August 2004

Christian Chronicles, August 2004 - Volume 7, Issue 104

The Editor's Pen

There is an insidious evil in much of the professing church. We wrote in detail in the July issue about apostasy in general, but we will address a specific doctrinal error this month. Many nominally Christian assemblies teach that once a person is saved, he can, through sin, lose that salvation, being once again condemned on account of his deeds. Despite many Scriptures that very clearly refute this notion, it remains widespread. In March of 2001 we presented an outline of Scriptures that prove conclusively that once a person has believed the Gospel, he can never lose the eternal life that was given him in that moment. We will reprint that outline in our center article this month.

If Paul, who claimed to be the chief of sinners (1 Tim 1:15), and who continued to sin throughout his life (Rom 7:15-25), did not lose his salvation, neither shall any Christian who has believed Paul’s writings lose his. A person who, once saved, lost his salvation would know immediately that he could never be saved again, because Jesus would then have to return to the Earth and suffer another humiliation and crucifixion. Since we know that He will not die again, that person would have no hope at all. The doctrine that denies eternal security denigrates the work that Christ did on Calvary, teaching that His death did not pay for every sin, but only for some sins. It takes only a single sin to be lost in the first place, and if one could lose his salvation, it would take only one sin to lose it.

Mid-East Update

Ordinarily, we wait until just before printing to write the Middle East Update. However, this month, we are writing only two days after the July issue was published. This, because of the great disarray in the Palestinian government. While this will not be “news” by the time you read it, the things that are happening will likely prove to be momentous in the history of the region.

Amid social unrest and protest, including the abduction by the Palestinians themselves of four French aid workers and two Palestinian officials (one of whom is the area's police chief), the people of Gaza are demanding reform and an end to the corruption of the Arafat regime. Arafat fired the police commander, appointing his cousin, Major General Moussa Arafat, in his place. He has declared that Gaza’s twelve security services would be combined into only three, a pledge that he has made in times past but upon which he has failed to act. The people of the region demand real reform after four years of violence and destruction. There is much jockeying for position among the militant groups who are vying for power after Israel withdraws from Gaza under Ariel Sharon’s plan. In addition, there have been rumors in recent times concerning Arafat’s health. The Palestinians deny that he is in less than perfect health, but he shows signs of Parkinson’s Disease and there are other indications that the septuagenarian Arafat is not well.

It may seem ironic that it is the militant groups who are demanding reform, but these people realize that Arafat plays them against one another, and they resent it. When the State ignores the actions of its officials, many of whom are corrupt, everyone is affected in large ways or small. Abu Iyad, of the Jenin Martyrs Brigades, said, “With all due respect to President Arafat, the Palestinian Authority cannot remain to be monopolized by (Arafat) and his relatives. We have our own ways to show our rejection.” We seem to be seeing the first real chink in the Palestinian armor. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say Arafat’s armor. Working as he is to create a dynasty to perpetuate his own glory, it seems that his political demise, if not his physical demise, may be nearer rather than farther in the future.

It must be borne in mind that ships of state move slowly. The movements of governments and of peoples are at a speed approaching glacial. The speed of diplomacy can be agonizingly slow but, on the other hand, events can also spiral quickly out of control, generating great upheavals which must be overcome with patience and foresight. While these appear to be cataclysmic days in Palestine, these are also the conditions that make desperate the need for peace.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei resigned his post on July 17th, but Arafat rejected his resignation. Qurei convened his Cabinet to discuss his next moves. The situation is tenuous at best, with the Prime Minister’s status completely uncertain. Qurei has said that he will not withdraw his resignation, but firmly intends to quit the post regardless of Arafat’s declarations. The reasons that he gave were the level of chaos in Gaza, the violence, the social unrest and the unfulfilled promises of reform. When Arafat appointed his first cousin to the post of the chief of national security, Qurei came to the understanding that he could no longer serve in the Palestinian government. He declared, “This is a true disaster. This is a level of chaos that we have never seen before.”

The situation in Gaza appears to be an accelerating state of flux. Four years of bloodshed and retaliation have taken their toll on the will of the people. They want reform, and they want it now. Not all of the bloodshed is between Israel and the Palestinians, but the twelve security services often fight with one another.

