Let us review some Scriptures that reveal that the unrighteous will NOT be in the Kingdom of God

1 Corinthians 6:9-11: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?   Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

We read here that some Church members used to behave in a wrong and sinful manner but we also read in Proverbs 26:11: “As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly,” meaning that some Church members could turn back to their former life. Therefore, anyone who has gone off the straight and narrow way and has not repented and got back on track will not be in the Kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2: “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” Paul says they have to hold fast to that which he preached to them.

Hebrews 10:26: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” So again, anyone who has been converted can still go off track and sin willfully and will not be continuing in the Truth. For such a person, the consequences are dire.

2 Peter 2:20-22: “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’”

It Does Matter What We Do!

In Romans 2:5-11, we read about God’s righteous judgment:  “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;  but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For there is no partiality with God.”

This passage is very clear about those who obey the Truth and their reward and those who do not obey the Truth.

Romans 6:15-19: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.” This passage clearly shows that we are slaves to whom we obey—God or sin.

Romans 8:13-14: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” We must put the deeds of the body to death; i.e., it truly DOES matter what we do!

Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

People who emotionally “gave their heart to the Lord” at a crusade or at some other time did not really repent, and unless they do, they will not be in God’s Kingdom. But even those who became converted may have drifted away from the Truth or may have even deliberately turned their back on that which they once embraced, and as such, are no longer Christians.  Of course, if they were called by God, then they can repent and it is God’s wish that they do so, but they will be held responsible for their actions, whatever course they may take.

So, putting all of these Scriptures together, the Bible tells us the following:

When Peter was asked what they should do, he said: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). It was not just an emotional experience—a one-off experience.  Repent means to be sorry for past sins and implicit in it is that we will try and avoid such sins in the future.  After repentance and belief in Christ’s Sacrifice and in the gospel of the Kingdom of God, then what do we have to do?

• We should be baptized followed by the laying on of hands.
• We have to develop and practice an ongoing godly behavioural pattern.
• We must not look back to our former life (compare Luke 9:62: “But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’”)
• We have to surrender our lives to God and He must come first (see Luke 14:26-27).
• It becomes clear that being saved (salvation) is not a once in a lifetime experience but a process that lasts throughout our lives.
• And we must endure to the end or we can lose out.

Jesus reproved those who were hypocrites, as we read in Luke 6:46: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” We have to follow the instructions that we are given and keeping the Commandments of God is of paramount importance.

It is critical to make these further observations.

1. We can lose our crown of life.

Revelation 2:10: “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Faithfulness to God is a requirement and the only conclusion from this verse is that those who were being saved, but weren’t faithful unto death, would not receive the crown of life!

Revelation 3:11: “Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” This verse clearly shows that we can lose out and can lose our crown.

2. At the end time, the love of many will grow cold.

Matthew 24:12: “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” The love mentioned here is “agape” which is godly love and applies to Church members.  Unconverted people of this world do not have godly love within them and, because of lawlessness, the love of many in the Church will grow cold. When that happens, those who lose this godly love will not make it into the Kingdom of God unless they repent quickly of this and return to fully following the Way of God.

3. There will be a falling away from the Truth at the end of the age.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3: “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.” The time frame is obviously the end time as it talks about the man of sin or the false prophet, and in verse 10 is a very telling verse in the context of the “once saved, always saved” belief of some.  It states: “… and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” The love of the Truth is vital to our salvation; without it, we will lose out!

1 Timothy 4:1: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” Departing from the faith, for whatever reason, will be a terrible position to be in unless there is true repentance.

Hebrews 6:4-6: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” Interestingly, this is one of many Scriptures that proponents of “once saved, always saved” quote as part of their proof saying that it is “an often misunderstood passage” and then go on to make assertions that don’t stack up with what the Bible reveals.

To avoid falling away, it is imperative that we must persevere in God’s Truth giving God thanks for our calling. Having a laid back approach to what God expects of us and never uncompromisingly carry out our individual and collective responsibilities could well lead to Christ saying: “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:23).

One writer asked the following:

“Why would our arch enemy, the devil, tempt Christians to sin if our future sins are all forgiven and could never be imputed to us? In fact, the devil would be wasting his time if no sin could ever be charged against the believer! The devil obviously believes what the OSAS (once saved, always saved) teachers want us to believe, for he is ever trying to get us to yield to his temptations. Jesus told us to pray to not be led into temptation (Matthew 6:13). Why would the Lord want us to pray daily about such if sin could not be imputed to the believer anyhow?”

It is a very dangerous thing to think that “once saved, always saved” is approved by biblical instruction.  One English entertainer once said that he was told that he should “give his heart to the Lord” which he did, and that he didn’t have to change anything. The Bible clearly says otherwise.

Can true Christians lose their salvation? Yes!  Once saved, always saved? The Bible gives an emphatic NO to that question.

