2. J. T., Stevenage.—“Can the believer be lost?”—We are sorry that you should find any person professing to be a Christian, throwing a doubt, nay, denying the eternal efficacy of the blood of Jesus. The word of God says distinctly that He obtained eternal redemption for us by. His own blood (Heb. 9:1212Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. (Hebrews 9:12)), and that He has perfected forever by His one offering them that are sanctified by it. (Heb. 10:12-1412But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:12‑14)) If a believer can be lost after this, then there is no such thing as eternal redemption. And if the believer turn from the sure word of God, in what is he to trust? Is he to trust in his own works, rather than the one sacrifice of Christ by which he is forever perfected.? In such a case, all his—works would be dead works of unbelief. Surely no works can be good works of a man who refuses, the plain word of God.
That devoted servant of Christ, the late James: Haldane, once made a note: “The first great difficulty is to convince a man that he is a sinner; but the second difficulty is to persuade a believer that he is forever safe in Christ.” Our unbelieving hearts will cling to anything rather than rest: in the sure word of God.
It is strange that the scripture your friend named as proof that a believer washed in the blood of Christ might after that be lost, does not, either speak of the blood of Christ, or even of a believer.
Now read carefully the verses. “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.” (2 Pet. 2:20-2220For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21For 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. 22But 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. (2 Peter 2:20‑22).)
We, may pervert the scriptures to mean anything the unbelieving heart desires to prove, by taking texts from their plain sense and meaning.
You only need to read this chapter carefully, and it is evident there is no thought of these persons being believers at all, much less washed in the blood of Christ and then lost. From the first verse to the last they are false teachers. The very knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ changes a man’s outward conduct, yea, as is said, it changes society. There is outward reformation. There was no doubt of this in Judas, though he was a lost soul all the time. The latter end of such false teachers, as described in this chapter, is terrible. It would have been better for these false teachers not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they had known it to have turned away from. it. Why did not your friend go on to verse 22? This explains what has happened unto the persons described through the chapter. Just according to a well-known true proverb: The dog is turned to his own vomit again. Now a dog is never in scripture a figure of a true believer, but a figure of a false teacher. Beware of dogs, &c. Then can an unclean swine, a sow, be a figure of a true believer?
However fair the outward appearance, a sow is a sow still; you cannot wash it into a sheep, which is another creature: sooner or later, it will be in its native mire again. It is just so with the false teacher. He may be eloquent and deceptive, but he is not born again. Sooner or later he will, like the dog or the sow, prove his unrenewed nature to have the mastery.
And whilst these solemn warnings are evidently intended for the multitudes of false teachers, making a profession, a merchandise of the church of God, yet they do, and can only apply to those that are deceived, or false. Thus Satan points to what is true of false teachers, and your friend is foolish enough to think that this also applies to true believers. You will find that every line in the whole chapter can only apply to those who never were Christians, but only dogs, or swine.
Surely it is a sad mark of a false teacher, to try to persuade us that the believer washed in the blood of the Lamb can be lost. There is no other Savior, and no other salvation. If the salvation we have in Christ is not perfect and eternal, where shall we turn? to whom shall we. go? Shall we turn to our own works, and trust in them rather than the eternal salvation wrought out by Christ? No; begone unbelief. Jesus has said, “They shall never perish.” I believe Him. “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” I believe it. “For by one offering he bath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” I believe it. Yea, the Holy Ghost is a witness to us.
Tell your friend he has fallen into a sad mistake: a Christ-dishonoring error of dark unbelief. For one soul to be lost, who has been washed in the blood of Jesus! he might as well say that Christ died in vain. Millions of false teachers may be lost; but that does not prove that one of the true sheep of Christ can be lost. No; he will not find such a thought in scripture, if the context be fairly examined. And yet how slow the Christian is to enjoy the blessed fact that he can never be lost. It is the business of every true teacher to set forth the eternal security of the believer in Christ.
3. R. A., Acton. As to Music.—The subject to which you call attention is deeply important—the great use that Satan is making of music in this day. It is indeed quite common to hear the statement, “It was music that led her into the world.” And this of the young, who once professed to belong to Christ.
Only last Lord’s day we observed a company of young men, going to practice with brass instruments at the very hour Christians met to show forth the Lord’s death. And only a week or two ago an Archbishop in what is called opening an organ, preached on the sweet strains of the organ, and “the groans of the Spirit that cannot be uttered.” (Rom. 8:2323And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23).) And he confessed he could not understand that hard chapter. How could he understand anything, if he did not know the difference between the soft strains of music, and worship in Spirit?
And is not true spiritual worship lost, whether in the strains of the organ, or the noise of the drum and horn of the army of salvation by works?
The scripture to which you call attention, whilst true of Israel then, is no doubt written for our instruction. The Lord says, “Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melodies of thy viols.” And again, “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion... That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David..... Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive,” &c. Read the context—Amos 5:2323Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. (Amos 5:23), to 6:7. Yes, the priests and nobles were the first to go into captivity Babylon. And they who call themselves priests now, and are most diligent in the use of music, are the first to go into the captivity of Babylon, the great harlot. Vast numbers of the clergy are now in her embrace, but her overthrow is near; when “The voice of harper and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters: shall be heard no more at all in thee.” (Rev. 18:2222And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; (Revelation 18:22).)
As a general may order the bands to play on the eve, and entrance into the storm of war, and death, so Satan is now ordering his bands to play, and organs pour forth their melodies as he hastens on both priests and people of Babylon to everlasting woe. Your inquiry then is most serious. We are about to be caught up to meet, the Lord. The great storm of the wrath of God is about to be poured out on this mock in:, Christendom with all its bands and organs. What then is the Christian’s path as to music? In this; as in all other matters, “Without faith it impossible to please God.” Some have kept music in their houses just to enable them to lea] tunes to sing to the praise of Him who love,; them, and gave Himself for them. if this is not of faith, the Lord enable all of us to give them up for His name’s sake.