Can Poor Behavior keep us from Salvation?
Paul's letter to the Corinthians proves poor behavior is dealt with but salvation can NEVER be lost BECAUSE salvation is based on Christ, not our behavior
We must always keep in mind Paul’s message of grace when he exhorts people to behave. It is this:
We are saved by Christ’s death for sin, His entombment, and His resurrection alone. We are planted with Christ and have everything He has in spirit. God has given us a realization of what Christ has done for us and what we can never have done separate from Christ. We are saved regardless of belief or behavior. We are saved by Christ.
Now, some are saved early and have a special salvation if God has chosen to give them belief. The rest are saved later through judgement. However, all creation is saved by and only by, the cross of Christ.
So, Paul, when he exhorts people to behave and corrects them, is teaching how believers should act BECAUSE they are saved AND NOT in order to be saved. Our stupid, human, fleshly acts and behavior had nothing to do with our salvation and, therefore, are not needed to gain or maintain salvation in any way. 1 Corinthians is an example.
Paul opens this letter with what the Corinthians have in Christ. Then, goes over their sin and how they lose out, but are still saved. Please keep in mind that even though Paul outlines horrific sins the Corinthians engaged in, he never excludes them from their high standing given in chapter one.
Paul says this about the Corinthians:
So you are not deficient in any grace (1 Corinthians 1:7)
Who will be confirming you also until the consummation, unimpeachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1: 8-9)
Faithful is God, through Whom you were called into fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:9)
There is it from the writings of Paul. The Corinthians are untouchable and secure in the grace of God. Nothing can take this away because its God’s work through Jesus Christ. Now, Paul goes on to outline the sins in which the Corinthians are engaged. Keep in mind that whatever sin Paul describes cannot effect the position that the Corinthians have apart from behavior and according to grace.
Throughout this letter, Paul addresses the problems in Corinth:
Schisms and strifes among believers (1Cor1: 10-11)
Believers are being split between Apollus, Paul, Cephas, etc. (1Cor1: 12-13).
Paul says that the believers are ‘minors’ and ‘fleshly’ only able to handle milk (immature). He says there is jealousy and strife among them (1Cor3: 1-4).
Paul calls out prostitution among believers (a man has his Father’s wife) in 1 Corinthians 5: 1-5.
Paul addresses the fact that brother is suing brother over trivial matters (1Cor6: 6).
In 1 Corinthians 6: 7-12, Paul addresses multiple sins that keep people from an allotment in the kingdom of God.
According to the law of sin and death, these corinthians would be out. However, the Corinthians have what they have because of grace and therefore, their standing of being unimpeachible in the day of the Lord stands. Why? Because they are not deficient in any grace. This has nothing to do with behavior.
However, Paul entreats the Corinthians and all believers to behave and walk worthily, not in order to be saved, but because they are saved. Now, you will see that Paul calls out the poor behavior of believers but in all instances, the believers are still saved.
This once again proves that poor behavior has consequences and Paul never encourages believers to sin. However, this poor behavior cannot threaten our or anyone’s salvation because salvation has nothing to do with our behavior. Our salvation has to do with Christ’s behavior.
Here are some examples showing how believers ‘sin’ but are still saved according to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians:
Believers will forfeit work if not built on Christ’s foundation, but will be saved through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15).
Corinthian believers were judged so that they were not condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32).
When talking about prostitution which is so bad its not even named among the nations, Paul instructs to give up such a one to Satan for the extermination of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord (1 Corinthians 5: 1, 5).
Paul entreats believers to not comingle with brothers that are paramours, greedy, idolatrous, drunkards but yet, still considers them brothers (1 Corinthians 5:11). Paul considers those committing these sins to be within (1 Corinthians 5: 12-13), therefore this behavior does not exclude them from the body of Christ.
All of these sins of the Corinthians would make religious people say that these people in Corinth were never saved or that they have fallen from salvation, back slidden. However, Paul proves that these sins are dealt with but the people sinning cannot lose salvation that comes apart from behavior and through Christ alone.
Let’s rememder just how different Paul’s message is from that of the law of sin and death. Here are just a few examples from this letter:
Paul was not commissioned to baptize, but to bring the evangel (1 Corinthians 1:17). He brought a message, not a call to behavior.
God chooses the stupid, weak, ignoble, and contemptible of the world so that there is no boasting (1 Corinthians 1: 26-27). The Corinthians prove this. This is far different from the message that we are saved by making the right choices or acting right.
God operates in all as He is intending and places us in the Body as He wills (1Cor12:11, 1Cor12:18-19).
Paul percieves nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:3). He does not percieve Jesus Christ crucified plus human contribution.
