INTRODUCTION
A. Can a Christian lose his/her salvation? Can a person once in Christ ever go back to be in Adam again?
- Some say YES. Some say NO. What do you say?
B. Let’s ask another question: Can a butterfly ever become a Caterpillar again?
- The answer is obviously NO.
C. Similarly, I believe, the answer to the original question is also NO. A Christian, who is born again, cannot lose his/her salvation … just as a butterfly cannot become a caterpillar once that caterpillar has been “born again” as a butterfly.
D. A Christian, once in Christ, cannot go back to being in Adam.
- In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul tells us that if any man or woman be in Christ (NOTE the positional phrase), he or she is a new creation and old things have passed away.
- The illustration of a “new creation” that might help in this discussion is that of a butterfly, which was once a caterpillar.
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- When a Caterpillar goes into the cocoon it comes out a radically new creature.
- It is the same Caterpillar, in the sense that a caterpillar goes into the cocoon as a caterpillar, but comes out in a radical new creation — that is a butterfly.
- Can that butterfly ever go back and become the caterpillar it was once again?
- The answer would be NO.
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E In our last session, we looked at some of the PRINCIPLES of Eternal Security.
F. In this session, we begin our look at 17 PROOFS of Eternal Security (as enumerated by Tom Murray of TSF).
1. Reasons That Are Dependent On God The Father Alone
2. Reasons That Are Dependent On God The Son Alone
3. Reasons That Are Dependent On God The Holy Spirit Alone
4. The Apostle Paul’s Teaching In Romans 8:1-39
5. The Very Meaning Of Eternal Rules Out The Possibility Of Loss
6. Reasons That Are Dependent On Christ’s Finished Work
7. The Apostle Peter’s Teaching In I Peter 1:4-5
8. Being A New Creation Means Old Things Have Passed Away
9. God’s Grace Guarantees Your Security
10. Christ’s Complete Obedience To The Work Of His Father
11. The Father’s Seed Abides In You Forever
12. Your Eternal Salvation Is God’s Gift – Not A Reward Or Wages
13. Your Salvation Involved A Final And Unchangeable Birth
14. You Are Incapable of Saving or Securing Yourself
15. God Paid Too High A Price For You
16. Your Journey Sins Are Disciplined, But Not By Loss Of Salvation
17. God’s Warnings Are Exhortations, Not Threats of Loss of Salvation
G. If you look at those proofs, you will see that three (3) of them are reasons where God (as Father, Son and Holy Spirit) plays a role in our eternal security. That is to say … God The Father plays a role … God the Son plays a role … and God the Holy Spirit plays a role. All three are involved in our salvation … and our eternal security (the securing of that salvation).
H. In this session, we plan to start looking at reasons that are dependent upon God, the Father as to why a person once in Christ positionally can never ever lose that position in Christ and go back to a position in Adam … similar to how a butterfly can never go back and being a caterpillar. Those reasons are divided into four (4) categories:
- Your heavenly Father has eternal plans and purposes for you.
- Your heavenly Father has the power to keep you.
- Your heavenly Father has an infinite love for you.
- Your heavenly Father has made specific promises to you
Let’s dive in.
1. Your heavenly Father has eternal plans and purposes for you.
a. Now being justified, you will, one day, be glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)
b. He is the one who confirms you to the end. (1 Corinthians 1:8)
c. You were chosen to bring eternal glory to God. (Ephesians 1:4, 11-12)
d. That in the ages to come He might show you more of His mercy. (Ephesians 2:7)
e. He is the one working in you to accomplish His will and purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)
f. He plans to bring many sons to glory. (Hebrews 2:10; Philippians 1:6)
2. Your heavenly Father has the power to keep you.
a. He gives you eternal life and you can never perish. (John 10:25-29)
b. What He promised you, He is also able to perform. (Romans 4:21)
c. Nothing can separate you from God’s love. (Romans 8:31, 38-39)
d. God is able to make you stand. (Romans 14:4)
e. Your life is hidden in God. (Colossians 3:3)
f. He keeps what you have committed to Him. (2 Timothy 1:12)
g. He will preserve your spirit, soul, and body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
h. He will save you to the uttermost. (Hebrews 7:25)
i. He will keep you from stumbling and present you faultless. (Jude 1:24)
3. Your heavenly Father has an infinite love for you.
a. His infinite love provided you salvation as His enemy and now provides you security as His friend. (Romans 5:7-10)
b. He has chosen you and will keep you forever. (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
4. Your heavenly Father has made specific promises to you.
a. The Father promises that you cannot ever perish. (John 3:16)
b. The Father promises that you have already passed from death to life. (John 5:24)
c. The Father confirms His promise with an oath. (Hebrews 6:16-18)
Review Questions
Your Father’s Sovereign Purpose
1. What is the Father’s sovereign purpose for you now that you have been justified?
2. What does it mean to be blameless in the day of Jesus Christ?
3. How does your being chosen to bring your Father glory secure your salvation?
4. What must happen for your Father in the ages to come to show you more of His mercy?
5. Who is working to accomplish your Father’s will and purpose regarding your salvation?
6. Who are the sons that the Father plans to bring into glory?
Your Father’s Power to Keep
7. What does your Father’s giving you eternal life that can never perish mean to you?
8. Can your Father keep you as He promised?
9. What can separate you from your Father’s love?
10. How are you able to stand secure?
11. What does your life being hidden in God mean to your eternal security?
12. What have you committed to your Father to keep until Jesus returns?
13. What does it mean that your Father will preserve your spirit, soul, and body blameless at Jesus’
coming?
14. Who is the faithful One in securing your eternal salvation?
15. What does your Father’s saving you to the uttermost mean?
16. What does it mean that your Father is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you
faultless?
Your Father’s Infinite Love
17. How does your Father’s infinite love that provided salvation “in Adam” provide security “in
Christ?”
18. What does your Father’s Infinite love in choosing you to be without blame mean to your security?
Your Fathers Promise
19. What does your Father’s promise that you can never perish mean?
20. What does your already having passed from death to life have to do with your security?
21. Why has your Father given you His promise and oath regarding your eternal salvation?
Summary
- Your Father alone has justified you and He alone will glorify you.
- Your Father has confirmed you to the end.
- Your Father has chosen you to bring Him glory throughout eternity.
- Your Father promises to show you more mercy in future ages.
- Your Father works to accomplish His will and purpose for you.
- Your Father plans to bring you to glory.
- Your Father has given you eternal life and you cannot perish.
- Your Father has promised and He is able to perform.
- Your Father promises that nothing can separate you from His love.
- Your Father is able to make you stand.
- Your Father has hidden your life in Himself as God.
- Your Father keeps what you have committed.
- Your Father preserves your spirit, soul and body blameless.
- Your Father has saved you to the uttermost.
- Your Father keeps you from stumbling to present you faultless.
- Your Father’s infinite love saved you when you were His enemy.
- Your Father has adopted you as His child and made you His friend.
- Your Father has chosen you to be without blame.
- Your Father has promised that you can never perish.
- Your Father has promised you have already passed from death to life.
- Your Father has made promises to you and sealed them with an oath.
We’ve been looking at reasons for the security of any believer in Christ that are dependent just upon God the father .
In our next session, the plan is to look at reasons for eternal security of believers in Christ that are dependent upon God the Son, Jesus Christ.