义人会灵命死亡The Righteous Can Die Spiritually

灵命死亡

义人会灵命死亡

出于某些原因，传一次得救永远得救的牧师们好像忘了圣经中显明，上帝有时会因恶人（犯了罪的义人和未蒙拯救的人）的罪而在肉体上击杀他们。

犹大的长子珥在耶和华眼中看为恶，耶和华就叫他死了（出埃及记38:7）

然后我要讲的也同等重要，就是我们不要忘记提摩太前书5:6里的寡妇：但那好宴乐的寡妇，正活着的时候，也是死的。 

紧接着保罗就指出，这些寡妇背弃委身基督（11节），转去随从了撒旦（15节）。注意，保罗知道这些寡妇肉体虽没有死，但因为她们的罪恶，灵命是死了。此节信息不是指那些从未蒙拯救的人，而是像浪子一样，灵命曾经是活的，可是因为她们先前委身基督后来又转离，所以导致她们的灵命死亡。因此，提摩太前书5:6的希腊文指出：那好宴乐的寡妇，正活着的时候，也是死的。

亲爱的读者，不要被那些传一次得救永远得救的牧师欺骗，他们是模仿起初魔鬼欺骗我们的始祖。圣经清楚地指出，如果义人转去行恶，就像亚当、大卫王、浪子和提摩太前书5:6的寡妇所行的，那么他们会在灵命上死亡，这也同是以西结的明确教导。如果你是真基督徒，那么你必须忠心跟从主耶稣，为活出敬虔的生命而恒久忍耐逼迫直至生命结束，才得以进入上帝的国。不要上当，被那些否定义人也会灵命死亡的假牧师所欺骗。基督徒得救的条件，是对这类成文的假教义最详尽、最全面地驳斥。

圣经里能够找出很多对一次得救永远得救学说的致命打击。非基督教教义的核心是，人一次受洗得救（成为义人），从此就不会因罪导致灵命死亡（失去救恩）。然而圣经所述却明显与之相反，以压倒性的真理从创世纪贯穿至启示录，始于创世纪中上帝第一次吩咐亚当，要他遵守命令，而悖逆的后果就是灵命死亡（与上帝隔离）。

耶和华 神吩咐他说：“园中各样树上的果子，你可以随意吃，只是分别善恶树上的果子，你不可吃，因为你吃的日子必定死（创世纪2:16-17）

亚当是义人，住在伊甸园里，而这个园子只给义人居住，但是他却生活在灵命有可能死亡的危险中。亚当因犯罪而死（灵命死亡）之后，被赶出伊甸园（意味着永远与上帝隔离），以作警示。亚当犯罪与灵命死亡是同一日，然而他的肉体活到九百三十岁才死（创世纪5:5）。上帝关于罪的第一个声明，是针对义人会因罪导致灵命死亡，而魔鬼的第一个谎言就是设谋欺哄夏娃，使她不理会永恒真理，导致她悖逆了上帝，同时灵命死亡。请注意，夏娃之前从未犯罪，直到她受骗后，认为罪不会使她灵命死亡，然后她就犯了罪。此外，一次得救永远得救学说就等同于魔鬼的第一个谎言，即义人不会因罪导致灵命死亡。

蛇对女人说：“你们不一定死”（创世纪3:4）

关于义人悖逆导致灵命死亡，之后先知以西结又再三重申：

再者，义人何时离义而犯罪，我将绊脚石放在他面前，他就必死。因你没有警戒他，他必死在罪中，【他（义人）素来所行的义不被记念】，我却要向你讨他丧命的罪（以西结3:20）

义人若转离义行而作罪孽，照着恶人所行一切可憎的事而行，他岂能存活么？他所行的一切义都不被记念，他必因所犯的罪、所行的恶死亡（以西结18:24） 

义人若转离义行而作罪孽死亡，他是因所作的罪孽死亡（以西结18:26） 

我对义人说，你必定存活。不过，他若倚靠他的义而作罪孽，【他所行的义都不被记念】，他必因所作的罪孽死亡（以西结33:13）

义人转离他的义而作罪孽，就必因此死亡（以西结33:18） 

毫无疑问，义人也会因离义行恶而导致灵命死亡，这里再次与一次得救永远得救的教导相抵。新约里，尤其是保罗和雅各，也反复警告，义人会因作罪孽而灵命死亡，这些信息明显紧密关联着创世纪2:17和以西结的信息：