Perhaps one ought not revel in the sort of violence and unrest that we are seeing today. Nevertheless, the chaos in Gaza is the greatest indication that we have had to date that movement toward the false peace treaty that we have been awaiting with bated breath may finally be picking up steam. For the world, these are dire happenings; but for the Church, the bride of the Lion, these are the harbingers of our hope. We may deplore the loss of lives and the disruption of families, but we must rejoice that the time may be near at hand at last. If it is, then it is also time to redouble our efforts in the harvest of souls. These are the days that test the spirits of soldiers, both God’s and the world’s. It is far past the time when we must stand up and preach the Gospel, doing the works of evangelists. Be watchful!

Fruit of the Vine

Many churches today present a mixed message. On the one hand, they will present the Gospel correctly insofar as they will say that Jesus’ death at Calvary paid for their sins. Then, on the other hand, they will teach that one can lose his salvation. Many of the charismatic groups do this. They sing and shout about the shed blood of the Lamb, and then attempt to scare their congregations into obedience by teaching that they will lose their salvation if they continue to sin. Reason and emotion begin to take the place of sound doctrine, and even those who have been born again lose the calm assurance that they had when they first believed the Gospel.

The eternal security of the believer is among the most important of the post-salvation doctrines. It is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. When that goodness is tempered by judgment for sin that dwells in the flesh, God no longer seems good at all. If Christians are to be fruitful in their service to God, it is essential that they not only have, but that they also transmit, the certainty that God loves them and others just as they are. A person who lives in constant fear of the judgment of God cannot bear fruit. Yet Jesus said that our fruit would remain (Jn 15:16). That is, our fruit has eternal life, and can never be lost again. That is the message we all should preach and teach if we would bear that good fruit to which we were called in service to God. Once saved, always saved.

Perspectives

He who believes in Him is not condemned;
but he who does not believe is condemned already,
because he has not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God

(Jn 3:18)

Constantine made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire, and used it to reinforce the civil laws. While temporal penalties were applied to infractions, this new amalgamation of “Christianity” with other belief systems was used to coerce obedience from the masses. A number of new doctrines were introduced, including that of purgatory, as well as varying degrees of sin. What had been a religion of vast and eternal hope became a religion of fear. Instead of a loving and providential Father, God became a stern Judge, sitting on His heavenly throne, eagerly waiting to cast into hell any offending Christian who fell into sin and died before making reparation through confession and penance. For those whose sins were not “mortal,” but “venial,” there loomed the dire threat of purgatory, or temporary hell, for even the most minor of offenses. It was a doctrine that carried neither hope nor joy, but obligation and terror. Salvation became dependent upon the behavior of the individual, not upon faith in the shed blood of the Lamb of God. It ceased to be of grace, becoming a doctrine of salvation by works. In order to get into heaven, a person had to make himself worthy of heaven. In this religious system, almost no one could gain admittance into heaven without spending some indeterminate amount of time in the flames of purgatory, having his sins burned away, so to speak. Sainthood was reserved for those who were declared to have performed miracles, and who were “proven” to have been sinless. Sainthood was related to moral superiority, to perfection, a state to which few even aspire, and none reach. A body of men determined who was a saint and who wasn’t.

The Bible makes only one distinction between those who are saints and those who are not. That distinction rests on faith or the lack thereof. A saint is not morally perfect, or even close to that impossible standard. The Greek word (hagios) does not mean sinless, but it means the same thing essentially as the word (hagiazo), which is translated “sanctified.” A saint is one who has been set apart to God, by God Himself, not according to his works, but according to his acceptance of the Gospel. Everyone who has been born again is already a saint, having been born of the Seed of God (1 Jn 3:9) In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul writes, “To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus…” (1:1b). However, the words “who are in Ephesus” are not in the earlier manuscripts, so that the epistle is actually addressed to “the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus” everywhere.

It was this early Roman church that began the widespread belief that salvation could be lost, that eternal life could be rescinded, based upon sin in the life of the Christian. Even the Apostle Paul was not immune to sin in his own life (Rom 7:15-25). He had no one higher than himself to whom he would have confessed his sins, nor was any mention ever made of any imposed “penance.” Paul, though “chief of sinners” (1 Tim 1:15), did not fear the judgment of God, but openly declared that a crown was laid up for him in heaven (2 Tim 4:8), and not for himself only, but for everyone who eagerly awaits the return of Christ for His bride.

