Why Believe In Eternal Security?

Why I Affirm Eternal Security

Dated May 1999 @ Discovery Church, Hastings, MN 55033

In spite of the fact that I believe in the assurance of one's salvation, I do not want to give either false assurance or a sense of insecurity. The apostolic injunction to make one's calling and election sure is to be noted (cf. 2 Pet. 1:10) and only after one is confident of his salvation and has made his decision for Christ to accept Him personally and believes in his heart does he have a right to speculate about whether he can lose his salvation. The question is raised by those who base their assurance on subjective experience rather than on the Word of God.

Some people claim to have been saved over and over again and have made countless dedications and re-dedications or commitments. At a recent "Arise with the Guys" evangelical outreach featuring Tony Dungee et al., a few hundred were "first-time: decisions. God makes it clear that He wants us to know for sure that we are saved(2 Pet. 1:10) and John says in 1 John 5:13 that He wants those who believe in the name of the Son of God may know that they have eternal life.

We must distinguish between conjecture and certainty. I am not an expert in epistemology, but we cannot know in an absolute sense anything that requires faith, but here is a faith-knowledge that is "the assurance of things hoped for." There is no certainty in religion and in a works religion, you can never know for sure. Charles Swindoll says that one can never say how much works is enough or how little is enough to lose it. Ignorance is not bliss! God wants us to be in the know. Swindoll says we should know the "value of knowing the scoop!" If we can lose our salvation then we really cannot know for sure but only hope. God doesn't want us to say: "Well, I hope I go to heaven!"

Our salvation cannot be forfeited, to put it bluntly. To state the doctrine in plain terminology: "Once saved, always saved!" A cute way of affirming that apostasy is never the lot of the believer is to say that "if you have it, you never lose it; if you lose it, you never had it!" The Calvinists referred to the doctrine as "perseverance." This is more correctly termed "preservation" because God really preserves us more than we keep ourselves. Note that God doesn't give us permission to give up and go back into sin (cf. Romans 6:1).

The doctrine is commonly called "eternal security." I do not have this as my hidden agenda, but I see this as vitally important to the understanding of soteriology. One will never really grow until he has ascertained his salvation and rests in the faith and accepts Christ's work on his behalf as "finished" and a done deal. If our salvation was not a continuity, we could not be certain whether we were saved. By definition of the term "eternal life," we must assume that one's life cannot be terminated and is not "temporary salvation" but "everlasting salvation (cf. Heb. 5:9; 9:12).

There are extremes in the spectrum. For instance, the antinomians believe that you can do anything you want to as long as you simply believe. The legalists believe that you have to do this or do that plus believe and they are adding to the work of Christ and not believing in grace alone, faith alone, and Christ alone. The Quietists believe we should "let go" and "let God" and deny any cooperation in our sanctification, the Pietists like the Amish believe in the exertion of human willpower and effort to sanctify and do not become grace-oriented.

I deem this doctrine important because I first started to understand the Scriptures after I comprehended God's grace. I had been confirmed a Lutheran and had rededicated myself at a Billy Graham Crusade, but I never had assurance. In the Army, I met up with some Navigators (a parachurch organization) and God led in the right direction.

Catholics, I found out, deny assurance, as well as security and call it the sin of presumption. They say you cannot know for sure unless you have a special divine revelation to that effect. I am told that this is the born-again experience, if you will, and would agree with that. Catholics believe in sacramental theology and divide sins into mortal and venial categories. Some sins are egregious enough to kill the grace of justification and one must do penance to be restored. "Penance is the second plank of salvation for those who have made shipwreck of the faith," according to R.C. Sproul. Man is "incurably addicted to doing something to get saved"; however, Christianity is about receiving a gift not earning merit. We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone, the Reformers affirmed. We receive salvation, we don't earn or deserve it.

Assurance is necessary for our "well-being" but one doesn't necessarily have assurance as a fruit of conversion or of the Holy Spirit. It is not of the essence of faith since sometimes doubt and faith coexist and assurance is intermittent, not frozen in concrete, so to speak. God doesn't require perfect faith, but sincere and unfeigned faith. Assurance is not a sin but a duty and it is the link to our sanctification. Growth results from this awareness. But let's not be subjective and base our assurance on some past experience, such as raising our hands or walking to an altar. Let's base our assurance on the Word of God, which is objective and reliable and performs its work in us who believe. True assurance is based on the Word of God coupled with the testimony of the Holy Spirit--that's why we must search our hearts and examine our fruit.