If we’re saved now and we can’t lose out whatever we do, where’s the motivation? Why continue to grow and overcome? There would be no need, as the matter would be unchangeable, irrespective of our future behaviour. However, the Scriptures clearly tell us that we must grow and overcome AND endure to the end.

2 Peter 3:18: “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.” This doesn’t indicate that nothing else needs to be done after conversion!

One passage of Scripture that proponents of “once saved, always saved” use is in John 10:27-29 which reads as follows: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” But to follow is a continuous tense and we need to continue to follow Jesus to receive eternal life – we mustn’t grow weary and give up.

In Philippians 1:6 we read: “… being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” To achieve this goal, we need to stick to the process that was started when we were baptised and keep repenting, growing and overcoming with God’s help and that way the good work that was begun in us, God will complete at Christ’s return.

1 John 1:7-9: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God will forgive our sins but we do have to repent and confess them.

In our booklet “Are You Predestined to be Saved?,” we read the flowing on page 71:

“WE WILL SUCCEED! True Christians ought to have a continual attitude of thankfulness and appreciation to God for both the physical blessings and spiritual blessings that He gives us.  There is one most fundamental reason WHY we CAN be truly thankful to God.  That reason is the PROMISE that we who are called, WILL make it into God’s Kingdom!   Yes, God has called us to SUCCEED. If God had any doubt whether or not we would succeed, He would not have called us in this day and age. God is SURE and CERTAIN that we will make it! How certain are WE? Let us notice God’s absolute conviction that YOU, if you are one of God’s begotten children, WILL make it into His kingdom.

“Realize first, that, as far as God is concerned, it is already a done deal.  Only ONE person can stop you from qualifying, and that person is YOU!  As we saw in the last chapter, it IS possible for those who are truly called to salvation, to commit the ‘unpardonable sin.’ That is why the concept, ‘once saved—always saved,’ is wrong.  We were saved from our past sins (Matthew 1:21; compare Romans 3:25); we are being saved right now (Acts 2:47); and we will be saved in the future—when Christ returns (Romans 5:10). Only the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13).  We need to conquer our fears and doubts, and that is why we need to overcome our carnality that tempts us to return to this world. BUT, in God’s eyes, this battle WILL BE won!  It is not impossible to succeed!  To the contrary, it is certain that we WILL succeed, as long as we let God live and rule our lives.  And THAT is WHY we can be truly thankful, always, now and forever!“

It might come as somewhat of a surprise to some that when a person is saved and becomes a righteous person, he can die spiritually if he leaves the Way of the Life that he has been called to.   We must remember that at the dawn of civilisation, Satan tempted Eve in the garden of Eden and said “you will not surely die” but she did, although she lived a long time after this action that she took.

In the book of Ezekiel, chapter 18, we read the following in verses 24-26:

“But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.

“Yet you say, ‘The way of the LORD is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.”

This a revealing piece of Scripture showing that a righteous man can turn away from righteousness and die in his iniquity because there is no repentance of his sins.  “Once saved, always saved” is shown to be a false concept from these verses in the book of Ezekiel.

In John 8:51, Jesus said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word he shall never see death.” This must be about spiritual death as all men die at some time. That is how we must live and those who were once saved and stray away from their calling will be lost – not once saved, always saved!

So, recapping, there are 3 aspects to salvation as the Scriptures clearly reveal:

• We are saved now.
• We are being saved.
• And to be finally saved, we must endure to the end.

As previously mentioned, there are many writers who present the case for the fallacy of the “once saved, always saved” debate, giving voluminous evidence to prove their stance but, inevitably, there will be counter arguments and discussions put forth by the adherents of this belief. As we said at the beginning of this series, this subject is one where there are many proponents on both sides of the debate who can present their case powerfully, but the Church of God has, historically, had the understanding that is shown in this presentation.

The real Christian life is a life of overcoming, of spiritual growing. The concept of “once saved, always saved” is clearly wrong and unscriptural.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

In our Update number 663, dated 21st November 2014, was an editorial by Mr. Michael Link, entitled “Once Saved, Always Saved?” We will continue with that presentation to provide additional information on this important subject.

There are a number of theological subjects that evoke much discussion and debate on both sides of the argument, and “once saved, always saved?” is one of those.

“Can true Christians lose their salvation?” is a very good question to ask and is one that arouses much debate back and forth about whether someone who believes they are saved will always be saved irrespective of their actions after “giving their heart to the Lord.”   There are many who see the fallacy of the “once saved, always saved” concept whilst there are many others who share a diametrically opposite theological stance on this subject and who, no doubt, use many of the same Scriptures but interpret them differently.

So, what is the Truth of the matter?

In this series on the subject, we won’t be able, nor do we wish to try and emulate those who have spent a lot of time putting together so much material but to look at it by a sound review that comes to a conclusion that we believe to be entirely scriptural.

