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The Perseverance
and Preservation of the Saved
T. P. Simmons
The perseverance
and preservation of the saved are twin Bible doctrines. God has joined them
inseparably in His infallible Word. Let no man put them asunder.
Some have erred in presenting the
preservation (safety, security) of the saved as if it were independent of
perseverance. Such a presentation tends toward antinomianism. It also tends to
represent salvation as physical or mechanical, rather moral and spiritual
accomplishment. It furnishes the Arminian with ammunition. It teaches only a
half truth. It is not calculated to make saints as considerate as they ought to
be walk. Inspired writers avoided this extreme and its dire results by combining
both the human and divine phases of salvation. They taught that salvation is of
the Lord from beginning to end. But they also taught that God saves men, not by
mechanical law, nor irrespective of their response to Him; but in full harmony
with their nature as voluntary creatures, by requiring them to obey His will and
working in them in such a way as to move their will and elicit their cooperation
with Him as He fits them for His presence. Thus He is glorified in them in both
time and eternity. Thereby grace is prevented from being a cloak of
lasciviousness.
The framers of the New Hampshire
Declaration of faith were wise and happy indeed in their statement on this
matter, which is as follows: "We believe that such only are real believers
as endure to the end; that their persevering attachment to Christ is the grand
mark that distinguishes them from superficial professors; that a special
Providence watches over their welfare; and that they are kept by the power of
God through faith unto salvation."
The statement of the Philadelphia
Confession of Faith is also eminently worthy of note: "Those whom God hath
accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, and
given the precious faith of His elect, can neither totally nor finally fall
from the state of grace...but shall certainly persevere therein to the end,
and be eternally saved..."
Note that both of these statements
emphasize perseverance as well as preservation. We are in perfect harmony with
these historic statements of Baptist and Bible faith; and while in our
elaboration of the subject we shall have occasion to discuss things not
mentioned in these statements, we shall not be required in stating our
convictions freely and fully to say anything contrary to them.
1. PERSEVERANCE REQUIRED
We believe God in His Word puts upon
believers the responsibility of persevering in faith and righteousness. We cite
the following passages in proof of this:
"If ye continue in my word, then are
ye any disciples indeed" (John 8:31).
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me…If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a
branch and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire,
and they are burned" (John 15:4, 6).
"…continue ye in my love" (John 15:9).
"Who, when he came, and had seen the
grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart
they would cleave unto the Lord" (Acts 11:23).
"Confirming the souls of the disciples,
and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
"Thou wilt say then, The branches were
broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were
broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: for if
God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell,
severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness;
otherwise thou shalt be cut off" (Rom. 11:19-22).
"...he that endureth to the end shall be
saved" (Matt. 10:22),
"...the gospel...by which ye are saved,
if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you, unless ye have
believed in vain" (1 Cor. 15:2). To believe in vain is to have only
intellectual faith.
"And you, that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the
body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and
unreprovable in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and
settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel..." (Col.
1:21-23).
"Let us hold fast the profession of our
faith without wavering (for he is faithful that promised); ...For if we sin
wilfully (sin as the law of our lives, live under the power of sin) after we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice
for sin" (Heb. 10:23, 26).
"Follow peace with all men, and
holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest
any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up
trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" (Heb. 12:14,15).
"To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of
God!" (Rev. 2: 7)
"He that overcometh shall not be
death" (Rev. 2:11).
Many and varied are the attempts that are
made to explain away the evident meaning of these passages, but all such
attempts are futile. They defy all impractical theorists, an advocates of
preservation as a coldly abstract logical deduction, in teaching that none will
reach the final abode of God’s saints except those who abide in Christ, cleave
unto the lord, continue in the faith and the goodness of God, endure to the end,
keep in memory the gospel, follow holiness, and overcome. This we believe as
strongly as did Arminius or any of his followers; for it is the indisputable
truth.
II. PERSEVERANCE ASSURED
But this does not mean that any whom God
saves will be lost. Nay, verily; the Scripture is just as emphatic in declaring
that all true believers all the regenerated, will persevere.
Note the following passages:
"For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even
our faith" (I John 5:4).