This doctrine wasn't really articulated by Augustine but really developed in the Reformation. It was developed at the Synod of Dort (ca. 1618-1619) and Calvinists and Arminians took issue with it against each other immediately. Even though Jacob Arminius wouldn't go so far as to say that one could lose his salvation the Arminians objected. The Wesleyans and Lutherans followed suit. The Lutherans made salvation contingent upon continued faith. The doctrine was articulated in The Westminster Confession, ca 1646, which is very eloquent. It must be noted that assurance and security go hand in hand and if you deny one, you must deny the other to be consistent.

Now the question arises about those who apostatize: First John 2:19 makes it clear that some commit apostasy or fall away, but those were "not of us." Some so-called people profess faith but later repudiate it and do not endure. They are like seed that doesn't take root. Some people do lip service to Christ and honor him with their lips, but their hearts are far away. The believer can fall but not absolutely. His fall is only temporary. Jesus prays that our faith will not fail. Some are saved "as if by fire" or by the skin of their teeth, but they do make it, even if they get no reward or lose the reward. There is a sin unto death as punishment, but no sin unto hell. To sum it up: their departure manifested their true state, but we shall be kept in the Father's hands. Jesus said, "He that comes to me I will in no wise cast out."

There are many inferential proofs that make it clear that salvation is eternal and permanent. King David never lost his salvation but only prayed for the joy to return. We can grieve the Holy Spirit and lose our joy, but not the Holy Spirit, which will never be taken away from us. The Holy Spirit is the "earnest of our inheritance and is given a "pledge' and "seal." God is the ultimate Promise Keeper. Salvation is a covenant and God will not renege. We are adopted as children and cannot be un-born. We are His sheep and Christ will not lose any of His sheep. We are born of "imperishable seed" and "salvation is of the Lord" (not of our efforts). Our salvation doesn't depend upon our free will but on God's immutable decrees. "We are born, not of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man [cf. John 1:13]." "It is not of him that runneth, nor of him that willeth, but of God, who shows mercy [cf. Rom. 9:16]."

The objections to this doctrine are that it leads to indolence, smugness, complacency, and false assurance or license to sin. But only when one realizes the grace of God and has experienced the peace of God can he have the good works." "For we are created unto good works." We are His handiwork and He is the Potter, while we are the clay. Some think the doctrine violates Scripture. They usually point to Judas or Saul and make false conclusions. The Bible never says Saul lost his salvation, and never says Judas was saved. "He that endures to the end shall be saved is not a proviso, but a veiled promise of endurance.

I agree with Martin Luther that we should base our doctrine on the Bible and not on some experts or scholars. The Reformation cry was "Sola Scriptura" or Scripture alone. If one doesn't realize salvation he can lose orientation, therefore we need the helmet of salvation for battle. Moreover, we are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" and this implies a spiritual workout to prove it and make it real. Some of us really need a spiritual workout. Soli Deo Gloria!

Once Saved, Always Saved

"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out"  (John 6:37, ESV, italics added).  

I am aware that the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, as it is known in Reformed theology (eternal security) is not universally agreed upon by Christians, and that many sincere, well-meaning believers beg to differ (Roman Catholics, Arminians or semi-Pelagians, Pentecostals, Wesleyans, Pentecostals, Salvation Army) but the majority of evangelicals, including mainline denominations such as Baptists and Presbyterians, adhere to this as dogma.  This is my position and I know that I must be careful when presenting what is called one of the doctrines of grace ( the doctrines that divide by some).

By definition, this doctrine assures the continuity in the state of grace for the redeemed believer and the permanency of his salvation, not based upon works but grace from beginning to end, as we are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation (cf. 1 Pet. 1:5).   God finishes what He starts and He has begun a good work in us in order to complete it in Christ (cf. Phil. 1:6).  

This aphorism is well known and quoted by skeptics who think it sums up evangelical teaching about salvation.  It is not meant as a security blanket so that one has the license to sin without impunity, and this is the fear, that people will lose their fear of God and become remiss in their walk.  Catholics firmly believe and teach the fear of God and are quite successful at this, because they deny security and even assurance unless one is given a special divine revelation to that effect.  They would call a believer who is sure of his salvation as guilty of the sin presumption!  The Bible doesn't call it that but calls it a command to be sure in 2 Pet. 1:10 ("make your calling and election sure").

The interesting factor about losing your salvation is that no one can say what sin or work one does to lose it.  We are supposed to be in the Father's hands, not our own!  It is clear from Scripture that believers have the resident Holy Spirit permanently and, therefore cannot be guilty of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or the so-called unforgivable sin (cf. Matt. 12:32).  The Bible makes it clear that if you could lose your salvation, you could not regain it again, yet Catholics have instituted the sacrament of penance for those who have made shipwreck of their faith.  The Bible does not have any examples of anyone who lost his salvation either (Judas was a devil from the beginning, and King Saul isn't named as lost after losing favor).