你们若顺从肉体活着必要死，若靠着圣灵治死身体的恶行必要活着（罗马书8:13）

岂不晓得你们献上自己作奴仆，顺从谁就作谁的奴仆么？或作罪的奴仆，以至于死；或作顺命的奴仆，以至成义（罗马书6:16）

关于灵命死亡的经文，是写给罗马的圣徒，他们是义人：

我写信给你们在罗马为 神所爱、奉召作圣徒的众人，愿恩惠平安从我们的父 神、并主耶稣基督归与你们。首先我要靠着耶稣基督，为你们众人感谢我的 神，因你们的信德传遍了天下（罗马书1:7-8）

还有，如果读者对照罗马书8:13和加拉太5:19-21、6:8-9就会明白，保罗是用三种不同方式写明同一真理，指出义人的灵命死亡（不是肉体死亡），是因为他们按照罪恶本性生活。如果你对照罗马书8:13-你必死、加拉太5:19-21-不能承受上帝的国、加拉太6:8-9-收获败坏而不是收获永生，那么灵命死亡的真理就会非常明显。显然，保罗是不断强调基督徒的灵命死亡（加拉太5:21）,这完全不同于那些瞎子在我们昏暗的日子带领我们否定这一永恒真理。雅各描述了义人因罪导致灵命死亡的过程：

但各人被试探，乃是被自己的私欲牵引诱惑的。私欲既怀了胎，就生出罪来；罪既长成，就生出死来。我亲爱的弟兄们，不要看错了（雅各1:14-16） 

其实，圣经早已显明罪导致灵命死亡的过程，可以追溯到创世纪里的伊甸园，然后是以西结，然后是保罗这位恩赐的老师。雅各再次在他的书信结尾，详细说明灵命死亡：

我的弟兄们，你们中间若有失迷真道的，有人使他回转，这人该知道，叫一个罪人从迷路上转回，便是救一个灵魂不死，并且遮盖许多的罪（雅各5:19-20） 

注意，失迷真道（道路、真理和生命是主耶稣在约翰福音14:6的称谓）危害义人的灵魂进入永死。但是，如果同一个人又从迷路上转回，那么他的灵魂才能在真理中再次蒙保全（或蒙拯救）。除了显明义人会灵命死亡之外，也表明了另一真理，即一个蒙拯救的人，可以因他偏离真理而再次变成罪人。

主耶稣亲自教导，义人怎样避免自己的灵命死亡：

我实实在在地告诉你们，【人若遵守我的道，就永远不见死】（约翰福音8:51）

很明显，主耶稣这里所讲的不是肉体死亡，因为很多义人是持守忠心到底，就如保罗所做的，然而他的肉体还是死了。再者，既然保罗的肉体会死亡，那么主耶稣在这里就不能是指永不见肉体的死亡，至此才有主耶稣赐下避免灵命死亡的方法，就是遵守祂的话语，坚守到底。当主耶稣对跟从者们讲论时，用了不同的文字重申永保灵命不死的同一方法：

耶稣对她说：“复活在我，生命也在我。信我的人虽然死了，也必复活。凡活着信我的人，必永远不死。你信这话么？”（约翰福音11:25-26）  

26节里译文“信”，在希腊语中是连续时态。主耶稣声明，只要义人恒久持守这样的信仰，他们的灵命必永远不死（否则就灵命死亡），在别处的经文显明为：信靠、降服、服从的信心会结出好果子和圣洁的行为。换句话说，主耶稣在约翰福音11章里说，义人必须持续不断地信服才不会灵命死亡，而不是指肉体永远不死。主耶稣在别处章节里教导，一个基督徒有可能会变成非基督徒，他会背离上帝（灵命死亡）：

那些在磐石上的，就是人听道，欢喜领受，但心中没有根，不过暂时相信，及至遇见试炼就退后了（路加福音8:13）

这里的章节是主耶稣亲自向跟从者们解喻：

有落在磐石上的，一出来就枯干了，因为得不着滋润（路加福音8:6） 

为了设法挽救他们的学说，传一次得救永远得救的牧师们（曲解圣经者们）有时会令人惊讶地辩解路加福音8:13里所讲的人，只是拥有一个假信心或错误的信心。但这却不是圣经正文所讲的，是他们自己的错谬神学。路加福音8:13不仅说这等人是暂时地相信，也写明他们当初是欢喜领受了上帝的道（那些在磐石上的，就是人听道，欢喜领受，但心中没有根，不过暂时相信，及至遇见试炼就退后了）。实际上，这里是把植物种子的生命比作灵命，是从上帝的话语长出来，即欢喜领受了。但问题是，他们没有继续坚持跟从上帝，因为他们的敬虔生命经不住逼迫的试炼。

