salvation in addition to faith: initial repentance from sins, baptism, constant repentance for sins after baptism, holiness and an attempt to live a pious life. This is descriptive of Roman Catholicism and most denominations that are supposedly Christian. This ‘belief plus works to confirm your belief’ appeals to man, as he realizes he is imperfect and needs some divine intervention, yet he still wants some part in earning or confirming his salvation. That is why all world religions, and most so-called Christian denominations, preach belief plus works for assurance of salvation. Man always desires to have a say in his salvation. That is why he is ready to believe in a message in which he must believe and subsequently prove his salvation by performing. But the gospel of God is that a sinner can be saved by simply trusting in the finished work of Christ. He does not have to give up anything, nor perform anything. It is quite crude to put it this way, but the truth of God’s gospel is that one can live as he pleases and still have eternal life, if he truly trusts in Christ alone. That is the good news. There is no work required to obtain salvation, nor maintain it. One was never good enough to receive it, and thus can never be bad enough to lose it. Whether or not a saved person should live as he pleases is another matter altogether, which is not concerned with salvation. It is lamentable for a believer to live in sin, yet this does not nullify his salvation. The bible likens the relationship between God and a saved person to that of  a father and a child. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” We can see that to become a child of God only requires that we believe on Christ alone to save us. Now we are a child of God. Even in the World, a Father is most gracious. He has rules for his children. If his child brakes those rules, the father will chastise him. If the son further breaks them, he will further chastise, and so on. However, there will never be a point at which the father will disown his son. He will never stop loving his son. His son will never cease from being his son regardless of how wicked he might be. We see this even in the case of the most wicked men, such as murderers. The parents will be ashamed of their murderous son. However, in most cases, the parents will still visit the son in prison and care after him. This is the proper understanding of salvation. When we say that a believer can lose their salvation, we are confessing that God is a worse parent than human parents; while as human parents do not abandon their children due to disobedience, we say that God will abandon one of his saved children if they walk in sin. This is nothing short of blasphemous. The merciful God of the bible is longsuffering with his children, and his mercy endures forever. As the Psalm says “His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgements; if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then I will visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.”  Please understand that I am not saying a believer ought to live as he pleases. A believer that lives in such a way is a shame to the body of Christ. He ought to turn from his sins and seek the Lord. But turning from sin, which is to do the deeds of the law, is not a requirement for eternal life, nor a proof of it. Refraining from doing bad is equally as much a deed of the law as doing good is. "and God saw their WORKS, that they turned from their evil way." Interestingly, most commandments in the bible are of the negative connotation: "Thou shalt NOT...etc.". Therefore, it is a biblical fact that turning from your sins is works, and works have absolutely no part in salvation. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast." and then again "and if of grace, then no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace." It is an irrefutable fact that works and salvation are completely incompatible. It is therefore conclusive that a person does not have to forsake any sins to be saved. All that must be forsaken is trust in any other thing that he is trusting in stead of, or in addition to Jesus (such as self-righteousness, repentance, holiness or a false religion). At the moment one trusts in Christ for salvation, he receives the righteousness of God, has been crucified with Christ positionally, and is born again in the spirit. Yet in his actual experience, he may still sin the same as he did before being saved, as the flesh is still present. Overcoming the flesh in one's experience takes work, unlike salvation which is not of works. Overcoming the flesh is a process to which some believers may never manifest at all in their lives, remaining carnal and sinful like Lot, who was a drunkard citizen of Sodom; others will mature greatly and become spiritual. Yet all are new creatures in the inward man, regardless of the outward state. This is the proper understanding of salvation and the new birth.

PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE OUT OF CONTEXT

This false understanding of faith plus works to be saved occurs due to faulty division of God’s word. Passages about fellowship and discipleship are often erroneously applied to salvation, even though the word of God cannot be any clearer that salvation is absolutely not of works. This erroneous use of passages is the result of either unbelief or, at the very least, gross misunderstanding of the blood of Christ. One should take this rule when reading God’s word: if there are many clear, straight-forward passages that say one thing, yet there are a few difficult passages that seem to be saying another, we are certainly misinterpreting the few that seem to be contradictory. We must use the abundant amount of clear scriptures on a subject to discern the few unclear or difficult ones pertaining to the same topic. There are over 150 scriptures that clearly say that man is saved by faith alone, or by believing on Christ alone for salvation, and upon salvation one receives eternal life; that is, salvation that will never end. This fact of the scripture should be used when deciphering difficult, less clearer passages.

JAMES 2

Let us examine one of the most popularly misunderstood passages in scripture- James chapter 2. This is a favorite for denominations that preach a faith-works gospel. Yet it is taken so vehemently out of context. Lets get the context settled first. This Letter is written to “The 12 tribes scattered abroad” which is spiritual Israel, which is the Church, which are saved believers. So this letter is obviously addressed to saved believers in Christ. This is not an evangelistic letter to get people saved. This is written to the already saved. Furthermore, James refers to them as ‘Brothers’ or ‘Brethren’ 5 times in the first 2 chapters alone, and 13 times in the whole letter! This is doubtlessly written to saved persons. James begins by speaking of their partiality and unwillingness to do the good works of God. These eternally saved believers were showing partiality within the church, honoring the rich attendees more than the poor ones. This was not a good thing for a saved believer to practice. It is a wicked act. James then begins to rebuke them, telling them that they need to start getting good works to go along with their faith. Therefore he says ‘faith without works is dead, being alone’. He does not say ‘faith without works does not exists’ nor does he say ‘faith without works is impossible.’ Why? Cause faith without works does exist and is possible. Dead faith is unpracticed, undemonstrated faith, like that of Lot and Samson. Yet it is faith nonetheless. And faith is all that is required for salvation, as we see over 150 times in the New Testament. That is why he says faith without works is dead ‘being alone’. He was saying the faith was alone, and not accompanied by works. He did not say faith without works is dead ‘being non-existing’.  We must not read pre conceived ideas into the text. 
Furthermore, James goes on to say that Abraham was justified by works. But how was Abraham justified by works, and in front of who? James shows clearly in front of whom works justifies someone “shew ME thy faith without THY works and I will shew THEE my faith by my works.” ME,THEE, and THY are all references to men, and not God. This is clearly a matter of being justified before men and other brethren, and not before God. This is further supported by romans 4 “for if Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory, BUT NOT BEFORE GOD. For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Paul says that even though Abraham did have works, it did not justify him before God at all, only his faith did. Therefore we know that James is speaking about justification not before God, but before men. Furthermore we see more of the gospel truth in the next verse in romans 4:4-8 “now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. but to him that WORKETH NOT (no works at all) but believeth (faith without works; dead faith) on him who justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven (forgiveness for past sins) and whose sins are covered (current sins, present tense.) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not (future tense) impute sin.”   Paul clearly says that a man with no works, but believes (a dead faith) is still saved. So we see now how this passage in James is taken utterly out of context of the letter itself, and also ignores the council of other scriptures when the faith plus works interpretation is given. We see that our sins are covered past, present, and future, regardless of our works. James is exhorting saved brethren to get to work in addition to their salvation, not as a requisite or proof.

