Introduction
The Meaning of Eternal Security
- Eternal security is the surety that those who have been saved by Jesus Christ will remain saved for all ages.
- It is based on the understanding that a believer’s salvation is by grace, totally of God, from start to finish. The believer did not gain his salvation because of something he did … so the believer cannot do anything to lose his salvation.
- The believer’s security is guaranteed because he is kept by works of God, not his own works.
- It is not that we never do anything that could cause us to lose our salvation, but that God is faithful, even when we are faithless.
Principles of Eternal Security
1. Spiritual regeneration is not repeatable
- There is NO example in the Bible of someone being spiritually regenerated (born again) dying spiritually, then being born again a second time.
- A person being born again is akin to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly … Once a caterpillar has gone through the chrysalis stage and exits the cocoon as a butterfly, it cannot become a caterpillar again … ever.
- In passages like John 3:14-15; 4:13-14; 6:35 and John 6:51, the verb is in the perfect tense, which means it relates to an action that occurred in the past, the effect of which continues into the present and will extend into the future.
- Spiritual regeneration is not repeatable … just as physical birth is not repeatable.
2. Spiritual regeneration produces works of righteousness
- Someone who receives salvation does so through faith alone, but that faith is not alone.
- The faith that God gave us (Ephesians 2:9), so that we could believe we have been saved, has works associated with it …
- James 2:14-17, 18-24 … The believer will do good works, not in order to be saved, but because he has been saved.
- Matthew 7:17-20 … A good tree will produce good fruit. Similarly, a person who has been born again will produce evidence of that spiritual rebirth.
- Titus 2:11-12 … A person who has been born again will live soberly in this age, by God’s grace.
- James 2:26 … Faith without works is dead.
- A faith that does not give evidence of spiritual life is a “dead” faith.
- Just as someone who has been resuscitated will give evidence of physical life, one who has been spiritually regenerated will show evidence of spiritual life … even if only a little.
3. True Faith responds to biblical truth
- 2 John 1:2, 4
- … The truth abides in us … and we walk in that truth
- 3 John 1:2-4 …
- If a person is has received salvation, then the spirit in him will respond to the truth of God’s word.
- Because of the Spirit in us, true believers know God’s truth when they hear it.
4. Loss of REWARDS is NOT loss of SALVATION
- Although a person does not receive salvation because of his good works, the faith that caused him to trust in Christ will cause him to do good works … and those good works will be rewarded, BUT …
- Salvation is NOT a reward for our good works … Salvation is a gift.
- After we’ve been born again, God does hold us accountable for what we do in that period between our conversion and our glorification.
- Hebrews 6:10 … God will not forget our (good) works, our labour of love or our ministry.
- 2 Corinthians 5:10 … We’ll be rewarded according to what we have done
- Revelation 22:12 … Christ is coming again … and bringing rewards with Him
- Salvation, itself, is NOT a reward … but there are rewards (and riches) that flow from salvation.
- We can lose our reward, but we can’t lose our reward.
- The Judgement Seat is not about losing salvation … It’s about losing reward
5. The Exhortations to Godly Living are NOT threats of loss of salvation
- Biblical exhortations to live godly lives are based upon what God has done, not on possible loss of salvation.
- The exhortation that Paul gives in Romans 12:1-2 is based upon what he had said, previously, in chapters 1 through 11 of the same letter.
- The godly living that Paul wanted to see was one motivated by appreciation for what God has done, not the threat of loss of salvation … motivated by love, not by fear.
- In 2 Corinthians 5:15, he makes a similar point … to not live selfishly, but to live for God, because of what God has done for us.
- Similarly, Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 4:11 … to live lives worthy of the calling we have received … is based on what he said God had done in Ephesians 1-3. The exhortation to godly living continues in the rest of the letter, Ephesians 4-6.
6. The results of sin in a believer’s life don’t affect the believer’s position
- Sin in the life of a believer does not result in loss of salvation.
- Sin will definitely affect the believer’s relationship with God, but it will not affect his salvation.
- In other words, sin will affect the believer’s condition, but not the believer’s position (in Christ).
- 1 John 1:6-7, 9 …
- Sin in the life of a believer will result in loss of fellowship with God … and can result in premature death, as well … BUT it will not result in loss of salvation.
- If a son rebels against his father … and leaves home … gets involved in a wayward lifestyle … dies of a drug overdose … and has his body sent back to his father … and his father prepares to bury him .. whose surname will go on the tombstone? His father’s.
- When a believer is born again, he becomes a child of God … forever. He does not stop being a child of God whenever he sins. He never stops being the child of his father.
- Romans 8:35-39 … Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Sin will cause the believer’s condition to change, BUT it will not affect his position.
7. Persistent sin may show a lack of conversion, NOT a loss of salvation
- 1 John 3:6-10 …
- NOTE that the present tense is used …
- Here, John is not discussing occasional sin, but a situation where sin has become a lifestyle.
- Persistent (or consistent) sin may be indicative of a lack of conversion, but it is not proof of loss of salvation.
the 7th principle that governs your eternal security in Christ is that when there is persistent sin in the life of someone who professes to be in Christ that persistent sin may show a lack of conversion.
now this is the point that the apostle John brings out
1John 36-10 whoever abides in him does not sin habitually chronically and progressively whoever sins that way has neither seen him nor known him little children let no one deceive you he who practices righteousness is righteous just as he is righteous
the sin John discusses refers to a lifestyle of continuous deepening and unrepentant sin
if anything persistent sin may show that such a person is not saved
John is not saying that a true believer will never sin
In 1John 19, he gives the remedy for the sins of a believer and John includes himself
The sin in the passage we just read is not an occasional sin but a lifestyle that gives no evidence of loving God or any desire to please him in daily living.
