Can a Man Be Unborn
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It is a deep conviction of mine
that in these easy going days,
spiritually, there should be more sermons preached
on the great doctrine of Christ as taught in the Bible.
In this little booklet I am trying to hold up the great doctrine
of the believers security! (everlasting life)
I hope as you read this pamphlet on this subject,
that you will do so with an open heart and mind
that God may reveal to you the great truth of His word.
I am grateful to each one who had part
in getting this booklet prepared,
and to the wonderful people to whom I am pastor
for their support in getting it out to the public
without cost or obligation.
Eld H. R. Burge
816 W. Forrest Ridge Road
Mobile, AL
The most important question that ever faced a man
is that of his soul's salvation.
If any man has not settled that question with God,
then now is the time to do so at all cost.
To the man who has already been born again,
there is another great question and that is the one expressed
in the title CAN A MAN BE UNBORN?
Wherever I go, I find people troubled over this question
because they are afraid
that almost any time Satan is going to overpower them
because of their sins and they will be eternally lost,
after having been saved.
There are many passage of scripture
that doubting saved people understand to teach
that the soul can be lost after it is saved.
Let us look at some of these scriptures and see if they teach or imply
that a saved person can be unborn after he is born into God's family.
WILLFUL SINNING
Hebrews 10.26
- For if we sin wilfully after that we have receive the knowledge of the truth,
- there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.
Many want to use this scripture to prove falling from grace,
but if we examine this passage closely
we see that the writer is warning us of the chastisment of God
that comes upon His people for willful sinning,
and does not imply that a person can be lost at all.
FALLING FROM GRACE
Galatians 5.4
- "Christ is become of no effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the law,
- ye are fallen from grace."
This scripture is used in a big way by those who teach falling from grace,
to sow that a man can become lost.
But let us examine this passage also.
Grace is a much higher plan than the law,
and these people to whom the Apostle was writing
had been taught the way of salvation by grace through faith,
but some teachers of the law had gotten them confused
about the law and grace
and they were putting their necks back under the yoke of the law
because they had been deceived by false teachers.
Paul was trying to get them to see
that a man was justified by grace without works of the law,
because they had been deceived by false teachers.
Paul was trying to get them to see
that a man was justified by grace
without works of the law,
and any one who sought to be justified by works of the law
had fallen from, or short of grace.
THE BOOK OF LIFE
- God shall take away his part out of the book of life,
- and out of the holy city!
This scripture is sometimes used to prove falling from grace also,
but if you will notice closely,
it is a child of Gods part or portion
that is to be lost and not his soul at all.
Jesus told Peter in John 13.8
that if he did not let Christ wash his feet
he would not have any part with him
and he certainly was not speaking of salvation.
The christian has something to lose for not serving,
but it is not his soul.
THE CASTAWAY
- "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection,
- lest that by any means when I have preached to others,
- I myself should become a castaway."
The word castaway as used in this scripture is translated
from the Greek work Adokimos and means "not approved."
Paul just simply meant he was afraid
that he might conduct himself in such a way
that he would lose his usefulness as a soul winner,
and not have the power with God that he once had.
I am sure there are a great many preachers today
whose works were once approved of God,
but by their careless living
and omitting to do the things they should have done,
they are no longer profitable to and in the service of God,
nor are they approved of Him.
JUDAS FELL
Yes Judas fell, but from what?
The Bible states that he fell from his office but not from grace.
There are those who believe that Judas was saved and became lost,
but we hear Jesus in John 6.64 say
that Judas was an unbeliever.
Again in John 6.70-71 that Judas was a Devil,
and we know a man who is a Devil cannot be saved.
Judas could not fall from grace
when he did not have any in the first place.
OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS AND GRACE
There are many who claim that some of the old testaments saints fell from grace,
but if we will study the scripture closely,
we will find that grace did not come until Christ came into the world.
John 1.17
- "For the law was given by Moses,
- but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
If these holy men of old did not have grace,
then they could not have fallen from something they did not have.
In Genesis 6.8 we find that Noah found grace in the eyes of God,
but he did not say
that he had received the grace of God as we receive it from Christ.
So we conclude that David, Lot, and others who fell into the trap of Satan
were not cast out of God's family,
but had to do much suffering for disobedience.
HOW ARE WE SAVED?
Perhaps if we can get the reader to understand how a person is saved
then he may be able to see the great keeping power of God.
In our text we ask a question.
Can a man be unborn?
Almost all denominations believe and have to agree
that salvation is a new birth,
although some believe in baptism (which is to bury)
and of course most believe that they must clean up their lives
and do good works to receive this new birth.
Since so many different ideas exist
it behooves us to go directly to the Bible
and look at the teaching of Jesus Christ on the subject.
John 3.7
- "Ye must be born again."
The birth Jesus here speaks of is a spiritual one.
Vs 6
- "That which is born of flesh is flesh
- and that which is born of Spirit is Spirit."
Jesus explained in Vs 8 that the new birth was like the wind.
You can not see the Spirit doing the work,
but you can see the results of the work that is done.
Now we see by these scriptures
that the new birth is the work of God and not of man.
Some other scriptures that show how salvation is received,
are Romans 1.16
- "The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation
- to every one that believeth."
- "It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching
- to save them that believe."
Romans 10.21
- "That is the word of faith which we preach,
- that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
- and shalt believe in thine heart
- that God hath raised Him from the dead,
- thou shalt be saved,
- For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness
- and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
1 John 5.1
- "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ
- is born of God: . . ."
The sinner must come to God by way of Jesus,
for we hear Him saying "No man cometh unto me except he is drawn of my Father."
