AMAREL - It means "The Message or Word of God"

   For many years there has been a huge controversy over the issue of salvation for those who believe in YAHUSHUA (Jesus) as The Messiah of YAHWEH. Some are inclined to say, “Once you’re saved you are always saved.” Many of you have heard this statement countless times. The concept is called “eternal security”. Those who take this position believe there is nothing that can cause you to lose your salvation. They're inclined to argue strongly over the idea that they're “right”, and, if you disagree with them, you are “wrong”. Unfortunately, this is found among "the traditions of men", not within The Word of YAHWEH.
   There's another understanding of Scripture held by others. There exists the very real possibility that it is indeed possible to “lose” your salvation. The significance of this belief is very powerful and vitally important to anyone who calls themselves a Christian or a Believer in YAHUSHUA as The Messiah of YAHWEH. This article is written to help you consider both sides of the issue, and to form (or re-form) your own conclusions.
    First and foremost: stop and take some time to pray about this. Ask YAHWEH to teach you, by His Holy Spirit, the truth that is His Truth, not “man’s truth”. Ask Him to grant you wisdom, discernment, and knowledge on this very important issue. Then, when you have prayed about these things, get your Bible and read every Scripture you can find on the subject. There are a lot of references to these ideas in Scripture, and no attempt is made to include them all in this article. But after you read it you’ll have an idea of what to look for. You simply cannot know what YAHWEH desires unless you know what His Word says on a given subject. He has given us the responsibility to “rightly divide” His Word of Truth - with His freely offered help of course. Please try to keep an open mind as you explore this subject. Try to set aside any pre-conceived notions and just look for YAHWEH’s view on this subject.
    There are two verses in Romans that most believers are familiar with. Rom. 3.23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of YAHWEH." And Rom. 5.12:  "Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned."  There are some additional passages that provide this same understanding. Psalm 14.3:  "They are all gone aside, they have all together become filthy : there is none that does good, no, not one."  Psalm 53.3:  "Every one of them is gone back: they have altogether become filthy; there is none that does good, no, not one."  Romans 3.10-12:  "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understands; there is none that seeks after YAHWEH. 12 They are all gone out of the way (off the path), they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one." 
    These verses, and many others like them, confirm the reality that there is not one person who is alive, or ever has been (with the exception of YAHUSHUA, The Messiah) who has never sinned against YAHWEH, or will never do so in the future. It is very important to understand this, for salvation in The Messiah is totally focused upon this Truth. It is precisely because of this Truth that YAHUSHUA came to live among us, to suffer and die for our sins – paying our penalty for us, and to be raised from death in victory over the powers of sin and death. That’s the fundamental issue true salvation deals with.
    Now, since every one who has ever lived, or ever will, is guilty of sin against YAHWEH, we must also deal with the consequences of that sin. Again we turn to Romans. This time to Rom. 6.23: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of YAHWEH is eternal life through YAHUSHUA, The Messiah, our Sovereign." The wages of sin is death. And that death involves both the physical death and a spiritual death. The first separates us from our physical life and our bodies. The second separates us from YAHWEH. Thus, death is really a separation from something, or perhaps more correctly someone.
    Having identified that we are all guilty of sin, and that we must all die because of it, we come to some further consequences connected to sin. The most important one is judgment. Every person will stand before YAHWEH and give an account of their lives – both the believer and the non-believer. Most of us recognize the Bible teaches that those who choose to believe in The Messiah will receive a pardon for their sin, and the reward is eternal life in the presence of YAHWEH. We also understand that those who refuse to believe in The Messiah, YAHUSHUA, and His act of redemption will be judged for their sin, and eternally separated from YAHWEH in a place we refer to as Hell.
    It’s this issue that now becomes the focus of this article. Hell is absolutely guaranteed to those who refuse to accept the gift of The Messiah YAHUSHUA’s salvation – who refuse to believe that He is The Son of YAHWEH, that He died on the Cross for the sin of each one of us, and that YAHWEH raised Him from among the dead and brought Him back to life, then raised Him up into Heaven where He is now seated at the right hand of YAHWEH, The Father. His death paid the awful price that was needed for us to be redeemed (spared, delivered) from the judgment due to us because we are guilty of sin against YAHWEH. But for those who refuse to believe this the result is judgment and eternal separation from YAHWEH. It is the guaranteed These will end up in "Hell".
