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So, the name of the sermon this morning is, If They Shall Fall Away. If They Shall Fall Away. So, I'm going to be addressing one of those passages that people have used many times to try to say that you can lose your salvation, and I'm going to explain what this passage is talking about. So, it's one of those hard things, so to speak, as far as if I had a nickel for every time someone said, you know, well, you can fall from grace, or if you fall away, then you can lose your salvation. And so, this passage is one of those passages that people always go to. And I've had preachers that, I remember when I first got saved, I went back to the church that I was going to that Oak Mountain church, and I remember talking to Pastor Paul, was the guy's name, and I asked him about eternal security because I was wanting to know if he believed in it. And he told me that it was kind of yes and no, it was kind of that forked tongue type of talk. But he showed me this, it was like a balance, it was like a picture of a balance, and it said, over here, there's a whole bunch of verses saying you can't lose your salvation. And then over here, it seems like there's verses that say you can lose your salvation. And he's like, I'm not saying you can lose your salvation, but he's like, I think you can maybe give it back, or you can choose. And it's such a stupid argument anyway, because, think about that. Could you imagine saying to somebody, no, I want to go to hell. I want to burn in hell forever. Because that's what you're saying. It's not a matter of, I want to give you back this car you gave me. That's not what we're talking about. Anybody that would give back salvation doesn't understand what it is. Therefore, they didn't understand salvation to begin with anyway, if they were wanting to give it back. Because if you understood that salvation is being saved from eternal burning flame, then there's no way anybody that is sane would ever say, no, I want to give this back. So it's a stupid question anyway, but I want to look at specifically in verse 4 through 6. And so, in verse 4, it says, for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open chain. Now first off, when you're reading this sentence, because this is all one sentence, it's kind of confusing, right, because the way it's worded, so sometimes you can restructure the sentence or you can basically put pieces of it in different, because sometimes things are said, what we would think more backwards, right, and how we would say it in modern vernacular. And you can rephrase it to kind of help you understand it. And once you understand what it's saying, it's easy even when you're reading it like this to understand what it's saying. But if you rephrase it and say, if those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come shall fall away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance. That's what it's saying. It's impossible to renew those that were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift that have fallen away. It's impossible to renew those people to repentance. That's what it's saying. So people that were once enlightened and all that. Now where people get into this and say, well, this is someone losing their salvation. Well, if it is, then they can never get saved again. Isn't that the typical, you know, you get saved, then you got to get saved again, and it's just this perpetual I'm saved, lost, saved, lost, saved, lost, saved, lost. Well, if this passage is saying that you can lose your salvation, then you can never get saved. Again, you've lost it. You're done. So either way you slice this passage, these people are not getting saved. It's impossible for these people to get saved. Now I don't believe this is talking about saved people losing their salvation. I believe it's talking about people that were never saved to begin with, and they lost their opportunity to get saved. Okay? Now what the important part is, is when you look at these phrases of what these people, the experience that these people had, okay, because notice what it says. It says in verse four, it says they were once enlightened, they tasted of the heavenly gift, they were partakers of the Holy Ghost, and they tasted of the word of God and the powers of the world to come. So notice that there's two times it says they tasted something. They were once enlightened and they were partakers of something. Okay? Now that's the key is, you know, what's this talking about? Is it someone that got saved and they received the gift of the Holy Ghost? It doesn't say that. It says they tasted it. And just because you taste something doesn't necessarily mean that you received it. Okay? I'm going to show you a passage on that, but first go to Matthew 13 because the parable of the sower and the seed on the wayside. This isn't perfectly, because I don't believe the people on the wayside were reprobates necessarily. I think it's just people that heard the gospel, they heard it, but they didn't get saved. Okay? But I want you to see that something was sown into their heart. They did receive something. Okay? They did partake of something even though they didn't get saved. Okay? So just because you received the word or you tasted the word of God or even if it was sown in your heart doesn't mean that you got saved. Okay? And so in Matthew 13 and verse 19 it says, when anyone heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart, this is he which received seed by the wayside. So what was sown in his heart? Well the seed, what does the seed represent? The word of God. And I'm not going through the whole sermon on the sower and the seed right now, but go to Luke 8 because Luke 8 is a parallel passage and just to show you that these people aren't saved. Okay? They didn't get saved. And actually out of the sower and the seed, that's the only one that didn't get saved is the first one, the seed by the wayside. The rest of them got saved and then the only one was fruitful. And the other two either didn't have a good foundation, they fell away, and then you had the ones that were choked by thorns, they fell away. And another thing to remember is that when you see terms like saved, that doesn't always mean eternal salvation. And just as much as when you see the word fall, doesn't mean it's always talking about falling, dealing with eternal salvation. Because in 2 Peter chapter 1 and 3, it talks about if these things be in you, you shall never fall. I'm not talking about losing your salvation because at the end of the book it says that you fall not from your own steadfastness. It didn't say anything about salvation, it just says you're not falling from your own steadfastness. And so just because you see the word fall doesn't mean that it's talking about reprobates. It doesn't mean that it's always talking about eternal salvation. Now this passage I'm going to submit to you that I believe it is talking about reprobates. It's talking about what happens or how they, it's talking about the fact that they can't get saved or they won't come to repentance. And I'm going to explain this kind of bit by bit as we go through this. Luke 8 verse 12, just to prove to you that the people that received the seed by the wayside didn't get saved and they didn't believe. So these people in Hebrews 6, they never believed. They had all this stuff, they tasted the word of God, they tasted of the heavenly gift, but they never received it, they never believed it. And Luke 8 verse 12, it says, those by the wayside are they that hear, then cometh the devil and taketh away the word out of their hearts. So remember what was sown in their hearts, the word of God. He taketh it out of their hearts, it says lest they should believe and be saved. So did those people that received that word of God, did they get saved? Did they believe? No. And so in Hebrews 6, it's the same thing. These people never believed. Did you remember ever reading in this passage that it says they believed and then they fell? Doesn't say that. But you say, well, they tasted it, then they must have. That means they had it. Okay, we'll go to Matthew 27, Matthew 27. Now what's interesting is that there's two times