路加福音8:13里所讲领受 神的道，也同样发生在真得救了的哥尼流和他全家人的身上。在彼得复述整件事情之前，我们读到：

使徒和在犹太的众弟兄，听说外邦人也领受了 神的道（使徒行传11:1-18）

还有两处类似经文也指出，其他人是同样领受了上帝的道，并且从语境来看，当他们领受上帝的道时就蒙拯救了：

及至他们信了腓利所传 神国的福音和耶稣基督的名，连男带女就受了洗。西门自己也信了，既受了洗，就常与腓利在一处，看见他所行的神迹和大异能就甚惊奇。使徒在耶路撒冷听见撒玛利亚人领受了 神的道，就打发彼得、约翰往他们那里去（使徒行传8:12-14） 

这地方的人贤于帖撒罗尼迦的人，【甘心领受这道，天天考查圣经，要晓得这道是与不是】。所以他们中间多有相信的，又有希利尼尊贵的妇女，男子也不少（使徒行传17:11-12）

请注意，路加福音8:13里希腊文译为领受，也同样能在使徒行传8:14、11:1、17:11里找到。所以路加福音8:13所指的人是真得救了，就如其他经文记载的一样，因为这些人都领受了上帝的道。然而，路加福音8:13又声明，他们后来停止了信服真道（导致了灵命死亡）。回过头，看约翰福音8:51和11:25-26所述的同一事实，主耶稣又在约翰福音不同处分享：

我实实在在的告诉你们，信的人有永生。我就是生命的粮，你们的祖宗在旷野吃过吗哪，还是死了。这是从天上降下来的粮，叫人吃了就不死。我是从天上降下来生命的粮，人若吃这粮就必永远活着。我所要赐的粮就是我的肉，为世人之生命所赐的（约翰福音6:47-51） 

请注意，47节里的“信”在希腊语中也是连续时态。把信耶稣比作吃生命的粮，从而避免灵命死亡，使其能够永远活着。我们是透过持续持守顺服主耶稣的信心来吃这粮，同样的真理也显明于约翰福音11:25-26。当一个人坚定持续地信服上帝，他就会持守上帝的道，从而避免灵命死亡，正如约翰福音8:51所述。主耶稣在启示录3:2里，再次对处在灵命死亡边缘的人说：“你要警醒，坚固那剩下将要衰微的。因我见你的行为在我 神面前，没有一样是完全的。”

你要警醒，坚固那剩下将要衰微的。因我见你的行为在我 神面前，没有一样是完全的

请注意，坚固将要死去的灵命是个人的责任。对此，上帝不会为他们做什么，即使他们得坚固是上帝对他们的旨意。灵命上疏忽和懈怠的义人，就会导致毁灭性的灵命死亡。

启示录3:2的信息类似于前一章，主耶稣赐给忠心基督徒的警告：

你将要受的苦你不用怕，魔鬼要把你们中间几个人下在监里，叫你们被试炼，你们必受患难十日。你务要至死忠心，我就赐给你那生命的冠冕。圣灵向众教会所说的话，凡有耳的就应当听。得胜的，必不受第二次死的害（启示录2:10-11）

士每拿教会的忠心基督徒蒙主耶稣警示，要持守忠心直至肉体死亡（得胜），那么他们就必不受第二次死的害，这第二次死的另一个称谓就是火湖（启示录20:14，21:8）。当然，这里是暗指灵命会死亡。

这样说来，若一个有灵命的基督徒没有至死忠心，那他的灵命会怎样？毫无疑问，他的灵命会死。义人有堕落的可能，所以会导致灵命死亡，这是主耶稣再一次亲口重申。然而若犯罪的义人又悔改，归回救恩，那么他就会有一个充满欢喜的结局：

