A Defense of Eternal Security and Grace
By: Nicholas S.
Bell
December 21, 2014
A few months ago I posted a status on Facebook about
God's grace. The status brought forth much discussion from those of the
Catholic religion. One of the people commenting on it is a very outspoken
devout Catholic. He posted the following picture from some type of Catholic
book listing verses that supposedly prove that we cannot know for certain if we
are going to heaven. After he posted this, several other Catholics and a few
Protestants listed verses that they believed disproved Justification by God's
grace through faith alone in Christ alone and assurance of eternal salvation. Instead of carrying on a public debate or
argument, I decided to take my time to research and write a proper response to
each verse they gave me. I examined the verses individually in context, looking
at the Greek text and a Greek New Testament concordance. I worked on it in my
free time over a series of months. I then submitted it to be reviewed and
edited by Kenny Hodges and Butch Simmons, both are graduates of Dallas
Theological Seminary and are teachers and mentors to me. They are the two
people whose biblical and theological insight I trust the most. They look at
scripture in context in its entirety and believe what it says, rather than what
man-made religion or theology says. They truly hold to the Berean practices of
thoroughly examining scripture and holding everything else to scripture. I thank them for their mentorship and taking
the time to review this paper.
Matthew 7:21
"Not
everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he
who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."
The Matthew 7 passage is actually
saying the exact opposite of what most are trying to prove. For one, the picture only quoted half of the
verse, thus you don't have the surrounding context. That verse is talking about
"true and false prophets" and the complete text there is
" “Not everyone who
says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father
who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name
perform many miracles?’ Then
I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ "
Now, first off, Jesus did not say that no one who says
"Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom. He said that not all who
say that will enter. So, who among those who say "Lord, Lord" will
enter? Only those who do the will of the Father. To understand this we must
first know what the "will of the father" is. In John 6:40 Christ says
that the "Father’s
will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have
eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
These people in the
Matthew 7 verses are looking to their good works to save them. They list their
good deeds that they claimed to have done for him as reasons for why they
should enter into heaven.
Previously in verses 28 & 29 of John 6 the crowd of
people ask Christ "What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus
answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
With that in mind, the Matthew verse is saying that only
the one who believes will enter the kingdom of heaven. Throughout the New
Testament there were many who claimed to be "of God" and "of
Christ" but they taught things that contradicted what Christ taught. A
great example is the Judiazers who went around to different churches telling
them that their faith alone in Christ alone could not save them, that they had
do works, be physically circumcised. Paul addresses this in the book of
Galatians. The Judiazers had come and confused the church at Galatia into
thinking that. Paul says that those who teach that which is different than what
the Holy Spirit taught them through himself are under God's curse.
To sum up that often misquoted Matthew 7 verse, it clearly
shows that those people did not believe in Christ and were relying on their
good works to gain justification. And Christ tells them "I never knew
you". A great example today would be of someone who maybe attends church
and calls themselves a Christian and does great charities (helping the poor,
feeding the hungry, building homes for the homeless, ect...) but who had never
believed in Christ for eternal salvation. They will not be in heaven.
Matthew 24:13
"But
the one who endures to the end, he will be saved."
The verse in Matthew 24:13 is also a
prime case of taking things out of context. That is part of a larger sentence.
Sure, looking at that verse by itself with no other context seems like it is
perseverance as a means of salvation, and it also begs the question "the
end of what?" and "saved from what?". Look back at the rest of the sentence and
verses surrounding it.
The conversation begins with Christ and his disciples
sitting on the Mount of Olives. The disciples asked him about the end of times.
Then Jesus answers them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will
come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of
wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things
must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various
places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed
over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations
because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray
and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many
people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." Keep in mind, this
response is about the end of times. This awful time span is often referred to
by theologians and bible scholars as the Tribulation. A period of time where the
anti-christ will come and make his way into the world and draw people to him
and persecute those who follow Christ. Then, as prophecy tells us, at the end
of the Tribulation, Christ will return. (Note: the timing of the tribulation
and the calling home of the saints is often disputed) but there is no question
that this passage is referencing the Tribulation. So, with that in mind, we
have an answer to the first question: The end of what? The end of the tribulation. And what about
the second question, saved from what?
The word “saved” must always be understood in its
context. Saved from what and by what means? “Saved” is the Greek sozo
which may refer to any kind of deliverance and should often be simply
translated “delivered.”
It can refer to physical deliverance or to some kind of spiritual deliverance,
but the context is the determining factor. In point of fact, this passage is
speaking about physical deliverance or the survival of those who last through
the judgments of the tribulation.
Those who are believers and who survive until the end of
that period of time will be saved, that is, delivered (Matt. 24:13). This does
not refer to a personal self-effort at endurance that results in one’s eternal salvation, but to physical deliverance
of those who trust in the Savior during the Tribulation. The endurance, then,
is physical survival. While many will be martyred, a few will make to the end.
Those who endure through the awful events of the Tribulation will be alive or
delivered by Christ when he returns to earth. This is not a reference to
eternal salvation from sin, but rather the deliverance of survivors at the end
of the Tribulation as stated in Romans 11:26 where the Deliver will save the
nation Israel from its persecutors. Many will not endure to the end in that
they will be martyred for their faith as described in Revelation 7:9-17.[i]
Romans 11:22
"Behold
then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you,
God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut
off."
Now let's look at Romans 11:22. This
verse is, like the Matthew 24 passage. At first glance, with no context, it
seems as though it could be talking about being cut off from heaven. But, also
like the Matthew passage, you need to ask "cut off from what"? Again,
look at the surrounding context.
The entire chapter is about Israel as a nation. Since
Abraham, the nation of Israel has been God's chosen instrument to bring about
his plan. When Christ finally came, from the line of David as the prophesied
Messiah, he offered the kingdom of heaven and the forgiveness of sins and
eternal salvation to Israel. Many individual Jews believed in Him and were
saved. But Israel as a whole nation rejected Christ as the messiah and rejected
his kingdom. They crucified him. Israel, God's chosen people who had been
carrying out his plan from the beginning, rejected him.
This passage is talking about a tree and branches. The
tree is God's promise and covenant. Up until Christ, Israel were the natural
branches that grew from the tree, but when they rejected Christ, they were cut
off. Christ and even the apostles gave Israel to repent of their rejection, but
they still remained in rejection, thus why they were broken off or cut off from
God's plan of using them.
