I. DEFINITIONS<\/p>\n
A. What Is Eternal Security?<\/p>\n
\u2022 Eternal security is the biblical doctrine stating that authentic Christians permanently possess everlasting life based solely on the gift of salvation given by God.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The eternal security of every believer is a fact that is\u2014<\/p>\n
\u2014 Initiated by God the Father \u2026
\n\u201cHe chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.\u201d (Ephesians 1:4)<\/p>\n
\u2014 Accomplished through God the Son \u2026
\n\u201cIn him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God\u2019s grace.\u201d (Ephesians 1:7)<\/p>\n
\u2014 Guaranteed by God the Holy Spirit \u2026
\n\u201cYou also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God\u2019s possession\u2014to the praise of his glory.\u201d (Ephesians 1:13\u201314)<\/p>\n
B. What Is Assurance of Salvation?<\/p>\n
\u2022 Assurance of salvation is the confidence that true believers possess eternal life and will one day live in heaven in the presence of God.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The assurance of salvation is a certainty of mind and heart for those who \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2014 Confess sin.\u2026
\n\u201cIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.\u201d (1 John 1:9)<\/p>\n
Confess means \u201cto agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00bb Agree with God that you have sinned.
\n\u201cAll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.\u201d (Romans 3:23)<\/p>\n
\u00bb Agree with God that the penalty for your sin is eternal death.
\n\u201cThe wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.\u201d (Romans 6:23)<\/p>\n
\u2014 Repent of sin.\u2026
\n\u201cPeter replied, \u2018Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.\u2019 \u201d (Acts 2:38)<\/p>\n
Repent means \u201cto change your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00bb True repentance is a change of mind about sin.<\/p>\n
\u00bb True repentance is a change of direction from sin.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Believe that the penalty for sin was paid by Jesus Christ through His death on the cross.\u2026
\n\u201cHe himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.\u201d (1 Peter 2:24)<\/p>\n
Believe means \u201cto rely on, to trust in.\u201d
\nTo believe in Jesus is not mere intellectual assent, but reliance on Him to be your personal sin substitute.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Receive and rely on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.\u2026
\n\u201cBelieve in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved\u2014you and your household.\u201d (Acts 16:31)<\/p>\n
\u00bb Lord means \u201cmaster, ruler, owner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00bb Once you ask and rely on Jesus to be your Lord (your owner), He becomes your Savior.
\n\u201cIf you confess with your mouth, \u2018Jesus is Lord,\u2019 and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.\u201d (Romans 10:9)<\/p>\n
C. What Is the Problem?<\/p>\n
\u2022 You can have the fact of security without the feeling of assurance if you don\u2019t know what the Bible teaches.
\nFor example, some churches teach that if Christians sin, they immediately lose their salvation. Therefore, even though a man may be genuinely saved but loses his temper, he assumes he also loses his salvation.<\/p>\n
\u2022 You can have the feeling of assurance without having the fact of security if your confidence is based on anything other than biblical truth.
\nActress Shirley MacLaine stood on the beach and waved at the ocean, declaring, \u201cI am God, I am God!\u201d This New Age devotee may feel assured of possessing eternal life. However, based on the Bible, she is neither God nor saved.<\/p>\n
D. What Is the Balance?<\/p>\n
The believer can have the feeling of assurance based on the fact of eternal security, which is based on God\u2019s eternal Word.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.\u201d
\n(Isaiah 40:8)<\/p>\n
II. CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO DO AND DON\u2019T HAVE ASSURANCE<\/p>\n
A. What Is the Difference?<\/p>\n
ANXIETY OVER SALVATION
\nASSURANCE OF SALVATION
\n\u2022 Guilty conscience
\n\u2022 Clear conscience
\n\u201cLet us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.\u201d
\n(Hebrews 10:22)
\n\u2022 Confusion about God\u2019s judgment
\n\u2022 Confidence in God\u2019s mercy
\n\u201cWe do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are\u2014yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.\u201d
\n(Hebrews 4:15\u201316)
\n\u2022 Works-orientation
\n\u2022 Grace-orientation
\n\u201cIt is by grace you have been saved, through faith\u2014and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God\u2014not by works, so that no one can boast.\u201d
\n(Ephesians 2:8\u20139)
\n\u2022 Legalistic lifestyle
\n\u2022 Liberty in lifestyle
\n\u201cIt is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.\u201d
\n(Galatians 5:1)
\n\u2022 Insecurity about God\u2019s view of you
\n\u2022 Security about God\u2019s view of you
\n\u201cHe has reconciled you by Christ\u2019s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.\u201d
\n(Colossians 1:22)
\n\u2022 Fear of the future
\n\u2022 Faith in the God of the future
\n\u201cI know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.\u201d
\n(2 Timothy 1:12)
\n\u2022 Feelings determining decisions
\n\u2022 Facts determining decisions
\n\u201cThere is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.\u201d
\n(Romans 8:1)<\/p>\n
QUESTION: \u201cI have been in a sinful lifestyle all my life and now wonder, How can I continue to live this way if I am really saved?\u201d<\/p>\n
ANSWER: The Bible says that those who truly belong to Christ will leave their sinful lifestyles. Salvation is based on your heart. When you humble your heart, truly repent of your sins, and entrust your life to the Lord Jesus Christ\u2014giving Him control of your life\u2014God says He will \u201cgive you a new heart\u201d \u2026 a heart not hardened toward the things of God. This doesn\u2019t mean you will never sin, but it does mean you will have a changed life. When you have a changed heart, you will have a changed life, and the Lord declares that He Himself will cause the change.