THE LETTER OF 1 JOHN

Now we will quickly examine the letter of 1 John. Many have used this letter to suggest that all genuine believers will doubtlessly walk in holiness, thereby justifying their false gospel of works. This interpretation of the letter flies in the face of countless brethren in the scripture that did not live holy lives; Lot, Samson, King Saul, King David (at times), King Solomon (near the end of his life), the brethren at Corinth and so on. All of these individuals and the believers at Corinth are clearly stated to have been saved, brethren, righteous according to God and salvation and so forth. Yet in their experience in the flesh, they committed horrible acts and lived in sin, for long sustained periods and even until death in the case of some (Lot, Solomon, Samson and the Corinthians).
More importantly, we must know the proper context of the epistle itself. Right from the beginning in verse 3 we are told the proper context: fellowship (not salvation), and abundant joy that results from living a godly life:
"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.  And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."  The apostle is writing a letter to believers  about how to remain in fellowship with the brethren and with God. For an example, a child can be the son of his father, yet not be in fellowship with his father. Such child might doubtless be loved by his father, yet will not be in good standing with him if he fails to follow the rules his father has implemented. This is the proper understanding of the letter. John is not writing to get people saved, but much like James, rather writing to saved believers so that they might be in fellowship and not live in sin. "My little Children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.."  The whole purpose of John's letter is so that saved believers might walk according to the new man, and not in the sin of the flesh. It is challenging believers to love God, and to get to know him. Many assume that all saved persons love God or know him; nay, rather all saved persons are known by God, and are loved by him. For the saved one to love God and to know him is another thing altogether, which is what the apostle is addressing. We must strive to love God by keeping his commandments, and thereby get to know him. This letter, by no means, indicates that all true believers will somehow walk in the spirit eventually, as if believers are puppets controlled by the holy spirit; otherwise there would be no purpose in John or Paul to constantly exhort believers to put away the sins of the flesh and walk in the spirit. If we can understand this, we can then clearly understand the message of 1 John. The letter concludes by affirming that faith is the only means to salvation, and that we can be sure of our salvation: "Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Christ?...These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life"

HEBREWS 10

Too often, nominal Christians, or even confused believers will quiver and tremble because of Hebrews 10; they assume that this passage is saying that a believer can lose his salvation. The idea of losing salvation should not even be taken seriously; how many scores of times must the word of God clearly say that salvation is eternal life? Why is it that man refuses this wonderful gift? Why is it that believers, after being saved, will later doubt and believe that their salvation is conditional upon their performance? Ravenous wolves have put into the minds of weak believers that salvation must be maintained. Even worse, these wolves will evangelize unbelievers with this false conditional gospel, which cannot save anybody, thus creating a false religious convert. We must believe the word of the most gracious savior "He that believeth on me has everlasting life." 
 Eternal security is not some doctrine that one learns in addition to the gospel. Eternal security is the gospel. One who claims to believe in Jesus and does not believe in eternal security has failed to believe the gospel, and sadly is unsaved, regardless of how holy or consecrated a life he might live. With this in mind, let us look at controversial passage in Hebrews 10: "

    "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified....Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.…And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.…. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul."

It is inconceivable how someone can gather that this passage is speaking of a believer losing his salvation. The passage begins by clearly stating that a believer is "sanctified through the offering of Jesus Christ Once for all..for by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."  So the writer of Hebrews (presumed to be Paul) clearly states that one is perfected forever upon believing on the sacrifice of Jesus. He needs no more sacrifice for his future sins. It is impossible to offer another sacrifice, seeing that he has already been sanctified and perfected by the offering of the blood of Jesus. Now that we have clearly seen this, let us go forth. Paul then continues to exhort the brethren to provoke one another to good works, and to assemble (that is, go to church) often. He is warning them to be careful, lest they fall into willful sin; that is, falling back into a life of sin. He says "For if we sin wilfully... there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation.." The hypothetical believer who sins willfully has no more sacrifice for his sins; for he has been sanctified forever by the sacrifice of Jesus. He cannot offer another sacrifice for his sins afterward. Clearly this man was saved "wherewith he was SANCTIFIED" The rebellious believer was already sanctified and perfected forever by the offering of Christ. What the apostle is warning about is temporal judgement on the believer; chastisement of the father. As the passage says "for the Lord shall judge HIS people." This passage is speaking about God punishing his own children. A believer who walks in sin, though eternally saved, is subject to chastisement from God. This is clear. The bible often talks of the Lord chastising his children. We see such type of judgement of the Corinthians for eating unworthily of the supper or with Samson who was killed off. We also see that believers who fail to do good works are saved, yet so as by fire "if any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as by fire.” A believer that fails to work for God will be saved nonetheless, yet there is a fire associated with this believer, a punishment. Hence the apostle says in Hebrew 10 "There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins (this is because Christ is the last, and perfect sacrifice) but a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery (yet he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire) indignation.." Now we can understand that Hebrews is warning saved persons not to abuse the grace of God, otherwise they will be chastised of the Father, even unto death.

JOHN 15

There are many more passages that are used to falsely justify faith plus works salvation, or that a believer can lose his salvation. We do not have enough time tonight to cover them all. We will cover just one more, John 15, which we read aloud earlier. A young lady in the audience came to me yesterday, fearing for her salvation due to this passage, for a Methodist preacher had told her that unless she persevere, she will not be saved. I reassured her using the very same book. Let us begin by addressing the book of John and its purpose. It is an evangelistic book. It is written for the sole purpose of getting people saved. The other gospels are written to those who are already saved, that they may grow and learn of the Lord’s earthly life. The gospel of John, however, is specifically written to the unsaved, that they may be saved. "These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Son of God: and that believing ye might have life through his name." John's gospel claims to be written for the sole purpose of getting people saved. Should we find it strange then, that the word repent is not even mentioned in this book? This fact alone demonstrates clearly that repenting of sins has no place in salvation. Changing your life has no place in salvation, nor proving your salvation, as some might put it. This book, written to get people saved, emphasizes more than any other book in the bible, that salvation is by belief on Christ alone. It is also interesting that this book affirms countless times that salvation can never end under any circumstance. It is eternal. Someone who trusts in Christ alone for salvation cannot be lost, even if he falls into the worsts of sins. Christ promised over and over again, in the book of John, that if anyone will simply believe in him for salvation, they will be saved. No mention is made of repentance or changing your life. Was Christ deceiving people into thinking they can be saved by simply believing, and do nothing else? No he was not deceiving them; he was telling the good news of the gospel, which in essence does promise that we can do absolutely nothing, make no effort to change, and still be saved if we believe. As I said, It is indeed a crude way to put it, but it is absolutely the beautiful news of the gospel.  Jesus never told the fornicating woman at the well to repent and move out from the man's house; he told her to believe on him alone to be eternally saved. Jesus was not even concerned with her lifestyle. He was trying to get her saved. The woman also had no reaction of repenting from her sin. She simply believed. That is all Jesus Christ required her to do for salvation. Why is it then, that many arrogant preachers require sinners to stop sinning to be saved? It is because they themselves are not saved and have not understood that salvation is a free gift through faith alone. With all that said, let us examine the passage in question, John 15. I will first analyze the passage using the reasoning that faith plus works salvationists use, and demonstrate how even in their own thinking, it fails to support their view. In this interpretation we are going to assume that the branch being cast forth is losing your salvation, which we know is not possible, but for argument’s sake we will entertain it. We can also assume that it means they never really believed, either view will be suffice to a works plus faith salvationist. We will also assume that the ‘fire’ is hell, which those who hold to faith-works theology also assume. The branches that are burned are false believers, or believers who lose their salvation, and so they are cast forth and thrown in the fire. Furthermore, the good branches are told ‘if ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”  So these good branches are said to keep the commandments is the same way that Jesus Christ kept the commandments: which we know was perfectly without any breaking of them ever. But do any saved believers do this in their experience? Did the apostles, to whom this is addressed, even keep them perfectly? Of course not. Peter sinned after this and so did they all. Assuming that this passage means only those who persevere will be saved, then this passage will prove that no one can ever be saved. It says that those who abide in Christ keep the Father’s commandments just as Christ kept them, which is without blemish. But not even the apostles were able to do that. However, they did abide in him and keep his commandments perfectly in the inward man, the new creature. This is the same for all believers, whether they are carnal like the Corinthians and Samson the Judge of Israel, or whether they are spiritual like Paul, the prophets and the Philippians: they all abode perfectly in his commandments according to the inward, new man. They all had the fruit of faith in the new man. The old man, however, is still very much alive and able to practice sin his entire life. Indeed it does! In Romans 7 Paul describes it: “for I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members (the flesh), warring against the law of my mind (the new man) and bringing me into the captivity of sin which is in my members.. So then with the mind (inward man, spirit) I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”. All believers literally abide in sin, which is the flesh, in the old man, yet in the new man they abide in Christ; all believers differ in this to certain extents according to their spiritual growth or weakness etc. Therefore, this does not prove that a sinful believer is not saved, nor that outward works are proof that someone is really saved. Now we see how even using the false assumptions of faith-works salvationists, we are still able to refute their doctrine. If their view is true, then one must keep the commandments without blemish just as Christ in order to be saved.