"No one who is a child of God is
habitually guilty of sin A God-given germ of life remains in him and he cannot
habitually sin" (I John 3:9-Weymouth’s translation).[1]
If escape from the second death, and the
privilege of eating of the tree of life are for overcomers, then these things
are for all whom God regenerates. A regenerated person cannot sin as "the law
of his life, as the ideal tendency of his being; does not belong to the sin
sphere" (Sawtelle). Thus a regenerated person cannot go back into sin, but is
certain to persevere to the end; because God’s seed ("the divine principle of
life"—Vincent) perpetually abides in him.
This does not mean that the child of God
cannot back—slide temporarily and fall into much sin; but it does mean that he
will not again live permanently in sin. David and Peter are instances in point
here.
III. PERSEVERANCE ACCOMPLISHED
Perseverance is brought about by the power
of God. This is a part of the work of salvation, and ‘salvation is of the lord’
(Jonah 2:9).
It is here that our discussion of
perseverance merges with preservation. Cod’s children persevere because He
preserves them. Lees note how God does this:
1. By His Spirit.
"And because ye are sons, God hath sent
forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, cuing, Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6).
The Spirit in our hearts keeps us in fellowship with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is...faith"
(Gal. 5:22).
"...in whom also after that ye believed,
ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise, which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased Possession, unto the praise
of his glory" (Eph. 1:13,14).
"...he which hath begun a good work in
you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6). This good work
is sanctification begun in regeneration. God begins it and will finish it. He
does this through the working of His Spirit.
"…it is God who worketh in you both to
will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
God not only, through the spirit,
maintains our faith but he also works in us to cause us to obey His will.
2. Through His Word.
It is for this reason that He gave the
commands and warnings already noted. Other portions of the Word especially
adapted to eliciting the saints’ perseverance in holy living are as follows:
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21).
"Let not sin therefore reign in your
mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof" (Rom. 6-12).
"For if ye live after the flesh, ye
shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye
shall live" (Rom. 8:13).
"...deliver such a one unto Satan for
the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:5). If God let us alone and did not, in His own ways,
subdue the flesh, then the spirit would not be saved. In other words, we
should be lost.
"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh...And they that are Christ’s have crucified the
flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also
walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16,24,25).
"...work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). This was addressed to saved people, and is
an exhortation to voluntarily cooperate with God in saving us.
"...if by any means I might attain unto
the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either
were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for
which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:11,12).
"For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present
evil world..." (Titus 2:11,12).
"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that
faith without works is dead" (Jas. 2:20).
"And besides this, giving all diligence,
add to your faith
virtue...knowledge...temperance...patience...godliness...brotherly
kindness...charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you
that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar
off, and hath forgotten that he was once purged from his old sins [the apostle
argues here from one’s own profession]. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give
diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things,
ye shall never fall..." (11 Pet. 1:5-10).
"He that saith I know him, and keepeth
not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (I John 2:4).
"If any man love the world, the love of
the Father is not in him" (I John 2:15).
"And every man that hath this hope in
him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:3). That is, the man on
with the hope of likeness with Christ in the resurrection will carry on, as
God works in him, a process of purification, fighting, fighting back against
the motions of sin in his body.
"Whosoever hateth his brother is a
murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him" (I
John 4:15).
That these commands and warnings do not
imply an absolute possibility of believers falling away from Christ is proved by
a parallel case. In Acts 27.22-24 we have account of God’s revelation to Paul
enroute to Rome. We read:
"And now I exhort you to be of good
cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the
ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and
whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and,
Io, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee."
But a little later, when the storm had
grown worse, and the shipmen were about to desert the ship, we read:
"Paul said to the centurion and to the
soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved" (Acts
27:31).
Was it actually possible that any on the
ship would be lost? He who says so, blasphemes God; for he says that it is
possible for God to lie. God said there should be no loss of any man’s life.
This had to prove true, because it was the word of the God who cannot lie. But
Paul told the centurion and the soldiers that this could be fulfilled only by
the shipmen staying in the ship. AND THEY STAYED. God used that warning to
accomplish His predetermined will.
So it is with warnings about losing our
faith. They do not imply an actual possibility of it, for God that cannot lie
has declared that He will glorify all He justifies. These warnings are God’s
objective means of accomplishing the very thing He has determined. From a human
standpoint, falling away from Christ is possible, but God, will not permit it.
