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Our Lord teaches to us that no power can forcibly remove us from God's hand, against His will. Nothing in all heaven or Earth could do that... (John chapter 10)
Which people cannot ever be lost?.... Christ tells us which people are secure:
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27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
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We can be sure that those who "listen" to Christ's teachings and "follow" Him as He taught us in His teachings cannot be snatched away. This is as He says to us in Matthew 7:12-14, 21-27 -- where we also learn which people will have this eternal security....
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12 "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. 13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
...
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
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But... a person can turn away from Christ and stumble into sin, we can do that wrong of our own choice, and then potentially that unrepentant sin can continue, making us "dead" spiritually we read (see below). But, if we then repent some day, we can become "alive again" -- Luke chapter 15, the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
Christ Jesus Himself is the One Who teaches to us a person can be living in our Father's house (thus alive) .... and then leave and become "dead" -- Luke chapter 15.
----------------------------
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
----------------------------
This is truly Amazing Grace -- that the the strayed sheep, the sinner, if they will turn and repent will then become "alive again" Christ said....(!), and He is the Judge, He is the One Who knows!
So, we have His teaching on how we can have eternal security (and even make it into Life in the end) -- that over time we listen to what Christ taught for us to hear, with ears that hear, and put His teaching to us into practice, however that we sometimes stumble and fail, to generally be working (however imperfectly, but making progress) to do as He said, over time.
We learn in 1rst John 1 that when we stumble into sin, we need simply confess our wrongs to God, and we are restored each time -- 1rst John 1, 8-9.
So, we have eternal security by following Him, doing as He said, which He told us we can only do well solely and only if we look to Him, abide in Him, remaining in Him, dwelling on the Vine, so that we can bear good fruit that lasts (all of this is just me repeating Christ's teachings here) --
How to bear good fruit, so that we will not be pruned off the Vine:
----------------------------
Remain on the Vine to bear fruit:
----------------------------
Those that don't will be gathered and burned we read.
So, we are seeing what is needed to have eternal security -- true security that isn't touchable by anything in the world.
To have the full picture, we must always read more than just a doctrine or set of doctrinal teachings (only) somewhere, we all need more than only selected verses, but really we need over time all Christ said, more and more over time until we have all of His words, if we want to know all He said to us, to teach us, and so we can indeed follow Him though any storm that life can bring in time....
Which people cannot ever be lost?.... Christ tells us which people are secure:
----------------------------
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
----------------------------
We can be sure that those who "listen" to Christ's teachings and "follow" Him as He taught us in His teachings cannot be snatched away. This is as He says to us in Matthew 7:12-14, 21-27 -- where we also learn which people will have this eternal security....
----------------------------
12 "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. 13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
...
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
----------------------------
But... a person can turn away from Christ and stumble into sin, we can do that wrong of our own choice, and then potentially that unrepentant sin can continue, making us "dead" spiritually we read (see below). But, if we then repent some day, we can become "alive again" -- Luke chapter 15, the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
Christ Jesus Himself is the One Who teaches to us a person can be living in our Father's house (thus alive) .... and then leave and become "dead" -- Luke chapter 15.
----------------------------
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
----------------------------
This is truly Amazing Grace -- that the the strayed sheep, the sinner, if they will turn and repent will then become "alive again" Christ said....(!), and He is the Judge, He is the One Who knows!
So, we have His teaching on how we can have eternal security (and even make it into Life in the end) -- that over time we listen to what Christ taught for us to hear, with ears that hear, and put His teaching to us into practice, however that we sometimes stumble and fail, to generally be working (however imperfectly, but making progress) to do as He said, over time.
We learn in 1rst John 1 that when we stumble into sin, we need simply confess our wrongs to God, and we are restored each time -- 1rst John 1, 8-9.
So, we have eternal security by following Him, doing as He said, which He told us we can only do well solely and only if we look to Him, abide in Him, remaining in Him, dwelling on the Vine, so that we can bear good fruit that lasts (all of this is just me repeating Christ's teachings here) --
How to bear good fruit, so that we will not be pruned off the Vine:
----------------------------
Remain on the Vine to bear fruit:
----------------------------
Those that don't will be gathered and burned we read.
So, we are seeing what is needed to have eternal security -- true security that isn't touchable by anything in the world.
To have the full picture, we must always read more than just a doctrine or set of doctrinal teachings (only) somewhere, we all need more than only selected verses, but really we need over time all Christ said, more and more over time until we have all of His words, if we want to know all He said to us, to teach us, and so we can indeed follow Him though any storm that life can bring in time....