Now let us analyze the passage the way it was meant to be. We see how Christ clearly says that belief alone is what saves. We see how in the book of John there is not even one mention of repentance nor turning from sin. This is the context of the entire book. It is written to get people saved. It is not meant for discipleship, and therefore there is no mention of turning from sin or living a good life (which while not required for salvation, they are required to be a disciple of minister of Christ). These calls to discipleship are reserved in other books written for those who are already saved. Let us now continue. This is the correct interpretation, given the context. The branches that are cast forth and withered are saved believers, because he says “Every branch in me..” So these branches were in him; they were in Christ, knew him, had acquired eternal salvation through faith. They therefore cannot lose their salvation, for it is eternal. I will not assume that the fire is hell, nor is it wise to; this is a figurative parable, the branches are not really branches, therefore the fire does not have to be the literal lake of fire. With these principles in mind, let us continue. These branches represent weak, carnal believers like Samson and the Corinthians. They are in Christ, and acquired salvation which is eternal and cannot be lost. However, they failed to live abundant spiritual lives, or even to simply abstain from fornication or extremely defiling sins. Therefore they were cast forth from service; they are useless in the service of God being overgrown babes in Christ who cannot even drink the milk well, much less eat of the meat and teach it to others. They are separated from the congregation, just as Paul exhorts believers to not even eat with another fellow believer who is in utter sin. They are disqualified from service to the Lord. The fire can represent that they are subject to temporal judgment and chastisement, which can lead to sickness and even death, which we see can happen to saved people various times in scripture. It can also represent the manner in which they are saved ‘as by fire’, as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:14 “If any man’s work abide (as in ‘abide in me’) which he hath built thereupon (on the foundation of Christ) he shall receive a reward; if any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as by fire.” See how this aligns beautifully with this passage of John 15? The branches that are fruitless are cast forth and thrown into the fire of trial at the judgement of believers, through which they are saved nonetheless. Both types of branches are saved believers; the carnal and the spiritual. The carnal are withered away from service, the spiritual are given into service. This is clear. Paul himself was careful not to be casted forth from service in the ministry and eternal rewards: "if I do this thing willingly I receive a reward.. but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" 

Paul was not worried about losing his salvation. If he was, then we are all in big trouble. If the mighty apostle Paul was not sure of his salvation then we have no hope. But Paul was not questioning his salvation, but rather his ability to remain serving in the ministry. Thank God we need not to ever worry of our salvation! "These things have I written to you who believe on the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life." 

CORRECTING THE IMMORAL BROTHER, AND THE COUNTERFEIT GOSPEL

In addition to unintentionally deceiving sinners with a false plan of salvation by calling on them to change their lives to be saved in addition to faith, one can also deceive a saved believer into legalistic work with the same false doctrine. Many theologians and pastors often strike fear within sinful believers. They erroneously claim that unless such sinful believers turn from their sin, they are to perish eternally or prove that they never truly believed. While it is true that many sinning unbelievers might claim to believe, it is also true that many ‘holy’ unbelievers might also claim to believe. The lifestyle of a person does not always reflect upon their salvation. Some believers might never mature, some might seem holy for a time and then fall, some may go back and forth between being holy and being defeated, some may mature greatly and live holy forever, and some might never live holy at all. The fact is that most false professors in Christ are actually ‘holy’. Contrary to what most people think, false professors are not likely to live in utter sin. Most false professors actually seek to establish their own righteousness due to their unbelief in Christ alone, and thereby might appear even holier or zealous of good works than a true believer. This is what we see in Matthew 7:21-23. Many, who neglected to do the will of the father will come to Christ on the day of judgment and boasts of their works. "Not everyone who 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. MANY will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in thy name? And, in thy name cast out devils? And in thy name do many wonderful WORKS? And then I will declare unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU. Depart from me ye who work iniquity.". Notice that these individuals acknowledge Jesus as Lord. They recognize he is the Son of God. Yet they boast of their works. They do not boast on the cross, but in their own work, which they claim to do in Jesus’ name. Many theologians foolishly apply this passage to professors in Christ who did not work enough. They equate the will of the Father as work. Yet this is a vehement contradiction to what this passage says. These men did the works. They preached and did many wonderful works in Christ name. They were so assured of their salvation based on their work. Yet the Lord did not know them. What did these men neglect to do? They neglected the will of the Father. What is the will of the father? The will of the Father is mentioned clearly in the book of John. JOHN 6:39-40 "and this is the Father's will which hath sent me...that everyone one which seeth the son, and BELIEVETH on him, may have everlasting life". The will of the father, in regards to salvation, is only believe. That is all. Nothing more. This is what the men of Matthew 7 neglected to do. They acknowledge Jesus as Lord, yet they did not trust in him alone for salvation. They went on to establish their own righteousness in hopes of proving they really were saved. They never truly understood that salvation was by grace through faith in Christ alone, 'Not of works lest anyman should boast.'. Instead of trusting in the eternal security that Christ offered, they trusted their own works and kept Jesus as a kind of insurance policy. These men perhaps seemed like quite devout Christians. They were perhaps holy men, able to abstain from the lust of the flesh. They even had faith in the power to do miracles. Yet they were never born again. Just like Judas Iscariot, who appeared to be every bit as pious as the other eleven, so much so that none of them had any clue to whom Jesus referred to when he proclaimed that one will betray him. Judas fit in perfectly with the 12. Yet the bible says he never believed on Christ for salvation: "For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who believed not, and who should betray him." Judas manifested his wickedness in the end because it was a scripture that had to be fulfilled. But the men in Matthew 7 seemed to endure 'in holiness' until the end. They were certainly indistinguishable from true believers, except in their trusts of their holiness and works to prove their salvation. One must be careful not to preach a false gospel which will result in a Matthew 7 convert. Neither should one seek to scare carnal believers by falsely condemning them to hell if they refuse to stop sinning. This is not the way to correct a brother in error, as we know the gospel shows us that we are eternally saved once we believe.

The apostle Paul found himself with a grave problem concerning the believers in Corinth. They believed on the Lord Jesus. They were saved. Yet they were utterly carnal; they were divided, reviling one another, extorting one another, living in fornication and drunkenness, and many had been destroyed by the Lord for eating unworthily from the supper. Paul, however, did not combat this problem by scaring the Corinthian believers into doubting their salvation; rather he affirmed it. Paul calls them ‘babes in Christ’ and ‘brethren’ repeatedly. He affirmed them that the very members they were using to sin and fornicate were the members of the Lord Jesus- “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Should I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot?”. What can we learn from the example of the blessed apostle? The problem of carnality within the body of Christ should not be dealt with by falsely revoking the sinful believer of his salvation; this will produce nothing more than a sinful believer seeking to regain his assurance of salvation by works, when in reality he never lost his salvation at all. He remained saved even while joining the members of Christ with an harlot.

