One of my favorite YouTube channels is
Servus
Christi created by Joshua Chavez. I really like this guy! I don't miss
any of his videos. But I was saddened today when I visited his personal
ministry website at
beginningofsorrows.org, to discover that he doesn't believe in the
eternal security of the Christian believer. I still recommend his YouTube
videos. The content of his videos is so important, and so needful, that I
recommend him. So far I haven't heard him teach any heresy in his YouTube
videos. So they seem safe, but keep in mind what I am telling you.
Biblically, salvation cannot be lost. Repeatedly we are taught in the
Scriptures that eternal life is a free gift from God...
Romans 5:15-18, “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”
Oh, how simple the Scriptures are, declaring
that a man is saved solely by receiving “THE FREE GIFT” of God's
righteousness by grace through faith in Jesus Christ! So where do false
teachers come up with the erroneous idea that salvation can be lost? Where
do they get the false notion that self-righteousness is necessary to
validate one's saving faith? I'll show you next.
Kindly Refuting Joshua Chavez On Losing Salvation
On Joshua's website there is an article titled: Can We Lose Salvation As Christians? I am fully convinced of Joshua's sincerity, but I humbly believe that he is wrong biblically in the following teaching that salvation CAN be lost (which is a quote from the webpage link I just provided for you)...
Someone might ask, “At what point does one lose their salvation? How many times can they lose it and regain it?” Even if a strict Calvinist mindset were adopted, the question is an absurd one. I could just as easily ask the Calvinist, “At what point can I definitively declare someone saved?” The answer is: It’s impossible. I can accept a profession of faith as valid in good faith, but only God knows for sure. Our job is not do make such declarations, but to judge the fruit of the moment and to be aware of what can transpire. We cannot know for sure when the point of no return has been crossed; only God knows. Our only business should be to never find out. If we are abiding in Christ, we will be growing in holiness and repentance and away from the possibility. By the time that happens, one would likely not know or care to know. None of the disciples knew that Judas would betray Jesus as all outward signs indicated that he was in good standing. If not, they would not have all questioned themselves as potential betrayers. Judas apparently did not stand out. We can only judge a person’s fruit in any given moment, and we should all be judging our own fruit. There may be tares among us that we cannot perceive and God will deal with them. I don’t need to know how many gun shots I can possibly survive; I don’t want to be shot at all. And anyone who has been shot will tell you that they do not want to be shot again. Only know that it is a possibility and stay off of any path that could potentially lead to that end. Our job is not to make Popish declarations, but biblical declarations. We should never presume upon God’s grace lest our hearts be hardened. (Hebrews 3:13) There is a point of no return which can be crossed. We cannot know, nor should we want to know where that line is, but rather, we ought to grow in holiness and devotion to Christ, ensuring that line is not even on our path. [emphasis added]
SOURCE: https://beginningofsorrows.org/2019/07/05/can-a-christian-lose-salvation
Is it IMPOSSIBLE to definitely declare someone saved? Of course it is POSSIBLE! What saith the Scripture?
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The inspired Word of God tells us that we can “KNOW THAT YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE”...
1st John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
The Bible doesn't say hope, maybe or possibly, but you can “KNOW.” Just
as the physical birth (or first birth) was a one-time event, so also is the
spiritual birth (or second birth) a one-time event. Being born-again is not
a process. The new birth is instant, immediate, permanent, irrevocable and
eternal. 1st Peter 1:23, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
The very moment that a person admits they are a sinner in the sight of a
holy God, and they receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full-payment
for their sins, believing that He physically resurrected from the dead the
third day, that person is forever saved!
Abraham Was Solely Justified in God's Sight By Faith, Not Works
Kindly,
Joshua errantly redefines biblical “faith” to mean that you have to remain
faithful, or else you can lose God's salvation...
So then, faith without faithfulness is not real faith; works proving the validity of the faith, though men are not justified by the works themselves, but rather the faith producing them. Where there is faith, there must be obedience. And where there is disobedience, faith has vacated.
SOURCE: https://beginningofsorrows.org/2019/07/05/can-a-christian-lose-salvation
Joshua is espousing a heretical Calvinist theology. We are taught repeatedly throughout the Scriptures that eternal life is a “free gift” (Romans 5:15-18). For something to truly be “a gift” there can be no stipulations, obligations or means of forfeiture. This is something so simple that even a small child can grasp the concept of a gift being without strings attached. I mean no disrespect to Joshua, God knows my heart. I really like his awesome YouTube videos and plan to keep watching all of them. I wish to God that we had more people exposing false prophets like Joshua is doing. Unfortunately, I do not believe that Joshua Chavez is saved. I know that is equivalent to a slap in the face for anyone, but God knows that I mean no ill-intent, so please don't take it that way. I am just preaching what I believe to be THE TRUTH according to the Word of God. What saith the Scripture?
Now, Joshua quotes from James chapter two..