The notion that a saved person could lose his salvation entered the world essentially when Rome began to govern through the marriage of the church and the state, imposing the loss of salvation as the penalty for transgression. While this notion was around before Constantine, it was the declaration of the doctrine throughout the Empire that gave it prevalence in the professing church. It might be argued that it was this doctrine that gave birth to the Dark Ages, those hopeless centuries that eventually brought the Reformers to the fore with the great light of the true Gospel and the hope of eternal life. Eternal insecurity leaves one hopeless, turns his heart away from God in fear; whereas the certainty that one can never be lost draws the heart increasingly toward God throughout one’s life, increasing the hope through which we serve God willingly, rejoicing in our own crowns. While it seemed like a good idea, the denial of eternal security was according to the reasonings of man, and not according to God. If one reads the Gospels, in every place where it is said, “...they reasoned among themselves,” they were wrong. Apostasy is a departure from those tenets of the faith that were previously held; the departure from the doctrine of eternal security is arguably the greatest evil that has ever been propagated in the professing church, the foulest leaven. The true Church has existed as a tiny part of professing Christendom all through the ages. It was not until the Reformation that Christians began to rise up against the false edicts of Rome, bringing to light those great doctrines of salvation by grace alone through faith alone and of the eternal security of the one who has placed his trust in the efficacy of the work that Christ did on Calvary to effect his complete and eternal salvation.

A Study in Eternal Security

Every Christian has both the privilege and the responsibility of knowing not only what he believes, but, more importantly, why he believes thus. It is, of course, important to know what the orthodox doctrines are, but if one is to be an able minister of the Word of God, he must be able to soundly explain the reasonings in the Scriptures that support the doctrine. The better prepared he is, the deeper he will be able to reach into the Bible to support his position. This is increasingly important when confronted with the higher level of opposition we face in this latter-day world. In addition to making oneself a better and more fruitful minister, the Christian’s personal faith is also enriched and strengthened by understanding why we believe as we do.

The greater reason than any is that, as ministers of God, there has been committed to our trust a body of doctrine that must be preserved on the earth if men are to be saved. Sound doctrine is in great jeopardy on the earth in these last days of the Church Age. The great apostasy that was to come upon the Church has come already. It is thoroughly ingrained in every fiber of the professing church’s values and priorities. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we are ambassadors in the world. One main task that we are given is to safeguard the integrity of sound doctrine. Paul said to Timothy, “Study, to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). And again, “ O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust . . .” (1 Tim 6:20).

When sounds from two or more sources are joined together in one chord, the result is harmony. The same principle applies to doctrine. Though every doctrine must be able to stand alone under its own Scriptural authority, it must also harmonize perfectly with every other doctrine. There must be a unified body of doctrine in harmony with itself. There is no doctrine of Scripture which in any way diminishes the faith of a Christian. There is no doctrine which in any way diminishes the hope of the believer, or which in any way separates the believer from the love, the mercy and the grace of God. Any attempt to place the believer under the condemnation of the Mosaic Law, or to threaten the believer with the loss of his salvation, is not of God, but is of the devil, as each point of the following references will conclusively prove.

John 3:14-21 -- Here, Jesus Himself speaks to a ruler of the Jews, explaining that the episode experienced by the Jews in the Wilderness was a foreshadowing of something which would later form the substance of the gospel. As the Jewish believers in the Wilderness were fully saved from the serpents (Num 21:8-9), never again to be tested in such a manner, so also will the believer be saved by the “lifting up” of the Messiah. Eternal life is the theme of the entire passage, with the only condition being the personal faith of the one who is saved. God Himself, speaking very plainly, is declaring His crucifixion and its results.

John 4:13-14 -- Water is used repeatedly in the Scriptures as a symbol, or type, of the Holy Spirit (cf Jn 7:37-39, where it is clearly stated to be so). Here we see that the well of water which Jesus gives to the believer becomes a well of life, springing up in him into everlasting life. The well is in Christ, and will never run dry.

John 4:36 -- The fruit that the Christian bears is “for eternal life,” indicating that we cannot bear any fruit that is not already destined for eternal life. That which is eternal cannot be lost. It remains eternally.

John 5:19-24 -- This passage proves that the life which Jesus has given us is eternal, and that it is not a future hope, but a present possession.

John 5:39-47 -- Jesus informs the Jews that Moses and his writings, as well as the rest of the Scriptures, all testify of Him as the sole means of salvation, whereas the Law only condemns (Rom 3:19-20).