\n\u201cI will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.\u201d (Ezekiel 36:26\u201327)<\/p>\n
B. How Can You Know If You Have Salvation?<\/p>\n
SALVATION CHECKLIST
\nFrom the Book of 1 John<\/p>\n
The Bible is the best commentary to provide accurate answers to real questions. Have you wondered, Can people really know if they have eternal life? The Book of 1 John answers this question with a firm yes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.\u201d
\n(1 John 5:13)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I live by the truth, rejecting deeds done in darkness?
\n\u201cIf we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.\u201d (1 John 1:6)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I enjoy fellowship with other believers?
\n\u201cIf we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.\u201d (1 John 1:7)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I have a love for God\u2019s Word and seek to obey it?
\n\u201cWe know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, \u2018I know him,\u2019 but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God\u2019s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him.\u201d (1 John 2:3\u20135)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I reject the values I see in the world system?
\n\u201cDo not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world\u2014the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does\u2014comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.\u201d (1 John 2:15\u201317)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I look forward to the return of Christ?
\n\u201cDear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.\u201d (1 John 3:2\u20133)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I sin less than I did before I claimed to become a Christian?
\n\u201cNo one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.\u201d (1 John 3:6)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I experience opposition because of my love for Christ?
\n\u201cDo not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.\u201d (1 John 3:13)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I genuinely love other Christians?
\n\u201cWe know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.\u201d (1 John 3:14)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I truly believe in Jesus by fully relying on Him for my salvation and my future?
\n\u201cAnyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.\u201d (1 John 5:10\u201311)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I experience answered prayer?
\n\u201cDear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.\u2026 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us\u2014whatever we ask\u2014we know that we have what we asked of him.\u201d (1 John 3:21\u201322; 5:14\u201315)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do I have discernment of spiritual truth?
\n\u201cWe are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.\u201d (1 John 4:6)<\/p>\n
QUESTION: \u201cAfter I prayed a prayer for salvation, I thought I was saved but I have lost all interest in the things of God. Could I have lost my salvation or was I never really saved?\u201d<\/p>\n
ANSWER: There is no \u201cmagic formula\u201d wording that guarantees salvation. Just saying certain words for salvation does not mean you experience authentic salvation. A person can profess Christ, but not possess Christ. Salvation requires yielding your will to God\u2019s will. Many people intellectually understand who Jesus is, yet they have never yielded their will to His will\u2014they have never allowed the Lord to take ownership of their lives. That is why Jesus said, \u201cNot everyone who says to me, \u2018Lord, Lord,\u2019 will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, \u2018Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?\u2019 Then I will tell them plainly, \u2018I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!\u2019 \u201d (Matthew 7:21\u201323)<\/p>\n
III. CAUSES FOR DOUBTING SALVATION<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s assume your father purchased an airplane ticket for you to fly from New York City to London. You board the plane and take off for England\u2014you placed your faith in the pilot. Halfway over the Atlantic Ocean, you mistakenly believe the plane has turned and is heading back to New York. Question: Is your destination London or not? Your incorrect belief is not the determining factor, nor does it alter the course. The pilot and the plane are landing in London!<\/p>\n
If you exercised your faith to rely on Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, you relinquished control of your life to His control. He became the \u201cpilot\u201d of your life. Regardless of how you feel or think, your eternal destination depends on the Lord. His blood shed on the cross literally bought the full forgiveness of your sins. With that purchase came a free gift\u2014your ticket to heaven for eternity.<\/p>\n
