Do occasional sins lead to spiritual death?

Question: Good afternoon, I heard a preacher recently state that in Romans 6:12-18, Paul makes a distinction between presenting your members as instruments for unrighteousness (Romans 6:13) and slaves of unrighteousness (Romans 6:16) which leads to spiritual death. The point being made here was that when a Christian, on occasion, yields his members as instruments…

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Can Psalms 37:28 be used to prove the perseverance of the saints?

Question: Does Psalms 37:28 teach perseverance of the saints and once saved, always saved? (Psalms 37:28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.) The preserved forever part. Answer: “I have been young and now I am old,…

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There’s No Security for the Believer in ‘Once Saved, Always Saved’

by Al Diestelkamp via Think on These Things, Volume 41, No. 1, Jan-Mar 2010 There is a belief in many Protestant churches, and especially popular among those who would describe themselves as “evangelicals,” known as the doctrine of “The Security of the Believer.” In Calvinism’s TULIP acronym, it is represented by the “P” for “Perseverance of…

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How can there be no condemnation if Christians can sin?

Question: I’ve been trying to fit Romans 8:1 and I John 1:7-10. We know that if we walk in the light then we can ask for the forgiveness of our sins and they are cleansed. How does Romans 8:1 come into play?  If we sin, we are separated from God. If we die in our…

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Isn’t eternal life guaranteed? So how can we talk of hope?

Question: We speak of “hope” a lot. Hope in eternal life is great, but the idea of hoping doesn’t mean a guarantee. If I hope for something, then I am thinking it may happen. With the critical issue of eternal life, one does not want to rest in the idea that belief in Jesus’s sacrifice…

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Eternal Security

by Wayne S. Walker via Truth Magazine XXI: 2, pp. 28-29, January 13, 1977 One of the tenets of Reformed theology that John Calvin adopted and propagated was that of “the perseverance of the saints.” Often it is referred to as the doctrine of “once in grace, always in grace.” Or stated as a proposition, it reads,…

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Eternal Security

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2004/08/EternalSecurity.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 2:1-6   I.         A large number of denominations follow a set of teachings popularized by John Calvin in the 1400’s             A.        His teachings were not new. They actually date back to man named Augustine who lived in the 400’s. Augustine’s teachings were very influential in the formation of the…

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I found your articles pertaining to eternal security to be excellent

Question: I read some of your excellent articles pertaining to eternal security on your web site. It is unfortunate that more people do no share your discernment. Even though I was raised with this teaching, I have never been able to make peace with it. Answer: Thank you for your kind words.

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Hymenaeus and Alexander

by Kent Heaton Found only in Paul’s letters to Timothy, Hymenaeus is an example of a man who once had been enlightened of the truth, tasted the heavenly gift and shared in the partaking of the Holy Spirit and yet found himself shipwreck concerning the faith. It is tragic to witness the shipwreck of one’s…

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Can you sin after receiving the Holy Spirit?

Question: Can you sin after receiving the Holy Spirit? Answer: Peter received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, along with the other disciples (Acts 2:4, 14). He, along with John, was able to pass on the gifts of the Spirit to others (Acts 8:14-15). Yet, he was rebuked for sinning by Paul. “Now when…

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Will God allow sin to get us back?

Question: Will God allow sin to get us back? Answer: While a child of God ought not to sin, there is no promise to the Christian that he cannot sin. Instead, we read of Christians who did fall back into the ways of sin. “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the…

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