For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Rom. 6:23 (NKJV)

Who are you serving? Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness (Rom.6-16).

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! (Rom.6:15) The one being served is the master only as long as he is served. Luke 16:13

"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." John 8:34-35 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever." 1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:9-11

Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest:

Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. So, you see, that whoever you obey that is whom you are serving.

Who you are serving is your master. If the "old man," the devil, is in control there is an ever increasing life of sin and a conduct to the likeness of the devil, the master. John 8:44 Jesus said "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him." When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

But if God is the Master served, there is an ever increasing life of holiness, and a change from glory to glory into the image of Christ. 2 Cor. 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The obedience is shown by your life and your conduct. The obedience to your master confirms what your wages are: Rom. 6:21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. Rom. 6:22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. No saint who turns again to serve sin until death will receive the wages of righteousness, nor will any sinner receives the wages of sin who turns from sin to serve righteousness until death. Salvation is not just confessing with the mouth that Jesus is the Son of God but, also believing (acting, obedient, daily living) it with the heart. Rom. 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Rom. 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in it's lusts. Rom. 6:13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

You see when we accept (obey) him as our Lord and Master we are acknowledging that He has redeemed us (bought back) from the curse of the law and from the devil and from sin, and reconciles us to God.

Redemption from sin is an ongoing (living out) process that begins when we believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rom. 8:24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? vs. 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. We now, in Christ, can be saved from all sin, sickness, and bondage of any kind, of body, soul, and spirit. We can be endued with power to defeat all the works of the devil and we can get the benefits of all the promises of God concerning this life. In the resurrection, saved men are redeemed bodily: 1 Cor. 15:50-58 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. In the final restitution of all things the whole creation will be re- deemed except the rebellious, who have not accepted (obeyed) Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If we fail to accept redemption by His blood now (obey His commands) and living a life conforming to the Son of God we will not be able to share in His glory and eternal (salvation) benefits of that future redemption . . . Mat 24:13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved." Rev 2:7 (NKJV)

"He who has an ear, let him hear. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." Rom. 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, Rom. 3:26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Rom. 4:7-8 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin." Imputation is the part of salvation where God accounts the confessing believer righteous in Christ because His son bore the sins of the ones who repent and become reconciled to God.

Many teach the lie that God cannot impute or charge sin to the "believer"; that his sins, past, present, futures are forgiven once and forever without any confessing, repenting, and turning from a life of sin to a life of holiness; that God cannot see the sins of the "saved"; that they are different from sins of the sinner; that God only sees the blood of His Son and that Jesus has paid the price forever for His sins .... that they are imputed to Jesus without any obligation to obey on part of the "believer."

They argue that Christ bore the sins of the saved and they cannot be charged to them again. These lies of the devil blind and ensnare and entrap the "believer" into the bondage of sin and eventually to death, the eternal separation from God. Many preachers spend allot of time and effort in getting men to confessing Jesus and then leave them alone to live-out their salvation and even tell them that they are saved and on their way to heaven no matter what they continue to do. What kind of world would this be if our courts would pardon a criminal and he goes out and commits the same crime again and we tell him that he has already paid the price and he is free to do as he pleases . . . no sane and righteous person would stand for this type of worldly government . . .do you really think God does?

To argue that God does not impute sin to the saved be- cause of a previous pardon from God and because the penalty for sin was paid for by Christ is to teach that a Christian can murder, steal, lie, commit adultery, die in drunken stupor and do any other sin and that because he has once confessed Jesus or has been baptized or has joined the Church, he is in good standing and righteous in the eyes of God, it is a lie from the father of lies, Satan. One might as well argue that it would be just and righteous for human government to give criminals license to commit all sorts of crimes because they paid a penalty once. Could this kind of pardon and grace come from a just God? Could men have true respect for God if He permitted some to commit all the crimes they wanted to with immunity and then punish others for the same crimes in eternal hell? There are no scriptures to support this damnable heresy that is causing souls to be lost. Isa. 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Jesus has done this for every man, but the benefits of this cannot be received by any person until he repents and accepts (obeys) Christ as his substitute. You cannot have Christ's righteousness imputed to you (sins covered by the blood) without repentance and faith.

Man is a free moral agent just as Adam was responsible for his fall from grace. Grace did not keep him from the fall . . . keep him saved. God being the same yesterday, today and forever still holds man responsible for the choice of whom he will serve until he dies.

A saved man has the same free will of choice as before salvation. His desire (will) is changed in salvation or he never obtained it . . . Is God's will for all to be saved? 1 Tim. 2:4, It is God, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. It is man's will that is the "whosoever will"; James 1:14-15 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. If a man wills to be saved it does not mean that he can never will to yield again to the desires of the flesh and choose to live in that old sin again and he will again come under the same death penalty and will be damned just as if he had never been saved. When man choose to sin he has chosen Satan as his master. He can at anytime turn to God; James 4:6-8 NKJV, But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." vs. 7 "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." vs. 8 (When you) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

To say that a person does not have the will power to keep from sinning is a lie of the devil and to teach that you can't be lost again is a damnable heresy . . . it's like saying that a drowning man once he is saved can't fall in (sin) and drown again . . . or that being healed means that you'll never be sick again . . . or that you being delivered from captivity of a demon of alcohol, drugs, lust etc., that you will not become entangled again . . . in fact the truth is if you do not follow the instructions of God's Word you could be in a worst condition than before being set free; Luke 11:20 Jesus said But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.vs.21 "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. (repented of sin...living a Godly life) vs. 22 "But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. (yields to the temptations of the world) vs. 23 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. (serving???) vs. 24 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' vs. 25 "And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. (been "saved" but longing for the things of the world) vs. 26 "Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first." vs.28 Jesus said, "...blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"...and as the brother of the Lord, James said "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 2-22.

