http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom44.xii.ii.html

Compare this with FV’s definition of falling away! A complete 180 degrees! Luke Nieuwsma, indeed you sugar-coated heretic interpretations of the Scripture in this blog, hence you must repent!

Thanks!

Stop looking at yourself and whether or not you are saved, or who a true Christian is or what a Christian is or is not. Salvation is in Him, believe it, trust it, know it. If the heart of what everyone is squabbling over is true then the squabbling is of no value. It brings you no closer to the God that draws you close to Him.

A continual introspection takes your eyes, your mind and heart off Christ and like Peter you will sink. Unto death? No, His perpetual and faithful hand is there, waiting for you to take hold. Faith as small as a mustard seed is all you might have, but faith however small is assured of what is hoped for, and certain of what is not seen. By this faith one can cry “I believe, dear Lord help my unbelief”, and be fully assured that He will hear, a bruised reed He will not break. He will turn no one away who comes to Him.

Faith merits you nothing. The faith you have in your chair as you read this is not what holds you up, the chair does. Your faith does not save you, Christ did, believe it, for in believing it you have faith. Does a child jump into his fathers arms because he says to himself, “I know I have faith in my father and he knows I do so he’ll catch me”. No! The child simply knows without question the love of the Father for him and never looks back. Our earthly father’s love is imperfect, how much more can we trust in God! Believe the gift that is offered freely for all who would but take it! That is all dear one, that is all. Christ, Christ, Christ!

Imagine a teenager sullen an in his room wallowing is self pity and anger. Will he have any part of the family dinner? No. Why? He simply will not partake of what is there for him to freely partake of. The gift of Christ is there, you need to do nothing! Know this! Does that son need to remove his nose ring and cut his hair to join the family? No, the parents want nothing but their son and his love, as they have loved him. In like manner, God simply wants your love, as He loves you.

Dear reader, stop looking at yourself, your money, your neighbors wife, your 401K, your looks, drugs, pornography, your athleticism, your morality, your fruits, your sins, your doctrines. All they give you–purpose, peace, joy, hope, certainty in who you are, meaning for the vanity and pointlessness of everyday—will pass. You know this to be true! They and their comforts will pass, but He and His truth of salvation remains. You and all that you are merits nor detracts from who you are before God. Believe that this is true because of the gift freely offered in Christ. There is no condition, but you can’t have it if you won’t take it and your condemnation is just. Remain sullen and alone in the darkness of your room and your mind. Or believe that He loves you; that all the hurts in this world will pass away and every tear will be dried. You are safe and loved by the eternal Lord.

If you want to want Him, if you know you need Him, but know your heart will not take His gift. Cry out, keep crying, “My God I believe, help my unbelief!” Seek through the fog of human existence and the darkness of your mind and you will find Him to be faithful.

He will turn no one away who comes to Him; He loves you.

Are you elect? Who cares? Christ has saved you, so yes. Are you a Christian? Who cares? Christ has saved you, so yes.

If we now have salvation, what then is our relationship to the law? The law is no longer a condemnation to us! There is not condemnation for those who simply believe that the gift of Christ is real, because His gift is real and there isn’t any more condemnation. The law now is a way that we might become more like the God we love and less like ourselves!

Imagine never envying, never lusting, never being anxious or depressed, unjustly angry, jealous, perpetually going from activity to activity to escape yourself and your tormented mind! All that you need is found in Him, he gives you a new name, a new identity, Child of God; you are now called by His name. Transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His Son.

How can one go on sinning after being made alive like this in Christ? How? We love Him and all that He is, so how?! He is love. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. Is there anything not good in this?

Imagine being free of everything that drives you to envy, lust and every other passion of the flesh and the fruit of enslavement unto death they bring! How then, tell me how if you love the Author of Life can you go on sinning? Look to Him and nothing else and there will be fruit you did not know you could or would ever bare!

Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God caused to grow. You cannot bring forth fruit, but you can tend the garden. If you think you can bear fruit in you or any other, you are nothing but a white washed tomb, a cloud that brings no rain, there is no substance to you. Church discipline is for nothing but tending the garden of the hearts of people who come, not bringing forth fruit! Discipline in love and care not if they are in a covenant or not. If they come, love them! Christ came and offered himself unconditionally to all who would but raise their eyes to. The ministry of love is unconditional.

Love them all and let God sort them out!

-A brother by His blood

Of course, the only problem is this is a complete misunderstanding of the New Covenant! Entrance into the New Covenant is obtained not by circumcision, not by baptism, not by church membership. It is obtained through PERSONAL repentance and faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. (not your parents faith or your baptism). As a benefit of your New Covenant membership, you are justified, you have been regenerated, given the Spirit, and the law is written on your heart. The point is that this membership is INVISIBLE! Now AFTER we have personally repented and believed, in obedience to Christ we participate in the SYMBOLS/SIGNS of this new covenant, baptism and communion. By these signs and other testimonies we PROFESS to be CHRISTIANS = members of the new covenant.

Please note that these signs are only PROFESSIONS/WITNESSES/TESTIMONIES of our entrance into the New Covenant having ALREADY occured! They are not the entry point itself. That is only through personal faith and repentance. Therefore if someone falls away, it is NOT because they were IN the New Covenant and now they are OUT because of disobedience. Instead it demonstrates that they NEVER were in the New Covenant! It demonstrates that their profession was FALSE.

So this begs the question, if true membership in the New Covenant (i.e., being a Christian!) is invisible, how can we know who are the real Christians are? Well, if we are to take 1st John at his word, until the Last Day arrives, and the wheat and chaff are separated, we KNOW by the clear EVIDENCE of love and obedience that accompanies a profession of faith.