BACKSLIDING TO HELL - Mike Peralta (fb2 epub reader .TXT) 📗

on Christians today in the form of the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine. Satan told Eve, in so many words, “God is easy - he won’t punish you for disobeying. You can eat the fruit and indulge your lust. You won’t have to pay for it!”

That was a deadly lie from Hell. And satan is using the same lie on Christians today to advance greater and greater lawlessness even among professing believers. Day after day, he’s convincing multitudes of believers that they can indulge their sins without paying any great penalty - if any. It’s a demonic scheme to pervert Christ’s gospel of grace, turning it into a license for immorality. The situation is precisely just as Jude 1:4 says, “They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”, Jude 1:4,

Tragically today, many who profess to follow Christ, but who love to sin, are using the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine as a license to sin. How can we deny this? I am sure you have seen or heard about believers backsliding and committing adultery and staying in that situation, not repenting, or those who persist in sleeping around and even living with their girlfriends or boyfriends. And the worst part about it is that those who do such things still think they are in good standing with Jesus. And all because they have been led to believe that there was no way they could lose their salvation even when Scripture after Scripture tells them they are not in good standing with Jesus under such a life of sin. , Hebrews 10:26-31, 2 Peter 2:20-21, Ezekiel 18:24-32, Ezekiel 33:12-13, John 15:6, Revelations 3:5, Exodus 32:30-31, Genesis 3:1-6, Jude 1:4-5, 1 John 2:3-4, 1 John 3:7-8, 1 John 3:10, Luke 15:11-32, Luke 12:42- 46, Titus 1:16, and many others.

Jude 1:4 describes the situation perfectly. The Lord has given us Scripture after Scripture warning us against falling away because of sin. We very well know that people use the “Once Saved Always Saved” as a license for immorality but we still refuse to believe that Jude 1:4 and the other Scriptures about falling away are talking about loss of salvation. What will it take for us to believe God’s Word as written?

 The following testimony, given by a Vietnam veteran, reveals how deceptive and destructive the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine really is.

The person giving this testimony explicitly mentioned the name of the “Once Saved Always Saved” teacher. I changed the teacher’s name to CTA - not his real initials. I won’t mention his name because at some point I hope he realizes his folly and turns to the real truth of God’s Word. Before getting into the testimony I want to mention a few things about CTA. Although there are several “Once Saved Always Saved” proponents, CTA is one of its key and most popular teachers. He is a well known radio and television teacher. If I mentioned his name you would probably immediately recognize his name. He has a very wide audience and is a very well known leader in a main line Christian denomination. This particular teacher has, for the most part, many correct biblical teachings, that is why he attracts such a large following. But the one area that he is definitely dead wrong on is in his doctrine of “Once Saved Always Saved.”

Because of his popularity and his otherwise respected position he is causing tremendous harm in the Christian community. Because of his teachings millions are going to be damned to Hell. Even though he may not realize it now, CTA will have the blood of millions on his hands and he will regret promoting the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine for eternity. I will restrict most of the exposition here to the “Once Saved Always Saved” teachings of CTA - because his teachings accurately represents the whole of the “Once Saved Always Saved” camp. The other teachers of this false doctrine seem, for the most part, to fall in with CTA’s view.

Testimony by Vietnam veteran:

“I have never believed in the eternal security, Once Saved Always Saved, doctrine that is being taught today, I think it is one of the most dangerous doctrines on earth, I am a Vietnam vet and believe me when I say that I lived life to the fullest and was a firm believer in the saying ‘If it feels good, do it,’ but when Jesus came in, all that other stuff, sin, had to go, I cannot understand how people can say they are saved and still do the things they used to do. I couldn't, nor wanted to, I do believe you are wasting your time trying to explain your position to eternal security believers, their desire and lust for the things of this world has hardened their hearts to the truth. They really do believe that they can have it both ways - righteousness and sin.