when Jesus was going to the cross. If you remember, there's a time that they gave him vinegar mingled with gall and he didn't receive it, he didn't drink it. Then when he was on the cross, they took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and that he did drink. So there's two cases where you'll read in there and say, well, in one place it says he didn't drink it, another place did drink it. It's because it's two different cases. One was mingled with gall and that's prophesied that that was going to happen. He didn't drink that. That's what I'm going to show you. But there's another case where he's on the cross and they put the sponge on the spear and then they put vinegar and they gave it and he drank it. And once he received it, he gave up the ghost. And so this passage in Matthew 27, verse 34, notice what it says. It says, they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall. So that's not good. You don't like gall. And it says, and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. So just because you taste something doesn't mean you drank it. Whosoever will let him take up the water of life freely, you've got to drink it. You can taste it, meaning that you understand what it is and you're like testing it out, so to speak, but you have to drink it. And so when it keeps saying this, they tasted, they tasted of it, they didn't receive it. And so there's a case where someone tastes something, Jesus tasted that vinegar mixed with mingled with gall, but he didn't drink it, he didn't receive it. Later on, they'll put vinegar in a sponge and he will receive that right before he dies. Now what about this partakers of the Holy Ghost? Well go to John 16, John 16, because it's like, well, he's a partaker of the Holy Ghost, that means he had the Holy Ghost. No, that's not what it says. It didn't say the Holy Ghost was dwelling inside of them because the Holy Ghost is actually working on a lot of unsaved people. And a lot of people are partakers of the Holy Ghost, but these particularly, what's interesting about this is that how close they were to the truth, and it's giving you that point. So when we talk about reprobates, we're not talking about people that never heard the truth or that were never even near the truth. I don't believe that God just turns those people over to reprobate minds. I believe it's the people that were right there and they rejected it. So in John 16 verse 7, it says, Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. Now the Comforter of forsaken time is the Holy Ghost. And there's another place that the Comforter, this is the Holy Ghost, right? So the Holy Ghost is who we're talking about here. Notice in verse 8, And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, of sin, because they believe not on me. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you see me no more. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. So the Holy Ghost has a ministry here, and he's reproving the world of sin. So when you go out soul winning, and you're preaching to them the fact that you're a sinner, you know the Holy Ghost is there trying to reprove them of that sin. And the Holy Ghost is working with you. You know, the Holy Ghost, his sword is the Spirit. So when you go out, if you're not filled with the Spirit, you're not winning someone the Christ. And if the Holy Ghost isn't in it, it's not going to happen. So the Holy Ghost is a part of that process of winning someone the Christ, but you can give them the Gospel, and they can be reproved of sin, meaning they were partakers of this Holy Ghost, but not accepted. And you say, well, you know, is there cases where they, you know, the Holy Ghost is working on them, and they don't accept it? Well, yeah, there are. Go to Hebrews chapter 3, Hebrews chapter 3, now this is dealing with the children of Israel when they're going into the promised land, or they were supposed to go into the promised land, at the end of chapter 3, for sake of time, it says, why didn't they enter in? They entered not in because of unbelief. So it was unbelief as a reason why they didn't go into the promised land. But notice what the Bible is saying here in verse 7. So Hebrews chapter 3, verse 7 says, wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, so who's talking? The Holy Ghost is saying this, today if you'll hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore, I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do all weigh air in their heart, and they have not known my ways. So I swear in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest. Now if you remember, we were in the Psalms, and we were looking at how Romans 1 was paralleled back to Psalms, where it says that he gave them over to their own hearts' lust, and called them haters of the Lord, and all that stuff. So that's a lot going back to Israel coming out of Egypt, and that generation that God destroyed in the wilderness. Now I'll go to Acts chapter 7, Acts chapter 7. This is Stephen's famous sermon, and this is where they didn't like him. So all of a sudden they're listening up to him, up to this point, he's given a history lesson, a Bible history lesson as far as all the stuff that's happened from Abraham down to Moses, and he's given them this Bible lesson, so to speak, of what happened in the Bible, and then he turns it to them. And in verse 51 it says, ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted, and they have slain them? Which showed before of the coming of the just one, of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the dispensation of angels, and have not kept it. So people are constantly resisting the Holy Ghost. They're being a partaker of the Holy Ghost, he's reproving them of sin. They're hearing that call, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, and he's calling out to them to hear his voice, and they're rejecting it. So when it says they are partakers of the Holy Ghost, that's what it's talking about. The Holy Ghost was there trying to work on them, and they're resisting it. They're resisting the Holy Ghost, and notice he says you're uncircumcised in heart and ears. He is not a Jew which is one hourly, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is not that of the flesh, but is of the heart and the spirit. So circumcision is dealing with, circumcising your heart is dealing with being saved, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, right? Now, so that takes care of the tasting, right? You see the tasting, the word of God, tasting, you know, yeah, tasting the heavenly gift. So they tasted the heavenly gift, they tasted the word of God, and then they also, you know, it talks about being once enlightened, okay? I'm going to get to that a little bit later, dealing with Romans 1, but what I want to get into first is this, renew them again unto repentance, okay? And so, go to 1 Peter chapter 1, because you say renew again, that sounds like they were renewed before. I think that's where a lot of people are getting hung up on this, is it sounds like, well, they were renewed before, now they, you know, they need to be renewed again, okay? Well, I want to show you this, now, the renewing of the Holy Ghost is part of salvation, it's how you get saved, and I'm going to show you that too, but I just want to see the language that the Bible uses here, dealing with salvation. In 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3, it says, blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now, they could have just said he begot us unto a lively hope, right, but he says he begot us again. Now, we understand that because we understand that we're talking about being born again, right? You're not, you're born physically, but you're also born spiritually, and so this phrase of being renewed again, I believe, is the same type of language that's used in 1 Peter 1, where it's talking about being begotten again unto a lively hope, renewed again by the Holy Ghost, which, go to Titus chapter 3, just to show you that, that this renewing is talking about salvation. Also, you know, when you think about renewing again unto repentance, in context, what is the repentance, you know, what is the repentance talking about? Well, at