Believers Continue to Believe

Q: What does the Bible say about continuing to believe in Christ?

The Bible emphasizes that believers are to continuously come to Christ, reflecting an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time decision. 1 Peter 2 encourages believers to continually come to Christ, likening it to newborns desiring milk for growth. This underscores that true faith is not a one-time event but a sustained, living relationship with Christ. Hebrews 3:6 and 3:14 affirm that we are partakers of Christ only if we hold fast our confidence firm to the end, emphasizing the necessity of ongoing faith and repentance as evidence of genuine salvation.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to keep repenting?

Continuous repentance is vital as it demonstrates a sincere and living relationship with God, reflecting true faith. The act of repentance is not just a one-time decision; the Word of God teaches that genuine repentance is ongoing. The Apostle Paul, in Romans, emphasizes the necessity of living by faith, which includes a continual turning away from sin. Believers must continuously strive to lay aside malice, hypocrisy, and other sins, as ongoing repentance indicates a heart transformed by God. Without this continual state of repentance, one cannot claim to be genuinely saved, as a lack of such evidence calls into question one's relationship with Christ.

Q: How can we know we are saved according to the Bible?

Salvation is evidenced by ongoing belief and repentance, as well as growth in grace and knowledge of Christ. The Scriptures provide clear insight into the evidence of salvation. Genuine believers are characterized by their continual faith and repentance and a growing relationship with Christ. In Colossians 1:22-23, it states that believers will be presented holy and blameless if they continue in faith. Furthermore, those who truly belong to Christ will be marked by an ongoing desire for His word, akin to a newborn craving milk. This indicates that the life of faith is not static; it involves a progressive, dynamic growth in Christ.

Q: Why is a one-time decision for salvation not enough?

A one-time decision overlooks the biblical teachings of a continuous life of faith and obedience in Christ. Many assert that a one-time decision suffices for salvation, but this view is contrary to the Scriptures. 1 Peter 2 reminds believers of their ongoing need to 'come' to Christ, illustrating that salvation is a living, active relationship. The warnings in Hebrews against drawing back from faith indicate that a mere past decision without an active, ongoing walk with God is insufficient. Genuine faith manifests itself through a life marked by continuous repentance, growth, and a yearning for the things of God, rather than a static experience that one simply reflects upon as complete.