The gospel was then shared with the Gentiles. They were
offered the same offer of eternal salvation as Israel was. They were offered
the chance to be part of God's plan and to be used by him. They, an unnatural
branch were grafted into the tree, receiving that special privilege of being
used by God for his plan, just like Israel had for many years before. And when
you look at what happened, it was Gentiles that Paul wrote so many of his
Church letters to. He traveled all over the gentile countries sharing the
gospel. The Gentiles were the ones who were responsible for spreading the
gospel around the world. The Gentiles were used because Israel rejected Christ.
They were cut off.
This passage has nothing to do with eternal salvation, it
has to do with Israel and Gentiles and their part in being used by God. Israel
was cut off from being of service and the Gentiles were grafted in and became
God's instrument.
Philippians 2:12
"So
then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and
trembling"
Some
have interpreted Philippians 2:12 to mean that Christians must bring about
their own eternal salvation by obeying God. Such an understanding is entirely
foreign to the Bible.
In this verse Paul calls the readers "my
beloved," an expression he reserves for believers. See also 1:1 where Paul
indicates that he is writing, "to the saints in Christ Jesus who are in
Philippi." With them already being saved, Paul is therefore not telling
them how to be saved.
Paul begins this verse with the words "as you have
always obeyed." We expect him to go on to say something like, "keep
on obeying." While he does not use exactly those words, that is implicit
in what he does say. Working out one's salvation is another way of talking
about ongoing obedience. The following context bears out this conclusion. While
believers are not to fear hell-Jesus has guaranteed that no will go there (John
3:16-18; 5:24), we are to fear the Lord. This fear reflects both reverence for
His awesome grandeur (e.g., Isa 6) and respect for His discipline (e.g., Heb.
12:3-11). Believers are thus to exercise ongoing obedience with an attitude of
reverential fear.
It is important to understand not only the context, but
also the meaning of the words used in these verses. In the New Testament, only
3 in every 10 uses of salvation "sōtēria" and save "sōzō"
refer to salvation from eternal condemnation and to obtaining eternal life.
This means that 70% of the times in the New Testament that the word salvation
is used it is not referring to eternal salvation. The word for salvation and
save,"sōtēria" and "sōzō" literally means
deliverance or deliver.
The word salvation occurs only three times in
Philippians. In 1:19 Paul said, "For I know that this will turn out for my
salvation through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus
Christ." Paul wrote Philippians from jail (see Phil 1:12-14). Thus the
term salvation in 1:19 might refer to Paul's deliverance from prison. However,
in verses 20-26 Paul hints that while he expected to be released (verses
25-26), he might instead glorify Christ by his death (verses 20-23). Thus Paul
may have used the word salvation metaphorically in verse 19 to refer to a
victorious triumph over the trials he faced by magnifying Christ through them
whether he was released from prison or not. In any case the word salvation in
verse 19 clearly has nothing to do with Paul's eternal salvation
In 1:28 Paul indicates that if the Christians at Philippi
demonstrated a lack of fear of their adversaries (i.e., by continuing to boldly
proclaim Christ and live for Him), this would be proof to the adversaries of
their destruction and to the Christians at Philippi of their own salvation.
Salvation in 1:28, as in 1:19, has two possible meanings. First, it could refer
to deliverance from temporal difficulties-the very difficulties God's
adversaries do not escape (they experience "destruction"). Second, it
could refer to believers triumphantly glorifying Christ through temporal
difficulties, whether they escaped them or not. In both cases temporal, not
eternal, deliverance is in view. So when we turn to 2:12 it is reasonable to
expect that the word salvation is used by Paul as it has been in the only other
two uses in this letter. That is, we expect another reference to temporal (here
and now) deliverance. That is indeed the case.
The salvation of 2:12 either refers to deliverance from
the difficulties God brings upon the disobedient or to deliverance through the
trials that the faithful experience, though not necessarily by means of
escaping the trials themselves.
The word translated work out (katergazomai) means
to "achieve, accomplish, bring about, produce, or create". Paul was
thus exhorting the Philippian believers to bring about or achieve their own
salvation by obedience to God. This makes perfect sense if temporal salvation
is in view. Compare 1 Cor. 11:30; James 1:21; 2:14; 5:19-20.
The translation work out
is potentially misleading since one meaning of work out is to exercise
something we already have (e.g., "he works out three times a week").
That is not what the Greek word means. It only can legitimately be translated
work out in the sense of accomplishing something (as in "he worked out a
solution to the budget deficit").
All of that being said, it is abundantly clear that
Philippians 2:12 is not dealing with eternal salvation at all. Rather, it is
dealing either with temporal salvation from the calamities which come upon the
disobedient or with temporal salvation through the trials which faithful
believers face.[ii] [iii]
1 Corinthians 9:27
"but
I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified."
The context of this verse is Paul talking about
self-discipline, talking about himself living a life in service to Christ and
being the best he can be in serving the lord on earth. The rewards he is
speaking of are those of which believers receive at the judgment seat of
Christ, at which only believers will stand before. Salvation is a free gift with no works
required, like Paul clearly states in Ephesians 2:8-9, but rewards, for those
who are saved, are separate than eternal salvation and are earned by our good
works of service to the Lord. The quality of our service is the criterion (1
Corinthians 3:13). Rewards are often spoken of as crowns (e.g. 1 Thess. 2:19, 2
Tim 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, Rev 2:10, 3:11,4:4, & 4:10).
The term Paul uses in 9:27 It is a term which occurs in
verses 5, 6, and 7. The term is disqualified (adokimos in Greek). This
is a term which elsewhere in Paul's writings and in the NT is used exclusively
of believers. Indeed, Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:27 used this exact term in
reference to himself. He said that he beat his body and pressed on in his
service for Christ so that he might not be disqualified from the rewards which
will go to faithful believers. God will only approve of the deeds of faithful
believers. Those who fail the test Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 13:5 will be
disapproved for rewards. However, they will be saved, yet so as through fire (1
Cor. 3:15). This verse is clearly
referring to the rewards he will receive in heaven, not eternal salvation.[iv]
(It is important to keep
the judgment seat of Christ in mind here.)
