Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. 

Twenty-one examples of beings fallen from grace (continues): [17] Judas was once saved because (continues): (11) He freely received power to heal and it was commanded that he freely give (Matt. 10:8). (12) He had the peace of God to give to a home as did all others of the twelve (Matt. 10:13). (13) He was a sheep among wolves like others of the twelve (Matt. 10:16). (14) He had the Holy Spirit in him (Matt. 10:19-20). (15) He was ordained by Christ to the ministry as much as the others (Mark 3:14). (16) He was just as successful in preaching and healing as others (Mark 6:12-13; Luke 9:6, 10). (17) He was an apostle, meaning he was divinely called and sent to do the work of God (Luke 6:13; Acts 15:33). (18) Judas fell by sin from the ministry and apostleship (Acts 1:25). How could he do this if he was always a sinner, as some say? (19) satan entered into Judas at the close of Christ’s ministry, proving that he was not always an agent of the devil, much less one from the beginning (Luke 22:3; John 13:2). Therefore, he backslid and became a thief (John 12:6), a devil (John 6:70, Greek: adversary), and the betrayer. To make Judas the very devil, a devil from the beginning, and an unsaved man never in grace is to ignore the plain facts of Scripture. (20) He once had eternal life, as proved by John 17:2 where we read of Christ giving eternal life “to as many as Thou had given him.” Then in John 17:12, it is stated that “those that Thou gave Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition.” It is clear, then, that Judas was given to Jesus and Jesus had once given him eternal life.

To be continued…

Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. 

Twenty-one examples of beings fallen from grace (continues): [17] Judas was once saved because: (1) He was a familiar friend of Christ (Ps. 41:9). Would Christ call any unsaved man or the devil (as some suppose Judas to be) “mine own familiar friend”? (2) Christ trusted Judas at one time, or He would not have said “in whom I trusted” (Ps. 41:9) [Hebrew: batach] means to confide in, as to be secure without fear. Used in this sense 107 times. Would He have confided in such a man if he had always been untrustworthy? (3) Judas ate Christ’s bread (Ps. 41:9). This always assures Eastern people of very personal and intimate friendship. (4) He had his name written in the Book of Life with the righteous (cp. Acts 1:20 with Ps. 69:25-28). (5) He was a bishop of the congregation Christ is building (Acts 1:20 with Ps. 109:8). (6) He had part of the apostolic ministry (Acts 1:17, 25). (7) Christ gave him power against unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and disease. This was true of the twelve, Judas included (Matt. 10:1-4). (8) He was sent forth as one of the twelve to represent Christ among Israel (Matt. 10:5-6). (9) He was called to teach the gospel (Matt. 10:7). (10) He was commanded to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils (Matt. 10:8; Mark 3:14-15; 6:7; Luke 9:1-2).

To be continued…

Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. 

Twenty-one examples of beings fallen from grace (continues): [10] Saul, who had a change of heart and received the Holy Spirit (1Sam. 10:9-13, 21-24), went into spiritualism (1Sam. 28:1-25; Lev. 19:31; 20:6). He lost the Holy Spirit (1Sam. 16:12-23), and died by suicide and was cursed by God (1Sam. 31:1-6; 1Chr. 10:13-14). [11] Many disciples of Jesus left Him and His grace and followed Him no more (John 6:66). They believed for a while (Luke 8:13) and drew back to perdition (Heb. 10:26-39). To receive Christ and confess Him for only a moment brings the new birth, so those who believed for a while had the grace to fall from (John 1:12; 1Jn. 5:1). [12] Ananias and Sapphira were saved and of one heart and one soul with all the Christians (Acts 4:32-5:1), until they agreed to lie to the Holy Ghost, at which time they were killed (Acts 5:1-11). “Great grace was upon them all,” including Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 4:33; 5:1). [13] The Galatians, who had begun in the Spirit and had received the Spirit (Jude 1:3-4), were soon removed from Christ and grace (Jude 1:5-6). [14] Demas, a preacher in the early congregation (Col. 4:14; Phm. 1:24), went back into sin, having loved this present world (2Tim. 4:10). If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. He is lost if he does not come back to God (1Jn. 2:15-17). [15] Hymenaeus and Alexander were one time in the faith but made a shipwreck of it and put away faith in the true God (1Tim. 1:19-20). [16] Many others coveted money and erred from the faith (1Tim. 6:10, 21).

To be continued…

Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. 

Twenty-one examples of beings fallen from grace (continues): [7] Many Israelites. Before their sin in Exodus 32:1-35 they were born again (Deut. 32:18; Gal. 4:28-29), redeemed (Ex. 15:13; Deut. 21:8), sanctified (Ex. 31:13; Lev. 20:8), converted (Ps. 19:7), in grace (Ex. 33:12-17; Ps. 84:11), had their names in the book of life (Ex. 32:32-33; Ps. 69:25-29), had the same gospel we have (Gal. 3:6-14; Heb. 4:2), and had other spiritual experiences. When they sinned, they were cut off from God and were lost (Ex. 32:32-33; 2Cor. 10:1-18; Heb. 2:14; Jude 1:5). Scores of times, they forsook God and were cursed (Deut. 17:3; 29:26; Jdg. 2:11-23; 3:5-14; 4:1; 5:31; 6:1; 8:28-35; 10:6-11:33; 12:7-13:1; 20:13; 1Sam. 2:12-36; 3:11-14; 1Kin. 11:1-13, 38-39; 12:25-33; 13:33-34; 14:16-31; 15:29; 16:2; 2Kin. 17:7-23; etc.). [8] Nadab and Abihu, holy priests of God (Ex. 19:6; 22:31), were cut off in sin (Lev. 10:1-20; Num. 3:4). [9] Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and other holy men of God were cut off by sin and went to She’owl – hell (Num. 16:1-3, 23-33).