A. Common Causes<\/p>\n
\u201cExamine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you\u2014unless, of course, you fail the test?\u201d
\n(2 Corinthians 13:5)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Questioning a childhood decision<\/p>\n
\u2022 Failing to forgive an offender<\/p>\n
\u2022 Continuing in unrepentance of sin<\/p>\n
\u2022 Lacking the willingness to change sinful patterns<\/p>\n
\u2022 Depending on church membership<\/p>\n
\u2022 Relying on personal effort and works<\/p>\n
\u2022 Lacking faith in Scripture<\/p>\n
\u2022 Expecting feelings or emotions to confirm salvation<\/p>\n
\u2022 Intellectualizing spiritual truths<\/p>\n
\u2022 Confusing backsliding with loss of salvation<\/p>\n
B. Common Question about Doubting Salvation<\/p>\n
QUESTION: \u201cWhat happens to someone who is genuinely born again, experiences a changed life, but later disbelieves \u2026 at least for a period of time? If a person stops believing, doesn\u2019t that person also stop being saved?\u201d<\/p>\n
ANSWER: No, the Bible says once you are truly born again\u2014once you receive the new birth\u2014you receive an \u201cinheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade\u2014kept in heaven for you.\u201d Every honest believer experiences periods of doubt. Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is the flip side of the same coin. Sincere doubt signifies a search\u2014a search that God honors.
\n\u201cIn his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade\u2014kept in heaven for you.\u201d (1 Peter 1:3\u20134)<\/p>\n
C. Root Cause<\/p>\n
WRONG BELIEF: \u201cI can\u2019t be sure that I\u2019ll go to heaven until my life is over and the good works in my life are weighed against the bad ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
RIGHT BELIEF: I am sure that I\u2019ll go to heaven because I have responded to God\u2019s requirement for salvation\u2014not good works, but believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and giving Him ownership of my life.
\n\u201cWhen the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.\u201d (Titus 3:4\u20137)<\/p>\n
FOUR POINTS OF GOD\u2019S PLAN<\/p>\n
Do you know how to enter into an authentic relationship with God? God has a personal plan for you.<\/p>\n
#1 God\u2019s Purpose for You \u2026 is Salvation.<\/p>\n
\u2014 God\u2019s purpose is to save you by offering you an intimate relationship with Him. He wants you to respond to Him as a trusting child, relying on Him to satisfy the deepest hungers of your heart. He wants to fulfill the purpose for which He created you.
\n\u201c \u2018I know the plans I have for you,\u2019 declares the LORD, \u2018plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.\u2019 \u201d (Jeremiah 29:11)<\/p>\n
#2 Your Problem \u2026 is Sin.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Everyone has sinned. We\u2019ve all chosen to do what we knew was wrong. The Bible says that our sin separates us from God. The penalty for sin is death\u2014spiritual death\u2014eternal separation from God.
\n\u201cAll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.\u2026 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.\u201d (Romans 3:23; 6:23)<\/p>\n
#3 God\u2019s Provision for You \u2026 is the Savior.<\/p>\n
\u2014 God\u2019s provision is Jesus Christ, God the Son, who came to earth for the purpose of dying on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. Then God the Father supernaturally raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus the Savior died for you because He loves you, and He doesn\u2019t want you separated from Him for all eternity.
\n\u201cFor God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.\u201d (John 3:16)<\/p>\n
#4 Your Part \u2026 is Surrender.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Surrender your will to God\u2019s will so that you can receive His best for you. You need a loving relationship with the Lord. Will you believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son and rely on Him alone as your personal Lord and Savior, giving Him total control of your life?
\n\u201cTo all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.\u201d (John 1:12)<\/p>\n
If the Lord is leading you now to enter into that relationship with Him, you can tell Him what is on your heart.<\/p>\n
PRAYER OF SURRENDER
\n\u201cLord God, I want a real relationship with You. I admit that I have sinned. Many times I\u2019ve gone my own way instead of Your way. Please forgive me for my sins. Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. Come into my life to be my Lord and Savior. I surrender my will to Your will. Take control of my life and make me the person You created me to be.
