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SUBJECT: Study the Bible

What do the warning passages of the Bible do? Among good, thoughtful Christians there is a real difference of opinion.

Some say they prove that the true believer can be lose his salvation and go to hell when he dies.

Others say they prove that not everyone who professes faith is truly saved and that if one is not heeding them, he ought to go back and examine his faith.

Others say they have nothing to do with salvation at all. That the "loss" the Bible speaks of for those who don’t act on the warnings are only the loss of rewards.

More and more Christians are finding the above answers less and less satisfactory. The warning passages seem to be written to Christians, not hypocrites. They also seem to imply that the ones who disregard them will lose more than their reward, but they’re souls will be lost too. Yet how do we square these things with other verses in the Bible that plainly teach that eternal life cannot be lost and that the true believer must be saved in the end?

Perhaps a story will show how we can take the warnings of the Bible seriously and also feel sure that we are saved and going to heaven when we die.

Jiggly Jerry is a couch potato: a hundred pounds overweight—and getting fatter—his idea of dieting and exercise are cutting down to two six packs a day and running to the fridge during time outs in the Super Bowl.

One night, with a glass of beer in one hand and a bag of Doritos in the other, he sees an infomercial about getting in shape. The spokesman is big, strong and dynamic: Muscleman Mike promises to get anyone into shape—anyone!

Jerry calls Mike and signs up for the program. Happy with himself, he proceeds to polish off another bag of chips and quaffs down another beer to help him go to sleep.

At five o’clock the next morning, Jerry is woken from his sleep by Muscleman Mike—up and at ‘em he says! Jerry staggers to his feet and told to start running—we’ve got to get in three miles today—says the trainer—so let’s get to it. This is not easy for a big fat man, but he gets through it in about 90 minutes. Ready for breakfast? I sure am! Here you go: two carrots and a yummy stick of celery.

Jerry gobbles down the food and thinks he’s gotten off to a pretty good start. But then Mike tells him, Okay, let’s hit the weightroom! Four hours later, Jerry, half dead with weariness and hunger, is about to fire Mike and go back to his old ways. But Mike won’t let him: Lunchtime! And another two carrots, a stick of celery, and for desert, half an apple. That’s it for today, says Mike, but be careful what you eat tonight.

Jerry, shaking with hunger, sneaks off to McDonalds and orders five Big Macs, two large fries, and three milk shakes. But as he’s about to bite into his first burger, he hears a commanding voice: No junkfood! The big intimidating trainer is right behind him. Jerry apologizes and goes home to eat his delicious dinner of steamed vegetables with an ounce of chicken without the skin.

Jerry starts thinking: this is a lot harder than I thought it would be! But Mike has promised that if I do what he says, I’ll get in shape. He guarantees it. So he sticks with the program.

Jerry is not perfect—he cheats once in a while—and falls into old habits more often that he thought he would—yet he, pretty much, obeys Mike, doing what he tells him to do and not doing what he tells him not to do. The change is not instant and Jerry hardly notices it. But within a year, the couch potato has gotten just what Mike has said he would: in shape. He hopes to get stronger and leaner in the years ahead, but he’s changed dramatically: the 300 pound, lazy and discouraged man is now 170 pounds, with plenty of muscle on his arms and chest, and not much fat around the old midsection.

Muscleman Mike has come through again! Now formerly Jiggly Jerry is doing testimonials on Mike’s infomercials.

Muscleman Mike is the Lord Jesus Christ. His infomercial is the Gospel, promising a great blessing to anyone who takes the offer—the whole offer and not just the first part!

Signing up with Mike is conversion. Sticking with the program is perseverance. Mike’s rules are the Law of Christ (both positive and negative laws). The result is final salvation or getting everything Jesus Christ has promised.

Salvation is the work of Jesus Christ alone.

In saving sinners, Jesus Christ uses means: faith to start the process and obedience to move it along to finality. Both faith and obedience are gifts of God and not earned in any way.

Men are responsible to use the means Christ appoints: to be saved, we must "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" and "walk as children of light". Neither our belief nor our walking will be perfect—and they don’t have to be for the Lord commands faith and obedience, not perfect faith and obedience.

Assurance is a gift of God that comes through the work of Christ for us and the work of Christ in us. To have assurance, one must believe the Gospel and do the things Jesus Christ says to do. As we do, we find assurance—not in ourselves or how much we have done for the Lord—but in the promise that everyone who believes and obeys the Lord will be saved.

If one sees the warning passages as implying the possibility (or even likelihood) or being truly saved, and then lost, he will live in fear of being lost.

If one sees the warning passages as addressed to hypocrites, then one of two things must occur: (1) he will disregard them as not addressed to him, or (2) every time he sins, he will look back at his faith to see if it is real.

If one sees the warning passages for what they are—means the Lord uses to bring us to glory—then he will trust the Lord and heed the warnings.

Hearing the infomercial was only good for Jiggly Jerry if he acted on it.

Muscleman Mike’s program is infallible, but only if it is stuck to.

Though Jiggly Jerry worked hard, all the credit for his fitness goes to Mike because—after all—Jiggly Jerry had tried to do it on his own a million times before, but had failed every time.

Jiggly Jerry is thankful to Muscleman Mike. Muscleman Mike is pleased with Jiggly Jerry.