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Pretribbers deny free will
July 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment
There is a group of pretribbers who believe in free will because they don’t believe in predestination. They believe that they have the free will to choose the Lord and His salvation. However, they say they believe in free will, but then actually deny it by saying something like this: If someone denies the Lord or will not be allowed into heaven, then that person was never saved (born again) to begin with. They believe their conversion experience was false.
When Christians believe this, they don’t really believe in the doctrine of free will. They deny the doctrine of free because the “opposite rule” has to apply. If you can choose Jesus with your free will, then you can also choose to reject Jesus with your free will. They have change the doctrine of free will into their own meaning because they don’t like the idea that a truly born again Christian can go to hell. They believe in the “once saved always saved” doctrine and cannot stand the fact that a born again Christian would choose to go to hell. It makes them uneasy. Their salvation and their families’ salvation could be in jeopardy by their choice and they don’t like that. So they say that person was not truly a Christian or truly born again to begin with, because if they were, they would be saved. This thinking is denying free will.
However, the doctrine of free will, means a Christian can choose to be born again and filled with the Holy Spirit and do great things for the Lord Jesus Christ and then deny the Lord by choosing not to follow Him any longer for what ever reason they want. Any other explanation is not the doctrine of free will. Free will means just that: free will to choose at any time whatever your hearts desires. If you don’t have that, then it is not free will. If a Christian cannot choose to go to hell, then he or she is a puppet. God is controlling our outcome. He is placing you where he want you, and we all know that is not fair. For God to pick who He wants to go to heaven and hell is just not right. If you get picked for hell are you going to be happy? No! You are going to say to God on your judgement day, “I never had a chance. You picked me for hell. This is totally unfair. I never had a choice!” Stop to think about this: If God is sovereign in picking people for heaven and hell, why can’t God pick you to be a Christian for a while and then send you to hell for His own good pleasure? He can do whatever He wants, right?
Wrong! The only way God can be fair and get people who truly love Him (without a bunch of robots or puppets bowing down whenever He demands it) is to allow total free will. And that is what He has done. In the appendix, there are over 100 scripture passages establishing the doctrine of conditional salvation which is based on free will.
CONSEQUENCES
What are the consequence for believing the “once saved always saved” doctrine? You could possibly lose your salvation and spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. Or let’s say you get to heaven, but because you were teaching this false doctrine, you influenced twenty people to go to hell. Let me give you an example. Here in Texas, we have a Christian ministry program that plays in many states on the radio that believes in the “once saved always saved” doctrine. Almost every day people call in wanting to know more about this doctrine or to argue against it. There are people who are alcoholics, drug addicts, people who claim to be backslidden, and other stages of depravity that call in and want to know if they are saved. The minister replies something like this: “Have you ever been born again?”
“Yes. When I was a teenager, I gave my heart to the Lord. It was a powerful experience. I could feel Him come into me and fill me with the Holy Spirit. I could feel my sins being washed away. I was on fire for God for years, but when I went to college, I fell away and started drinking with my new friends. I got hooked. It’s been over twenty years now. I haven’t been in a church for about the same amount of time.”
The minister asks, “Do you have a relationship with Jesus now?”
The alcoholic replies, “No, how can I? I’m sinning against Him. I feel condemned.”
The minister says, “All your sins, past, present, and still future has been done away with when Jesus died on the cross. You are forgiven.”
He then reads 1 John 2:1-2: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 1JN 2:2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2; NASB; Pradis CD-ROM).
The minister then says, “You shouldn’t feel condemned because all your sins have been washed away. Even those who haven’t accepted Jesus have their sins washed away. So should you feel condemned?”
The alcoholic replies, “Well, I suppose I shouldn’t, but I feel condemned because I know what I’m doing is not right. It say some where in the Bible that drunks will not get into heaven.”
The minister then says, “You cannot go by your feelings. You have to believe God’s word and He says all of your sins have been forgiven.”
The alcoholic replies, “Does that mean I’m still saved? Do you mean to say that if I die as an alcoholic, I will go to heaven?”
The minister then asks again, “Were you born again?”
“Yes, I told you when I was a teenager.”
“Then if you are born again, you will go to heaven.”
“But I’m sinning.”
“I know, but if you are born again Jesus washed those sins away, remember the verse I just read. All your sins were washed away. When you were born again, God gave you eternal life, not temporary life. So you are in His kingdom. You are in the hands of God and no one including your sin can take you out of His hands. Isn’t that good news?”
“But what about my addiction and my sinning. I have destroyed my family and hurt a lot of people. I have tried to stop, but I can’t. I have gone in for help, but nothing seems to help. You mean to tell me that if I die, I will go to heaven?”
