 Hey, smart Christian, I want to address a question or issue or verse that someone had asked me to address by someone who believes that it's possible for a person to forfeit their salvation. And the verse they talked about was Colossians one. So let's go to Colossians one and let's go to the passage that's in question. And let's see, does this allow for the possibility of losing your salvation in Colossians one verse 21 to start there. And although you were formally alienated. Now this is past tense says that whoever he's speaking to or he's addressing and he's addressing the entirety of the church. And there's a reason why I put it that way. Said that you who were formally alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet he has now reconciled past tense. He has reconciled you in his fleshly body through death in order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. Look what he says. Here's the issue if indeed and the word that's there a gay, which if indeed, if indeed you continue. And this is the present active indicative. This is I'm sorry, the plural present active indicative. And so if you all are continuing in faith, firmly established and steadfast and not moved. Also, again, this is this is I'm sorry, this is the middle participle present middle participle. So if you have not been one of those who have been moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven. And of which I, Paul was made a minister. So does this particular passage state or show that it's possible for a person to lose a salvation? Well, no, it doesn't. First of all, let's keep in context what he's speaking of. Let's go up to say in chapter one. Let's go up to let's go to verse. Let's go to verse 13 says that he rescued us from the domain of darkness. So what does he say that Jesus has rescued us from? And by the same present, I'm sorry, this was a heiress middle indicative. So he has rescued us as the middle. He rescued us for himself from the domain of darkness and transferred us. This is an heiress active indicative, which means it was done in the past. He transferred, which is important. He transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son. So that's what we reside. That's not necessarily physically, but in terms of how he views us in that regard, at some point in time, we'll actually realize this in the spirit. I'm sorry, in all actuality, in whom we have redemption and forgiveness to sin. So he's speaking of people who have been rescued, who have been given this redemption. They currently have this redemption. As a matter of fact, the word that's used here for having is ecumen, which is this present active tense, guys. And so you presently have this redemption and it's plural. So we all have those of us have this redemption. Now, the problem is what do we do with verse 23? Because it says, if indeed going back to it, if indeed you continue in the faith. Well, here's the question that I would pose to the person that asks this question and really anyone else, what would you do? In this situation, would you do something different or would you do something that's better than what God would do? What God would do. And what I mean by that is this, suppose you are amongst professed Christians. You're at church, you're in a gathering of Christian, and there's someone that you know who you suspect is probably not a Christian. You've heard them state publicly that they are, but you've also seen them act in ways that is unbecoming or maybe even said some things that didn't seem to line up with Christianity, with a person who has professed having faith in Christ. What do you do? What will you do, friend or anyone else to a person that you care about, that you love, maybe a friend, a family member, a co-worker, if you know or you have suspicion that they are not saved? Would you warn them? I think you would, because you love the Lord and you're concerned about this person's spiritual well-being. Well, why would you do it, but God would not do it? Why would you warn a person, but God would not warn a person? Why would you do it, but Paul would not? There's the issue. And so if you would do it, well, then so would God, and he would even put scriptures in the Bible to warn people who think that they are. That's why we have this if indeed, if indeed. And there's a reason why the gay, some passage just says the if. This A, gay, this gay indeed. So if that really is you, so if that's you, then you're fine. If not, you're not. That's the point. Make sure, which is what Paul says, examine yourself to make sure that you do have Christ. Jesus reiterates the same thing previously in Matthew 7, because not everyone who says to him, Lord, Lord, will enter into heaven. So there are people that who think they are, who think they're on their way, who simply will not. Now, what was Jesus' response going to be? I never knew you, not that I used to know you. Again, we don't have a passage in the Bible of a person who we know was a Christian at one point and then stopped being one. You would think if you're going to raise enough fuss and inquire constantly and try to prove that you could lose your salvation, the first place you would go to to prove it would be the Bible and point out a passage where a person who we know for a fact was a believer, had the Holy Spirit and then lost their salvation. There's not one passage. And so because of that, I think we can trust in what he said. He says, I have delivered you from the end, from destruction and delivered you to him. You have currently, you have it. It's yours, this redemption. What Jesus says also, if a person is believing in Christ, then they currently have a life into the ages, eternal life. They currently have this life forever. And so we can rest assured in that, that is, if indeed you have believed in him, if you are believing on, then you're fine. If not, then you're in trouble. The question is, are you? That's why we have these warning passages, such as Colossians 1-23. Amen.