What is paramount to realize is that assurance and security go hand in hand, and they can be distinguished, but not separated.  If you don't have security, you cannot be sure either, because you are saying that your salvation depends upon your works or performance, and not the preservation of God.  The truth is that we persevere as God preserves.  One would never be sure because he cannot predict the future and know that he might lose it by some sin.

This doctrine, once saved, always saved, is basic to understanding grace and that our salvation is not by our works nor our performance, lest we are able to boast (cf. Eph. 2:9) and totally is an act of God (i.e., monergistic).  As Reformed theologians say, the doctrine of salvation can be summed up:  Salvation is of the Lord.  It is not of man and God, nor of man alone, but totally of God, and to realize this is to be oriented to grace and not works or to be legalistic in mindset.

There are several Bible verses that point to eternal security, and that phrase is not a biblical one, but the terminology "eternal redemption" is mentioned in Hebrews 9:12 and "eternal salvation" in Heb. 5:9.  Salvation, by definition, is eternal because it's the gift of eternal, not temporary or provisional life.  Eternal life begins at salvation and not in heaven, as some mistakenly believe.  We are not saved on a provisional basis but can be sure.  God wants us to be sure of our salvation according to 1 John 5:13 and makes this point that we can know.  How could you know, if your salvation is temporary and probationary?  Again, in losing salvation, what sin are they so sure will cast them into hell, when Christ died for all their sins?  We can lose "full reward" (cf. 2 John 8), and be saved by the skin of our teeth (or "as if by fire" in 1 Cor. 3:15), but nowhere are believers cast into hell in Scripture as precedent.

Some object that they have the right to leave God because of free will.  The Bible has something to say about apostates:  "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.  But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us"  (1 John 2:19, ESV).  Actually, your destiny is in God's hands, not your own, He's the master of your fate and Captain of your soul, and He loves you with a love that won't let go.  You didn't come to Christ on the basis of your free will without divine wooing and you cannot persevere unless God preserves you.   All your sins, past, present, and future are forgiven upon salvation, so why worry about some unforgivable sin? We cannot lose a faith God gave us as a gift, because it's not something we conjured up in the first place--We are "preserved in Jesus Christ" according to Jude v. 1 (NKJV).

In the final analysis, do you want to be works-oriented and legalistic and fearful, or grace-oriented and sure?  Soli Deo Gloria!   

Plain Talk On Eternal Security

Salvation is a turning from sin to God--the summons to faith is only half the process, but some believers refer to their salvation experience as a repentance per se, the call to forsake sin. Paul says, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret..." (2 Cor. 7:10). God isn't fooled by mere outward show, He says, "Rend your hearts and not your garments" (Joel 2:13). William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, deplored the rise of a gospel that had salvation without repentance.

Billy Graham says that genuine repentance and saving or true faith go hand in hand and are complementary to each other; faith is like the flip side of the penitent coin. Repentance is a recurring motif in the Bible. Jesus opened His ministry proclaiming, "Repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand." One must bring forth the fruits of repentance for it to be real (cf. Matt. 3:8: "Bear fruit in keeping with repentance"). Faith and repentance are linked or coupled by Luke in Acts 20:21, "Testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul said, "...Repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance."

Repentance is not a one-time act but according to Martin Luther a progressive lifelong event. We never stop repenting. This was the first of Luther's Ninety-Five Theses.

Repentance is "coming clean" and it is "throwing in the towel." It is more than "eating your humble pie," and it is not a human work, but the work of God in the heart. Watchman Nee says, "Our end is God's beginning." We all have to come to the end of ourselves or reach our limit outside of our comfort zone. 2 Tim. 2:24 says that God "grants" repentance. "Then to the Gentiles God has also granted repentance that leads to life" (Acts 11:18). It is a gift.

It is doing an about-face, doing a 180-degree turn, or making a U-turn. You renounce and repudiate sin--all your sins. Note that is imperative--it is a mandate. It is not simply "regret," or feeling sorry or emotionalism. Attrition is like feeling sorry over the consequences like getting caught. Contrition is true repentance. "A broken and contrite heart, you will not despise..." (Ps. 51:17).

Soli Deo Gloria!

But God Is Faithful...

"No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised"  (Rom. 4:20-21, ESV).

"... [For] I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me"  (2 Tim. 1:12, ESV). 

God is faithful, even when we aren't.  "... [Great] is [God's] faithfulness" (Lam. 3:23, NIV). We are invited to "feed on His faithfulness" (cf. Psalm 37:3).   The same verse in the ESV says to "befriend faithfulness."  Likewise, the HCSB says to "cultivate faithfulness."  David says, "...your faithfulness [reaches] to the skies" (Psalm 36:5, NIV).  Will you make known His faithfulness (cf. Psalm 89:1)? Will you declare His faithfulness (cf. Psalm 40:10, NIV)?   Shall it be declared in the grave (cf. Psalm 88:11)?  "... [With] my mouth I will make known thy faithfulness to all generations"  (Psalm 89:1, KJV).  God is known by His faithfulness:  "Your faithfulness surrounds you";  "You are entirely faithful" (Psalm 89:8, NIV, NLT).

