False teaching and doctrine is everywhere today and which seems to be accepted by the multitude of professed Christians. The doctrine of once saved always saved (or unconditional security; which is the same doctrine with different names) is a deadly deception and lie, but many have been deceived into accepting it as truth.

That false doctrine is the powerful delusion mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2 that will deceive those who will not accept God’s truth, because they believed the lie that began in Eden (when Satan twisted God’s Word and told Eve she would not die if she rebelled).

The Apostle Paul warned Timothy (out of concern for his young friend; 1 Timothy 4:16). He wrote, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." He warns his friend to hold on to sound doctrine and to hold steadfast in the faith, because that would save himself and those who listened to him.

Satan’s deception (which began in Genesis 3 and continues to this day) is woven all through history. Satan’s one purpose is to deceive and destroy anyone who will let him. We cannot let down our guard because we cannot make a mistake about eternal life. Satan doesn’t want us to fear God, but to ignore sin and be deceived. He knows that if he can deceive us with minor sins, it can easily lead to more serious ones that could jeopardize our eternal life.

Jesus warned of the seriousness of getting into sinful habits that easily entangle our feet. He said if our eye, hand, or foot "causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away," because it would be better not to have them, than to keep them and end in the Lake of Fire, (Matthew 5:30).

God’s first truth was that Eve would die spiritually if she rebelled against His Word, and Satan was right there with his first lie that she would not die if she rebelled and disobeyed the Word (Genesis 3:4). Lucifer says the opposite to what God had just said. The serpent twisted God’s command, and added the word not (which began his deception).

All through the centuries Satan has twisted the word and promises of God to have people fall into sin and unbelief. There is that wonderful promise in John 10:28 that no one can snatch us out of the Father’s hand, and Satan will quote that to have us think we can rebel against God and still be saved.

Whenever Satan (or an agent of his) says that we can never be snatched out of God’s hand (no matter what we have done or what sin we have committed), we must respond that it is also written in John 15, that if we do not continue in the faith and endure to the end, we can be burned in the fire.

We praise God for the promise of John 10:28, and thank Him for the warning in Romans 11:22 (that we must continue in the faith and continue to believe so as not to be cut off), because God is able to save, but also to destroy, He is love, but can also be a consuming fire.

The Apostle Paul was very concerned about Satan’s deception and said, "I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ," (2 Corinthians 11:3). The Apostle knew that the same deception of Genesis 3 is the same deception heard today. The lies of the false prophets in the Old Testament are the same lies that are heard now. It is the same devil with the same lie.

The false prophets of the Old Testament were telling the people they had spiritual life in the midst of their rebellion, so the people did not repent. God warned Ezekiel not to say what the false prophets were saying, because he would be responsible if he did not tell them the truth.

(Ezekiel 33:8), "When I say to the wicked, `O wicked man, you will surely die,' [same words in Eden] and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood."

God gives this warning (Jeremiah 15:19), "Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy words, you will be my spokesman."

Not many are speaking worthy words of truth, but are speaking empty words and lies. 2 Timothy 4:4 says, "They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths,"...(lies and delusions).

False teaching is common today which says that Christians will not die spiritually, if they once had a moment of faith, so they often continue in sin and unbelief. Millions have accepted the false doctrine that if they ever had one moment of saving faith in Christ, they can never be lost and will enter God’s kingdom (regardless of their spiritual condition years later). It is a dangerous deception!

(Ezekiel 18:24), "If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die."

It is the same warning over and over, that if the righteous do not continue in the faith, they will die spiritually and eventually be cut off and burned in the fire (if no repentance is forthcoming).

By the mercy and grace of God only, true believers have the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

That is a great promise and we thank God for it, but if we fall away from the faith and go back into sin, we will begin to wither, bear no fruit, and eventually be destroyed in the fire (if no genuine repentance is made).

God saves, but can also destroy. He is love, but is also a consuming fire. We cannot scoff at God’s warnings and we must never be arrogant, but instead be watchful and faithful to the end. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life," (Galatians 6:7-8).

The false prophets of Ezekiel’s time had taught the Jews that they could not lose their sonship, and that they would not die [spiritually]. This was the prevailing thought in Jesus’ time, that is why John the Baptist had to rebuke them. (Matthew 3:8-9), "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.'" John had to censure them in a forceful way. ’Don’t think you can say that you are saved just because you are Jewish,’ (he meant).

John followed that with verse 10, "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." ‘Don’t say you are always a son, and don’t need to repent, because if you don’t repent, you will be thrown in the fire!’ It is the same warning throughout the New Testament. Jesus said (John 15:2), His Father "Cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit."

When the religious leaders said to Jesus (John 8:39), "Abraham is our father," He had to tell them the same thing John did, "If you were Abraham's children, then you would do the things Abraham did."

