IF

The two “if’s”. The two, Oh so mission critical, if’s!

It is easy to overlook the significance of a little, two letter word. But brevity lends to clarity which is the hallmark stamp of truth. Jesus brought this point home at the Sermon on the Mount.

“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” (Matthew 5:37).

The word, “if” is a conditional clause. It is a stipulation or a proviso. Pay close attention to the “if” in the following two passages. Most folks miss it. Here’s the first verse.

“Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.” (Hebrews 3:7-9)

The Evangelist says if we will hear God’s voice and not harden our heart. In other words when we hear the word of God and we receive Him into our heart and our spirit. This is the first step in our salvation, receiving God into our heart (spirit) and life. Unfortunately, this is where most folks stop listening and stop thinking. It is at this point that the dangerous belief and philosophy of, “Once saved, Always saved” is born.

What must be understood is in our second verse, verse 14.

“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end” (Hebrews 3:14)

The Evangelist makes clear that when we hear God’s voice and harden not our hearts that we are made partakers of Christ. Now look at the “if”. This is the provision, the stipulation. If we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end”. In short, if we persevere in Jesus all throughout our life. That’s a big if. Can we do it? Can we stay in Christ during the course of our entire life?

Being saved goes beyond the baptismal. Too many think in terms of a contract or a deal. They think they have agreed to the terms and conditions of Christianity and that the baptism is the signature that’s required at the bottom of the of the contract. Once signed, it’s a done deal and I don’t have to worry about this Christianity thing anymore. I’ve made the arrangements to go to heaven. I’ve booked the flight, I just have to wait for the unannounced and unexpected departure time. 

Wrong! 

This is what the “Once saved, always saved” folks believe. It is rooted in a Pharisaical, Catholic mindset of law, works and deeds, punishment and reward. I sin. I do something to atone for that sin. I go to heaven. And if I want to be priestly or saintly, I might even do more good deeds than necessary.

Wrong!

One of the reasons for our confidence in our salvation is that the Evangelist tells us to be confident! He says, “if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end”.

But as happens so frequently in the Bible, words don’t always mean what we think they mean. The word confidence is transliterated from the Greek, “hypostasis”. This is a composite word of “under” and “foundation”. It’s a reference to a substructure, subflooring, or as in a foundation to a building.

Hypostasis is more commonly known as the word “substance” from Hebrews 11:1. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Both in the Hebrews Chapter 11 verse and here in the Hebrews Chapter 3 verse, hypostasis is a reference to the same thing. Our faith in Christ as the ground floor in which we build our lifelong relationship with Him. This is the substance or confidence we are to hold steadfastly onto throughout our life. Without this substructure footing and foundation of Jesus to start with and adhere to, no matter what we may build, at some point in time the entire thing will crumble down to the ground.

Have we not all seen someone lose their religion? Have we not all seen someone stumble and fall and never return to the way, the truth, and the light?

Does not the parable of the sower tell us this will happen? There are four examples of the seed (the word) being sown in this parable. All but one of the examples has the word planted and rooted in the person. Three of the Four received the word of God! But two didn’t persevere in it! Understand what was just said.

Here’s the parable of the sower in a nutshell. You can find it in Matthew 13: 3-23

First the seed fell by the wayside and the birds (the devil) immediately scooped it up. Why? Because the person didn’t understand the word and never received it. The word just fell to the ground. “For many are called, but few are chosen”. (Matthew 22:14)

Then the seed falls into stony ground without much dirt. The word starts to grow and build. But as Jesus said, “Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while” (Matthew 13:21).

Did you catch that? The word was received, took root, and began to grow, “but dureth for a while”. Their relationship with Christ was just for a while. Then the troubles of the world and the persecution from being a Christian began and this person fell out of the way. For many are called, but few are chosen.

The third person already had a life among the thorns, but even still, he heard the word and it took root. But his love and the lust of the world was too much and, “choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22). This person of thorns also had become a follower of Christ, for a while, but eventually fell out of the way. For many are called, but few are chosen.

Finally, the fourth person. “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:23). This person heard the word and received it. The word took root and grew and produced much fruit throughout his life. For many are called, but few are chosen.

The sower tells the story of four people. One was never a Christian. Another always was. This is generally what we think happens, that you either hear and receive Christ or you don’t. This is our black and white, cut and dried, mindset. But there is a third type. It is those who receive Christ, but do not endure in Christ. These people do not persevere to the end.

Jesus once again describes those of stony and thorny ground when He foretells of the destruction of the Temple and of the end of Jewish polity.

