One of the most precious Scripture promises given
to a Christian is found in John 10:27-29 –
“My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And
I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. My
Father, which gave [them] me, is
greater than all; and no [man] is
able to pluck [them] out of my
Father's hand.”
When we come to understand,
and accept, that we are eternally secure in the hands of our Lord, it becomes a
wonderful comfort and encouragement. We
know that this teaching does not give us a license to sin, but is actually a
wonderful motivation to live our lives for Christ, realizing the absolutely full
degree of forgiveness that He has acquired for us… Rom 5:17-6:2 –
“For
if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life. For
as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one
shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence
might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That
as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. What
shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God
forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
After all, anyone who
desires to continue to follow a lifestyle of sin following their “conversion
experience” is clearly exhibiting that they have never been genuinely saved and
have never become a new creature in Christ (2 Cor 5:17-21). The repentance they exercised was simply
“sorrow of the world” and not a “Godly sorrow” that flows from the grace of God
(2 Cor 7:9-11) They have exercised a
“dead faith” that does not originate with God nor is empowered by God (James
2:14-20)
To help us to understand the doctrine of eternal
security, it is very important that we understand the basis upon which it is
founded. This is the subject of our
study today. May the Lord bless us as we seek to come to an understanding of “The
Basis of our Eternal Security.
THE SCRIPTURES:
Rom 8:29-35
(KJV)
29) For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be]
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren.
30)
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called,
them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31)
What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be]
against us?
32)
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he
not with him also freely give us all things?
33)
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? [It is] God that justifieth.
34)
Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us.
35)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Heb 6:4-6 (KJV)
4) For [it is] impossible for those who were
once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers
of the Holy Ghost,
5)
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6)
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they
crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an open shame.
Heb 7:24-27 (KJV)
24) But this [man], because he continueth ever, hath an
unchangeable priesthood.
25)
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
26)
For such an high priest became us, [who
is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than
the heavens;
27)
Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for
his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered
up himself.
THE STUDY:
In Rom 8:29-34 we find the
basis of our eternal security clearly explained to us…
For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren.
The relationship that
has taken place in eternity past between God and those He has chosen to save is
described here in detail… Here we are told that He:
1. “did foreknow” them –
In other words, He possessed a loving, intimate relationship with them before
they existed, and before the world began.
The love that God placed upon His people, before the world began is the
motivating force behind His Son being sent into this world to die for our sins.
(1 Pet 1:2, Rev 13:8)
2. “did predestinate” –
He chose the destiny that each of His people would fulfill… it would be so that
they would be molded into the image of Christ. In other words, their lives would be living
witnesses of Jesus Christ, both through their speech and their actions. (Eph
1:4-5) The completion of this conforming involves our perfection and glorification
in eternity (1 Cor 15:47-50).
Moreover
whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
The list continues
speaking of the same group of people… those He loved before the foundation of
the world…
3. “called’ – the Lord
issued the call to salvation to these very same people. The call that He issued not only involved an
invitation to come to Him through the gospel message, but also involved His opening
of their blinded eyes and showing them the truth of the gospel and the
necessity to come unto Him. (John 6:44-45, John 6:63-65)
4. “justified” – the result of His divine,
effective, call bringing them to salvation is their justification. Justification carries with it the idea of
“regarding as innocent, sinless”. How
can the Lord regard those who have committed sin, innocent? It is through the shed blood of Christ that
covers their sin. (Rom 5:8-9)
5. “glorified” – the very same people whom God
had placed his love upon in eternity past is the same group that then were
predestinated, called, and justified. Finally, we read this same group was also
glorified (receiving glorified bodies and entering eternity in the presence of
God). (2 Thess 2:13-14) This is a very
important issue. From this set of verses
we can clearly see that those who have begun in the sovereign, eternal love of
our Lord are saved by His grace and share glory with Him. (Phil 1:6) None of His people are lost. (John 6:38-40)
Also please notice all
the above are in the past tense…. “did foreknow”; “did predestinate”; “called”; “justified”; “glorified”…. All are
finished in the counsels of God. Time is
of no concern of God…. What He has determined will take place! Those He has chosen to save are already
glorified in His counsels… none can stay His hand nor undo His divine decrees!
(Dan 4:34-35)
What
shall we then say to these things? If God [be]
for us, who [can be] against us?
