Sound Doctrine, Easy
as Pie
Two doctrines can be summed up with one sentence from the Bible. It’s one that is repeated three times with small variation, twice in Matthew and once in Mark.
“And ye shall be hated of all men for
my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matthew
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13 KJV
“And ye shall be hated of all men for
my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Mark
It is really one word that matters most: Endure. Keep doing it. Do it until the end. Do it when it doesn’t feel good. Do it when you’re hated. Do it when it would be easier to give up. Do it when you’re tempted and sin looks so good. Do it when you’re told to deny Christ. Endure.
Pretty simple, right? Really Christianity is simple, although admittedly it is not always easy, for those words are very different.
What doctrines do these verses mess with? It messes with the two biggest ones, “Once Saved Always Saved” and the Pre-trib Rapture.
What says Once Saved Always Saved? “It’s a sure thing because your soul is secure.”
What says the rapture? “You don’t have to endure because you’re outta here!”
In other words, they cause it to look as though these verses apply to someone else, a favorite target. Those poor souls in the Tribulation, they must endure to the end. The fakes who were never saved, they won’t endure.
It couldn’t possibly be me.
Until the day when it suddenly is me, when suddenly it’s my choice whether I take the Mark of the Beast or not, whether I want to eat or starve, live or be killed for refusing.
Let us all apply the verses to ourselves, and realize soberly that we must endure to the end no matter what to have our final salvation in Heaven. Many will only endure for a while, notice the reasons for them:
“20: But he that received the
seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy
receiveth it;
21: Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when
tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is
offended.” Matthew 13:20-21 KJV
Tribulation and persecution, exactly what is predicted for the End Times, which includes to be hated by all. Is your root deep enough for the toughest test of all?
And once we understand that it’s really me and it’s really you, we won’t care about the doctrines of men, but focus on enduring whatever may come, as well as helping others to do so.