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IMMANUEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
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-- INDEPENDENT -- FUNDAMENTAL -- PRE-MILLENNIAL --
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IMBC -- A Church Alive That’s Worth The Drive!
7024 N. Main Street, Milan TN 38358
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There are some who will take issue with our advocating the bible message of Christ’s once-for all, once-forever salvation; secured for us by Christ and resulting in an eternal salvation that cannot be lost. Some will accuse us off advocating a license (a permission) to sin among saved people. They reason that if you tell people they can’t loose salvation once they have it then they’ll have no reason not to sin because now they can get away with it without punishment. We can easily answer this accusation using the same words that our savior said to the Pharisee’s of his day...
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“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” -- (Matthew 22:29.)
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Hebrews 12: 5-11...
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children [it’s not until you get saved that you become one of His children], My son, despise not thou the chastening [discipline; spankings, hardships, and in extreme cases, even going to heaven early via premature death of the physical body] of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked [corrected, humbled, or humiliated] of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son [saved person] whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son [those that actually are saved, not those deceived into thinking they are] is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all [of those that actually are saved, not those deceived into thinking they are] are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons [you’ve never been saved, you just thought you were; you’re deceived].
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he [God] for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
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I Corinthians 11: 30-32...
For this cause [backsliding - returning to a sinful lifestyle after salvation] many [of the children of God - the saved] are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [God has killed their physical body and took to heaven early]. For if we [the children of God - the saved] would judge ourselves, we should not be judged [Chastened - disciplined; spankings, hardships, and even going to heaven early via premature death]. But when we [the saved] are judged, we are chastened [“disciplined” not “condemned”] of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
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It’s puzzling that one could read their Bible - especially verses like those above - and come away thinking that being saved; once - for all - forever - never to loose it; means that God will let any of His children use their eternal security as a license, an excuse, to sin. Perhaps they’ve never seen the verses above before, or perhaps they’ve read them but never analyzed what they were teaching. I’m persuaded that much of the misinterpretations and misrepresentations applied to scripture is because so many people have never been grounded in the foundational (the baby food, the pabulum) doctrines of scripture (note that the word “doctrine” simply means “a teaching” or “a belief” - please don’t do what I’ve seen some do by assigning some other false meaning to it”.) As a result when the advanced doctrines (meat) of scripture is served up they can’t handle it and end up choking on it.
To understand the doctrine of salvation and how God deals with His true children you must first understand the following basic doctrine (Christianity 101 if you will.) Note the following:
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Romans 7: 14-23...
For we know that the law [of God] is spiritual: but I am carnal [unspiritual], sold under [owned by] sin. For that [those things] which I do, I allow not [are contrary to what I ought to do]: for what I would [should do], that do I not; but what I hate [what I know I shouldn’t do], that do I. If then I do that [those things] which I would [should] not [do], I consent unto the law [God’s commandments] that it is good. Now then it is no more I [my saved spirit] that do it [the wrong], but sin that dwelleth in me [my unsaved flesh].
For I know that in me (that is, in my unsaved flesh), dwelleth no good thing [because it is sinful by it’s very nature]: for to will [to do what is right] is present with me [in my saved spirit]; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would [do] I do not: but the evil [the sins] which I would not [do], that I do. Now if I do that [which] I would not, it is no more I [my saved spirit] that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me [that is in my unsaved flesh].
I find then a law, that, when I [my saved spirit] would do good, evil [my sinful flesh] is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man [the born-again spirit within me]: But I see another law in my members [my unsaved flesh, the “outward man”], warring against the law of my mind [the instrument of my free will], and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members [my unsaved flesh].
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One of the most amazing things about the above passage is that is was a confession made by one of the Apostles of God - none other than Paul. He was explaining a universal law that exist in the life of every single saved person; what I call the “dual personality syndrome” of all born-again people. This law states that when a person repents and places faith in the work of Christ on the cross as their only escape from the Lake of Fire, their dead spirit (dead because of Adam eating the spiritually poisonous forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden) is “quickened” (which means to be “made alive”.) Jesus used the phrase “born again” to describe this process whereby your dead spirit is “quickened” and, from that point forward your spirit will permanently exist in “sinless perfection.”
People fall into error when they fail to recognize that when a person gets saved only their spirit becomes perfect at that point and because their spirit (once quickened) will never sin from that point forward, it is therefore saved forever at the point of their repentance and faith. The flesh does NOT get saved at the point of repentance and faith! The flesh of the saved person is reserved for replacement with a body of sinless perfection at a later date (the rapture.) Note the following:
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Galatians 5: 16-17 (written to believers, not unbelievers)...