"Once saved always saved"...............this ridiculous, damnable lie of the father of lies, Satan, which is being taught by many, even entire denomination are teaching this and by doing so are calling the Words of God a lie as Satan did in the garden. God said (Gen. 2:17 NKJV) "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." God is addressing specifically the saved man in Ezek. 3-20 "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity,...he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered;.........God's Word has never changed...it mean the same today as it did when He spoke it. Jude speaks of the "twice dead" which means they were natural born dead in sin, so to die a second time would have to be after the new birth. This proves that you can be born again more than once and you can die again more than once...only the unstable in all their ways, ........who love darkness more than light are deceived by "once always", but the sad part they are going about deceiving others. If the "once sons" is true, then you could never be born again...............the devil would always be your father. Lucifer was a son of God along with his fallen angels (see Job 1:6 and Gen. 6:1-4)...Lucifer sinned and fell from grace. If these sons of God fell and are to be damned then it would be foolish to say that they weren't once under grace and saved and that once a son he cannot be lost is to say that God is unjust and a respecter of person and that it is entirely up to God who is saved and who is not...that man is not a free moral agent to choose as God has said Deut. 8:1 "Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live..." (Not Die!). The Word of God never changes...Deut.7:9 "Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments."

Once saved from starvation by being fed a good meal doesn't mean that if you never eat again you can't starve to death...if you believe that try it, but I can tell you now that you will give in to the flesh and eat or you will be the guest of "stupidity" at your funeral. Man is not a son as Jesus was God only begotten son...Adam was not begotten, he was created. Man can only become adopted into the family of God and just like in the natural family, man can be disfellowshipped from rights and privileges, disinherited for not obeying the family head. These "once saved always" preachers always use the "can't no man take you out of His hand". This is one deception of the devil...no man can...but, YOU can!. Your free will, your choice to follow after the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, the pride of life will put you back into the hands of the devil, the great deceiver....why do you think the Word says 2 Peter 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. vs. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. vs.22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire." Can't you see what the Spirit of God was saying through the Apostle Paul as again he writes in Gal. 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Paul again states it in a personal way for himself that if he should go back into sin.................1 Cor. 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. And look what the writer of Heb. 10:39 has to say about it; "But we are not of those who draw back to (a life of unrepented sin) perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul."

Look at what the Holman Bible dictionary has to say about perdition; the eternal state of death, ruin, destruction, annihilation. Perdition is held in contrast to the blessing of God. It is the penalty for disobedience (Deut. 22:24; 28:20). Perdition is the fate of all who do not come to repentance. The way that leads to this destruction is broad in contrast to the narrow road which leads to life (Matt. 7:13). the Gospel writers used it to mean an everlasting state of death and judgment. Just as surely as salvation expresses the idea of eternal life, The one trusting in the Son has eternal life; the one disobeying the Son has the wrath of God abiding on him (John 3:36). Trusting and obeying go together; they leave no room for neutrality. so perdition designates a hopeless eternity of destruction. (compare Judas in John 17:12). The "man of sin" is doomed to perdition (2 Thess. 2:3). According to Heb. 6:2 the eternal fate of creation and human beings is bound up with gospel preaching and thus with the end-of-time events of Jesus' death, resurrection and promised return. The opposite of "eternal life," "everlasting punishment" is thought of as an "eternal fire," a "second death" or an "eternal destruction." The language paints a picture of endless suffering, loss, doom and separation from the presence of God. Such end-of-time trauma befalls the evil, angelic powers which oppose God (Matt. 24:41; Jude 6; Rev. 19:3) and those human beings who willfully continue in "sin"--a decision which demonstrates solidarity with the evil powers (Matt. 25:46; Mark 3:29; Jude 13; Rev. 14:11). "everlasting punishment" in some ways has already begun in the revelation of the gospel. The gospel is revelation of end-of-time righteousness and wrath (Rom. 1:16-17). To some, the gospel brings eternal life--for others, eternal death (2 Cor. 2:15-16). This eternal judgment which begins with the preaching of the Gospel will be culminated and concluded at the end of time. At the time of Jesus' appearance, all evil will be destroyed and all humans who continued in opposition to God will receive their eternal sentencing (2 Thess. 1:9).

...and again I ask you:

Is it safe to die?

Published by permission of the Great Commission January 1995 "He that hath an ear let Him hear"

Christian Outreach

Bill Eaton, Director

mailto:eaton100@comcast.net

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