"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" ( Romans 8:31 )
Up until recent years the Farmer and I both struggled with the Christian doctrine of "eternal security," known in reformed circles as "preservation and perseverance of the saints," and to others in stark, plain language as "once saved, always saved."
Personally, I'm fond of the term "blessed assurance." Fanny Crosby's 1873 timeless hymn "Blessed Assurance" was written, ( music by Phoebe Knapp ) as the title affirms, for the very purpose of encouraging believers of their security of eternal life in Christ as we watch and wait for that day, continuing until then to be transformed into the image of Christ. The beloved hymn reflects such Scriptures as Hebrews 10:22-23:
"let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."
And John 10:28: "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, no one will snatch them out of my hand."
Interestingly the Farmer and I began to grasp the truth of "blessed assurance" at the same time; however, true to our usual form, through different reasons from the Scriptures.
What we did share in common was a misunderstanding of salvation. Our confusion, and more to the point, ignorance, of what took place at Calvary in the first place was the very thing leading us to our wrong conclusion: that it was possible for a true believer to fall away or to walk away from Christ.
As new believers, I'd have to say most of us, if not all, are unaware of what has actually transpired in our hearts and on the cross. It's deep. Eventually the truths of Scripture are revealed to us as we feed on God's Word. Salvation and assurance go hand in hand. I believe the Bible teaches us that it is impossible to separate them.
And I believe the best place to settle this matter of assurance is in a passage many commentators call the greatest in all of Scripture, the "golden chain," found in Paul's letter to the Romans:
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." ( Romans 8:28-29 )
Whom God foreknew ( not 'what' he foreknew, but 'who' he foreknew ) 'fore' meaning before the foundation of the world as shown in Ephesians 1:4, 'knew' Paul is using as the Old Testament Hebrew writers used the word 'know' - as in an intimate sense, as in Adam 'knew' his wife.
So, God fore-loved us.
The text goes on to say that those God foreknew, he predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.... this is the believer's sanctification process. ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 )
Not to get too technical, but it's important to know because its a clue to how God has designed his salvation; we are sanctified at the moment of conversion with a "positional" sanctification - it's all in there, everything we need, we're born that way, or better said, "born again" that way, like a little acorn with everything compressed inside of its small hull to grow into a mighty oak.
And then the Holy Spirit begins to help us "work it out" - ( this part of the process biblical scholars refer to as "progressive" sanctification. ) The Holy Spirit helps us to become what we are. Isn't that beautiful? Even though it certainly isn't without growing pains.
The Holy Spirit does all of the heavy lifting, but he isn't going to do it without us. ( Philippians 2:12 ) Just like we love our young grandchildren to help us at the farm. Of course we could do it ourselves, but what a joy it is to have those eager little hands working beside us through the daily chore list. God supplies the power, and we are his fellow workers. ( 1 Corinthians 3:9 )
Now look carefully at the next verse: "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." ( verse 30 )
Remember that I said "justification" is a once for all legal act of God declaring us righteous the instant we put our trust in Christ that continues in our on-going sanctification process, Christ-like transformation, in this life and will be completed in the eternal state in glorification!
Justification is not because of our good works. It is entirely a work of Christ. If salvation comes through our works then we are adding to God's grace and grace ceases to be grace and is something we have earned for ourselves. And we have something to boast about, but Romans tells us a different story.
In Romans we see God is the One foreknowing, predestining, calling, conforming, justifying, and glorifying.
And even though Romans lays out these events in a procession, like a golden chain; they are at the same time like a "bundle package" each with a separate purpose, but all part of the whole. In other words, you don't get one without the others.
Glorification is fulfilled in the the future, in the eternal state, when God "puts the final touches," so to speak, on his children, and we become holy and blameless before Him. Praise God. It is when our battle with sin, the flesh, the world, and the devil is finally over forever and ever. Amen!
God does it all from start to finish.
Do you want to argue with that?
Look at the next verses: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can. be against us?" ( verse 32 ) It is clear from the context, Paul is talking about our salvation! Next verse:
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"
Do you think God is going to drop us? No way. He's already given his Son for us. Next verse:
"Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn?"
God justified us. Who in the world can come against God the Father Almighty? and condemn us? He has declared us justified. Think about this: God has justified us. God has declared that we are righteous in Christ.
Romans 8:1 tells us "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." It is impossible according to the Word of God for us to come under condemnation again. If we are condemned, God's Word isn't true. And God's Word is true! God doesn't lie.
Next verse:
"Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." ( verse 34 ) Do Christ's prayers fail? I dare say not.
If you're a Bible reader, you probably know the rest of the chapter. Paul goes on to list all of the things that don't have a snowball's chance in hades of separating us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And if you think he left anything out, Paul adds at the end, "nor anything else in all creation." In case we're still holding onto the notion that we can take ourselves out of God's "golden chain" of redemption. We can't. Friends, we simply do not have that kind of power. And seriously, does anyone want to do that?
I know this raises some questions.
"What if this argument for assurance gives someone who isn't truly saved false hope?" and "Doesn't this doctrine give people a license to sin?"