\nIn Your holy name I pray. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c[Jesus says] I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.\u201d
\n(John 5:24)<\/p>\n
IV. STEPS TO SOLUTION<\/p>\n
A. Key Verse to Memorize<\/p>\n
\u201cI write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.\u201d
\n(1 John 5:13)<\/p>\n
B. Key Passage to Read and Reread<\/p>\n
Occasionally a shepherd will lead his flock to a watering hole where the sheep intermingle with the sheep of other flocks. Afterward, how are they separated? The answer is simple: The sheep know the voice of their shepherd!<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.\u201d
\n(John 10:27)<\/p>\n
Read John 10:28\u201329 and see for yourself what promises Jesus, the Good Shepherd, provides.<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cI give them .\u201d
\nv. 28
\n\u2022 \u201cAnd they shall .\u201d
\nv. 28
\n\u2022 \u201cNo one can them out of my .\u201d
\nv. 28
\n\u2022 \u201cNo one can them out of my Father\u2019s .\u201d
\nv. 29<\/p>\n
QUESTION: \u201cI accept the Bible\u2019s assurance that no one can snatch a true believer out of Jesus\u2019 hand. However, because of my own sin, can\u2019t I snatch myself out of His hand of protection, as well as out of His very presence?\u201d<\/p>\n
ANSWER: No, Jesus specifically said \u201cno one\u201d\u2014not \u201cno one except yourself\u201d\u2014can snatch you out of His hand \u2026 and that includes you! In addition, notice just before those words, He said, \u201cThey shall never perish.\u201d
\n\u201cI give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father\u2019s hand.\u201d (John 10:28\u201329)<\/p>\n
C. You Can Have the \u201cBlessed Assurance\u201d of Salvation<\/p>\n
This classic hymn of the Christian faith declares the definite assurance of salvation.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
\nO what a foretaste of glory divine!
\nHeir of salvation, purchase of God,
\nBorn of His Spirit, washed in His blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.
\n\u201cIf you confess with your mouth, \u2018Jesus is Lord,\u2019 and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.\u201d (Romans 10:9\u201310)<\/p>\n
Stand on the promises of God.
\n\u201cThis is what he promised us\u2014even eternal life.\u201d (1 John 2:25)<\/p>\n
Submit to Christ\u2019s living in you and through you.
\n\u201cI have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.\u201d (Galatians 2:20)<\/p>\n
Understand that when you have Christ\u2019s life in you, you have eternal life.
\n\u201cThis is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.\u201d (1 John 5:11)<\/p>\n
Rely on God to finish what He has started.
\n\u201cBeing confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.\u201d (Philippians 1:6)<\/p>\n
Expect the Holy Spirit to confirm the truth to your spirit.
\n\u201cYou did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, \u2018Abba, Father.\u2019 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God\u2019s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs\u2014heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.\u201d (Romans 8:15\u201317)<\/p>\n
Discover the assurance of eternal security.
\n\u201cYou also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God\u2019s possession\u2014to the praise of his glory.\u201d (Ephesians 1:13\u201314)<\/p>\n
D. You Know for Certain That You Are a Christian<\/p>\n
God wants you to know whether or not you are an authentic Christian. In fact, He has devoted one whole book of the Bible to let you \u201cknow that you have eternal life\u201d (1 John 5:13). Read the Epistle of First John and notice how the word know is repeated seven times throughout this short book in order to make this point clear to you. Then evaluate your life in light of this truth.<\/p>\n
HOW DO YOU KNOW \u2026?<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cWe know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.\u201d (1 John 2:3)<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cIf anyone obeys his word, God\u2019s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.\u201d (1 John 2:5\u20136)<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cIf you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.\u201d (1 John 2:29)<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cNo one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.\u201d (1 John 3:6)<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cNo one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God\u2019s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.\u201d (1 John 3:9\u201310)<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cThose who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.\u201d (1 John 3:24)<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cWe know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.\u201d (1 John 5:18)<\/p>\n
QUESTION: \u201cI believe in Jesus, but see no indication that my life has changed\u2014so am I saved?\u201d<\/p>\n
ANSWER: The Bible says, \u201cBelieve in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved\u201d (Acts 16:31). The Greek word \u201cbelieve\u201d means more than a mental belief that Jesus is the Savior. Believe means \u201cto rely on, to trust in\u201d meaning to entrust your life to Christ, giving Him control of your life. Unless you see your need for Jesus to be your Savior and trust Him to save you, allowing Him to have ownership of you, He isn\u2019t in your life.<\/p>\n
How do you know if your prayer was sincere?<\/p>\n
\u2014 A \u201clife change\u201d may not be immediately evident, but you will have a changed life. The Bible says, \u201cIf anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!\u201d (2 Corinthians 5:17).
