 Adding to the text is okay, I don't think it is, but if it is, how much adding to the text can you do? Something that never fails whenever I'm talking about eternal security, the fact that once you are safe, if a person actually is safe, they can't lose their salvation, something that always comes up is that people tend to add something to the text. Now, I don't know they're necessarily doing it on purpose, and so I'm not gonna impugn them with any sort of intentional sin, but clearly what they're doing is adding to the text, and there are two passages that are just as clear as day that any time you ask someone who believes you can lose your salvation, they tend to add something to it. One of those passages is John 10, 28, and 27, by the way, as well as Revelation 3, 5. Let's start off with John 10, 27, 28, and we're gonna listen to a couple people give their responses to the passage, and then notice what they add, and see if they said before we do, before we listen to them, let's go there, and then let's see what the passage actually says. In verse 27 of John 10, Jesus is making a statement about his sheep. He says that my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life. To them, they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. And so here, Jesus is making a statement. The question is, when people give a response to say what seemingly is pretty good proof that Jesus is saying they shall never perish, and that's what it says. Verse 28, and they will never perish, nor will anyone snatch them out of my hand. And by the way, the reason why there is this kind of scrambling for what a lot of them are doing is because in this passage, not only does it say so pretty clearly in English, but also in the Greek, this, ou may apollon tithe, this double negation of a subjunctive. Also a double negation of a future active indicative is the strongest way in Greek for someone to say it is literally impossible for it to happen either now or in the future. In other words, nothing in the future can negative this sentence. So in this case, Jesus seems to say that it is impossible for you to ever perish either because of something now or anything that would happen in the future. And so in order to overcome that, there seems to be something that's added, not seems, there's something that's always added to the response that people give in this passage. Either in their own individual videos or if I've had conversations with those either in debates or formal conversations to ask why does John 10, 28 not mean what I say, listen to their responses. The sheep is those who in ongoing way listen to his voice and follow him. So you can be a sheep and then you can cease to be a sheep. Those who are his sheep, and this is a constant theme, and the same in John 6, 37 to 44, speaking of those who continue in the faith, those who persevere in the faith, as we saw in Colossians one, that you who have been reconciled and forgiven through the blood of Jesus, you will be presented holding blame this if you continue in the faith. So those who live as sheep, those who continue to follow him, absolutely, will never perish. He will absolutely keep us. We can walk away, the word is constantly telling us we can walk away. So those who are his sheep, meaning walking in ongoing obedience and fellowship with him, yeah, you're safe, you're good, you got nothing to worry about, nothing to think twice about. You'll never perish. So if you notice what he did, he put a condition that seems to be in his eyes that's there, that yes, if you are a sheep, if you're walking, if you're hearing, then you're fine. But if you ever walk away, oh, by the way, there's no passage in the Bible that ever shows or tells that someone can walk away. And so since we don't have any examples, and then we've got this passage, the only thing left to do is to add a condition. And so he says that if you are a sheep, if you are a sheep that's hearing his voice, if you are a sheep that's following, if you are continuing to walk with him, if you are continuing to follow, if you're continuing to hear. But the problem is something is added that's not there in chapter 10, 27 or 28. We have to first recognize what it's saying along with what it's not saying. Then we have to compare this to other scriptures of the Bible to see if it doesn't contradict them. Because if it does contradict them, we have a problem. Because the Bible does not doctrinally contradict itself. And the problem may be with our understanding of God's word. First, what is this scripture saying? This scripture is saying that no one can force us to lose our salvation. In other words, once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, there's nothing the devil can do in order to make us lose our salvation because God is more powerful than the devil. But notice what this scripture doesn't mention. It doesn't mention that we have the free will to walk away from God and to lose our salvation. And there would be no need for anyone to bring that up because it doesn't mention that, again, the possibility of someone able to use their free will to walk away. So now we see that you're kind of adding some conjecture. You're kind of adding some conditions to verses 27, 28. John 10, 27. Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give them eternal life. And they'll never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. Someone will read that and they'll go, see that? We can't be snatched out of his hand. He will never let go of us. But we must also hang on to him. Does verse 27 say that we must hang on to him? Or does 28 say so? Does verse 27 say that we must do anything to continue being a sheep? No, it seems to say that this is what sheep are doing. Okay, so friends, there's a condition. There's a condition to be safe and secure in Jesus's hand. Okay, and that condition is seen in verse 27. And again, that condition says, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. They follow me. Okay, so we need to be following Jesus. We need to be walking in his ways. And there is part of the problem. You're saying that if, or there's a condition, let's go back to the passage and let's notice what's not there. It says, my sheep hear my voice. They hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. So Jesus is saying what they do. Now, by the way, there's no verses actually in the original. They were added for our convenience to know where certain passages are. And so verse 27, 28 are part of the same thought, but so my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life to them and they will never perish and no one can snatch them out of my hand. And so where is the if? Matter of fact, even if we were to look at the Greek and by the way, there's ways to say, to add a condition, there's ways to say, there's a word for if in the Greek, it's just not here. Now, the word if and conditions are in the passage earlier and we'll look at that in just a little bit, but here there is no if. There is no saying that Jesus is not saying that if you are my sheep or if you are hearing my voice or if you are following me, then there is no if then. So there is no condition. And so what they have done is to add something to the text. You are literally changing the entire meaning. They would even agree that if as a condition was not added, then they would even conclude that you could not lose your salvation. If the word if is added, then you could lose your salvation. That would be a condition, but it's not there. And I would challenge anyone to find out to demonstrate why you would say the word if is there. You couldn't do it out of this passage. Now remember, God says in Jeremiah 32, 39 and 40, that he will put his spirit in our hearts and that in doing so that he will never turn away, nor will those who his spirit is in their heart, they will never turn away from him. And so the only option is someone would have to then snatch them out of your hand. If you won't turn away from him and he won't turn away from us, well then all that's left is that the enemy or something or someone could snatch you out, but then Jesus foreclosed that. And so that's the problem that they run into. Now if we go earlier in the passage, we're gonna find that even if we look at what the conditions are, they're still in favor of no one ever losing their salvation. All of John 10 is Jesus saying what sheep are, what they do, and that he is the shepherd of his own sheep. He even indicates who are not his sheep and the reason why they don't follow. We'll come to that in just a little bit. He says in verse four, when he puts out all of his own sheep, he goes ahead of them and the sheep follow him. The sheep do notice there's no condition here either because they know his voice. As a matter of fact, he tells them why they follow because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow. As a matter of fact, this is in the strongest way to possibly say it that the sheep never, ever, ever under any circumstances because it's a double negation of a future active indicative. He says that sheep will never, any of this sheep will never, ever, ever fall away. So him saying that nullifies everything that they said that you must keep following that there's a condition because Jesus nullifies the fact that there is a condition because he says what sheep will do that they will never, ever, ever follow a stranger but they will flee because they do not know the stranger's voice. So he tells why they will flee. And so even in this case, you could not say that there is a condition. Now there is a condition that is here in the Bible. Jesus says in chapter 10, verse nine, he says I am the door if, and here's the word for if, eon, eontis, if a certain person, if anyone enters through me, which is placed in your faith in him. So if a person were to do that, what does he say? He says he will be saved. And this is a future tense is a future passive indicative. In other words, passive is happening to you but future meaning it will happen. So if a person comes in, Jesus says that that person will be saved. Now another time where he kind of gives a little bit of extra information as to why people don't follow, people don't hear. Well, Jesus says that he says it in verse 26. Now that's what he says he says, that but you do not believe, why don't they believe because you are not my sheep but he already told us what his sheep do. And so to add a condition to this passage, I think that's pretty classic of the definition to add to the text. Now, does that mean that they're in danger? I won't go that far, I'll leave it up to you. But clearly if you say that there's an if or a condition but it's not actually in the text, well then that is literally adding to the text. Now to what degree, how much is tolerated? If any, I'll let you guys be the judge of that. But let's go to the other passage that they bring up which is Revelation 3.5. He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments and I will not erase his name from the book of life and I will confess his name before my father and before the angels. Now the question is, is there a condition there? And I can, I'll be honest, I can see why someone might think there is a condition there but if a person is a Bible teacher, especially if there's some sort of scholar or have any sort of understanding then they can see really quickly that there is no condition added, there is no if. So it's not to say that if a person overcomes, then they'll be clothed in white garment and then that way they will not have their names blotted out from the book of life. But before I continue, let's let them finish speaking. Those that overcome will not have their names blotted out of the book of life. Now this verse makes it very clear that it's possible to have your name in the book of life and then have it removed. He that overcomes the same shall be clothed in white garments and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life but I will confess his name before my father and before angels. But then they can be removed if we are not faithful to God and our names can be blotted out. The problem is that everything that he just said, none of it is in that passage. There is no possibility of anyone being blotted out. As a matter of fact, he says the opposite. We'll come to that in just a second and there is no condition of an if. The third verse I want to give you. Why I'm not once saved always saved and I do believe you can lose your salvation is Revelation chapter three, verse five. