Eternally Secure
ETERNALLY SECURE
Security is something needed by everyone. This is most obvious when we look at children. They have not learned to cover their needs. One of their biggest needs is security. Our daughter once asked my wife if she and I would ever divorce. She had seen divorce pictured on television as a regular way of life and many of her friends and peers came from homes that had been broken by divorce. The splitting of a family tears apart a child's security. Everything on which the child has based a life comes crashing down. The result is often fear, hostility, and rebellion.
Children are not alone in their need for security. We all need security. There is job security, marital security, social security, but the most important thing is eternal security. The Bible is very explicit to the matter of eternal security. The reason Jesus came to earth was to provide us with a security that would be eternal.
1. Our Security is seen in the work of Jesus.
Jesus gives words of assurance to all who follow Him when He says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.” (John 10:27-29). Notice the double assurance that is given. He says that no one shall be able to snatch them out of His hand. But that is not all. He also says that no one shall be able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
2. Our Security is seen in the Removal of our Sins: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalms 103:12).
Paul concludes his study of our salvation and then asks the rhetorical question: Can anything ever separate us from the love of Christ? In Romans 8:35-39 he lists all of the possibilities before concluding that nothing shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God.
3. Our Security is seen in the Sealing Ministry of the Holy Spirit.
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14). The believer has been sealed by the Holy Spirit. A seal was a device, usually crafted into a signet ring or a cylinder that was engraved with the owner's name or with some identifying sign. A seal could be used to signify several things.
Ownership: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). I have a rubber stamp with my name engraved on it. If you pick out a book from my library and look on it, you will see that it is stamped with my name on the binding. It indicates the book belongs to me. In the same way, when you placed a seal upon something in ancient times, it signified that you were the rightful owner of that property. Under Jewish law, a slave could also be stamped with a seal. A slave who wished to devote the rest of his life to the service of his master would have his ear pierced. This act would seal him as the permanent property of his master (Deuteronomy 15:12-18).
Protection. Another significance of a seal was protection. When Pilate had the tomb of Jesus sealed with an official Roman seal, it was with the purpose of protecting the contents of the tomb from being disturbed. Anyone caught tampering with that seal would have been stopped by the Roman soldiers posted without.
Authentication. A third purpose of a seal was authentication and verification. A seal would serve as a signature to authenticate a letter or official document. Rulers frequently wore a signet ring — a ring with an elaborate engraving identifying the wearer. The ruler would spill hot wax onto the document and then press his fist with the sealing ring into it, leaving its mark. This would authenticate the document and make it official. The Holy Spirit accomplishes all three of these duties on behalf of the believer. He is the sign of ownership, signifying that we belong to God. He is also the sign of protection, indicating that our Heavenly Father will care for us and that nothing takes place in our life that has not first passed through a nail-scarred hand. He is also the mark of authenticity, showing by the fruit He produces in the life of a Christian that He is resident in that life.
What shall we say about the person who comes and makes a profession of faith and who, for a time, exhibits all of the characteristics of a Christian, but who then leaves and who rejects Christ? John describes this sort of person. “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). Notice what John does not say. He does not say that they lost their salvation. Rather he says in essence, “By the very fact that they left, they showed that they were not saved in the first place.” When God saves a person, a process begins that will continue throughout his entire life. Paul says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Php_1:6). Sanctification is not an option in Christianity. It is for this reason that 1 John can describe a Christian as one who is continually...
Walking in the light (1 John 1:7).
Confessing his sins (1 John 1:9).
Keeping the commandments (1 John 2:3; 1 John 4:7).
Loving his brother (1 John 2:10).
Practicing righteousness (1 John 3:10).
Believing that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 5:1). For this reason, I believe in the eternal security of the believer, but the eternal insecurity of the make-believer as illustrated in the following chart:
Eternal Security|A Biblical Balance|Loss of Salvation|
Once a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, they will be saved no matter whether or not they continue to believe.|It is possible for one to experience a faith for a time that is not saving faith. Such a one often falls away after a time.|A person might come to Christ and be saved and then, because of sin or unbelief, might lose that salvation and be lost.|
Reads the parable of the sower and believes that only the first one is lost while the others merely suffer “loss of rewards.”|The parable of the sower pictures some who initially experience a measure of spiritual growth, but who ultimately fall away and are not saved.|The parable of the sower tells of some who were initially saved but who lost their salvation because they did not endure.|
Once saved, always saved; no matter what.|The perseverance of God's elect is guaranteed by the work of the Holy Spirit.|Salvation is a matter of enduring to the end.|