One very short tract about this matter spoke about “eternal security” and one telling phrase in their explanation is as follows: “You see, when you were saved, you died to sin and changed masters. Instead of serving sin, you now serve Christ. You are not free to do as you like; you are now free to do the Lord’s will.  Any true believer who tries to ‘live as they like’ will be chastened by their Father and any professing Christian who ‘lives like the devil’ and gets away with it, is only proving they were never saved in the first place.”

That sounds good at face value but it means that everyone who, for whatever reason, falls away from the Truth must be regarded as someone who was never saved in the first place – they believe that every last one of them, however much they were once on fire for the Truth, was never converted.

The ”once saved, always saved” approach is a popular one and one that emotionally is very easy to accept! It conveys a message that little is required on our part beyond “accepting” the Sacrifice Christ made for us. However, such teachings are deceptive and misleading because they completely overlook clear and important biblical instructions regarding that which God holds us accountable for in the process of salvation. The Bible reveals that Jesus didn’t do everything for us.  To enter the Kingdom of God, there are specific things we must do – and on a regular basis.

One example of how this “once saved, always saved” issue could not be correct is in the case of the apostle Paul. He was a giant of the New Testament Church and thoroughly converted but he said that even he could be lost.  Paul says, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified (adikomos).”  This word is translated “castaway” in the Authorized Version (1 Corinthians 9:27). Paul is clearly saying that he could lose out if he had strayed from the Way of Life that he had been called to.  In Matthew 7:13-14, this Way of Life is referred to in this way: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  A few verses later, in Matthew 7:21-23, we read “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

This passage might address those who were never converted but thought that they were, supposing to work for Christ, which they in fact never did. But it is also possible that they were converted at one time but lost their salvation, and Christ never knew them in the sense that He could never be sure how they would act. In any event, this is a stark warning that we must live the Way of Life to which we have been called.

In his valedictory, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 that he was faithful until the end: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” Paul said that he had finished the race. He had been faithful to the end. He had made it, showing that it was necessary to do these things throughout his life.

In Hebrews 2:1 we read: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” Proponents of the “once saved, always saved” concept try to minimise what disqualified really means but in 2 Corinthians 13:5 we read: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified (adikomos).”  Therefore, if you are disqualified, Jesus Christ is not (any longer) in you which is something that must be, in order to be a true Christian.

There are three aspects of salvation, and these are:

1. We are saved now.   After we repent and are baptised, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).   At that point, we are saved from the penalty of death from our past sins.   However, it doesn’t mean that we are finally saved and that we could not lose the salvation which we did receive.
2. We are being saved – it is a process of growing in grace and knowledge.
3. To be finally saved, we must endure to the end.

Webster defines salvation as: “The saving of man from the spiritual consequences of sin; especially deliverance from sin and eternal damnation.” We read this: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).   In the Authorized Version, it states that “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

1. We are saved now!

Let us look at some Scriptures which reflect this position.

1 Corinthians 15:2: “… you are saved IF you hold fast that word which I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.”  Holding fast indicates that salvation can be lost. We are saved now but must remain saved by steadfast continuance in the Word of God.

Ephesians 2:5: “even when we were dead in trespasses, [He] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” The Greek says here, “you are in a saved state.” Not merely, “you are being saved.” However, it doesn’t just stop there and it isn’t just a simple case of belief and faith. There are conditions which we will discuss later.  As long as we are growing, overcoming and being faithful to God we are in a “saved state” but this state can be lost if we leave “the narrow way,” as Jesus pointed out in Matthew 7:13-14.

Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Again, we are saved now, but that faith must be living faith because faith without works is dead (James 2:17; see also verses 14-26 which discuss this whole issue). This is not a once and for all scenario where salvation can’t be lost, as it would contradict ALL of the other Scriptures that clearly teach that salvation is a process.

In 2 Timothy 1:9 we read the phrase “who has saved us.” We are saved at the time, but can lose out if “we neglect so great a salvation” (please see Hebrews 2:3).

Titus 3:5: “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Again, we are saved at the time, but can lose out if “we neglect so great a salvation” – as referenced previously.   We are in a special category and our salvation is sure if we continue faithfully following God and His ways.

2. We are being saved!

Acts 2:47: “… And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” This is indicating a process. The Authorized Version says: “… such as should be saved.” This is a conditional tense – indicating conditions and not a fait accompli.

1 Corinthians 1:18: “… but to us who are being saved (indicating a process) it is the power of God.”

2 Corinthians 2:15: “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved (again indicating a process) and among those who are perishing.”

