All sin is not the same. There are sins that lead to death, and sins that do not lead to death, according to 1 John 5:16-17 below.
1 John 5:16-17
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. NKJV
Sins that lead to death are just that. Sins that if we continue in them, they will bring about our death. Once our sinful nature (flesh) is fully grown, it will kill us (James 1:15)!
James 1:15
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. NKJV
I’m not only talking about fleshly death, but spiritual too.
Hebrews 10:26
26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. NKJV
Watch the video above for more information about how certain sins lead to death.
The point of no return
We cannot willingly continue in sins after receiving the knowledge of the truth, because we could eventually reach a point of no return. In other words, willful sinning can eventually make it to where there will not be any sacrifice for sins left. All Christians need to know that.
Jesus Christ is our sacrifice for sins, and through His blood we have redemption; the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14). However, we cannot use the blood of Jesus as a license to continue in sin. Most Christians do not know that since unwritten doctrines such as the “once saved, always saved” have creeped in to tickle our ears in keeping with 2 Timothy 4:3-4.
However, read the passages of scripture below and know the truth for yourself. Christians who continue in these sins will have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God in the end.
Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. NKJV
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. NKJV
Ephesians 5:3-7
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. NKJV
Yes, we can be saved, and still not have an inheritance (Colossians 1:12). When we were saved, we were qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints (Colossians 1:12-14, below), and given the right to become children of God (John 1:12, below).
Colossians 1:12-14
12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. NKJV
John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. NKJV
I know that 1 John 3:1-2 says that we are children of God, but there is a reason why we never hear verse 3; Everyone who has the “hope” of being a child of God purifies himself. Look at that verse below and know the truth for yourself.
1 John 3:2-3
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. NKJV
Everyone who has the “hope” of being a child of God purifies himself. So, how do we purify ourselves? We obey the truth. The Word of God is truth (John 17:17).
1 Peter 1:22-25
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. NKJV
Think about this. What would happen next Sunday if a guest preacher just mentioned the following scriptures? Who the people say “Amen,” or clap, or do what the normally do while listening to a sermon, or would you see obvious signs of rejection through body language or even verbally?
Romans 13:12-14
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. NKJV
Ephesians 5:8-11
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. NKJV
Romans 6:10-13
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. NKJV
2 Corinthians 7:1
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. NKJV
Churches that never mention sins that lead to death, also never mention our instructions concerning putting off darkness, and becoming sons of light (John 12:35-36). Therefore, when I minister to someone from one of those type of churches regardless of denomination, the scriptures above are like legalism to them, even though they are straight out of the New Testament.
They are on the path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14), and have no idea that they can be cast out of Heaven because of sin even though they are saved. All who belong to Christ should turn away from darkness (2 Timothy 2:19).
We can reach a point of no return if we continue in sin, especially if we have been rebuke (corrected strongly) often. God may actually humble the people who are trying to reach out to such a Christian for repentance.
Saved without an inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven
Think of it this way. What does it take to be saved according to Romans 10:9, and what does it take to have salvation according to 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14? Read them below and know that they are two separate things.
Romans 10:9
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. NKJV
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV
There are many other verses on being saved, but you should be able to see that eternal salvation is not the same as being saved. We don’t sanctify ourselves, but we are sanctified by the Spirit “after” we accept Jesus as Lord, which is after we are saved.
Look at 2 Peter 2:10-11 in your Bible and see what those who will receive an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ are doing.
2 Peter 1:10-11
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. NKJV
Does it seem like they are just sitting around waiting on Jesus to come back, or does it seem like they are being diligent to add certain things to their faith as it is mentioned in 2 Peter 2:5-9 (not shown) so that they will have an abundant entrance into the Kingdom? Does it seem like they were getting ready like the five wise virgins, or having the mind-set of the five foolish virgins (Matthew 25:10)?
Does it seem like they are continuing in sin, or reaching a point of “never stumbling again,” (verse 10 above)? Does it sound like anything close to what you have heard in church, or on Christian TV and radio? However, is it according to the Word of God?
