They Believed for a While!
The Parable of the Sower is recorded and explained in three of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark & Luke. The meaning is clearly defined in the simple phrase, contained in each gospel, "They believed for a while." Yet the eternal security teachers STILL manage to misconstrue the importance of this truth and led many people astray concerning the faith.
Read the passage for yourself from Luke's account: Luke8:11-15
"Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of
God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear then the devil comes and
'snatches' out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. BUT the
ones on the rock are those who hear, receive the Word with joy, and these have
no root, WHO BELIEVE FOR A WHILE and in time of temptation, fall away. And those
that fell among thorns are those who, when they heard, go out and are choked
with cares, riches and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. BUT
the ones that fell on good ground are those who having heard the Word with a
noble and good heart, KEEP IT and bear fruit with patience."
From the teaching of our Lord we can clearly understand what to expect when His Word is preached. Some will reject the truth outright, represented by the wayside soil. But others will 'Believe for a while', represented by the rocky & thorny soils, and later 'FALL AWAY' for various reasons. Notice it doesn't say, "They NEVER believed to begin with!" Only the first 'Hearer' fits that description.
Matthew adds, "They hear the Word, but DO NOT understand it, and the 'wicked' one comes to snatch it away lest it be sown into the heart!" Matt13:18
Thus by comparing 'scripture with scripture' we have the essence of evangelism among mankind:
1) Some hear & Do Not understand (perhaps because only 'half' the message was presented)
2) Some hear, rejoice, but fail to grasp the 'cost' involved. They 'believe' for a while & fall away to temptation.
3) Others hear, receive, but the cares of the world choke out growth before it can produce fruit.
4) And last, some hear, understand, receive with joy and produce much fruit.
Here we have the Gospel message of Jesus in a nutshell:
The Gospel must be presented properly. Including 'the whole counsel of God! Not 'part' of it.
It is possible to 'believe' and then fall away due to temptation & Worldly lust.
Fruit baring is the 'Condition' by which you remain Saved!
According to the Bible, MANY are in the 'Believe for a while' category & are 'self deceived'.
James 1:22 "Be DOERS of the Word, not hearers only, deceiving yourselves!"
Matt7:21-22 "Not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but who DOES the will of My Father in heaven."
Luke8:21 "My mother and My brothers are those who hear the Word of God and DO IT!"
Titus1:16 "They profess to know God but in works deny Him!"
2Tim3:5 "Having a form of godliness but denying it's Power!"
John15:6 "If anyone DOES NOT abide in Me he is cast out as a branch and is withered and they are gathered up and thrown into the fire and are burned."
Why would someone 'believe for a while' and then fall away? Were they 'never' saved to begin with or did they 'fall' from a secure position in Christ? The answer may shock you!
The possibility of 'counterfeit' faith seems to be implied in
such passages as: Matt7:21-22, Titus1:16, 2TIm3:5,
where the context specifically indicates that He 'Never' knew you in the first
place. And the eternal security teachers extend this meaning to 'anyone' who:
"turned aside, strayed, shipwrecked their faith, or been
overthrown."
In other words, ANYONE who turned away from Jesus, was NEVER saved to begin
with.
To protect the false doctrine of OSAS, it is an absolute necessity to hold this view.
However the scriptures tell a 'different' story. Certainly the 'possibility' of counterfeit faith does exist, especially within the modern church setting where they preach only about one third of the Gospel. But when Jesus said, "They believed for a while," He was warning us about he pitfalls of our 'Conditional Salvation'.
John15:1-6 Jesus compared Himself to the True Vine.
Read carefully:
"I am the true Vine and My Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in Me that DOES NOT bare fruit He takes away and every branch that
bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean
because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the Vine, neither
can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who
abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.
If anyone DOES NOT abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered and
they gather them throw them into the fire and they are burned."
The OSAS teachers would have you believe that anyone 'cast forth' & Withered was NEVER part of the Vine to begin with, or that a 'fruitless' branch is one that NEVER believed to begin with. This is ludicrous!
In several other passages we have already discussed, Jesus
said that it is possible to "Believe for a while & Fall away."
Other passages also indicate this phenomena:
John8:30-47 Explains that "Many believed
on Him" , but later were called, "Children of the devil" (verse
44 read it!) because they DID NOT 'ABIDE'.
John12:4243 Points out
that many of the 'religious' elite 'believed on Him', but would NOT confess Him
in the synagogue. How is this different than the sower, where the 'cares' of the
world choke out the fruit?
John6:66 Says, "From that time many of His 'disciples' went back and walked with Him no more." Were these false believers, as the OSAS teachers would claim? Read the whole passage. Why did Jesus refer to them as 'Disciples' if they were NEVER His followers to begin with? Again clearly defined in the Sower. When they realized it would Cost them to be Disciples they 'fell away'.
As they have done to the Parables, the OSAS teachers have also 'twisted' these unambiguous portions of scripture to their own ruin. Jesus is simply saying that He is the VINE and we are the Branches. The unbelieving world are NOT branches! If we are part of the Vine, we have been 'Grafted' in as Rom11:22 explains, by God, because we 'believed'. And we remain ONLY if we CONTINUE to bare Fruit, otherwise we are Cut off and Cast out.
"Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who FELL, severity, but toward you, goodness. IF you CONTINUE in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be Cut off." Rom11:22
If this passage said, "YES YOU CAN LOSE YOUR SALVATION if you do not abide in Christ." The OSAS teachers would STILL DENY it! Because it states EXACTLY that in clear precise language. Only by applying reams of theological mumbo jumbo can it be explained away.
