Is Anything Required of a Disciple?
Does salvation by grace through faith release the believer
from obeying the commandments?
• If so, then why did Jesus and His apostles emphasize
them?
• If not, then what are the consequences for not
obeying them?
It is not a question of whether a believer can lose his
salvation. Once a person is sealed with the Holy Spirit,
it is irrevocable:
In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were
sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee
of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,
to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
But the same apostle who wrote that comforting passage also
passionately expressed this desire:
?that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection,
and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His
death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection
from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or
am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own,
because Christ Jesus has made me His own. (Philippians
3:10-12)
In the Apostle Paul’s mind, there was a goal that
required tremendous effort on his part to reach, and to
which he had not yet attained, and which he could fail to
attain. What was the resurrection he had to strive for?
Are not all believers resurrected at Messiah’s coming,
unless they are alive when He returns?
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to
whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw
the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony
of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped
the beast or its image and had not received its mark on
their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and
reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of
the dead did not come to life until the thousand years
were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and
holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection!
Over such the second death has no power, but they will
be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with
Him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6)
Clearly, Paul understood that reigning with Christ during
His millennial kingdom on the earth was not a foregone conclusion
for a believer, but depended on how one lived his life in
this age. It was possible to be among “the rest of
the dead” who did not come to life until the thousand
years were ended. This possibility of being disqualified
to rule with Him is mentioned in many places in the New
Testament. For example:
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind,
doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of
flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless
and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue
in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from
the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been
proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which
I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23)
What if you don’t continue in the faith, stable and
steadfast? Will you still be blameless and above reproach
before Him?
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt
by the second death.” (Revelation 2:11)
What if you don’t overcome? Will you be “hurt”
by the second death? What does it mean to be “hurt”
by the second death?
“You have a few names even in Sardis who have
not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me
in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall
be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out
his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his
name before My Father and before His angels.” (Revelation
3:4-5)
What if you have defiled your garments? Will you still walk
with Him in white? Will you still be worthy? If you don’t
overcome, will your name remain in the Book of Life — the
register of those who are counted worthy to rule with Him?
So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins
of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but
to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. (Hebrews
9:28)
What if you are not eagerly waiting for Him?
For, “Yet a little while, and the coming One
will come and will not delay; but My righteous one shall
live by faith, and if he shrinks back, My soul has no
pleasure in him.” (Hebrews 10:37-38)
Evidently it is possible for one of His righteous ones (to
whom He imputed His righteousness when they first believed)
to be among those who shrink back when He returns. Let’s
back up a few verses to see how this is possible:
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have
done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
(Verse 36)
What if you don’t do the will of God? What if you
lack endurance? Will you still receive what is promised?
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which
has a great reward. (Verse 35)
How can you throw away your confidence? And if you do, what
will be your reward?
For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is mine;
I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge
His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into
the hands of the living God. (Verses 30-31)
Who are “His people” who are judged and fall
into the hands of the living God?
How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved
by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned
the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified,
and has outraged the Spirit of grace? (Verse 29)
How does one spurn the Son of God or profane the blood of
the covenant or outrage the Spirit of grace? Is this talking
about believers?
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving
the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a
sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment?
(Verses 26-27)
Have you received the knowledge of the truth? What if you
go on sinning deliberately?
For it is impossible to restore again to repentance
those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted
the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,
and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the
powers of the age to come, if they then fall away, since
they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their
own harm and holding Him up to public shame. (Hebrews
6:4-6)
What does it mean to “fall away” or to hold
the Savior up to public shame? What becomes impossible?
Will such a one be “hurt” by the second death?
What is the second death?
Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that
remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted,
which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)
What if you don’t put aside all filthiness and wickedness?
What if the standards of His word do not become part of
your very nature, as expressed in your behavior? What will
happen to your soul?
For this very reason, make every effort to
supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with
steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness
with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with
love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks
these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having
forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore,
brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling
and election sure, for if you practice these qualities
you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly
provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11)
What if you don’t add virtue and self-control
to your faith? What if you don’t diligently increase
in steadfastness and godliness and love? Will entrance into
the Kingdom still be richly provided to you?
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial,
for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown
of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.
(James 1:12)
What if you don’t remain steadfast? Will you still
receive the crown of life? If you don’t stand the
test, what is the proof that you love Him?
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who
loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father,
and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.” (John
14:15,21)
What if you don’t keep His commandments? Do you still
love Him? Will He still reveal Himself to you? Or will you
be shown to be a liar?
Whoever says “I know Him” but does
not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is
not in him. (1 John 2:4)
Is the truth in you?
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever
hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal
life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed out
of death and into life.” (John 5:24)
Have you passed out of death and into life? How can you
be sure?
We know that we have passed out of death into life,
because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides
in death. (1 John 3:14)
Do you love the brothers? How do you know?
By this we know love: that He laid down His life for
us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
(1 John 3:16)
What does it mean to lay down your life for your brothers?
“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps
My word, he will never see death.” (John 8:51)
What if you don’t keep His word? Will you see death?
This word actually means age-lasting, i.e.,
the kingdom of the millennial age.
virtue — behavior showing high moral
standards.
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