    Many may now want to proclaim that salvation is guaranteed also. There are indeed Scriptures to support this view completely. Among them is Rom. 8.1:  "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in The Messiah, YAHUSHUA; who walk not after the flesh, but after The Spirit. Rom. 8.16: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of YAHWEH: 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of YAHWEH, and joint-heirs with The Messiah; if it be so that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." 
    And perhaps the most quoted passage in this regard begins at Rom. 8.31: "What shall we then say to these things? If YAHWEH is for us, who is against us? 32 He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any charge against YAHWEH’s elect? It is YAHWEH who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? It is The Messiah that died, yes indeed that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of YAHWEH, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of The Messiah? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of YAHWEH, which is in The Messiah, YAHUSHUA, our Sovereign."
    Another passage used widely is John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and The Father are one."
    These scriptures reassure us that YAHWEH will indeed save those who believe in The  Messiah, YAHUSHUA. They promise a certain outcome for such belief. 
    However, does this mean it “guarantees” us that outcome forever – no matter what we do after we believe? 
    There is much to suggest there is a potential problem with this concept. The real issue is apostasy. It means "an abandoning of what one believed in", according to Webster's Dictionary. It's tied to the concept of “losing your first love” of YAHWEH and The Messiah, to allowing YAHWEH to have a less than central part in your life. It's also tied to the sin of grieving The Holy Spirit, found in Ephesians 4.30.
    Consider David. He was made King of Israel. Then he sinned greatly with Bathsheba, first committing adultery with her and then having her husband murdered so he could marry her. Yet, when he was confronted by Nathan the prophet, David confessed his sin and repented of it. And after this YAHWEH declared that David was a man after His own heart. For David, after he had sinned greatly, was forgiven. And David lived a life that honored YAHWEH greatly from that day onward.
    However, next consider Solomon. YAHWEH granted him a very precious gift. He granted him great wisdom, more than any man on earth before or since then. He granted him power and authority, wealth in great abundance, and many other things because he did not ask something for himself, but sought to be a good king over Israel, and to honor YAHWEH - at the beginning. However, having obtained the favor of YAHWEH at the beginning, Solomon later grieved YAHWEH's Spirit; for he sought after foreign women and married them, a great number of them – against YAHWEH’s desires. He went even further and built temples for their gods and even participated in the worship of those gods. In doing so He denied YAHWEH His rightful place in his life. The result was the loss of everything YAHWEH had given to him! Solomon grieved The Holy Spirit! While he didn't completely abandon his faith in YAHWEH, he certainly made a mess of it. YAHWEH was not well-pleased with this.
    Next, take a close look at this passage from Hebrews. Heb. 3:7 "Therefore (as The Holy Spirit says, Today if you will hear His voice, 8 harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 when your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. 10 Therefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They always err in their heart; and they have not known My ways. 11 So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest.) 12 Take heed, brothers (believers), lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of The Messiah, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; 15 while it is said, 'Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.' 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see they could not enter in because of unbelief."
    The nation of Israel is YAHWEH’s Chosen People. Above all others one would expect YAHWEH would save all of the people of Israel. If salvation cannot be lost, even after being chosen, then what happened to the Israelites mentioned in this text? They refused to believe YAHWEH even after He delivered them from Egypt; even after He demonstrated His mighty power and mercy to them; and even after He gave them The Law at Sinai. They had a certain level of belief when they were delivered out of Egypt. They had to believe it because they were a part of it. They saw it with their own eyes. They knew YAHWEH had delivered them miraculously.
    But note in verse 18 that YAHWEH swore that they would not enter into His rest. This is the same principle that applies today. You cannot believe in YAHWEH at one moment in time and then turn your back on Him and expect Him to allow you to enter into His Kingdom. It will not happen if you willfully reject Him.
    Next, look at Hebrews 4.1: "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left to us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." If it is not possible for you to “lose” your salvation then to what does this verse refer? How does one “come short of it” and still receive it? Answer: you don’t!