How, then, do we deal with carnal believers? This depends heavily on the degree of sin. The so called ‘lesser’ sins (lies, laziness, wrath, jealousy, foolishness, reviling etc.) need not much interference other than encouragement to attend church, read God’s word, deny self, and seek the things of the spirit. We must pay more attention to dealing with defiling sins such as fornication and drunkenness. In these cases, the bible commands us to confront the brother or sister regarding their sin. Shall they refuse to cease from the offence, we must shun the brother or sister who commits these sins, and cease to fellowship with him or her. Intercession should be made, that they might turn from this defilement and that the Lord may be patient not to destroy their flesh. However, there is a point at which a brother must be handed over unto Satan; that is, for God to allow Satan to destroy the brother or sister through life circumstances, illness, or even death. We must earnestly pray for our disobedient brethren to turn from their error that God may have mercy on them, and not take them home before their time. Our saved brothers in Christ must realize that if they go on in sin, living immorally, God will most definitely destroy them, perhaps even kill them. Once such instance occurred in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. One of the brethren had fallen into grave sin, fornication with his own stepmother! This was abnormal even among the heathen. Paul gives the order that such a brother must be thrown out of the church, and handed over to Satan that he may die rather than continue in such wicked sin. "..deliver such an one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."  The destruction of the flesh, as some might argue, is not the destruction of the sin nature; scripture shows us repeatedly that the flesh is only destroyed through death. Therefore, it is obvious that 'the destruction of the flesh' is sickness, even unto death. God deals thus with those born again believers who defile their bodies, which is the temple of God, being that the holy spirit indwells them. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." Paul again warns the carnal brothers that if they defile the temple of God (their bodies) with sin, God will destroy them. This is the same thing we see happen later in the same epistle. "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." The apostle warned the brethren that their unworthy eating of the Lord's supper caused some to become sick, and even to 'sleep' or die. These brethren ate of the supper while in unrepentant sin, and consequently were taken home before their time. Others had fallen into sicknesses. This is the Lord's chastisement of his redeemed ones. It is indeed a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Lord, who will punish his children with the rod if they refuse to obey him. We must exhort the brethren to walk worthy of their calling, lest they fall to the punishment of their Father in heaven. Likewise, they must also be told of the blessing they will receive if they deny self and take up the daily cross. "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon (on the foundation of salvation through Christ) he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." This teaches clearly that the Lord rewards his obedient children, and takes away rewards from those children which were disobedient, yet salvation is not revoked. 

This is the only biblical way of dealing with immoral brethren. One must not attempt to do something that not even the apostles themselves did not; that is, to threaten brethren that they will perish in hell if they refuse to turn from their sin. No believer ever needs to worry of eternal condemnation. “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death unto life.” The Lord Jesus assures us that our salvation is eternal, it cannot end. Likewise, we cannot be condemned eternally. A believer might receive condemnation on earth, through chastisement of the father- yet he cannot ever perish in hell regardless of what sin he might commit. He is saved for eternity. Amen! Let us seek to please the Lord for such a blessed assurance! Let us forsake our sin and self because we know we are saved regardless of our works. This is the right attitude. This is the way to victory over the flesh. If one thinks he must work to prove he is saved, then he will never have victory. He will only have self-righteousness. He will only be feeding the ego, the self, and his flesh. This is the best case. This is assuming that he indeed did once believe on Christ alone for salvation without proof of works. The worst case is that he has never truly believed the gospel of Christ, which is faith alone. This is the problem in much of Christendom. Many ‘Christians’ are not saved. Catholics and many Protestants alike believe in a counterfeit gospel. The Roman-Catholic gospel of faith plus works has sneaked its way into Christendom, and has infected most denominations. It is often packaged cleverly, 'salvation is by faith alone, but if you do not have works then you are not really saved.' This is a contradiction;  a cleverly devised way of sneakily adding works to salvation. Telling a lost person that salvation is by faith alone, but they must leave their sins to prove they really believe, will never save them! The lost person will not be able to trust in Jesus alone with this false message. Often, people who condone such a faith plus works doctrine will single out certain sins as proving someone is not saved such as fornication and drunkenness. Such people will often appeal to the list in 1 Corinthians 6: "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." People who believe carnal Christians are not saved fail to see that 'revilers', or criticizing others, is lumped in together with fornicators and adulterers. They also fail to see the proper context, which is shown in the very next verse: "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 God." Here Paul shows clearly what he meant by the list. He said the Corinthians were 'justified' of all their sins, and therefore were not considered adulterers or fornicators or revilers as far as salvation. They were clean in the eyes of God. But had they stopped doing these sins? Absolutely not! We see in the entire epistle that they were carnal, sinful and fornication was commonly reported among them. Yet they were justified by the blood of Christ, and were forgiven even for the sins they continually abode in. They were forgiven as far as salvation; however they were under judgement and chastising of God as far as their earthly life. This is the proper understanding of these passages. Yet many will wrongly divide the word of God, saying that fornicators and drunkards are not saved. In dividing the word in such an erroneous way, such people condemn themselves! We see a similar list in Revelation 21: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and ALL LIARS shall have their part in the which burneth with with fire and brimstone.." Clearly, liars are equated with murderers and whoremongers, and have equal part in hell. Some who hold the faith plus works doctrine will argue that even though they lie at times, they are not 'habitual liars' or 'practicing liars' and therefore they are not equal to a fornicating believer. They justify their salvation over that of the carnal babe in Christ with this unbiblical idea. However, there is no such idea as a difference between sinning, and 'practicing sin' to determine salvation: that is why a few verses later, in the same passage in revelation, God gives the definition of a liar: "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither worketh abomination, or maketh A LIE.."  The Lord is careful to say 'A LIE' which is singular; it means one single lie. One single lie condemns us to hell. Yet is a believer unsaved because he tells a lie after salvation? Certainly not! The whole point of salvation is that our sins are paid in full; past, present, and future. This is true of a 'small' sin like lying, or a defiling sin like fornication. We may sin purposely and continue to do so, yet even these sins are forgiven in eternity. This does not mean, however, that it is automatically forgiven in our earthly lives. We must repent of each sin and confess our sin to God to avoid being judged and punished here on earth. So while a sinful believer will be punished and judged for his unrepentant sins here on earth, they were already forgiven in eternity (that is, regarding salvation) the moment he believed on Christ alone for his salvation! Alleluia! What a blessed gospel of peace. This is the right understanding of the grace of God. Yet many will reject this beautiful fact, and rather hold on to their righteousness. They will foolishly preach that if a believer does not have good works, or does not turn from his sin, he cannot be saved. They foolishly bring the gospel of God down to the level of the religions of the world. They do not understand the profundity of the precious blood of Christ.

