“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14)

This passage is often quoted in reference to the different roads traveled by unbelievers as opposed to believers.  Unbelievers are said to be on a broad road with many fellow travelers, all on the way to their destruction.  Believers on the other hand are a small segment of humanity and are on a narrow road to salvation.  This difference is further defined by some as pertaining to our behavior.  The unbeliever’s gate is wide and his road is broad, supposedly indicating that there’s room for all kinds of sinful behavior, while for the believer it’s a small gate and a narrow road suggesting that there’s very little latitude for misbehaving.  A careless step or two and you may find yourself being rerouted onto the broad road.

If you look at these 2 verses alone it’s easy to understand why so many see them this way.  But in the context of the chapter a different picture emerges.

In Matthew 7 the people in focus all claim to be believers, and the emphasis is on their fruit.  The Lord began by admonishing us against judging others,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matt. 7:1-2)

Verses 3-5 have to do with judgment within the community of believers.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

We’re all sinners and hypocrites who have a tendency to pounce all over even the “minor” sins of others while ignoring our own massive list of transgressions.  Why is it that those who test the Lord’s patience to the max are often the most acrimonious in their accusations of others?

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? (Romans 2:1-3)

Intolerant, judgmental believers are convinced they’re defending the faith and that they’ll receive the commendation due them from the Lord. But these verses indicate quite the opposite.

As much as we ignore the warnings in verses 3-5,  our disregard for verse 6 is even more glaring.  It has to do with our attitude toward unbelievers.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”

Expecting the unbelieving world to conform to our moral standards is ridiculous. And yet to the world the church is known primarily for its holier-than-thou hypocrisy in doing just that.  Like the Pharisees of old we demand that others live up to behavioral standards we ourselves don’t keep.  For example studies show that our divorce and abortion rates are no different from theirs.  And it’s a known fact that we indulge in more than our share of adultery, theft, gluttony, avarice, greed, and so on, as well.

It’s like we have forgotten all about the Lord’s advice that the best way to convert the world is for the Church to become what it was meant to be, an agent of His love (John 13:34-35).  Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:4) It’s God’s kindness and mercy that bring people to Him, not threats of condemnation.

Some think it’s persecution when unbelievers pass laws that contradict our beliefs and restrict our freedoms while promoting the freedom of others.  But maybe it’s just them turning on us for the way we’ve pushed our beliefs on them, like the Lord said they would.

In Matt. 7:7-12 the way to salvation is explained to us. It’s summarized in verse 8.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done.  If you ask for it, you’ll receive it. It’s this message of hope that’s needed for our time, not judgment and condemnation.

I don’t think it’s an accident that in verse 10 the Lord asked, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?” The comparison of bread with a stone takes us back to the Wilderness Temptation when Satan challenged Him to turn stones into bread.  He replied, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4) God’s Word is life, and Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35).  Stones are dead. If we ask for life will the Lord give us death instead?

But the comparison of a fish to a serpent symbolizes the central thought of the entire chapter.   The fish  stands for Jesus and became the symbol of His followers.  The serpent stands for Satan.  Jesus called the leaders of His day’s organized religion children of the devil (John 8:44),  who with their insistence on a mindless obedience to their laws (Isaiah 29:13) rather than faith in a coming Redeemer, made their converts twice the sons of hell as they were (Matt. 23:15). They had turned God’s love into a tool of the devil, and sadly there are many in the church still doing the same thing today.

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.(Matt 7:12)  The phrase Law and Prophets was a Jewish idiom for their Scriptures, the Old Testament. While we think of the Golden Rule as a New Testament idea, Jesus said it summarized the Old Testament as well.  If you don’t want to be judged, don’t judge.  If you don’t want to be condemned, don’t condemn. If you want mercy, be merciful. If you want to be forgiven, forgive.  If you want to receive, give. (Luke 6:36-38)

There’s a reason why verses 13-14 are in the middle of the chapter and not the beginning or the end.  Up till now we’ve been looking at misdirected believers who think they’re defending the faith but instead will find themselves defending fruitless lives at judgment time.  Now we’ll see examples of those who claim to be in the Church, but will actually be left behind when the Rapture comes.