    Now let’s look at Hebrews 10.19 "Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of YAHUSHUA, 20 by a new and living way which He has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; 21 and having a high priest over the house of YAHWEH; 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful who promised;) 24 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another : and so much the more, as you see the day approaching. 26 For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much sorer punishment, do you suppose, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of YAHWEH, and has counted the blood of the covenant, through which he was sanctified, as an unholy thing, and has  despised The Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who has said, 'Vengeance belongs to Me, I will recompense, says YAHWEH.' And again, 'YAHWEH shall judge His people.' 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of The Living Elohim." And Hebrews 10.35  "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward. 36 For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of YAHWEH, you might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 And we are not of those who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." 
    Pay special attention to Hebrews 10.26. "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the Truth, their remains no more sacrifice for sins!" Why, if our salvation is absolutely guaranteed, as some tell us, is this verse in YAHWEH’s Word? What kind of sin is identified here? What sin is it that will cancel our salvation by violating what YAHWEH has promised to a believer? 
   It is the sin of apostasy – of turning your back on YAHWEH after you have once proclaimed your belief in Him, and then  choosing to walk away from His grace and mercy -  after you  accepted it and promised to live according to His Word. It is the sin that grieves The Holy Spirit of YAHWEH, and therefore becomes unpardonable. It is the only sin that guarantees you an eternity in Hell! It is the sin that non-believers are guilty of committing (willfully rejecting YAHWEH, rejecting The Messiah, rejecting The Holy Spirit) – and therefore the very reason they will end up in Hell. It is the sin of rebellion against the authority of YAHWEH. This is the sin that caused Satan to be cast out of Heaven. This is the sin of Eve in the Garden. 
    Think about this. Satan was The Archangel of YAHWEH - the most favored of all the angels. Yet he rebelled against YAHWEH. Eve, and Adam, had perfect fellowship with YAHWEH. They were "saved" by His grace prior to their sin. Yet they rebelled against YAHWEH's Word, against His perfect will for them. And they lost their perfect fellowship with Him as a result of their rebellion.
    There are many, many Scriptures that could be quoted on this topic to confirm this truth. There is not space in this article to do so. This is not meant to be an exhaustive treatise on the topic, but rather is intended to stimulate you to study the Word of YAHWEH for yourself and either confirm or deny this reality.  Check it out. Read YAHWEH’s Word on this topic, earnestly and prayerfully, and then make up your own mind.
    YAHWEH has always called us to a life of responsibility before Him. He gives us wondrous gifts. Among them is the most precious one, His salvation! But – and this is a huge “but” – it does not mean you can simply go and do whatever you want to do with your life once you've understood this salvation, accepted the gift of redemption, and believed in Him.
    You have been bought with a price. 1 Cor. 6.20 "For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify YAHWEH in your body, and in your spirit, which are YAHWEH’s." You, as a believer, belong to YAHWEH. You are not the sovereign of your own life. He is. And you have a responsibility to live according to what YAHWEH teaches you. You have a responsibility to remain faithful and obedient to Him for the rest of your life. 
    If you do not, if you turn away from Him and allow your selfishness to become the focus of your life again – after you once believed in His mercy and grace – and thereby reject His claim on your life; if you abandon your faith (apostasize) there is no more redemption for you. You have trashed the mercy and grace of YAHWEH and made it of no effect in your life. You have made a mockery of Messiah’s suffering, death and resurrection - which He permitted Himself to suffer for YOU. You have grieved The Holy spirit. And that sin, my friend, is no longer forgiveable. For you have wasted, thrown out, made of little consequence, treated as "dung" all YAHWEH has done for you. Why should He let you get away with that, after you once proclaimed your complete faith and trust in the redeeming blood that was shed for you?
    To the non-believer, Hell is absolutely guaranteed. Heaven is not. The non-believer has no place in Heaven. He or she has rejected YAHWEH simply by refusing to believe in Him. Go read John 3:16-19, and verse 36. The only thing available to the non-believer is condemnation. YAHWEH's Word guarantees it!
    To the sincere Believer, the one who faithfully seeks to place Yahweh first in his or her life, Heaven is promised. But it’s not an absolute guarantee. It can be “lost”. You can turn your back on YAHWEH and rebel against Him – if you choose to do so. No one is holding a gun to your head. No one is forcing you to continue to believe in The Messiah’s atoning sacrifice for your sin. You are still a free agent before YAHWEH. You still have the ability to choose between YAHWEH and that which is not YAHWEH. This is the free will, the freedom of choice, that YAHWEH gave you at birth. He cannot and will not take that away from you until you die. He doesn't want a bunch of "robots" following Him, who have no choice in the matter. He wants willing hearts that choose to love and honor Him; those who come to Him our of their own desire.
