"Eternal Security” is the BIBLICAL doctrine that a believer CANNOT lose his salvation, i.e., Once Saved Always Saved.
Many people seem to have a problem with the doctrine
“Once Saved Always Saved”, but that is precisely what the Bible teaches. If you examine closely, you will discover that any denial of the
eternal security of the believer is in essence, a belief, that one must
maintain his salvation with his own works. The mindset of the person who denies the eternal security of the
believer, is drastically different from the mindset of a genuine born
again believer. Let us examine a few fundamental Biblical truths.
1) Scripture describes salvation as a “FREE GIFT”
“But not as the offence, so also [is] the FREE GIFT. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as [it was] by one that sinned, [so is] the gift: for the judgment [was] by one to condemnation, but the FREE GIFT [is] of many offences unto justification. 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.” (Romans 5:15-18)
According to the Word of God, Eternal life is the FREE GIFT of God (Romans 5:15-18; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8), paid for by the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST (1 Peter 1:18-19.
A “Free Gift” means that something is being handed to someone FREELY, and you can’t pay for it because it is free. This is the same concept of Eternal life.
Jesus Christ already paid the price for our sins, and has reconciled us to God the Father by the blood of His cross. All we need to therefore do, is to receive the free gift of eternal life.
The free gift of eternal life is received ONLY by FAITH, i.e., your dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and save you.
To deny the eternal security of the believer is in effect, to make salvation a REWARD, but salvation is not a reward, it is the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to our record, in response to our FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the basis for this, is the blood sacrifice of the LORD.
This heresy is Calvinistic in nature, in that, it demands perseverance, or an attempt to continue in good works to be saved.
That viewpoint is damnably flawed, and the can cause utter ruin, since as we said before, it is in essence, a back-door approach to works salvation.
Salvation is of the LORD, it is not of man. The only part man has in his salvation is to BELIEVE. It is essential to remember that salvation and discipleship are completely different things. Salvation requires nothing, but that you have FAITH in the Saviour. Discipleship requires self sacrifice for the Lord. As a disciple, you work not with a view to merit eternal life, but rather you serve God because you love Him, and are thankful to Him for saving you. Your service is performed out of a gratitude for God’s grace and mercy in saving you, though we are all not worthy, nevertheless, the disciple exercises thanksgiving and serves the Lord simply with the intent of pleasing Him.
The world is divided into two classes of people, i.e., saved and unsaved. The saved are divided into two classes, i.e., carnal Christian and spiritually mature Christian. Whether or not the believer lives a holy life does NOT have anything to do with his salvation. They will definitely be brought into judgement, and the carnal Christian will be very ashamed in the end thereof, but his salvation still remains, because God is faithful, and through the power of God, the Christian is maintained.
Salvation cannot be by God’s grace and man’s self righteous works (Romans 11:6). Salvation has nothing to do with our works: “NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done, but according to HIS MERCY he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” (Titus 3:5)
Having established the freeness of eternal life, we will proceed to our next point.
2)
FALSE CHRISTIANS WERE NEVER SAVED IN THE FIRST PLACE
A saved person does not convert to atheism, neither does he convert over to any thing which defends or supports damnable doctrines, i.e., doctrines which are able to damn souls to hell due to their perversion of the Gospel.
When anyone tells you that they were a Christian at one point, or that they now embrace doctrines which the Word of God condemns as damnable, then you know that that man had never been saved to begin with. He simply held the philosophy of Christianity, and never possessed saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I child of God is always a child of God, just as the prodigal’s son was always a son. Was he a son at home? Yes he was. Was he a son in the far country? Yes he was. Was he a son in the pig pen? Yes he was. The prodigal’s son, was always a son my friend, he didn’t stay in the pig pen because he didn’t belong in the pig pen. Only pigs love pig pens my friend, if a son is in the pig pen, he’s NOT going to love it down there, he’s going to HATE it, only pig’s love pig pens, a son doesn’t belong in a pig pen, a son belongs with his father. How much more then, shall you ALWAYS be a son of God, once you’ve been born again? Whether you walk in darkness, or in the light of God’s Word, and you’re His son, then you’ll ALWAYS be His. A son is ALWAYS a son. A son is NOT a pig, but a son. I’d recommend though that you walk in the light, as you should know, the prodigal’s son received a huge whooping and beating in the far country and in the pig pen, you will too if you walk away from God, but if you’ve trusted Christ to save you, then you’ll always be His. A son is always a son.