I give this example. I have a friend at work who is a 100% believer in, CTA’s, teaching, he also loaned me a copy of, CTA’s, book, which I read and after reading it, am totally convinced that he is wrong, As I stated earlier, I think this doctrine is extremely dangerous. This friend of mine is married, one son, another child on the way and a girlfriend on the side that he sees several times a week. He smokes, drinks and curses. He is also one of the largest drug users and dealers in our area. This guy is always telling me that he is ready to go. Ready to meet the Lord. He even tries to witness to other people whenever he doesn't have a drug deal or a party or a girlfriend to go to. I have seen first-hand the damage that this person is doing and it sickens me, All of this because of the eternal security doctrine, It doesn't matter what I say or what Scriptures I give him. He thinks he's OK, These people love the world too much to listen to reason.”, Testimony From: Evangelical Outreach, P.O. Box 265, Washington, PA 15301,

Tragically, many who came to know Christ - who at one time lived a righteous life - are succumbing to this spirit of lawlessness. They have been ensnared by this deception of satan. They have been convinced by satan’s subtle but powerful lie - that “God doesn’t punish for sin!”

In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 Paul says deception and deceivers will rise to power because people will be blinded and deceived by their own sin: “and with all deceivablenesss of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved”, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10. I realize this particular verse applies to non-believers but the same principles apply to believers. When it comes to sin, God doesn’t have a double standard - one for non-believers and another for believers. If anything God has a higher standard for believers.

The apostle is saying, “Those who refuse to obey or respect God’s Word will fall under a powerful delusion. At first they’ll wink at their sin. They’ll justify it. But soon they’ll actively seek out a message of easy grace. They’ll invent grace that is far beyond what God intended. His grace never leads to license. It always leads to repentance!”

Many, even professing believers are under the seductive power of a satanic lie. The demonic lie that is blanketing them is a false assurance. It’s the idea that they can do whatever they please with no fear of consequences. How can anyone say they are desiring and following Jesus and desiring and following sin at the same time?

It is astounding to contemplate but there are scores of professing believers who are involved in immoral relationships, sleeping with their girlfriends or boyfriends and thinking very little of how or whether it is breaking God’s heart. Many others are carelessly destroying their lives and their family’s lives through drugs and alcohol. People of all ages who profess Christ, and truly came to Christ at one time, are now treating God’s laws casually, thinking, “What I’m doing must be okay, because I’m getting away with it.”

Paul warns, “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from truth, and shall be turned unto fables, lies.”, 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Who are these deceived people that Paul is talking about? They are deceived Christians! Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonian church - to born-again believers! He was addressing people who had truly received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and had known God’s truth. Yet they went back into their lusts - and now they sought out heresies that would comfort them in their sins! Those in bondage to their lustful pleasures, turned to false teachers and false doctrine to try to find peace. They ended up accepting “damnable heresies.. and many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”, 2 Peter 2:1-2, And notice in this last verse that the ones promoting those “damnable heresies” were professing Christians! That is why Peter said, “by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”

All of Paul’s messages on backsliding and deception were aimed at compromisers in the Christian community. They weren’t meant for the idolaters of Rome, the heathen of Greece, or the pagan tribes in remote places. Paul’s message was one of urgent importance to the church - and he wrote it to be read in churches, directly to believers!

In addition to Paul’s messages about backsliding all of the book of 2 Peter, all of the book of 1 John, and all of the book of Jude are warnings about backsliding into sin. In 2 Peter 1:10, Peter tells us, “be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.” In 1 John 2:1, John explains that, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.” In Jude 1:3-4, Jude felt it urgent to tell us, “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Notice very carefully that all these books were addressed to believers - to the elect, to God’s dear children, to the saints - and they were all warning us against backsliding and falling away back into a sinful life-style.

I hope you are starting to understand that doubting God’s word about the consequences of sin is most definitely fatal to the soul. How could it be a just thing that God would send a lost sinner, who never knew Christ, to Hell for eternity for his sins, and not send someone who came to know Jesus but went back to sinning in the same detestable way as the lost sinner? Do you really think God has a double standard? That sinning is not acceptable for the nonbeliever, but it is allowable for God’s people? That those who are supposed to be righteous can get away with a sinful lifestyle, but that the non-believer cannot? Is this not calling evil good, and good evil? Is this not calling bitter sweet, and sweet bitter?

Paul addressing believers states: “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will give to each person according to what he has done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be