Eternally Secure

Several years ago after reading through my Bible more carefully and thoughtfully than I felt I had ever done, I took it to the Farmer and I said, "Where is the verse in here that tells me to ask Jesus into my heart? Because I'm not seeing it. I wasn't trying to be snarky - I was serious. Where is the 'sinner's prayer' that you're suppose to repeat after the preacher?" 

And the Farmer didn't miss a beat, he said, "The sinner's prayer is when the tax collector beats his chest in the temple and won't even look up at God and says, 'Be merciful to me a sinner.'" 

"That's the sinner's prayer," he said. 

Eternal security, also known as the perseverance or preservation of the saints, is a precious, precious doctrine for the saints of God. When the reformers, church fathers, and Puritans spoke of the "comfort of the Holy Spirit" this biblical truth is what they were referring to. 

We all go through times of doubting our salvation, wondering perhaps if it was ever real to begin with. There is a purpose and providence at work in our lives during these difficulties; I believe, we always emerge from them stronger in our faith. The Bible gives us much hope in this area, but I want this morning to offer you just one important, I call it a 'slam dunk' way to know you belong to Christ.

Although the fact that we ever worry about not being in Christ in the first place and that it even brings us great thoughts of agonizing pain is a very good indication of our salvation. I don't think that people who are not saved stress or worry over not being in Christ. I'm not saying that sin doesn't ever bother them because God has put his natural law inside of all of us. We all have the law written on our hearts, but since the fall we don't have the power to obey it completely. ( Romans 1, 2:15-16 ) 

However, a surefire way to know that you are in Christ is that sin, and namely your sin, grieves you to your core. You're broken over it. You understand you have sinned against a holy God and that there is no way back to him - you're righteousness is a pitiful offering that will never give you a right standing in his presence. 

You are desperate for his mercy. 

And this repentant attitude continues to be our posture throughout our lives. Because we understand the grace of God in Christ's sacrifice for our sins by willingly giving his own life as a substitute for ours, our hearts rejoice and thank him continually for exchanging with us, our sin for his righteousness. When we sin against him, because we still do at times as we're being made holy, slowly, and won't reach glorification until the next life, but when we do sin, it grieves us and repentance becomes a way of life for us. 

Look at the parable for a minute in Luke 18:9-14:

It says that Jesus was telling this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. The Pharisee in the parable goes into the temple and prays, "God thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector, I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get."

Wow, well good on him. His religion certainly hadn't helped with his pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness. 

"But the tax collector standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'"

Now, listen carefully and don't forget what Jesus says next:

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other." 

The tax collector beating his breast, understanding his sin and needing God's mercy, was "justified." 

Justification is a legal and theological term that means we now have right standing before God. God has made us righteous through faith in his Son, Christ Jesus. This is our salvation. "Salvation is of the LORD," as the Psalmist and Jonah tell us. God has 'imputed' Christ's righteousness to us - it is not a righteousness of our own that we have worked for and earned. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 

But the Pharisee wasn't justified Jesus said. 

And that's scary. We see the picture so vividly here in this parable of the difference between a believer and a non-believer. A true believer is humble. He sees himself as he truly is in the eyes of God, and looks to God as his only means of receiving mercy. 

The scariest part of all is that the Pharisee 'thinks' he is a believer. He isn't an atheist; he is someone who actually believes in God. We need to think deeply about that sobering reality. 

"For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation." ( Psalm 149:4 ) 

Not the prideful who have their act together looking for just a little bit of Jesus to polish them up and help them obtain greatness and live their best life now. 

No. That's a false christ. That path doesn't lead to God. 

The way up to God is down. 

Down on our knees. 

Knowing and remembering moment by moment that it is God's mercy in Christ alone that saves us. 

And that is the position of a sinner-saint for the rest of our earthly walk. That daily dependence is how we truly know that we are in Christ. 

As my Farmer said, "That's the 'sinner's prayer.'" 

And our hope and comfort. 

💜

Happy Lord's Day 

I love these little feathery feet.