Can One Fall?
"Let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the FALLING AWAY COME FIRST . . " (2 Thess. 2:3) According to verse one of this chapter, this relates to the coming of Christ and the day of judgment. Men say that a falling away is impossible. Hence, they make the coming of Christ impossible. Paul states plainly that the FALLING AWAY must come FIRST. Men say that a falling away cannot come at all, much less first. If the above refers to the "falling away" of sinners, then, all they can fall away from is sin, and that would result in their salvation. We must conclude therefore, that he is talking about people falling away from God, grace, salvation, and into sin. No man can read the above chapter and still wonder if a child of God can fall and be lost.
The apostle Peter commands Christians to add certain things to their faith. (2 Pet. 1:1-12). Among these things is PATIENCE. According to the idea of "once in grace, always in grace," the devil is better in one respect than any child of God. The devil is no fool for the want of sense. If it is impossible for the devil to get a child of God, then he has been PATIENTLY working at an impossibility for at least 6,000 years, knowing all the time that his efforts would be in vain! Have you ever known of a child of God with this kind of patience? If the answer is no, then this makes the devil better than a child of God!
After instructing Christians to add to their faith these seven things, the apostle Peter continues "Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for IF YE DO THESE THINGS, YE SHALL NEVER FALL. For thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom . . . " (2 Pet. 1:10-12). But suppose we FAIL to DO them? Read verse nine. "For he that LACKETH THESE THINGS IS BLIND, seeing only what is near having FORGOTTEN the cleansing from his OLD SINS." You see? After being cleansed from "old sins," one may acquire so many "new sins" that he forgets he was ever saved. And still go to heaven? Indeed not! Unless he repents, he will be lost with all the rest of the ungodly and those that forget God.
There are 27 books in the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tells of the birth and death and the personal ministry of the Savior. Acts gives the history of the early church and the "acts" of the apostles. Revelation is a book of prophecy. All the rest (21) instructs the Christian how to live as he should before God. If one cannot fall away and be lost, then why so much instruction of how we should live? "Wherefore he that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall" (I Cor. 10:12).
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