"... If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all" (Is. 7:9, HCSB).
Psalm 31:15 says that our times our in God's hands or our future is in His hands. This is good to know because our lives have been written out like a novel even before we were born (cf. Psalm 139:16). God will fulfill His purpose for us with or without our cooperation because we are called according to the purpose of His will and all things will work out for the good in the end (cf. Psalm 138:8; 57:2; Rom. 8:28). When David had fulfilled God's purpose (plan) God took him (cf. Acts 13:36). God does have a purpose for everyone and everything, even the wicked for the day of evil (cf. Prov. 16:4). But as believers God has a special plan of good for us, to prosper us in our endeavors and to use us as His vessels of honor. (cf. Jeremiah 29:11).
We don't have "to reason why, but to do and die" (as The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson penned). Those who hear the beat of a different drum cannot keep in step. Only two people tuned to the same instrument are in tune with each other! When our lives are surrendered to His will and we relinquish ownership of our soul, He guides us according to His will and purpose. The providence of God assures that He is in control of all events, circumstances, things, animals, plants, and people--even all thrones, powers, and dominions to bring Him glory (cf. Ephesians 1:11; Is. 43:7).
Now, it is apparent that we don't always walk in the Spirit doing God's will (whenever we sin we must confess it immediately), for we all fall short of God's glorious ideal and despite the fact that perfection is the standard, the direction is the test. We are to keep in step with the Spirit and to walk with God even as Noah did. This can only be accomplished by keeping short accounts with God, confession-of-sin-wise. What happens is that we reckon our schedules to be more important than God's and our priorities already to be aligned with His, when they may be out of step with the Spirit unawares. Jesus walked as close to God as can be imagined and yet never saw an urgent need as an interruption. Now, you can say that He knows all and foresaw what God's plan was or the ultimate results would be, but Jesus walked on this earth with the limitations of a man, not knowing anything but what the Father told Him--for knowing the future isn't consistent with human weakness and humiliation.
In the story of Jesus raising the daughter of Jairus in Mark 5, Jesus stopped to heal a woman with a blood-flow issue of twelve years before going on to heal her. He knew that it is impossible to get off track from God's timetable if one walks in the Spirit and does what is right; namely, heal the woman in her need. We must also trust God's triage and priorities instead of limiting our vision to our perspective. Jesus did that when He heard of Lazarus and didn't hurry on to get to Bethany to heal him, but lingered. Jesus wasn't one to be rushed!
It is a serious blunder to do your own thing (cf. Isa. 53:6; Judges 17:6; 21:25), to set your own agenda, to go your own way, to be in a hurry to do God's will (ironic!) and not to trust in the Lord's timing to keep the main thing the main thing and to keep your eyes on Jesus as the focus, not yourself. If you are engaged in the business of the Lord, God will see to it that it is done right and in time--He will not linger nor delay to do His will. There is proper etiquette: Back to God's house, back to God's Word, back to God's will, back to God's work, and back to God's Spirit. As Habakkuk 2:3, NLT says "... If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed [tarry]."
God's eternal perspective of time (the vantage point of eternity) in seeing the big picture from beginning to end gives Him the ability to guide our lives and we should not "lean unto our own understanding" (cf. Prov. 3:5), but we should entrust everything to Providence--God is in control and we cannot alter His plan--He has and needs no Plan B. As humans, we tend to hate being interrupted because we take issue with something being more important than the issue at hand or what we're engaged in, but this is all part of our pride in not letting God be God or having control over our circumstances--we must assume that God has allowed this interruption to readjust our timing (like missing a light in traffic to make us late, because God thought we were going too fast--how do we know whether God wasn't preventing an accident down the road?).
In sum, there is no such thing as an interruption with Jesus--He's never too busy for us and nothing is too trivial to be a bother or nuisance. Soli Deo Gloria!
To bridge the gap between so-called theologians and regular "students" of the Word and make polemics palatable. Contact me @ bloggerbro@outlook.com To search title keywords: title:example or label as label:example; or enter a keyword in search engine ATTN: SITE USING COOKIES!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.
Showing posts with label perseverance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perseverance. Show all posts
Monday, October 7, 2019
Sunday, April 21, 2019
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!
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!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
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!
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!
Monday, January 19, 2009
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!
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!
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