Our security in Christ depends on God's faithfulness, not ours: "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself"  (2 Tim. 2:13, KJV).  He betroths us to Himself in faithfulness (cf. Hos. 2:20).  We endure in Christ and overcome because of God's faithfulness: He preserves as we persevere!  We are "kept by the power of God" (cf. 1 Pet. 1:5). For we can do nothing apart from Christ (cf. John 15:5).  God gets the glory for our salvation.

"The righteous man shall live by his faithfulness" (cf. Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:37-38; Hab. 2:4).  We must be careful not to divorce faithfulness from faith!  They go hand in hand and come as one package--the righteous live by faith and go from faith to faith (cf. Rom. 1:17), ever-increasing in faithfulness.  Never divorce the two, for what God has joined together, let not man put asunder (cf. Mark 10:9).  If we are not faithful, we lack faith, and the flip side is valid also:  if we are lack faith, we'll be unfaithful!  We will hear Jesus commend us:  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"  We are not rewarded according to our faith if it's not put into action and applied.  We are rewarded according to the faithfulness we exercise in doing works by faith and as a result and byproduct of faith (cf. Rom. 2:6).

Faith must produce good works, and good works must result from a living and saving faith, or the faith is bogus (as James 2:20 says, "...[Faith] without works is dead").  The Reformed formula was: "We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone" (which would be antinomianism, or libertinism and lawlessness).  Not having good works to validate your faith makes it suspect!  You could say that faith and faithfulness can be distinguished, but not separated; they never are independent of each other, but work as a team. Faith is merely the flip side of faithfulness!  In the Hebrew, there is one word used for faith and faithfulness--Hab. 2:4 is translated with both words: "The righteous shall walk [live] by faith [by faithfulness]."

The point is that saving and genuine faith expresses itself (you see it in action!); the saints of old all pleased God by their acts of faith (Heb. 11:8, NLT, says, "...it was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him..."); obedience is the true measure of faith, not experiences, feelings, or ecstasies. God is not looking for our achievements, but our obedience! He wants us, not our works are done in the flesh!  Lip service and head belief or intellectual assent don't cut it as the real thing, God wants reliance, trust, and obedience to the Jesus as Lord--the only way "to be happy in Jesus is to trust and obey," the hymn goes!  Jesus promised that he who is faithful in little will be faithful in much to emphasize the value of faith.     Soli Deo Gloria! 

Once Saved, Always Saved

"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out"  (John 6:37, ESV, italics added). 

I am aware that the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, as it is known in Reformed theology (eternal security) is not universally agreed upon by Christians, and that many sincere, well-meaning believers beg to differ (Roman Catholics, Arminians, Wesleyans, Pentecostals, Salvation Army) but the majority of evangelicals, including mainline denominations such as Baptists and Presbyterians, adhere to this as dogma.  This is my position and I know that I must be careful when presenting what is called one of the doctrines of grace ( the "doctrines that divide," by some).

By definition, this doctrine assures the continuity in the state of grace for the redeemed believer and the permanency of his salvation, not based upon works but grace from beginning to end, as we are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation (cf. 1 Pet. 1:5).   God finishes what He starts and He has begun a good work in us in order to complete it in Christ (cf. Phil. 1:6). 

This aphorism is well known and quoted by skeptics who think it sums up evangelical teaching about salvation.  Also, if you have it, you never lose it; if you lose it, you never had it.   It is not meant as a security blanket so that one has the license to sin without impunity, and this is the fear, that people will lose their fear of God and become remiss in their walk.  Catholics firmly believe and teach fear of God and are quite successful at this, because they deny security and even assurance unless one is given a special divine revelation to that effect.  They would call a believer who is sure of his salvation as guilty of the sin presumption!  The Bible doesn't call it that but calls it a command to be sure in 2 Pet. 1:10 ("make your calling and election sure").

The interesting factor about losing your salvation is that no one can say what sin or work one does to lose it.  We are supposed to be in the Father's hands, not our own!  It is clear from Scripture that believers have the resident Holy Spirit permanently and, therefore cannot be guilty of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or the so-called unforgivable sin (cf. Matt. 12:32).  The Bible makes it clear that if you could lose your salvation, you could not regain it again, yet Catholics have instituted the sacrament of penance for those who have made shipwreck of their faith.  The Bible does not have any examples of anyone who lost his salvation either (Judas was a devil from the beginning, and King Saul isn't named as lost after losing salvation or grace, even in King David's eyes).

