Men Gather to Correct
A Word on Chastening.
There are false teachings that I would like to correct. This one is based upon a loss of Salvation.
Jesus said "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every
branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch
that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide
in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I
am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If
a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered;
and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (John 15:1-8)
People will often use this passage to teach a loss of salvation. But, it is not.
The Lord calls us and if we turn to Him we are saved. God tries to work through us. But, if we are not bearing fruit he prunes us.
We are clean (saved) because we heard His Word and believed. We abide in Him.
If we are not bearing fruit we get pruned and we will not bear fruit. (This is not referring to sin. We are washed and dead to sin. This is service, and the fruits of the Spirit.) We can do nothing without Him. If we are not bearing fruit, it means we are not abiding, and we get pruned or cut off.
Now, we assume this is a loss of salvation. But, notice that it says MEN gather and cast into fire and the withered branches are burned.
MEN do not throw people into Hell. So this is not talking about hell or the lake of fire.
This is talking about chastening. God uses people to correct us. It can be persecution, or trials and tribulations, it can be any number of things that we fall into.
Understand that when we turn to Christ we are saved. We are a new creation. Demons, and humans who are slaves to demons know this, and hate the spirit in us. So, God lets us go our own way. And these entities treat us terribly. Paul said, that he delivered some blasphemers unto Satan. (1 Timothy 1:20) SO THAT THEY MAY LEARN.
In Proverbs it says,
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.---(Proverbs 3:11-12)
In Hebrews it says "
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore
we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them
reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of
spirits, and live?
10 For
they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but
he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now
no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness
unto them which are exercised thereby.
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Then, it goes on to say that those who do not get chastened or who do not grow in the Lord, were never saved.
Now, understand that God is with us when He chastens us. He separates us out (Prunes) and let's the fire of this life and those who hate our spirit consume us. God himself is a consuming fire.
Like a loving father who is right there as his child is corrected. God is with us in chastening
Look in Malachi.
".2 But
who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he
appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3 And
he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify
the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer
unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."---( Malachi 3:2-3)
A refiner sits as the silver or gold is boiled and he scrapes off the impurities. It purifies the silver and makes it usable. He does not abandon it. He controls the heat and the purification process. He is right there. And he is with us when we fall and get chastened.
When we turn to Christ, He does not cast us out. He saves us, and grows us and molds us and shapes us and breaks us and chastens us and builds us up again.
He is with us always, even till the end of the World. Turn to Him. He is there.
Remember this in the Last Days. When things get worse and worse, and the pre-tribulation rapture has not come. Remember, this when persecution comes and things get worse, and deceit is everywhere, and destruction and death is all around you. Remember this when the Anti-Christ rises up and you are still here on Earth. Remember that God is with you and will protect you like He did the Israelites during the Plagues of the Exodus. Remember, that He is refining His church. He is weeding out the chaff and the goats, and the virgins, without oil.
You cannot lose your salvation. But, you best make sure you have it. Do you know Him?
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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He
has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook
called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called
"The Future is
Coming"
and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/
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