He uses His Word to elicit our voluntary perseverance. Thus He deals with us as
personal beings, and not as machines or inanimate objects.
3. Through the Intercessory Work of
Christ.
In addition to all the means already
mentioned, God also preserves and keeps us through the intercessory work of our
great High Priest. While here on earth, He prayed:
"Holy Father, keep through thine own
name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are" (John
17:11).
And now "he is able to save them to the
uttermost (to the last one, absolutely, completely), that come unto God by him,
seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). God always
hears Jesus when He prays (John 11:41, 42).
4. On the Basis of Christ’s Atoning
Work.
Note the following passages:
"Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will
not impute sin" (Rom. 4:7,8).
"Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:4).
"Who shall lay anything to the charge of
God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is
Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the
right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:33,34).
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us..." (Gal. 3:13).
"There is therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1).
These passages require little comment.
They teach very clearly that Christ fully satisfied the law for us and that
the law, therefore, now has no power to condemn us. We are under it no longer
with respect to our standing before God. Christ took our place on the cross.
We now take His place in our standing before God, "that we may have
boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world"
(I John 4:17).
5. Under the New Covenant.
Having passed from under law, we are now
under grace and the new covenant (Heb. 8:6-12; 10:16-22; Jer. 32:40), in which
God says, "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts;
... their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" and "I will not turn
away from them, to do them good; but will put my fear in their hearts, and
they shall not depart from me."
6. Through His Dealing With Us As His
Children.
"But when we are judged, we are
chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world" (I Cor.
11:32).
"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (Heb. 12:6).
This means that, although God does not
deal with the believer under the law, does not mete out legal punishment to him;
yet He does not let him go on in sin. He chastens him as a son, and thus
preserves him that he should not come under the condemnation of the world.
7. In Execution of His Eternal Purpose.
"For whom he did foreknow, he also
foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
first-born among many brethren: and whom he foreordained, them he also called:
and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he
also glorified" (Rom. 8:29,30).
We do not need here to enter into a
discussion of the ground of our election, since we have done that in a previous
chapter. No matter what that was, the above passage unmistakably informs us that
those whom God saves He knew beforehand, even in eternity, because He was
infinite in knowledge in the beginning. Then all that He knew as His own, as
those whom He would save, He foreordained, called, justified, and glorified in
His purpose. That is, He determined that they should be called, justified, and
glorified. Thus all He justifies He will glorify. That obliges Him to maintain
their faith, for there can be no justification without faith.
Because of God’s eternal purpose we have
the following guarantees of our perseverance and preservation:
"Kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (I Pet. 1:15).
"...we are more than conqueror through
him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37).
"We (the saved) are not of them (false
professors) who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe unto the
saving of the soul" (Heb. 10:39).
"For the Lord loveth judgment, and
forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved forever...(Ps. 7:28).
"Whosoever drinketh (the Gr. means ‘once
for all’—Robertson) of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst
(never need to be saved again); but the water that I shall give him shall be
in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14).
"For the gifts and calling of God are
not repented of" (Rom. 11:29). This means that He never changes His mind and
takes back the gift of salvation or revokes the calling that brings us to Him.
Note Rom. 8:30 and 2 Tim 1:9 for meaning of calling.
"...after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of God’s own possession, unto the praise of
his glory" (Eph. 1:13,14). This sealing is nothing less than the abiding and
inseparable presence of the Spirit in the heart of the believer, by which the
believer is constrained to persevere in faith and righteousness.
"For by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14). All the saved are sanctified
in the sense of this passage. It means that they have an eternally perfect
standing before God on the basis of Christ’s death. This means that Christ
suffered for all our sins up to the very end of our lives. God, having laid
them on His Son, cannot now punish us for them.
"... him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out" John 6:37).
"And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God; to them who are the called according
to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). Since all things work for our good, nothing can
bring about our condemnation.
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know
them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall
never perish" (I John 10:27,28). These are all positive statements. There are
no ifs in the passage.
IV. OPPOSING ARGUMENTS ANSWERED
The following passages and cases may be
cited as disproving what we have said about perseverance and preservation:
1. I Cor. 3:12-15.
Some may urge this passage against our
position as to the perseverance of the saints, taking it to teach that a
believer can so live as to have no reward in Heaven. This passage teaches no
such thing. The case is hypothetical. It shows what would take place if a
believer should so live as to lose all reward. It does not affirm that this will
be true of any believer. And in the light of 1 John 5:4 and 3:9, as well as
other passages, we are not justified in concluding that such can be true.
