Fall From Grace

Faith is the assent of the mind, or of the understanding to the truth of what God’s Holy Spirit reveals. Faith consists of the simple belief of the Scriptures, of the being and perfection of God, and of the existence, character, and doctrines of Christ, founded on the testimony of the Bible writers.

Works: Consists of moral duties, or external performances, as being distinct from grace. The quality of good works in the Scriptural sense of the terms, are:

1. That it is according to the will of God.

2. That it springs from the love of God.

3. That it is done in faith.

4. That it is done to the glory of God.
These four things qualify good works.

The cause of good works are,

1. God Himself.

2. A union to Christ.

3. Good works through faith.

4. Works according to the written word, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
These four things seal Christian works.

The necessary uses of good works are:
1. They show a Christian’s gratitude, toward God.
2. They are an ornament to our profession of faith.
3. They give evidence to our regeneration.
4. They are profitable to others.

Salvation: It is the redemption of man from the bondage of sin and liability to eternal death, and conferring on him everlasting happiness. This is the great salvation.

Obedience to God is an essential requisite to maintain faith. Faith lives under God, by works: and works has its being and excellence from faith. Neither can subsist without the other; this is the point which James labors to prove. In order to convince those who hold to the doctrine of justification by faith without works to such an extreme as to separate practical holiness from true believing, and to harm, if not completely destroy, every obligation to moral obedience,

James 2:24, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

To the church of Ephesus, in the book of Revelation, written about 96 A.D. Jesus to the church of Ephesus,

Revelation 2:4, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”

The word “somewhat” means, “it is everything” I have against you. They have lost their first love, that being Christ, therefore it is everything Christ has against them.

1 Timothy 5:12 states, “Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith” (Their first promise.)

Thirty years before the book of Revelation was written, we read in,

Ephesians 1:15, “I = (Paul) heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you.” Paul had heard of the faith among this body of Christians in Ephesus concerning their love for Jesus, their conversion, and their graces. They had received Christ, proving it by their love to all their fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Thirty years after the church at Ephesus had to be warned, about their failings. They did not retain their affections for Christ, and the sacred things which they had received when first brought to the knowledge of the truth, that being, justified by faith in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 2:5, Jesus said, “I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” In a mere 30 years, Ephesus went from praise, to a severe backslidden condition, and a future warning from the Christ Himself, that He would remove their candlestick.

What is meant by “candlestick?” Revelation 1:13-20, Christ is standing in the midst of the seven candlesticks or lamps. Each candlestick holds oil, producing both fire and light, each representing a church. They are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

These churches are not a light unto them, but are instruments for dispensing light; each church must receive both oil, and then a spark, this in order to produce fire, which in turn produces light. The oil is representative of an anointing from God, and the fire is that which comes from the Holy Ghost. No church has in itself either grace or glory, but must receive both from the Lord, or it can not dispense spiritual light, or life.

Many churches are without anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. These are those who will cry out to God,

Matthew 7:22, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”

The Lord responds to these, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquities.”

The verb “to know” in the New Testament, frequently means to approve. So “I never knew you” translates, “I never approved you.” To be fooled into thinking you are doing the Lord’s work, and because of deception, both you and your works are rejected by the Lord, and your works shall be burned as stubble. 

Hebrews 13:9, “Be not carried about with divers (various) and strange doctrines.”

Strange doctrines have no authority in Christ’s body; they are foreign to the truth. There was, and still is a form of blending of the law, which had been abolished, with the Gospel, but again has shown its ugly head. Bringing the law, or works back, and mingling it with the Gospel is man’s idea of trying to improve the already perfect Christian system, it, established by Christ.

Eph.5:6, “Let no man deceive you = (believers) with vain (empty) words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”

We are told in the proceeding verses that the following are not to be found among the children of God. Fornication (adultery and incest,) uncleanness (lust,) covetousness (fraud, greediness,), filthiness = (obscenity,) foolish talking, jesting (indecent conversations,) whoremongers (male prostitution,) unclean persons (animal desires,) covetous (the desire for more, by any means,) idolaters (idol worship,) or those who take part in any ceremony’s, eating with, or sharing in their any form of idol worship.) These will not have any inheritance in the kingdom of the Father, and of His Christ. Men with their empty, lying words, teach that these things are innocent, or unavoidable frailties of man’s human nature. But God tells us they are sin, and are an abomination in His sight. Those who practice them are called, “the children of disobedience.” God’s Divine punishment, must, and will come upon them.

Hebrews 4:11, “Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

Christians are told to strive diligently, now and in the future. Our whole body, soul, and spirit are to be employed, in the Lord’s work. When grace is received, we are to retain it, in order to obtain eternal glory. We are told that you can fall, either wholly or in part. When faith begins to waiver, this creates doubt. We can become shipwrecked in our faith, disobedient, and fall from a good conscience. It is said, that the parents are a warning to their children.

Rev.3:11, Jesus said, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” Again, “I come quickly;” This is the great incentive to persevering one’s faith, and the consolation for our daily trials. The Lord had just commended these believers for keeping His word, which involved the attaining of the kingdom. This can be lost if one yields to temptation. The routine of life or some suffering can be exchanged for a compromise and ease that can be found in this world.

Rev.3:15, Jesus said, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold not hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.”

The antithesis to hot, literally is boiling, “fervent,” as seen in Acts 18:25. Acts speaks about a man named Apollos who was a eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures. “This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught diligently (accurately) the things of the Lord.” Also in Romans 12:10-11, we are to be kind to one another with brotherly love, and told to give preference to one another. It reads ” be fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.”