James 2:22-26, “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
So many Bible students grossly misinterpret James chapter two, including the satanic Roman Catholic religion, to mean that Abraham needs works of faithfulness to validate his faith for salvation. Nothing could be further from THE TRUTH, as proven by Romans 4:2, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.” This Bible verse very plainly and irrefutably negates any idea that James was teaching works for salvation. The following irrefutable passage of Scripture plainly sets the issue at rest, declaring that Abraham was justified by FAITH ALONE in the sight of God, and not works of any sort...
Romans 4:1-6, “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.”
Oh, listen dear reader, Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS COUNTED (IMPUTED) TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!
So what is James saying in James chapter two? James is talking about Abraham being justified in THE SIGHT OF MEN. Notice carefully what James says in James 2:18, “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James said, “I will shew you,” and then “You can shew me,” our faith “BY MY WORKS”! So we learn that the Apostle Paul is teaching that Abraham was justified BY FAITH in God's sight in the book of Romans; but we learn that James is teaching Abraham was justified BY WORKS in the sight of men. The Bible is very clear on this matter. Many Bible students become confused because they either listen to false teachers, or they fail to cross-reference Scripture with Scripture, taking into consideration the whole counsel of God. The epistles of James and Romans must be studied together, just as the books of Revelation must be studied with Daniel to properly understand them. Amen!
I love Joshua Chavez with God's unconditional love, and didn't want to write this article, because I don't like making enemies, truly. I have made many enemies by preaching the truth. However, my loyalty is only for the precious Lord Jesus Christ. What kind of preacher would I be if I didn't preach against everyone and everything that is wrong on the faith? And so, I tell you with all Bible confidence that once you are a born-again Christian, you CANNOT lose God's salvation of your body and soul. Salvation is not of man, it is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). Throughout the Psalms we keep reading the phrase “thy salvation” 21 times. It is God's salvation that He offers to man by faith alone in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son on the cross. What an awesome Savior!
Joshua Chavez is a gifted speaker with lots of potential. But I do fear Joshua is not saved, since he has the wrong mindset toward the Gospel. A proper Gospel mindset is that NOTHING can ever jeopardize a believer's salvation. Since we are not saved by GOOD WORKS, how could we ever be lost by BAD WORKS? Salvation is entirely of the Lord. If a man once professed to be “a Christian,” but today denounces such faith and professes to be an atheist, it is only because he once superficially ascribed to the philosophy, organization, culture or business of false Christianity, but he was never truly BORN-AGAIN by the Holy Spirit of God. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Being born-again is a supernatural miracle of God in response to a person's faith in the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross, buried and bodily resurrected the third day. What an awesome Savior!
Pastor Martin R. DeHaan (1891-1965) makes the following helpful statement:
“There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness.” [emphasis added] —DeHaan, M. R. Hebrews. Zondervan Publishing House, 1959 (p. 117)
It is my sincere hope that he will restudy the epistles of Romans with James together, and hopefully forsake the heresy that salvation can be lost. There is not one case in the entire Bible of someone losing their salvation. David lost the joy of God's salvation for a shirt time, but salvation is a gift that cannot be forfeited, ever. God never casts out His own. John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” So we see clearly that the Lord PROMISED NEVER to cast out anyone who comes to him. Most false religions will cast you out the door when you are no longer of any use to them. But the Lord will NEVER cast anyone out who comes to Him BY FAITH. So the very idea that salvation can be forfeited and lost violates this Bible verse. The Lord promised never to cast anybody out who comes to Him, and the Bible does not give any stipulations or conditions. If the Lord cast out woeful sinners, then He lied and didn't keep His Word. Once saved, always saved!
Caught Between Grace And Works!
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MP3
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MORE
(AWESOME TRUTH! By
Pastor Ralph “Yankee”
Arnold - Please share with OTHERS!!!)
“'You can't tell me you can trust Christ as Savior, and then go out here and live like the Devil, and still go to Heaven!' Yes, I can tell you that! That's what the Bible says. If you don't come to the conclusion, that—Yes, you can trust Christ as your Savior and live like the Devil, and still go to Heaven when you die—you don't get grace, because that is the exact truth! That is the truth! I do not have to change my life! I don't have to stop one sin! You say, 'I've never heard a preacher say that.' You just heard one! And you listen to me—I want to live as holy and as godly as I possibly can. I am now 70 years old. I've been saved for 52 years. ... the only reason I'm going to Heaven is because, 52 years ago in a little living room, I accepted Christ as my Savior.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, a great quote from the awesome sermon, “Calvinism And Grace Are NOT Compatible | MP3”
So does God allow His children to live in sin? We all live in sin! Who can live above sinning? But we learn in the Scriptures that God chastises and scourges disobedient children. Hebrews 12:6-8, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” No one ever gets away with sinning. No believer has God's permission to sin. Romans 3:31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” However, none of this has anything to do with receiving THE FREE GIFT of forgiveness of sins (salvation). John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
"But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man
preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let
him be accursed." Galatians 1:8,9
