June 26th, 1930

According to promise last week, we will try to write a few more lines this week on the question as to whether it is possible for a child of God to so fall away as to be finally lost. A short time ago a fellow in Texas asked for some sample copies of The Primitive Baptist. A copy of a few issues were sent to him containing our articles on this question. It seems that the article “riled”  him a little, and he wrote quite a lengthy letter, in which he displayed some temper. He said that we do not have sense enough to pound sawdust into a rat hole. Perhaps not. But gentlemen do not write that way very much. Anyhow, we would rather be a fool for Christ's sake, and believe what the Lord said, than to be a wise man and be a Campbellite. We do not know what this fellow is, but he writes like a Campbellite. If he is not one, then we would apologize to the Campbellites. Judging from the letter the poor fellow needs regeneration. This is all the attention we shall give him, and we say this only to let him know that we received his blatant effusion. We are not writing these articles for the purpose of debating, but for the comfort and consolation of the Lord's little children, to give them assurance from God's blessed word of their security, and of  the certainty of their final deliverance from sin and all its dire effects and of their final happiness and glorification with the God of their salvation in the heavenly world. This week we will begin our article by reading (Romans 8:35-39): Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ  Jesus our Lord. Could language be any stronger than this? If none of these things, nor anything else, shall be able to separate one of God's little ones from His love, then how can one of them be separated from that love? A mother who loves her child would not allow her child to suffer untold tortures and agonies if she could possibly prevent it. The loving mother would unhesitatingly go into the flames and  snatch her child from the flames. “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she  should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” -Isa. xlix. 15,16. If the mother would  unhesitatingly go through fire to snatch her child from the flames, would not the  Lord Himself go into the very flames of hell to take one of His children away from  that place, if one should get there, seeing that He loves His children with a greater and stronger love than the love of a tender mother? Could a loving mother be  satisfied while seeing her child-the child she bare-suffering agonies and torment?

Every loving mother knows that she could not be satisfied while beholding such a sight. “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.” -((3:11) (Isaiah 53:11). If the mother could not be satisfied to see her child suffering torments, how much more the Lord of  glory would not be satisfied to see one of His children, for whom He suffered, bled and died, suffering in eternal torment; for His love is greater than a mother's love. Let us state the matter this way: 1. “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.”  2. But He could not be satisfied and see one of the objects of His love for whom He died suffering the torments of hell. 3. Therefore, not one of the objects of His love, not one for whom He suffered, not one of His children, can ever possibly sink down in eternal torment-not one of them can ever go to an eternal hell. Suppose we should admit that none of the things enumerated in the text can separate one of the Lord's children from His love, but make the statement, or claim, that they can go away from Him and from His love, and thus sink down into eternal night. If one of them should thus go away from the Lord, would it not be because of the influence of Satan that they thus go away? And if Satan can thus influence one of God's children to go away from Him, could he not influence others to do the same, if he wanted to?  God loves them, and does not want them to thus go away; but Satan influences one to do so, in spite of the Lord. Then, why could he not influence all the others to thus go away from the Lord, if he wanted to do so? It certainly follows that if Satan could thus influence one of the Lord's children to so depart from the Lord as to be eternally lost, he could so influence every one of them thus to do, if he wanted to. Then, if there should be one that he does not influence to thus depart from the Lord, would it not necessarily be because Satan did not want him? How  many, then, would ever be saved in heaven? Would it be any more than just those the devil did not want and would not have? Certainly not. None would ever be saved in heaven, according to that position, only those the devil would not have. We are glad we do not believe such a doctrine, and we are glad the Bible does not teach such. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”  This question is asked in such a form as to admit of only one answer, and that is, No one-none. A proposition stated in the form of such a question is the very strongest way of stating the proposition. Hence, the inspired apostle has said, in the very strongest way of saying it, that none-no one-not one-is able to separate one of the Lord's little children, one of those who have been called out of nature's night and darkness by the Holy Spirit, one who has been born from above, one who has been brought into divine relationship with the Lord- no one is able to separate one of them from the love of Christ; no one is able to separate one of them from the love of God; which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. In our text the apostle mentions tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword. Can Satan do more than to bring these things upon the Lord's dear children? Think of the tribulations of the servant Job; the Hebrew children cast into the fiery furnace; Daniel cast into the den of lions; Joseph tempted by the wife of the king and then cast into prison; think of the saints who passed through the trials mentioned by this great apostle in (Hebrews 11:32- 38). Let us read it: And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and  in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”  We remember the day the World War closed. The news was flashed over every country in the world on that day that the armistice was signed, and the firing ceased, and the war ended. There were more glad hearts that day, doubtless, than on any day since the world was made, and perhaps more than will ever be again. Our country and her allies were conquerors. But “in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through Him that loved us.”  Can you imagine how they can be more than conquerors if one of them may sink down into eternal night? Dear child, some yea, even many-of these trials may be yours to endure and to pass through while you are here in this world of sin, trouble, sorrow, distress, sickness, pain and death-but you are at last more than conquerors through Jesus your blessed and adorable Saviour. “For I am persuaded.”  The inspired apostle was fully persuaded of this one fact which he here states. He was confident of this. He was sure of this-and sure of it by divine inspiration. Sure of what? “That neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Dear child, whether you live or die, you shall not be separated from the Lord's glorious presence in eternity. You can't ascend so high, or descend so low, as to be separated from Him. If it were possible for you to sink below the depths of the bottomless pits of hell, you cannot sink so low as to be separated from Him.

Wherever you may be, the Lord is there; and “in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” -(Psalms 16:11). Where the Lord is that is heaven for the Lord's little children. If you love the Lord, it is because God loved you first. “We love Him, because He first loved us.” - (I John 4:19) “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” - (Jeremiah 31:3). Since God's love is everlasting, and He loved you first, then He always has loved you and always will love you; and nothing is able to separate you from Him and from His love. Just as sure as you love the Lord, just as sure, also, as God lives and reigns in glory, just that sure will you, some sweet day, live with Him in the heavenly world-in eternal glory. May that be your happy lot, and may these precious truths comfort your hearts in all your sad distresses here, is our humble prayer. We feel like we could shed tears of joy with you in the sweet assurance of these blessed truths. We do not know that we shall share the glories of heaven with you, but it is our blessed and sweet hope that we shall. Please remember us in your prayers. We may not write any more on this question, as we are just now feeling a desire to take up another line; but we will try to be governed by the way we feel impressed when the time comes to write again. C. H. C.