John 14:6; “Jesus said to him [Thomas], I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” A number of years ago, this verse stood out as a true declaration from our Lord and Savior to me, and I chose it to be my “life verse.” (ESV – All emphasis is mine.)
For all the false prophets and antichrists who are giving “ear tickling” messages (2 Timothy 4:3), and saying there are “many ways to heaven,” this one Bible verse given by our Savior provides the truth for all to see.
In Acts 4:12, the Apostle Peter gave the declaration, “And there is Salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
This is the same Apostle Peter who denied he even knew Jesus three times when Jesus had been placed under arrest. In John 13:37-38, Peter said to Him, Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for You. Jesus answered, Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, Truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied Me three times.”
In all four gospels, we’re told of Peter’s denial of the Savior three times, just as Jesus said he would. It would seem as if this would be unforgivable, and that Peter would be condemned to the lake of fire forever.
Then, we have Saul of Tarsus, who was a persecutor of anyone who followed “The Way,” as Christianity was labeled back then. He took great pride in having believers cast into prison, knowing full well they would be martyred. He was present at the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7:54-60, and Acts 8:1 tells us Saul approved of this execution.
Then in Acts 9, Saul has an encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus. He was en route to capture men and women to take them to Jerusalem so they could be imprisoned and killed. Our Savior had other plans and caused Saul to be blinded on that road. He was then taken to Damascus and remained blind for three days, and didn’t eat or drink anything during that time.
The Lord advised a disciple named Ananias to go to Saul to lay his hands on him so that Saul could recover his sight. Understandably, Ananias was reluctant, but the Lord told him that Saul was a “chosen instrument” that would carry His word to many others. In Acts 9:16, the Lord said, “For I will show him how much he would suffer for the sake of My Name.”
Again, as with Peter, we might believe that Saul, also known as Paul, had committed unforgivable sins. However, because of his true conversion, he became responsible for producing the majority of the books of the New Testament.
Jesus stated in Matthew 12:31-32, “Therefore, I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come.”
An example of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is “a persistent rejection of the convicting work of the Spirit, whose job it is to expose our sin and lead us to accept Christ.” Occasional temporary failure is not what is meant, but ongoing hardening of the heart against the Holy Spirit, who is trying to lead us to repent of our sins and believe in Christ. Giving credit to Satan for the Savior’s miracles would also fall into this. Taking your last breath without having received and accepted Jesus as your eternal Savior is unforgivable.
Knowing that Jesus is the “Son of My Soul” takes us away from Satan and puts us closer and closer to our Savior. John Keble (1792-1866) wrote a poem in 1820 about this, which is reported to be rather lengthy, over 15 verses. The following four verses are a good summary of that poem.
1.) Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear; it is not night if Thou be near; Oh, may no earthborn cloud arise, to hide Thee from Thy servant’s eyes.
2.) When the soft dews of kindly sleep my wearied eyelids gently steep, be my last thought how sweet to rest forever on my Savior’s breast.
3.) Abide with me from morn till eve, for without Thee I cannot live; abide with me when night is nigh, for without Thee I dare not die!
4.) Come near and bless us when we wake, ere through the world our way we take, till in the ocean of Thy Love we lose ourselves in heav’n above!
All glory, power, honor, and love we give to our Heavenly Father, Our Savior Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Paul and Peter were both forgiven, and both became very important advocates for our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
In 2 Peter 1:20-21, we’re told; “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Paul gives us the steps to receiving and accepting Jesus as our Savior in Romans 10:9-13. These are the “A-B-Cs” of Salvation, which are to Admit we’re all sinners and can’t save ourselves; Believe Jesus is the only way to the Father, and that His sacrifice is what saves us; and to Call out asking Jesus to forgive us our sins and to become our eternal Savior.
No amount of works or earthly sacrifices save us. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us it’s a gift from the Father through His grace and mercy for accepting His Son; and nothing else will do, so we cannot boast.
No matter what you have done sin-wise in the past, you can be forgiven. The unforgivable sin, as stated, is to die without Jesus as your Savior. There will be one more unforgivable sin during the tribulation, and that will be to take the mark of the beast (Revelation 14:10). Those who take the mark are pledging their allegiance to the antichrist, and ultimately to Satan.
Therefore, we come to this important question: Do you have Jesus in your heart as your Savior right now? This would be a great time to consider this, and if you do not, to truly ask His forgiveness and to come into your heart as your eternal Savior. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Once the Rapture takes place, if you are left behind, it will most likely mean your martyrdom if you call out to become saved. And speaking of the Rapture, 1 Corinthians 15:52 says it will take place in “the twinkling of an eye.” That has been calculated by experts to be considerably less than 1/100th of a second.
Our Heavenly Father will force no one to accept His Son, but all who choose Jesus will have chosen eternity with Him in Heaven. No one is “good enough” on their own merits to earn even one second in Heaven. Jesus paid our price in full, and the Father even gives a pathway to forgiveness when, not if, we as believers sin (1 John 1:8-10).
Please consider that “forever” means no second chances at the White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15. It would be much better to have your final judgment at the Judgment Seat of Christ, as given in 2 Corinthians 5:10.
As stated, it’s completely your choice; please choose wisely. All signs are saying we’re very close to the end of this age, and to go into the tribulation/wrath will be putting yourself in the worst time that this world has ever gone through. All who have Jesus as their Savior are guaranteed not to go through that terrible time (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10).
Think about making a decision to become a part of the Savior’s precious flock. You’ll never regret it if you do!
Maranatha! (Come, Lord Jesus!