John 6:26-58 -- This is the great sign of the Bread from Heaven, and one of the wonderful “I AM” declarations of Christ. Herein, the Jews ask Jesus, What shall we do that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answers, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” See esp. vv 35-40, 50-51, 58.

John 10:7-10 -- Another of the great “I AM” declarations; here Jesus is the door of the sheep, wherein we find life abundant.

John 10:25-30 -- God would have to be killed before a Christian could be lost; we are clutched tightly in His hand.

John 11:25-26 -- Faith is the only requirement for eternal life. Those who believe in Him will never die: Spoken by our Lord.

John 13: 34-35 -- Christ’s New Commandment (See 2 Jn 5). It is the goodness of God that leads man to repentance. It is love.

John 15:15-17 -- A reiteration of the fact that fruitfulness is our purpose, and that love is the method of fruitfulness. Salvation is already ours; now our task is to be fruitful.

John 16:27 -- The Father loves us because we have believed. We are not and never will be worthy of His love until eternity.

Rom 5:1-2 -- Justified by faith, we have peace with God, access into grace by faith, rejoicing in hope.

Rom 5:8-10 -- Justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath, and are reconciled to Him and saved by His life.

Rom 7:4-6 -- We have been delivered from the law—dead to the Law, reborn to fruitfulness, in newness of the Spirit.

Rom 7:15 - 8:9 -- All Christians remain sinners; sin dwells in our flesh; there is, therefore, now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus because He paid for our sins altogether at Calvary and our trust is in Him and not ourselves, the Spirit and not the flesh.

Rom 8:28-39 -- Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Rom 9:30-33 -- Gentiles achieved righteousness, while the Jews, under law, could not. Law produces sin, not righteousness.

Rom 10:1-4 -- The Jews sought to establish their own righteousness; we seek the righteousness of God. Christ is the end of the Law.

Rom 11:6 -- If by grace, it is no longer by works; if by works, no longer by grace. Grace and works are antithetical; they do not mix.

2 Cor 1:9-10 -- We have been delivered from death, and will still be delivered by Him.

2 Cor 5:18-21 -- To us has been committed the word of reconciliation. We are to preach reconciliation, not condemnation.

Gal 1:6-9 -- The test of the Gospel is always grace and faith, not merit or works; see note also (Scofield Bibles).

Gal 2:21 -- If righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain. What did His death accomplish if not eternal life?

Gal 5:16-18 -- If you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. Can you be condemned by that which you are not under?

Gal 6:12-14 -- They boast in your flesh who try to reform the flesh; we boast in the cross of Christ. We remain chief sinners.

Eph 1:3-14 -- In this sublime passage, Paul declares that he who believes in the sufficiency of Christ’s Blood, shed on the cross, has already been blessed, chosen, predestined, adopted, accepted, redeemed, enlightened, written into the will of God, and sealed by the Holy Spirit, so that our salvation does not depend on us, but upon the faithfulness of God Himself.

Eph 2:8-10 -- Inescapable evidence that works are no longer the issue.

Phil 1:3-7 -- It is God Himself who will complete in us that work which He began, and He will do it until the Day of rapture of the Church. This while we yet remain sinners. We shall be perfect after the rapture, however. What hope!

Phil 2:13 -- It is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure. We are ambassadors and ministers. If we work the works of God, we will not work the works of the devil.

Phil 3:3 -- We have no confidence in the flesh.

Phil 3:7-9 -- We seek to be found in Him, not having our own righteousness, but His. Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isa 64:6).

Col 1:13-14 -- We have been delivered from darkness and conveyed into His Kingdom. Past tense.

Col 2:8 -- Beware the principles of the world! Let us not reason, but believe.

Col 2:20-23 -- Outward religion has no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Col 2:11-17 -- He has wiped out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, nailing it to His cross.

1 Th 5:9-11 -- We are not appointed to wrath. Our sins have already been judged and punished at Calvary.

1 Th 5:23-24 -- We are sanctified and preserved blameless. Let us walk as if we believe it.

2 Th 2:13-17 -- We have been chosen for sanctification and belief, and called by God.

2 Th 3:3 -- It is God’s faithfulness that saves us, not our own righteousness.

1 Tim 1:15 -- I am chief of sinners. Yet a crown was laid up for Paul.

2 Tim 1:7 -- We have been given a spirit of love and of a sound mind, not a spirit of fear. Let us walk in love and not hatred.