The minister says, “I don’t know about you, but I choose to believe God’s word. He says your sins have been all washed away. He says He gives eternal life. If you have been born again, then you are in His kingdom. You are a child of God.”
“But I’m living like the devil.”
“Well, that’s the gospel. It’s good news.”
“But, there are other Christians who believe I’m going to hell. They don’t believe in the ‘once saved always saved’ doctrine.”
“Yes, I know, but they are wrong. We just read that all your sins were washed away. You said you have been born again. If that’s true, God gave you eternal life. He doesn’t give temporal life. Listen to this verse, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:6; NIV). God began a good work in you didn’t He?”
“Well, yes, I guess, but that was a long time ago. I don’t do anything but drink now.”
“There’s nothing you can do. Salvation is not by works. It is a free gift from God. Don’t worry, you are going to heaven. Just accept His free gift.”
“But I can’t quit drinking.”
“You don’t have to. God accepts us where we are at.”
“Are you sure, I have no peace. I don’t feel saved. I have repented many times, but I can’t stop drinking. It’s just a vicious cycle. I can’t get out of it.”
“You need to quit going by feelings and accept your salvation by faith. Just believe in the “once saved always saved” doctrine and take your salvation by faith. It’s the word of God. I showed you the scripture, right?”
“Well, yes, I guess so.”
A conversation like this happens numerous times a week. No matter what kind of addiction, this kind of conversation goes on. Each time the minister is leading the person into further deception. They are crying out for help, their gut feeling and the conviction of the Lord is telling them that they are going to hell and the minister is telling them from verses out of the Bible, “Don’t worry! If you have been born again, you are saved.” The devil couldn’t have a better helper or advocate.
So what’s wrong with what the minister is saying? Well, He is saying a lot of truth. It’s true that everyone sins have been forgiven, even the people in the world. It’s true that we cannot work for our salvation, it’s a free gift. However, the problem is free will. This man has taken Jesus off the throne of his heart and placed liquor there. He hasn’t made Jesus Lord of His life. Many alcoholics have quit drinking and made Jesus Lord. Some have been supernaturally delivered.
The minister should have said, “Yes, you need help. You need to go to a Christian program which deals with alcoholics, because right now you are on your way to hell. I am willing to lead you in a prayer to lead you back to God if you are willing. But if you were to die today, you will be going to hell. I say this out of love. God wants to help you, but you have to be truly willing to overcome this addiction or it will overcome you and you will pay eternity in hell for it.”
So why does the minister keep asking if the alcoholic is born again? Because in the minister’s mind, that’s the only way this person will not make it into heaven. He believes you are “once saved always saved.” It doesn’t matter if the alcoholic has been unfaithful and living for the devil for twenty years. If the alcoholic was truly born again, he is going to heaven.
Sadly when this minister gets to heaven, He’s going to see most of his work burn up because he is teaching a host of false doctrines and sending a lot of people to hell, thinking they are going to heaven. Meanwhile, all the other Christians listening to this radio program are being told that they can sin as much as a drunk and still get into heaven. If a Christian want a licence to sin, they are getting it from this minister and this doctrine. And there are thousands of ministers who believe in this doctrine. Most of them have the sense not to be this bold, but the same message gets through and because of it millions of Christians have lost their salvation throughout the centuries. This doctrine of eternal security started around the fourth century with St. Augustine. Just think how many more millions could lose their salvation in the future. Lies have consequences.
I met a man who did not believe in the secret Rapture doctrine, (he was a posttribber) but did believe in the “once saved always saved” doctrine. He told me straight to my face that if he was ever in the Tribulation Period that his plan was to deny the Lord so they wouldn’t torture him because he said he had a low tolerance for pain (my thought was “who doesn’t”). If needed, he said he would even take the mark of the beast. He believe the Lord would forgive his denial and honor the “once saved always saved” doctrine, no matter what he did. I couldn’t believe my ears. Where does it end? You could be born again and kill six million Jews and still make it in heaven, right? Well, they are wrong and if you are smart, you will realize this doctrine is false and of the devil. Paul said, “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us“ (2 Timothy 2:11-12; NIV).
If you are a true Christian, faithful to the end of your life, you will be judged after Armageddon, not in heaven like the pretribbers teach. We will be married to the Lord and be invited to the marriage supper of the lamb after Armageddon. If you are living when the Tribulation Period begins, you will not be secretly Raptured like the pretribbers teach, but you will have three options. (1) You will have to endure it or (2) be killed in it for the Lord’s sake or (3) betray the Lord, take the mark of the beast and go to the Lake of Fire, which is called the second death. After Armageddon, the Lord (through the church and Israel) will rule the nations for a thousand years.
If you want more on this subject, read this book. Are You Believing In the “Once Saved Always Saved” Lie? by Gene Stone. You can order this book at 1-866-909 2665. It’s a must read.
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