Neglecting our salvation
You can say that we were given salvation, but that’s only assuming we would continue the course, which is in-line with Colossians 1:21-23; “if we continue in our faith.”
Colossians 1:21-23
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight — 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. NKJV
According to those verses we must “continue in our faith” in order to remain in the condition we were in when we first got saved. No one ever mentions that passage anymore for the same reason Colossians 1:12 (above) is never mentioned today, and that’s because most of us believe something different.
We can neglect our salvation if we do not pay close attention to the Word of God (Hebrews 2:1-3, below). That verse alone should tell you that we’ve got something to do after we are saved.
Hebrews 2:1-3
1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, NKJV
We are not guaranteed an inheritance until after we hear the Gospel, and believe it (Ephesians 1:13-14). For more info on “Who will inherit the Kingdom of God,” please visit that page in my Sunday School class, and watch the video. Be sure and write the verses down so that you can look them up from your version of the Bible.
Many of the newer Bibles have changed the verses that describe being saved to include salvation, but a better interpretation of Romans 10:10 is to believe “unto” salvation. In other words, we have to continue in the faith we were given (Romans 12:3, Colossians 1:21-23). We don’t believe for one day and then do whatever our flesh wants us to do, but we believe “unto” salvation. Check the verses below.
Romans 10:10
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. NKJV
Hebrews 10:38-39
38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. NKJV
We have to believe all the way to the saving of the soul (verse 39 above). If we don’t, then we draw back to perdition, which is the destruction of the soul. The end of our faith is the salvation of our souls (1 Peter 1:9 below). No faith, no salvation.
1 Peter 1:9
9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. NKJV
While we were still sinners Christ died for us, but we still have to be saved from God’s wrath through Him, and that is by faith in Jesus (Romans 3:21-22).The wrath go God comes on the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 5:6, Colossians 3:6).
Romans 5:8-10
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. NKJV
We know that we have to believe “unto” salvation, because any one of us could have an evil heart of unbelief and turn away from God (Hebrews 3:12-15, below). 1 Timothy chapter 3 explains how a Bishop can fall back to the point of having the same condemnation as the devil (1 Timothy 3:1-7). How can that happen if he was guaranteed salvation from day one? It can’t.
Hebrews 3:12-15
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” NKJV
I’m not here to change your church or your Bible. No, God can do that if you are serious about seeking Him. He changed mine (Philippians 3:15-16). However, check to see what 1 John 3:7-9 (below) says in your Bible, and boldly proclaim it the next time you have a conversation with a Christian friend.
1 John 3:7-9
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. NKJV
Regardless if I live up to the Word of God or not, I accept it as truth and I believe it in my heart, and I’m diligent every day to accomplish it, but one thing I will not do. I refuse to speak against the Word of God, so that I can have more worldly friends.
Newer Bibles are changing and few seem to care
All of the newer Bibles have been changing scriptures for years, and most of the time they are not the verses that the average Christian knows anything about. I had been predicting since 1995 that the NIV (1984 version) I was using at that time would be changed, and that these newer Bible would be coming out with twisted scriptures.
They call it advances in the Greek, but I believe it’s the strong delusion sent to those who do not believe the truth, and have pleasure in unrighteousness that they will be condemned.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. NKJV
God sends them a strong delusion because they do not love the truth. The only way for that to change is for the people who have been deceived to repent, and accept the Word of God as truth, to the point of loving the truth. How soon is that going to happen? It’s not, but it doesn’t have to happen to you!
The New King James Version is the last Bible with the word “New” in the title that I would use. In fact, I would not use any Bible that’s newer that that, unless I’m ministering to someone, and then I try and use the Bible they use until they overcome.
I do also like the “21st Century King James Version” published by Deuel Enterprises, but I’m not finished reading it yet. I also use the King James and the 1611 King James.
Also know that not only can we turn away after being saved, which is evident in the lives of Christians all around us, but we will be worse afterwards. That too should be evident to you in the lives of people you know, who have fallen away from the truth, which is the Word of God (John 17:17).
2 Peter 2:20-22
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” NKJV
I’m alan ballou; a servant. If you have a question for me, and if I can help you, ask.
