Eternal Security Response

2 Peter 2

But there were also false prophets among the people,

even as there will be false teachers among you,

who will secretly bring in destructive heresies,

even denying the Lord who bought them,

and bring on themselves swift destruction.

2 And many will follow their destructive ways,

because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words;

for a long time their judgment has not been idle,

and their destruction does not slumber.

4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned,

but cast them down to hell

and delivered them into chains of darkness,

to be reserved for judgment;

5 and did not spare the ancient world,

but saved Noah, one of eight people,

a preacher of righteousness,

bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes,

condemned them to destruction,

making them an example

to those who afterward would live ungodly;

7 and delivered righteous Lot,

who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked

8(for that righteous man, dwelling among them,

tormented his righteous soul from day to day

by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) — 

9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

10 and especially those who walk according to

the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority.

They are presumptuous, self-willed.

They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,

11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might,

 do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.

12 But these, like natural brute beasts

made to be caught and destroyed,

speak evil of the things they do not understand,

and will utterly perish in their own corruption,

13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness,

as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime.

They are spots and blemishes,

carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you,

14 having eyes full of adultery

and that cannot cease from sin,

enticing unstable souls.

They have a heart trained in covetous practices,

and are accursed children.

15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray,

following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity:

a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice

restrained the madness of the prophet.

17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest,

for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.  

18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness,

they allure through the lusts of the flesh,

through lewdness,

the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.

19 While they promise them liberty,

 they themselves are slaves of corruption;

for by whom a person is overcome,

by him also he is brought into bondage.

20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world

through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

they are again entangled in them and overcome,

the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

21 For it would have been better for them

not to have known the way of righteousness,

than having known it,

to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb:

"A dog returns to his own vomit,"

and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."

NKJV 

First of all, it should be obvious the primary thrust of this passage deals

with the issue of FALSE PROPHETS. These are not saved people.

These are FALSE TEACHERS.

Beginning in verse 18 it begins talking about the influence of the

False Prophets on the lives of those they lead astray.

The ones talked about in verse 18 are not saved people but people who have heard the gospel and who are weighed down by the consequences they have faced because of their sin, and the sin of others in this sin filled world, They are looking for help and healing from the pain and suffering they have faced from sin's consequences, but they have not repented,

nor actually placed their faith in Christ and surrendered to His Lordship.

They have heard the Gospel, but not yet fully embraced the Gospel.

According to Romans 1 and many other passages, once we have heard the full message of the Gospel we are accountable for how we respond to it.

The judgment of God is based on how we have responded to whatever level of revelation God has given us of Himself, His nature, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some have only received natural revelation, of revelation of God through creation, they are accountable to respond to God on that basis, and if they reject that knowledge of God, they will be judged by God, but the judgment of those who have received more revelation, and even the full message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will receive a greater weight of judgment from God if they reject that greater knowledge and enlightenment.

These are the ones who return to their sin, rather than repenting of sin and placing their faith in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. 

This passage is not talking about saved people, but those who have heard the gospel, but then heard false teachers, who are teaching a false gospel, and they have chosen to follow the false teachers, and have rejected Christ, so when they stand at the Great White Throne Judgment, they will be given even greater punishment in Hell than they would have received if they had never heard the Gospel.

Matthew 13:18-23

"Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 

19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom,

and does not understand it,

 then the wicked one comes and snatches away

what was sown in his heart.

This is he who received seed by the wayside. 

20 But he who received the seed on stony places,

 this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 

21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.

For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 

22 Now he who received seed among the thorns

 is he who hears the word,

and the cares of this world

 and the deceitfulness of riches

choke the word,

and he becomes unfruitful. 

23 But he who received seed on the good ground

is he who hears the word and understands it,

who indeed bears fruit and produces:

some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." 

NKJV 

Verse 18 -- This one has a hard heart against the gospel. They hear the gospel and reject it before it can take root and produce salvation.

Verse 20-21 -- This one hears the gospel and immediately gives a positive response to the Gospel, but the gospel has no root in their heart. It does not produce eternal life.

An example of this person would be many people I have dealt with in the past. They come to church because their life is a mess, they may have marriage problems, or drug problems, or financial problems, and they are coming hoping God will help them fix their problems. When they hear the gospel, they respond to it with great emotion because they now have hope God will fix their mess, or help them get out of the consequences they are experiencing because of the sin in their lives.

The problem is, their is no genuine repentance of sin. There is no Godly sorrow over the fact they have sinned against God. They are not actually placing the fullness of faith in all Jesus is and all Jesus has done. They do not surrender control of their lives to Jesus Christ as their Lord.

They just want help with their problems.

When their problem is solved, or when actually being a Christian is not convenient  for them, or  calling themselves a Christian costs them, they go back to their old life. These were never genuine Christians. They never actually received saving grace that produced saving faith. Saving faith always produces repentance and persevering obedience.

Verse 22 -- These people are similar to the previous group. They respond to the gospel for whatever reason. Probably for similar reasons as the previous group. They may have responded to please their family. They may have responded because of pressure from others. They may have responded because they had a guilty conscience. They may have responded because they heard an emotional sermon.

The fact is, however, they never responded the right way to the Gospel.

Whenever the cares of life grew great, or they decided they loved the world and the things of the world more than they did Christ, they go back to the world. Their lives never produced any genuine spiritual fruit, because they were never genuinely saved,

Verse 23-- This person hears the Gospel, understands the gospel, and responds in genuine repentance, faith, and surrender, and therefore bears genuine spiritual fruit, because they have genuine spiritual life, and belong to Christ and are indwelt with the Holy Spirit who produces the fruit.

Galatians 1:6-7

I marvel that you are turning away so soon

 from Him who called you in the grace of Christ,

to a different gospel,

7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you

and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

NKJV

The entire book of Galatians was written by Paul to the church at Galatia

because there were a group of false teachers

who had crept into Galatia, know as the Judiaizers.

The Judiaizers taught that it was not enough to be saved by grace

through faith alone,

but that these Galatian believers, who were gentiles,

must also become Jews, and keep they law.

As a sign that they were doing this,

they taught that these gentile believers

must also be circumcised.

Paul marveled that they could so easily be turned from the teaching of salvation by grace alone,

to something that taught you had to add some work of your own

to God's grace in order to be saved.

They had not fallen from their salvation,

but had fallen away from the sound doctrine of

salvation by grace alone, by faith alone.

This false doctrine was sin.

Paul was not saying they were lost,

he was clarifying sound doctrine.

Theological Points to Ponder

1) Our Salvation was a gift of God given by His grace and because of His great love for us through the faith that He grants us.

All glory for my salvation goes to God.

If I lose my salvation, I must acknowledge that the salvation that was granted by

 the working of God is now dependent  upon my work to keep.

In the end my salvation is dependent on my ability, so I receive the glory for it.

2) If the keeping of my salvation is dependent upon my ability to continue to perform works of righteousness and to abstain from disobedience then I must acknowledge

there is a point in my life where I am able to be righteous on my own and measure up to the Holiness of God (a Holiness that He requires in order to see Him)

If I am able to be righteous at any point, why was the death of Jesus necessary.

3) If I can lose my salvation as a result of my sin  or as a result of my lack of faith,

how many or what type of sin must I commit before I lose it,

or how much faith is required to keep it?

At what point do I lose my salvation?

It seems God would want me to clearly be able to discern this point,

since the scripture is clear on the point that

He wants us to have assurance of our salvation.