1 Corinthians 10:11-12
"These
things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on
whom the ends of the ages have come. So let the one who thinks he is standing
be careful that he does not fall. "
This passage starts out as talking to those who are
believers, indicated by Paul addressing them as "brothers", a
greeting that is used exclusively for those who are fellow believers.
Paul starts telling the believers at the church in
Corinth about the nation of Israel who was lost in the wilderness. He is using
the Israelites as examples of people who thought they were high and mighty and
God's chosen people yet were still disobedient to God. He gives 4 examples of
what the Israelites did in the wilderness. They chose to make disobedient
decisions and that brought about premature physical death as punishment. Paul
tells the Corinthian believers that those things serve as an example and were
written down as warnings for us. Those Israelites thought they could do what
they wanted because they were God's chosen people and God has rescued them from
Egypt and provided for them in the desert. They were full of pride, and thus
they fell. As Proverbs 16:8 says, "Pride goes before destruction, a
haughty spirit before a fall". Paul is warning these believers not to do
anything that would cause them to fall and thus be a bad witness. He goes on to
say that we are all tempted to give into sinful desires, but God is always
there for us and always provides a way out of tempting situations so that we
can stand up and not fall under pressure. Eternal salvation has nothing to do
with this chapter. This chapter is about not being prideful and being a good
Christ-like example to unbelievers.
Galatians 5:4
"You
have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you
have fallen from grace."
Galatians is a book written to
believers criticizing and reprimanding them for being fooled by false
teachings.
To understand this verse, it is important to understand
the whole context of Galatians and Paul's teachings. Everywhere Paul goes he
teaches the gospel of Grace. The Greek word for grace is "Charis"
which means an undeserved gift, something not worked for, an unmerited gift.
This concept of grace is key to salvation. Paul tells the Ephesians that it is
by grace we are saved, through faith [in Christ alone]. This is not a work that
we have done from ourselves, it is a gift of God; it is not achieved by good
works, that way nobody can boast about it.(Ephesians 2:8-9) Likewise, he tells the Romans that we are
saved by God's grace, and if we are saved by grace, then salvation is not based
on works, and if it were by works then it would no longer be by grace. Grace
and works are completely opposite concepts.(Romans 11:6) The works based
salvation says that we must put forth effort to be eternally saved, that
eternal salvation is the reward of us living good lives and doing good works.
It is wages paid to us for our work. The concept of Grace is a free gift that
God gives us. We accept the gift by simply believing what he says about who he
is and what he has done. We take God at his word. Works are not required
because Jesus lived a perfect life and died for sins. When we believe that, his
perfect life is credited to our account and we are justified, or made righteous
before God. Christ's righteousness is imputed to us so that we appear blameless
and holy before God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) No good work or law is required on
our part. We eternally saved by God's grace through faith in Christ. It is not
simply our faith that saves us, it is the object of our faith, that is, Christ
Jesus. Now, even though we are saved by grace through faith and not works does
that mean we can go on to live as we please? By no means! Heaven Forbid! Grace
teaches us that we are free. At the beginning of Galatians 5, Paul tells us
that it is for freedom that Christ has freed us from the yoke of slavery to the
law. We are freed from the obligation to do good works, which we could never do
enough to please God, so that we can willingly choose to do good works to show
our love to God. Think about it, would it be love if you were required to do
it? No! Love is voluntary. We show love by voluntarily doing acts of love and
kindness. This is our response to God's free gift of eternal salvation through
his grace.
Okay, now that that is explained we
can look at this passage. Galatians 5:4 says that if you are trying to be
justified by the law (good works) then Christ is of no use to you. You have fallen
away from grace. Now, Paul had already been to the church of Galatia and taught
them the gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone in Christ alone as I
just explained above, and these people believed and were justified by grace
through their faith. After he left them, a group of false teachers, known as
the Judaizers, came to them teaching that faith alone in Christ could not save
them, that they had to also obey the Jewish law to be saved. Obeying the law to
be saved is works based salvation, which is not the gospel at all and cannot
save anyone. These Galatian believers were misled into thinking that, that is
why Paul is writing to them to set them straight on salvation by grace through
faith in Christ alone. He states that if you are relying on works to get you
saved, then Christ is of no use to you and you have fallen away from God's
grace for salvation. He isn't telling them that they have lost their salvation,
he is explaining to them how they cannot be saved by both, they can only be
saved by grace. These Galatians were confused and misled, and it angers Paul.
He is writing to them reminding them that they were saved and are saved by
grace, not works, he urges them to throw away the belief that involves works
and to come back to the truth of grace. In short, he is saying that any
Christian who reverts to law (good works) as part of being saved/justified has
fallen from the sphere and principle of grace. Nowhere does he indicate that
they lose their salvation. That is a concept that is completely foreign to Paul
and to scripture.
2 Timothy 2:11-13
"This
saying is trustworthy: If we died with him, then we will also live with him. If
we endure, then we will also reign with him. If we deny him, then he will also
deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny
himself."
Paul tells Timothy a saying to comfort and encourage him.
It is made up of four conditional (if-then) clauses.
1a.
"If we died with him (Christ)" refers to the believer's
identification with the death of Christ at the moment of salvation.
1b.
"Then we will also live with him" refers to believers living in
Christ's presence in the future.
Similarly Paul states in
Romans 6:8 "Now if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live
with him"
If we have died with Christ—and every believer has—then
we will also live with Him! Verse 11 is an uncompromising statement of the
absolute certainty that every believer possesses of living with Christ in the
future. Nothing in the remainder of this passage (or any other passage of
Scripture, for that matter) will contradict this clearly stated axiom. Therefore, any interpretation of the
following three conditional clauses which denies complete assurance to all
believers of future life in the presence of Christ must be recognized as
unbiblical.
2a.
"If we endure" refers to believers living a faithful life of service
while enduring hardships. While verse 11 was a statement of certainty, verse 12
is a statement of contingency. The Christian will definitely live with Christ
in the future. However, he may or may not receive special commendation and
reward from the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Verse 12, correctly
understood, is motivational, designed to encourage Timothy (and by application,
every believer) to be consistently faithful to the Lord in his Christian life.
In context, Paul has been exhorting his friend to be a good
"soldier," "athlete," and "farmer" for the Lord
(2 Tim 2:3-6), following the ultimate example of Christ Himself (2 Tim 2:8) and
the immediate example of the Apostle Paul (2 Tim 2:9, 10). Verses 11-13, but
especially verse 12, fit nicely into this contextual setting in affirming that
the quality of a believer's Christian life on earth will affect the quality of
his future eternal experience with Christ.