In other words, ‘Don’t depend on your spiritual heritage or your past to save you. Where are you right now, spiritually! That is what counts!’ (Ezekiel 18:24) "If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, he will die." Satan says you will not die [spiritually], but God says you will die [spiritually] if you continue to sin [and don’t repent; don’t be deceived!]

The Apostle Paul (the grace teacher) gave the same message and the same truth in Romans 8. He said (vs 12-13), "Therefore, brothers," [he is writing to Gentile Christians because the Apostle couldn’t call unsaved Gentiles brothers. They are not brothers physically by race, but are brothers spiritually by faith, in Christ].

He says, "we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." It is the same wording, same warning, and same truth of Genesis 3. It is not teaching of gloom and doom, but a warning out of divine love from a Christian brother who knows that eternity is forever! He says in verse 14, "because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."

People are spiritual brothers and sisters by faith in Christ, but the warning is always there, if a son, a brother, a sister, or a Christian turns away from God in rebellion and sin, he/she will die spiritually. It is the same truth all through the Bible.

Today, (through false doctrine heard on the radio, in some study Bible footnotes, and from many religious books and literature), we are told you will not die (spiritually) if you were once a son, a brother, a sister in Christ, or a Christian who once had a moment of true faith in Christ (even if you are now living in rebellion, sin, or immorality).

The false doctrine and teaching that is prevalent today tickles the ear, it is easy to accept, because it gives a license to sin. Many are (and have been) deceived because Jesus said they would be. Most people are not even aware of who these false teachers are because they have slipped in unnoticed as popular writers and ministers. No one would suspect them because they look like sheep!

They are the ones the Apostle Jude spoke about. (Jude 1:3), "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints."

We have to defend the faith and continue to believe God’s Word and promises. (4), "For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."

Our first thought may be that these religious teachers wouldn’t deny Christ. But looking closer at what they are saying brings out the truth. One popular radio minister (who has published hundreds of books and speaks on daily radio [Chuck Swindoll], said this concerning defection (which means forsaking one’s faith in Christ). [Quote], ‘If you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are still a child of God. You may deny Him, but He will never deny you [false]. Though you are faithless, He will remain faithful [true]. And the grace of God, the seal of the Holy Spirit, preserves you permanently. This is called the doctrine of eternal security.’ [unquote]

That kind of false teaching is what a believer has to contend with today. That is the deception we must be aware of, because Satan is behind all such doctrine. The devil mixes a little truth with a lie, as he did when he quoted Psalm 91 to have Jesus throw Himself off the pinnacle.

Satan will quote 2 Timothy 2 in an attempt to deceive someone (through popular teachers today) that even if we deny Christ, He will never deny us. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, "If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." That is very true because we are often faithless, but Jesus never fails when we call on Him in faith. God is always faithful to fulfill every promise, but He is also faithful to convict the wayward sinner. God cannot be mocked.

If anyone tries to deceive us by quoting (and twisting) Scripture, saying, ‘we are often faithless, but God is always faithful’ (so we cannot lose our salvation), we are to respond that verse 12 clarifies the meaning of verse 13. "If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us."

Jesus said the same in Matthew 10:33, "But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." The radio minister’s words are opposite to the Lord’s words. The OSAS teacher says, "You may deny Christ, but He will never deny you," but the truth comes from Jesus who said, "whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."

It is no merit of our own, because salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. Jesus paid it all, and told us to just continue in the faith and endure to the end to be saved. It is the free gift of Eternal Life.

The Apostle Peter warns about false prophets among us today, just as there were false prophets among the people in the past. (2 Peter 2:1-2), "There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many [not few or some, but many] will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute."

The way of truth has been brought into disrepute because Christians have been taught that they are saved no matter how they live. The life-style of the professed believer and the non-believer is the same. The professed believer is often called a hypocrite because they talk about faith, but live like the world. False doctrine has brought the way of truth into disrepute.

Jesus said in John 8:51, "If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." Obviously He is not talking about never seeing physical death, but never seeing spiritual death. He is saying that we have to ‘keep His Word’ not to die spiritually. Jesus rebukes the false doctrine of once saved always saved by the words, "If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

After His perfect work of atonement for our sins on the Cross and while seated at the right hand of God Almighty (Revelation 2:10-11), the Savior says, "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death."

Is Jesus telling us that we will not be hurt by the second death, if we once had a moment of faith? No! He is saying we will never see death if we keep His Word, if we are faithful to the point of death, and if we are overcomers in the faith.’

Revelation 12:11 tells us how to overcome. "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." The same teaching, the same truth, and the same promise Jesus gave in John 12:25, "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

We must praise God for the promises, thank Him for the pardon from sin, and express our appreciation to Him for the warnings about the deception that is possible because it is everywhere today. Jesus said that love for Him would grow cold in the last days, but "he who stands firm to the end will be saved," (Matthew 24:13).