What is paramount to realize is that assurance and security go hand in hand, and they can be distinguished, but not separated.  If you don't have security, you cannot be sure either, because you are saying that your salvation depends upon your works or performance, and not the preservation of God.  The truth is that we persevere as God preserves.  One would never be sure because he cannot predict the future and know that he might lose it by some sin--it's perpetual incertitude or conjecture.

This doctrine, "once saved, always saved", is basic to understanding grace and that our salvation is not by our works nor our performance (cf. Titus 3:5), lest we are able to boast (cf. Eph. 2:9) and totally is an act of God (i.e., monergistic).  As Reformed theologians say, the doctrine of salvation can be summed up:  Salvation is of the Lord, as Jonah 2:9 says.    It is not of man and God, nor of man alone, but totally of God, and to realize this is to be oriented to grace and not works or to be legalistic in mindset.

There are several Bible verses that point to eternal security, and that phrase is not a biblical one, but the terminology "eternal redemption" is mentioned in Hebrews 9:12 and "eternal salvation" in Heb. 5:9.  Salvation, by definition, is eternal because it's the gift of eternal, not temporary or provisional life.  Eternal life begins at salvation and not in heaven, as some mistakenly believe.  We are not saved on a provisional basis but can be sure.  God wants us to be sure of our salvation according to 1 John 5:13 and makes this point that we can know.

How could you know, if your salvation is temporary and probationary?  Again, in losing salvation, what sin are they so sure will cast them into hell, when Christ died for all their sins?  We can lose "full reward" (cf. 2 John 8), and be saved by the skin of our teeth (or "as if by fire" in 1 Cor. 3:15), but nowhere are believers cast into hell in Scripture as precedent.

Some object that they have the right to leave God because of free will.  The Bible has something to say about apostates:  "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.  But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us"  (1 John 2:19, ESV).  Actually, your destiny is in God's hands, not your own, He's the Master of your fate and Captain of your soul, and He loves you with a love that won't let go.

You didn't come to Christ on the basis of your free will without divine wooing and you cannot persevere unless God preserves you. If your salvation depended on you, you'd find some way to blow it.   All your sins, past, present, and future are forgiven upon salvation, so why worry about some unforgivable sin? We cannot lose a faith God gave us as a gift, because it's not something we conjured up in the first place--we are "preserved in Jesus Christ" [or kept] according to Jude v. 1 (NKJV).

In the final analysis, do you want to be works-oriented and legalistic and fearful, or grace-oriented and sure?  We must acknowledge that assurance and security go hand in hand and can be distinguished but not separated.   Soli Deo Gloria!   

Why I Affirm Eternal Security

 Dated May 1999 @ Discovery Church, Hastings, MN 55033

In spite of the fact that I believe in the assurance of one's salvation, I do not want to give either false assurance or a sense of insecurity.  The apostolic injunction to make one's calling and election sure is to be noted (cf. 2 Pet. 1:10) and only after one is confident of his salvation and has made his decision for Christ to accept Him personally and believes in his heart does he have a right to speculate about whether he can lose his salvation.  The question is raised by those who base their assurance on subjective experience rather than on the Word of God.

Some people claim to have been saved over and over again and have made countless dedications and re-dedications or commitments.  At a recent "Arise with the Guys" evangelical outreach featuring Tony Dungee et al., a few hundred were "first-time: decisions.  God makes it clear that He wants us to know for sure that we are saved and John says in 1 John 5:13 that He wants those who believe in the name of the Son of God that they may know that they have eternal life.

We must distinguish between conjecture and certainty.  I am not an expert in epistemology, but we cannot know in an absolute sense anything that requires faith, but here is a faith-knowledge that is "the assurance of things hoped for."  There is no certainty in religion and in a works religion, you can never know for sure.  Charles Swindoll says that one can never say how much works is enough or how little is enough to lose it.  Ignorance is not bliss!  God wants us to be in the know.  Swindoll says we should know the "value of knowing the scoop!"  If we can lose our salvation then we really cannot know for sure but only hope.  God doesn't want us to say:  "Well, I hope I go to heaven!"

Our salvation cannot be forfeited, to put it bluntly.  To state the doctrine in plain terminology:  "Once saved, always saved!"  A cute way of affirming that apostasy is never the lot of the believer is to say that "if you have it, you never lose it; if you lose it, you never had it!"  The Calvinists referred to the doctrine as "perseverance."  This is more correctly termed "preservation" because God really preserves us more than we keep ourselves. Note that God doesn't give us permission to give up and go back in to sin (cf. Romans 6:1).