2. CERTAIN KNOWN CASES.
Some people will argue that a saved person
can lose his salvation because of certain ones known to them who, they believe,
were saved and then went back into sin permanently, even sinking lower in sin
than they had ever been. Our reply to this argument is: "Let God he found true,
though every man he found a liar (Rom. 3:4-translation by A. T. Robertson). God
has said that all that are born of Him overcome the world. I John 5:4. He has
said that those who are born again cannot "go on sinning" (I John 3:9). He has
said they cannot perish and that nothing can separate them from His love. John
10:27,28; Rom. 8:35-39. Shall we believe God or man?
All such cases as are now being
considered are decisively disposed of by Heb. 3:14, which reads: "For we are
become (Gr. perfect tense, should be ‘have become’-Robertson) partakers of
Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end." If
we don’t, it proves that we were not made partakers of Christ, were not saved,
in the beginning.
3. FALLEN ANGELS AND ADAM.
Certain angels and Adam fell from their
righteous estate and were involved in condemnation, but this does not prove that
the saved today can do likewise. Note these contrasts between fallen angels and
Adam on the one hand and those saved through Christ on the other hand:
(1) Angels and Adam fell under law, but
the saved are under grace. Rom. 6:14.
(2) God had not elected and
predestinated them to stand, but He has elected and predestinated the saved to
ultimate glorification. Rom. 8:29,30.
(3) God had not said that either angels
or Adam would overcome the world, but He has said this of the saved. I John
5:4.
(4) Neither angels nor Adam had promises
that they would be kept and that they would not perish, but the saved have
such promises. I Pet. 1:5; John 10:28.
(5) Neither angels nor Adam were sealed
by the Holy Spirit, but believers are. Eph. 1:13,14; 4:25.
(6) Neither stood on the basis of
Christ’s atoning death.
4. THE JEWS
The Jews fell as a nation and not as
individuals. They fell under law and not under grace. They fell from national
privileges and not from salvation. Hence their case, like that of angels and
Adam, proves nothing concerning the matter under consideration.
5. MOSES.
Deut. 42:48-52. Because of sin, Moses was
not permitted to enter Canaan, but that he did not lose his salvation is proved
by his appearance on the mount of transfiguration with Elijah and Christ. Matt.
17.3.
6. KING SAUL.
We must interpret Scripture by Scripture
to get the truth. In the light of New Testament teaching that every regenerated
soul will overcome the world as a result of God’s preservation we must deny that
Saul was ever saved, though it is said of him that "God gave him another heart"
(I Sam. 10:9). Scripture binds us to understand from this that God gave him only
new intentions and impulses; not a new heart in the sense of regeneration.
7. DAVID.
Psa. 51.11,12. In this passage David
prayed, "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me." This was due to the fact that the
Holy Spirit, under the old dispensation, did not abide constantly in believers.
His presence was a special favor of God and could be lost by sin. But since
Pentecost the Holy Spirit has dwelt permanently in every saved heart, and, by
means of His presence and work, the believer, as we have noted, is sealed until
the day of redemption. Thus now He remains. For further discussion, see Chapter
9. It is well, before passing to note that David did not pray for a restoration
of salvation, but only of the joy of salvation. This may be lost, and is lost
when any coldness or sin temporarily disturbs the believer’s fellowship with
God.
8. Ezek. 18:24.
This passage is easily explained by Ezek.
33:13, which reads: "When I say to the righteous man, that he shall surely live:
IF HE TRUST IN HIS OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS and commit iniquity," etc. The passage
under consideration speaks of the doom of the man who is righteous as to his own
works and turns there from. This passage has nothing to do with the man to whom
God has imputed righteousness without works. Rom. 4:6-8. The death threatened is
death in the Babylonian siege that was to come. All the way through Ezekiel God
promises to save the obedient, but to destroy the wicked in this siege.
9. MATT. 12:43-45.
The going out of the unclean spirit here
does not represent conversion, since the house from which he went was left
empty. The heart is not left empty in conversion, but is occupied by the Holy
Spirit; by whom we are sealed, sealed against the return of sin, until the day
of redemption. Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13,14.