Now before I address the second clause, I need to point
out that the two conditional clauses of verse 12 describe opposing extremes of
Christian conduct, endurance for Christ and denial of Christ. To be
properly understood it is imperative that these two statements be interpreted
in light of the immediately preceding declaration of verse 11. The sinner who
has trusted Christ, has died with Him, and will also live with Him in the
future. Verse 11 thus makes it absolutely clear that the future destination of
believers is not in doubt. The issue of a believer's living a life of enduring
fidelity to his Lord, however, is very much in question. Will the Christian
steadfastly live in submission to Christ or will he consistently deny Christ's
Lordship and its implications over his or her life? The Word of God is clear
that not all believers faithfully live for their Lord while on earth (Acts
19:18-19; 1 Cor. 3:1-3; 11:30; Gal 5:16-21; 1 Tim 1:19-20; 2 Tim 2:17-18; Heb.
4:1-2, 11). Only those Christians who demonstrate an enduring, persistent
faithfulness to the Lord in this life will receive special reward in the next.
Carnal believers who live selfishly, denying Christ's Lordship over their
lives, will be denied special commendation when their Christian experience is
evaluated by the Lord.
2b.
"Then we will also reign with him" refers to faithful believers
reigning with Christ in the kingdom. While all believers will enter Christ's
Kingdom (as stated in verse 11, "we shall live with Him"), only those
who are consistently faithful in their Christian experience will also reign
with Jesus. The verb symbasileusomen, rendered "we shall also reign
with Him," means "to rule as king with someone." It refers to
possessing a special place of authority in Christ's millennial administration.
This exciting possibility is the same truth taught in the parable of the minas
by Jesus Himself (Luke 19:11-27). The Lord used this story to illustrate the
principle that faithful service for the Master will ultimately result in His
conferring various levels of governmental authority upon reliable believers,
consistent with the individual's level of faithfulness, when He returns to
establish His Kingdom. In Matt 19:29 the Lord Jesus promised Peter that he and
the other disciples who had left everything to steadfastly follow Him: "in
the regeneration [Millennium] when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious
throne you also will sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of
Israel." In the next verse Christ affirmed the general principle that
every believer who has displayed an enduring commitment to walk with Him will
receive "many times as much" in rewards (see also Luke 22:24-30; Matt
16:27). Likewise, in Revelation 2:26, Jesus declared that believers "who
keep" His "deeds to the end" will receive special millennial
"authority over the nations.
3a.
"If we deny him" describes what will happen to the Christian who
fails to live a consistent life of faithful endurance for Christ.
3b.
"Then he will also deny us" refers to If a believer "denies
Christ" by not remaining steadfast for Him, he will in turn be denied the
reward of "reigning with Him" in the kingdom.
The possibility for believers to "deny Christ"
is clear in the New Testament. Peter and the other Apostles (see Matt 26:35) on
one infamous occasion blatantly denied their Lord (Matt 26:70; Mark 14:68, 70;
Luke 22:57; John 18:25, 27). Denial of Christ by a believer need not be limited
necessarily to such dramatic settings, but can involve simple refusal to
shoulder one's biblical responsibilities in any area. This is illustrated in 1
Tim 5:8, which warns that the believer who neglects to provide for his own
family has in effect "denied the faith, and is worse than an
unbeliever" Specifically in 2 Tim 2:12 the denial in view is not a single
act of denial of sinful selfishness but is rather descriptive of a general
failure or breakdown in discipleship.
If we fail to live a
consistent life of discipleship then "He also will deny us." In
describing the Lord's denial of the unfaithful believer, Paul uses a form of arneomai
here meaning "to refuse, to disdain." How will Christ deny the
unfaithful believer? Or to put the question another way: What and how will He
refuse the unfaithful believer? First the interpreter must remember that this
passage has already established the fact that every believer will live with Christ
(verse 11). Additionally, Paul has also affirmed that those believers who
faithfully endure in their Christian experience will receive special rewards
and prerogatives in Christ's Kingdom (they "will reign with Him"). In
context then, the denial spoken of here has to do with the Lord's denying the
unfaithful believer the privilege of intimate, high-level interaction with Him
in governing the millennial state. 1 Corinthians 3:15 sheds additional light on
the negative consequences of such denial because it indicates that the
unfaithful, unfruitful believer will be denied reward at the Judgment Seat of
Christ, "but he himself shall be saved" (i.e., the unrewarded
believer will still "live with Christ").
4a.
"If we are faithless" It is crucial to recognize that the verb
rendered "(if) we are faithless" in this context describes
unfaithfulness in the lives of regenerate people, not a lack of saving faith.
This same verb is found in ancient secular documents describing "disloyal
soldiers" (i.e., not soldiers who disbelieve their leader but rather those
who disobey him). Here in a broad context in which Paul has specifically
exhorted Timothy to be a faithful "soldier" for Christ (2 Tim 2:3
& 4), the use of this verb is especially appropriate. Paul well recognized
that on the battlefield of spiritual combat it is possible for soldiers of
Christ to go AWOL.
4b.
"he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself." The wonderful
truth of this portion of Scripture is that even the unfaithful believer, who is
a disloyal soldier of Christ, is assured of future life with his ever-faithful
Commander-in-Chief. The Christian's security rests not in his own word,
promises, or performance, but rather on God's Word, God's promises, and God's
performance. The unfaithful believer is assured that despite his failures,
"He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself." While it is
(regrettably) possible for the believer to be unfaithful to Christ, Christ
cannot be unfaithful to the believer. Christ remains faithful to His promise
that the one who believes in Him possesses eternal life securely (John 3:15-18;
6:39, 40; 6:47; 10:26-29). This fidelity is in no way predicated upon the
believer's worthiness, either before or after receiving eternal life. It is
based solely upon Christ's inherent faithfulness to His own nature and
character. Zane Hodges explains it beautifully:
If we Christians were "faithless," this in
no way affected His loyalty to us. Every guarantee that had been made to us in
grace would still be ours, regardless of our lack of faith or fidelity….
"The gifts and the calling of God" were still "irrevocable"
(Rom 11:29).
