The word IF appears many times in the New Testament in conjunction with salvation. Its first definition, per Funk & Wagnall’s, is: “on the supposition or condition that…” The abundant Scriptural use of the word should be enough to convince the student of the Bible that final salvation, getting to heaven, is not merely dependent on “accepting Jesus in my heart.” Final salvation depends on the condition of abiding in Christ, showing fruits of the Spirit. Let’s start the “IF” study with a verse on one of those fruits, forgiveness. In Matthew 6:14-15:
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.15 But IF you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Jesus has a dead-serious word of warning here: If we are unwilling to forgive, then God doesn’t forgive us. If God doesn’t forgive you—you are doomed to hell. You really need to think: Anyone I can’t seem to forgive? None of this “I can forgive but I can’t forget” excuse. Of course we can’t burn out memories, but when you see that person, what’s your emotional reaction? That’ll tell you if you forgave them.
Now I realize that I’ve commented on the above Scripture in another blog, as well as many verses that follow. But it’s a good idea to put all the “Ifs” together. From them, I advise making a list of commandments you need to turn these into and meditate on (like forgiveness). Work on every one. Develop the proper fear of God (another blog) for motivation to spur you on. It’s a difficult task to actually be objective about yourself—we all deceive ourselves and perform sins toward people that we never think about. We all develop “great” excuses for sinful behavior.
Matthew 24:24: For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, IF possible, even the elect.
Don’t be fooled by the uplifting pastor who quotes this, and says “the "if" makes this just a hypothesis, it can’t really happen.” The Bible talks much about apostasy, particularly in the last days (which this verse is about—but apostasy can happen anytime). That’s falling away from the faith. How do you fall away from something, unless you were attached to it in the first place? So we are talking about people that had faith, but are in grave danger of losing it. Don’t dismiss this verse as “hypothetical.” Losing our faith in Christ can happen, if we’re not steadfast in Him.
Luke 13:7-9 has a special meaning:
Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And IF it bears fruit, well. But IF not, after that you can cut it down.’”
This expresses God’s patience, but ultimate judgment on us if we are not consciously bearing fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 shows the fruit we must develop if we’re on the Vine, abiding in our Lord. John 15:1-6 is an important parable on the vine. It has a very important warning at v.6:
IF anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
From this verse and the one above, you can see that if you’re not developing fruit, abiding on Christ’s vine, you eventually, after God’s patient wait, will be cut down—and thrown into the fire.
Telling the same story is Hebrews 6:7-9:
For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but IF it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.
Note that the author is looking for “things that accompany salvation,” such as bearing fruit—in this analogy, useful herbs--to know the person is really the Lord’s. IF you are not bearing fruit in your life, if you bear thorns and briers, you are “near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.” Serious words.
An interesting word is “hyperbole.” Common-taters say that means Jesus didn’t mean something when He said it, so you can dismiss it (they love to dismiss verses that sound like God is “harsh.”) What you’re supposed to do with hyperbole is to grab the kernel of meaning, and run as far as you can with it, obediently. Here’s a phrase actually using hyperbole. Mark 9:43-46:
IF your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—44 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ 45 And IF your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— 46 where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’
It’s obvious that Jesus is not into self-mutilation—so this is hyperbole. BUT don’t dismiss these verses; don’t ignore the main point: That point is, don’t let ANYTHING get in the way of you getting closer to God. Such a thing would be a sin; in fact, it would be by definition, an idol. And idols could send you to hell. By the way, there are some scary details about hell in the above verses that should provide additional motivation for you to look for ways to lead a more godly life.
Romans 11:21-23 has a harsher view of God that we don’t often hear in sermons:
For IF God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, IF you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, IF they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
As I will elaborate in a soon-to-be-published blog, this is spoken to Gentiles. And how to “continue in His goodness”? Follow His commandments; they’re all in Scripture. The phrase “He may not spare you either” is particularly troubling. Let’s not try to judge God as being harsh, using our sin-afflicted mind. Rely on revelation. Which means, read the Word more. Get to know Him. He loves that, and the Holy Spirit will give you the feeling that you are with Him.
Romans 8:13:
For IF you live according to the flesh you will die; but IF by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
The word “die” speaks of hell, eternal separation from God, who is our Life. Note that sinful deeds of the body do not fall away, nor does goodness ossify; YOU must actively “put to death" the deeds of the body. Takes work. The Holy Spirit will help, if you are His. Call on Him.
I Corinthians 15:1-2:
I declare to you the gospel…, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, IF you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
“Hold fast” means “hold firmly.” You do the grasping. These verses give you the impression that forces exist that will tear you away from God if you are not pro-active to the wiles of Satan. By the way, holding fast the Word presupposes you’re a day-to-day reader of it. And “believed in vain” suggests that with some people, belief was followed by unbelief (how else can you explain the phrase “in vain?”). They would be saved, then unsaved.
Galatians 6:8-9:
For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap IF we do not lose heart.
There are many things in life that might cause us to lose heart; grieving over loss of a loved one, financial reversals, not being appreciated for doing good. That’s when we want to forget the sacrificial life plan Jesus gave us and do some selfish “sowing to our flesh.” We must resist this urge; think of the blessed hope of rapture and heaven.