Now, I must distinguish between two different types of men that fall into this heresy. There is the one who was saved by faith alone initially, who believed on Christ alone for salvation regardless of works. He believed in the gospel of eternal security. This one started well, acquired eternal life, and then was indoctrinated incorrectly. He then doubts faith alone, and begins to believe he must prove his salvation by living holy. This one, though saved, will never be able to mature spiritually. Though he practice holiness, it is all done in vain. It is all done as an attempt to prove his salvation. Most of these types tend to become very self-righteous. They will deem any brother who is immature as unsaved. They will have a high opinion of themselves and reject those who disagree with his pharisaic doctrine. There is no polite way to put it, but faith plus works is the religion of the Pharisees. The Pharisees believed in God, yet they also believed they would be justified by their holy living. We see this clearly in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. The Pharisee prayed to the God of Israel, yet he boasted of his work, foolishly thinking it proved he was saved. The Publican, on the other hand, would not even look toward heaven. He knew he was a sinner. He knew he needed a savior. He called upon the name of the Lord and said "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." He did not promise to change his life. He did not turn from his sin. He simply had faith in God for mercy. He remained a publican, yet he was justified, not the holy pharisee. It is a wonder how despite many clear presentations in the bible condemning works salvation, much of Christendom remains in a pharisaic system. Many who adopt this faith plus works doctrine after initially being saved will often close off fellowship with other brethren who disagree. They will build a wall around themselves, thinking highly of their holy living. 

This doctrine is so destructive to the saved believer. It is inconceivable that any believer will fall into this trap after reading the letter to the Galatians. The Galatians fell into the same false doctrine. They began to believe that they must keep the law to be saved. Paul rebuked them harshly. Though the Galatians had a particular affinity with circumcision and Sabbaths, and were adding these elements to salvation, they would have been equally in error by adding 'repenting from your sins' or 'refraining from fornication'. Paul was not against holy living, turning from sins, or  doing good works; on the contrary, he exhorted saved brethren to walk worthily. He was, however, vehemently opposed to holy living and keeping of the law as a condition to salvation, which the Galatians were beginning to believe. Paul even stood in doubt of some. For certainly some new converts had been converted with this erroneous gospel, trusting in Christ's work together with their own as proof, and therefore were unsaved. He knew the ones he had converted were saved, but stood in doubt of those who were converted after he departed from Galatia. ‘I stand in doubt of you brethren.’ This is the only time the Apostle doubted of the salvation of any of the churches. Sin and disobedience never aroused this doubt in him, but rather only self-righteousness and adding works to the gospel.

Now there is the other type of person who holds this faith plus works doctrine- the one who believed in this doctrine since he was first ‘saved’. This one was never truly saved. He never believed the true gospel of faith alone. He never realized that salvation required nothing more that trusting in Christ alone with all the heart. He was never quickened in the spirit by grace through faith alone. He sought, since his ‘conversion’ to look to his works as proof of his salvation, in essence never really trusting Christ alone. He trusted Christ some, and his works some. They might be fervent in their religion, and seem very zealous for Jesus, yet they never trusted in Jesus with all their faith. Instead they looked to their own life as a confirmation of their salvation. This describes a large portion of Christendom. Not only is this doctrine prevalent in conservative denominations, but even more so in liberal ones. While liberal branches might seem to believe in faith alone due to their mundane tendencies, they will still consider a true believer who fornicates or lives in sin to be unsaved. They still preach that one can lose his salvation. Even these liberal branches hold firmly to their righteousness and abstinence from the visible sins. These are the "Many" men of Matthew 7, ‘Lord, Lord, in your name did we not do many wonderful works?”. These are those who never did the will of the Father, which is to simply trust in Christ with a child-like faith. A child has no concept of having to work to prove his father will protect him. A child simply trust in his parents without any added concepts of working or proving his trust. This is noteworthy, as our Christ likened saving faith to that of a child. To be saved, one simply trusts in Christ to save him, as a little child would. This is indeed a fearful fact; many who are "pious Christians" are not really saved. They have nothing more than another cleverly devised religion with Jesus as a pretext. This is why we must preach the true gospel even when we hear one say ‘I am a Christian’. We must proclaim always that salvation is by Trust in Christ only, without works- past, present or future. We must be clear, as the Lord Jesus was when evangelizing, that salvation is by faith alone, and is an eternal gift from God. "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." We must make it abundantly clear that if one believes he can lose his salvation, then he has failed to believe the gospel. He is not trusting Jesus alone to save him. He is trusting his life, his work, his holiness to keep his salvation. As I have consistently affirmed: eternal security is not a separate doctrine from the gospel. It is the gospel!

Fact and Experience, by Watchman Nee

THE CROSS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

There are many believers—you can say the majority of the believers—who were not filled by the Holy Spirit when they believed in the Lord. On the contrary, after believing in the Lord for many years, they are still entangled by sins and have become fleshly believers. What we will talk about in the following portion concerning how the fleshly believer obtains salvation is according to the experience of the Corinthian believers and others like them. We are not saying that a believer must first believe in the substitutionary work of the cross and later believe in the uniting work of the cross. It is because many saved believers do not have the clear revelation of the cross from the beginning that they have only believed half of the truth. For this reason they need another chance to believe the other half of the truth. If the reader has completely believed the two sides of the work of the cross, this section will not be that deeply related to him. But if he is like the majority of saved believers and has only believed half of the truth, this section will be indispensable to him. However, we want the reader to be clear that it is not necessary to believe the two sides of the work of the cross at separate times. It is because of the lack in man's believing that there is the need of believing the second time.

THE SALVATION OF THE CROSS

After the apostle spoke concerning many items of the flesh in Galatians 5, he continued, "But they who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts" (v. 24). This is the way of salvation. What the believers pay attention to and what God pays attention to are very different. The believers are concerned about "the works of the flesh" (v. 19) which are the works, item by item, of the flesh. They are paying attention to sins individually: today's anger, tomorrow's jealousy, and the next day's strife. What they are sorrowful about and hope to overcome are certain sins. But these are simply fruits born of the same tree. You may pick one fruit—not to say that you cannot pick any one of them—and there grows another. One after another they grow without end, until eventually there will not be one day of victory. What God pays attention to is "flesh" (v. 24), not the works of the flesh. If a tree is dead, do we still fear that it will bear fruit? Believers always plan to deal with the offenses (fruits) and forget to deal with the flesh (the root). Therefore, it is unavoidable that one offense has not been dealt with clearly before another offense has already come. We need to deal with the root of sin.

The babes in Christ, being still of the flesh, should know more deeply the meaning of the cross. The work of God is to crucify the believer's old man with Christ so that those who are of Christ "have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts." No matter whether it is the flesh or the strong lust in the flesh, both are crucified on the cross. In the past it was through this cross that sinners obtained regeneration and knew that they had been redeemed by the Lord from their sins. Now it is also through this cross that the babyish, fleshly Christians—perhaps already regenerated for many years—can obtain salvation and be freed from the dominion of the flesh that they may walk according to the Holy Spirit and no longer walk according to the flesh, in order that they may become spiritual men before long.

Thus the fall of man is in contrast to the work of the cross. The salvation afforded by the latter is the very remedy for the former. One being the sickness and the other the cure, they match one another perfectly. On one hand, the Savior died for the sinner on the cross to redeem him from sin so that the holy God can righteously forgive him. On the other hand, having died with the Savior on the cross, the sinner no longer is ruled by the flesh. Rather, his spirit regains the control, the body becomes the servant on the outside, and the soul is the medium in between. Thus, the original order of spirit, soul, and body is restored.

If we do not first understand what the death mentioned in this verse is, we will still not be able to receive salvation. May the Holy Spirit be our Revealer.

"But they who are of Christ Jesus" refers to everyone who believes in the Lord. Everyone who has believed in the Lord and has been regenerated belongs to the Lord. No matter what this person's spiritual level is and no matter how his work is, whether he has been freed from sin, has been fully sanctified, or has ever been overcome by the lust of the flesh, all do not matter. The thing that matters here is whether this person has ever been joined to Christ in life. In other words, has he been regenerated? Has he ever believed in the Lord Jesus as Savior? If he has believed, no matter what his present spiritual condition is, whether he is victorious or failing, this person has "crucified the flesh" on the cross.

