Our Responsibilities After Receiving the Free Gift of Salvation

Penned By: Kevin K O’Connor

Date Penned: July 21, 2017

Thought: To examine the Free Gift of Salvation and yet the importance of growing our Faith to keep it from dying

2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

2Pe 1:5  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 

2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 

2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 

2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 

2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 

2Pe 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Just as a baby is given life and hasn’t done ANYTHING to earn it, if that same baby refuses to eat and grow, it will die.

Joh 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Joh 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Joh 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

And while being given life is free, to choose to keep that life isn’t. That’s a decision left up to each one who receives the gift of Life and God is a Gentleman who will NOT force those given Life to keep it. What fascinates me is how our Lord plainly and clearly teaches these truths, but because it goes against our lazy foul nature, you hardly EVER hear this type of preaching from the pulpits! Instead you hear “once saved always saved” while they neglect to tell them that IF they don’t keep their faith alive and active but allow it to die, so too they will die on the Vine of our Lord and allow satan to rob them of the eternal Life they were once given freely. Yes, Eternal Life is FREE, Keeping it involves keeping our faith in Christ which satan will be hard after to destroy in each and every person that claims Jesus as Lord of their lives.

What I’d like to know is WHY John 15:1-6 isn’t preached much from the pulpits! This is Jesus Himself speaking, not one of His Apostles He’s using as an instrument to speak His heart. What is it about verse 6 that’s sooo hard to understand?! Those in Him that decide NOT to abide in Him are cast into the fire and are destroyed (burned). Oh, they’re VERY quick to remind those that are giving of their tithes and offerings of how FREE salvation is, and it is, BUT, the keeping it involves WORK! For there is an enemy around whose very mission is to destroy the ONE thing that was necessary for us to enter into the FREE gift of eternal Life and that was faith in Christ.

And another thing, out of the myriad of messages that one can share from God’s Word, this one is sure to get the most vehement reaction to because we by nature are LAZY! And, who wouldn’t rather be given a ‘Go to Heaven Free Card’ WITHOUT any obligations to keep it. That’s NOT what God’s Word says and it’s unfortunate that those called to speak His heart seldom reflect His heart in this arena.

Now, let’s take notice of what Jesus Himself is saying to the seven churches as noted in Rev chapters 2 & 3 as follows with the final command of ‘To him that overcometh’ being spoken to each and every one even the ones that He had no ‘repent or else’ words for (The church of Smyrna and Philadelphia);

To the Church in Ephesus

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

To the Church in Pergamum

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

To the Church in Thyatira

Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

To the Church in Sardis

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

To the Church in Philadelphia

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

To the Church in Laodicea

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

The last time I looked, overcoming is more than naming Him and claiming Him, it involves WORK! The only ones that I know of that don’t have to work at keeping their faith in Christ are those on their death beds who KNOW that they are in the process of leaving and dare NOT let go of that blessed hope prior to breathing their last breath. But we which are alive and remain (like those at the catching away of our Lord & King) have either a loving passionate relationship going on with Christ (the wise virgins) or a lazy complacent relationship going on with Him (the foolish virgins).

The very people called to invoke a passionate relationship in the hearts of people with Christ are ‘usually’ the very ones responsible for the lazy complacency that is prevalent within this nation. Preaching ‘naming Him and claiming Him’ or ‘once saved always saved’ while neglecting His Truths as are clearly presented herein.

1Pe_4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Heavenly Father, Your Son had a passion for You without limits! Ever teach us to press in and press on in Him and to NEVER allow our love to grow complacent and nonexistent. For it’s in His Glorious Eternal Name, Jesus, we pray, Amen.

To return to the Main Page please select the following link, The O'Connors/Williamsons Main Home Page

To return to the Food for Thought link, please select the following link, Food for Thought

If you have comments or suggestions email me at rubornagain2@outlook.com