3. To be finally saved, we must endure to the end!

Matthew 10:22: “… But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

Matthew 24:13: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

Mark 13:13: “… But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

Mark 16:16: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved…”

In Colossians 1:21-23, we read about the apostle Paul reminding the brethren, both then and now, that we have to continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, not a lukewarm “Christian” who has strayed far from the course that God intends that we pursue earnestly. It reads: “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

1 Timothy 1:19: “… having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck.” If a ship is no longer seaworthy, it sinks.

Hebrews 3:6: “… but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.”

In Hebrews 3:12-14, it does talk about the possibility of church members departing from the living God but needing to be steadfast to the end: “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.”

Hebrews 6:15, when talking about Abraham, states: “And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” Had Abraham not patiently endured, he would not have obtained the promise. Endurance is vital.

Hebrews 10:36: “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”

In Hebrews 12:1, 4, we read: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us… You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.”

God wants Christians to continually strive to put sin out of their lives. If we are to become Spirit-born members of God’s Family, we must prove that we will obey God here and now by striving with all of our heart, mind and strength, and together with God’s help, to put sin out of our lives and keep it out! It’s a full-time job that continues for the rest of our natural lives.

2 John 1:8: “ Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.”

Revelation 2:26: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.” The very obvious indication here is that those who don’t overcome and don’t keep His works until the end will not be in the Kingdom of God and will not have power over the nations.

Revelation 3:10: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” It is a command of God to persevere as the Scripture here clearly reveals.

Let us look at an analogy that someone gave that may be helpful.  Supposing that you were shipwrecked, along came another ship and you were saved. This wouldn’t mean that once saved, always saved, as you could be shipwrecked for the second time and would need to be rescued once again. You were originally saved and needed to make sure that you continued to avoid getting into a position where you could be shipwrecked again. Likewise, we are in the process of being saved but we can lose out. We must make sure that we continue in the faith. Our salvation is sure if we continue faithfully but is lost if we neglect it (Hebrews 2:3).

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

This subject has been covered, over the years, in sermons and other material, and in our Statement of Beliefs, you will find the following:

“Our doctrines and practices are based upon a literal understanding of the teachings revealed in the entire Bible. We believe that the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments are God’s revelation of His Will to man, inspired in thought and word, and infallible in the original writings; that said Scriptures are the supreme and final authority in faith and life, the source of Truth and the foundation of all knowledge.”

We have also produced a booklet entitled “Old Testament Laws – Still Valid Today?” and another booklet with the title “God’s Law…Or God’s Grace?” plus many other booklets that will reflect our belief in the inerrancy of the Bible; that it is without error or fault in all its teaching. We also produced a Q&A in January 2006 which addressed the question: “In the Bible, God gives specific instructions and commandments. But weren’t Paul’s writings driven by the prevailing culture at that time?” This is still available on our website, where the question is thoroughly answered.

However, there are numerous people and church organisations who feel that they can “pick and mix.”   Let us give you an example of such an approach.

In 2004, the Roman Catholic Church in the UK produced a paper to present in Rome, entitled “The Gift of Scripture”. These are some brief comments on this subject taken from the ekklesia website. The headline on September 14, 2005, was: “Catholics encouraged to give emphasis to the Bible.”  It then went on to say the following:

“Roman Catholics throughout Britain are being encouraged to reaffirm the Bible as foundational for their faith, and to make its critical appreciation a key part of their discipleship and church identity. The Gift of Scripture provides an explanation of Catholic teaching on the Bible. The 60-page booklet outlines the basic principles by which it is interpreted, and gives guidance on some difficult questions which arise, says the Catholic Communications Network.”

Four books of the Bible came in for some heavy criticism – Genesis, Exodus, Proverbs and Revelation – and they feel that the first two chapters of Genesis are contradictory rather than complementary.

On page 27 of their document, when talking about the book of Exodus, they state that “The entry into the promised land is seen as a fulfilment of the divine promise, but the narratives raise serious theological questions.”

The book of Proverbs does not escape their criticism – they say: “Some proverbs are profound and weighty, while others are somewhat trivial.”

Then, of course, there’s the book of Revelation. They say, on page 48: “Such symbolic language must be respected for what it is, and not be interpreted literally.   We should not expect to discover in this book details about the end of the world.”

In the Times in October 2004, the religious correspondent observed that “the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church – in the UK – has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.”

On the website catholicplanet there is “A Critical Review of the Document ‘The Gift of Scripture’” by Ronald L. Conte Jr.  from November 14, 2005 where he writes:

“In summary, it is a heresy (and not a new one), which has been repeatedly condemned by successive Roman Pontiffs, to claim that the Bible is only infallible in matters pertaining to salvation, or only to faith and morals. Yet this document, called ‘The Gift of Scripture,’ not only displays a clear belief in this heresy, but also presumes to teach the same heresy, along with various other errors, as if such was the teaching of Christ.