It is not a question of ethics or spirituality; it is not a question of knowledge or work; it is only a question of whether he belongs to Christ. If he does, he has "crucified the flesh" on the cross—he "is" not crucifying nor "will" he crucify, but he "has" crucified.

We must have the right focus. This verse is not speaking concerning the matter of experience—regardless what your experience is—but is stating God's fact. "They who are of Christ Jesus," whether strong or weak, "have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts." You may say you are still sinning; God says you have been crucified on the cross. You say your temper still exists; God says you have been crucified on the cross. You say your lust is strong; God says your flesh has been crucified on the cross. Please do not pay attention to your experience now. Pay attention first to God's speaking to you. If, instead of listening to and believing in God's Word, you merely look at your own experience every day, you will never have the experience of the crucifixion of the flesh. Do not pay attention to your feeling and experience. Since God said your flesh has been crucified, it has indeed been crucified. We must hear and believe God's Word first—then we will have the experience. God said to you, "Your flesh has been crucified." You need to answer, "Amen! Yes, my flesh has been crucified on the cross." By doing this, you will see that your flesh has indeed been crucified.

The believers in Corinth committed adultery, had jealousy, strife, divisions, and lawsuits, and committed many other sins. They were fleshly. But they were "babes in Christ;" therefore they were still of Christ. Can it be true with even this kind of believer that their flesh has been crucified? Yes, even the flesh of these fleshly Corinthian believers has been crucified. How can this be?

We must realize that the Bible does not tell us to be crucified. Rather, it tells us that we are those who have been crucified, because it is not that we are to be crucified by ourselves but that we have been crucified with the Lord Jesus (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:6). Since we are crucified with Christ, at the moment Christ was crucified on the cross, our flesh also was crucified on the cross. Also, our being crucified does not mean that we were crucified by ourselves but that the Lord Jesus, at the time when He was crucified, also carried us up onto the cross. Therefore, in God's eyes our flesh "has been crucified" on the cross. This matter, in the eyes of God, has clearly been done, has been accomplished, has already become a fact. Therefore, whether people have the experience or not, God's Word says, "They who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh." If we want to have the way to experience the crucifixion of the flesh, we do not need to pay attention to experience. Of course, experience is not wrong, but do not give it too much of a position. We need to believe God's Word. "God said, my flesh has been crucified—I believe my flesh has really been crucified." "God said my flesh has been crucified on the cross—I confess that God's Word is true." In this way we will have the experience. We must first pay attention to God's fact; then we pay attention to man's experience.

The flesh of those Corinthians, in God's eyes, had been crucified with the Lord Jesus on the cross. But they did not have the experience. The reason might be that they did not realize God's "fact." Therefore, the first step for us to receive salvation is to deal with the flesh according to God's point of view. It is not that the flesh is going to be crucified on the cross but that it has already been crucified, not according to what we see, but according to what we believe—God's Word. If we are firm on this point—the flesh has been crucified—we will be able to go on to deal with the flesh in our experience. Unless we do not care for all our spiritual progress and stand firm on this fact, considering that in any event our flesh has been crucified on the cross, there is no possibility for us to have the real experience. Those who want to have the experience should not care first for their own experience but only believe in God's Word. Then they can obtain the experience.

Assurance of Salvation

 

 

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

Every time I go to a place to preach God’s gospel of grace, I always ask the local Christians one question. I believe all those who can answer me with a clear “yes” are joyfully enjoying the grace of God. The question is, “Are you already saved?” In other words, do you really know that you are saved? Among a thousand people, one can only find two or three who know that they are saved. Sometimes, among a whole congregation, one cannot find one person who knows that he is saved. Then I ask these ones, “You have received the Lord Jesus and have accepted Him as your personal Savior. You have trusted in the blood of His cross to wash away your sins. Why do you still not know that you are saved? If a man falls into the water, and another man pulls him out, after the first man comes to his senses, he will surely know whether he is still in the water or safe on the shore. You should know whether you are a perishing man or a saved man who has obtained God’s grace.” Many people would not respond clearly with words, but their answer always seems to be, “I do not know if I have been saved. How can I say that I am saved while I am still living on earth?”

I think many of the readers of this message would answer this way! This is exactly where our mistake lies. Our belief in the Lord Jesus is not like gambling, winning when we are lucky and losing when we are not lucky. The salvation that comes through believing in the cross of the Lord Jesus is fully guaranteed. We do not have to wait until we die before we can know if we are saved or not. We can know this now. This is the clear teaching of the Bible. Please read a few verses:

“Therefore let it be known to you, men, brothers, that through this One forgiveness of sins is announced to you; and from all the things from which you were not able to be justified by the law of Moses, in this One everyone who believes is justified” (Acts 13:38-39).

We cannot obtain justification by God through our own work. We have many sins, which make our heart sad whenever we think about them and cause us to think that we are not saved. But although we can fail, the Lord Jesus is still trustworthy. If we believe in Him, our sins will be forgiven. All those who believe in Him will be justified. How great is the Lord’s salvation! God’s Word says, “Let it be known to you.” We should know what? We should know that once we have believed in the Lord Jesus, our sins are forgiven, and we are justified. You are saved! When God says, “Let it be known to you,” we can know if we are saved or not. We should not refuse Him. We should commit our sins to the Savior and believe in His accomplished salvation for us. We will then be saved.

“This is the testimony of God that He has testified concerning His Son. He who believes into the Son of God has the testimony in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar because he has not believed in the testimony which God has testified concerning His Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave to us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. I have written these things to you that you may know that you have eternal life, to you who believe into the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:9-13).

He who has the Lord Jesus has life. He who does not have Him does not have life. Have you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior? If you have, you have life already, and you are saved. The Lord Jesus said Himself: “He who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). God has testified for His Son that He has given to us eternal life. This passage of the Scripture says that if we do not believe in the testimony that we have eternal life, then we are making God a liar. God says all those who have trusted and accepted the Lord Jesus have eternal life. Would God lie? We should believe that we who have been washed by His blood are saved already. God said, through the apostle John, that He wrote these words that we may know that we are saved.

The testimony of the Bible is that we can know if we are saved. This is not something that happens only after we die; we do not have to wait until the coming age before we know. While we are living on earth today, we should know if we are saved or not. If we are not, we should make haste to believe in Jesus Christ and come to God through trusting in His saving accomplishment for us. If we are saved, we should give much thanks to God’s grace and should live on earth like saved persons. “Behold, now is the well-acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). God accepts us now and saves us now, rather than after we die.

Sometimes, when I ask a person if he is saved, he answers, “I am only trying my best to do good and to serve God, hoping that I can eventually be saved.” Alas, this is also wrong. This means that he does not understand the way of salvation. Do you think that you can be saved in the future by trying your best to do good and to serve God? We have to know that none of our merits and works are acceptable before God. “All our righteousnesses are like a soiled garment” (Isa. 64:6). Do you think that merit and work will save you? No, ten thousand times no! The Bible clearly says, “You have been saved...not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works that no one should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). Salvation comes through trusting in the Lord Jesus, “who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24), “the Righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God” (3:18). He has accomplished the work of salvation. All you have to do is to believe and obey Him. “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31). Do not try to be saved by your own work. No matter how good your works are, they cannot save you, for “you have been saved...not of works” (Eph. 2:8-9). If you trust in the accomplishment of the substitutional death of the Lord Jesus on the cross, you will be saved. If you do not accept the Lord Jesus as the Savior, there will be no hope for your salvation because you cannot save yourself. If you accept the Lord Jesus as the sin offering, you do not have to hope to be saved because you have eternal life already.