因为我这个儿子是死而复活、失而又得的，他们就快乐起来（路加福音15:24）

（路加福音15:32 只是你这个兄弟是死而复活、失而又得的，所以我们理当欢喜快乐）

请注意，浪子是灵命死亡，并且在他任意放荡、浪费资财的时候，他又是在灵命上与天父隔离。而当他悔改后，他的灵命得以复活。复活的复在这里非常重要，它意味着在浪子离开父亲沉溺于放荡挥霍之前，他的灵命是活的。后来当他悔改、归回侍奉天父时，他才再次拥有同样的灵命。换句话说，浪子是义人，但因为他的罪，导致了他的灵命死亡（成了迷失的），然后当他离开罪恶回归侍奉上帝时，他的灵命得以复活（这是出自主耶稣的教导，不是来自某些邪教或传一次得救永远得救的地狱牧师）。因此，当主耶稣在别处经文教导人，要转变灵命死亡，要在灵命上重生时，祂又教导，同一个人也会因为罪而由灵命活变成灵命死，正如在浪子身上所发生的。关于义人灵命死亡的真理，使徒约翰再次重申：

人若看见弟兄犯了不至于死的罪，就当为他祈求， 神必将生命赐给他。有至于死的罪，我不说当为这罪祈求（约翰一书5:16） 

约翰在这里写出义人有灵命死亡，他阐明罪会导致义人有亚当和浪子一样的生命后果。另一个例子也明确指出，义人死亡并不是指肉体死亡，就是大卫王的例子。因为当大卫转去作恶时，他的肉体没有死。以西结警告义人行恶会死，然而大卫的肉体生命仍然活着，正如亚当和浪子。这些事实，肯定与一次得救永远得救学说完全对立，传一次得救永远得救的牧师们想让我们相信魔鬼的教导，就如创世纪3:4所述：义人不会灵命死亡。这些牧师与魔鬼的观点一致，他们传讲约翰一书5:16所指的死是肉体死亡，与亚拿尼亚和撒非喇的例子相同，以此设法混乱真道。换句话说，这些牧师是相信，因欺骗圣灵的罪，使这些信徒被上帝的忿怒所击杀，他们没有悔改自己的罪恶，可是上帝又奖赏他们，使他们死后能够更快进到上帝的乐园里，就是只留给圣洁、纯净之人的乐园。这些传一次得救永远得救的牧师所教导的，不仅是在宣告败坏许可，还否定了其他经文，就是说谎话的是进火湖。 

惟有胆怯的、不信的、可憎的、杀人的、淫乱的、行邪术的、拜偶像的和一切说谎话的，他们的分就在烧着硫磺的火湖里，这是第二次的死（启示录21:8）

Spiritual Death

The Righteous Can Die Spiritually

For some reason the eternal security teachers seem oblivious to Scriptures which show that GOD does sometimes strike the wicked(or unsaved) physically dead for their sin:

But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death.

(Gen 38:7)

Last but not least, let’s not forget the widows of 1Tim. 5:6But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.

Immediately afterwards, he refers to some widows that turned from their dedication to Christ (v. 11) to follow Satan (v. 15). Notice: those widows Paul knew didn’t die physically, yet were dead (spiritually) because of their sins. This passage doesn’t refer to those never saved, but instead to those who were once alive spiritually like the prodigal, because they previously had a dedication to CHRIST and later turned away and experienced spiritual death. Greek renders 1 Tim. 5:6, as follows:

But she who lives in self-pleasure has died while living.

Dear reader, don’t be deceived by those parroting the devil’s first lie to our generation, the eternal security teachers. The Bible is clear that the righteous will experience spiritual death, if they turn to do evil, as Adam, King David, the prodigal and the widows of 1 Tim. 5:6 did, which is also the clear teaching of Ezekiel. If you are a real Christian, you must faithfully follow Jesus and endure persecution for living godly to the end of your life to enter God’s kingdom. Don’t be deceived by the false teachers who deny the righteous can experience spiritual death. The Believer’s Conditional Security, which is the most exhaustive and comprehensive refutation to this false doctrine ever written.

There are many death blows to eternal security found in Scripture. At the very core of this non-Christian doctrine is the concept that a person once saved (a righteous person) will not experience spiritual death (lose salvation) over his sin. The clarity of the Scriptures to the contrary is overwhelming from Genesis through Revelation starting with the first time God ever spoke to Adam, which was his only commandment for him to observe and the consequence of disobedience was spiritual death:

And the LORD GOD commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Gen 2:16,17).