“Furthermore, most of the text of GS (Gift of Scripture) treats the Bible as if it were merely a set of human books, containing errors, contradictions, and imperfect, time-conditioned human ideas. Despite some paragraphs that proclaim the Divine inspiration of Scripture, most of the document speaks as if it were merely a human book.”

It would appear that not everyone agreed with this booklet, including those within the Catholic church itself.

There is so much criticism from atheists and agnostics who feel that the Bible is not true in whole or part, as well as many “Christians” who will take the parts they like and dismiss those parts that don’t quite suit them.

On the website bibleinfo we read: “When the 66 books of the Bible with their 1,189 chapters made up of 31,173 verses are brought together (in the KJV), we find perfect harmony in the message they convey. As the great scholar F. F. Bruce noted: ‘The Bible is not simply an anthology; there is a unity which binds the whole together.’ In addition, Dr E L Towns noted that ‘there were numerous authors writing over a period of about sixteen hundred years and representing fifty-five generations and even though these authors represent a great diversity of occupations and ethnic/sociological backgrounds, the unified structure and theme of the Bible suggest there is one Mind who put it all together – God Himself, the Author of Scripture.’”

It is an incredible document.

We read in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Inspiration is from the Greek word “theopneustos” which is translated “divinely breathed” which clearly shows the source.

Whom do we believe?   God – the author of the Bible or Roman Catholic Bishops or anyone else who have their own ideas about which bits in the Bible they like and which bits they don’t?

The problem with some is that they can take the “social and cultural norms of the time” approach that allows the culture of the day to become more important than God’s clear instructions!   That’s dangerous ground!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He says: “For I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6) and the Word of God, likewise, is unchangeable. We can’t “cherrypick” Scripture. We must take the Bible in its entirety and that includes Paul’s writings which are now part of Scripture and which cannot be dismissed as only applicable to his own time. If we do take the approach that we can have this bit of Scripture but discard another bit, then we become the arbiters of what is right and what should be in the Bible. We have neither the ability to so discern – nor do we have authority. And as for casting doubt on certain books in the Bible, that is nothing new.

Martin Luther, the 16th century German theologian, was frustrated by the works-emphasis, as he saw it, of the book of James, calling it “the Epistle of Straw”, and questioned its canonicity.   He was also irritated with the complex symbolism of the Book of Revelation and once said that it too, was not canon, and that it should be thrown into the river!   Apparently, he later retracted these statements, but it does show that leading figures have had their doubts about certain portions of the Bible that do not fit in with their own ideas.

In Acts 24:14 we read that Paul had no doubt about the validity of God’s Word: “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.”

Paul believed ALL things written in the law and the prophets. There is no doubt here at all. Did he, one of the great men of the Bible, cast any doubt on Scripture? Not at all, and neither should anyone else who purports to be a Christian!

Jesus Christ also showed that He believed in the inerrancy of the Word of God. When He was tested three times by Satan as we read in Matthew 4:1-11, He said, four times “It is written”, referring to the Old Testament. He also made a statement in John 10:35: “… the Scripture cannot be broken.” In Matthew 5:18, He further asserted: “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”

The Catholic Bishops emphasised in their paper the human dimension of Scripture. But the Bible has something to say on this aspect too. In 2 Peter 1:20-21 we read: “… knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

As one internet commentator wrote: “He (that is Peter) wrote these words not long before his martyrdom. They emerge not only from his personal experience of being taught directly by Christ Himself, but also from several decades of His Christian life afterwards. These words were tested by long years of living experience. Under God’s inspiration, this is the true testimony of an authentic apostle of Jesus Christ.”

The Bishops – all of them – are answered from Scripture. We know that when Jesus Christ was tempted by the Devil, He answered not by human reasoning but by quoting the Word of God.   That is the way to respond, not making up our own arguments that can come from fallible human reasoning and pre-conceived ideas – but straight from the Word of God.  Isaiah 28:10 states: “Here a little, there a little”, as we have long understood that the Bible interprets itself for those with eyes to see.

In Deuteronomy 12:32 is a warning: “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” In Revelation 22:18-19 is another warning: “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

The message of the Bible is complete and needs no extra attention from anyone.

What rebukes these are to those who treat the message carelessly or think that they have answers or input over and above that which is clearly stated in the Word of God! We know that these Bishops, and others, are not being called now – their fruits clearly show that they are not in step with the Word of God, but they will have their opportunity in due course, because God is fair.

In the meantime, those of us who have been called into the true Church of God must make sure that we don’t treat the Word of God lightly and that we revere ALL Scripture.   Anything less and we will be in serious trouble!

Yes, we do believe the Bible in its entirety!

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

One correspondent wrote to us: “If you rest on the seventh day you do well, but New Testament churches very obviously functioned on the first day of the week. Acts makes consistent, repeated, and clear use of ‘the first day of the week’ (check out Acts 20:6,7 & 1 Cor.16:1,2…).”