We only hope for things that we have not yet obtained. If we have them already, we do not need to hope for them anymore. When a child’s father leaves his home, the child hopes very much to see the father. But when the father returns home, the child is extremely glad. If the mother asks the child, “Do you still hope to see your father?”, the child will answer, “I have seen my father already. Why do I still have to hope to see him?” Indeed, if we have obtained something already, we do not need to hope for it anymore. Either the world believes in Jesus and is saved and has eternal life, or it is not saved and is perishing. There is no middle ground between the two things. “Every one who believes into Him... [has] eternal life....He who does not believe has been condemned already” (John 3:16-18). The Bible divides humanity into two classes: those who are saved and those who are perishing. There is not a third class of those who hope to be saved. If you have indeed believed in Jesus Christ as your Savior and have believed in His death on the cross where He bore your sins for you, you are saved already. You do not have to hope to be saved anymore. If some would ask a man who has been rescued out of the water, “What do you want?”, would he say, “I hope to get on shore”? Is such an answer sensible? Brothers, if you have believed in the Lord Jesus, you have eternal life already. Why are you still doubting? You have received it already. Why still hope for it? Simply praise the Lord instead!

There are others, when I ask about the question of salvation, that answer, “While I live on earth today, I indeed trust in the accomplished work of the redemption of the Lord Jesus. But I dare not say whether I am saved or not. I have to wait until I die and go before the Father to be judged as either a goat or a sheep. If He says that I am a sheep, then I will be saved and be most happy. If He says that I am a goat, then I will perish and go to hell in misery.”

Alas, is this future not a pitiful one? Speaking truthfully, if I did not know that I was saved, I would be afraid that I would be unable to take my meal today; and I would not be able to sleep tonight. Thank the Father, for He has accepted us and has given us the eternal life! Do you really believe in the merit of the Lord Jesus’ redemption? If we have believed in Him, do we have to wait until we die before we know whether we are saved or perishing? Please look at the word of the Bible. The Lord’s own words are the most trustworthy of all.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life” (John 3:16). Is not this verse very clear? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” This is what God has done. He has loved and He has given. He has given the Lord Jesus to the world, to die for the world and accomplish salvation on the cross, so that everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus would have eternal life and not perish. If you have believed in the Lord Jesus, you have eternal life already and will no longer perish. John 3:16 is the most recited verse. But unfortunately, many people are not familiar with John 3:16 after all. John 3:16 clearly says that as soon as you believe in the Lord Jesus, you do not perish, but have eternal life. But many believers change John 3:16! If they have believed in the Lord as their Savior but consider that they are not yet saved, they change John 3:16! They change it without knowing about it! They change John 3:16 to something like this:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him will perhaps not perish, and perhaps have eternal life after a month, two months, a year, ten years, a few decades, or after they die.”

Thank God that the Bible is not written this way. The Bible has not put those words there. The Bible links “every one who believes into Him” with “would not perish, but would have eternal life.” Whenever we believe in the Lord Jesus and have our sins washed by the blood; at that moment, we do not perish, but have eternal life. “Every one who believes into Him...would have eternal life” (John 3:16), without waiting until they die to have it.

The parable of the goats and the sheep has been misinterpreted by the church throughout the centuries. It has been applied to the believers. The word “nations” in Matthew 25:32 refers to the Gentiles. God has divided the world into Jews, Greeks, and the church of God (1 Cor. 10:32). The church has nothing to do with the Gentiles anymore. The judgment of the goats and the sheep refers to the judgment of the Gentile nations at the coming of the Lord Jesus with His saints. We the believers will not be judged there.

Those who have believed in the Lord Jesus will not be judged with respect to salvation and perdition. The Lord Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross has borne the judgment of their sins for them. He has taken the punishment of their sins. He has solved the problem of sin for them. Those who have believed in Him have accepted Him as their substitute. He has been judged and has died for them. Of course, they do not need to be judged or to die anymore. “There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Please read again the words of John 5:24. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life.”

How sweet are the Lord’s words! No one can speak like Him! These clear words are like music to a sinner’s ears. Since He said “truly, truly,” can they be untrue? Surely they cannot be. The Lord Jesus says that the one who hears and believes “has eternal life.” This is a “truly, truly” saying. He says that such a one “does not come into judgment.” This, of course, must be “truly, truly” also. He also says that such a one “has passed out of death into life.” This also must be “truly, truly.” When He says that such a one “has passed,” it surely means that it “has passed.” When do we use the words “has passed” in our daily life? Does not “has passed” mean that something has already been accomplished and is over? The Lord says that a person who has believed in Him “has passed out of death into life.” Why do we say that we have to wait until we die before we can know that we are saved? Brothers, those who have believed in Him have already passed from death into life even in this age. This is truly the gospel! Truly, truly I say unto you, a person who has believed “has passed out of death into life.” He who does not believe “has been condemned already” (John 3:18). Both times that the word “has” is used in John 5:24 and 3:18, it refers to something that is decided now.

Perhaps when you read up to this point, you will think like many other believers, “Would it not be too proud of me to say that I am already saved? I am not better in any way in my conduct than others. How can I say this?”

Dear readers, for us to know that we are saved is not to be proud. The words “to be saved” are in the passive voice; they show that we are being acted upon. What is there for us to be proud of? To say that we do not need to be saved or that we have no need of salvation is indeed proud; it is indeed to consider ourselves better than others. But to say that we are saved indicates that we were sinners and were to perish, but that we are now saved by Him through trusting in Him. This shows how deep the Lord’s grace is to us and how great is the saving work of the Lord. It shows how great the Lord’s power is. It is not an exaltation of ourselves. If we know that we have received grace and are saved, of course, we will all the more praise the Lord. To sing of the Lord Jesus in our songs all the time is an exaltation of the Lord; it is not a self-boasting. The more we see the depth of our sins and the immensity of the Lord’s forgiveness, the more we will love the Lord. We should say as Paul said: “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10).

God says that we have eternal life already—that we are saved. Therefore, for me to say that I am saved is not boasting; it is to believe and to acknowledge that God is right. God is pleased when we believe in His Word. We must believe in God’s Word.

It is true that our works are no better than others. But we are not saved because of our good works. The Lord Jesus did not come to save the righteous but the sinners. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). Paul said that he was the foremost of all sinners, but that he had obtained mercy. If it is up to us, we will not be able to say that we are saved. Even the world cannot find one who can say that he is saved. If salvation is due to our merits and excellence, there will be no possibility for us to be saved. Those who trust in their works are shaky all the time. Sometimes their conduct is better, and they will hope that they can be saved. Sometimes their conduct is not as good, and they think that they will perish. These ones have never fully trusted in Christ. Dear readers, we are not saved because of our good works. We are saved because Christ has saved us. How great is His grace!

Many say: “I know that if one trusts in the accomplishment of the Lord Jesus on the cross, he is saved. But I do not feel anything. Am I saved just like this?”

Brothers! The Bible does not say: “I give these happy feelings to you that you may know that you have eternal life, to you who believe in the name of the Son of God.” If the Bible were written in this way, one would not be saved if he did not feel anything. But the Bible says, “I have written these things to you that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

“These things.” What are these things? They are the words of the Bible, the Word of the Father. We know that we have eternal life and are saved, not by the way we feel, but by what the Word of God says. The Bible says that we who have believed in the Lord are saved. We are, therefore, saved. When God says that we are saved, surely we are saved, whether we feel that we are saved or not. We have believed in the Lord Jesus and have been washed of our sins by His blood. Therefore, we are saved because God’s Word says so.