For Him to act otherwise toward us, whatever form our
faithlessness might take, was unthinkable. Our Lord always remained faithful to
us precisely because anything else would be an act that "denied" His
own nature and character As the prophet had said long ago: "Righteousness
shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist" (Isa 11:5).
Verse 13 is a remarkable reaffirmation of the absolute
security of every believer. Working in tandem with verse 11, it serves as a
bedrock verse in the Bible's teaching concerning assurance that every believer
will "live with Christ." Moreover, verse 13 affirms the foundational
truth that salvation is of the Lord. It is the work of God for man, rooted in
the character of God Himself.
Faithfulness to Christ is vital in order that the
believer might glorify God and bear much fruit. However, steadfastness for the
Lord is not to be motivated by the mistaken idea that endurance is necessary to
obtain, or to retain, eternal life and the assurance of future life with
Christ. While there is a very real price to be paid for failure in the
Christian experience, that price will never involve consignment to the lake of
fire. [v]
Hebrews 6:4-6
"For
in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the
heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted
the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen
away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again
crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame."
This passage in Hebrews is often used by both proponents of
Catholicism and Arminianism to cite their doctrine of losing salvation, and by
Calvinism to deny the possibility of a Christian who walks away from faith of
ever having believed. I can understand the Catholic and Arminian confusion on
this verse, but I haven't the slightest idea how Calvinism gets their view, as
it makes absolutely no sense. Admittedly, it does look like it is saying that a
Christian can lose their salvation but upon looking at the surrounding context,
the text shows that that is not the case.
This passage is talking about believers falling away from
maturity, not falling away from salvation (see Hebrews 6:1 which encourages
believer to "go on to maturity"). The Book of Hebrews was written to
first-century Jewish believers in Christ who, because of persecution by Jewish
non-believers, were considering returning to their old rituals so the Jewish
non-believers wouldn't be so hard on them. The message of Hebrews 6:4-6 is not
"Get right or you'll lose your salvation," but "You're already
saved and committed to Christ, so don't stay how you are or go backwards;
instead move on toward maturity!"
Again, If you read
it in context, in the rest of the book, it is clear that the writer is talking
to a group of believers that are trying to go back to the basic elementary
teachings of the faith. In the previous verses in Chapter 5 verses 11-14, the
writer is describing the believers that should be well versed in the faith and
should be teachers by now, but instead they have stayed as babes in Christ and
have not grown any. He starts out Chapter 6 with the phrase “therefore
let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not
laying again the foundation of changing your mind from acts that lead to death,
and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the
resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”
In simple terms, he
is saying: “let’s stop staying in the kindergarten teachings and move
on. You already know your ABCs, let’s move on with your education. Where you are is where you are, don’t start
over, continue learning and growing because it is impossible for you to relearn
all that stuff.”
The phrase “fall
away” is placed
in the sentence to strengthen the warning. The passage is essentially read in
the same meaning as if you tell a group of students: “It is impossible for a
student, once enrolled in this course, if he turns the clock back (which cannot
be done,) to start the course over. Therefore, let all students go on to deeper
knowledge.”. [vi]
Hebrews 10:26-27
"For
if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there
no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of
judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries."
There is no warning in the New Testament which is more
forceful and direct than this section's caution against sinning willfully.There
are several things that characterize those being warned here.
First, the people addressed in these verses have
"received the light" (Hebrews 10:32). To be "enlightened"
(photizomai) means to be born again and to have truly and inwardly experienced
the heavenly gift and the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Second, they "stood their ground in a great contest
in the face of suffering" (10:32). These people had not only believed the
gospel, they had also suffered for it and persevered in their suffering for
Christ's sake.
Third, they "were publicly exposed to insult and
persecution; and at other times they stood side by side with those who were so
treated" (10:33). The public nature of their confession of Christ resulted
in public ridicule and persecution. But far from backing away, they pressed on
and joined with others who were similarly treated.
Fourth, they sympathized with those in prison (10:35).
Risking danger to their own lives, they visited persecuted brothers and sisters
in prison, thereby publicly identifying themselves to hostile authorities as
Christian sympathizes.
Fifth, they "joyfully accepted the confiscation of
their property" (10:34). Furthermore, they accepted this confiscation for
the right motives, " because you knew that you yourselves had better and
lasting possessions". They were focused on the eternal inheritance which the
faithful will acquire.
Finally, the writer specifically says they have been
sanctified. "How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who
has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of
the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the spirit of
grace?" (10:29).
Sanctification in Hebrews looks at the imputation of the
justifying righteousness of Christ from the vantage point of being qualified to
enter the presence of God to worship and seek Him in time of need (10:10, 14,
19). It is possible for men who have been the recipients of this sanctification
to trample underfoot the Son of God and insult the spirit of grace.
Does the writer of this epistle doubt their eternal
salvation and their eternal destination? No! What he worries about is their
loss of reward. He says, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be
richly rewarded. You will receive what He has promised" (10:35).
If these people were not certain of their salvation and
of their eternal destination, it would be pointless to warn them about the loss
of heavenly rewards. He also would not tell them to preserver in the faith if
they were not certain. The things he warns them of and encourages them to do
would be pointless if they were not going to heaven and knew for certain they
were going to heaven. You can't get heavenly rewards if you aren't going to
heavenly, likewise, if they weren't certain that they were going to heaven,
then it would be pointless to encourage them to work for heavenly rewards. If
these people were not sure of their salvation and eternal destination, the
writer would've told them what Jesus said was the requirement for salvation:
belief in Him.
As for the part about a "Fiery judgment" that
must be looked at in context as well. Though faith in Christ and His work on
the cross protects the child of God from eternal judgment in hell, it does not
guarantee that all judgment will be averted. Christ’s perfect sacrifice does not avert the
judgment for “willful sin” any more than His sacrifice would avert God’s chastisement upon a believer who had
committed adultery or had drunk of the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner (1
Cor 11:27-30). The New Testament is clear that believers can and do commit sin
that results in God’s
judgment and discipline, though they have God’s eternal forgiveness of such sin through
Christ’s sacrifice on
their behalf.
We must be careful not to over-read Hebrews 10:26.
Commensurate with Num 15:22-31, the author is simply saying that once such a
serious sin is committed, there is no sacrifice they can offer that will avert
God’s judgment. He is
making them aware that they will certainly face some form of judgment from
God—though he does not say precisely what that judgment will be. For the Old
Covenant community, the judgment was of a temporal nature—capital
punishment—not eternal punishment in hell, and the recognition of this fact
should guide us in drawing the appropriate parallel.