the very beginning of the chapter, it says, you know, repentance from dead works and a faith toward God. That's the foundation, that's salvation, right? And so, I don't believe this repentance, and some people believe that this is actually talking about saved people that, and the, it's impossible to renew them again unto repentance is just stating the fact that they can't get saved again because it's eternal life and you can't lose it. I've heard that explanation before, but I think there's too much evidence to show that this is talking about reprobates, and I'm going to get into that, you know, other passages as well, but I understand where they're coming from. I just don't understand how it would go that way as much, okay? I think that when it's talking about tasting, and once enlightened, and being partakers, that's not talking about people that received it or believed it, okay? And the next couple verses after that passage that we read, I think, really gives you that light as far as you're dealing with, okay, people that are saved, and people, you know, good prophets are good trees and bad trees, okay? I'm going to show you that parallel as well, but in Titus chapter 3, I know this is a little deep this morning, but, you know, sometimes you need to get deep into the Word of God to understand these passages, and especially out soul-winning because you may run into somebody that's going to bring up this passage, and could you answer it off the cuff? Could you tell them, okay, this is what it's talking about? First is understanding what is it talking about, you know, anytime anybody ever brought it up, I said, well, if that's true, according to what you're saying, that someone could lose their salvation, then they could never get saved again. So you better never lose it because you're never getting saved again. And so that would be the first thing I say to people with that passage, but I'd say it's talking about people that were never saved to begin with, and they did lose their opportunity to be saved. And Titus 3, and I just want you to see how the Holy Ghost is involved when it comes to salvation here, it says in verse 4, it says, but after the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Amen. Notice you didn't see washing and regeneration of water. By the way, the water baptism stuff is a doctrine out of hell. It says washing and regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. So what's the washing and regeneration dealing with? The Holy Ghost and renewing of the Holy Ghost. So they were partakers of the Holy Ghost, but they were never renewed by the Holy Ghost, because they resisted the Holy Ghost. And so I just want you to see that. Now there's another thing in that passage that's interesting, right? It talks about crucifying the Son of God afresh and putting Him to an open chain. So what is that talking about? Now I'm going to show you what I believe, biblically I'll show you, go to Jude, but this made me think of this, you know, when that Sarah Silverman, that comedian that has this clip where she basically said, I hope the Jews did kill Jesus, and she says, I would do it again. And I automatically thought of this passage, right? Now I already knew that she was a reprobate, because she hates Jesus, she hates God, right? But when she said that, I'm like, Hebrews chapter 6, you know, she would do it again. And you know, there's people out there that would kill Him again if they could. But anyway, I want to show you, why does it say that, you know, they crucify Him afresh? Well, it's because they're twice dead, okay? Most people in the world are not twice dead, but there are a certain group of people that are twice dead, and that's what it's stating here, is that they're twice dead. He would have to literally be crucified again for them to get saved. And obviously He's not going to, He only did it once, right? And that's the only time He's doing it. And so that shows you that people in hell, you know, He died for them, but He's not doing it again for them. And so these people, again, when you're dealing with reprobates, they're people that have lost their chance of salvation before they even die. That's what you're getting into. And they're dead men walking. And so in Jude, in verse 12, just to get some, you know, actually this is where it's at, I want you to see this. It says, these are spots in your feast of charity when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear, clouds they are without water, carried about of winds, trees whose fruit withereth without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame, wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Now, if you know the context, what was the verse right before that's talking about Cain and Korah and Balaam, and they were given examples of these people. These people, it says, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. And it says these people are twice dead, plucked up by the roots. So they're twice dead. Okay, so that's why I believe it's talking about they would crucify the Son of God afresh, putting him into an open shame, because they're all, they've been rejected, okay. And so, if I go to Matthew chapter 23, Matthew chapter 23, don't worry, I'm not reading the whole passage again, like last Sunday night, but there's some things to see here. Matthew 23, I want you to know that there's men out there, there's people out there that the Bible says are twice dead, and they're pretty much dead men walking. Have you ever heard that with the, you know, death row, dead men walking? Why? Because there's no other way out but them to die, like they're going to die. And that's why it says they're damnation slumber, if not, right, talks about in 2 Peter, these people are dead men walking, as if they're dead already, is what it's stating, okay. But in Matthew 23 and verse 15, it says, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye come past sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Notice they're twofold the child of hell. They're twice dead. And so, that's what I believe it's talking about. Notice that this is the fruit of, this is the corrupt fruit, right, this is the corrupt fruit of the Pharisees and the scribes, of the fact that they are bringing forth children, spiritually speaking, that are twofold more the child of hell than themselves. Go down to verse 27, this will put a little more meat on this. You may wonder, why did Jesus call them white and sepulchres, was he just trying to be mean to them? No, there's a reason why he calls them that. And verse 27 says, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within, full of dead men's bones and of uncleanness. So notice, what is a sepulchre? It's a grave. Now, it's a grave that's on the outside, right, it's not in the ground, it's a sepulchre that's shooting out of a rock or out of a hill or something like that, what is it, a mausoleum, is that what they call them, you know, like if they have like the thing and it's out of the ground. But basically, he says they're white sepulchres, why? Because they're dead men walking. Go to Luke chapter 11, it puts a little interesting idea on this. Same thing, and actually, Luke 11 is calling back, you know, to a lot of the stuff that's being said in Matthew 23, not really calling back, it's just a parallel passage, really. But Luke 11 and verse 44 says, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, verse 44, for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. So these people, they look like they're alive, but they're actually dead. Because they're twice dead, their soul is twice dead, that's what that's talking about, their body's alive, but their soul is twice dead. You ever heard of the second death? They're already there, they just haven't died yet physically. And once their body dies, they're done. And obviously anybody that dies without Christ is done, but they don't even have a chance now. They're without hope. And that's what it's talking about when it talks about that they crucified the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame, it's basically they're trying to crucify him twice. They have to crucify him twice because they're twice dead. We are dead in