\n\u2014 As God works in you, your character will be more and more conformed to the character of Christ. Romans 8:29 says you are \u201cpredestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.\u201d
\n\u2014 Others will begin to see \u201cthe fruit of the Spirit\u201d in your life as evidence of the Spirit of Christ in you, producing His very life in you. \u201cThe fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control\u201d (Galatians 5:22\u201323).<\/p>\n
E. Can a Person \u201cFall from Grace\u201d?<\/p>\n
Some people look at Hebrews 6:4\u20136 and wonder, Could I lose my salvation?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.\u201d
\n(Hebrews 6:4\u20136)<\/p>\n
The key to interpreting this passage properly is found in accurately determining who is being addressed and what exactly their spiritual status is. Consider the following three interpretations of this passage:<\/p>\n
This passage refers to:<\/p>\n
Position 1: Some say that this passage refers to those who were never saved\u2014they professed Christ, but never possessed Christ; consequently, they were not authentic Christians. The problem with this interpretation is: (1) If they are not saved, from what are they falling away? (2) How could they be brought back to repentance if they had never repented in the first place? (3) This passage refers to those who had repented and were partakers of the Holy Spirit; thus, they were indeed saved. (See Ephesians 1:13\u201314.)<\/p>\n
Position 2: Some say that this passage refers to those who were saved but have \u201cfallen from grace\u201d or \u201cfallen away\u201d and have therefore lost their salvation. The problem with this interpretation is that this would mean that a \u201cbackslider\u201d would lose his or her salvation and never be able to regain it again. It is difficult to find anyone who believes that \u201cbacksliders\u201d lose their salvation forever.
\n\u201cIt is impossible \u2026 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance.\u201d (Hebrews 6:4\u20136)<\/p>\n
Position 3: This passage refers to those who are eternally saved, and therefore it is impossible for them to \u201cfall away\u201d from salvation. They can\u2019t repent again for salvation because they have already repented once for salvation. While we should all repent of any sins committed as Christians, we receive \u201ceternal redemption\u201d at our initial conversion.
\n\u201cHe [Jesus] entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.\u201d (Hebrews 9:12)<\/p>\n
Conclusion: This passage presents a truly impossible scenario: It is impossible to repent of our sins more than once in order to receive salvation, just as it is impossible to crucify Jesus for our sins more than once. And more so, it is unnecessary because the one horrific sacrifice that Jesus paid with His life paid for all our sins\u2014\u201conce for all\u201d (Hebrews 10:10). Therefore, for those who have genuine salvation, their onetime repentance for salvation secured their eternal salvation. Such salvation cannot be lost!<\/p>\n
F. From Fallacy to Fact<\/p>\n
FALLACY:
\n\u201cI know I am saved now, but I may lose my salvation if I commit some horrible sin.\u201d<\/p>\n
FACT:
\nChrist\u2019s death paid the price for all of your sins\u2014past, present, and future\u2014therefore, sin can hurt your fellowship with God, but it cannot destroy your relationship with Him.
\n\u201cChrist died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.\u201d (1 Peter 3:18)<\/p>\n
FALLACY:
\n\u201cGod saves me, but I must also do my part to keep my salvation.\u201d<\/p>\n
FACT:
\nWe do not work to earn our salvation, and we cannot do any work to keep our salvation. Rather, works are the fruit and evidence of our salvation.
\n\u201cIt is by grace you have been saved, through faith\u2014and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God\u2014not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God\u2019s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.\u201d (Ephesians 2:8\u201310)<\/p>\n
QUESTION: \u201cIf we are not saved by our works, but by our faith, why does James 2:26 say, \u2018Faith without works is dead\u2019? Does Scripture contradict Scripture?\u201d<\/p>\n
ANSWER: No! Scripture never contradicts itself. The primary purpose of the Book of James is not to communicate how to be saved, but rather to describe what your life will be like after you are saved. James lets us know that true faith in Christ transforms your character and your conduct. In other words, if there is the root of faith, there will be the fruit of faith. You do good works not to become saved, but rather because you are saved. Good works are not the means to salvation, but clearly the manifestation of salvation. Ultimately, if there are no \u201cgood works,\u201d then there is no authentic salvation. That is why James says,
\n\u201cFaith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.\u201d (James 2:17)<\/p>\n
FALLACY:
\n\u201cI am no longer in the family of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
FACT:
\nThe believer has been adopted into the family of God. In biblical times, anyone adopted could not be unadopted.