For example, a poor man may be very poor and cannot make ends meet; he may be living in extreme sufferings. He decides to write a letter to one of his friends, who is quite well off, to ask for help. After a few days, he does not receive any reply. He may think that his friend despises him and is not willing to help him, and his heart is in distress. The more he thinks about it, the more it seems unlikely that his friend will help him. He decides then to tell this matter to his neighbors. Some say that a friend should always help one in financial difficulties and has no reason to refuse to help. Others say that this may not necessarily be true because it is a compassionless age. When the man hears the hopeful words, he rejoices, and when he hears the discouraging words, he is in distress. The next day his friend sends someone to give him a reply. When he opens the letter, his heart jumps within him; he does not know if a promise is within. After he opens the letter, he shouts to his family, “The matter is now settled. He has written a letter to me saying that, from now on, he will take up all my expenses. All right. The matter is decided. I do not care if others think that it is hopeful or hopeless any longer. He has said himself that he will bear all the responsibilities. I can live now in peace.”

Are not many believers like this poor man? What a pity that many children of God listen to others’ talk and to their own feeling; they are drifting back and forth. The poor man was assured once he had a word from his friend. The children of God are likewise assured when they have the Word of God. God says that if we believe in Jesus Christ, we shall be saved. He has said it Himself, and everything is settled. What more is there to worry about? What are our feelings worth? What are man’s ideas worth? If God says that we are saved, it is enough. His Word is the final verdict. Since God has graciously declared His faithfulness, we should accept His Word without doubt.

Some may say, “What was said may be true. But I am afraid that my faith is not perfect, and therefore, I cannot be saved.”

The Bible only makes a distinction between “believing” and “not believing.” The Bible does not know what an incomplete faith means. We should know that there is no merit in our believing in the Lord Jesus. God does not save us because we have attained the merit of believing. This cannot be farther from the truth! To believe is to receive (John 1:12). John 3:16 says that God “gave” us His Son. When we “receive” Him, everything is done. One gives and the other receives. There is no merit of the sinner involved. Salvation is fully accomplished by the Lord Jesus.

Who among us is not a sinner? We were dead in trespasses and sins. How pitiful we were! The Holy Spirit came and caused us to realize our sins. How terrible is the punishment for sin! One cannot help but tremble at the thought of the future. It is all the more pitiful when we realize that there is no way for us to save ourselves. We were wallowing in the mud and yet had no way to rescue ourselves! What an unspeakable deprivation! Thank and praise the slaughtered Lamb! He came and died for us on the cross. He stood on the ground of us the sinners. He loved us and gave Himself for us. While we were yet sinners, He died for us. He accomplished the salvation. When He died, He proclaimed, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). How precious is this word! O Lord! I can never thank You enough for Your great grace! To believe in the Lord Jesus means nothing other than a willingness on the part of us, the helpless and destitute sinners, to be saved by Him. He came to save, and when we are willing to be saved, the matter is settled. There is no question of complete or incomplete faith.

He says Himself, “Him who comes to Me I shall by no means cast out” (John 6:37). Since we have come, there is now only one question: “Has He cast me out?” Praise God, for Christ is faithful and trustworthy. There is no guile found in His mouth! He will never cast out those who come to Him. He will save all those who realize their sins and who will accept Him as their Savior. “Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). This is the Lord’s invitation.

Brothers, it is not just our faith that is saving us. Rather, it is His grace and faithfulness. God desires to save us. He will bestow grace on us. Will we not believe? What else is there to doubt? The Lord’s love should fill our hearts and should drive out all drifting thoughts!

After some have understood this teaching, they may have a doubt in them: “If a man already knows that he is saved and has eternal life and is guaranteed heaven, will he not then sin at will? Will he not think that he is saved anyway and that he can, therefore, unbridle his lusts and sin at will? Will he not think that he is saved now, and that it does not matter anymore if he sins again?”

This is only a hypothesis. Many people think that if they know that they are saved, they will still want to sin. But this is only a hypothesis. In reality, something exactly opposite happens. If a man knows that he is saved, he will not want to sin anymore, and he will also bear heavenly characteristics in his thought and conduct. I can give you an illustration here. Today in China we are sending a few hundred people to study abroad every year. Most of them go to the United States. Suppose there is a father who wants to send his son to America. How should the son be dressed? Should he pay attention to the Chinese gowns and consider the latest fashion? Does he need to study Chinese etiquette and manners? Does he need to know all the things associated with the Chinese culture? Surely he does not. He is about to go to America. He does not need to know more about China, but he needs to learn the customs and fashions of the other country. He should learn to eat with a fork and knife, to shake hands, and to doff his hat. He should study in detail the tastes, likes and dislikes, and individual habits of the Americans. He should study the mind and characteristics of the Americans. When he speaks in English, he should have an American accent with it. When he walks, he should walk like the Americans walk. He should pursue after American fashion in his dress and attire. In other words, all those who are about to go to America have a natural tendency to act and move like an American. If a believer realizes that he has eternal life already, and is a citizen of heaven, he will surely learn the heavenly pattern in everything, in word, conduct, and walk. Those who do not know that they are saved will imitate the world and try to be conformed to it. Brothers, there is no danger of sinning carelessly for those who know that they are saved. On the contrary, those who know this will set their minds daily on the things which are above. This can be fully confirmed by the spiritual experiences of the believers. Just like those who are going to America try to be Americans, those who are going heavenward will surely learn to be heavenly persons.

Dear brothers! You have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ already. This is the most important thing on earth. This is also the greatest blessing in eternity for man! You should know that the Lord has saved you. What a comfort and joy it is for us to know that we are persons with eternal life in us. “Rejoice that your names are recorded in the heavens” (Luke 10:20). What a precious message! This is indeed the glad tidings. We can know that we are saved in this age! Formerly we were the sinners. Now we have received grace. Should we not rejoice? What gratitude and affection we have to realize that the Lord has saved us from perdition and has given us eternal life. If we know this, we will praise God all the more. We know that we cannot save ourselves. As a result, all the authority, riches, wisdom, power, honor, glory, and praise be unto the slain Lamb for now and evermore!

Now you can see how much God loves us! Since He has loved us and saved us, we should love Him out of a sense of gratitude and should live as saved persons on earth. Since He has begun the good work in our heart, He will surely complete this work until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6). We cannot please Him by ourselves, because “those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8). We can only allow His Spirit to work in us to effect a holy living. Although sometimes we may unfortunately fail, this does not mean that we will perish again. What the Lord has given us is an eternal life. When we fail, we should not be discouraged. We should rise up and ask for the Lord’s forgiveness. He will surely lead us on.

Once I was preaching in a place. After a brother there understood this truth, he said to me, “I did not know before that I was saved. As a result, I lived carelessly in the world. I was afraid that if I gave up everything in this life for the Lord, and then the Lord apportioned me perdition at the time of the judgment, I would as the saying goes, ‘lose one’s case before both the magistrate and the mandarin.’ I was afraid that I would have neither the joy of this world, nor the blessing of heaven! But now that I know this truth, heaven is guaranteed. Since I am a citizen of heaven already, I do not want to live foolishly in this world anymore.” Indeed, if we know that our life is hid with Christ in God, we will surely set our mind on the things above. How wonderful this is! We have a wonderful Savior, and we have received a wonderful salvation. Is this not a cause for joy? Let us sing Hallelujah!