2 Tim 1:12 -- God is able to keep what I have committed to Him against that Day.

2 Tim 4:18 -- The Lord will deliver me and preserve me. I surely cannot deliver myself.

Tit 1:1-2 -- God, who promised eternal life, cannot lie.

Tit 3:4-9 -- Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by His grace He has saved us. Thus does He also keep us.

Heb 10:14-18 -- Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Of all who believe.

Heb 10:22 -- Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith. We have no reason to be afraid of God.

1 Pet 1:3-5 -- We are kept saved by the power of God, through faith, and that, not of ourselves.

1 John 3:9 -- We are born of the seed of God. How then can we die?

1 John 5:13 -- I have written that you may know that you have eternal life.

Jude 24-25 -- A doxology

If we have eternal life, and then we lose it, we never had it in the first place. If it is eternal, it can never end. The devil always seeks to diminish the hope of the Christian, and the quickest way to do so is to make him fear the loving God who saved him. It is really a sinister doctrine. For the unsaved, it is a message of sheer despair, for it drives him away from God. For the Christian, the false doctrine robs him of hope, and ensures that he will do nothing to serve God. It makes him fruitless and worldly, sensual and afraid of God. The false doctrine that denies the everlasting security of the believer is perhaps the foundation of all false doctrine, and one that the devil most eagerly wishes to perpetuate in the professing church. He rails against the notion of eternal security as much as he rails against the pretribulation rapture of the true Church. It is ever and always his aim to steal the luster of the cross, to darken our hope and diminish the brightness of the glory of God as revealed at Calvary. If the devil can only make God appear to be stern, mean, judgmental, then the sin that remains in every Christian will send him scurrying into the fruitless darkness of self reproach and self condemnation, rather than have him rejoicing in the great gift of God in the Person of His Son. It comes down to this: God would never have allowed mankind to crucify His Son if that death were not adequate to fully and eternally save all who would believe. What a monumental waste of Divine blood it would have been; for if one could lose his salvation, everyone would lose it. There has never been a Christian who did not continue to sin after he was saved, even until his last day on earth. If one could lose his salvation, he most assuredly would lose it. None would be saved, and Christ would surely have died in vain. The doctrine is not only dark and sinister; it is silly beyond measure, illogical, worldly, and dead wrong. No other conclusion can be reached by the candid mind than that a loving God has forgiven and saved men and women who did not and do not deserve it.

Once Saved Always Saved - True or False?

The Gospel of John Chapter 10 gives to us one of the most beautiful pictures in the entire Bible of the role of Jesus as our Shepherd. Just saying that Jesus is our Shepherd may not sound like a profound statement, but we assure you, it is. When one takes the time and studies the role of a shepherd, he finds that in the shepherd is all the provision that we need. When we begin to think of Jesus as The Good Shepherd of our soul, we immediately think of the 23^rd Psalm.

Before we look at John Chapter 10, let us take a quick look at Psalm 23 with hope that it will shed more light on the 10^th chapter of John. Please read the 23^rd Psalm. In it you will find: The Lord is my shepherd: perfect salvation; I shall not want: perfect satisfaction (Ps 107:9); He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: perfect refreshment; He restoreth my soul: perfect restoration; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness: perfect guidance; I fear no evil: perfect protection; Thou art with me: perfect company; Thy rod and Thy staff: again, perfect protection; Thou preparest a table: perfect provision; Thou anointest my head: perfect consecration; My cup runneth over: perfect joy; Goodness and Mercy shall follow me: perfect care; I will dwell in His house forever: perfect destiny. So we can see that in our Savior we have everything.

Often in our pastoral work the question of the eternal security of the believer comes up. While this is one of the most blessed doctrines in the entire Bible, it is also one of the most misunderstood. What a blessing it is to know that we are not only saved by the cross, but kept safe by the cross.

Then, there is Christ’s own declaration as found in John 10:27-30: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one. There are a good many who are fearful because they feel that, although they were saved at some time or another, they are not yet secure. They seem to think that, although saved one day, they may be lost the next. Thus, they must strive and struggle to keep their salvation. But because salvation is not something but Someone and that One, Christ Himself, it is ludicrous for the sheep to try to keep the Shepherd. Did Jesus not say that the keeping was His responsibility? (John 17:12).