Hebrews 10:27 underscores the point that they could
expect a very severe judgment from God. In fact, he labels it “a terrifying
expectation of judgment.” The second half of the verse is an allusion to Isaiah
26:11, and uses the word “fire”.
Since the author customarily thinks with Old Testament events in mind, it
wouldn't be surprising that he might be doing so here. Thus we should consider
more carefully how the metaphor of fire is used in the Old Testament. Fire is
associated with judgment in the Old Testament in other ways than hell. For
instance, we have the case of Nadab and Abihu (Levitical priests) in Lev 10:1-3
who dishonored the LORD by using the firepans in an inappropriate way, such
that “fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them.” In
another incident, Korah (a Levitical priest) along with Dathan and Abiram and
250 leading men of Israel (the latter being Levites also; Num 16:8-10)
challenged the leadership of Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16). The issue apparently
was jealousy of the exalted positions that Moses and his brother Aaron had
obtained (both of whom were descended from Levi). Though only Aaron and his
descendants could be high priests, the “rebels” themselves were not without
privilege—they served as Levitical priests at the tabernacle. As a result, the
LORD brought judgment upon those who participated in Korah’s rebellion (since their challenge was
really a rebellion against the leader- ship structure that God Himself had
ordained). The ground swallowed up Korah, Dathan and Abiram, while “fire came
forth from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men” (Num 16:35).
If the original context of Isa 26:11 does not have “hell”
in view, it is doubtful that the author of Hebrews is thinking of such a
punishment. Indeed, the context of Isa 26:11 is appropriate, since that verse
paints a contrast between those who are faithful and those who act wickedly
among Israel. Of greater significance, however, is the eschatological setting
in which this chapter occurs. Chapters 24–27 of Isaiah are a depiction of the
coming judgment of God in the “day of the Lord” which is followed by kingdom
blessing. The unit begins with the announcement that God will enact a universal
judgment upon the earth that has transgressed his commandments. God’s judgment at this time is likened to a
fire. Isaiah 24:6 states, “the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men
are left.” Though this will be a terrible time of judgment for the inhabitants
of the world, it will be good news for the righteous, since the judgment will
be quickly followed by kingdom blessings.
In these passages in Isaiah, the fiery judgment does not
speak of eternal punishment in hell but rather of the eschatological judgment
from God that will engulf the whole world and even Israel in particular. How
the author of Hebrews envisioned this in relation to his readers is not
altogether clear. At the very least, however, we could conclude this: if God
does not withhold his awesome judgment against His own covenant people as
depicted in Isaiah 24–27, there is no reason to think He would spare those who
forsook the New Covenant. That is, if rebellious Jews of the Tribulation will
certainly receive God’s
judgment, so will those who rebel in the days when the author of Hebrews
writes. The allusion to Isa 26:11 would be particularly meaningful to the readers
who were of Jewish descent and who should have their hopes set upon the future
coming of Messiah to inaugurate His kingdom and the eschatological Jerusalem.
The punishment envisioned by Heb 10:27 must be
interpreted in light of both the context of Hebrews as a whole and the
eschatological judgment depicted in Isaiah 24–27. In preparation for kingdom
blessing, God will first bring about a fiery judgment that will fall on all the
wicked of the world and which will not even spare the rebels within Israel. We
must underscore the fact that the “fires of hell” are clearly not in view. At
all points within Israel’s
broad history, those who turn away in unbelief and rebel against the covenant
are in jeopardy of God’s
judgment. This was true at Kadesh Barnea in the past, it was true for the
majority of Jews in Jesus’ generation,
and it will also prove true in the eventual “day of the Lord.”. [vii]
[viii]
Luke 13:3
"I
tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."
Here is another widely misunderstood passage. Some men
came to Jesus and "told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had
mingled with their sacrifices". In other words, they were asking Jesus
about people from Galilee who Pilate had killed. It is important to remember
the question that leads to Jesus' response. The question concerns physical
death, not eternal condemnation.
Jesus then asked if they thought "that these
Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered
such things?". Not waiting for their reply, Jesus answers His own
question: "I tell you no". Then He goes on to say, "but unless
you repent you will all likewise perish".
The word "likewise" here is crucial. The
Galileans were killed. Thus Jesus is saying that if the Jews hearing His words
did not repent, they would be killed as well. It is crystal clear that
"perish" here refers to physical death.
The Lord tells of 18 people who died when a tower in
Siloam fell on them. Again, physical death, not eternal condemnation is in
view. This is followed by repeating the
words of verse 3. Unless the listeners repented, they too would perish,
meaning, they too would be killed. This statement was fulfilled in AD 66-70
when over a million Jews were killed during the Jewish War.[ix]
Mark 1:15
"The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the
gospel."
Again, an often misunderstood verse. I admit, I struggled
with understanding this verse at first, but then I started studying what some
of the words and concepts meant that Jesus talks about.
First, he says that "the kingdom of God is at
hand". What exactly is the Kingdom of God? In the Gospels and even as late
as early in the book of Acts, the Kingdom was offered to the nation of Israel.
Jesus Christ, in His earthly ministry, came specifically to Israel and offered
the kingdom to them at that time. In
rejecting Christ, the Jews rejected the kingdom and opened the way for the age
of grace. The preaching of the kingdom delivered a specific message during the
ministry of John the Baptist, Jesus and His disciples. Remember, this message was only given to the
Jewish people. They were told to repent,
believe and be baptized. The reason for
this was simple: the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus was offering His
Millennial Kingdom to his chosen people, the Jews. What does it mean that the kingdom of God was
at hand? The phrase means that it was
within arm’s
reach. They could reach out and take
hold of it. Thus is why he says in this verse that the Kingdom was at hand.
In other words, the kingdom was indeed offered to
them. If the nation of Israel as a whole
had turned to Christ, they would have had their kingdom. God knew that they would reject His Son, but
the offer was there just the same. It
was in their rejection of God’s
Son and His offer of the kingdom, that a way was made for the Gentile. But the offer still was made.