The doctrine is commonly called "eternal security." and I do not have this as my hidden agenda, but I see this as vitally important to the understanding of soteriology.  One will never really grow until he has ascertained his salvation and rests in the faith and accepts Christ's work on his behalf as "finished" and a done-deal. If our salvation was not a continuity, we could not be certain as to whether we were saved. By definition of the term "eternal life" we must assume that one's life cannot be terminated and is not "temporary salvation" but "everlasting salvation  (cf. Heb. 5:9; 9:12).

There are extremes in the spectrum.   For instance, the antinomians believe that you can do anything you want to as long as you simply believe.  The legalists believe that you have to do this or do that plus believe and they are adding to the work of Christ and not believing in grace alone, faith alone, and Christ alone.  The Quietists believe we should "let go" and "let God" and deny any cooperation in our sanctification, the Pietists like the Amish believe in the exertion of human will-power and effort to sanctify and do not become grace-oriented.

I deem this doctrine important because I first started to understand the Scriptures after I comprehended God's grace.  I had been confirmed a Lutheran, had rededicated myself at a Billy Graham Crusade, but I never had assurance.  In the Army, I met up with some Navigators (a parachurch organization) and God led in the right direction.

Catholics, I found out, deny assurance, as well as security and call it the sin of presumption.  They say you cannot know for sure unless you have a special divine revelation to that effect.  I am told that this is the born-again experience, if you will, and would agree to that.  Catholics believe in sacramental theology and divide sins into mortal and venial categories.  Some sins are egregious enough to kill the grace of justification and one must do penance to be restored.  "Penance is the second plank of salvation for those who have made shipwreck of the faith," according to R.C. Sproul.  Man is "incurably addicted to doing something to get saved"; however, Christianity is about receiving a gift not earning merit.  We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone, the Reformers affirmed.  We receive salvation, we don't earn or deserve it.

Assurance is necessary for our "well-being" but one doesn't necessarily have assurance as a fruit of conversion or of the Holy Spirit.  It is not of the essence of faith since sometimes doubt and faith coexist and assurance is intermittent, not frozen in concrete, so to speak.  God doesn't require perfect faith, but sincere and unfeigned faith.  Assurance is not a sin but duty and it is the link to our sanctification.  Growth results from this awareness.  But let's not be subjective and base our assurance on some past experience, such as raising our hands or walking to an altar.  Let's base our assurance on the Word of God, which is objective and reliable and performs its work in us who believe.  True assurance is based on the Word of God coupled with the testimony of the Holy Spirit--that's why we must search our hearts and examine our fruit.

This doctrine wasn't really articulated by Augustine but really developed in the Reformation.  It was developed at the Synod of Dort  (ca. 1618-1619) and Calvinists and Arminians took issue at it against each other immediately.  Even though Jacob Arminius wouldn't go so far as to say that one could lose his salvation the Arminians objected.  The Wesleyans and Lutherans followed suit.  The Lutherans made salvation contingent upon continued faith.  The doctrine was articulated in The Westminster Confession, ca 1646, which is very eloquent.  It must be noted that assurance and security go hand in hand and if you deny one, you must deny the other to be consistent.

Now the question arises about those who apostatize:   First John 2:19 makes it clear that some commit apostasy or fall away, but those were "not of us."  Some so-called people profess faith but later repudiate it and do not endure.  They are like the seed that doesn't take root.  Some people make lip service to Christ and honor him with their lips, but their hearts are far away.  The believer can fall but not absolutely.  His fall is only temporary.  Jesus prays that our faith will not fail. Some are saved "as if by fire" or by the skin of their teeth, but they do make it, even if they get no reward or lose reward. There is a sin unto death as punishment, but no sin unto hell.  To sum it up:  their departure manifested their true state, but we shall be kept in the Father's hands.  Jesus said, "He that comes to me I will in no wise cast out."

There are many inferential proofs that make it clear that salvation is eternal and permanent.  King David never lost his salvation but only prayed for the joy to return. We can grieve the Holy Spirit and lose our joy, but not the Holy Spirit, which will never be taken away from us. The Holy Spirit is the "earnest of our inheritance and is given a "pledge' and "seal."  God is the ultimate Promise Keeper.  Salvation is a covenant and God will not renege.  We are adopted as children and cannot be un-born.  We are His sheep and Christ will not lose any of  His sheep.  We are born of "imperishable seed" and "salvation is of the Lord" (not of our efforts). Our salvation doesn't depend upon our free will but on God's immutable decrees. "We are born, not of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man [cf. John 1:13]."  "It is not of him that runneth, nor of him that willeth, but of God, who shows mercy [cf. Rom. 9:16]."