\n\u201cYou did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, \u2018Abba, Father.\u2019 \u201d (Romans 8:15)<\/p>\n
FALLACY:
\n\u201cI was saved once, but now I have fallen from grace.\u201d<\/p>\n
FACT:
\nGod is powerful enough to save you and to keep you. However, unconfessed sin in the believer\u2019s life brings conviction and may lead you to doubt your salvation. Genuine believers cannot lose their salvation because God with all His power protects those who are His possession. As a child of God, however, you need to confess and repent of the sin.
\n\u201cTo him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.\u201d (Jude 24)<\/p>\n
FALLACY:
\n\u201cI was saved, but I feel lost and unloved when I sin.\u201d<\/p>\n
FACT:
\nSalvation is based on fact, not feeling.
\n\u201cWho shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?\u2026 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.\u201d (Romans 8:35, 37\u201339)<\/p>\n
FALLACY:
\n\u201cAlthough I have been born again, I can lose my salvation.\u201d<\/p>\n
FACT:
\nAnyone who is born again cannot be unborn.
\n\u201cPraise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.\u201d (1 Peter 1:3)<\/p>\n
FALLACY:
\n\u201cI feel that Christ has left me.\u201d<\/p>\n
FACT:
\nChrist never leaves anyone who is in His family.
\n\u201cThe LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.\u201d (Deuteronomy 31:8)<\/p>\n
FALLACY:
\n\u201cI once had eternal life, but now it is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
FACT:
\nEternal means eternal \u2026 never ending.
\n\u201cI tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.\u201d (John 5:24)<\/p>\n
FALLACY:
\n\u201cI believe in Jesus, but I cannot be perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
FACT:
\nGod does not expect you to be perfect but expects you to rely on Jesus, who is perfect. The very reason Jesus became a man, lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, and was resurrected was so that you could appropriate His perfection as your own.
\n\u201cBy one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.\u201d (Hebrews 10:14)<\/p>\n
Trusting your life to Christ results in three glorious gifts of grace.\u2026 You are saved by the Savior.\u2026 You are sealed by the Spirit.\u2026 You are secured by the Father for safekeeping until the day you inherit your home in heaven and see your Savior face-to-face! This is God\u2019s guarantee for you.
\n\u2014June Hunt<\/p>\n
\u201cYou also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God\u2019s possession\u2014to the praise of his glory.\u201d
\n(Ephesians 1:13\u201314)<\/p>\n
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION\u00ae. NIV\u00ae.
\nCopyright \u00a9 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n
We acknowledge that mistakes could occur in the writing of any of our resources or an omission may be
\nfound in the many Scripture references and citations contained herein. Although the editors have sought
\nto avoid all errors, some may have crept in or been overlooked, for which we take full responsibility.
\nThe considerate reader would render us a great service by calling our attention to any such error.<\/p>\n
The Biblical Counseling Keys should not be construed as a substitute for one-on-one, Christ-centered counseling when needed.<\/p>\n
To order CDs, tapes, resource books and additional Biblical Counseling Keys on Atheism & Agnosticism,
\nChild Evangelism, God: Who Is He? Jewish Fulfillment, Salvation, Unbelieving Mate, and other related topics, contact HOPE FOR THE HEART P.O. Box 7 Dallas, TX 75221 or call toll-free 1-800-488-HOPE (4673).
\nPlease visit our website for License Agreement and Terms and Conditions.
\nwww.hopefortheheart.org<\/p>\n
All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form without written permission from HOPE FOR THE HEART.
\n\u00a9 1991\u20132008 HOPE FOR THE HEART<\/p>\n
@book{Hunt_2008,
\nplace={Dallas, TX},
\ntitle={Biblical Counseling Keys on Assurance of Salvation: Safe, Sealed, and Secure},
\npublisher={Hope For The Heart},
\nauthor={Hunt, June},
\nyear={2008}}<\/p>\n
Exportiert aus Verbum, 00:40 16. Februar 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I. DEFINITIONS A. What Is Eternal Security? \u2022 Eternal security is the biblical doctrine stating that authentic Christians permanently possess everlasting life based solely on the gift of salvation given by God. \u2022 The eternal security of every believer is a fact that is\u2014 \u2014 Initiated by God the Father \u2026 \u201cHe chose us in … <\/p>\n