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments and I will not blot his name from the book of life but I will confess his name before my father and before his angels. The book of life being a record of all those who have been born again, who have picked up their cross, who put their faith and hope in Jesus and follow him. And Jesus says, if you overcome, I won't blot your name out. So it's possible to have your name blotted out. And if your name could not be blotted out or this didn't exist, then why would Jesus make this specific statement or argument in the first place? Now notice what they're saying. They're saying that it's possible to have your name blotted out. Again, all we have to do is read and here is another example of people literally adding to the text. As a matter of fact, in this very same book, the Bible says in Revelation that if anyone adds to or takes away from the message of this book, that person will have their name blotted out of or have their portion blotted out of or their name will be blotted out of the portion of the book of life or tree of life. Well, the actual text says blotted out or removed from the tree of life. Now, is this what they're doing? By the way, it's not just Revelation. It's other passages in the book that speak about adding to or taking away from God's work. In this case, that's what they're doing now. Am I saying that they're in danger? I'm not going that far. Again, I'll let you be the judge of it. They clearly are adding something to what degree, how much so, how egregious is it? I'll let you determine. Let's go to the passage. It says, he who overcomes it. By the way, it's not saying he who overcomes. It says the Hanikon. So the overcoming one, the one that's overcoming will be clothed in white garments. By the way, it says will be clothed. This is a future middle and negative. So you'll be clothed by God. You will future. It will definitely happen. We'll be clothed in white raiment. And I will, notice what he says. I will not erase their name. Why do people jump to the conclusion that you could possibly have your name blotted out when he literally says, I will not. As a matter of fact, more to the point, he says in the most emphatic way, ume axalipso, which is a future active indicative preceded by a double negation. Meaning it is never, ever, ever, ever happen. Matter of fact, that's the way that you would say it's impossible in the Greek, it's impossible to say that this would happen ever at any point in time in the future. That's how you would say so in the Greek. And so he says, it is impossible for that person's name to be erased from the book of life. I will never, ever, ever, no, not ever erase their names or blot their names out. And so when someone comes back and says, see it's possible that you could, well, he literally, he literally just said the opposite. And so it takes a person who might be maybe intentionally doing so, or maybe to give them the benefit of doubt that would do so ignorantly. But notice what he says. There is no condition. It does not say that if you overcome, by the way, will we overcome? We are guaranteed to overcome. How do I know? Well, because the Bible says, Peter says in 1 Peter 1, 3, he says that, God has caused us to be born again. So those of us who are born again, God caused us to be born again. And then, but then notice what he says in 1 John 5, 4, he says, for whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And what he says is, it's, Hattai Pantai Gaganemunan, which is because all the ones that have been born, perfect tense, so they've been born in the past, born of God, they are Nikat, Tyn, Cosm of the, they are overcomers of the world. They overcome the world. So if you have been born of God, born again, which Peter says, Jesus brings us up in John 3, he says that, it's one, it's done by the Spirit. Two, he says that you will overcome the world. Well, what did John also go to say in Revelation? That those same overcomers will be clothed in white and God will never blot their name out, but he will confess them before his fathers and the angels in heaven. And so this is clear. You cannot get past those passages unless you add a condition. Same here in John 6, 47, truly truly I said to you that he who believes has eternal life. The word is, Hattai Pantai Gaganemunan, the believing ones, AKA has, he has it right now, life into the ages. I don't know, he has life or he's living right now into the ages. The only way to refute that is to add a condition. Well, that's if you believe or if you continue to believe. Well, first of all, it describes you as the believing ones. The Bible describes us Christians as believing ones. The Bible knows of no believer, no Christian who believes for the moment and then stops. That's never been the description of a believer. As a matter of fact, Jesus juxtaposed a person who believes temporarily versus a person who has continued believing in Luke chapter eight in the parable of the seed and the soil. So in this case, it's clear. They have all added something to the text. They've added a, you might be doing so intentionally to make your point. We don't wanna prove our point for the sake of being right. It's not about who's right, but it's what's right. And if what we're saying that you cannot lose your salvation, all the more reason to rejoice. Amen.