A Testimony by Kris Cates
Sixteen years ago, I met my wife as a drug-addicted mess. One night while lying in her bed, I overdosed and had a heart attack. As my racing heart stopped, I felt my body go cold, surrounded by darkness and filled with terror because, at that moment, I knew my unrighteousness and felt the wrath of God towards me as I began to slip away to hell.
I felt desperate and cried out the name of Jesus. And in that very moment, He saved me. My heart began to beat again at an average pace, and I was filled to overflowing with the love of God. I am grateful to my Savior and remember what He has done for me, but this entire experience challenged me in a way I never expected.
Always Saved
Before the drugs, I was a Christian and served God with a pure heart. Anyone who knew me back then could attest to the fruit in my life, proving I was saved. The dilemma came because I was always taught growing up that once you are saved, you will always be saved, no matter what. I prayed daily for God to forgive my sins, but I was never truly repentant.
Scriptures Save
So, I began to research scripture and try to make sense of why in the world I was on my way to hell when I should have been “present with the Lord” upon earthly expiration. After all, the Bible does say that God will never “leave us nor forsake us” and “no man can take us from the hand of God.” Here are just a few of the overwhelming number of scriptures I found dealing with that subject:
- Isaiah 65:11: “But ye are they that forsake the Lord” (impossible to forsake someone you have never been with)
- 2 Tim 2:12: “If we deny Him, He also will deny us.”
- 1 Tim 4:1: “Some shall depart from the faith” (can’t depart from something you were never a part of)
- Heb 3:12: “Take heed lest there be any of you an evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God.”
- Prov 26:11: “The dog has returned to his vomit.”
- Jer 15:6: “Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.”
- John 6:66-67: “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?”
- Hebrews 4:14: “Let us hold fast our profession.”
- 2Th 2:3: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first.”
- John 8:31: “If ye continue in my Word, then are ye my disciples indeed.”
- Psalms 119:109: “My soul is continually in my hand.”
- Phil 2:12: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
- James 5:19-20: “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth (can’t err from something you were never in), and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
- Exo 32:33: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” Rev 3:5 He that OVERCOMETH, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will NOT BLOT OUT (can’t blot out something that was never in there) his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
- Matt 24:13 “But he that endures unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
- Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (without standing fast it is possible to get entangled again into bondage!)
- Heb 10:26-32 “if we sin WILLFULLY after that ye have received the knowledge of the truth… there remaineth… a certain fearful looking of judgement”
- 2Pe 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
- Mat 7:19 “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
- Mat 7:21-23 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY.”
Unsaved
Based on a vast amount of scripture, it is evident that making a profession of faith in Christ is not enough if you continue to live in sin. It is possible to lose your salvation, even though no one can take you from the hand of God. However, you can choose to walk away from God on your own.
In Matthew 15, Jesus warns us about holding men’s traditions above God’s commandments. He also says that some people worship Him in vain by teaching doctrines based on human commands. Similarly, in Revelation 2:14-16, He rebukes the church in Pergamos for holding onto the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans and urges them to repent or face the consequences.
Being Saved Does Not Equate to Eternal Security
Eternal security is a doctrine of Baal that produces a lifestyle no different from that of Baal worshipers and Nicolaitans. The Lord revealed that eternal security is a lie from Satan designed to drive a wedge of sin between Him and His children. It leads to a lifestyle of sin and ultimately causes people to backslide to hell. This false doctrine is responsible for more people falling away from the faith than anything else in the past century.
John 3:19-20 says that men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. You are lost if you can’t imagine your life without sin. I once prayed in vain daily without repentance, leading me to hell. You do not have to be bound by false doctrine or be a slave to sin. Jesus came to seek and save the lost and to set the captives free.
Renounce this false doctrine and seek God in spirit and truth with a humble heart. Conform your life to the Word and live holy and blameless before God. Without holiness, no one will see God. Choose this day whom you will serve, for tomorrow, is not guaranteed. Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!