Adam was righteous and resided in the garden of Eden, a paradise garden only for the righteous, but lived in the danger of spiritual death. He was expelled from it after he sinned and died (spiritual death), as warned. Adam died spiritually the same day he sinned, yet lived physically many years afterwards to be 930 years old (Gen. 5:5). As God’s first statement about sin was issued to a righteous man concerning his own spiritual death through sin, the devil’s first lie was devised to make Eve dismiss this eternal truth, which led to her disobedience and spiritual death. Please note that Eve never sinned until she was deceived into thinking that sin would not bring about her own spiritual death. Furthermore, the doctrine of eternal security is identical to the devil’s first lie, that is, the righteous will not die spiritually through sin:

“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. (Gen 3:4)

This same consequence of spiritual death through disobedience for the righteous is repeated later by the prophet Ezekiel:

Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. (Ezek 3:20)

But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die. (Ezek 18:24)

If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. (Ezek 18:26)

If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. (Ezek 33:13)

If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, he will die for it. (Ezek 33:18)

Clearly, a righteous person can experience spiritual death because of his sin, which again is the antithesis of the teaching of eternal security. New Testament warnings to the righteous about spiritual death through sin are repeated, especially by Paul and James. The familiarity between these and the Gen. 2:17 and Ezekiel passages is evident:

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. (Rom 8:13).

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Rom 6:16).

Those Scriptures are written to the saints at Rome about spiritual death, who were righteous:

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. (Rom. 1:7,8).

By the way, if the reader would compare Rom. 8:13 to Gal. 5:19-21 and 6:8,9, where Paul wrote the same truth three different ways, it becomes unmistakable that he was referring to the spiritual death of the righteous(not physical death) for those who live according to the sinful nature. That truth about spiritual death will be evident if you compare you will die in Rom. 8:13 to not inherit the kingdom of God in Gal. 5:19-21 and reap destruction instead of reap eternal life in Gal. 6:8,9. Apparently Paul repeatedly warned Christians about spiritual death (Gal. 5:21), unlike the blind guides in our dark day which deny these same eternal truths. James describes the sinning process, which leads to the spiritual death of the righteous:

but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. (James 1:14-16)

As already shown this sinning process to spiritual death dates back to the Garden of Eden, then to Ezekiel, then to Paul the grace teacher. James elaborated upon spiritual death again at the very end of his own epistle:

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover over a multitude of sins. (James 5:19,20, NASB)

Notice how straying from the truth (a name for JESUS in John 14:6) is to jeopardize the soul of the righteous person to (eternal) death. But if that same person is brought back where he was before he strayed, his soul will once again be safe (or saved) in the truth. Besides showing the righteous can experience spiritual death, also shown here is the truth that a saved person can become a sinner again, by straying from the truth.

The LORD HIMSELF taught how the righteous can prevent their own spiritual death:

I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my WORD, he will never see death. (John 8:51)

Clearly, the LORD was not talking about physical death, since many righteous people remained faithful to the very end, such as the Apostle Paul did, yet died physically. Again, since Paul died physically, JESUS couldn’t have been referring to physical death. Hence, the Lord gave the preventative to spiritual death as being simply to keep HIS WORD and continue to obey to the end. JESUS restated the same eternal safeguard for spiritual death in different words when he spoke the following:

JESUS said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”(John 11:25, 26)

The word translated believes in v. 26 is a continuous tense in the Greek. JESUS declared that the righteous would never die spiritually (or experience spiritual death) as long as they maintained this type of belief, which is shown elsewhere as being a trusting, submitting, obeying faith which produces good fruit and holy behaviour.In other words, the LORD was saying in John 11 that a righteous person would have to continue to believe so he would not die spiritually, which does not always happen. The Lord taught elsewhere that it is possible for a believer to become an unbeliever, at which point he would fall away (experience spiritual death) as a result:

Those on the rock are the ones who receive the WORD with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time oftesting they fall away. (Luke 8:13).

That was the LORD’s own interpretation of the following verse:

Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. (Lk 8:6)

To try to save their doctrine, the eternal security teachers (the Scripture distorters) sometimes amazingly argue that the people of Luke 8:13 only had a spurious or false faith, but that is not the text speaking—just their own faulty theology. Not only does Lk. 8:13 say such people did believe for a while, it also states that they receive the WORD with joy (13 Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.). Real, genuine plant life, likened unto spiritual life, sprung up from the WORD of GOD, which was received with joy. The problem is such don’t continue with GOD because they failed the test of persecution for godly living.