Matt. 7:15-23 warns us against following false prophets, saying, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ 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, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matt. 7:22-23)

Appearing to perform miracles in the Lord’s name does not make someone His follower, so we shouldn’t blindly accept them as such, but should inspect their doctrine.  Remember Satan will appear to perform miracles and will deceive many.  (2 Thes. 2:9-10)  Only those who do His father’s will can claim the Son, regardless of what else they say or do.  And what is the father’s will? Here’s the Lord’s answer.   “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

Nowhere is the Father’s will as it regards our salvation stated more clearly.   Anyone who adds any requirement or qualification to this declaration (or takes anything from it) is a false prophet even if they perform miracles in the Lord’s name.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matt. 7:24-27)

Here is the Lord’s summary statement complete with one final comparison, this one aimed at the liberals.  In Matt. 16: 16-18 Jesus called Peter’s confession that He was the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Living God, the rock on which He would build the Church.  Paul wrote that the rock Moses struck to provide water for the Israelites represented Christ. For they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. (1 Cor. 10:4)   From ancient times, the priest would call God’s people to worship saying, “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” (Psalm 95:1)  And today we sing, “On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

A doctrine of salvation that’s built upon anything other than the personal relationship with Jesus that comes from being born again rests precariously on sinking sand. (John 3:3)  He alone is the foundation of our faith, and unless our salvation is built exclusively upon this Rock, it will be of no avail to us when we stand before Him on that Day.

From the context of the chapter, we can see that the Lord’s topic was salvation.  We don’t deserve ours so we shouldn’t judge others when it looks to us like they don’t deserve theirs.  We have no right to think of ourselves as being better than unbelievers, so we shouldn’t try to impose our values on them.    We received our salvation simply because we asked for it in faith.  There was no merit or worthiness involved, nothing to commend us.  But we should be very wary of those who would propose alternatives to salvation by grace through faith alone, whether by adding to or subtracting from it, even if they perform miracles.

Now let’s go back to verses 13-14.   Each of the two roads is thought by its travelers to be the way to salvation.  But the name engraved above the wide gate is Works and multitudes who call themselves Christians are striving to get there. They run the gamut from extreme legalism to extreme liberalism, but have in common a belief that it’s their behavior that saves them.

The legalist proudly proclaims, “Jesus may have begun my salvation, but I finished it.  I have kept the commandments and no longer sin. I have earned the right to call others to account for their behavior.  How else will they learn?”

The false prophet says, “I’m a miracle worker, just like the Lord was. Who can doubt that I’m His.”

The artificially modest liberal says “I’m a good person and I’ve tried to live a good life. There are many roads to salvation and as long as we’re sincere in what we believe, the Lord will understand and accept us.”

None of them realizes the road he’s on leads to destruction.

But at the end of the narrow road stands a small gate on which the word Faith is inscribed.  As we come alongside the few travelers on this road we can hear them softly singing,

“Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”

This is the road to Life.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  Selah.  07-18-09

If you follow our “Ask a Bible Teacher” feature, you know how many comments I’ve received lately that question the Doctrine of Eternal Security (aka Once Saved Always Saved or OSAS). Based on their content I’ve concluded that many people neither understand OSAS nor have they considered the alternative.

Let’s Begin At The Beginning

It’s time to set the record straight once and for all. What does it take to be saved? I think the best answer to that question is the one the Lord gave in John 6:28-29.

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Here was a perfect opportunity to list all the things we have to do to meet God’s requirements. Jesus could have rattled off the 10 commandments. He could have repeated the Sermon on the Mount. He could have listed any number of admonitions and restrictions necessary to achieve and maintain God’s expectations of us. But what did He say? “Believe in the one He has sent.” Period. It was a repeat of John 3:16, confirming that belief in the Son is the one and only requirement for salvation.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

A few verses later in John 6 He said that this wasn’t just His idea, as if that wouldn’t be enough, but that His Father was in complete agreement. And not only would our belief suffice to provide us with eternal life, but that it was God’s will that Jesus lose none of those who believe. You and I have been known to disobey God’s will, but has Jesus ever done so? And isn’t He the one who’s been charged with the responsibility for keeping us? Let’s read it.

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:38-40)

Just in case we missed this promise, Jesus made it again even more clearly in John 10:28-30. “I 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’s hand. I and the Father are one.” The Father and the Son have both accepted responsibility for our security. Once we’re in Their hands, no one can get us away.

I have purposely only used words straight from the Lord’s own mouth to make this case because I can already hear the choruses of “Yes Buts” mounting as those who refuse to take them at face value get ready to trot out their favorite verses denying Eternal Security, misinterpreted though they are.

The one characteristic of God’s that gives us the most comfort is knowing that He can’t lie or change His mind or contradict Himself. He can’t say something in one place and then say something entirely different in another. He’s consistent. If He says that we’re saved solely because of our belief in Him, and that He’s accepted responsibility for keeping us so, then we can count on that. As we’ll see, anything in the Bible that seems to contradict these simple, straightforward statements has to be talking about something else.