1 Peter 2 verse 1, Wherefore,
laying aside all malice, and all deceit, and hypocrisies,
and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the
sincere milk of the word, that you may develop, mature, grow,
like babies grow into childhood and adulthood. That is, if so
be that you have experienced that the Lord is gracious. To
whom coming? But I got saved. To whom coming? But I came to Christ. to whom
coming. It doesn't say you got saved.
It says to whom coming as unto a living stone. Not just a fact and a foundation
that you agreed with or accepted. To whom coming as unto a living
person, a living stone, a living relationship. or rejected, indeed
disallowed, rejected of men, but chosen of God and precious. Now, I'm here to tell you, if we preachers are genuinely
and really concerned, if we really are, and I question whether many are. But if those who stand in the
pulpit are really concerned for three things, for the glory of
God, the glory of God Almighty, and secondly, for the truth of
his word, and thirdly, for their own spiritual welfare, their
own, and the well-being and welfare of their If they really are,
if they're concerned for those three things, are we? The glory
of God, the truth of the Word, and the eternal well-being of
the people and ourselves. If we are, then we're going to
preach as clearly as we can, as faithfully as we can, that
this thing of repentance and faith and coming to Christ and
salvation is not, I repeat, is not a once-for-all decision. It is not, I repeat, it is not
a once-for-all experience, as seems to be believed today. But to really repent before God
is to keep on repenting. To really believe on Christ is
to keep on believing on Christ. To really be saved is to keep
on being saved until you are finally saved. I'm telling you
the truth. To come to Christ Jesus is to continually come to Christ
Jesus. I tell you the And I've tried
to say this through the years. The Bible, the Word of God, is
full of warnings to those who do not continue to repent. And I know some of you sitting right
here have loved ones, as I do, who made professions of faith, who learned the doctrines of
grace, at least here, who say that they're saved. But they
don't worship God. They don't read God's word. They
don't identify with the people of God. They don't lend their
help and support to the kingdom of God. If everyone were like
them, there wouldn't even be a church here today preaching
the gospel. And you tell me they're saved?
I'm telling you they're not. And you might as well get it
through your mind. They're not. They're not. They're not, I repeat,
children of God. Children of God continue to repent. Children of God continue to believe. Children of God continue to walk
with God. Children of God continue to come
to Christ. And they grow in grace and in
the knowledge of Christ. They mature in Christ. That's
so. book is full of examples of people
who look back, who turn back, who quit the race, full of them. I learned in the shortest sermon
he ever preached, the sermon of three words, said to his disciples,
remember Lot's wife, that's all he needed to say, remember. She left Sodom, she made a grand
exit She, for the moment, identified with God's people. She, for the
moment, heard the warning and acted on it. But she turned and
looked back. Her body left, her heart never
did. And she looked back, and she
perished. Listen to Hebrews 3, verse 6.
Christ is the Son over his own house, whose house are we. Christ is the ruler and the son
over his own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence
and rejoicing. The confidence and rejoicing,
firm unto the end. Unto when? Listen to Hebrews 3.14. We are
made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast to the end. Hebrews 10.38. Now, the just
shall live by faith. They live by faith. Faith is
not an isolated decision or experience. They live by faith. They begin
to live by faith, they continue to live by faith, and they die
in faith. The just shall live by faith.
Faith is the life of the believer. But if any man draw back, God said, My soul shall have
no pleasure in him. No pleasure. Doesn't matter how
far he ran, or how fast he ran, or how long he ran. But if he draws back, my soul
has no pleasure. But Paul hastily adds, we're
not of them that draw back, but we're of them that believe, that
continue to believe, that are believing to the salvation of
the soul. Would you give hope where there
is no hope? I can't. Would you cry peace when there
is no peace? Would you encourage a man and
tell him he'll wear the crown if he's not in the race? That's
not fair. Would you tell a man that he'll
be crowned and he'll reign with Christ who's not even in the
race, who's making no effort to win, who's making no effort
to show any interest in Christ? Would you dare do that? If you do, you're that man's
enemy. You're his enemy. You're not his friend. You give
a hope where God has given no hope, you're siding against the
Lord of Glory. Colossians 1.22, Christ will
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight,
comma. If you continue in the faith,
grounded, settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel. That goes for Henry Mahan, that