trespasses and sins, and he hath quickened us by his resurrection. What do you do with someone that's twice dead? Does Christ have to die twice? And so that's why I believe it says that. Now obviously these reprobates hate Jesus so much that they would want him to die again. I think that's another point, I don't think that really is what this is saying, but it made me think of it, that people that have said that, and that hate him so much that they're like, I would kill him again. But that's what you have when you have haters of God. So I mean, we talked about that last week in our sermon about being a disciple. But it says it's impossible to renew them again unto repentance. And so that's what this whole passage is dealing with, is that it's impossible for these people that have fallen away to be renewed unto repentance, meaning that they won't repent. Now repent doesn't mean turn from sins, it just means to believe, right? It means from dead works and faith toward God, and what's the action? Believing. They believed in their dead works, they turned from that, and they believed on Jesus Christ. That's repentance when dealing with salvation. And so it's impossible for them to what? Believe on Jesus. And so that's what it's saying, it's saying it's impossible for them to do that. Well go to 2 Timothy, because there's actually, 2 Timothy 2 and in the 3 will explain this to you. So we get a bad rap sometimes when we're talking about rapper-based to say, well you're saying Jesus didn't die for everybody. No, that's not what I'm saying. I believe Jesus died for every sin that's in the world. That includes homosexuality. That includes all sins. Every sin. Not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world. So it's not like all, they committed homosexuality, therefore God can't cover that. No, that's not the reason that they're not going to heaven. It's because they will not believe. And homosexuality is just, all that is, is just, it shows me their fruit, it shows me what they've done to where I can see that that person is given over. Because it's unnatural. Pedophilia, unnatural. I automatically know that person, there's no way a normal person would do that. They had to be given over in order to do that. Homosexuality, same thing. A serial killer, someone that just kills and rapes women and kills children and buries them under their house, reprobate. No normal human being with normal, natural affections would ever do something like that. Now is murder something that anybody can do? Of course. But there's a difference between murdering somebody because you're in self-defense or even if it was something like Joe Abb or, you know what I mean, there's different things, gang members and stuff like that, that kill people because of territory or whatever. That's different than maliciously loving to kill people. Those that love violence, his soul hateth, right? And so, but go to 2 Timothy chapter 2, 2 Timothy chapter 2, I'm going to preach a sermon on love, don't worry. Last week we did a sermon about he hated not father or mother and all that and I was explaining that passage dealing with being a disciple this morning. We're talking about reprobates again. It's more so I want you to see these passages that people are trying to pull out of context and I want you to see what the Bible actually teaches on these things, okay? And when you see it, it makes perfect sense and it's in every book of the Bible. I'm not just in Hebrews, I'm not, I haven't even gone to Romans 1 yet and we're talking about reprobates, we're talking about people that are impossible for them to be saved. Well, in 2 Timothy chapter 2, 2 Timothy chapter 2, notice what it says in verse 24. It says, and the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men, at the teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. Notice this, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will. Now, let me ask you a question, because we're not Calvinists, okay? So I don't believe that God is just picking and choosing who he wants to believe, okay? It's our free will choice. So if that's out of the question, that this is just, you know, God is choosing who he'll allow to believe, okay, as far as just from the birth, you know, as far as who's, you know, heaven, heaven, hell, hell, and, you know, you're just born to either be damned or go to heaven, right? That's obviously retarded. That's Calvinism right there. But what is this talking about then? If God peradventure will give them, this is one of their main texts, by the way, that they'll use, Calvinists will use to try to say that, you know, there's certain people that God will not allow to repent. Well, I agree with that, but the fact is that I don't believe that it happens at birth. I believe there's a point where someone can cross the line where God will not give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. And so what is this verse talking about? You either become a Calvinist or you believe people come to a point where God will not allow them to believe. That's one of the two choices. You can't, where's the other? How does anybody else answer this? You know, how do you answer all these other passages? How do you answer that Jesus did not want the Pharisees to believe that he hardened their hearts, blind their eyes, that they would not believe? How do you answer that? You either become a Calvinist and believe that God's just up there picking and choosing, there's no free will, or you have to acknowledge that there's certain people that cross a line with God where he just turns them over and they're done. And I choose that. I choose the fact that he gives us free will. He wants everybody to be saved. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. He will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. And it says that he's not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. How do you reconcile that with this verse then? Calvinists, you can't reconcile that, right? Because how do you reconcile where it says he's not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance? You just have to change meanings of words at that point and say all doesn't mean all. But this is how you reconcile it. He did want all to come to repentance, but there comes a point in their life where he's done with them and he cuts off that ability for them to be saved. Now you say, well, okay, you know, does it really say it exactly like that? Well, go to chapter 3. So chapter 2 rolls into chapter 3 and go down to verse 6. Now for the sake of time I'm not going to go through that whole list, but it's really like Romans 1, you know, with all the different things that's said about them. They have a form of godliness, but they're denying the power thereof. But notice in verse 6 it says, For of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts. Notice what it says in verse 7, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. What does that mean? I think it means ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. That's what I think it means. So there's a point where God says, I will not give you repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. I will allow you to be ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. And notice it clarifies and gives two examples, two people that this happened to back in Moses' day. It says in verse 8, Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so did these also resist the truth, men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith. So it defines what's that mean, to be ever learning, never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, to reprobate concerning the faith. So what do we believe is the fact that they had the opportunity to be saved. They had tasted the good word of God. They tasted of the heavenly gift. They were once enlightened. They were partakers of the Holy Ghost. They tasted of the powers of the kingdom, you know, the world to come, and they fell away from that, meaning that they rejected it. They resisted it. And what does it mean that they fell? Meaning that God gave up on them. He gave them over to a reprobate mind. God gave them up unto their own vile affections, and that's what it's talking about, the reprobate concerning the faith. So when we talk about someone being reprobate, it's not because of what they did, you know, as far as the sin. It's not like, well, it's that sin that's the reason that they won't go to heaven. No. It's they won't believe. It's always the same. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Why is the homo going to go to hell? Because he didn't believe on Jesus Christ. Why is the pedophile not going to hell because he didn't believe on Jesus Christ? Why is the axe murderer, Ted Bundy, you know, name off the, you know, the Green River Killer, all these people, why are they burning in hell right now? Because they didn't believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Period. Now, they will burn for those sins, and they'll be judged according to their sins in hell, but it's the same requirement across the board. If they don't go to heaven, it's because they didn't believe. And this is just stating that's impossible. That's what Hebrews 6 is saying. It's impossible. Now, that makes sense when you read 2 Timothy when it says they're ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Well, if that's the case, then how could they? And it's impossible for them to come to the truth. Why? Because God has darkened their heart. Because God gave them over. And if God gives up on somebody, what do you do? Well, go to Romans 1, because I want you to get this key, okay? Is that Hebrews 6 and Romans 1 is making a very important point that these people were not just people that were just, you know, John Smith down the road that, you know, was living his life and no one gave him the Gospel and he didn't accept Jesus and God gave him over to a reprobate mind. That's not who we're dealing with here. We're dealing with people that knew it, they knew what it took, and then they rejected it. And that's what keeps being brought up here in Romans chapter 1. Notice in verse 18, this is actually where it switches gears because in verse 16 and 17 you're talking about the Gospel and talking about, you know, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel, Christ for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believeth. You know, that's a famous verse in the Bible. Well, then it switches gears dealing with the righteous and going into the reprobate, right? Because in verse 18, notice what it says. It says, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. What's that saying? The wrath of God is revealed on certain people, and it says on all that hold the truth in unrighteousness. So when I see a reprobate, what do I see? Someone that holds the truth in unrighteousness. Notice in verse 19 there, right after that, it says, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them. So are you dealing with people that never saw it? That didn't taste of the word of God? That weren't enlightened at one point? No, you're dealing with people that were. And why do you see a lot of people in Baptist churches become a bunch of pedophiles? That's why we don't have a nursery, by the way. We have them by the baby room, but we're not going to just hand your children off to somebody in the church because if there's ever going to be a case where there's probably going to be predators, it's going to be places where it holds the truth. But you also have it in the Catholic churches and all this stuff, people that knew the truth and they rejected it. That's why you see it a lot in Christian churches dealing with reprobates. Now, you can obviously have people that aren't in the church realm, but they used to be, that Shermer guy. What's his name? Michael Shermer. He runs Skeptic Magazine and he debated Kent Hovind and he hates God. You know what he said? I used to be a born again Bible believing Baptist and now he hates God. And you can tell when you listen to him talk about God, but why is that not surprising to me? Because he grew up in a Baptist realm, heard the truth, knew the truth, knew God and glorified him not as God and God darkened his foolish heart. And verse 21, so Romans 1, 21, what I really just wanted to show you is that how they knew God showed it unto them, they knew it, but they didn't accept it. They didn't receive it. They didn't believe. Right? And verse 21, it says, because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Now they were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. So that's the key. Notice in verse 28, it says, even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. So notice how it's, they didn't want God in their knowledge. They knew God, but didn't glorify him as God. They hold the truth in unrighteousness and notice how God showed this unto them. But being a reprobate, going down this spiral into this wicked, vile stuff, that's the wrath of God being revealed from heaven on these people. That's what Romans 1 is teaching us. Is that when you see these vile affections and without natural affections, these haters of God, what you're seeing is God's judgment on these people. And there's no marvel that these people don't live that long, when you live that type of lifestyle. Any sin will do that to you, right? Fornication and adultery and all that stuff will cause you to live a shorter life just in general when it comes to diseases and all this other stuff. Why do all the sodomites have a very low life expectancy? Because they're sleeping with hundreds of people throughout the years and they have all kinds of diseases and uncleanness and they die from it. The way of transgressors is hard, the Bible says. And it's more so with them because they're all, they're just basically, it's almost like you take the governor off a car, right? You ever rode go-carts when you were younger and you get on these go-carts and you can tell there's a governor on that thing because you've got that thing. I'm trying to like plow my foot through the floorboard to get that thing to go faster and it just won't go any faster. And I'm like, I know this thing can go faster than this, but they put a governor on it because they don't want you to go too fast and like fly out of the track, right? And so what I look at this is that God has put a governor or basically he's put up this hedge about us as just, let's say, unsaved people, right? And he won't let you go outside these bounds, right? You're sinning, right? Which is bad, but when he gives them over to their vile affections, it's like he puts that hedge down and it's like anything's up. Now, it didn't come into God's mind, right? A lot of these sins didn't even come into his mind. It's not like he thought of this stuff. It's stuff that he'd never even thought of. But when he put that guard down, he basically just said, you're done. I'm not even putting a hedge about you to where you'd even have a restrictor on what you would do. And that's why they go into pedophilia. That's why they go into serial killing. That's why they go into homosexuality is because that restriction has been taken off to do those things which are not convenient. He's given them over to a reprobating mind to do those things which are not convenient. He's given them up unto their own heart's lust. And so that's what the Bible's teaching here. Now, go back to Hebrews chapter 6. Hebrews chapter 6, because honestly, if you go down to verse 7 and 8, it'll really kind of explain who you're talking about here because he first starts off this chapter talking about, you know, believers. He's saying, I don't want to lay the foundation again, which is repentance from dead works and faith toward God and the doctrines of baptisms and all this stuff. And this is what we do if God permit. So he's talking to believers there. He's saying, basically, we need to go on unto perfection, right? We get saved. All right. And then we preach about all this other stuff to go on unto perfection, right? We're trying to, you know, clean up things in our lives, the perfecting of the saints. That's what church is for. That's what's reading the Bible. All that's for. Then he gets into reprobates. Well, in verse 7, you're dealing with, say, people. Verse 8, you're dealing with the reprobate. So you see kind of this, it's almost condensing it now to what he just talked about. And in verse 