Parables, Teachings, Exhortations and Warnings
There is an adage that says that anyone who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination. I imagine there must be some truth in this because God often instructed His followers over many generations spanning thousands of years, to take certain actions that will help them to remember some special events. These are sometimes things that happen, or laws and commandments, or promises or warnings. The instructions are often given through the leaders of His people. While they are often documented in the form history, songs or poems there are times when they are recorded as structures like stone altars, and even buildings.
So far as I know, the written form started with Moses, although some scholars believe that the book of Job was written before Moses’ time. Jewish tradition credits Moses with writing the first 5 books of the Bible known as the Pentateuch, or Torah in Hebrew. While this is not explicitly stated in the Bible, many passages in the book of Deuteronomy in particular record many incidents where God told Moses to write put some things in writing. However, the most important support for this tradition is the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles affirm Moses’ authorship of most of the books of the Pentateuch in the New Testament, We therefore have every reason to believe that this is true.
These books, namely Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy contain records of the creation of the universe, the origin of mankind, historical events leading to the establishment of a chosen people, the God’s Laws and Commandments, the different Covenants God made with men over generations, and Prophecies about the future. God’s often clearly-stated reason for this was so that those He has a relationship with would know how to worship Him in an acceptable manner, always have a point of reference, store them to memory, practice them correctly, and pass them on accurately to future generations who were also expected to continue the process. For this reason, the writings are always generously spliced with warnings, exhortations, counsel and encouragement to obey the Laws and comply with the terms of the Covenants.
They were frequently repeated, and usually interlaced with poems and songs of thanksgiving and praise worship in victory, of lamentation and repentance in defeat, and declarations of judgement or restoration in the future as the case may be. Examples of the positive outcomes as a result of compliance or negative ones that follow rejection were often highlighted in the historical accounts of the lives of individuals or groups. But by far the most striking aspect of the writings was the theme of Grace that ran through them all, strengthening the faith and giving hope to everyone who read them. Not surprising therefore that knowledge of what the Bible contains is so crucial to following Christ today.
As can only be expected, our Lord Jesus Christ used the Old Testament while He was on earth to correct the wrong interpretations that had become the religious tradition at that time. Note for example the “You have heard… But I tell you Jesus repeated no less than 6 times in Matthew 5: 21-48. It is a long passage worth reading ad meditation upon by yourself, but here are the first two examples: 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. … 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Building on our Lord’s teachings, Apostle Peter later warns early church believers in chapter 1, verses 20-21 of his letter in the following words: Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
As more and more non-Jews who were not conversant with the content of the Old Testament became Christians, some of the Apostles and Christian leaders were inspired to write Gospel (Good News) and letters (Epistles) to communicate more details about their shared Faith with Christians beyond the Jewish domain. Since the Spirit-filled Apostles knew and themselves reiterate what Jesus said by teaching that True Scripture is inspired and interpreted by God alone, we can rest easy in our spirit, soul and body that everything in the New Testament is also absolutely true. And like Jesus did, not only do they often refer to Old Testament Scriptures, but they also offer the correct interpretations.
Apostles Matthew (also known as Levi), the obviously literate former tax collector is credited with writing the Gospel named after him. Mark one of the first followers of Christ who became a missionary and a close companion of Apostles Peter and Paul wrote the Gospel called after his nae. It is said however that he wrote it on based on apostle Peter’s account. Luke, a highly literate medical practitioner and historian, and a close companion of Apostle Paul, wrote the Gospel called after his name for a certain Theophilus, which some claim to be a name used to represent all Gentiles who love God and are loved by Him, as the name suggests. Finally, Apostle John wrote the last Gospel and Letter called after his name, as well as the last book of the New Testament, by explicit and direct instruction of God. Other first century church leaders who were inspired to write Letters include Apostle James and Jude, the half-brothers of Jesus.