But first, since He puts so much emphasis on belief, let’s take a closer look at that word. What does He mean when He says “believe”? It must be more than just a casual thing because reliable statistics show, for example, that 85% of those who come forward to “receive the Lord” at a crusade or other evangelistic outreach never form any connection with a church or Bible Study or in any other way demonstrate a relationship with the Lord afterward.

And Jesus spoke of the seed that fell on rocky places. He said, “This is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.” (Matt. 13:20-21) If these people were saved and then fell away, all His promises above have been broken. There must be more. So what does it mean to believe?

The Greek word for believe is “pistis.” According the Strong’s Concordance, it’s a “conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it.” In connection with the Lord Jesus, it means “a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God.”

The Apostle Paul gave us valuable insight into the nature of this belief. He wrote, If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” 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. (Romans 10:9-10)

This isn’t just some intellectual thing that carries us away on the words of a captivating speaker, only to leave us flat a short time later. It’s a conviction that’s formed deep in our heart, the realization that Jesus is not just a man. He’s the Lord Himself, and He took upon Himself the penalty due us for our sins, which is death. And to prove that God counted His death as sufficient, He raised Jesus from the dead to be seated beside Him in the Heavenly realms. (Ephes. 1:20) Since God can’t dwell in the presence of sin, and since the wages of sin is death, every one of our sins has to have been paid for. If even one remained unpaid, Jesus would still be in the grave. We have to believe that Jesus rose from the grave in order to believe that we will.

It’s that kind of belief that gets you saved and keeps you that way, because it sets in motion a chain of events that’s irreversible. There are four links in this chain. You supply two and the Lord supplies two. You hear and believe, and the Lord marks and guarantees.

And you 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’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

The word translated “deposit” is a legal term. Today we would say Earnest Money. It’s a down payment that constitutes a legal obligation to follow through with the purchase. If you’ve ever bought any Real Estate, you’re familiar with the term. If not, here’s another example. It’s like we’ve been put on “lay away.” The price has been paid and we’ve been taken off the display shelf until the one who has purchased us returns to claim us. In the mean time we cannot be bought by anyone else, because we legally belong to the one who has paid the deposit. “You are not your own,” we’re told. “You were bought with a price.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

All of this happened at our first moment of belief, before we could do anything to either earn or lose our position. The man on the cross beside Jesus is the prototype for this transaction. Having done something bad enough to get himself executed, he was promised a place in Paradise solely because he believed in his heart that Jesus was the Lord of a coming Kingdom.

Paul made it even clearer when he repeated this incredible promise in 2 Cor. 1:21-22. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

This time He removed all doubt as to just Who it is that keeps us saved. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. What could be clearer?

Union And Fellowship

If the Doctrine of Eternal Security is so clear then why all the disagreement about it? I’ve found two reasons. The first is the two-sided nature of our relationship with the Lord. One side is called Union and is Eternal and Unconditional, based only on our belief. Ephesians 1:13-14 describes our Union with God, sealed and guaranteed. Once we’re born again, we can’t become unborn. It’s good forever. The Holy Spirit is sealed within us from our first moment of belief until the day of redemption.

The other side is called Fellowship and it’s a bit more complicated. Fellowship is that state of continual closeness to God that enables Him to bless us in our daily lives, by making things happen for us and protecting us from attack. It’s like He’s teamed up with us to give us a supernatural advantage. Fellowship is defined by 1 John 1:8-9 as being both Earthly and conditional upon our behavior. Even as believers, as long as we’re here on Earth we’ll continue to sin. Since God can’t abide in the presence of sin, our unconfessed sins interrupt our Earthly relationship with Him and may deprive us of blessings we might have otherwise received. We’re still saved in the eternal sense, but out of Fellowship here on Earth.

When we’re out of Fellowship, we’re legitimate targets for our enemy’s mischief, just like Job was. His sin was self-righteousness and because he wouldn’t confess it, God had to let Satan afflict him in order to bring him to his senses. For a New Testament illustration, look at the parable of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32) Like the younger son, we’ll still belong to our Father’s family, but won’t receive any of its blessings while we’re out of Fellowship. And like both Job and the Prodigal, when we return to our Father and confess our sins, we’re immediately purified from all unrighteousness and restored to Fellowship.

One reason that many Christians live such defeated lives is that having only learned about the Union part of being a believer, they only know that God has forgiven their sins and that they’ll go to be with Him when they die or are Raptured. They don’t realize that they still need to confess every time they sin to stay in Fellowship. And so, being deprived of God’s providence, they may become discouraged and even stop praying and attending church. Other believers, who don’t understand the dual relationship either, look at the mess they’re in and think they must have lost their salvation. Like Job’s friends, they look in God’s Word for confirmation, and by taking verses out of context, believe they have found the proof.