Clearly, Israel did not receive their earthly kingdom
during or immediately after Christ’s
earthly ministry. They rejected their
true Messiah and took part in assigning Him to His death on the cross. Later, through His disciples, Christ turned
to the Gentiles, “to take out of them a people for his name” (Acts 15:14). Israel will still receive her kingdom, but
not until many centuries after their rejection of His first coming.
If you read in the previous verse it says, "Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,” The Gospel of
the kingdom is the good news that God purposes to set up on the earth, in
fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant, a kingdom, political, spiritual,
Israelitish, universal, over which God’s
Son, David’s
heir, shall be King, and which shall be, for one thousand years, the
manifestation of the righteousness of God in human affairs. The book of
Revelation and Old Testament prophecies talk about this time period in greater
lengths.
The requirement for the Kingdom at that time when Jesus
offered it to the Jews was for the nation of Israel as a whole to repent (turn
from their wicked ways), believe that Jesus is who he claimed to be, and be
baptized as a nation to symbolize their belief and new birth. All three of
those requirements are separate but needed to be done in order for the kingdom
to be accepted. These requirements were exclusive for these people at this time
and place. This offer is no longer offered to us, but we are free to do those
things anyways, we just won't receive the kingdom right now. We can believe in
Christ, which is the sole requirement for justification before God and eternal
salvation. That is the main offer of the Gospel of Christ. We can repent of our
wicked ways and turn to live a life pleasing to the Lord. And we can also be
baptized in order to make a public profession of our faith in Christ before the
world. These latter two are optional and are never required for eternal
salvation, but they are both strongly encouraged in the life of a believer in
order to set a good Christ-like example to others and to please the Lord.
So, in this verse, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is the
context, and not the Gospel of Christ for eternal salvation which is still
offered to us and can be accepted right where you sit by simply acknowledging
that you are a sinner and that nothing you can do can save you and that you
need a savior, which is Jesus Christ who paid the price for your sins. He
justifies you and imputes his righteousness to you when you simply believe
that. It's simple. It's amazing. It's Grace. God's Amazing Grace! [x]
[xi]
Additional verses about eternal Security and eternal
salvation by Grace through Faith
In John 3, Christ is explaining to
Nicodemus about how to be eternally saved, or justified, he says, "For God
so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did
not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be
saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not
believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God."
In John 5:24 Christ says, "Truly, truly, I say to
you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal
life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."
In John 6:35 Christ declares, “I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never
be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.
All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I
will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will
but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me
that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at
the last day. For my Father’s
will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal
life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
Paul
tells the Romans in Chapter 3, verses 23-28, "for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through
the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a
propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His
righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins
previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the
present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith
in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of
works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is
justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
In Romans 4:5 Paul says "And to the one who does not
work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is
counted as righteousness".
In Romans 5:1-2 Paul says
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our
introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in
hope of the glory of God.
In Romans 9:30-32 Paul addresses the Roman believers,
"What shall we say then? – that the Gentiles who did not pursue
righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith,
but Israel even though pursuing a law of righteousness did not attain it. Why
not? Because they pursued it not by faith but (as if it were possible)
by works."
Again in Romans 10:2-4 Paul reiterates, "For I can
testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the
truth. For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead
to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end
of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who
believes. "
In Galatians 2:16 Paul is speaking to
a church who has strayed away from his original teaching and who has tried to
incorporate works into being part of their salvation. He reminds them,
"knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through
faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we
may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law;
since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified."
Paul tells the Ephesians in chapter 1
verses 13 & 14, "when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your
salvation) – when you believed in Christ – you were marked with the seal of
the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until
the redemption of God’s
own possession, to the praise of his glory."
Ephesians 2:8-9 is probably one of the clearest verses on
eternal salvation. "For it is by grace you are saved through
faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not
from works, so that no one can boast."
Eternal Security[xii]
Properly understanding eternal security gives true
freedom (not fear) for living the Christian life. To believe in Christ is to
enter into covenant relationship with God Himself. There are many Divine
Eternal Effects (results) that occur the moment someone believes in Jesus
Christ. These results are based entirely on the character of the Trinity
working on behalf of the believer and can never be changed, or else the
character of God Himself is at stake. To admit that there is nothing one can do
to receive eternal life, but to say there is something the believer can do, or
not do, to lose eternal life, is to elevate man’s behavior and power beyond that of God.
To deny the doctrine of
eternal security is to not understand clearly the issue of sin. To deny the
doctrine of eternal security is to not understand clearly the Savior. What must
be answered Biblically is:
1) Who
is this Person who died on a cross?
2) Why
did He die?
3) What did He accomplish when He died?
We have previously seen that Jesus was God in the flesh
and therefore the only person in all the universe who was qualified to pay the
debt required for mankind’s
sin. We have also seen that the finished work of Christ included redemption,
reconciliation, and propitiation. In other words, the sin debt was paid IN FULL
by Jesus on the cross. Regeneration, justification and the receipt of imputed
righteousness occur the moment someone believes in Jesus. To say that a
believer could lose their salvation would mean that they would have to be
unborn spiritually and God would have to take away the righteousness that He
already had put to their account. These concepts are totally foreign to the
clear teachings of Scripture.
Some scriptural arguments
for eternal security:
A. The nature of the life
that is given.
The word eternal, αἰώνιος, aionios, is an adjective that
describes the word life, ζωή, zoe.
In other words when we believe in Christ we receive a certain kind of life,
eternal life. The Greek lexicons give the meanings, “without end, never to
cease, everlasting” for this adjective. The obvious question is how can
something cease whose very definition is ‘never ceasing’? A related thought is that God could have
used any adjective He wished to convey what we receive at the moment of belief.
It could have been victorious life or holy life or probationary life or
abundant life or many other descriptive terms. The word He used was eternal!
“For God so loved the
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish,
but have eternal life.” John 3:16
B. Eternal life is a
present possession.
The Bible does not teach that eternal life is awarded
when a person dies (if he has been good enough or persevered to the end) but
that it is a gift received the moment of belief. Notice
John 5:24 and 6:47,
“Truly, truly, I say
to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life,
and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
"Truly, truly, I say
to you, he who believes has eternal life.”
Part of eternal life is
the present possession of knowledge of God. Notice Jesus’ words in John 17:3,
“And this is eternal
life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom Thou hast sent.”
C. Eternal life is a
gift.