The Gospels (Good News) focused on the life, teachings and deeds of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, showcasing the universality of the Salvation He alone offers, the things He did to prove that He was telling the absolute Truth, historical accounts of how He accomplished it, the lifestyle He expects of all His true followers of all times, and in all climes, as well as promises for the future and warnings about it.
Just like Apostle Peter, Apostle Paul also, in his letter to his mentee, Timothy, also emphasized the origin of true Scripture and why it was documented. 2Timothy, chapter 3 verse 16 says: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. He went further to validate the continued relevance of the Old Testament in the correct worship of the true God as follows in Romans 15:4: For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Again in 1 Corinthians 10:11 he states: “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”
As you can see, writings in both the Old and New Testaments emphasize, reiterate, teach, warn, and encourage believers to remain steadfast in following Christ. If once saved, always saved was true, then all these fathers of the Faith, and by extension, God would seem to have wasted a lot of energy bothering to not only teach, encourage, correct and warn believers, but also to have them recorded for posterity. The fact, as I have been attempting to highlight in the Bible passages I have shared so far, is that this Great Salvation is a matter of choice. And this necessity for choice, as I will attempt to demonstrate as we go on, is directly linked to the fact that mankind was created in God’s image.
In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, God created everything that would make life possible for man first, and then ended with the creation of mankind. For the first time, the pattern of account changed when God said in verse 26 of the first chapter: “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness... This suggests a deliberate, consultative and purposeful decision on God’s part, thus distinguishing mankind from all previous creation. And again for the first time, God immediately establishes a higher purpose for this decision: so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
This highlights the fact that mankind was created for a purpose far beyond mere existence like the other creatures. Being created in God’s image therefore seemed to have had less to do with physical resemblance, and much more with the God-like authority to rule. Obviously, this privilege had nothing to do with man’s merit, input, request or appeal since he did not exist when God took this decision. Furthermore, the fact that God first created a beautiful, lively and love-filled environment before taking this decision to create man, the last living creature, in His own image, suggests a desire to bless, yet another gesture of Grace. Thus, God, by breathing His Spirit in mankind only, unlike other creatures, granted him the capacity to reason, create, analyze, rationalize, take decisions, and make choices. All the above clearly show that God’s Grace was at play right from the beginning.
After many disappointments, even to the extent of having to wipe out all of mankind except for one, once again preserved only by Grace, God eventually lays down some very unequivocal conditions for the kind of relationship He wants from His people in Exodus 20:3-5: 3 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods”. This also underscores the fact that God never wanted a robotic, lifeless allegiance devoid of choice. He wanted a relationship based on trust and love, because this is what has always been the practice of the three Persons of the Godhead – the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Every command of God to man has always been to facilitate this process of love-based relationship and the blessings that follow it. It starts immediately after creation with the mandate of rulership given to man: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth”.
The next condition was that man had to take up some responsibility to ensure that the beautiful environment continues to prosper and the blessings to flow. God’s clear terms of reference therefore quickly follow in Genesis 2: 15: “to work it and take care of it“. The Hebrew words used, “abad” (to work, till) and “shamar” (to guard, protect), indicate both the active labor involved in tending the garden and the responsibility to maintain its well-being.
Put in another way, man can only enjoy God’s freely-given blessings by ruling like God, on behalf of God, and under God. It should therefore not come as a surprise that a close relationship is crucial to the arrangement. This is the only way man will be able to understudy God, and follow His guidance in making decisions that will prosper the arrangement. Copying God’s wise, diligent and loving way will help man exert that the correct kind of dominion over the other living things, which will in turn ensure that the increasing number of human beings on earth will continue to enjoy God’s blessings.
Not surprising therefore that in the New Testament, our Lord Jesus reiterates in Matthew 22: 37–38: “’You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 And what’s more, He calls it the first and greatest commandment! This to my mind is sufficient proof that man was created to love God and others like him in the same way that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit love each other, and mankind that they created. God requires a love commitment, no more, no less. 1 John 4: 8 puts it this way: He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. This explains why everything God does is done in love, with love, and for love.