7, it says, for the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh off the pond, bringeth forth herbs, meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. So that's a good thing, right? Herbs aren't reprobating, you know, herbs are good. And it says they receive blessing from God. Notice the contrast, though. But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh in the cursing whose end is to be burned. So there's a stark difference between those two. Because if you think about it, this is throughout the Bible, you have, you know, the fruit of the ground, right? You have apple trees, you have the plants, you know, corn or wheat or, but then you always have the stuff that's always trying to choke it, right? The tares, the thorns, the thistles, right? And they're complete contrast, right? That's the complete opposite. You have the one that bears good fruit, and you can eat it, and then you have the thorns and the briars and the thistles, right? And that's something that you don't want. That's the curse, right, that's on the ground from Adam's fall. Now go to 2 Samuel chapter 23, 2 Samuel chapter 23. We hit this last week, but I just want you to see that when it talks about thorns and briars, you know, he's giving you an example of a physical element that's on the earth as far as plants, but he's relating it to people, right? So those that bear, bring forth herbs, that's talking about people bringing forth herbs, and they receive blessing from God, meaning that Christians that are fruitful and bring forth good fruit. Then you have those that bring forth thorns and briars. What is that? Corrupt fruit, it talks about their end is to be burned. But in 2 Samuel chapter 23, in verse 6 there, it says, but the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away because they cannot be taken with hands, but the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place. Sound familiar? Because you have the thorns and briars that are rejected and they're nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned, now you have the sons of Belial that are as thorns being thrust away and they're going to be burned in the same place. So when you're talking about thorns and briars, you're talking about people that are rejected by God. I don't have time this morning, but the first mention of reprobate is in Jeremiah 6.30. Reprobate silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them. That's the first mention of the word reprobate and it just simply means rejected. So I use that word a lot. We were talking about California banning straws and I said California is reprobate. And it's just, why? Because it's just a term that means rejected. That means I don't want to live in California because their gun laws are horrible. You can't even have a stretchy straw now apparently. I never even looked into that. I just see all these memes out there and I'm just like, what in the world is going on? But that's just a term that means reprobate. There are certain restaurants that are reprobate to me. Burger King is reprobate to me. I don't like Burger King. They keep giving me cold whoppers and I haven't been there in like three years. But anyway, all I have to say is that reprobate is just a term but even if you looked up reprobate in the dictionary.com, you know what the definition is? Those that are rejected by God and without hope of salvation. That's dictionary.com. Look it up later if you don't believe me. It'll be the first definition. And it's either like either that or it's broken up into two, you know, with what I just said there. And I'm like, man, they get it. Why don't fundamental Baptists get it? Why don't most Christians get that? And so when you see the word reprobate, that should be calling back to, okay, they're rejected by God. Especially in the Bible because in context that's what it's saying. They're not talking about Burger King in the Bible, okay? But go to Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7, I want you to see this correlation between thorns and briars and dogs and swine. Now I preached a whole sermon about dogs and swine dealing with them being reprobated. That's a term, you know, that we would use. Beware of dogs, it says in Philippians chapter 3. It's not talking about Fido. And even though when we go out soul winning, sometimes you've got to wrestle with the dogs, right? And you've got to deal with the dogs. That's not what that's like. I'm not saying beware of dogs like at the doorstep, okay? It's talking about people. Why? Because dogs are rejected or it's a term that the Bible uses to talk about a guy particularly that's rejected and a swine is talking about a woman that's rejected. Now Matthew chapter 7 is a very famous passage dealing with false prophets. It's no marvel that it talks about both dogs and swine and thorns in this passage. In verse 6 there, it says, give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rend you. So why if someone came up as a flaming homo would I not want to give them the gospel? Because I'm not going to cast my pearls before swine, okay? And most of these people won't even allow you to give the gospel anyway to them. It says in verse 15, it says, beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns and figs of thistles? Doesn't that sound familiar to Hebrews chapter 6? That which beareth thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned. And so they're bearing or they're gathering grapes of thorns and thistles and it says, Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. So what's the evil fruit? The thorns and the thistles, right? A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is shewn down and cast into the fire, wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Now this is why I don't believe fruits here is talking about your works, okay? Because that means you can never do a bad work, right? If you're a good tree you'd never do a bad work. You'd always do right. Now what this is talking about is what's the fruit of the righteous? The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life and he that wineth souls is wise. So what's the fruit of a Christian? Another Christian. Now you cannot bear fruit. That's different than bearing corrupt fruit, okay? But what was the fruit of the scribes and Pharisees? They made one proselyte and made them twofold more than the child of hell than themselves. Here's their fruit. They're bearing thorns and briars, they're bringing forth, they recruit. Isn't that the motto of the Sodomites? We don't, we're not reproducers, we're recruiters. They wear the shirts. That's not just something that like we wear and we're just like trying to call them out on it. They wear the shirts, they hold up signs saying we're not reproducers, we're recruiters because they're recruiting the reprobates. They're trying to, they're making them into reprobates. They're making them hate God. And so this passage is interesting because it talks about dogs and swine, it talks about thorns and thistles. Well Hebrews 6 is talking about what? Thorns and briars. Well, go to 2 Peter chapter 2 because we're going to see a very similar passage dealing with the same subject. But instead of talking about thorns and briars, it's actually talking about dogs and swine. So all this stuff correlates, it all fits like a glove. But this is another verse, verse 20 there, where sometimes you may have to word it a little bit, you know, you may have to switch the way it's worded a little bit to get it to understanding and to where you understand it because it's kind of, it's kind of like it's impossible for those who are once enlightened to renew them and get them to repentance. It's like the impossible applies to renewing them unto repentance but you have to like pull it back from the very beginning of the sentence, which it still makes sense. It's accurate, it's perfect. I mean, I'm not saying that, you know, it's wrong the way they worded it, but in our minds we have to like pull it back from way back there and sometimes it's harder to do that. But in verse 20 there it says, For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 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. 