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:12-13)

There, Jesus says it himself. “he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Folks, our religion is a relationship, first with God and then with all others. This is an ongoing relationship, one that lasts forever. That’s right, it doesn’t stop or start at our physical death. Our forever has already begun. We have to work the relationship. This is not a static proposition. We do not just agree to the terms and conditions of Christ and presto, we are a Christian for the rest of our life.

Think marriage. You didn’t stop your involvement and efforts with your spouse at the alter did you? No, it has only begun then. You now must spend the rest of your life in conscious effort to maintain and grow that relationship. The proof is in the pudding. Your true sentiments towards your spouse are revealed with what you do and how you act over time. Time will show your true love and devotion.

By now some are saying, “But no one can lose their salvation neither can anyone or anything steal it away”.

That is correct. As Jesus said while praying to God, “those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost” (John 17:12). Special note here. Notice Jesus said that He has kept all those that God gave has given Him. For many are called, but few are chosen. God has His elect and has foreknown them since before time. By the way, election is not merit based. We can’t earn our salvation.

The question to be asked, that every Christian will ask, “Am I really saved?” This is a question, a good question that only you can ask about yourself, to yourself and Christ. While its scripturally correct that we judge a tree by the fruit that it bears, don’t forget the fig tree that Jesus cursed because it only gave the appearance of bearing fruit.

But this goes beyond intentionally trying to fool the world or leading a hypocritical “Christian” life. Every honest and true Christian will wonder and doubt if they are truly saved.

It was Augustine who some 1,600 years ago who pointed out that Jesus was showing us how to persevere in our relationship with Him. Augustine points directly at what is referred to as the Lord’s Prayer as proof. Jesus is guiding us back to Him.

Here is the prayer.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

In this prayer Jesus Christ is showing us what needs to happen for us to, “be saved” and “endure unto the end”. It is most important to understand that this is not some incantation, neither is this a works and deeds check list or some schedule to follow. We cannot work our way to salvation. If we could, then there would be no need for the gift of grace which means there would be no need for Jesus Christ.

By grace and not of works was a very important topic to the Apostle Paul. He said, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” (Romans 11:6)

The Lord’s Prayer is our plea for divine intervention and prescription for being. What we do should be the result of who we are. It is the spirit, our spirit that God is interested in. It should be our spirit in concert with the Holy Spirit that moves us to act. When this is the case, God will recognize it as divine.  Any act without this spirit as the originator is of no consequence, even if it’s a good deed. What we do must be God filled with the intent and purpose with God and/or another in mind. Our actions should be Godly. The manifestation of our deeds should flow naturally from within, void of any self-interest.

Let’s look at the Lord’s Prayer and see why it is a prescription for enduring until the end.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” The word Father that is used here connotes both the Lord as a Dad and God. His name, or in other words His entire being is holy, venerable, and righteous. The prayer begins by recognizing this fact.

“Thy will be done”. It is God’s will and not our merits that determines our salvation. It strictly by His will that He sent His Son to save us. We stumbled and fell. We went against His will. But it is by His will that Jesus paid the price for our sins at the cross and it is by His will that He shows us how to endure, how to preserver to the end.

Now look at the plea for endurance:

“Give us our daily bread”-The word of God is the bread of life.

“Forgive us our debts”-The Old Testament made us aware of sin. In the New Testament it was Jesus and His grace which saves us.

“as we forgive our debtors”. God forgave us. We are to be God like and forgive others.

Remember the parable of the unforgiving debtor? The king showed compassion for a servant that owed him money by not imprisoning him. To get money to pay the king back, the servant imprisoned someone that owed him money. 

The king learns of what the servant did and said, “O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.” (Matthew 18:32-34)

We pray to God for Him to forgive our debts. We are to do likewise with those who owe us, and think beyond just financial debt.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. God is in control. Whether we realize or not, God is always leading us away from unrighteousness and to righteousness, which is the way to Him. The problem comes in when we think we know best. When we aren’t tuned in to God by not being in His word, not being in prayer and not working our relationship with Him. A lot of our struggles in life are caused by us resisting God’s will. Just remember that we may resist, but we cannot win a war of wills with God.

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Now just pause and think about this for a moment. Everything is God’s domain. Everything and everywhere. There is no place where we don’t find God and that is not His kingdom.

God is power. This power is an all-encompassing, omnipresent power. It is strength and energy. It is also capability and capacity. Just like God’s kingdom is without border, so is His power in terms of what it can do and to the degree in which He can do it.

The Lord’s Prayer is powerful. If we believe in it and strive to not just do the things of the prayer, but strive to become them, then we will be partakers of Christ and will endure to the end. There will be no “if’ about it.

Bill Hitchcock