To be continued…

Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. 

Twenty-one examples of beings fallen from grace: [1] Lucifer. He was sinless and walked in the ways of God perfectly until he sinned (Ezek. 28:11-17). He fell from God’s favour and was cast out of heaven (Isa. 14:12-14; Luke 10:8). He became sinful and lustful (John 8:44) and destined to eternal hell (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10). [2] Holy angels. Over one-third of God’s holy angels rebelled with Lucifer (Rev. 12:3, 7-12) and became destined to hell with satan (Matt. 25:41; Isa. 24:21). Many of these committed the additional sin of fornication and are now in hell (2Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6-7). Angels are sons of God (Gen. 6:1-4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:4-7), and yet those who sin are to be punished forever in hell, so sonship is no unforfeitable guarantee of heaven. [3] Demons. They were also created sinless and in God’s grace and favour before the fall of man and lived on earth under Lucifer’s reign (Ezek. 28:11-17). That they sinned and are doomed to eternal hell is clear from their own admission of being worthy of punishment (Matt. 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28-32; Jas. 2:19). Many of them are now in the abyss (Rev. 9:1-21). [4] Pre-adamites. According to Genesis 1:2; Isaiah 14:12-14; Jeremiah 4:23-26; Ezekiel 28:11-17; 2Peter 3:5-8 and other scriptures, Lucifer ruled the earth before Adam and caused all the people of his kingdom to lose God’s favour and be destroyed in the flood of Genesis 1:2 and 2Peter 3:5-8. Not one person, animal, city, or plant was left alive (Jer. 4:23-26).

To be continued…

Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. 

The ways of backsliders (continues): They fail to walk in the Spirit (Rom. 8:1-13; Gal. 5:16-26) and to stand fast (1Thess. 3:8). They hate other Christians (1Jn. 3:15). They serve sin (John 8:32-36; Matt. 6:24) and yield to it (Rom. 6:14-23). They sow to the flesh (Gal. 6:7-8). They fail to hold fast to the end (Heb. 3:6, 12-14; 4:1-11; 6:19) and come short of the goal (Heb. 4:1). They fail to labour to enter life (Heb. 4:11; John 6:27) and to put to death the deeds of the body (Rom. 8:12-13; 1Cor. 6:9-11; Col. 3:5-10). They refuse to walk in Christ as they receive Him (Col. 2:6-7). They continue in sin, thinking grace will abound (Rom. 6:1-23). They turn their heart back (Ps. 44:18) and decline to walk with God. They turn way back (Isa. 50:5; Jer. 38:22). They are rebellious (Isa. 50:5) and cast the law behind their backs (Neh. 9:26). They turn their back on God (Jer. 2:27). They turn back from the Lord (Zeph. 1:6) and slide back from God (Jer. 8:5). They refuse to return to God. They backslide many times (Jer. 14:7). They backslide like a heifer (Hos. 4:16). They go backward, not forward (Jer. 7:24).

All this indicates a man who once walked in the way of God but has now turned against Him; a man who fought the world, the flesh, and the devil and has retreated from battle and joined the enemy; a man who once belonged with saints, but is now removed from them; and a man who has been overcome by sin and satan and is filled with his own ways.

To be continued…

Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. 

The ways of backsliders (continues): They become blind (2Pet. 1:9) and become barren and unfruitful (2Pet. 1:8). They forget purging from sin (2Pet. 1:9). They do not make their calling and election sure (2Pet. 1:10). They turn away from the holy commandment (2Pet. 2:20). They abide not in the doctrine of Christ and God (2Jn. 1:9). They abide not in Christ (John 15:1-8) and leave their first love (Rev. 2:4-5). They permit their hearts to depart from God (Jer. 17:9; Heb. 3:12). They give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons (1Tim. 4:1-8). They turn away from the truth (2Tim. 4:1-4). They fall from their steadfastness in Christ (2Pet. 3:17). They err from the truth (Jas. 5:19-20) and become cut off (Rom. 11:22). They become broken off (Rom. 11:17-24). They shipwreck faith (1Tim. 1:19) and neglect salvation (Heb. 2:1-4). They become castaways (1Cor. 9:27). They become corrupted from the simplicity in Christ (2Cor. 11:3). They fail to continue in faith (Col. 1:23). They fail to continue seeking life and immorality (Rom. 2:7-8). They go back and walk no more with Christ (John 6:66-68). They fail to take heed lest they fall (1Cor. 10:12-14). They sin against God (Ex. 32:32-33) and cast off their first faith (1Tim. 5:12). They defile the body (1Cor. 3:16-17) and draw back into perdition (Heb. 10:39). They do not endure (Matt. 10:22) and they move away from the hope (Col. 1:23).

To be continued…