    It is a very precious thing to discover His mercy and grace and to accept His redemption in and through The Messiah, YAHUSHUA. It is the most precious gift you could ever receive! And while it's given freely to anyone who accepts it, it is still a gift. It still holds the possibility for you to reject it – even after you have already received it. It’s very difficult to understand why someone would do this, yet Scripture is filled with warnings to remain faithful, to treasure the gift, to treat it with great respect. It's filled with reminders that if we do not do this we run the risk of  “losing” it.
    In one sense, your salvation is never “lost”. For the gift of salvation is always there. The Messiah, YAHUSHUA, has guaranteed that the price for our sin debt is paid in full. The offer of salvation has been made available to all people ever since the death and resurrection of YAHUSHUA, our Messiah. In that sense, it is guaranteed.
    However, it certainly can be rejected. You cannot “lose this gift” by some accidental event. It cannot be taken away from you either. No one, and no thing, can ever “take” it from you. Scripture confirms this truth. But just as surely as you can accept it, you can also reject it. That choice is yours alone. No one else makes the decision for you. No one can choose to “have you saved”. You must make the choice. And no one can make you “lose” that salvation either. You must make the choice. But if you ever reject it, once you have experienced the wondrous grace of YAHWEH, you are once again – and this time forever – guaranteed a place in Hell! For you are once again a non-believer. And there remains no more hope for a second sacrifice to replace the one you have trashed through rejecting it.
    Hell is absolutely guaranteed to the non-believer! Heaven is not! And Heaven is not absolutely guaranteed to the believer either. It is indeed promised. But the promise is affected by your desire to keep on seeking YAHWEH all the rest of your days, to put Him above all the other things in your life. 
    YAHUSHUA put it this way in Matthew 22.35 "Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 YAHUSHUA said unto him, You shall love YAHWEH, your Elohim, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
    All the Law and all the Prophets – this is everything there is for us to know about YAHWEH, and His promised Messiah. YAHUSHUA fulfilled both. He did so in a way that both taught and demonstrated how to live in fellowship with YAHWEH, The Father. This was always and only accomplished by faith in YAHWEH, belief in His Word, and obedience to Him. It is an obedience that only happens by His grace. 
    It's not in us to accomplish this on our own. We need The Messiah every single moment of every single day. It is upon His sacrifice that we depend for our salvation, not our own works. We are called to remember each and every moment of each and every day that His grace has saved us, redeemed us, from the penalty we deserve to receive for our sinfulness. 
    Only in this way is our salvation assured. Only by trusting in the mercy of YAHWEH will we ever get to share in the glory of His eternity. It is a very precious promise, with a very powerful assurance that YAHWEH will grant us the mercy and grace we need each day in order to obtain the promised reward. But we must never forget that, because of our own sinful nature, it is possible to forfeit the promise. We can’t lose it. It cannot be taken away from us by anyone or anything. But it is possible for us to choose to walk away from it, to forsake it - to commit apostasy! Remember back-sliding Israel! The story is presented for our learning.
    Apostasy is promised in the Word of YAHWEH. The return of The Messiah to earth will not happen until a great apostasy occurs. Look at what this passage says: 2 Thessalonians. 2.1  Now we beseech you, brothers, by the coming of our Sovereign, YAHUSHUA, The Messiah, and our gathering together unto Him, 2 that you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, that the day of The Messiah (His return) is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, unless there comes a falling away first, and that man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. The Greek word for “falling away” is apostasia, apostasy. It means falling away from following hard after YAHWEH, rejection of the salvation of The Messiah! It is a wandering away to "worship" that which is not YAHWEH - whatever that may be in one's life.
    YAHWEH does not want us to be ignorant about such things. His Word declares them plainly, if we will take the time to study it with an open heart and mind. May His Word be our constant guide, and not the traditions of men. May His Truth forever challenge our preconceived notions and draw us unto Himself. And may His Name alone be praised forever and ever!