Why would BOTH these passages CONFIRM the same truth if it wasn't so? By accepting the fact that IT IS possible to 'believe for a while & then fall away', you unlock the meaning of many Parables and Guard your soul against apostasy. Clinging to OSAS will only serve to harden your heart to the truth and increase the risk of shipwreck.
Matt25:1-13 Parable of the Wise and
Foolish Virgins:
They were ALL Virgins (indicating betroval to Christ) They ALL had lamps
(Indicating the Holy Spirit) But the five foolish let their 'lamps' burn out and
were left behind! Just as Christ warned elsewhere about lighting a lamp and
hiding under a basket. Matt5:14-15, or allowing
your 'Salt' to lose it's flavor, Matt5:13, Lk14:34.
These truths concur without doubt that it is possible for the true 'believer'
to: "Lose his zeal, burn out and give up!"
Confirming the Parable of the Sower again, "They believed for a while & then fell away."
Thus Paul warned us in Gal6:9 "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap IF we don't give up!" The Condition is set forth in each of these scriptures.
Matt18:21-35 Parable of the
unforgiving servant:
Here Jesus is showing us the importance of a 'forgiving' spirit. The servant is
forgiven a debt of immense proportions, he could NEVER repay on his own. Which
is without doubt an illustration of our sin and Christ's forgiveness. But he
then fails to forgive his fellow servant a 'small' debt in comparison, and is
'delivered to the torturers until he should pay all that is due from him'.
Ending with this warning: "So My heavenly Father also will do to you IF
each of you, FROM HIS HEART, Does not forgive his brother his
trespasses."
What could be more crystal clear? If only one passage dealt with this issue it would be enough to seal it for eternity, since Christ spoke the Words, But He reiterates this truth over and over again! Matt5:22, Mark11:25,Matt18:15
IT is possible to forfeit your own salvation IF you fail to forgive those that sin against you. Any OSAS teacher that tells you otherwise has been deceived by the devil!
Luke15:11-32 Parable of the Prodigal
Son:
This is probably the best known parable in the Bible and yet it has been
twisted by the OSAS teachers until it's practically meaningless. In light of
what 'scripture' teaches about 'believing for while', we can understand that the
Prodigal Son was indeed a 'Son' of God, who departed from the Father, became a
LOST, DEAD sinner and eventually sought forgiveness & restoration. That he
was 'Never' a son to begin with is absolute foolishness, because the scripture
says he was and that it's NOT possible to LOST & FOUND AGAIN is also preposterous,
because it states TWICE in verses: 24, 32, that the Father stated, "For
this my son was DEAD and is ALIVE AGAIN, he was LOST & is FOUND! and:
"Your brother was dead and is alive AGAIN, and was lost and is
found."
If as the OSAS teachers say, he was merely 'Out of fellowship' with the Father, WHY did the father refer to him as DEAD? Clearly this is a picture of 'spiritual' death & 'rebirth', a second time. Just as Paul stated in Romans11:23 concerning the original branches broken off for disobedience.
"And they also, IF they do NOT continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in AGAIN!"
Isn't it wonderful how God's Word makes perfect since when you compare scripture with scripture?
Many sit in churches today, cold and dead, hardened to the truth, because they have 'believed for a while' and were never told they had to Continue in the faith or risk being cut off as a withered branch. Can they be 'grafted' in again? With God ALL things are possible, but the longer they continue under their delusion the less likely it will be.
The teaching of OSAS distorts the whole Bible. Even the fundamental issue of saving faith is obscured. When you tell people they have 'Unconditional' eternal security no matter what they do, they get hard to the Word. Instead the oil of the Holy Spirit making them their heart's more mellow to God, the light goes out and the oil runs dry. According to scripture most of them will not even realize the terrible situation they are in until it's too late!
The five foolish virgins came crying, "Lord Lord open to us!" Matt25:11 But He told them, "I do not know you!" Notice he didn't say I 'Never' knew you as in Matt7:22
The unfaithful Servant, Matt24:45-51, who decided to enjoy the things of the world because his Master was delayed, also received an 'unexpected' surprise. "Appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
And the unprofitable Servant, Matt25:14-30, who buried his talent and produced no fruit, came to judgment unprepared for what would befall him. "Cast him into outer darkness. There will be weeping & gnashing of teeth."
We enter into an intense Spiritual warfare when we come to Jesus. "The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. Gal5:17 Each produces it's own FRUIT.
Gal5:19-21 "The works of the flesh are evident, which are; adultery, fornication, uncleanness. lawlessness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambition, dissensions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelries, of which I told you beforehand, just as I told you in time past, that those who practice such things WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of God."
Gal5:22-23 "But the FRUIT of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
Now the scripture explains that those who are Christ's "HAVE Crucified the flesh with it's passions and desires and Walk in the Spirit." Gal5:24, 6:14, Rom6:6
If you FAIL to do this and CONTINUE to sow according to the flesh, you will DIE Spiritually. Nothing could more certain in scripture. God gives us His Holy Spirit to Crucify the flesh so we can walk in newness of life and inherit eternal life! The CONDITION is for you to 'willingly' allow the Spirit of God to WORK in you, to Will and to DO of His good pleasure. Heb13:20-21
Gal6:7-8 "DO NOT be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."
Rom8:13 "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live!"
Rom6:6 "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin!"
Rom6:14 "For sin SHALL NOT have dominion over you."
You WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of God if you continue in the flesh. Carnal Christianity DOES NOT exist. The OSAS teachers are lying to you. FLEE before it's too late! God has made provision by His Holy Spirit to enable you to 'crucify' the flesh. Freedom in Christ is FREEDOM from the Bondage of Sin! You can have it as scripture proclaims, IF you stop kidding yourself, get out of your OSAS church and INTO CHRIST!