It is relevant to point out here that God’s Love is not the mamby-pamby, over-indulgent, over-sentimental kind of love that is pushed at us today. John 3:16 says: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Isn’t it wonderful to know that God’s Love is the deep, sincere, kind, passionate and sacrificial commitment to making man the best he can be, which of course is more and more like God Himself! One would think that it would be impossible for anyone who has tasted this kind of Love, would ever let it go. But some do for different reasons as we will see in the parables that follow. Some come back to their senses before it is too late, but others proudly continue to resist. The first are warmly welcome back into the Kingdom, but the latter lose their status of sonship forever. There is nothing like eternal security.
Apart from a mandate, God also gave man a clear command before allowing him to take possession. As are all His commands, the objective was to help man retain his position and continue to enjoy the privileges and opportunities freely provided him by Grace. As Genesis 2:17: indicates, man was forbidden to eat only one fruit in the Garden of Eden: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.
As we can see again from this latest example, God’s Grace was never and has never been devoid of conditions. To enjoy the Grace-given blessings, man was to take responsibility for what was provided. He was to work to sustain the environment. And he was to obey God’s command to retain the Gifts of Grace as represented by his life, the Garden of Eden and authority over all living things.
Apostle John teaches, exhorts and warns believers about making choices. In 1John 1: 6 -10 he declares: 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from allsin.If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Bottom-line is that anyone who really desires to make it to heaven in the end must meet this condition since God has already done everything to enable anyone enter and remain there. This is what Jesus meant when He said on the cross in John 19:30: It is finished, meaning Paid in full. Anyone who believes in Christ, yet disregards, holds these conditions in contempt, or feels free to flout them at will till the end of life, and still expects to make heaven is deceiving himself. The Bible says that even demons believe in God and they tremble (James 2:19) because they know their fate is in hell.
The concept of Conditional Salvation is implicit in almost, if not all the parables that our Lord Jesus used to describe the Kingdom of God. Take for example the Parable of the Prodigal son in Luke chapter 15: 11-32. It recounts the story of a rich man who had two sons. There was no doubt that both sons had the DNA of their father. At some point, the younger son, for flimsy, superficial, worldly, and self-centered reasons, as we eventually discover, chose to leave his father’s household. He made this decision being very well aware of his entitlements as a son, and even arrogantly requested for his inheritance before he was entitled to it. His no doubt disappointed father chose to respect his son’s choice and request, rather than force him to stay. Like any normal father, he would rather have a bond of love with his son than that of grudging obligation.
After dissipating his inheritance and messing up his life, the son reached rock-bottom and eventually came to his senses. He acknowledged his foolishness to himself. It could have stopped there if he wanted to hide his foolishness but that would mean he would continue to suffer. Otherwise, he could have chosen to return home unrepentant, with the intention to continue his frivolous lifestyle. But only an indifferent, foolish or over-indulgent father would accept this and there are many such around us. However, this father, who symbolizes God’s love in this parable, would not have obliged, not only because the now inheritance belonged only to the son who remained, but also because it would destroy the prodigal son further. Besides, had he chose to merely return to the household unrepentant, his behavior would it would have negatively affected everyone.
Fortunately, this time, the son made the wise choice to humbly return home to plead for readmission. He apparently knew his way back home and promptly acted on this wise decision. He returned penitent and sober, expecting nothing, a clear proof that he had truly learned his lesson and was sincere in his new commitment. He was therefore gladly embraced by his loving father who immediately applied grace by nor merely readmitting him into the household, but also reconciling with him and restoring him to his former status of son-ship, even to the extent of celebrating him publicly. Clearly, the readmission, reconciliation and restoration were conditional to his returning humbly. Had he not returned in this way, he would not have been received so joyfully, and the relationship would have been severed indefinitely.
