LOOSING ONE'S ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

2 Peter 1:5-7

Morning Meditation 1/15/15

2 Peter 1:5-9, "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 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. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins."

I want to emphasize the last verse of this text. "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins."

Salvation through faith in Christ is the beginning of an eternal relationship with Christ. It is not the end. Some people have the idea when one is saved, that's it, now one can rest in safety. If this were true, the best thing that could happen to us is for the Lord to rapture us out of this world before we start making a bunch of mistakes that we are having to constantly go and get His forgiveness for. Most of us who are saved are as full of holes as a screen door. We come pitifully short of what we ought to be, and if it were not for a merciful High Priest, God would terminate us in the lake of fire before we knew what happened. Hebrews 7:25, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."

Jesus is not only the beginning of salvation, He is the continuance of that salvation begun with the New Birth. Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" Then there are other Scriptures like Jude 1:24, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,"

It is possible for one to lose his assurance of salvation. If you do not believe this, you will probably make some way around it, to satisfy yourself.

I'll never forget J. Vernon McGee speak on an occasion. Dr. McGee was a master at putting the flesh in its place, and leave you knowing if salvation were not by grace you would be in an unfixable fix. While preaching on this subject he ask the question of his audience, "Is there anyone here living above sin?" A man on the front row raised hand, and said, "I have been living above sin for fourteen years." Dr. McGee was always quick with a good response. He ask, "Sir, is that your wife sitting by your side?" He said, "Yes, she is." Dr. McGee looked at her and asked, "will you confirm what your husband has just told me?" The lady shook her head no and said, "Absolutely not."

Saved people will not reach physical perfection until we are changed at the rapture. Any man who thinks he is living above sin is living in a dream world and reading someone elses Bible. He can't be reading one like mine (The KJV).

Peter says if you want to maintain your assurance of salvation you must add to your faith. We are left on earth after salvation to grow into mature Christians so that by our lives and testimonies, we are ambassadors for Christ. Some one has said, "The only Bible most people will ever see is a Christian living in victory in his relation to the Lord.

2 Peter 1:5-8 says, "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 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."

Virtue is faith undaunted.

Knowledge is faith apprehending.

Temperance is faith overcoming.

Patience is faith untiring.

Godliness is faith imitating.

Brotherly kindness is faith in practice.

Love is faith at work.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White