goes for Mike Bostrom, and Ron Friedman, and Gerald Coon. If you continue. Well, John said that you never
did know him. If you can leave Christ, you
didn't see him. If you can leave Christ, you
never did come to him. You can't leave everything for
nothing. Well, that's just so. You see,
my friends, and how did we get so far out in left field? We became the playthings and
the toys of covetous preachers. That's how we got out there. We became merchandise for these
hucksters of souls, and they got us out there. The Bible never
anywhere indicates that salvation is a once-for-all decision and
experience of the past. No, sir. The Word of God reveals
that salvation and our union with Christ is a living union,
a growing union, a lifetime union. For example, you who have studied
the Word of God more carefully, than just zipping through it.
You know what Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 says, don't you? It says, for
by grace have you been saved through faith. For by grace have
you been saved through faith. And you know that 1 Corinthians
1, 18 says, to those who are being saved, Christ is the power
and wisdom of God. To those who are what? Being
saved. We have been saved, we're being saved, and Paul wrote in
Romans 13.11, now is our salvation nearer than when we believed? The Apostle Paul, who was the
champion of justification by grace, who was the champion of
election and the purpose of God and predestinating graces, talks
about our salvation being nearer than when we believed? Exactly,
that's the gentleman. who said my salvation is nearer
now than when I believed. Because he knew that that eternal
work was not complete till he stood conformed to the image
of Christ. And he said I keep my body and
bring it under subjection lest while preaching to others I myself
become a what? Castaway. In 2 Corinthians 1, he said this,
God has delivered me from so great a death, and he doth deliver
me, and I trust he will, yes, deliver me. Like I said to you a moment ago,
four times in the word of God, it says the just shall live by
faith. The just shall live. He lives
on faith. He grows on faith. He thrives
on faith. He walks by faith. Faith is his
life. It's not a sideline. Religion
is not a sideline. Christ is not a sideline. He
begins to live, to really live by faith. He continues by faith,
and he concludes his journey in the faith. These all died
in faith. Go back up there to 1 Peter 1,
verse 22. 1 Peter 1, 22, the apostle says,
seeing that you have purified your souls in obeying
the truth through the Spirit unto genuine, unfeigned, not
hypocritical, unfeigned love of the brethren. See that you
love one another with a pure heart. Being born again, being
born again, not of corruptible seed, not of corruptible seed
like you were born the first time of the flesh, but of incorruptible
seed. You were born of the Spirit of
God by the word of God. born again. by the power of God
through the word of God. This is a new birth. This is
regeneration. This is resurrection. This is
a quickening. This is life from the dead. This
is a new man, new creature created in Christ Jesus. It's not the
old man making a decision. It's not the old man reforming
his ways. It's not the old man regretting
his past. It's not the old man accepting
a doctrine. It's not the old man uniting
with a church. It's a brand new person. Brand new! If any man knew Christ,
he's not the same old guy who got saved. He's a new creature. Brand new! Brand new! A life that never lived before.
Created by God in Christ Jesus. That's salvation. Salvation's
not appealing to the flesh and appealing to the old man, and
God said, I'll give you a new heart. a new nature, create a
new man. That's what's happened to most
religious people. That old flesh just changed religions. That old man just changed doctrines. That old nature just had some
preacher appeal to them and give them a small job, you know, to
promise a bunch of benefits for ten percent. And he said, that's
a good deal, I think I'll accept it. He accepted the deal. But
this thing of salvation is not an acceptance of any deal or
any body. It's God coming down in power,
not corruptible seed, but incorruptible seed by the Spirit of God, by
the power of God, and creating someone who never existed before,
a new man, a new life, a new nature, the life of God, and
he becomes a new creature. whom even Satan can't kill. He says, verse 24, all flesh
is grass. That old man, that old nature,
that old flesh is just grass. And all the wisdom and knowledge
and glory and honor and accomplishments of man by nature are the flower
of grass. The grass wither, the flower
there falleth away. It's all going out to Rose Hill
and be buried six feet under the ground. None of it's going
to live. The place thou shalt know it no more but the seed
of God, the word of God. That life of God begotten by
the seed, the word of God. He can't quit. He can't. That's the reason John
said, if they had really been of us, they no doubt would have
continued. Because the life of God can't
die. The Spirit of God can't die. The seed of God can't die. The Word of God can't die. He
can't quit. It's a new life. That's what's happened, and this