The doctrine of eternal security, sometimes associated with the perseverance of the saints, is referred to as a Calvinistic doctrine. John Calvin taught that this doctrine stands proven, not only by its association with other doctrines like those of election, atonement, the intercession and mediatorial dominion of Christ, imputed righteousness and regeneration, but from those Scriptures declaring that eternal life is always connected with believing, and other Scriptures encouraging the believer to depend upon the love, faithfulness and omnipotence of God.

Over against this Calvinistic interpretation, which we believe to be the right one, there is Arminianism, so named after its founder Arminius (A.D. 1560-1609), who taught, among other things, in his “Five Articles” that, although God had from eternity decreed to eternal life those who would persevere in their faith, and to eternal death those who should die impenitent, yet that His eternal decrees were determined by His eternal foreknowledge of the perseverance or impenitence to death of each particular person to be saved or lost. Whether those united to Christ can fall away and be lost is a question we have no answer for in the Bible, according to Arminius.

Arminianism continues today in those who teach that the final triumph of the Christian is dependent upon his own steadfastness and diligence; that, although a child of God, he can yet forfeit the gift of life by backsliding and apostasy. It is affirmed that God makes the continuance of His favor contingent upon man’s faithfulness, and 1 Chronicles 28:9; 1 Samuel 25: 1-44; Ezekiel 3:20; 33:12, are quoted in favor of same. Advocates of Arminianism also teach that Christ makes salvation dependent upon fellowship with Himself, and cite the following as proof passages – Matthew 7:24,25; 25:1-46; John 15: 2-6; 27:12.

Back to John Chapter 10: 27-30. Shall Not Perish! What an assuring promise this is! Our Lord further said that no one can pluck a child of His out of His hand, nor out of His Father’s hand; for both the Father and the Son are one in their purpose to preserve their own. Pluck, here, means “to take by force,” “to catch away,” “to pull away.” The Father and the Son are greater than all the united forces of Hell and of evil men, and are thus able to care for the sheep. The question is raised by those who reject the eternal security of the believer: Can God keep us contrary to His Will? He did not keep the devil and his angels, who left their first estate, nor did He keep Adam and Eve from sinning in the garden. But when Christ said no child of His could possibly perish, He did not say, “Shall not perish if certain conditions were kept”. His declaration is positive, and stands alone, “Shall not perish.” By perishing is meant to be lost, here, and hereafter. All who are Christ’s are bound to Him in an indissoluble union.

The believer’s security is guaranteed through the following abundant provisions: (1) Through the redemption of the cross (Eph 1:7; Col. 1:14); (2) Through Christ’s advocacy above (Heb. 7:25; Jude 1); (3) Through the agency of the indwelling Spirit (the believer is blessed with two advocates – One within, the Holy Spirit, that he might not sin: the Other above if he should sin) (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 1 Cor. 3:17; 2 Cor. 9:8); (4) Through Christ’s revelation at His return. Thus, the Lord Jesus is Himself the believer’s security for the past, present, and future. “I am His and He is mine for ever and ever!” The word “Gospel” means “Good News.” If salvation could be lost, the Bible would become the worst possible news.

What Part of Eternal Don't You Understand?

From Romans 8:23 to Romans 12:1 Paul explains the lofty doctrine of eternal security.

Chapter 8 states that we are saved eternally. Those whom God calls He receives to glory, and nothing and no one can stop Him.

Chapters 9-11 give the example of Israel as an elect nation that has not fallen from God’s grip. If God will continually save the disobedient earthly people, how much more will He preserve His Church eternally? In view of God’s mercies toward the elect, we therefore respond with a holy Christian walk (Romans 12…). You must be secure in your security in order to be a successful Christian!

Jesus our Lord and High Priest prayed thus in John 17:24:

"Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

Taking a look at Romans 8:30 to the end of the chapter, we recognize the fulfillment of that prayer:

Rom 8:30-32: “...and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

Notice those whom God chose (elected) before time began He has called to Himself, all the way to glory. Until your mortal life is complete, God will work everything out to bring about your destiny of glory with your Lord and eternal life with Jesus Christ.

Rom 8:33-3: “Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

If you sin, no matter if Satan himself or your own conscience accuses you, as long as the Lord lives, He lives to keep you in God’s forgiveness. That’s forever, Beloved.