Union and Fellowship are not just New Testament ideas. In the Old Testament, even when Israel was being obedient in thought and action, doing their best to please God, the priests still had to sacrifice a lamb on the altar every morning and every evening for the sins of the people. 1 John 1:9 is the New Testament equivalent of those daily sacrifices for sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. It was written for believers who are already saved, but are in danger of being out of Fellowship because of their sins.

The Gift And the Prize

The other reason people get confused is that there are two types of benefits in Eternity. The first is the free Gift called Salvation that’s given to all who ask in faith irrespective of merit and guarantees our admission into the Kingdom. Ephesians 2:8-9 is the model, saying that salvation is a Gift from God.

The second consists of Heavenly rewards we can earn for the things we do as believers here on Earth. Philippians 3:13-14 are good verses for explaining this. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. In addition to the Gift, there’s a Prize.

A gift is something given out of love, irrespective of merit, and is never taken back. A prize, on the other hand, is something we qualify for and earn. And if we’re not careful we can lose it. (Rev. 3:11) Paul had already received the Gift of salvation, it was behind him. Now he was focused on winning the Prize as well.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 he explained the difference in greater detail. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

No Olympic athlete was satisfied just to have qualified to participate in the games. Everyone wanted to win the victor’s crown. Likewise, we shouldn’t be satisfied just to have received the Gift of salvation. We must now live our lives as believers in such a way as to win the Prize as well.

The Bible calls some of these prizes crowns, and while the athlete’s crown soon wilted away (it was a wreath of ivy) the crowns believers can win last forever. They’re worth making some sacrifices for. That’s why Paul said, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor. 9:27) The crowns are identified as the Everlasting Crown (Victory) in 1 Cor 9:25, Crown of the Soul Winner in Phil 4:1 and 1 Thes 2:19, Crown of Righteousness in 2 Tim 4:8, Crown of Life in Jas 1:12 and Rev 2:10, and the Crown of Glory in 1 Peter 5:4.

The difference between the Gift and the Prize is also seen in 1 Cor. 3:12-15. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

At the judgment of believers, the quality of our work on earth will be tested by fire. Only work that survives the test will bring us a reward. But notice that even if all our work is destroyed in the fire, we’ll still have our salvation. Why? Because it’s a free Gift, given out of love, irrespective of merit.

The Lord mentioned other rewards as well. In Matt. 6:19-21 He advised us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

There are things we can do as believers while here on Earth that will cause deposits to be made to our heavenly account. Some believe that this passage refers to the way we use the money we’re given. Do we use it to enrich ourselves, stacking up possessions that far exceed our needs? Or do we use it to further the work of the Kingdom? Here’s a hint. Our tithe is what we owe to God. It’s what we do with the money we have left that really counts. And with the measure we use, it will be measured to us. (Luke 6:38)

To summarize, in the New Testament there are verses like Ephesians 1:13-14 that talk about Union. There are verses like 1 John 1: 8-9 that talk about Fellowship. There are verses like Ephesians 2:8-9 that talk about the Gift and there are verses like 1 Cor 9:24-27 that talk about the Prize.

Those that stress belief, explain the permanent nature of our bond with God, and are directed toward eternity are Union verses. Those that involve grace and faith are Gift verses. Those that require work and are directed at the quality of our lives on Earth are Fellowship verses, and those that require work and involve eternal rewards are Prize verses.

When you view Scripture from this perspective, all of the apparent contradictions disappear and you no longer have to wonder why God seems to be saying one thing here and something different there. The issue becomes one of correctly identifying the focal point of the particular passage you’re looking at. Determine the context by reading verses around it, and assign it to one of the four categories.

Give Us An Example

Hebrews 6:4-6 is a passage often cited in opposition to Eternal Security. The entire letter is to Jewish believers who are being enticed back into keeping the Law, so the context is New Covenant vs. Old. And in verse 9 the writer hints that he’s been talking about things that accompany salvation. That tells us that verses 4-6 are not related to salvation but things that accompany it. More importantly the idea that a believer could do something to irretrievably lose his salvation is in direct contradiction to the very clear promise that the Holy Spirit is sealed within us from the very first moment of belief until the day of redemption.

So what could these believers be in danger of falling away from due to their sins? Fellowship. And what could prevent them from being restored? The practice of Old Covenant remedies for sin rather than invoking 1 John 1:9. They’d be relegating the death of the Lord to the same status as that of the twice-daily lamb. The Law was only a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves. Once the Reality appeared, the shadow was no longer effective. And what would be their penalty? Living a defeated life, bearing no fruit, all their works burned in the judgment of 1 Cor. 3. But still saved? Yes. Hebrews 6:4-6 is a Fellowship passage.