is the very word of God which is preached to you. Wherefore,
now watch this, laying aside. Wherefore what? Well, I laid
it aside. No, you didn't. You thought you
did. Laying aside all malice, guile,
hypocrisy, envy, evil speaking. My friends, to talk about to
talk to me about a once for all complete victory over these enemies? Impossible. Utterly, absolutely
impossible in the flesh. But to exhort me to be about
my Master's business, to exhort me to be about this business
of laying this aside continually, Oh, now that's a different situation.
I can handle that. Wherefore, laying aside. Laying
aside. Laying aside what? Malice. Lay
it aside today, lay it aside tomorrow. Lay it aside next week.
Lay it aside next month. I'm not perfect. I haven't arrived.
I haven't laid it aside. I am laying it aside. That's pleasant tense, is it
not? Wherefore, laying aside. I read that yesterday, but I
read it again today. It says the same thing today.
I'll read it next month. Bob will say the same thing next
month. Wherefore, laying aside. Oh, malice. What is malice? Well,
not just hatred. It's unfriendly feelings toward
others. It's an unforgiving spirit. It's
pride. It's a spirit of superiority.
That's malice. an attitude of superiority, that's
malice. Lay it aside, lay it aside today,
lay it aside. O God, receive, speak the truth,
be honest, straightforward, cooperate with others, make their journey
easier, ease their burdens. All hypocrisy before God and
men. What is hypocrisy? Well, it's
the opposite of sincerity. It's speaking with my lips what's
not in my heart, or pretending to be outwardly what I'm not
in with. Envy. Oh, that's a difficult area,
isn't it? Envy. Envy. Let me be content with
what I have. Let me be content with who I
am. Deliver me from covetousness. Deliver me from jealousy. Deliver
me from envy. Enable me, O Lord, to rejoice
in the gifts and happiness and prosperity and honor of others.
Did you get that all fixed up when you got saved? No, sir. Ain't got it fixed up
yet. But I'm laying it aside. See
what I'm saying? I'm laying it aside. I'm growing
in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. Lay aside, laying
it aside. Evil speaking. Boy, how these
tongues need to be disciplined. I'm telling you this, other than
the heart, other than the heart, The tongue sins more than any
other member we have, other than the heart, or to control the
tongue. But you got saved. See how ridiculous it all sounds?
Got it all fixed up. I walked an aisle 27 years ago. And I got all this worked out.
No, you didn't. You got deceived. You got taken
in. You became a statistic. Some
preacher bragged on the fact he won you to the Lord. And you
have corroded back yonder, and you're still back there. But
these people who've been by God born again and life given to,
they are growing in Him. walking with him, and laying
aside all the tongue to refrain from speaking harshly, and critically,
and unjustly, and uncomplimentary, and hastily, and exaggerating. Laying it aside. See, wherefore? Laying aside. You know, God's people are not
rebels. They can be taught. They're not
rebels. They can be taught. They know,
like verse 2, listen, they know they're newborn babes. As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the
word that you may grow thereby. The apostle takes for granted
that they are born again by the Spirit of God. They are children
of God. There are children of God. Now
he says you're like babies. Here, a baby's born, a newborn
baby. The first thing that baby wants
is his mother's breast. It's born hungry. It's born desiring
the mother's breast to get as much nourishment and milk and
strength as possibly can. And that baby, that's just for
the first year and a half of his life, about all he's interested
in is eating. That's right. But you know, if
you don't watch out, if a fella got saved, they'll make him a
Sunday school teacher in two weeks. Can you imagine a two-week-old
baby teaching somebody else? That's how we got out in left
field. But he says, as newborn babies,
there are no masters here. Paul said, I'm not perfect, I
haven't arrived. Boy, if he's not perfect, he
hasn't arrived, we're babes in swaddling clothes. But we're
no little graduates among us, we're just babies, we're just
children. We know in part, we preach in
part, we see through a glass dimly, as newborn babes, hunger
for the Word, desire the Word, feed upon the Word. Wham! That you may grow, that you may
grow. I tell you, as a baby clings
to a mother's breast for food, and that food enables that child's
cheeks to be pink, eyes to see, ears to hear, little limbs to
grow, gives it the ability to walk, so the Word of God comes
into the believer, the newborn baby, and enables him to see,
and ears to hear, and gives him a good countenance. And the Word
of God puts strength in his limbs so he can walk the way for Christ,
and strength in his arms so he can serve others. He grows in
faith, he grows in love, he grows in patience, he grows in gentleness,
he grows in kindness. And you mean to tell me this
is something you get fixed up down at the front of a church
at a mourner's bench or shaking a dumb preacher's hand? It ain't
so. And we're being deceived by these