There’s also the parable of the Sower, which reminds me of what a young man in his teens shared with me on a Youth ministry project he had worked on. He was obviously very pleased with his ingenious idea to use the traffic light to represent true and false salvation as recounted in Matthew 13: 3-10: …“A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
This teenager represented the seeds that that were eaten up by birds with the red light because they were stopped in their tracks and those that fell on good soil represented the green light because they made steady progress and bore lots of fruits. I expressed my total agreement on these two. However I fear I must have dampened his enthusiasm somewhat when I pointed out that the seeds that fell on rocky soil and amid thorns, should also have been represented by green lights in as much as they both germinated, and did get born again. The only problem was that they could not sustain the life for long.
I argued that the amber light would best represent someone like the governor Felix in Acts 24:25 who heard, understood, and was convicted of his sinful state by the Holy Spirit, but proudly refused to act on it correctly and therefore never got born again. There are many unhappy and frustrated amber lights around us. They know they are sinners. They know what to do to get rid of their burden of sin. But they prefer not to do anything about it because they also know what the new life would require of them. How so very sad. Yes. The new life has conditions and foolish is the man who thinks otherwise. Today is the day of Salvation. Putting it off is dangerous.
From our Lord’s interpretation, we can see that very human choices were responsible for the truncated life of the seeds that fell on rocky and thorny soils: 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. No root suggests shallow values and cowardice. Falling away means they were once part but chose to disengage because of what they stand to lose. In Matthew 16: 25 Jesus warns: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.
The book of Revelations also groups cowards, with sinners who will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Revelations 21:8 says: But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. May that not be the lot of anyone reading this in Jesus’ Name.
About the soil full of thorns, Jesus says: 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. This suggests an obsession with worldly things, and the wrong priorities, values and company. 1 Corinthians 15: 33 says: Bad company corrupts good character.
Referring to people who were once born again but went back to their sinful life, Apostle Peter, quoting Proverbs 26:11 described them in 2 Peter 2: 22 thus: 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. Revelations 22:15 also sates: 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
The Parable of the Talent also highlighted the conditional nature of God’s dealing with man. Matthew 25: 14-30 tells the story of a boss who was going away. He gave three of them a different amount of money to invest on his behalf. That was of course their duty and the responsibility he gave each was an indication of what his knew they were capable of. As servants, they all knew that job was their source of livelihood, and that they had to give account of how they had invested what was entrusted them with.
On his return, the one to whom he had entrusted the highest sum had doubled the value. His boss was very happy with him, praised him for his diligence, and rewarded him with a promotion that gave him more responsibilities. The same happened with the second servant to whom he had entrusted an average amount. But the one he had entrusted the least amount apparently did not trust his boss and even resented the fact that he was expected to take any initiative that will benefit his boss. He therefore chose not to make any effort to add value to what he was entrusted with and decided to bury the money. The way he saw it, that way at least, he would not be accused of losing it! But his calculations were disastrously wrong!
Here is the boss’ response to this unfaithful servant in verses 26-28: ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
It would have been more honest if this servant had not accepted the money from a boss he resented so much. He would probably have been sacked, but at least he would not have added hypocrisy to his laziness and rebellion. Such is the person who was once saved but despised the grace that bought him and treated it with disdain. To choose to continue to live in sin when one is aware of the many teachings, reassurances, encouragements and warnings made available in the Bible to avoid this, leads straight to hell. It becomes sufficiently clear yet again that man plays a part in how he chooses to relate with God.
Finally, I feel I must mention the many urgings of the Apostles to ‘put on’, take off’ ‘resist’ ‘stand’ stay alert’ ‘beware’ if a saved person has no responsibility? For example Ephesians 6: 10-18: 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere
Ephesians 4:22-24 also says: see that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Colossians 3: 12-17 states: 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
And as if this was not enough, Our Lord Jesus even went as far as to declare in Luke 14: 26: “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. Christ here states clearly that He expects to be the priority of every one of His followers. Every Christian must surrender all. It’s all or nothing. And it is from beginning to the end. It is a matter of choice. The doctrine of Eternal security only offers a false hope that may only be discovered when it is too late.
In Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23 Jesus demanded of those who truly wish to follow Him to first ‘take up their cross’. This calls for self-denial, and a willingness of embrace hardship, suffering and persecution if need be.
Jesus also said he who denies me before men, I shall deny before my Father in heaven … (Matthew 10: 33) Again, this would not be necessary if choice, decision and commitment is not required of the believer who has declared faith in Christ, and enjoyed His Grace. Apostle Peter denied Jesus and repented sincerely and was restore. Judas betrayed Jesus and clearly regretted what he did but his was not godly sorrow and went to hell. Grace should always be followed by gratitude and consistency. Faith should always be followed by faithfulness. Man has been given the power to reason and therefore always has the choice to press on or turn back. Salvation is, and has always been conditional to faithful obedience, imperfect though it may be.
We can become easily confused by this doctrine of conditional salvation if we conflate it with the ‘works’ of self-righteousness which aims to earn salvation by merit. This kind of self-focused ‘work’ to project one’s image is very different from what the Bible means. Ephesians 2:10 says Christians are “created in Christ Jesus to do good works” and James 2:17 says: “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead“. .The good works of a follower of Christ is based on the desire to obey the Lord, followed by effort. It is a loving response to God’s Grace and Love compelled by the Holy Spirit who lives in every believer. Good works is expected of followers of Christ, but not by compulsion, and not grudgingly. It is a choice made joyfully to practice what Christ teaches and not an attempt to gain God’s commendation. The good works of a Christian is a demonstration of gratitude and confidence, with that of an unbeliever a vote of no confidence towards God, and a demonstration of fear. They are two different things.
I get the impression that the reluctance to tell it like it is because of increasingly itchy ears of Christians who hope not to ever have to face the consequences of being ‘neither cold nor hot” like the church at Laodicea, whom Jesus said He would spit out of His mouth! (Revelations 3: 16). Perhaps it is also in a misguided attempt to be ‘nice’. But it completely contradicts what our merciful God has to say about His gracious Gift. Jesus was not a ‘nice’. His great love could not afford to down-play a detail that would take someone to hell!
I have also noticed that arguments in defense of eternal security is often confused with what I would like to refer to as the Blessed Assurance of Salvation that every true believer should have. There is no doubt that a person who truly believes and has truly surrendered his or her life to Christ should personally know exactly where he or she stands with Him. This fact is clearly captured in the Bible verse that says in Romans 8:12 that The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are the sons of God. Any born-again Christian should be able testify that this is true, because of the ever increasing deep-seated sense of belonging in his or her relationship with God through Christ. I see it as part and parcel of the Peace which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) that Jesus gives specially to those who truly trust Him for their ultimate Salvation. Nobody else but the Holy Spirit who lives in a believer can give this kind of reassurance. And he or she will know it.
Let me end Part 2 here with some Bible verses I urge all believers to check and meditate upon.
1. The book of Revelations 20: 15 also states that “…anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
2. John 15:2 says Any branch in me that bringeth not fruit will be cut off
3. Matthew 24: 46 says Blessed is he whom his master finds working….
4. Luke 6:46 Jesus says : Why call me Lord, Lord and do not what I say
5. Matthew 7: 21-22: 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
6. Matthew 25: 1-13: Parable of the 10 virgins – 5 were foolish
7. 1 John 3:3 says Anyone who has this hope in Him purifieth himself even as He is pure
8. Matthew 5: 13 says: But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless”
9. 2 Peter 1: 10 says: Be diligent to make your election sure
10. 2 Timothy 2:19 says: “But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: ‘The LORD knows those who are his,’ and ‘All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil'”.
11. Hebrews 10:29 says: “Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us”.
12. Hebrews 10:26 states, “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins”.
13. Philippians 2: 12-13 urges: Guard your salvation with fear and trembling.
14. 1 Corinthians 10: 12 states: Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he falls
