This truth should
get our attention. Regardless of how you
understand the issue of eternal security of the soul, we must hear what this
verse says. The fact of the matter is, if
righteous people turn away from the Lord and live lives of sin, they will die
in their sins. Whether or not one’s
previous righteousness will still get them into heaven only the Lord really
knows. He alone knows those who are
worthy to be with Him throughout eternity.
Can righteous people
turn to sinful ways and act like other sinners?
This verse seems to suggest they can.
We cannot go beyond what the Scripture says. We know that there are those amongst the
righteous who do turn away from God and go their own way. There are those who end up denying the faith
and live sinful lives. Were they ever
saved? Only the Lord knows the answer to
that. All I know is what the Word proclaims.
This verse tells us
that all the previous goodness of the righteous who turn from God will be
forgotten. It’s a hard truth to
digest. Other people can debate what it
means. Should we make a distinction
between a person’s righteousness and his goodness (see Ezekiel 33:13)? All I know is that God says what He means and
means what He says. Does the fact that
we live under grace and not the law change this truth? I am not smart enough to give an absolute
answer to that one. We are told that
their previous goodness will be forgotten and they will die for their sins.
One thing is for
certain. I do not want to die for my
sins. In order for us to avoid this, we
must strive to live righteously at all times.
When we are living submissively to Christ, this is a non-issue for us. The Lord blesses and rewards those who live
godly lives. When we live righteously
before God and die in our righteousness, we will be ushered into heaven when we
die. There is no debating the destiny of
those who do not wander away from God.
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