hucksters of souls. It's life from above, and it's
the life of God, and it's an eternal life, and it's a fresh
life, it's a new life, it's a newborn baby. And the Word is his milk,
and the Word is his meat, and the Word is his children's bread,
and by the Word he grows and develops and matures. And did you ever see a baby turn
away from a mother's breast? The mother gives the milk to
the child, and he grabs for it. He doesn't spit it out and turn
his head and go to the garbage can. And I say again, God's children
are not rebels. They love the Word. They love
the Word. They love the Word. They love the Word. And I tell
you, some of these preachers are like these pacifiers, there
ain't nothing in it. And after a while, the kid gets,
John's getting tired of chewing on it. And he'll spit that out. But Mama's genuine. That's right. And they know the difference.
God's children know the difference. And all of this, listen, verse
3. if you have tasted, if you have experienced that the Lord
is gracious. Have we? He didn't ask if you got saved. He said, have you really experienced,
have you really tasted that the Lord is gracious? Have you really
tasted? Have you really? Have you ever
seen him and been embraced by his arms and found your strength
in him and your life in him and your happiness and contentment
and fulfillment in him, have you really tasted that he's gracious? Well, if you have, verse 4, here
it is. I'm coming right back where I
started. To whom coming? Now, this is written to people
who have already come to Christ, but Peter says, to whom coming?
They've already tasted, they've already trusted, but he says,
to whom coming? To whom coming? Laying and coming. Laying aside and coming to Christ.
I'm going to go through this tomorrow. Laying it aside and
coming to Christ. Coming to Christ. This is the reason I'm trying
my best to be totally and completely honest in my preaching. And I know, I know that people feel like that
sometimes I'm a little bit too severe. But I do know this, I
do know this, that what is called salvation
today, in these experiences that stay old, in these decisions,
in these getting fixed up. It's not what this is saying
here. Salvation is the life of God. It's the life of God. It's a
new nature. It's turning from our idols to
serve the living God constantly, all the time. That's exactly
right. To whom? To whom coming? It is coming not to a ceremony,
not to a church, not to an altar, not to a law, not to a standard,
not to a system of doctrine. To whom coming? To whom coming? To Him. The woman with the issue
of blood said, if I can just get to Him. Him. A blessed person. And I tell
you, it's a blessed occupation. It's always coming. always coming
to Christ, always trusting, always believing, always looking every
day to Christ. And it says here, look, coming
as unto a living stone. A stone means a foundation, a
rock, immovable. But he's living. He's not coming
to a position It's not coming to a legal transaction, it's
coming to a living person, a living stone, a living person. When you got married, you didn't, that wasn't just
a ceremony, well, that's all, I'm married. But you married
a person. A person, a person with whom
you live, with whom you walk, with whom you talk, to whom devoted,
the two become one. And that's what some of these
church members say, I got saved, I got married, and she hadn't
seen him since. That ain't marriage. You heard about the old boy of
few words. He got married, stood in front
of the preacher and pronounced him husband and wife. He was
a man of few words, and he turned to his wife, his new wife, and
said, Now, I love you. If I ever change my mind, I'll
let you know. There ain't no use me saying
I love you every day. That ain't too nice, is it? I
don't think he ever really loved her. We're married to Christ. A living
stone, a living person, to whom coming to live in, oh, I know
disallowed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Now watch
this, and I'll quit. You also, whoo, watch this, now
you also, and this sure rules out that
isolated experience and that old experience that stays old
and that old got saved business. You also, as what? living stones,
living stones, active, warm, identified, are built up by whom? By the Lord God. A what? A spiritual house. Not off somewhere else, but in
Christ. A holy, active, what? Priesthood. To offer up what? Spiritual sacrifices. When? All the time. Not accepted, but acceptable
on a regular basis to God by Jesus Christ. That's totally
rule of practice. I made a decision, Joe. I got
fixed up. I'm on my way to heaven. Not
unless you are a living, active stone in Christ's house, being built up by him, and offering
constantly sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise to God by Jesus Christ. Forget it, my friend. A man is
going to die just like he lives, just exactly how he lives. Unidentified, he'll die unidentified. Uninterested, he'll die uninterested. You see, and this fellow's telling
me the truth and you too. Back in the Old Testament, back
in the Old Testament, there were three things, three things necessary
for worship. It was a tabernacle, a priesthood,
and a sacrifice. Is that correct? Is that correct,