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. So how's it end? Talking about dogs and it's talking about swine or that sow is a female pig, female swine. And so, and a hog obviously is a male. So but it's talking about the fact of dogs and swine but notice it's the same thing that's being taught in Hebrews 6. But if I were to word that a little bit different to help you understand verse 20 you know you'd say like the latter end is worse with them than the beginning if they are entangled again and overcome after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So it's basically saying if you're entangled and overcome after you've heard this and after you knew the commandment of God and turned from it, the latter end is worse with you than the beginning. We already kind of correlated this with the person that had an unclean spirit and the unclean spirit came out of the man and he came back with seven other unclean spirits and the last state of that man is worse than the first. And so obviously we're not dealing with a saved individual because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. A saved person would never have an unclean spirit in their body anyway. So if someone were to, you can liken it up to let's say Jesus were to cast out that unclean spirit from that person and then he didn't get saved, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning because that unclean spirit is going to come back with seven other devils worse than him. And so, but what's it talking about, it says it would have been better for them to not have known the way of righteousness. You know what this is saying with reprobates? It would have been better for them not to have known it than to turn from the Holy Commandment delivered unto them. Why? Because now they're reprobate. Because now they have no chance of salvation. It would have been better off not even knowing the way. And so that's a strong statement to be made, right? Can you imagine saying to somebody, you know, it would have been better if you never even heard the Gospel. That's crazy, but it's not crazy when you think about the fact that they became reprobate and be like it would have been better if you wouldn't have known it back then because maybe now you wouldn't have been a reprobate, you know, because you would have been doing it ignorantly and unbelief, right? And so this passage is really showing that same correlation. What's the Holy Commandment delivered unto them? And this is the commandment that we believe on his son Jesus Christ at 1 John chapter 2. So yeah, he commands everyone everywhere to repent. So he does command us to get saved, to believe on him. And so that's what that's talking about. The latter end is worse with them than the beginning. And so there was one last thing I was going to show you. That's Hebrews chapter 6. You know, what's that talking about? It's talking about, it's clearly not talking about someone losing their salvation. If it was, then they'd never be able to get saved again. But it's talking about someone or people that have known the truth, they heard the Word of God, it was sown into their hearts, the Holy Ghost was reproving them of sin, he was trying to show them the right way, they resisted it, and they fell away. And once they fell, once they're turned over to that reprobate mind, once God gives them up, it's impossible. Impossible for them to get saved. That's what the Bible's teaching. It's consistent throughout the whole Bible. And we see it in the Old Testament, when I was showing you Hebrews 3, that's calling back to the Old Testament. Romans 1's calling back to the Old Testament. And so it's not like this is just a New Testament thing. If it was, then we're in the New Testament, so you've got to deal with that, right? But this is something that's been, Cain was of the wicked one. Cain was turned over to a reprobate mind. It goes all the way back to the beginning. Now I'm going to talk about this one real quick, because there's another one that people use that's fallen from grace. Go to Galatians chapter 5. So I remember seeing that little scale of things, you know, like, well, here's some verses that say you can lose your salvation or something like that. Hebrews 6 and Galatians 5. Those were like the two big ones, right? And so obviously I was going to try to figure out what the Bible says on that. But Hebrews, or Galatians chapter 5, it says in verse, I'm just going to show you the verse where it says it. Verse 4. Galatians 5 verse 4 says, Christ has become of no effect unto you, whosoever you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace. Now you probably, I think there's like songs and movies made out of that phrase, fallen from grace, right? Now again, to be fallen from grace, what do you have to do? Be justified by the law. That means everybody that believes you have to do good works has fallen from grace. You know what that means? To lose your salvation, you have to believe, you have to change from believing it's just by faith and believe it's by works. Do you see how backwards that is? Because what do they say that, you know, oh no, you fall from grace, you know, you're falling from grace because you committed some sin, you know, you lost your salvation. That's not what it says. It says you've fallen from grace because, why? You're justified by the law. Now what's this talking about? Now what you have to understand is the context of the whole book. Go back to Galatians chapter 1, is that when he's talking to the Galatians, he's talking to save people, but he knows that there's a wolf in the midst of them. He knows there's someone trying to pervert the gospel and bewitching them. So throughout the book, he's constantly pulling out, like there's someone in there that is this person. And that's where he's pointing him out, in Galatians 5 particularly. But how does the book even start? Go to verse 6 of chapter 1, it says, I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that I called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another. But there be some that trouble you and will pervert the gospel of Christ. So he starts off this book saying there's someone there that is perverting the gospel of Christ and saying you need to be circumcised also to be saved. That's what he gets into in this. If you were to look at Galatians, it's about they're saying I need to be circumcised, circumcised, circumcised, circumcised, right? That's what he keeps saying that they keep trying to say to them is that if you're not circumcised, you're not saved. And he's saying that there's people there that are troubling you and perverting the gospel of Christ. Notice what Paul says to those people, about those people, he says, but though we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that he have received, let him be accursed. Let him be anathema maranatha. And the Bible's very clear that at the very beginning here, he's saying there's people in there that are troubling you on this, perverting the gospel of Christ, and he's saying let him be accursed, let him go to hell. So he knows there's people in there that are not saved. And go to Galatians 2, he's calling back to a, not necessarily a Galatia, he's calling back to a circumstance that happened in Jerusalem actually. In verse 3 of Galatians chapter 2 it says, but neither Titus who was with me being a Greek was compelled to be circumcised. And that because of false brethren, unaware as brought in, who came in privily despite our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage to whom we gave place by subjection, no not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. You know what he's saying? When they brought that up to him, he said we're not even going to contend with you for an hour about this. It's clear that it's by grace, through faith, and not by works at all, and if you try to add in even circumcision, you're unsaved. If you think you can lose your salvation, you're unsaved. That's what the Bible teaches and he's hammering on this and he said there's people in there that are troubling you with this and trying to say that there's something of the law that's required other than just believing. Now go to Galatians chapter 3. Now I love