Suppose There Is No Security?

In closing, let’s look at the alternative. What are we faced with? If Hebrews 6:4-6 for example applies to our salvation then if we ever sin after being saved we’ll be lost forever with no way back, because the Lord would have to be crucified all over again to retrieve us. The New Covenant would be worse than the Old, not better. They were condemned for their actions. According to Matt. 5 we’d be condemned for our thoughts. They couldn’t murder. We couldn’t even be angry. They couldn’t commit adultery. We couldn’t even have a lustful thought. Think of it. No anger, ever. No lust, ever. No envy, ever. No idolatry, ever. No favoritism or discrimination, ever. No impure thoughts or deeds of any kind, ever. Is this the Good News, the incomparable riches of His Grace? Did God become man and die the most painful death ever devised only to put His children into an even more untenable position than before? Are we saved by grace only to be placed under the constraints of an even more severely administered law? I can’t believe so.

Some take a more moderate view of this saying that God would never take back the gift of salvation, but that we can return it. To justify this position they have to put words in the Lord’s mouth. When He says in John 10:28, “No one can snatch them out of my hand,” they have to insert the phrase “but us” after “no one”. Same with Romans 8:38-39.

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. They have to insert the phrase “but us” after “in all creation”.

None of this defense of Eternal Security is intended to condone sin. As an indication of our gratitude for the gift of salvation, believers are continually admonished in Scripture to live our lives in a manner pleasing to God. Not to earn or keep it, but to thank the Lord for giving it to us. And to help us do that, the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in us to guide and direct us, and to pray for us. Since the Spirit of God lives in us we are no longer controlled by the sin nature and can choose to please God by the way we live. And even though we do this out of gratitude for the Gift He’s already given, which is Union with Him, He blesses us both here on Earth (Fellowship) and in Eternity (the Prize). Selah 10-07-06

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. (Colossians 1:21-23)

Over and over the Pharisees and teachers of the Law had told them how God expected them to live, and a lot of it was down right impossible. So one day the people asked Jesus point blank what they must do to do the work God required of them. (John 6:28) It was a perfect opportunity for the Lord to specify every detail of God’s “do list” for humanity, His non-negotiable standards for admittance into His Kingdom. Would He tell them to get out pen and paper and be ready to write while He repeated the 10 commandments, or the 613 laws of the Torah? How about the Sermon on the Mount? How would He answer humanity’s central question concerning our responsibility to our Creator?

“The work of God is this,” He replied, “To believe In the One He has sent.” (John 6:29) That’s it! That’s all He said. Believe in the One He has sent. Entrust your eternal destiny to the completed work done on your behalf by God’s Son.

Throughout the New Testament this unmistakably clear answer would be repeated. For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast. (Ephe. 2:8-9)

If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as gold or silver that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect. Through Him you believe in God, Who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, so your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:18-19, 21)

But when 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. (Titus 3:4-7)

How much clearer can it be? Our faith has saved us, and even that was a gift from God. He gave us the faith to be saved without cost or condition. Maintaining that faith is the only thing we have to do. Indeed it’s the only thing we can do, because holding on to our faith is the only effort we can exert that isn’t counted as work. Anything else we do in a misguided effort to improve or perfect our position before Him is religious work and devalues the incredible price He paid so that we could have it for free. It shows Him that we don’t think He finished the job.

So it’s not what you do that matters, so much as what you believe. The work that God requires is that you will hold on to the faith you’ve been given, to nurture it and to protect it from the hollow and deceptive philosophy that depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Col. 2:8) These deceptive philosophies fall into two categories I call Gospel Plus and Gospel Minus. Remember, they all claim to be Christian.

The Gospel Plus

These are the religions that add to what Jesus did. They legislate behavior just like the Pharisees did, with rules and regulations you must obey or risk losing everything. In effect they’re trying to convince you that Jesus only began the salvation process at the cross. It’s up to you to complete it by behaving in ways that meet with their approval. Some of them say that Jesus paid for all your sins up to the moment you were saved, but after that everything’s on your head. It’s like you got a free gift but have to earn the right to keep it. Your subsequent behavior will either keep you saved or cause Him to revoke your salvation, and once it’s revoked you can never get it back. Others would have you believe that His grace will only come into play after you’ve done everything possible to save yourself.

The Gospel Plus religions would have you believe that He loved you enough to die for you while you hated Him, but once you gave Him your heart He started turning the screws to make the rest of your life miserable. Any slip on your part can lock you out forever. So no matter which way you look at it, the Gospel Plus means it’s really all up to you.