Cecil? You've been around a long time. A month or two longer than
I have. You know that. I'm telling the
truth on it. It was a tabernacle, it was a priesthood, and it was
a sacrifice. That's just so. And that's how
people came to God. Jesus Christ came in the fulfillment
of all that. He tabernacled among us a body,
he said, thou hast prepared me. Isn't that what he said? And
he is our priest, and he offers his blood as our sacrifice. So we worship God. We worship
God in Christ. He is our only Mediator, and
his blood maketh atonement for our souls. Is that correct? You know that, son, that's so.
We come to God by faith in Christ Jesus. I have a high priest who
ministers not in the tabernacle made with hands, but in heaven
itself, and his blood maketh atonement for my soul. All right,
watch this. You also are a tabernacle. You also are living stones. made by God into a spiritual
house. Come on! A what? A holy priesthood. Where's
the priest? Well, he's not on duty today.
Well, he ain't God's priest then, or he'd be on duty. He quit. God's priest don't quit. I hope
my high priest doesn't quit. to offer sacrifices of praise
and prayer to God continually, which are acceptable in Christ
Jesus. I'm telling the truth, Mr. Kuhn. That's right, Dave. You also, there was a tabernacle,
Bob, and there was a priest, and there was a sacrifice. God
ordained it, and God Almighty accepted And there was a man
called Jesus Christ who came to this earth and tabernacled
among us, John 1, 14. And we beheld his glory as of
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And
he took away the first and established the second. And he is the great
high priest who offers his blood. And God accepts us. And when
God saves a man, not when he makes a decision, not when some
preacher talks him into joining the Baptist church, Not when
he's baptized, not when he believes a certain doctrine, but when
God Almighty in heaven above, by his power through his seed
of his word and by his Spirit, creates that man in Christ Jesus,
that man becomes a living stone. And he's built up by the power
of God into a spiritual house with other living stones in whom
Christ dwells. And they are themselves a holy
priesthood, a royal priesthood, kings and priests unto God. And
they walk with God and they offer constantly sacrifices, spiritual
sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to God. Frail though they may
be, frail though they may be, but they're genuine. Yeah, they're frail and incomplete
and imperfect. But they're real. They're real. That's the reason he says, to
whom coming? And bless your heart, John Newton said, well, Lord,
if I hadn't loved you before, let me start today. What on earth,
please help me with this, what on earth is gained by defending
something that happened 40 years ago? Please tell me what is the
virtue of that. Please tell me. What is the virtue
of saying that a person knows God when he doesn't walk with
God? He doesn't have an interest in God, that God never hears
from him, that God's people never see him, that he has no interest
and identification and support of these things which are God's.
What on earth is, in the name of common sense, is he used in
defending such a position? It makes light of the glory of
my God. It utterly makes light of the glory of God. You know,
when God calls a man to the ministry, it says something in the Bible
about one who rules well his own house. Now what does it say?
Hasn't he his children in subjection? My God rules his house well.
And his children are definitely in subjection. I guarantee it. Is that too hard? But it's so, nevertheless. Someone wrote this about our
Lord Jesus Christ. To the artist, he's the altogether
lovely one. To the architect, he's the chief
cornerstone. To the hungry, he's the bread
of life. To the thirsty, he's the water of life. To the builder,
the sure foundation, to the sick, our great position, to the weary,
my rest, to the branch, he's the vine, to the sheep, he's
the shepherd, to the ignorant, he's my wisdom, to the sinner,
our Savior, to the farmer, the seed, the sower, and the Lord
of the harvest, to the student, he's the truth, to the weak,
the power of God, to the dying, he's my life. How can I keep
from coming to him? I come this morning again, do
you? I come to Christ. I confess him
all over again. I want to be identified with
him and his people and his word. Christ is my all. All right,
let's sing a hymn. Let's do number 509. Mike come lead us in 509, the
sands of time.

Believers Continue to Believe

What does the Bible say about continuing to believe in Christ?

Why is it important for Christians to keep repenting?

How can we know we are saved according to the Bible?

Why is a one-time decision for salvation not enough?

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Believers Continue to Believe

What does the Bible say about continuing to believe in Christ?

Why is it important for Christians to keep repenting?

How can we know we are saved according to the Bible?

Why is a one-time decision for salvation not enough?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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