What should be our
response to this truth? If the Lord has secured
the forgiveness of our sins, past, present and future through the shed blood of
Christ, how can we worry about the opposition that others pose against us? We are secure in Him. We are already glorified in His eternal
counsels…. None can harm, nor derail us, from our eternal destiny to which we
are called and predestined.
He
that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things?
If our God was willing
to send His Son to a sinful world, and then allow His abuse and crucifixion,
will He withhold any blessing from His people?
Will He undo or limit what Christ has performed on our behalf? If we can somehow lose our salvation it
becomes an issue of failure on the part of Christ to not pay for ALL of our
sins, past, present and future.
It is this very issue
that the writer of Hebrews addresses in Heb 6:4-6 (KJV) For [it
is] impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the
good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall
away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves
the Son of God afresh, and put [him]
to an open shame.
Here we are told that if
a person who is saved falls away from salvation and once again enters a lost
state, to regain their salvation that two things must take place:
1. Christ must be
crucified again. Why is this? Obviously, since they lost their salvation
that means that Christ’s work was insufficient to cover the sins they have
committed. Therefore, He must be
crucified once again to pay for those sins that caused the person to lose their
salvation.
2. Christ has been shown
to be a failure in His first crucifixion.
He is now put to shame because His original work was not sufficient to
secure the salvation of the people for which He was sent and given a mission to
save.
This is why this entire
scenario will never happen… “It is impossible” . Our salvation will not be lost because there
is no need for Christ to be re-crucified. Nor will the Father allow His
perfect, complete work to be twisted and used to bring shame upon His Son.
Folks, when we say that
we are eternally secure, it is not a reflection upon us, our service, our
diligence, nor our goodness, it is a reflection upon Christ and His COMPLETE
work on the cross. He alone is to be
glorified when we acknowledge we are saved eternally through His shed blood.
Who
shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? [It is] God that justifieth. Who
[is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us.
Our God is the One that
worked our salvation, therefore none can undo it…. Not even ourselves. It is Christ that died and paid for ALL of
our sins. It is Christ that arose and is
seated at the right hand of God continually making intercession for the sins
that we commit on a daily basis. Based
upon His work, which was sufficient to secure our future and eternity with Him,
He is constantly pleading our case before God.
What is “our case”?… “God
the Father, I have died on behalf of my people, I have paid for the sins they
are committing today. You can continue
to look upon them as if they are innocent, for my blood is covering their every
fault. They are secure in my work. They
are saved to the uttermost.”
Heb 7:24-27
But this [man], because he continueth ever, hath
an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who
needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his
own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up
himself.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
For those who have
trusted in Christ.
What a blessing it is to know that we
are eternally secure in the hands of our Lord.
What a motivation it is to live a life of service honoring and
glorifying Him who has taken all of our worry and dread about eternity away
from us. What a privilege it is to know
that we are free, never to be in bondage again.
For those who have
never trusted in Christ.
Are you burdened under fear of the
afterlife? Are you uncertain about your
spiritual condition before the Lord? Are
you laboring to find forgiveness through living a “good life” that is characterized
by enslavement to the law of God and the dictates of man? Would you like to live a life that is free
from spiritual bondage and consistent doubts about your condition before
Him? Would you like ABSOLUTE assurance
of your forgiveness and of the receipt of an eternity of life in the presence
of God Himself?
Through God’s gracious intervention,
you can see your sin as God sees your sin, turn from your sin, and come to
Christ, in faith. Believe that Christ
was God Himself, who came to the earth, lived a perfect life, and then after
being falsely accused of sin, was crucified on the cross and arose again the
third day proving His innocence. Trust
that while on the cross He died for your sins, taking God’s punishment of your
sins upon Himself, so that you would not have to face that punishment. Turn to Christ and trust in Him today.
If you have any questions about
salvation you are welcome to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com. I’ll be more than happy to answer any
question you may have.
Also, if you look at my blog page “How To Have A
Relationship With God”. On this page,
you will find several blog entries explaining the way of salvation and
important truths about salvation.
Please visit the
“Settled In Heaven Ministries” homepage –
My Main Blog
“Settled In Heaven” (updated twice weekly) – http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com
The following are
other places you can find “Settled In Heaven” blog (updated once per month):
To see this lesson
taught on video please go to my Video Blog at
http://www.youtube.com/settledinheaven
If you have any
questions concerning this blog, or if you have a subject you would like
discussed, please feel free to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com. I will answer all emails via my blog,
email, or both.
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May the Lord bless
your study of His Word. Like God’s Word…
may your soul’s salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in
Heaven.”
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