Philippians 3:8-11 are perhaps the most glorious verses Paul has penned in the Bible. I’ll just focus on 10-11:
… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 IF by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Verse 11 contains a troubling insecurity by Paul. If any man deserved heaven, it was him. But the closer we get to God (and Paul was very close), the more aware we are of our grossness in sin, the more we feel that we don’t deserve heaven. Yet God gives it—to the righteous. We don’t have to live a perfect life, just be persistent in goodness and avoiding sin. May we all live in thankfulness; we do not deserve the glories God is preparing for us.
Colossians 1:21b-23a:
…yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 IF indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard…
Because of His suffering, we who truly follow Jesus are now reconciled to God. Us and God—we who were enemies are now friends. We can be presented holy IF we continue steadfast in the faith. The faith is not a mental assent thing: we show by our behavior that we are in the faith.
A similar message is in I Thessalonians 3:8:
For now we live, IF you stand fast in the Lord.
More on the necessity of "standing fast" or “holding fast” is in Hebrews 3:6:
but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are IF we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
And in Hebrews 3:14:
For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end
Verses about “holding fast” and “steadfast” are in direct opposition to the “once saved always saved” Calvinist believers. They’re convinced that Christ has done all the work, and if we rely on our own efforts (through the Holy Spirit's help, even) to live righteous to attain final salvation, that means we never had true faith. Maintaining salvation (such as “holding fast” suggests), though perfectly Scriptural, is not necessary, per their teachings. Which means they’ve ignored lots of verses, as we see above. I’m convinced their system leads to dangerous complacency.
A word for fathers is in I Timothy 5:8:
But IF anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
We’re talking about hell, here, since the destination of an unbeliever is hell. How could a man be “worse”? Maybe he attached himself to the church simply to take advantage of their wonderful giveaway programs. But this evil desire of his heart is not making his “worship” an act of faith; it is only to fill his family’s belly without working. In general, anyone who pretends to have the faith and then denies it by action is worse off than anyone who hasn’t received the faith at all yet. That’s because his false confession makes his heart hard, and that much more difficult to become saved (again). Plus, God makes you more responsible if you have heard His Word and then deny it, compared to someone who hasn't ever heard His Word.
II Timothy 2:12:
IF we endure, We shall also reign with Him. IF we deny Him, He also will deny us
On the danger of denying Him: This is repeated elsewhere in Scripture; in Deuteronomy 31:17, for instance. Scripture, however, indicates denial may not have to be verbal: How we live can be a denial of His rule over our lives. Jesus must be Lord over you, or you are not His. But remember, even if you deny Him by life or words, God can take you back: Notice Peter, who denied Our Lord three times (after being warned that it would happen!). He repented deeply, and was forgiven. He became one of the heroes of the early church. Because he endured.
Hebrews 2:1-3:
Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For IF the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape IF we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him
The author is saying, “look at all the great stories you’ve heard (and read) of the workings of faith. And you've noted how people are lifted by the Lord in the faith, and you have seen the punishment done to those outside the faith. If you read all this and ignore all that and don’t believe it, you’re leaning to hell” ("how shall we escape?") A sober word to every reader of Scripture. Of course, you could doubt the truth that the Scripture is God’s Word; but that’s a gambler’s toss—what would await you when you die if you were wrong? You’re gambling on eternity.
Hebrews 10:26 is controversial; I’ve included verses 27-31 for context:
For IF we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord.[b] And again, “The LORD will judge His people.”[c] 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God
It looks like sinning “willfully” is unforgiveable. To explain, the term “willfully” has a dark meaning, see Numbers 15:30-31:
‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.’
“Presumptuously” has the same dark meaning as “willfully.” It’s defined at “impertinently bold,” sort of an “in your face” to God, publicly despising His rules. (Hebrews 10:29 gives details that suggest some had done this). Plus, we’re talking about a person who has been warned by full knowledge, and clear signs to fear God on sin, but totally ignored it. The perfect example of willful or presumptuous is to read Numbers 15:32-36 in context, right after the public warning above, wherein the spies who brought an evil report about the land God wanted them to go to, died by the plague. A great punishment! After this clear sign of God’s anger, then the people had gone up to battle without asking the Lord, and they got slaughtered. Two clear results of sin and God’s judgment. For a hat trick, they had just been given rules to live by for the Sabbath, etc. So it’s time to fear God and stick closely by His rules, right? The track is clearly laid out. So what did one guy do? On the first chance he got after that, he broke the Sabbath rules. As I say, an “in your face” to God, reproaching Him, publicly despising His law. He was immediately cut off, a severe punishment for just picking up sticks on the wrong day. But put it in context. My bet is, such individuals usually had a long history of willful sin, to be that rebellious. God knew that nothing would turn such a person around.
Hebrews 10:38:
"Now the just shall live by faith; But IF anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
This is apostasy; drawing back when things get tough. That’s why we must “hold fast.” Where God has “no pleasure in him” doesn’t speak well as to his ultimate destiny on his current path.