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the [unsaved sinful] flesh lusteth [wars] against the [saved, sinlessly perfect] Spirit, and the [saved, sinlessly perfect] Spirit [wars] against the [unsaved sinful] flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other [one eternally sinful, one eternally perfect]: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
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Spiritual State Of An Unsaved Person
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Spiritual State Of a Saved Person Before The Rapture
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Spiritual State Of a Saved Person After The Rapture
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When believers do wrong (and they do) it’s the unsaved flesh that sins, NOT THE BELIEVER’S SINLESSLY PERFECT SPIRIT, and when chastisement comes to the backslider it is against the believer’s unsaved flesh, NOT AGAINST THE BELIEVER’S SINLESSLY PERFECT SPIRIT, and this chastisement of backsliders occurs in this life - not the next!
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What Christ did on the cross secured a guaranteed escape form the lake of fire for those who scripturally repent and believe the gospel. No one that has actually been saved will loose it. When believers sin it is that part of them that sinned, the flesh, that will be punished in the here and now - this side of eternity. “Once saved, always saved” does not mean believers have a license to sin. To propose that it does merely reveals ones ignorance of scripture.
According to the Bible one of the surest ways a person can know if they are saved is revealed in how God responds when they backslide (starts living a sinful, unrepentant, lifestyle -- “walking in the flesh.”) If God’s Holy Spirit starts dogging your trail and bringing conviction to your soul; giving you grief in this earthly life; giving you hardship and suffering in this earthly life; or (if you go too far into rebellion against His conviction) making you understand that you better straighten up or else get ready for your physical body to die and your spirit go to heaven prematurely - then you’ll know that you’re a saved person. If God doesn’t do anything in response to your sinful life, your “walking in the flesh”, then you were NEVER SAVED TO BEGIN WITH -- YOU NEED TO GET SAVED!
Even the most cursory reading of the scriptures reveal that no true child of God is going to yield to the flesh without God judging the flesh in the here and the now. You were bought with the price of Christ’s own blood - if you’re saved you are now the purchased possession of God; one of His family. He is your father and will bless you and discipline you, accordingly. If He doesn’t then you’ve never yet been saved, you’re not one of his and never have been. You need to get saved!
No! - the saved will not be allowed by God to use their once-for-always salvation as a license to sin! God knows everything and He will deliver discipline commensurate with the crime. Small infractions will result in a lesser chastisement than outright stubborn rebellion, but God will bring discipline in any event. Dear born-again believer, beware allowing yourself to backslide beyond the point that God will allow you to continue to exist bodily on this earth. There are sins that can result in God killing your body and taking you home to heaven early -- note the following:
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I John 5:16...
If any man see his brother [a saved person] sin a sin which is not unto [physical bodily] death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto [physical, bodily] death. [but take care because] There is a sin unto [physical bodily] death [for the child of God] ...
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I Corinthians 11: 30-32...
For this cause [backsliding - returning to a sinful lifestyle after salvation] many [of the children of God - the saved] are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [physical bodily death and gone to heaven early]. For if we [the children of God - the saved] would judge ourselves, we should not be judged [Chastened - disciplined; spankings, hardships, and even going to heaven early via premature physical bodily death]. But when we [the saved] are judged, we[the saved] are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (Once saved you’ll never again come under “condemnation”, you’ll experience “chastisement” instead)
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Acts 5: 1-10...
But a certain man [a saved person, a member of the Jerusalem church] named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And [secretly] kept back part of the price [that they sold the possession for], his wife also being privy to it [she secretly knew it], and brought a certain part [of the money they sold the possession for], and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost [God killed his sinful flesh taking his sinless spirit to heaven prematurely]: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
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Hebrews 12: 5-11...
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children [it’s not until you get saved that you become one of His children], My son, despise not thou the chastening [discipline; spankings, hardships, and even going to heaven early via premature death] of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked [corrected, or humbled, or humiliated] of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son [saved person] whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son [those that actually are saved, not those deceived into thinking they are] is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all [of those that actually are saved, not those deceived into thinking they are] are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons [”bastards” = you’ve never yet been saved, you just thought you were; you are deceived].
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he [God] for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
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IN SUMMARY -- If you are saved then honor God for the gift of eternal security purchased for you by His Son on the cross. He deserves no less! God will bless your way through this earthly life as you follow Him. However, don’t think for a moment that just because you’re no longer under eternal condemnation that you won’t come under the earthly chastisement of your flesh. The backslider that God does not chastise is not saved and never was; and that is (as shown above) 100% Bible truth. If you’re saved then God will put a curse on your earthly life during those times that you reject His commandments. NO! - if you actually are saved then God will not allow you to use your eternal security as a license to sin.
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Notice: The above is the true doctrine of Eternal Security and, as you can read for yourself, It does not give saved people a license to sin. I’d be very careful not to make myself appear uninformed and incompetent by misrepresenting what it actually does teach.
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Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church -- P.O. Box 724 -- Milan, TN 38358 -- Phone: 731-686-7359
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