17. God will keep what we have committed to Him. 2 Timothy 1:12
Notice once again that it is God who does the keeping, not us.
18. Jesus said He would send a Comforter that would abide with us forever. John 14:16
Forever means, well, forever. The Holy Spirit will not be abiding with those in Hell.
19. It is impossible for one who was saved, if he were to lose his salvation, to ever be saved again.
Why? Because Jesus would have to be crucified again. Hebrews 6:4-6
Christ was offered once for all as a sacrifice for our sins. Hebrews 9:28; Romans 6:10
20. The Bible says we can know that we have (present tense) eternal life. 1 John 5:13
How could we know that if we could lose it? If we had to keep ourselves saved, we could never know for sure if we had eternal life. We would not know until we died if we were going to Heaven or Hell.
21. Jesus said He will tell false professors, “I never knew you.” Matthew 7:21-23
He will not say, “I used to know you, but you lost your salvation.” Rather, He said I never knew you in the first place. They were never saved to begin with.
Objections to Eternal Security
1. That would mean a man could get saved and then do anything he wanted to do.
I sin all I want to; in fact, I sin more than I want to.
2. Not everyone who claims to be saved, really is saved.
There are those who claim to be saved and live like the devil. Maybe they weren’t really saved in the first place. 1 John 2:19
3. God disciplines His children (Hebrews 12:5-11). God even kills some Christians, because of their disobedience (1 John 5:16; Acts 5:1-11). I believe in such a case, God takes them home to Heaven. Much like an earthy father would call a child inside the house for fussing and fighting with his friends and giving the family a bad name (see illustration in The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow).
4. There is a danger, however, of trying to judge who is and isn’t saved. Sometimes someone says, “A man may do this and be saved, but he can’t do that and be saved.” We try to determine how far a man may go who is a Christian. Salvation does not make us perfect and we still sin. We can’t always separate the wheat from the tares (Matthew 13:24-30). That is God’s job.
5. On the other hand, it is certainly valid to say of some individuals, “He sure isn’t living like a Christian.” Or, “I don’t see any evidence of that man being a believer.“ But the individual and God are the only ones who know for sure if the person is truly saved.
2. It would cause people to get saved and then do nothing for the Lord.
2. Because of the security we have, we can stop worrying about whether we are going to make it to Heaven or not and get on with the business of serving God.
3. The percentage of mediocre Christians does not seem to be greater among Baptists than among Christian groups who teach falling from grace. We all have mediocre disciples of which we are not proud!
3. What about the Scriptures that seem to teach falling from grace?
If you study them carefully and without prejudice you will find:
1. The person referred to was not saved in the first place.
2. The Scripture does not definitely say that the person was lost and went to Hell after he was saved.
3. The verse is not talking about salvation at all.
4. The verse has been taken out of context.
Belief in eternal security may not solve all the difficult passages. But I am convinced you will have a lot more problems (biblical interpretation problems, and a greater number of difficult verses) if you do not believe in eternal security.
Conclusion:
The story has been told of two men on a plane to San Antonio, Texas. Someone asks the first man, “Are you going to San Antonio?” Nervously he replies, “I sure hope so. I think I got on the right plane. Man, I’m in big trouble if I don’t make it.” He nervously fidgets throughout the flight.
The second man is asked, “Are you going to San Antonio?” Confidently he replies, “Yes.” There is no doubt in his mind. He leans back, drinks a Diet Dr. Pepper® , reads the newspaper, and enjoys the flight.
Which one made it to San Antonio? Both of them did. But the second man enjoyed the flight a whole lot more than the first man.
That is the difference made by believing in eternal security. Those who, based on God’s Word, know they are going to Heaven - can enjoy the trip much more than those who never know for sure.
Note: This message on Eternal Security was originally put together in 1992.
Note 2: The book, Fights I Didn't Start, and Some I Did (Round 2) by R. L. Sumner has a good chapter defending Eternal Security; Foreword by Bailey Smith.
-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, May 14, AD 2012.
Other Articles:
Baptists and Eternal Security, or Once Saved Always Saved; Part 1 of 3
The Roman Road of Salvation
Church Buildings - Dos and Don'ts #1
About the Church Covenant
What Legalism Really Means
Why We Don't Use Alcohol For The Lord's Supper
Other articles in lower right margin
David, this, too, is good. I like the illustration of the two men on an airplane. May I have permission to use it on my blogspot? You will be given credit for it.
ReplyDeleteBruce,
ReplyDeleteThanks. I would be honored for you to do so.
David R. Brumbelow