Let us look at those two scriptures that have been used to think that the first day of the week was kept rather than the Sabbath. We need to keep in mind that the biblical Sabbath is the time span from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. The Bible calls it the seventh day or the last day of the week. On the other hand, Sunday is the first day of the week, even though some mistakenly refer to it as the “Sabbath.”

Acts 20:6-7 reads: “But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.  Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”

In verse 6, it mentions the Days of Unleavened Bread which shows that the annual Holy Days were being kept many years after Christ’s crucifixion. In verse 7, the first day of the week was on Saturday evening after the weekly Sabbath had ended when they were breaking bread which just means that they were having a meal. To use this to say that Sunday had replaced the Sabbath is not something that is upheld by any informed historical source.

For an in-depth explanation of this passage, see our Q&A on Acts 20:7.

In the New Testament, we read a number of instances about the Sabbath in the book of Acts 13:14, 27, 42-44; 15:21; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4 and it is mentioned 58 times in all.

We read about the uproar over circumcision in Acts 15 where the apostles and elders came together (verse 6) to discuss this matter in Jerusalem. Just think of the furore that there would have been had the keeping of the weekly Sabbath been in dispute, but there is no such mention in the Bible. This would have been an even bigger matter had that been the case, but it simply didn’t happen.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 states: “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

This is about a collection for the saints which was done on a Sunday – the first day of the week.   There was a famine in Judea and church members (saints) were in need of food.   This collection was done on a common workday, not on a holy Sabbath day.  Some churches have used this as a means of Sunday church collections but this is a complete misunderstanding of what this was all about.   It was the first day of the week, Sunday, and is not the Lord’s day; just the first day of the week. Further, no money was being collected, but food was to be stored (1 Corinthians 16:2; Romans 15:26-28) to be brought to the brethren in Jerusalem who needed food.

From the sabbathtruth website we read the following:

“In order to make the gospel more attractive to non-Christians, pagan customs were incorporated into the church’s ceremonies. The custom of Sunday worship was welcomed by Christians who desired to differentiate themselves from the Jews, whom they hated because of the Jews’ rejection of the Savior. The first day of the week began to be recognized as both a religious and civil holiday. By the end of the second century, Christians considered it sinful to work on Sunday.”

We can see that Sunday was slowly introduced, but the early New Testament Church of God did keep the Sabbath during the first century.

Interestingly, many quote Revelation 1:10: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day”, which is the theme of the book. This is not, in any way, Scriptural authority for Sunday keeping.  In the previous verse (Revelation 1:9), we read that John was “on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Joel 2:1 reads as follows: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand.”  The day of the Lord is a time which will begin just prior to the return of Jesus Christ, and the book of Revelation (a revealing) is about the future just ahead of us now.

Some cite John 20:19 for the idea that the disciples conducted a Sunday worship service. However, the passage reveals that they had assembled at evening, when the doors were shut for fear of the Jews. They did not meet for a worship service, but they were hiding from the Jews.

There are many admissions by other churches, including the Roman Catholic church which acknowledges the seventh-day Sabbath. Here are just two examples of many:

“It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians, that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church” (Priest Brady, in an address, reported in the Elizabeth, NJ ‘News’ on March 18, 1903).

Dr. Edward Hiscox, author of The Baptist Manual, wrote the following:

“There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not on Sunday… It will be said, however, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week… where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament. Of course, I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early Christian history as a religious day, as we learn from the Christian Fathers and other sources. But what a pity that it comes branded with the mark of paganism, and christened with the name of a sun god, when adopted and sanctioned by the papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism!”

At a later time, “The Roman emperor Constantine, a former sun-worshiper, professed conversion to Christianity, though his subsequent actions suggest the ‘conversion’ was more of a political move than a genuine heart change. Constantine named himself Bishop of the Catholic Church and enacted the first civil law regarding Sunday observance in A.D. 321.”

Coming back to the original question, “Did the New Testament show that the early Church kept the First Day of the Week?” The answer is a categorical no!  There are Scriptural references about the first day of the week and not one of them is referenced as being a holy day; it was, quite simply, an ordinary day.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

In a previous Q&A “How Long Did it Take Noah to Build the Ark?” it was shown, applying several assumptions, that it could not have taken more than 75 years to build the ark – not the 120 years that some have assumed.   Nevertheless, that is a considerable amount of time.

In Genesis 6:15, we read about the specific dimensions that God gave to Noah: “And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.” Wikipedia states that “The Near Eastern or Biblical cubit is usually estimated as approximately 457.2 mm (18 in).” Therefore, applying this to the ark, the length would be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.

A newspaper report in July 2016 gave details about a project that had recently completed in the USA. It read: “A $100 million representation of Noah’s Ark opened to ticket holders Thursday in Williamstown, Kentucky, but critics say the religious enterprise shouldn’t have received government tax breaks.

