[12] Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. [13] But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. [14] For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
(Hebrews 3:12-14 ESV)
I know of an individual who, after many years in the church, one day decided he was an agnostic, turned his back on regular church participation, and announced he was a "student of theology". Is this someone who "pretended" to be a believer for many years and finally grew tired of the charade, or a true child of God fighting a spiritual battle within who will eventually return to the fold? I am not his judge, so I don't know. I have my own problems when it comes to doubt and assurance. I do know I can look to the scriptures and get some answers:
[19] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
(1 John 2:19 ESV)
Does this verse apply to our friend mentioned earlier or is he just not doing a good job of "[holding] our original confidence firm to the end"? This opens another can of worms because at first read this passage seems to suggest that a believer can "keep" himself saved. Of course only the Lord has the power to keep his children and the gospel of John makes this clear:
[28] I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
(John 10:28-29 ESV)
Any thing we do in this endeavor can only be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit, so in the end, it is God who performs it. We must serve Him as best we understand the Word, depend on Him for strength and guidance and leave the results to Him.
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