The objections to this doctrine are that it leads to indolence, smugness, complacency, and false assurance or license to sin.  But only when one realizes the grace of God and has experienced the peace of God can he have the good works."  "For we are created unto good works."  We are His handiwork and He is the Potter, while we are the clay.  Some think the doctrine violates Scripture.  They usually point to Judas or Saul and make false conclusions.   The Bible never says Saul lost his salvation, and never says Judas was saved.  "He that endures to the end shall be saved is not a proviso, but a veiled promise of endurance.

I agree with Martin Luther that we should base our doctrine on the Bible and not on some experts or scholars. The Reformation cry was "Sola Scriptura" or Scripture alone.  If one doesn't realize salvation he can lose orientation, therefore we need the helmet of salvation for battle.  Moreover, we are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" and this implies a spiritual workout to prove it and make it real.  Some of us really need a spiritual workout.     Soli Deo Gloria!

The Metaphorical Proof of Eternal Security

This will not be by prooftexting:  It is too simplistic to prooftext your way in order to demonstrate the doctrine of eternal security of the believer, because the Arminian can cite verses per contra that he believes contradicts them when they take them out of context and don't understand what salvation is--we must take this debate to a new level and dimension: Salvation is the restoration of our relationship with God into His family as His children by adoption, whereby we are born again spiritually after being dead and alive in the Spirit to have fellowship with Him, and the Holy Spirit is given us as a down payment of our salvation and the intention of God to be the Ultimate Promise Keeper who never reneges on a promise, and to keep His Word that He will make good on what He began and finish making us in the image of Christ. (Eternal security, it is argued is not a biblical term, but the words "eternal salvation" and "eternal redemption" are in. Heb. 5:9; 9:12.)

But note this:  eternal life begins in the here and now, and it is not something that is future or pie in the sky--it begins forthwith!  We have (present tense!) eternal life (per John 6:37)!  Eternal means that it is eternal and not provisionally based, or on a probationary status.  It begins at salvation and continues on throughout eternity.  Our salvation began in eternity past, is realized in time, and is consummated in eternity future.

If you understand what salvation is you will never misconstrue this doctrine.  Romans 8:29-30 is called the golden chain of redemption and shows that God loses none whom He calls to justify (save) and to ultimately glorify.  "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." Those whom He calls (the inward call), not whom we call (the general call), get justified or saved!  All who are saved get glorified--none get "unjustified"  there is no such a term in the Bible--none get lost in the shuffle!

Seeing the biblical metaphorical language, no one is "un-born, un-adopted, un-justified, un-found, un-sealed, un-anointed, un-quickened from the dead, eyes un-opened," or what have you. We are either sheep or goats!  No one in the Bible loses their salvation!  (Judas was a devil from the beginning and never did believe.)   [God was] "...thus securing an eternal redemption" (cf. Heb. 9:12) for us, and this is something to see as a "done deal." Fait accompli.  There's nothing we can add to or subtract from God's work:  "It is finished."  It is His masterpiece!  The debt He paid that He didn't owe for us who couldn't pay the debt we owed is PAID IN FULL!

Now, if you realized that salvation is a gift, you will realize that you cannot earn it (it is grace all the way).  And if it is a gift you didn't earn it, don't deserve it, and cannot pay it back, and you don't ever have to give a gift back, do you?    In a works religion, you never know how much is enough or how little is too little--you can never be sure. Exactly what sin will ensure the loss of salvation if it is possible?  No one can say for sure!  The beautiful thing about our salvation is that "Salvation is of the Lord" (it is not of us and God, or of us alone)  according to Jonah 2:9.  That means it is not a joint or cooperative venture (synergistic) with God or one of our own works, but a gift completely is done by God (monergistic) by grace (that's the only way it could be by grace)--He just wants you to accept it freely as a right (cf. John 1:12).

Finally, if there is no eternal security, there can be no assurance of salvation, because the person puts himself under the power of his own efforts rather than God's power to redeem and keep us as our Keeper (cf. Jude 1:1).  If you deny this doctrine, you must also deny the assurance of salvation and see it as mere presumption as Roman Catholics do.  These doctrines go hand-in-hand and can be distinguished but not separated--they must go together like faith and works (faith without works is dead) and these two must be connected.  In plain language they are the flip side of each other--you cannot have one without the other logically.      Soli Deo Gloria!

Plain Talk on Eternal Security

This doctrine is important because eternal security is linked to the assurance of salvation. These doctrines can be distinguished but not separated. If we don't know whether we will persevere how can we be sure of our salvation? If it were up to us none of us would make it.

Mentioning the phrase eternal security is a no-no to some Arminian believers because they say that those words are not in Scripture. True, but neither is trinity, Bible,  deity of Christ, or Father-God, yet they use these terms. It should be pointed out that this is just semantics because "eternal salvation" and "eternal redemption" are mentioned in the Bible (Heb. 5:9, 9:12). Do you realize that eternal life is a gift that is possessed in time, and eternity? John 5:24 says, "...Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life." Logically, if you have eternal life right now, how can it be temporary or end? We are not saved on probation, but permanently. Hebrews 7:25 reads, "He is able to save forever [completely] those who come to God....  

