I should like to propose an idea from scripture about eternal damnation and how it may be avoided and how it may not. First, some scripture:
27Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
32Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
45It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
46Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
47Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48I am that bread of life.
49Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
64But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Here, Jesus says the work of God is to believe in Him. The bread is His flesh that He will give so the world may have life (by paying for our sins on the cross and giving us His righteousness in place of our own). When Jesus said we must eat and drink His flesh and blood, many turned away but the twelve said He has the words of eternal life and they believe and are sure He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Follow me further:
Mathew 25
40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
And again He says:
Mathew 7
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Do these verses contradict? For one says some did not help others and thus were told to depart from Him. Yet in Matt 7 they ask, Haven't we done many wonderful works? It almost looks like "damned if you do and damned if you don't", but is it? Jesus is brilliant as we know by how every time the religious leaders asked Him a 'trick' question, He always confounded them with His wisdom. So, what is He saying here? I propose this: Jesus said the work of God is to believe in Him. That the bread is His flesh He gave so we may have life. So, we must partake of His flesh and blood by believing in Him, that He gave His flesh and blood on Calvary to wash away our sins and to give us His righteousness in place of our own 'wonderful (dead) works', which are as filthy rags the Bible says. So, I say we are saved from eternal damnation by trusting In Christ and putting on His righteousness UNTO good works that follow, but NOT by our good works but by the flesh and blood of Christ as the Bible says:
Ephesians 2
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Titus 3
4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Galatians 2
16Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Romans 4
4 When a man works, his pay is not considered a gift. It is owed to him. 5 But things are different with God. He makes evil people right with himself. If people trust in him, their faith is accepted even though they do not work. Their faith makes them right with God.
6 King David says the same thing. He tells us how blessed some people are. God makes those people right with himself. But they don't have to do anything in return. David says,
7 "Blessed are those
whose lawless acts are forgiven.
Blessed are those
whose sins are taken away.
8 Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord never counts against him." (Psalm 32:1,2)
So, again, those who try to enter Heaven by their own good works will not get in. They will be told to depart into everlasting punishment. But those who eat and drink the body and blood of Christ, who trust Him for salvation which is a free gift nobody can work for, will enter into the joy of the Lord. Although we do not have to do anything in return, (although we would be miserable Christians and will suffer loss yet be saved as by fire, and will have no reward), We were saved freely UNTO good works, good works following salvation by faith in Christ. So, as a Christian yields themselves to God and grows in grace they will begin to produce the fruits of the Spirit and produce the fruit of good works and love towards others. But, one who does not enter in by the Gate, that is by Christ, who alone was worthy and able to pay for our sins as He was sinless, no matter how many good works they do to earn salvation, which cannot be earned as it is a gift, shall in no wise enter in, but those who trust in Christ, He says He will in no wise cast out. I am told in the greek this is a big no, five times: I will never, no, never, no, never cast out.
http://www.creeds.net/ancient/apostles.htm
