Dear GES,
Please remove our name from your mailing list. It distresses me to see yet another division in the Body of Christ. Perhaps if we used our time, energy, and money in preaching the Good News, rather than “defending” it and attacking those who don’t interpret the Scripture in the “same words” as we do, Satan would be less honored and God more glorified.

I trust all those of you that have a corner on truth will live together in heaven away from the “heretics” you spent your life attacking here on earth. I fear you are on the way to forming your own little sect.

My heart cries.

Sincerely,
KP
Illinois

Dear KP,
Unity is an excellent thing. However, disunity is sometimes commanded by God.

The Apostle Paul pronounced anathema, the curse of God, upon Judaizers who were troubling and misleading new believers in Galatia (Gal 1:8-9).

The Apostle John told believers not to support in any way the work of false teachers. He said that we should not give live lodging, or even a greeting (2 John 10-11).

The Apostle Peter had some tough words about false teachers (2 Pet 2).

The Lord Jesus wanted no unity with the self righteous. And He told His disciples that following Him would lead in some cases to division even between fathers and sons and mothers and daughters (Matt 10:34-36).

On top of all this the Scriptures directly command us to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3). The word contend suggests a struggle, a conflict, a need to accept and even promote disunity.

We live in an age when unity is stressed at the expense of sound doctrine. This is a shame. There are things, doctrinal and moral, worth breaking fellowship over.

The Gospel is worth defending. To do otherwise is to shirk our God-given responsibility.

Suppose your teenage son came to you and said that he wanted to become a Jehovah’s Witness so that he could go to heaven. Would you not try and persuade him against that?

Your attitude disturbs me even more than the false gospel preaching of those who proclaim salvation by faith plus works. At least they agree that this is vital issue.

To Whom It May Concern,
Please read Matthew 24:32-51; 2 Peter 2:18-22; 3:14-18; 1 John 2:14; and Revelation 3:3,5. These are just a few [references] to let you know [that] if you sin and don’t repent, sir, your name will be blotted out.

God is great, merciful, longsuffering, forgiving, etc., but a God of judgment. You cannot use “Christ” and take liberty to sin. You have to pray and study and commune with Jesus [to keep your salvation].

Sincerely and in Christian Love,
DCB
Illinois

Dear DCB,
God does judge sin, yes. Even the sin of believers. However, you draw the unwarranted conclusion that if He judges believers when they sin, then they lose their salvation.

Would your child cease to be your child if he or she disobeyed you? Would you blot out their name? Of course not. You would discipline them and withhold special privileges, but they would forever remain your child.

So, too, God disciplines His children when they disobey. He convicts and chastens. He also withholds blessings. However, His children always remain His.

Jesus in His high priestly prayer said, “Those whom You have given Me I have kept” (John 17:12). And, “I give them [My sheep] eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). And on another occasion He said to His disciples, “Rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20b). (There would, of course, be no reason to rejoice in this if their names could later be blotted out.)

The Apostle Paul said that there is nothing which can separate believers from God’s love in Christ (Rom 8:31-39). He specifically said that nothing which is to come–nothing which can or will happen in our future–can separate us from His love (Rom 8:38).

The passages which you cite are all difficult texts. We have dealt with most of them in The GES News over the past 5 years. In the future we will discuss the rest. In addition, we will go back and discuss again some of the others. Stay tuned. Eternal security is biblical and highly motivational.