The Gospel Minus

These folks don’t believe you have to claim the Lord’s death for yourself at all. Rejecting the notion of a personal Savior, they contend that He died for everyone, so we’re all going to heaven. Some say that those who aren’t saved can sit down with the Lord after they die and work things out. Others even say that Christianity is only one of the many roads to Heaven so it doesn’t matter who or what you worship as long as you’re sincere.

Both these views mount a serious attack on the clear and straightforward truth of the Gospel, making complex that which the Lord gave His life to keep simple. Paul says that it’s our job to resist these attacks, to not let either view cause us to waver from the truth that we’re saved because of what we believe, not because of how we behave.

The Shepherd And The Sheep

Throughout His ministry, the Lord characterized Himself as the good shepherd. Everyone who’s worked with sheep knows how they’re prone to wander, and that it’s the shepherd’s job to bring them back. There’s no behavior on the part of a sheep that would convince the shepherd to abandon it. And so it is between the Lord and us.

“This is the will of Him Who sent me,” He said, “That I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the son and believes in Him shall have eternal life and I shall raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:39-40)

He made our salvation possible and then did everything necessary to provide it without cost. All that remains for us is to receive it and believe it. If there was any way that we could save ourselves, surrender or lose our salvation, or get to heaven without receiving it in the first place, then at best the Lord was overstating His role in our lives and at worst saying something that simply isn’t true.

Abide In Me

In John 15:4, the Lord Himself made reference to this again. Abide in me and I’ll abide in you, He said. Some have interpreted this as describing a state of obedience on our part, as if an ongoing relationship is contingent upon our behavior. But the Greek words translated continue in Colossians 1:23 and abide in John 15:4 come from the same root and mean “to remain.” They describe the condition of our faith not the manner of our behavior. Abiding in Him means continuing in our faith, relying on His promises, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

Sola Grazie, Sola Fides, Sola Scriptura

Only by grace, only through faith, only from Scripture. This was Martin Luther’s great epiphany, and it became the battle cry of the Protestant Reformation. But God’s enemies are not so easily defeated and sadly both the Gospel Plus and Gospel Minus philosophies eventually crept into the Protestant Denominations, and you’ll find elements of both scattered through out Christianity today.

So no matter where you attend worship on Sunday mornings, or even if you don’t, the best way to make sure you’re saved is to cling mightily to the simple truth of the gospel. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, he was buried, and He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. (1 Cor. 15:3-4) If you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. (Rom. 10:9) That’s all there is. He gave you the faith to believe it, and if you believe it, you have it. Selah 09-04-05

And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt. (1 Samuel 18:3-4)

The making of a covenant was serious business. It was the strongest bond known to men, and had both business and personal applications that extended even to the descendants of the two parties involved. A covenant was typically solemnized by great ceremony and ritual, some of which is mentioned in the passage above. All in all it went like this.

First, several animals were cut in half and arranged along a path. Their purpose was to symbolize the penalty for breaking the covenant. The two men entering into a covenant relationship walked between and around the animal parts in a figure eight. (An eight on its side is the symbol for infinity.) This was to show that they understood and accepted the penalty and that the agreement committed them forever. (When God entered into His covenant with Abraham, giving him the Promised Land, He was the only one who walked between the animals. This meant that only He was bound to the terms. There was nothing Abraham had to do. In fact, God put him to sleep so he couldn’t participate. The land was given to Abraham and his descendants unconditionally and in perpetuity.Gen.15)

Seven Symbolic Steps

Then they performed up to seven ceremonial acts; each also designed to underscore the seriousness and permanence of the relationship they were entering. In the passage above, David and Jonathon formalized their covenant with the first two of these, and it appears that the performance of any two of the seven was sufficient to render a covenant effective.

1.

Each man handed his outer garment to the other, symbolizing that everything belonging to one also belonged to the other.

2.

Exchanging sword, bow, and other weapons indicated that each was pledging himself to the other’s defense; placing his power, as it were, at the other’s disposal.

3.

They each cut themselves in the wrist to make their blood flow and then joined their right hands and forearms together in a gesture from which we get the modern handshake. The idea here was that the blood from one was now mixed with the blood from the other. The two had become one. In some cultures a bride and groom still cut themselves and mingle their blood this way, and the American Indian notion of becoming “blood brothers” is also derived from this. (The Hebrew word translated covenant literally means to cut so that blood flows. It could apply to the animals, the men, or both.)

We use the phrase, “blood is thicker than water.” It usually refers to the strength of family relationships, but its original intent was different. It meant that the blood of the covenant surpassed the birth waters. Covenant relationships exceeded family ties in strength and durability.

4.