Hebrews 12:25 needs some explanation:
See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For IF they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape IF we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven
The Jews had a rare blessing: God spoke to them on earth in Exodus, which He didn’t do often. As we showed in Numbers 15, it wasn’t wise to ignore His Words. Well, what does this other phrase mean, He “speaks from heaven?” That refers to His Scripture, His Word. We’re supposed to read it, just as if His booming voice, and thunder and lightning, were attending the reading. By being written, Scriptures are clear, and anybody can read it and hear from God. Your responsibility for reading and obeying it is thereby greater than those living in the Old Testament who didn’t have the benefits we have today.
James 1:26:
IF anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
Another measure to tell if we’re saved—do we bridle our tongue? If we don’t, our “religion is useless.” He’s being polite, but he’s sort of implying that we might not be saved if we have a nasty tongue that spreads gossip, slander, and profanity regularly.
II Peter 1:10:
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for IF you do these things you will never stumble
It takes diligence to godliness to make certain of your election to the ranks of the saved.
II Peter 2:20:
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 in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
This reminds me of one of the unfruitful seeds of the Sower in Matthew 13:22. There, the “cares of the world” and “deceitfulness of riches” (here, the “pollutions of the world”) make the thorns grow, to choke the word the Sower is seeding. Here, someone is “entangled in them and overcome.” The Word has lots of warnings about loving the world. Don’t stretch your sympathy for this person so far as to accuse God—remember, the entanglement, the choking, the overcoming, was entirely voluntary to this person. You need to keep in mind, too, that he got lots of pleasure in the world while he was being entangled. Oh, you ask, why is it “worse for them than the beginning?” Because, as I said earlier, each time we reject the Word, our hearts get harder.
I John 1:9:
IF we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I have detected no greater failure from pastors than their lack of preaching this verse, on the urgent need to confess our sin. When we’re initially saved, the sins we have done to that point are forgiven. Beyond that date, it’s up to you to respond to the Holy Spirit’s urging you to confess. The verse clearly says that confession is necessary to receive forgiveness for them. That’s a great Biblical rule that’s becoming obsolete. I guess Protestants don’t do it because we don’t want to copy the Catholics. Well, that shouldn’t be a problem. You don’t need a priest—just sincerely confess each sin you can think of to God in your morning devotions, or before you go to bed at night. This is great to teach to kids, too.
I John 2:3:
Now by this we know that we know Him, IF we keep His commandments.
This is the first of many statements by John that we can derive the opposite. If we don’t keep His commandments, we don’t “know” God. What does it mean to say that we finally “don’t know God?” As you read elsewhere, that means hell for our ultimate destiny. Doesn’t that make you want to know what His commandments are? I’m not talking about “Love God, love your neighbor, that’s enough.” The Bible has commandments to single people about fornication, commandments to men and women who want a divorce. And there are serious consequences for those who break those commandments. God means what He says!
I John 2:15:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. IF anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
If you read Scripture elsewhere, you have to conclude that you’re in danger of being on your way to hell if you love the world. We must learn how to love God. You can’t do both—according to other Scriptures. How much of the day do you think about God? Versus how much of the day do you watch TV, go shopping, spend time on Facebook, have small talk with your neighbors? Gee, you say, come on--none of those things are dangerous enough for hell. Well, tally up where your spare-time thoughts go. Loving someone means you spend a lot of time thinking about them, asking yourself (or them) what do they want. Try not to deceive yourself. If you never think about God except on Sundays--do something about it.
Revelation 14:9-12:
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “IF anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
This is a prophecy of the last days. There will be this mark of the beast given to everyone, probably a chip in the forehead or hand, which enables you to buy necessities for your family—food, clothing. IF you accept this chip, no matter what excuse you may give (such as: “Lord, of course you wouldn’t want my family to starve or die, so I’ll take the chip—but it doesn’t mean I worship the beast”), it's likely saying you will spend your eternity in hell. God is kind enough to not only warn us in His Word, but will provide an angel with a warning, which will be heard by everyone in those days. So no excuse will do. If you take the mark; Hell it is. You may think you have a Hobson’s choice like Abraham: Do I kill my family member (Isaac), or do I obey this suicidal commandment? I think the good result for Abraham (Genesis 22) through his obeying God’s Word will be repeated again, because a loving God will protect and reward His obedient sons: We’ll probably get food miraculously. Defying the antichrist, though, means your family could suffer. Keep this in mind: Better to give your life—and go to heaven forever, than to fill your belly for a couple years and spend eternity in hell.
Revelation 22:18-19:
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: IF anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;19 and IF anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Bad news if you are kicked out of the holy city in that day; the only other housing is hell. Keep in mind: there are books that in some “Christian” denominations are given equal status to the Bible—but that in effect adds to the Bible, a violation of this command. Those authors and leaders are bound for hell. On the other hand, to work to remove some Bible verses that "don't belong there," maybe because they aren’t politically correct, or you’re uncomfortable with the supernatural, is committing the opposite disastrous sin. In any event, messing with the sacred Word is not a play that you should be engaging in. These verses are important enough that they are the last words of Scripture. And the last word of my paper.
Acknowledgement: Dan Corner, The Believer’s Conditional Security
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