If any man does not have Christ today, it is because he never had Him to begin with. Those that apostatize, i.e., disown Christianity, or suddenly believes damnable doctrines, or departs from the faith, only does so because they were not born again to begin with (1 John 2:19. You CANNOT lose your salvation.
Having established the situation of a false Christian, we will proceed with our next point.
3)
BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS CAN NEVER LOSE THEIR SALVATION
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:14-16)
Here we learn that whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish. The Bible says what it means and it means what it says. Whosoever trusts Christ, shall under no circumstance, ever perish.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)
Here we learn that whosoever believes on Jesus, not only has everlasting life, but also, he will NOT come into condemnation. The Scripture is clear. The born again believer cannot be condemned to eternal death.
“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.” (John 10:27-28)
Here we learn that Jesus’ sheep will never suffer eternal destruction. The sheep represent the saved.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
Here we learn that the “gates of hell” will not prevail against the Church. The church is the body of Christian believers. According to this verse the Church cannot die, i.e., suffer eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.
“In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye BELIEVED, ye were SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
Here we learn that when the Gentiles believed the Gospel, this resulted in their salvation and sealing by the Holy Spirit. When these Gentiles believed, God sealed them in Christ. This guaranteed their eternal security. God seals the believer with the indwelling Holy Spirit, who keeps the Christian in Christ, and this sealing is permanent.
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you FOR EVER;” (John 14:16)
“For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts 1:5)
As we just saw, Scripture indicates that the baptism of the Spirit, and the sealing of the Believer is indeed permanent. The Spirit seals ALL believers.
In verse 14, we can see that the presence of the indwelling Spirit is a pledge of all that God will give us as His children. The Holy Spirit is a pledge that you are a “purchased possesion”, i.e., you belong to God, and nothing can change that. The fact that believers possess the Holy Spirit now, is an assurance that the rest of our salvation will occur, i.e., our glorification (Romans 8:23). We were justified by the blood of Christ, when we trusted Jesus to save us, but now we await our glorification, i.e., our deliverance from the presence of sin, and our transformation which includes the eradication of our sin nature, which will occur at the rapture.
“[There is] therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus,….” (Romans 8:1)
We also learn here that whosoever is in Christ, i.e., saved, will not in any wise experience condemnation.
4)
CAN WE LIVE ANY WAY WE WANT TO AND STILL BE SAVED?
You see, one problem that the critics of the eternal security of the believer possess, is that they believe the doctrine “Once Saved Always Saved” allows people to sin their way into heaven, and escape with all their wickedness. So in an attempt to prevent men from abusing the grace of God, they fabricate all manner of lies to deny the eternal security of the believer.
Observe Romans 3:31, which declares, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”
A born again Christian is free from under the condemnation of the Law, but there is no Scripture which indicates that believers have God’s permission to sin. NO BODY has God’s permission to sin. If a born again believer commits sin, that won’t stop him from going to heaven, because as we said before, God only requires faith in the Son of God to be saved.
No person is escaping with anything. Though believers are forever saved, they will still be judged according to their works. This will occur at the judgement seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), which takes place after the rapture.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
The Lord Jesus will reward us for the good AND the bad. The judgement seat is going to be a very unpleasant day for MANY believers, i.e., carnal believers. We will not escape
“That no [man] go beyond and defraud his brother in [ANY] matter: because that the Lord [is] the AVENGER of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.” (1 Thessalonians 4:6)
“Defraud” means to “unjustly take advantage of.” “In any Matter”, clearly shows that ALL types of wrong doing, is here in view. God will REPAY. God will justly recompense for the wrongs which have been done. God’s holiness demands that these wrongs be recompensed justly.
Romans 12:19, highlights the same concept, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)
God meant what He said, and said what He meant, He will REPAY all wrongs. No man is getting away with ANYTHING. If you’re not recompensed here on earth, you can be sure this will occur at the judgement seat. The shame thereof will be exceedingly great. Though when you are saved all your sins are forgiven, it would be unjust for any man’s sin to escape punishment. They MUST give an account for the damage they have caused.
You see, you still have to give an account for your sins, but the blood sacrifice of Jesus made it possible that you would not have to suffer in the lake of fire for all eternity.
“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12)
You still have to give an account for the life you lived. Though all your sins must still be dealt with, the difference between the believer and the unbeliever is that the believer has an “Advocate” or a “Lawyer” (1 John 2:1).