They let the cut heal in such a way as to leave a visible scar on their wrist. This was to alert people that they were stronger than they appeared to be, since others stood behind them pledged to their defense.

5.

They shared a ceremonial meal, usually of bread and wine. It was another way of uniting them since to this day middle-Easterners believe that sharing from the same loaf of bread or the same flask of wine binds the participants together. Melchizedek and Abraham shared such a meal.

6.

Still another way was for each to take a portion of the other’s name, similar to the way the bride takes the name of the groom in Western culture. (When God entered into a covenant with Abram He changed his name to Abraham, requiring us to exhale when we speak his name. The exhaled breath symbolizes the Ruach Elohim or Spirit of God that the Lord breathed into Adam upon his creation.)

7.

And finally they built a monument or memorial to the ceremony. This could be something as simple as a pile of stones or as complex as a forest or a flock of animals, such as when Jacob and Laban formed their covenant.

They went through such ceremony because their lives depended on their covenant partners. There could be no doubt in their minds as to each other’s reliability.

A Hypothetical Example

A shepherd had to get his wool into the hands of the merchants. But they lived in the cities and his sheep had to stay in the mountains. He couldn’t just leave them and go off to sell his wool, the sheep would be gone when he returned. Still, he needed the things he could only buy with the money he got from selling the wool. So he entered into a covenant with a wool broker. The broker took his wool into the city and sold it to the merchants. With the money he got, he purchased the things the shepherd needed and brought them back to him.

The shepherd had to trust that the broker would guard the wool with his life, and get the best price possible for it at the market. He also had to believe that the broker would pay as little as necessary for the goods he brought back, protecting them all the way as if they were his own. The broker had to trust that the shepherd would care for his flock and maximize his wool production so that when he came back there would be another crop to sell. It was an inter-dependent relationship built on trust.

And One From Real Life … 2 Samuel 9

Some time after David and Jonathon formed their covenant, Jonathon was killed in the Battle of Beth Shean, while David went on to become King of Israel. But as I said, covenant agreements extended even to the descendants of covenant heads. One day King David asked his advisors if there was anyone left of Jonathon’s family to whom he could show kindness for Jonathon’s sake.

They brought in one of Saul’s former servants who told him of a crippled boy named Mephibosheth. He was Jonathon’s son, living in a place called Lo Debar. When David had become King of Israel, all of Saul’s family (Jonathon was Saul’s son) had fled for their lives for fear that David would take revenge on them for the way Saul had treated him. In their haste to escape, his nurse had picked up the 5 year old Mephibosheth to carry him, but they had fallen on the stone floor, breaking his legs and crippling him for life. (2 Sam. 4:4) As he grew up his family had convinced Mephibosheth that David was responsible for his condition and still wanted to kill him.

Upon learning Mephibosheth’s whereabouts, David sent his soldiers to fetch him. When they brought him into the presence of the King, Mephibosheth, fearing for his life, asked if David was going to kill him now. David reassured him and told him of the covenant he had with Jonathon. Then David restored to him all of his grandfather Saul’s property and gave him servants to work the land so his needs would always be met. Finally David asked him to come live in Jerusalem, and eat at the King’s table just like one of the King’s own sons.

It’s a beautiful story of kindness and forgiveness that illustrates the depth of a covenant relationship like no other, and it has a parallel in our lives. Just think of David as God our Father, Jonathon as the Lord Jesus, and Mephibosheth as you and I.

The Everlasting Covenant

Long before we were born the Father and the Son entered into a covenant on our behalf. Our Father said to Jesus, “Son, if you’ll die for them I’ll forgive them”

Jesus replied, “Father, if you’ll forgive them I’ll die for them.” And so the Everlasting Covenant was formed.

Each time God had entered into covenant with man, man proved untrustworthy and soon broke it. Adam ate the forbidden fruit, Noah’s descendants refused to scatter and re-settle the Earth, the Children of Israel broke the commandments, and so on. The salvation of God’s children was so important to Him that no mere man could be trusted to be faithful, so God Himself had to become a man so mankind could be saved. “You are my son,” He told Jesus, “Today I have become your Father.” (Psalm 2:7)

So Jesus became a man to save mankind, and stood before our Father as our covenant head.

Later, while God pursued us, we ran for our lives. We’d heard the stories of His wrath and had been told that He was responsible for our infirmities. Finally one day He caught us and as we trembled at His feet in fear of our lives, He reassured us and told us of the covenant He had made with His Son. Then He restored our inheritance, invited us to dwell with Him, to eat at the King’s table with His family, and to consider ourselves as His children.

What Did He Ever Do For Me?

Then He told us what His Son did for us. He said that Jesus

1.