 To receive the WORD as in Luke 8:13 is the same description of what happened to Cornelius and his household who experienced true salvation. Just before Peter retold what happened with them we read:

The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the WORD of GOD. (Acts 11:1-18).

Similar to that are two additional Scriptures which refer to others who likewise received the WORD of GOD. According to the context, such describes that they got saved when receiving the WORD of GOD:

But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of GOD, and the name of JESUS CHRIST, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the WORD of GOD, they sent unto them Peter and John: (Acts 8:12-14, KJV).

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the WORD with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. (Acts 17:11, 12, KJV).

 Please note that the same Greek word translated received in Luke 8:13 is also found in Acts 8:14; 11:1 and 17:11. Luke 8:13 is referring to people who had experienced true salvation, just like these other Scriptures do because such people received the WORD. Yet the Luke 8:13 passage states they ceased believing (and experienced spiritual death). Getting back to John 8:51 and 11: 25,26, the LORD shared the same facts as stated there in yet a different Scripture, also from John:

I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:47-51)

Please note the word believes in v. 47 is also a continuous tense in the Greek. Believing in JESUS is compared to eating the bread of life, which will prevent spiritual death, and enable one to live forever. We eat this bread by continuing or maintaining our submissive faith

in JESUS, the same truth as shown in John 11:25, 26. When one continues to believe he will keep God’s word, the preventative for spiritual death, as stated in John 8:51. At another time, the LORD spoke to those on the very edge of spiritual death in Rev. 3: (2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.)

Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my GOD.

Please note it was the personal responsibility of the ones about to die to strengthen themselves spiritually. GOD was not going to do it for them, even though it was HIS will for them to be strengthened. The spiritual negligence and sloth of the righteous can be fatal unto spiritual death.

The Rev. 3:2 passage is similar to the warning given by the LORD in the preceding chapter to faithful Christians:

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Rev 2:10,11)

Certainly, spiritual death is implied since the faithful Christians at Smyrna were warned by JESUS to continue being faithful to the point of physical death (to overcome), so that they would not be hurt at all by the second death. The second death is another name for the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14;21:8).

So what happens to a person with spiritual life (a Christian) who is not faithful to the end of his life? Clearly, he will experience spiritual death. This possibility of the righteous succumbing to spiritual death is reiterated yet another time by the LORD himself, yet ends joyfully because he repents and returns to salvation:

For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate (Luke 15:24)

But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. (Luke 15:32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.)

Please note that the prodigal was spiritually dead and spiritually lost at the same point in time, that is when he was in sexual immorality and wild living. After he repented he became alive again. Those words are very important. It says again. That means he had spiritual life before he left the Father to indulge in wild living and sexual immorality. He got that same spiritual life back again when he repented and returned to serve the FATHER. In other words, he was righteous yet died spiritually through sin (became lost) and later became spiritually alive again when he turned from his wickedness to serve GOD. (This is JESUS’ teaching not some cultist or so-called works salvation person.) Hence, as Jesus taught elsewhere that one

passes from spiritual death to spiritual life at the point of getting born again, He also taught the same person can pass back from spiritual life to spiritual death through sin, as happened to the prodigal. This same truth about spiritual death for the righteous is echoed by the Apostle John in 1 John 5:16:

If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.

John wrote about the spiritual death of the righteous there. He stated that sin would bring that about as happened to Adam, as well as the prodigal. Another definite example of a righteous man dying, but not physically, was King David when he turned to do evil. Ezekiel warned such a righteous person will die, yet David continued to live physically as did Adam and the prodigal. These facts, of course, are all opposed by the eternal security teachers who want us to believe the devil’s teaching, as stated in Gen. 3:4—that the righteous can’t experience spiritual death. They agree with the devil and try to confuse the issue by saying the death of 1 John 5:16 is physical death, with Ananias and Sapphira  being examples. In other words, they believe GOD in his wrath over their sin of lying to the Holy Spirit struck them dead in their unrepentant wickedness and rewarded them by taking them quicker into His paradise kingdom, which is reserved only for the holy and pure of heart. By teaching like that the eternal security teachers not only proclaim a license for immorality, they also contradict another Scripture, which shows that all liars will go to the lake of fire:

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Rev 21:8)