Then again, "No man cometh unto the Father except by me."
Again "It is the Spirit that quickens, the flesh profiteth nothing."
We can well see by these and many other scriptures,
that it is God that does the saving
in bringing about the new birth.
In Ecc 3.14 we read,
- "I know that, whatsoever God doeth,
- it shall be forever."
Now if whatsoever God does is forever,
then when He saves a soul it is forever.
GOOD WORKS EXPLAINED
Salvation is not the results of good works,
but on the contrary,
good works are the result of salvation.
Ephesians 2.10
- "For we are his workmanship,
- created in Christ Jesus unto good works."
From this passage we learn
that we were saved to do good works,
and that they did not save us.
Romans 3.27-28
- "Where is boasting then?
- It is excluded.
- By what law? of works? Nay:
- but by the law of faith.
- Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith
- without the deeds of the law."
These scriptures and many more
will show us that a man is saved,
not because he cleaned up his life,
or turned over a new leaf,
joined the church, or was baptized,
but we are saved entirely by the merits of Jesus Christ
and His finished work at Calvary.
For the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.
ETERNAL LIFE
More than forty-five times the words eternal life,
and everlasting life are used in the Bible.
Many other times such words as, eternal salvation,
eternal glory, eternal redemption,
are used to show the power of an eternal God.
There are many who say that they believe in eternal life,
yet turn right around and say that it is not eternal
because it can be lost after having been received
Let us examine this word closely according to the scripture
and see the true meaning of it.
The word eternal comes from the Greek work aidios
and means perpetual.
That means there is no ending to it.
In eternity there was no beginning,
neither is there any ending.
Eternal salvation comes from an eternal God,
and if in eternity there is no beginning or ending,
we reason that eternal life then came from God and has no ending.
Please read John 3.16, John 4.14, John 6.47
2 Thess 2.16, 1 Tim 1.16, Matt 19.16
along with many other passages we could look at,
but I believe any fair minded person
who will let God show them
can see the truth of eternal security
revealed in these passages of scripture.
HOW SAFE ARE WE?
We have now looked at scripture sufficent
to prove the eternal security of the believer
but let us look at some passages that clearly teach security.
John 6.37
- "And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
Jesus here clearly states that under no condition
will he cast out the soul that comes to Him.
Romans 8.38-39
- "For I am persuaded that neither death,
- nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
- nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death,
- nor any other creature,
- shall be able to separate us from the love of God
- which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
But one might argue that this scripture teaches
that a child of God can not be separated from the love of God,
and does not say he can not be separated from grace.
So we define grace.
Grace is the unmerited love of God,
this means that man has never done anything good enough
to merit the love of God.
These scriptures should prove without a doubt
the security of the child of God.
. How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord
. Is laid for your faith in his excellent word,
. What more can He say than to you he hath said
. You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled.
. The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
. I will not, I will not, desert to his foes,
. That should though all hell should endeavor to shake,
. I'll never, no never, no never forsake.
SOME SOUND REASONING
None of the arguments favoring falling from grace
can be proved by the scripture.
To prove falling from grace one must first prove
that a man was actually saved and then fell from that happy state
and was lost in hell.
Such a supposition cannot be proved.
The soul that is saved cannot sin.
1 Peter 1.23-25 declares we are born of incorruptible seed,
which endureth forever.
1 John 3.9 whosoever is born of God cannot sin.
Also read 1 John 5.18
The Apostle is speaking here of the soul and not the body,
for the body still has the law of sin in it,
even though the soul is saved.
John speaking of the body in 1 John 1.8 says
- "If we say we have no son we deceive ourselves
- and the truth is not in us."
Col 3.3
- "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."
Eph 1.13 Sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,
So we reason that if our souls are hid with Christ
and Christ is in God, and the whole is sealed with the Holy Spirit,
then we must be completely safe.
But just for argument's sake,
let us say that the Devil could get to where my soul is,
We reason that he would have to get inside God the same way that I did,
and that would be by the way of the cross.
Now neighbor if the Devil ever came by way of the cross
to get my soul,
he would be made so happy by the blood of Jesus
he no longer would want to destroy any one's soul.
== THE EVILS OF THE DOCTRINE OF
FALLING FROM GRACE ==
The idea is that salvation is based on whether the child of God
can outrun the Devil or not.
It makes our salvation depend on the mercy of the Devil,
for the only way he can get a child of God is to overpower
the one who is keeping him and that is the Holy Spirit.
If Satan can overpower God then ought not we to thank the Devil
for letting us go to heaven?
This is absurd.
It declares that God was either not wise enough
or not strong or good enough
to effectually save a believer and keep him saved.
DOES IT MATTER THEN HOW WE LIVE?
Someone will say then that it does not matter how we live
since I cannot be lost,
and there is no danger of losing my soul.
How foolish a statement such as this would be.
For example I have only one daughter.
She is my flesh and blood.
Now would you say unto her that because she is my daughter
and is as secure as I can make her
that she has a right to do anything she wants to?
Even if she did crush all the pride I have in her,
trample my love for her under her feet,
and bring reproach on herself and me,
or even deny that she was my child,
yet she would still be my daughter and I her father,
she cannot become unborn out of my family.
When Gods child lives a careless life
He does not disown him, but chastises him for disobedience.
Any one who willfully sins after he is saved
is going to receive the chastisement of God. Heb 12.5-8
May God use this little booklet to His glory
and to strengthen His people
that they may have more faith and love is my prayer.
Also may He use it to bring lost soul to the saving knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Eld H R Burge
816 W. Forrest Ridge Road
Mobile, AL