Paul teaches that believers have the spirit of God in order to perceive that which is graciously given to us by God (1Cor2:12), not by our faith, works, or behavior. Christ has done it.
So there you have it. Poor behavior is dealt with and preached against, however, salvation is all of God. Nothing explains God’s plan to save all creation, apart from behvavior, more clearly that the words penned in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
In 1 Corinthians 15: 3-5, the gospel is presented as simply as possible:
That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was entombed, and that He has been roused the third day according to the scriptures…
Paul accepted this gospel as a fact, not as something he needed to do to make it a fact. According to Paul’s revelation received from the glorified Christ Jesus, salvation is accomplished by Christ and attributed to all mankind just as Adam’s death was attributed to all mankind. Human behavior has nothing to do with it. God given faith is a realization of this fact. Every creature ever created comes to this realization in God’s ordained order.
Again, this is why Paul deals with behavior without the loss of salvation. Salvation cannot be lost because it is based on Christ, not human behavior. Therefore, though poor behavior will be dealt with in grace, it can never effect the gurantee of salvation. Paul explains salvation and the goal of His universe in response to those challenging the resurrection.
Paul explains the importance of the resurrection and what it accomplished because some were saying that there was ‘no resurrection’ of the dead. In response, Paul goes over the details of what Christ’s resurrection accomplished and for whom. The verses in 1 Corinthians 15: 21-28 could not be any clearer in teaching the salvation of all creation through Christ’s work and behavior, not ours.
21 For since, in fact, through a man came death, through a Man, also, comes the resurrection of the dead.
Death came to us through Adam. It came to all of us. Resurrection came to us through Christ. It will come to all of us.
22 For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified.
Christians want to reword this verse by saying ‘For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, those in Christ shall be vivified. Wrong! This verse does not say ‘only those in Adam’ die, nor does it say ‘only those in Christ’ are vivified. This verse says that in Adam, ALL ARE DYING, and in Christ, ALL ARE VIVIFIED. Do you see the difference? Christ saves the same ‘ALL’ that Adam infected with death.
23 Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruit, Christ; thereupon those who are Christ's in His presence;
Salvation is a fact, just like death is a fact. Faith is God-given realization of this fact. This comes at different times for different classes of people. Christ is the firstfruit, then believers will come in first upon His return for they have a special salvation as 1 Timothy 4:10 states: …God, Who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of believers.
24 thereafter the consummation, whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father, whenever He should be nullifying all sovereignty and all authority and power.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us that these sovereignties, authorities, and powers include the wicked in the celestial realm. They and their works will be nullifed. As a result, the relative work of Satan to keep the truth from God’s creation will be abolished so that all creation will know the truth of God and salvation through Christ. Otherwise, these sovereignties, authorities, and powers are not truly nullified. You see, these powers are nullifed by Christ, not by human choice or behavior.
25 For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy is being abolished: death.
Death is our great enemy and this is what we inheritied from Adam. Death is not life somewhere else. The dead know nothing and are in a sleep state apart from consciousness. The lake of fire is the second death and yet, all death will be abolished. So, those in death (the lake of fire) will be made immortal with Christ’s immortality when death is abolished. That is the only way that death is abolished along with all enemies, through Christ. If one person or one creature is separate from God forever, then not all enemies have been abolished. However, all enemies including death are abolished, therefore, all are saved in the end.
Once all enemies are destroyed, Christ stops ruling because He has completed His job of perfecting all of God’s creation. That is why Christ reigns UNTIL all enemies are abolished.
27 For He subjects all under His feet. Now whenever He may be saying that all is subject, it is evident that it is outside of Him Who subjects all to Him.
All is subject to Christ meaning all are under the authority of the cross. This means that Christ has saved all creation. The only One not subject to Christ is God Himself. So every creature ever created is subject to Christ at this point.
28 Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be All in all.)
Once all creation is subjected to Christ, then Christ gives up his reign and is subjected to God as well. Therefore, God becomes All in every single creature as He is All in Christ. God’s goal to save and be All in every single creature He ever created is accomplished by the perfect Savior, Christ Jesus.
Sin, death, lack of knowledge, lack of realization, philosophy, false beliefs and everything that causes separation from God is temporary and discarded once the ages end and every enemy is abolished. Oh, that Christianity would STOP applying eternity to those enemies that are temporary and eventually destroyed by Christ!
First believers and then everyone else, through judgement. God saves all through Christ, in the end.
Grace, peace, and glorious realization to you all.
Thanks Scott. As always, your message is clear and well organized. Love reading your words. Peace and grace my brother.