We have here in general a picture of
human reformation, but in particular it is a description of Jews. They had
formerly abandoned the evil spirit of idolatry, but now had become worse than
ever through their rejection of their Messiah.
10. 11 PET. 2.20-22
It is not said of these false teachers
that they were ever saved. If they had been, they would not have turned back. I
John 5:4; 3:9. They bad escaped "the pollutions of the world" through
reformation. They are likened to a hog or a dog. A saved person is neither a hog
nor a dog, but a sheep; and Christ said of His sheep: "My sheep hear my voice,
and they follow me" (John 10:27).
11. MATT. 13-.20-22.
Since all the regenerate overcome the
world, those represented in these verses (parable of the sower) must be regarded
as having only intellectual faith. An intellectual faith may work a great change
in the life, and there may seem to be real indication of conversion; but after a
while, under difficulty and trial, it fails. There are multitudes of cases of
this kind today.
12. JOHN 15:2.
The branches in this parable must be
thought of as grafted branches, for none are in Christ by nature. Some branches
are grafted properly, so that they have life-giving and sustaining connection
with the vine. Others are grafted improperly, and do not have such connection
with the vine as to continue to grow permanently and to bear fruit. It is thus
with disciples. The branches here are all who profess faith in Christ. Some of
these branches are grafted to Christ with real heart faith. They live and bear
fruit. Others are grafted with only intellectual faith, as those indicated in
Matt. 13:20,21. They do not endure, and bear no acceptable fruit. They are the
ones that are pruned away. All true branches remain, as we have indicated.
13. 1 Cor. 9:27.
This passage is equivalent to Phil.
3:8-14. In both passages Paul recognizes that the only final proof of one’s
salvation is perseverance in faith and righteous living to the end, as we have
emphasized. Paul knew that unless he proved his salvation by overcoming the
world, he would be proved to have believed in vain and to be a reprobate. This
is all these passages indicate. They are perfectly in harmony with the teaching
of this chapter.
14. HEB. 6:4-6.
It is the opinion of the author that this
passage describes believers, saved people. The principal reason for this
conviction is the statement that if there are any who fall away it is impossible
"to renew them AGAIN unto repentance." The Greek for "renew" is a form of
the word found in Titus 3:5, where we read of "the renewing of the Holy
Spirit." This seems to mean that the ones alluded to had been once renewed
by the Holy Spirit unto repentance, or, in other words, had been regenerated.
But the passage is only hypothetical. It
does not say that a saved person can fall away; it only says that if he should,
he could not be saved again. And this is not believed by the advocates of the
doctrine of apostasy. They believe that a man can lose his salvation and get it
back again. Sometimes in Scriptures issues are considered wholly apart from
other issues. This seems to be the case here. The author confines his attention
to the one issue of what would be the state of a man if he did fall.
15. REV. 8:5.
This passage does not mean that some may
have their names in the book of life and, because of unfaithfulness, have them
blotted out. It is simply an assurance to believers that no matter what they
must go through with, their continued faith and perseverance is an assurance
that they will receive all the blessings of salvation. It is an assurance. that
Christ will not forsake them.
16. REV. 22:19.
We must interpret this passage in the
light of all the declarations and promises of God’s Word respecting believers.
In the light of this fact, this passage can be taken as applying only to those
who merely profess to be saved. Such ones must be considered as addressed on the
basis of their own profession, as is often the case in the Bible. We have
noticed that no overcomer will have his name blotted out of the book of life.
Rev. 3:5. Then since all that are born of God will overcome (I John 5:4), none
of them can suffer the loss here indicated.
The difficulty in the book in the
thought of a man losing his part of life when he never did have such a part,
as is true with mere professors, is explained by a comparison of Matt. 13:12
and Luke 8:18. These passages are parallel. In the first we read:
"...whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath." Is
this not impossible? But note the second passage: "...whosoever hath not, from
him shall be taken even that which he THINKETH HE HATH (R. V.)." So it is with
the loss referred to in this passage.
ENDNOTES:
[1]
For detailed exposition of this passage see refutation of theory
of sinless perfection in this life in chapter on Sanctification. Please turn to
it.
Further,
A. T. Robertson says: “The present active infinitive hamartanein can only mean
‘and he cannot go on sinning’” (Word Pictures).
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