Can a child of God live
in such a way that they could fail of the grace of God?
The text for this study is:
Heb 12:14-15
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of
the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and
thereby many be defiled; (KJV)
"Without
which no man shall see the Lord ..."
These words show the vital necessity of the peaceable and holy lives of
Christians. The holy life is not an elective or optional matter for Christians,
but is demanded and required of all who hope to enter heaven. Jesus said,
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew
5:8). Notice the Hebrews verse above explicitly says that no man will
see God without following peace and holiness. The inspired writer gave no
exceptions.
"Looking
diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God..."
This verse emphasizes that God's grace which has appeared
to all people (Titus
2:12) and brought salvation to the world, may yet be ineffective in some
because of their failure to abide by the conditions upon which salvation is
offered. It should be noted that it was not merely the faith of those which the
inspired writer questioned, but their conduct.
For the child of God who walks in the spirit, there is no
condemnation, (Rom 8:1). Nothing on this earth or beyond can separate us
from our creator and His promise to us of eternal salvation, (Rom 8:38-39),
unless we willfully choose to walk in the flesh rather than in the spirit.
So how does one obtain this eternal
salvation? By following the plan of
salvation as outlined in scripture.
Additional studies relating to the
preservation of our salvation:
Was Timothy "Once
Saved, Always Saved"?
A
Believer can become an
Unbeliever.