Rom 8:35-39: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘for your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That’s the complete list, Beloved. Nothing, nobody, not even you, can overpower God and pry you apart from God’s love for you in Christ. His salvation has such a grasp on us He never worries about losing us and we never have to worry about losing Him.

We have a timeless election, everlasting life, and eternal security in Christ. What a gift we have to spend eternity with our God and Lord!

Rom 11:29: “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” That settles it!

Preserved in Jesus Christ

“Jude...to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ…” (Jude 1b)

Those who teach that a person may lose his salvation do not reckon themselves to be kept by God, but by their own good works. Yet, a saved person is no more able to keep himself than he was able to save himself. Salvation is a work of God, not of man. Many are called but few are chosen (Mt 20:16; 22:14). God calls us, and those who heed His call by faith He sets apart unto Himself from the world. His seed is born in them (1 Jn 3:9) in the new birth, and then God preserves them eternally.

The notion that a Christian can lose his salvation is completely illogical. If it were so, then what would have been the purpose of Christ’s death on the cross? His death would have been in vain, for there is not a living soul who does not sin. No one would be saved, and that precious blood would have been wasted altogether. When Christ hung on the cross, He requested a drink, not because of the discomfort of dehydration, but because He had one more thing to say before He dismissed His Spirit. He did not want that utterance to be a raspy squeak, but a shout of victory. He said, “It is finished!” His purpose was to bear the full punishment for every sin of man. If a person could lose his salvation, then God could not preserve him, and Jesus would be proved a Liar when He claimed that He had completed the work of redemption. The truth is a very simple thing. The assurance of the believer is the only doctrine that makes sense. The denial of the doctrine makes nonsense and strikes terror in the hearts of God’s children.

Sonnet #29

If Christ should die a thousand deaths for sin,
Nine hundred ninety-nine would be in vain;
For death would see, and wear a silly grin
To think that He must suffer yet again
To pay sin debts He has already paid;
One can't eat twice the same morsel of food;
It doth no good to hone a whetted blade;
The Lamb of God hath no similitude;
His death applies His grace but once for all;
And all is paid, both thy sin debt and mine.
If thou believ'st when thou receiv'st the call,
At heaven's feast shalt thou forever dine.

His Blood was shed, and that is what it cost
To purchase every sinner who was lost.

How Good is Good Enough?

Let us suppose for a moment that a saved person could lose his salvation. Obviously, the only way he might do so would be by sinning. What sort of sin would it take? Would a little white lie do the trick and condemn him to eternal damnation? Or would it take a bigger sin; say, mass murder? Would sexual immorality cause one to lose his salvation? There must be some frame of reference by which the person could know that he had lost his salvation. It would seem very important to know what the boundaries are. Would a single unimportant sin be sufficient? Furthermore, if a person could lose his salvation, and if it took more than a single sin to do so, why would the Bible not give us some clear parameters in regard to such a serious subject? And, if it took only a single sin to lose such salvation, who would have any hope at all of getting into heaven? Surely, no living human being, understanding the nature of sin, could possibly think himself to be as sinless and righteous as God without God’s own righteousness being imputed to him!

And therein lies the rub. Those who hold such a notion do not reckon correctly the devastating character of sin. We judge one sin to be worse than another because we judge according to human reason. Every sin is a direct affront to God. It only took one sin, eating the forbidden fruit, to cause death to descend upon the entire human race. Sin is coming short of the very righteousness of God. To be good enough, one must absolutely be as good as God. Failing that, if salvation or security depends upon human merit, then no one can be saved. And if lost again after one is saved, there is never again any hope for being saved. It would be necessary for Jesus to return and be crucified again to pay for those sins that He supposedly did not pay for the first time. Either He paid for every sin or He did not. If He did not, then when He said, “It is finished!” He lied (Jn 19:30). If He did not lie, then once we are saved, we remain saved forever.

Many are the churches and groups who teach the doctrine of salvation correctly, but who then steal the convert’s hope immediately by declaring that the repentant sinner must never sin again. We ought not sin, but even the great Apostle Paul was plagued by his sin nature for the rest of his life (Rom 7:15-25; 1 Tim 1:15). How strangely illogical it is to suppose that we might be saved if Paul could not be. That is the great failure of those who deny the eternal security of the believer. It is but one of the many doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4:1) that are said to characterize the last days of the Church Age.