God never disinherits us, and like the analogy of a child to a family, we are in God's family by adoption and that is an everlasting arrangement. Our salvation cannot be forfeited by our bad behavior, because God disciplines His own and if we sin unto death He takes us home, rather than be condemned. True, there are some whose faith is spurious from the beginning, whose seed never took root; they will fall away and leave as it is written and apostatize--their departure manifests their true condition. 1 John 2:19 says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us." There are spiritual dropouts but true faith endures.

The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints says that we will endure to the end because of God's power to hold us (1 Pet. 1:5 says we are kept by God's power). If we were left to our own strength none of us would endure or persevere. Preservation is a better word than perseverance because God gets the credit and glory.

Looking at the analogies: We cannot be "un-born," "un-adopted," or "un-justified." God doesn't renege on his divine promise as the Supreme Promise Keeper who gave the Holy Spirit as the earnest of our inheritance. Contrary to Romanist doctrine we have continuity in the state of grace and there are no egregious or heinous sins that require penance to get back to the state of grace. If we do sin we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous (1 John 2:1; Heb. 7:25). No matter what sin we commit, Jesus intercedes for us. Finally, Rom. 8:30 says it best, "And those whom he called He also justified." This means God loses no one. NO ONE IS LOST IN THE SHUFFLE OF THE GOLDEN CHAIN OF REDEMPTION.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Eternal Security

The best way to think of eternal security (the divine viewpoint as opposed to the human viewpoint of the perseverance of the saints which is really the preservation of God) is by the analogies presented in the Bible. Has anyone ever heard of being unborn, un-adopted, or unjustified? The Bible does not mention this. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit and God doesn't renege on his Word when He gives his divine guarantee and earnest of the Holy Spirit. (The Bible makes it clear that, if you can lose your salvation, there is no gaining it back, according to Hebrews 6:4-6, so let that be a caveat.)

Remember: Once you're in the family, you stay in the family and you're treated like family--that means divine discipline if you need it.--it's a family matter!

We are sealed by the Holy Spirit, who was given as an earnest or down payment of our inheritance and God is the Supreme Promise Keeper who cannot lie. He does not renege on His divine guarantee. He has "inscribed us on the palms of His hands." He is so sure of our salvation and in his mind has already glorified us (cf. Rom. 8:30).

We are "kept by the power of God" (cf. 1 Pet. 1:5) not our own power, and "kept" is the word used by Christ in John 17 and by Jude 24. God is working on us though and always completes what he starts (cf. Phil. 1:6). The joy of the Christian life is enhanced by faith in the permanency of our salvation and our continuity in the state of grace. "For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable" (cf. Rom. 11:29).

It is the ignorance of the believer who believes he can lose permanent work of the Holy Spirit. Have you ever heard of someone being "unborn," "un-sanctified," or "unjustified?" God deals with us as "sons" and when we go astray He disciplines us, for if we are without discipline we are not legit! (Cf. Heb. chapter 12:11-12) All our sins are forgiven, past, present, and future (cf. Psalm 103:3)--there is nothing that will take God by surprise.

If our salvation depended on our performance, we would certainly blow it; but it depends on the grace of God. This does not mean that it doesn't matter how we live, because God has made us responsible to "Keep in the love of God." We persevere as God preserves.

We should be on the same page in talking about perseverance. I do not believe in the kind of eternal security that gives us the right to be lawless or libertines if one has that desire he is not saved because God changes our hearts to desire the things of God--He changes us from the inside out. God preserves us as we persevere. God gets the glory though because our perseverance is His gift. What that means is that we will never absolutely lose our faith or go into total despair finally. It does not mean that we won't sin unto, or sin frequently--but we won't practice sin, and there is a difference. We don't want to sin even if we do--like Rom. 7:24 says, "Oh, wretched man that I am..." "The things that I would not, that I do...." I think every Christian that is real should relate to that.

The Christian who thinks that it is possible for him to go to hell, if he didn't persevere, is living in fear not faith. That is not genuine fear of God, but a lack of faith in God. He should know that God will keep him from temptation that he cannot handle and will make a way of escape, and even if he should the mercy of God is wide enough to forgive him and discipline him to boot. God wants us to "know" (cf. 1 John 5:11, 13) that we are saved, and not think that it depends on our good behavior or even our persevering. That is called "ultimate assurance." Romanists and Arminians deny this but it's biblical nevertheless. Though we believe in perseverance let us not be guilty of presumption on the grace of God: "Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall" (cf. 1 Cor. 10:12).  Soli Deo Gloria!