Hebrews 3:6 KJV
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Hebrews 3:12 KJV
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Hebrews 3:14 KJV
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
The word "if" got hold of me today. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, which is an absolute must if we would rightly divide the Word of truth, I am convinced that once a person is genuinely born again they cannot ever lose that salvation. However, we must remember that the Scripture warns us of false professors. And there may be more of them than we expect. In the context, the Scripture is using Israel in the wilderness as an example and in that example, it has to be remembered that only 2 out of 2 million or more actually entered into the Promised Land. One of the marks of the genuinely saved is that they do hold on to the end. They don't return to the wallow. They don't remove themselves from the brethren. Sure, they may backslide, but the Spirit of God will bring them back. True believers remain true believers until the end.
We cannot hold on to the "beginning of our confidence" in our own power. That is why verse 12 urges us to "take heed" and make sure of our faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot make ourselves saved, but we can examine ourselves whether we be in the faith. We must not assume these things. Too much is at stake - our very eternities, and too many are fooled by a false assumption they are saved. We must "take heed" and examine ourselves and we must urge others to do the same.
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Hebrews 3:12 KJV
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Hebrews 3:14 KJV
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
The word "if" got hold of me today. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, which is an absolute must if we would rightly divide the Word of truth, I am convinced that once a person is genuinely born again they cannot ever lose that salvation. However, we must remember that the Scripture warns us of false professors. And there may be more of them than we expect. In the context, the Scripture is using Israel in the wilderness as an example and in that example, it has to be remembered that only 2 out of 2 million or more actually entered into the Promised Land. One of the marks of the genuinely saved is that they do hold on to the end. They don't return to the wallow. They don't remove themselves from the brethren. Sure, they may backslide, but the Spirit of God will bring them back. True believers remain true believers until the end.
We cannot hold on to the "beginning of our confidence" in our own power. That is why verse 12 urges us to "take heed" and make sure of our faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot make ourselves saved, but we can examine ourselves whether we be in the faith. We must not assume these things. Too much is at stake - our very eternities, and too many are fooled by a false assumption they are saved. We must "take heed" and examine ourselves and we must urge others to do the same.
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