The idea of cold means, more than negatively cold, it is rather, positively icy cold: Having never yet been warmed. This church of Laodicea was in spiritual things, cold; not as cold as the world outside, or as those who had never belonged to the Christian community. They were lukewarm.

In this lukewarm condition, they were listless and indifferent, caring little if Christianity, or paganism prevailed, their walk was in that gray zone of indifference. They have become the great compromisers, lazy and ineffective! They had little zeal for their own salvation or that of others. Yet they have retained enough conviction of and for the truth, and for the importance of Christianity, they would not give it up totally.

Jesus tells them to make a decision, adopt, and commit, or leave. “To good and evil equally bent, I’m both a devil and a saint.”

They were too good to go to hell: too bad to go to heaven. It is the twilight zone. This is the state of the Laodicean church, and Jesus expresses here, you ought to be one kind of man: either a good man, or a bad man.

The warning to them is seen in Rev.3:16, “Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” The adjectives, “hot,” and “cold,” are in the masculine, agreeing with the angel (minister of the church  and not feminine, the church). The minister (angel) is the embodiment and representative of the church. He is answerable for his flock, and is to warn the members of their condition.

Jesus said, “I will,” or, I am about to, or, I am ready to, or, I have it in my mind to, “Spue thee out of my mouth.” He is implying the possibility of this threat which had not yet been executed, but will, if you do not repent. His dealing with them depends on their dealing with their condition. Doctors used lukewarm water to cause vomiting. He said, I will cast you off, implying, thought you have been dear to my heart, I must pluck you from out of my Kingdom, and cast you into outer darkness.

Further in Rev.2:20, Jesus is speaking to the Church at Thyatira. He said, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou suffers that woman Jezebel, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.”

Jezebel, who lived several hundred years prior to Christ’s rebuke of the church of Thyratira was the wife of Ahab. Ahab was the seventh king of the northern kingdom of Israel, having reigned for 22 years. He married Jezebel, the daughter of the king of the Zidonians who were a wicked people. Ahab’s move was politically advantageous, but was religiously disastrous. His new pagan wife introduced the idolatrous worship of Baal, as well as the orgies of the goddess Ashtoreth. She instituted a persecution against the followers of Jehovah and killed all His prophets. To please her, Ahab built a temple and an altar to Baal in Samaria.

This symbolic name Jezebel was given to the Church of Thyatira, and what Jezebel, was to Ahab, this church of Thyatira is to Jesus, a self-styled prophetess, or as the feminine in Hebrew is often used collectively to express a multitude, or a set of false prophets. This symbolic name was now attached to Thyatira. As a bad wife can be to her husband, a powerfully influence for evil. Jezebel like her father, was quick to shed blood, strong willed and could seduce the weak easily.

Jezebel’s spiritual counterpart at Thyatira lured God’s servants through lying words. This by inspiring them to the same desires, the same uncontrolled lusts, fornication, and eating of idol meats, as the Balaamites and Nicolaitians had. By these false spirits, these seducers led their victims into the gravest of sins, as though things done in the flesh were outside the true man, and were therefore indifferent. The deeper the church penetrated into heathenism, the more she herself became heathenish.

This prepared them for the following expressions, harlot, Babylon, whore. This corrupted prophetesses goal was “to teach and seduce my = (Christ’s) servants.” She is a liar and deceiver. There is very little love here, yet some activity of faith and love. But an insufficient zeal for godly discipline, doctrine, and a patience for error was allowed, even where there was no participation in it.

The warning from the Lord concerning this Church is found in Verse 22 and 23. “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He which searches the reins and hearts; and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”

Her bed, the place of her sin, is the place of punishment. Their bed is sickness and anguish. The church members committed spiritual adultery with her, and by leaving her alone, they have encouraged her. Her punishment is distinct from those who encourage her. She is cast into bed, her children are to be killed, and those who make themselves partakers of her sin by tolerating her, are to be cast into the great tribulation. This could mean anyone today, who is alive. If the Lord should return, those who are in a church like Thyatira, having taken on the ways, thinking, and attitudes of this ancient church, will pay a high cost for their carelessness.

The parable of the sower is a good example of those who profess to be Christians; but aren’t. Scripture speak of those who do not bear fruit, have a hardness of the heart, and eventually leaving the body of Christ, returning to their old ways.

Matthew 13:20-21-22, further states, “But he that received the seed (the word) into stony places, the same is he that hears the word, and with joy receives it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but endures (with courage and boldness receive the word) for a while: for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, by and by he is offended = (stumbles.) He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”

This mixed character of the kingdom in its present state, and the final absolute separation of the two classes are spoken of in many passages of Scripture. The enemy will come in when the people fall asleep. The enemy is Satan. His disciples plant their false doctrines, among the good doctrine; thus, the work of destruction being done in the church itself.

Deceived members of a church, attempt to come to Christ by way of exhibition, smooth talk, self glorification, exaggerated claims, unity among the deceivers, false claims of receiving Holy Spirit power, claiming to have received a special gift, or form of anointing, and/or false claims of enlightenment; also adding doctrines of salvation by works, and the neglecting of Biblical verses concerning salvation and grace; these creating a false gospel, and a false form of worship.

Hosea 4:6, God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I (the Lord) will also reject thee.” Brother’s and sister’s in Christ, have you become lukewarm? Have you fallen asleep? Don’t be deceived. Evaluate your Christian life, examine who and what you are, and what you do against God’s word. Repent of any deadness that God’s Holy Spirit may reveal to you. Walk in the truth and in God’s will. He can, and will help you. Cast off the old, and put on the new.

Phillip LaSpino   www.seekfirstwisdom.com