8. Perfection is not achieved in this life
- Philippians 3:12-14 … Paul, late in his life, recognized that he was still not “perfect” (in his condition), even though he was perfect in his position.
- 1 Timothy 1:15 … NOTE that Paul used the present tense, in saying, “… I am …” … showing that he recognized that he was still capable of sinning, even after conversion.
- The truth is that we will never be perfect in this life.
- When Christ died on our behalf, the PENALTY of sin was removed … and when we were born again, we were equipped and enabled to overcome the POWER of sin … but the PRESENCE of sin will not depart from us until we are glorified.
- Perfection will not be achieved in this life, because as long as we are human, sin will be present in our lives.
The 8th principle that governs your eternal security in Christ is that you cannot achieve perfection in this life
This is because you still have your old adamic sin nature in you … even though that sin nature has been severed from its master-slave relationship over you.
While it is not necessary for you to sin, because you do have a way of escape and that you now have the Holy Spirit in-dwelling you, and you have a new nature, you will sin.
If we have to reach, or maintain, perfection in this life, in order to retain our salvation, then every believer I know is in trouble.
If anyone could have made it to perfection, it would have had to have in the apostle Paul,
and yet Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12-14 that he was not yet perfect.
This was written late in his life. What Paul was saying is that while he was perfect in his position he was by no means perfect in his condition .
In 1 Timothy 1:5, Paul wrote these words toward the end of his life this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.
Notice that Paul at this late date in his life is using the present tense . He says not I was but I am chief of sinners
Therefore, eternal security is not the consequence of living to perfection. You do not have to sin but you will.
9. Salvation is sure because of Position … and NOT affected by Condition.
- According to John 5:24 and Ephesians 2:6, believers are moved from death to life.
- In light of the above verse, we could say that the believer’s position has changed.
- Many times, however, a believer’s condition (or practice) is not consistent with his position.
- The fact that a believer is not walking in a manner that is worthy of his calling … or that his condition (practice) is not consistent with his position … does not mean he has lost, or can lose, his salvation.
- We must always remember that there is a difference between a believer’s position and his condition.
The 9th principle is that there is a difference between your position and your practice or your condition.
Salvation is yours because of your position in Christ, but your actual practice of that Christianity may not always show it.
if you think about the church at Corinth Paul referred to this body of believers as positionally sanctified in 1 Corinthians 1:30 , but
- looking at their practices, they even had a young man who was sexually involved with his stepmother (1 Corinthians 5:1-2).
- There were also people in the Corinthian church who were getting drunk at the agape dinners and were getting drunk on the wine at the Lord’s table
Paul had to write them, to rebuke the condition that they had allowed their lives to become, but Paul, again and again, calls them brethren.
In their condition or in their practices, they were one of the worst churches recorded in the New Testament.
If you remember that there is a difference between your position and your practice or condition, then you will realize that your sinful practice does not mean that your position has been lost. Remember that your position is not the same as your condition or your practice and therefore your salvation is secure in your position … NOT in the way you practise your condition.
10. Good works do not lead to salvation, BUT salvation leads to good works.
- This point brings into focus the relationship between works and salvation
- Romans 4:4-6 … Our faith … not our works … make us righteous in God’s sight
- Galatians 2:21 … We are righteous because of God’s grace, NOT because of our works
- 2 Timothy 1:9 … God called us because of His purpose, NOT because of our works
- Our works do not produce … or secure … our salvation.
- If works are necessary for us to keep our salvation, then our salvation is, ultimately, by works.
- Our salvation is by grace … NOT by works.
So … your works cannot save you …
… and your works cannot keep you either.
The 10th and final principle that governs your eternal security in Christ is that your works do not produce nor can your works secure salvation.
this principle teaches that IF your works are needed to keep your salvation, THEN your salvation is by works.
What do the scriptures actually teach?
- Romans 4:4-6 now to him that works. the wages are counted, not as grace, but as debt, but to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
- Psalms 32:1-2 David describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.
- Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law then Christ died in vain
- 1 Timothy 1:9 God has saved us and called us with a holy cold calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us here’s our phrase in Christ Jesus
IF works are necessary to keep your salvation, THEN your salvation is ultimately by works. Thankfully, the Bible consistently teaches that your salvation and security are by grace through faith … and not by your works
Your eternal security (like your eternal salvation) is a testimony to God’s mercy, God’s grace and God’s faithfulness … NOT to your merit or to your performance.
God alone will be praised in eternity for your eternal security not you.
David as an Old Testament saint living hundreds of years people of Christ understood that salvation was not by works it was by grace through faith.
Romans 4:4-6 David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works (Psalms 32:1-2)
David was saved by grace through faith and not his works.
David clearly understood that no one could ever earn salvation … that salvation was a gift …
That’s why later when David had his affair with Bathsheba and the consequence of his sin was that there was public exposure there would be a plague and a famine in the land but also David lost his son by Bathsheba, David later went into the presence of the Lord and he didn’t ask God to restore his salvation for his sin …
- he asked God to restore the joy of his salvation.
- David did not lose his salvation; he simply lost his joy because he had broken fellowship with God.
11. We cannot save or secure ourselves
12. Punishment of sin doesn’t mean Loss of Salvation
13. Our salvation is IN Christ