Galatians, Galatians is the tour de force on salvation by grace through faith. It's also the hammer against Zionism, so there's a lot of good stuff in Galatians. But notice how he starts off in verse 1. So Galatians 3 verse 1, O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This is only what I learned of you. Receive ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? So he's asking them some questions. Did you get the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Did you believe and get the Spirit or did you do the works of God and get the Spirit? Now this is a rhetorical question because it's obvious that it's not by the works of the law. Notice in verse 3, Are ye so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, ye now made perfect by the flesh? You know what that tells me? Is that once you get saved, you're not made perfect by the flesh and if you think you are, you're a fool. That's what he's saying. He's using strong language here. And notice in verse 4 it says, Have ye suffered so many things in vain, if it be yet in vain? He therefore that ministered to you the Spirit and worketh miracles among you, do it yet by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith, even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. So he's capping that off, saying, Listen, Abraham was justified by faith. Why would you think you need to be justified by works or that you're perfected by that? Or that you need to do that even after you're saved? Because isn't that what's going on here? They got saved, you want them to Christ, and then someone's creeping in saying, No, you still got to do this too. And so they're adding on to the Gospel, which is perverting the Gospel. Now go to Galatians 5. Now that you've got a little bit of context, going into Galatians 5 makes sense, right? Because he's saying there's people that are there troubling you, they're perverting the Gospel of Christ. He's calling back to other people, the false brethren, that said they had, that Titus needed to be circumcised. And he said, We didn't stand with them for an hour. And then he's calling them foolish for falling for this stuff. And verse 1 of Galatians 5 says, Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold I Paul saying to you, that if any, if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. He's saying that if you get circumcised, you believe that's a part of salvation, he doesn't profit you anything. There's no, well I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I'm just going to add in these little things like circumcision or going to church or living a good life or something like that. He's saying Christ is not going to profit you anything. Notice in verse 3 it says, For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Now in context he's saying that they're being circumcised because that's what they believe is a requirement for heaven. He's saying that if you're doing that as a requirement for heaven, then you're required to do the whole law. But remember that if you mess up at one point, you're guilty of the whole law. So good luck with that. Oh wait, you've already messed up, so you're done. You're already a sinner, so you can't be perfect. Notice in verse 4, Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever you are justified by law ye are fallen from grace. Notice that what does it mean to be fallen from grace? They're being justified by law. Now I don't necessarily, you know, this could be someone that's a reprobate, this could just be someone that's not saved. You could use this in the case of someone that's not saved, they're being justified by the law, and you would say to them, you're fallen from grace because you're not believing it's by grace. Because notice what it goes, it goes right after that and says, For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by what faith? There's a key. So we're not fallen from grace because we believe it's by grace through faith. And then it goes on just to show you that he knows there's someone in there and he doesn't know who it is, but he knows there's someone in there that's pushing this false doctrine. And notice it says in verse 6, it says, For Jesus Christ did not have the circumcision available to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. Ye did run well, who did hinder you? So he's asking a question, Who is this that's hindering you, that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none the other wise minded, but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment whosoever he be. So notice he's trying to figure out, he's like, I don't know who this is, but whosoever he is, you know, let him bear his own judgment and get away from this guy. And it says in iBread, and if I preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? This then is the offense of the cross ceased, I would they were even cut off which trouble you. Now a lot of times in the Bible, when it says cut off, it means that they're killed. But even if it was just a mean like to be cut off out of the church, that'd be enough, right? So Galatians 5, when it talks about being fallen from grace, he's talking about specifically a false prophet that's in the church. And that line up with what we were all talking about anyway. And so do you see how these passages, though, even if you were to take it to what they wanted to say, to be fallen from grace means that you are trusting in the law to go to heaven. Well, there goes your work salvation you're trying to preach to me then. And then, you know, if they shall fall away, well, you can lose your salvation, well, then you can never get saved again, so better not lose your salvation. So do you see how it doesn't work for any of their stuff, because what do they want to teach you? Well, you do something bad, you've got to repent, you've got to ask for forgiveness, get right, then you go to heaven after that. You get saved again. Well, Hebrews 6 says you can't. And then, you know, they'll say, well, you've got to live a good life. Well, Galatians 5 says you're fallen from grace then. So it completely doesn't go into their favor anyway, but when you look at the context, it makes perfect sense. And so hopefully that makes sense, because the Galatians one, I just wanted to throw there at the end. I just wanted to see if I had a little bit of extra time I could do it. But really, I wanted to show you Hebrews 6. But those are the two. I just remember, and people are always talking about, oh, you can fall away, you can fall from grace, you know, and it's just like, what are you talking about? I guess I can never get saved again then. And then I guess, you know, I got to make sure that I don't change what I believe as far as that is by faith then, because if I think that it's by works, then I've fallen from grace. So it makes sense, though, when you're talking about false teachers, when you're talking about people that are giving over to a reparative mind, when you're talking about someone that's teaching a false gospel, they're falling from grace. That makes perfect sense, right? They're not teaching it's by grace. If by grace then isn't no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. Makes perfect sense when you look at it that way and say, this person's being justified by law, you are falling from grace. You're not teaching it's by grace. You're teaching a false gospel. So let's end with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, what we thank you for today, and thank you for all that came out and pray that you'd be with us as we go out soul winning, and Lord just pray that you'd lead us to people that want to be saved, and Lord just thank you for your word, and Lord, you know, you may look at these passages as a new Christian and say, you know, I wish those weren't in there, but Lord, they're great passages. They're great passages that we need to know, and we need to know them to beware of false teachers and to know that these people are out there, and Lord, as I rebuke or reprove to our own selves when it comes to these doctrines, but Lord, we just pray that you would be with us today and be with the fellowship later on. Lord, we love you and pray all this in Jesus Christ's name, Amen.