“For by grace you have
been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
If salvation (eternal life) is truly a gift, then it
could never be lost unless God were to take back His gift. However, we know
that God is immutable, unchanging in His nature, and His gifts and calling
cannot be undone. Paul says it this way in Romans 11:29:
“for the gifts and the
calling of God are irrevocable.”
D. Eternal life is
received by faith and not by works, therefore works cannot possibly have a part
in obtaining or keeping eternal life. As a matter of fact, grace and works are
said to be mutually exclusive of each other.
“But if it is by grace,
it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer
Grace.” Romans 11:6
How can something that is a gift and received by faith
apart from works then all of a sudden be kept by works? Paul says if very
clearly in Romans 4:4-6:
“Now to the one who
works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one
who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is
reckoned as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the
man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works.”
E. Our eternal security
is dependent on the strength of God and not our efforts.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them,
and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never
perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has give
them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them our of the
Father’s
hand. I and the Father are one”. John 10:27-30
It is the strength of God the Son and the Father which
guarantees this condition of safety. Sometimes we hear such ideas as, “No one
can snatch us out of God’s
hand but we can jump out if we decide to stop believing”. For someone to remove
himself from the security of the Father’s
hand would be to elevate himself above God. Children's parents often hold their
hands as they cross the street or do other activities where they need their
parents' protection. Parents will never let someone come along and grab their
children away from them but parents also will never let them pull themselves
away in those situations. As their parent, they hold them securely whether or
not they want to be held! God does the same for His children. Once we become
His child by faith (John 1:12) we are held securely by His power, not ours!
F. Our eternal security
is dependent on His faithfulness, not ours.
“It is a trustworthy
statement: For if we died with Him, we shall live with Him; If we endure we
shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;If we are
faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.” -2 Timothy
2:11-13 (covered above)
Notice the four stanzas of this statement. The first
states the certainty of our salvation. Our belief in Christ causes the old man
to be crucified and the new man to be born from above. The second and third
stanzas are a parallel. Endurance (faithful service in the context of hardship
and suffering) results in reward and reign with Christ. Denial, not being
faithful as a believer, causes Christ to deny us reward and reign. However, in
the fourth stanza, if we are faithless, He remains faithful based on His very
character as God. To cast us out of the family of God because we stop believing
would be to deny Christ’s
very person as the eternal ‘mercy seat’ who
made the once for all
sacrifice.
G. We are secure because
we are objects of God’s
love.
Every person is either the object of God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:3, John 3:36) or the
object of God’s
love (John 13:1, John 17:23, Ephesians 2:4, 1 John 3:1). That relationship to
God is determined on whether or not we have believed in Jesus Christ. As a
believer notice the security we have in the love of God:
“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, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39
"If it be possible for one who has been saved to be
lost, it must of necessity be possible for one who has been the object of the
love of God to be taken out of that position and made the object of the wrath
of God. Does any Scripture passage teach that? Definitely, No. On the contrary,
it is taught that God loves His own with and everlasting love (Jer. 31:3)....
It is, therefore, a flat denial of God’s
Word to say that a man can separate himself from God’s love. If anything is emphatically taught
in the Bible, it is that when man has become the object of the everlasting love
of God, there is no change in that condition.”
H. We are secure because
our glorification is already accomplished. Notice the unbroken chain:
“For whom He foreknew, He
also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be
the firstborn among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also
called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified,
these He also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30
All of these events are things that God has done for the
saved one. All are in the past tense, therefore already accomplished!
“Believers are already glorified and that it is but the manifestation of the
reality that is still in the future. There are things which God has already
accomplished, but the manifestation thereof has been delayed until later. Thus,
Christ is said to be the ‘Lamb foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but manifest in these last times’ (1
Pet. 1:20).
Similarly, the believer is already glorified. ‘Whom He
justified, them He also glorified.’ But the manifestation thereof is in the future. ‘Your
life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear,
then shall we also appear with Him in glory’ (Col.3:3, 4). The glorification has
taken place, though appearance in glory is in the future and in the meantime
the believer’s
life is ‘hid with Christ in God.’ Can anyone be more secure? If one
who is saved can be lost, it must have to be by taking such a one from his
place in glory where he is hid in God. Certainly no one dares to say that this
is possible.”[xiii]
Closing Remarks
I
hope this has been clear and simple enough to understand and has been edifying
and insightful. I urge all who read this to be prayerful about any theology or
biblical thoughts that you hear that differ from what scripture says. Hold
everything you hear up to scripture, and never be afraid to ask questions. Be
like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who “received the message with great eagerness
and examined the Scriptures daily to see if what was said was true.” Overall,
God’s infallible word takes precedence over anything you hear from any pastor,
priest, teacher, or author. I implore you to study scripture thoroughly and
memorize passages and know their context so that you may always have a defense ready
to give those who oppose the sound teachings of scripture.
May God’s grace and peace
be with you.
[i] http://www.studybibleforum.com/htm_php.php3?do=show_node&b=58&c=6&v=4&show_ti=135&show_ts=2&show_user_id=729d428c5a0d468b0942a7c0dfcd489d&show_question_id=150088
[ii]
http://www.faithalone.org/magazine/y1993/93may3.html
[iii] "The Ten Most Misunderstood Words In
The Bible" (Chapter 3) Robert N. Wilkin
[iv] http://www.faithalone.org/magazine/y1989/89oct2.html
[v] http://www.faithalone.org/journal/1988ii/McCoy.html
[vi] http://gfwpb.org/who-we-are/christianity-q-and-a/
[vii] "The
Reign of the Servant Kings: A Study of Eternal Security and the Final
Signifi-cance of Man" by Joseph C. Dillow
[viii] "For
Whom Does Hebrews 10:26-31 Teach a 'Punishment worse than death' "? By J.
Paul Tanner ( http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2006ii/04%20Tanner%20-%20Hebrews%2010.pdf
)
[ix] "The
Ten Most Misunderstood Words In The Bible" (Chapter 4) Robert N. Wilkin
[x] :
"The Gospel is more than 'Faith Alone in Christ Alone' " by Jeremy D.
Meyers ( http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2006ii/03%20Myers%20-%20Gospel.pdf )
[xi] http://www.learnthebible.org/was-the-kingdom-offered-to-israel.html
[xiii] "Shall
Never Perish" by J.F. Strombeck
*Edited by: Kenny Hodges and Hilton “Butch” Simmons