“The massive exhibit, claimed to be the largest timber frame structure in the world, sits on the grounds of a Christian theme park, Ark Encounter, a for-profit enterprise founded by Ken Ham. He said the park is an evangelical tool aimed at teaching creationism, a literal interpretation of the Bible’s Book of Genesis. The ark is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, constructed based on dimensions derived from scripture, Ham said. Its three decks span more than 120,000 square feet. ‘It is much more than you can ever imagine,’ Ham said. ‘When you see the architectural algorithms you need, engineering diagrams … and all the supporters, thousands upon thousands of supporters who financially made this possible … I mean it’s amazing.’”

It can be seen from this report that they have used a cubit slightly larger than 18 inches. It is 510 feet (155 m) long, 85 feet (26 m) wide, and 51 feet (16 m).

The entire ark project took 18 months to complete. To meet the deadline, additional workers and specialists were required and about 1,000 people worked on the project overall, with more than 300 people working on site at one time.   If that was the case, how could Noah and his family have built this in 75 years or less, and without all of the modern equipment that man has at his disposal today?

It is important to keep in mind, that however large or difficult an assignment might be, God would not ask anyone to do something that was impossible to do.

One online commentator has made an assumption that if only Noah and his three sons were available to work, the situation would be as follows: He has worked out the overall volume of the ark, and applied a worst case scenario that 20% of the ark’s volume was worked, lumber that the four men had to gather, transport to the construction site and do the necessary shaping and install.  He further states: “An experienced crew of four could have installed, we assume, an average of 15 cubic feet of wood per day. If anything, this estimate seems low, but this is the worst case and it would take sixty-five years under this worst case scenario!  A big job, yes, but Noah was a faithful man, and accomplished the task. By applying these calculations, it can be seen that it is entirely possible to complete the task as required.”

Even if more than the four men were needed to do all of the work, maybe the four wives could have helped and Noah could have employed local workers, who may well have been sceptical but who may have taken the opportunity to work and get paid for their work. The Bible simply does not make any reference to whether or not there were others who might have helped or not. It only says that God told Noah to build the ark—but not, that he had to do it alone.

What about the necessary equipment to make such a large boat?  We must never forget that Noah was told by God to do this job under His divine direction.

On a website about ancient technology, we find these selected comments:

“(In addition to Egypt,) high levels of manufacturing and building technology are evident in ancient cultures of China, India, South America and many other places. Obviously most has been lost over the years, so we must assume there was even more on offer than we are aware of.

“History demonstrates that technology usually takes a few centuries to mature. For example, the development of the Greek trireme (an ancient Greek or Roman war galley with three banks of oars) in the climate of competing marine empires resulted in the huge ships over 100m long. History also shows technology is easily lost when a civilization changes or crumbles, such as the demise of the huge Chinese junks due to a change of government policy. With this in mind, it should be safe to presume that the pre-flood manufacturing expertise was higher than the best Egyptian culture (which had to regain momentum after the flood). This is quite a high level of technology, in many ways challenging even the much later Greek and Roman civilizations.”

This website also covers timber processing: “Noah, a healthy 500-year-old with an extremely Godly heritage, should be smart and capable. How about a simple, low tech animal powered saw? For working with timber, Noah might have had some sort of milling saw, a variety of smaller hand-saws for detail work, chisels, the axe and/or adze (a tool similar to an axe), and hand drills for dowels and spike/nail pilot holes, metal wedges for splitting timber, and the good old hammer.”

Also covered by this website is a piece about ovens, as follows: “The working of steel implies very high temperatures were achievable. This requires purpose-built furnaces.  Firing of pottery is trivial compared to melting or producing steel. Metal spikes may have been used to join structural timbers in certain critical areas of the hull of Noah’s Ark.  Steel tools are permitted; Tubal-Cain was doing this long before Noah came on the scene. Bronze or other copper based alloys could be the prominent metal, although the short working life of the ark and pitch coating would make steel acceptable. Heat was probably required for production or preparation of the pitch coating – although a much lower ‘cooking’ temperature.”

In a National Geographic piece, titled, “Unconventional ideas of Egyptian lifting methods”, they state the following: “Rope is valid, like the Egyptian ropes of grasses, papyrus etc. Wooden pulleys are very effective and easily fabricated, no problem for the Egyptians either. Methods of lifting were obviously employed in the raising of 300 tonnes obelisks in Egypt. For example, ‘the Vatican in 1586 moved a 330-ton Egyptian obelisk to St. Peter’s Square. It is known that lifting the stone into vertical position required 74 horses and 900 men using ropes and pulleys.’”

We must also remember that the ancient pyramids in Egypt were built without the aid of all of the modern equipment that enables such wonders to be built today.