Concerning the later question: All I can say is that if you come to faith in Christ by the power of regeneration of the Holy Spirit, you will not want to sin or displease God because you understood at conversion that you were a sinner in need of Christ's forgiveness and beyond thankful for it. Your persistent guilt and shame and need were the very things that drew you to him in the first place by God:
"Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him." ( Luke 15:1 ) "And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." ( v.2 )
Secondly on false converts, I don't believe there could be a more crucial concern raised. I agree. We live in a church culture of "easy believism" where the smallest speck of anything even remotely religious or good counts as "Christianity." So this question can't be underestimated.
Paul strongly advises in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to examine ourselves to see if we are, in fact, in the faith. The shortest, and I believe clearest, answer is the one we looked at last blog in Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector:
A genuinely humble, grieving attitude over our sin against a holy God whose grace and mercy we desperately need and would be lost without, and an assuming of that posture every day of our Christian lives is where the true Christian life begins and remains until glorification.
We are called to repent and believe, and this does not stop at salvation. It is a way of life for us, not to keep us saved, but done because we are saved. Again, it is what will flow out of the heart of a true believer.
Good works are crucial in a believer's life, but they are the fruit, not the root. We don't do them to be saved; we do them because we are saved. In other words, the good works that flow out of our hearts after conversion are the proof of our salvation.
Think of Jesus with the sheep on one side of him and the goats on the other at the final judgement in Matthew 25:31. Those who are given eternal life are the sheep who cared for their brothers and sisters in Christ. "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me. It was just like caring for Christ himself because he is part of the Body. Jesus Christ is the Head.
This was the assurance they were his - they cared for each other when they were hungry, sick, in need of shelter and clothing, imprisoned. They didn't do these works to keep their salvation, no, they did them because they were saved. And the text suggests that they didn't even know it - they just did it. These works just flowed out of them. They weren't doing the works to be seen by men, but for the Lord in response to all he had for them by the grace of Christ.
"So does this mean someone who falls away from the faith wasn't ever saved?" Perhaps, but we have to be careful with this question because saints of God still sin and struggle with sin in our sanctification process. Scripture makes this clear. The Holy Spirit is transforming us into the image of Christ - it's a lifelong process. And it is possible to "fall away from grace" as Paul indicates in the Book of Galatians and slip back into a works righteousness mentality that is so tempting to our human nature because we like to pride ourselves on our spiritual work ethic.
We are not sinless, I've heard it said, but we should "sin less." And Christians can fall into some deep sin - that's why the daily means of grace or spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, meditation, prayer, gathering and doing life with our church family, evangelizing, and suffering with our dependence entirely on Christ is so very important. It's our lifeblood as a believer and follower of Jesus.
I believe the Bible clearly teaches us that if someone is a true believer, Christ will bring them back to the fold and if they weren't, we need to pray continually that they repent and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.
Finally, I believe we need to ask ourselves this question: "On what am I basing my salvation?" Christ righteousness with some of my good works added? Or maybe we're basing it on a decision we made for Christ at summer camp or an evangelistic crusade. Is our salvation based upon Christ alone? Upon his willing sacrifice for our sins? Or am I trusting in my own faith to finish up the job and keep myself saved?
Friends, if we don't have the ability to save ourselves in the first place, then we certainly don't have the ability to keep ourselves saved. If we had the power and ability to keep ourselves, why on earth would we need Christ to die for us? We could have just done it. Except we can't. If eternal security is left up to us, we're all going down with the ark. But thank God it isn't! And this final analysis was what sealed the deal for me.
Please see Romans 8, John 10, John 17, and the entire Book of 1 John which was written for the main purpose of giving the believer assurance of their salvation. It's a beautiful read.
However, the matter of blessed assurance was "forever" settled in the Farmer's heart one day when his eyes popped open as he read the most famous and well-known Scripture in the Bible. John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
"God himself gives us eternal life when we believe in Jesus," he said with amazement like it was the first time he'd ever heard the gospel truth. "Eternal means forever; it doesn't end. If it gets taken away then it wasn't truly ever eternal to begin with, meaning that it really wasn't "forever" and God is a liar. And 'God is not a man that he should lie.'"
I reminded him that this truth also corresponded with what Jesus said in John 10:28, ( notice that there are 'three' promises of assurance packed into this little verse - it's dynamite ) Jesus is speaking - read it again:
"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
And you can't snatch yourself out of Christ's hand - you don't have that kind of power. ( Remember what Paul said in Romans 8:39, "nor anything else in all creation" ) Don't read your meaning or personal theology into the text - let the words stand. Let them stick. Don't do harm to Jesus's beautiful promise. Receive the truth of blessed assurance.
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever! If the Holy Spirit leaves us, no matter how we imagine that can possibly happen, then it wasn't forever, was it? And Jesus doesn't lie either. Just like you were born in a physical birth once, you're born in a spiritual birth only once. You can't be "born again" again.
One day the Farmer said to me, "You know if it was possible to lose your salvation the poor angels in heaven who rejoice every time a sinner comes to faith in Christ would never get a break. "Hey everyone, don't sit down yet, John just got saved again." I'm not making this up. lol Who thinks of that? My Farmer.
This is our story. This is our song.
Praising our Savior all the day long.
Blessed assurance Jesus is mine.
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.
💜
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." ( John 10:27-28 )
"In him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." ( Ephesians 1:13-14 )
Sorry for the length, but the doctrine is worthy.
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