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FAQ # 55

QUESTION  55 :  Is salvation unconditional, or are there any "if’s" mentioned in the Bible in regards to our salvation?

One person rightfully cited:

"...If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" -Matthew 6:14-15.

"...If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples... and... shall know the truth..." -John 8:31-32.

"...If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" -John 8:51.

"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" -John 15:14.

"...If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it" -Luke 9:23-24.

"...If we be dead with Christ...we shall also live with Him" -Romans 6:8.

"...If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" -Romans 8:9.

"...If Christ be in you, the body is dead... but the Spirit is life because of righteousness" -Romans 8:10.

"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" -Romans 8:13.

"...88

8with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" -Romans 8:17.

"...If God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee. 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" -Romans 11:21-22.

"If any man defile (destroy) the temple of God, him shall God destroy...which temple ye are" -1 Corinthians 3:17.

"...I declare unto you the gospel... By which ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain... How that Christ died for our sins... And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day" -1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" -Galatians 6:9.

"And you, that were... alienated and enemies... by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled... If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel" -Colossians 1:21-23.

"For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord" -1 Thessalonians 3:8.

"...If we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us" -2 Timothy 2:11-12.

"...We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end" -Hebrews 3:14.

"...If we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" -Hebrews 10:26.

"If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as sons... If ye be without chastisement... then are ye...not sons" -Hebrews 12:7-8.

"If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is in vain" James 1:26.

"...Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" -James 2:17.

"...Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue...knowledge... temperance... patience... godliness... brotherly kindness and... charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful... If ye do these things ye shall never fall" -2 Peter 1:10.

"...If after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning" -2 Peter 2:20.

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light... the blood of Jesus...cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves... If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins... If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar..." -1 John 1:7-10.

"And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments" -2 John 2:3.

"...If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" -1 John 2:15.

"...If we love one another, God dwelleth in us..." -1 John 4:12.

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar..." -1 John 4:20.

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed..." -2 John 9-10.

"...If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" -Revelation 22:18-19.

That’s the reason for a verse like this, "When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:25-26). In other words, it is impossible for man to maintain all these ‘if’s’, but it becomes possible and completely solved in obedience to the gospel – Repentance and baptisms (Acts 2:38). After that Justification clears our slates forever (Heb 10:14) and his spirit enable us to please him (1 John 5:18). 

That’s the reason for Justification and his spirit. Justification says, “to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom 4:5). That is, him that ‘worketh not’ to be righteous before God but simply believe it because they are born again, that person is righteous. Then we who are righteous should produce a righteous life because of God’s spirit, whereby he could have prophesied, “I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Eze 36:27). In other words, his spirit in us and saving grace (justification) will take care of the “if ’s”. Moreover, even if you try extremely hard, without God’s spirit you could not keep the “if’s.” That’s why one verse made the solution plain, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Php 2:13). 

Also, be it known, “No man can come to me [Jesus], except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Rom 9:16).

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