Not too long after the flood, we read in Genesis 11:6: “And the LORD said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.’” The indication is that unless they were stopped, mankind would move ahead quickly to do great things, and so God took the appropriate action at that time by confusing the language.

If Noah building the ark is still considered impossible by some, thinking that it didn’t, or couldn’t happen, then the veracity of God’s Word is questioned.   As we have said on so many occasions, if one part of the Bible is wrong, then the rest cannot be trusted either!   Noah and his family (perhaps with the help of hired workers) did build the ark because God commanded them to do so and we have the biblical record of this.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

Let us look at the passage of Scripture that gives us a view of the problem that had caused such anguish for God. Genesis 6:3 is very revealing:

“And the LORD said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’”

There have been two different explanations over the years about the period of 120 years, and it is worth reviewing these first.

Some believe that this period of 120 years was the maximum time that men would live in the future. Up until this time, many had lived way beyond 120 years – note that Adam lived until he was 930, Seth 912, Enosh 905, Cainan 910, Mahalalel 895, Jared 962, Enoch 365, Methuselah 969, Lamech 777 and Noah 500 (see Genesis, chapter 5). However, after the Flood we read that Noah lived a further 350 years; Shem lived until he was 600, Arphaxad 438, Salah 433, Eber 464, Peleg 239, Reu 239, Serug 230, Nahor 148, Terah 205 (all of these are shown in Genesis 11), Abraham 175, Isaac 180.

Secondly, many others believe that the 120 years was the time that God gave mankind before the Flood was to destroy everyone on the earth except the eight people who went into the ark.   If we look at the reason why this was to happen, it would appear from the context that it is not the longevity of mankind but is, more likely, to be applicable to the time humanity had before the Flood would occur. Many Bible scholars feel that God was giving mankind 120 years in which to repent of their wrong way of life, after which would come judgment for their wickedness.

As mentioned, Genesis 6:3 refers to the 120 years.   There is no Scriptural reference that God instructed Noah, at this same time, to immediately build the ark.  God made this decision at a time that was separate to the subsequent instruction to build the ark.  We read the instruction in Genesis 6:14-18:

“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.  And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.  You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.”

Noah was told to build an ark – and for him, his sons, his wife and his sons’ wives with him to go into the ark – his sons must have been born and married at the time this instruction was made and the promise given.

Genesis, chapter 5, gives the genealogy from Adam to Noah, and in verse 32 we read that Noah was five hundred years old and begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  It is interesting to read of the events of Genesis 6:1-7 which took place and which caused God such anguish, and in verse 9 Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” as he would not have been involved in all of the ungodly activity that made God pronounce His displeasure and condemnation in verse 3.

We read in Genesis 11:10: “This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was 100 years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.” This leads to the conclusion that Shem was 98 years old when the flood ended, and 97 when the flood began.  In Genesis 7:11 we are told that the flood began in the 600th year of Noah’s life, meaning that he must have fathered Shem when he was 503.  We understand from Genesis 6:18 that God did not instruct Noah to build the ark until after his sons were born, and after they had wives of their own.  Let us make an assumption (which we have to do as Scripture does not give exact dates) that Noah fathered his three sons in three consecutive years which would mean that his last son would be born when he was 505 years old.

We have to make further assumptions as to the age when his sons married.   Let us say that Noah’s three sons were around 20 years old when they married; this would mean that Noah would be around 525 when God instructed him to build the ark.  Noah was 600 years old when the flood came and this would mean that the building of the ark could not have taken more than 75 years – not the 120 years that some have assumed.   In fact, this figure could be less if the assumptions made about the birth of the three sons was not as quick as calculated and the age that they married was greater than the assumed age of 20.   In fact, it is legitimate to make these assumptions because the biblical record is silent on these matters.   However, it is unmistakable that the time needed to build the ark was nowhere near the 120 years that some have assumed.

When reviewing the 120 years of Genesis 6:3, we find that this goes back to the time when Noah was 480 years old, not 500, simply because the Bible reveals that Noah was 500 when he began having sons (Genesis 5:32) but this does not mean that God could not have begun communicating earlier about what He had in mind at a later time.

In brief summary:

God must have first spoken to Noah at age 480

1. Noah sired sons from the age of 500
2. His three sons were married
3. God gave the commission to Noah to build the ark for “you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.”
4. Noah was 600 when he entered the ark
5. The 120 years of God’s patience with mankind at that time ended when Noah entered the ark at age 600
6. The maximum time that it took to build the ark would be around 75 years – or less.

This is an interesting subject, but whatever the exact time it took to build the ark, it is only of academic interest and is a non-salvational matter.   However, the story of Noah’s Ark is a warning that we can take from the historical record showing how God hates sin and the sinful ways of man.   It may not be too long now before God sends Christ back to this earth to destroy man’s sinful ways and societies once again but, this time, He will usher in the wonderful Kingdom of God.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)