Our rewards in heaven will be proportional to the life we lived here on earth. All believers will NOT have the same rewards.
We can avoid embarrassment and chastisement at the judgement seat, by making restitution with those we have wronged, here on earth. Thus, seeking reconciliation with those whom you have injured with your sins, will cause the judgement seat to lessen its harshness. ALL manner of works will be taken into account, and the strictness of the judgement will vary among each believer.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Galatians 6:7-8)
Here we learn that whatever a man “sows”, he can expect to reap the just rewards. He he follows the sinful nature in his investments, he will reap “corruption” or “die”. To reap “corruption” or to “die” does NOT mean loss of salvation, it simply means that his harvest will yield a disappointing harvest.
The judgement seat will be an embarrassment for these types of carnal believers who lived wordly lives, as they shall be dealt with justly and in strictness, as a loving Father reproves a disobedient son.
Also, to reap “everlasting life” obviously does NOT mean to merit salvation or to earn justification, You see, to “sow” to the Spirit, implies that you already possess the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is given to them that BELIEVE upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore reaping “everlasting life” simply means that your sowing will yield an excellent harvest. In other words, Scripture speaks of eternal life both as a “FREE GIFT" Romans 5:15-18; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8) and as the quality of eternal life which depends on the extent to which the believer walks with God in fellowship (John 10:10). So what we mean is that some believers experience eternal life to a greater degree than others. Their abundance of treasure in heaven has a relation to the degree to which they experience eternal life. Therefore reaping “everlasting life” here, simply means reaping the glorious prospects of the future.
5)
THE GREAT WEAKNESS IN THE DOCTRINE OF CONDITIONAL SECURITY
If it is possible for salvation to be lost by our own deeds, then that is in essence, the belief that one must “MAINTAIN” their salvation with their works.
To deny the Eternal Security of the believer, is to consent to a works based salvation. If we have to live righteously to maintain our salvation, then self righteousness becomes a condition for eternal life, and we know that the Scriptures deny this (Romans 10:4; 4:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). You see, when you take the Bible at face value, you can only conclude that the Word of God DOES teach the eternal security of the believer. To deny this, is to consent with a works based salvation.
Any faith in your works to save you will
CONDEMN you. Please understand that salvation is the free gift of God paid for in full, by the precious blood of Christ(1 Peter 1:18-19).
Our part is simply to trust Christ (Acts 16:31). All you have to do to be saved is to BELIEVE, i.e., rely upon Christ, to save you because of the blood he shed to redeem you.
We all justly deserve to separated from God, and only faith in the Saviour can deliver us from the wrath which is to come upon the unsaved. WE don’t need our own righteousness, we need His righteousness, i.e., Christ’s righteousness (Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 6:33; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
CONCLUSION
Eternal life is the free gift of God, paid for in full, by the precious blood of Christ (Romans 5:15-18; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:18-19). If you are saved you shall always be saved my friend. A son is always a son. Again I ask you, was the prodigal’s son a son in the far country? Yes he was. Was he a son in the pig pen? Yes he was. Was he a pig in the pig pen? No he wasn’t. He was a son in the pig pen (though he was separated from the fellowship of his father). But he didn’t belong in the pig pen, because son’s don’t belong in pig pen’s, sons belong with their father. The son, hated it in the pig pen. A Son doesn’t like to be separated from their father, neither from the fellowship of their father. A son loves the fellowship of his father. Anytime a son is in the pig pen, he’s going to hate it, because he’s separated and away from his loving father. Only pigs love pig pens my friend. And if it be so, that the son, comes to his senses, he shall return to his father.
Whether you are in the pig pen or in the fellowship of your heavenly Father, you are ALWAYS a son. Of course, it would be better for you to go to your father. The prodigal’s son, received a HUGE whooping in the far country and in the pig pen. What makes you think that you won’t receive a huge whooping if you walk away, out of fellowship with God? My friend,if you are saved and walk away from God, rest assured that you will receiving a WHOOPING.
“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord LOVETH HE CHASTENETH, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:5-8).
You can rest assured, that if you are saved, then you shall always be saved. Don’t let any man convince you otherwise. But because God is so gracious to us, don’t you think it is time to start living for the LORD? Once saved, always saved, you’ll never be cast out of the family of God.
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT.” (John 6:37).
Eternal Security, Once Saved Always Saved?
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