An analogy
Imagine that upon arrival at International Departures you realised that you forgot your passport at home, then jumped in the car, rushed back home, fetched your passport, checked-in your luggage, entered through Security and Passport Control, and made it just in time through the Boarding gate as a plane full of impatiently waiting passengers watch you intently as you find your seat and buckle up. Sitting down you realise that you are now on your way to visit New York City for the first time, something you could easily have missed if you did not make it back to the airport and through the various checkpoints in time.
Now, consider that during your ordeal you heard God say, “don’t take the highway, take the back route” and, “check in through the lady with the brown hair” and, “let the man behind you go through”, and “offer to carry the lady’s carry bag for her to the next Boarding gate”. Imagine you obeyed all His commands.
Now, sitting in the plane – which should have departed a long time ago but has not – you reflect on the preceding three hours and realise that a sense of excitement and also peace has come over you. You realise that you have done all you can – not through your own device but by obeying God’s command – to be on the plane (to enter His rest). Even when some of the things He commanded you to do like “offer to carry the lady’s carry bag for her to the next Boarding gate” did not make sense, you obeyed. And now, imagine you are sitting on that plane – everything having worked out just fine because the plane was unexpectantly delayed anyway, you realise that you have entered His rest.
That does not mean that you have already arrived in New York City – you’re still on the runway, remember. But you realise that inasmuch as God ensured that you boarded the plane successfully and on time, He will also ensure that you will also arrive safely at your end destination – New York City.
What that means, practically, is that hearing Him and obeying Him has given you more confidence (faith) in Him. You now rest in the fulfillment of His promise(s). And it is this faith that makes arriving at your end destination a fait accompli – a done deal, no question asked and no anxiety whatsoever. Now, you have entered God’s rest. And, it came about by:
- being reborn by the Spirit of God (John 3:3-8, Romans 8:9-11)
- hearing the Spirit speak to your heart individually and personally (1 John 2:27)
- obeying the Spirit when He speaks to your heart individually and personally (Hebrews 3:7-11, Hebrews 4:11)
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Key point #4: Once saved, always saved?
There is a doctrine amongst Protestants and Catholics alike that essentially says, “Once saved, always saved”. This may in fact be the correct interpretation of the New Testament. Augustine of Hippo (often referenced by Catholics) and John Calvin (referenced by Protestants) were very strong proponents of this doctrine. Personally, while I am in agreement with Calvin on many issues, regarding this issue I am thoroughly unconvinced. In fact, as noted, I see this teaching as downright dangerous!
It is agreed that Jesus is the author and finisher (perfector) of our faith. No one will pluck us out of His hand. But that does not mean we cannot “neglect our salvation” and dishonour His Name (“trample the blood of Jesus underfoot”), thus crucifying Him again and receiving the just punishment for it. Of such the writer of Hebrews says, it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift (John 3:6, Acts 2:38), and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them (1 Peter 1:3) again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame (Hebrews 6:4-6).
The writer of Hebrews expressly notes that those who have been born again may, through a decision of their will as an act of commission (doing something) or an act of omission (not doing something) ‘jump’ out of God’s hand, for whom there can be no return to repentance and another regeneration of their spirits.
I believe the reason for this is simple: when Adam sinned his spirit (not his body) died on that very same day (was separated from the Spirit of God who had given him life by breathing into him). The good news of the Kingdom of God as brought about by Jesus is that He made it possible for humans to again receive a regenerated spirit – a spirit that is born afresh by the Spirit of God. This represents the very last opportunity to be born of the Spirit of God. If anyone, after they had been born again, choose to be separated from God by deliberately denying Him (as Adam and Eve did), their spirits will die a second time from which there is no return. This is the grave warning to us and exactly how the writer of Hebrews sums up the book of Hebrews:
For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come — and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6).
Do not neglect your salvation by not hearing God for yourself and by not doing what He says to you personally.