Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
For many years, I've heard people speak of "once saved/always saved" and I've never known exactly what to think until this week! Yesterday God revealed the truth to me.
I was getting ready to print John 10:27-30 ... and God opened my eyes!
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Of course the sheep will never perish if they hear the voice of Jesus and follow HIM.
But if they turn from HIS instruction and do not follow HIM, they can perish unless they repent.
Other scripture showing this:
Romans 11 ... 16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy:and if the root be holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 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 also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in:for God is able to graff them in again.
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Paul knew he could be a cast away. As he explains in the following scripture.
I Cor. 9 ... 24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
It is so important to run the race to win the race.
Therefore we train ourselves by focusing on scriptures given to us by the Holy Spirit. We look strongly into these scriptures, praying for God to help us to see what we need to see from HIS Word. We focus on that brought to our mind by the Holy Spirit, keeping those concepts before us until we are strong enough in HIM to do the word spoken to us. Then we do the instruction given in the scripture which is brought to our attention by the Holy Spirit.
James says that word is able to save our souls... if we are meek enough to face that word and correct ourselves by that word.
James 1 ... 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
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Jn. 8 ... 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Continue means: go on to a specified course of action ... to do something and keep on doing it ...
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Jesus says to the churches:
Revelation 2 ... 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Revelation 3 ... 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
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If you are "HIS" sheep, you hear HIS voice and you follow HIS voice doing what HE says.
Certainly you will never perish doing that.
But if you hear HIS voice and choose to ignore HIS voice and you go another way, then you need to consider that God could turn you over to a reprobate mind, a mind without the judgment of God.
Romans 1 ... 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
... 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
II Corinthians 13 ...5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
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We must hear the Word from the Spirit of God and do that word and continue in that word, doing that word, laying up for ourselves treasure in heaven and making our way secure on this present earth by faith and by HIS word and by our faith in HIS word.
And we continue to overcome everything of this life and this world by turning to God continually and clinging to HIS word through all things until the end of this world or until the end of our life on this earth.
And we have a fear of God, knowing that what God tells us is right and pure and being afraid to go against what God says, knowing it will not be well for us if we cast aside the Word given us by God and go another way.
A fear of God is critical for us.
If we fear God we will keep HIS word to the end.