Gave us His robes of righteousness and clothed Himself in our garment of sin.

2.

Pledged His sword (the Word of His mouth) to our defense.

3.

Had His wrists cut, and healed so as to leave scars as evidence of the covenant.

4.

Allowed His blood to flow into and over us, cleansing us of all our impurities.

5.

Shared a covenant meal with us and asked that we do this with each other as a memorial to Him.

6.

Gave us His name, for we are called Christians.

7.

Built a monument, His covenant flock, and said the gates of Hell would not prevail against it.

And as in Abraham’s case, all we have to do is receive it. It’s unconditional and perpetual.

Justice Or Mercy?

I used to think that John had misspoken in 1 John 1:9. Instead of saying of God, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness,” I thought John should have written, “He is faithful and merciful …” thinking that it’s out of God’s mercy that we’re forgiven, not His justice. Than I learned about the Everlasting Covenant and realized that He’s obligated to forgive us. He made a covenant with His Son promising to do it. And He can’t break His promise because He’s faithful and just.

The Son has died for us, and now the Father must forgive us, and when He does, all our sins and the shame and guilt that go with them are wiped away. Like Mephibosheth, our inheritance is restored, we’re set for the rest of our lives, and we sit at the King’s table as one of His children. By the way, Mephibosheth’s name means to scatter, or cast away, shame. It’s what the Lord has done for us. Selah 02-20-05

The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Your servant has nothing here at all,” she said, “Except a little oil.”

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the doors behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

She went and told the man of God and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

What’s That Mean?

A man had served the LORD by joining the group of people who assisted Elisha the prophet. (You remember, Elisha was the one after Elijah.) This service obviously limited his income and at his death he not only had no inheritance to leave, but also had gone into debt. Now it was the duty of his family to repay his creditor.

Having no property or money, they were facing indentured servitude, a legal form of debt repayment in those days. But since there were no jobs for women back then, the sons becoming slaves left the widow with no means of support. It was a huge problem for which they had no remedy, miraculously solved by the LORD’s supernatural increase of her small supply of oil, a valuable commodity. He told her to ask her neighbors for as many jars as she could get. When He was finished filling them, there was enough oil to pay off all their debts and support them for the rest of their lives.

Now they hadn’t done anything to earn this. It was a gift by the Grace of God, and it far exceeded their wildest expectations, solving not only their current problem but preventing any future reoccurrence as well. They were set for the rest of their lives, and all they had to do was ask.

Concealed In The Old…

Paul wrote, “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) It’s a statement of enormous significance to New Testament believers because it explains that the history of Israel, the Old Testament, is filled with events that are meant to instruct us in the ways of the LORD. It’s there to encourage us as well, as we bring a New Testament perspective to Old Testament events. The story of the widow and the oil is a great example, and even though it really happened, it can be interpreted like you would a parable where every character and thing represents something else.

The widow and her sons can represent Israel. Ever since the LORD had Moses anoint Aaron with special oil in creating the Levitical Priesthood, oil has traditionally been used to symbolize the Holy Spirit. And the empty jars stand for unregenerate man just as they do in Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine.

Revealed In The New.

Spiritually speaking, when the Messiah came Israel was as a destitute widow and her sons were facing lives in slavery to sin. It was a huge problem for which they had no remedy. The only presence of the Holy Spirit to be found was in Him (John 7:37-39). He told His disciples to go into Israel and all the world baptizing all who would come in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As He filled them (John 20:22) and they in turn filled others the availability of the Holy Spirit expanded to meet the need. Since then, every new believer is filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment of belief (Ephe. 1:13-14). There is always enough to fill each one and there always will be for as long as people come. As each one comes and is filled, our debts are paid (past sins are forgiven) and our appointment with slavery is cancelled. What’s more, we can never be indebted again (our future sins are also forgiven) so we’ll never have to fear the loss of our salvation (2 Cor. 1:21-22). We’re set forever, and all we had to do is ask. When all who desire have come, the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit ends, and we are whisked off to our eternal home with the Lord.

Are you as amazed as I am at the New Testament theology in this passage from 2nd Kings? Here is salvation by grace, the remission of sin, the redemption of the soul, the gift of life, and eternal security all rolled up and tied off in one neat package. Of course you have to know something about the New Testament to see it. And if you didn’t know the Old Testament you wouldn’t know enough to look. Proof again that the Bible isn’t two books, it’s one. And those who only read half, no matter which half, are missing the point. Remember what’s contained in the Old is explained in the New, and what’s concealed in the Old is revealed in the New. Better read the whole thing. Selah 8-10-03

It is impossible for those who have been once 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. (Hebr 6:4-6)

Any in depth discussion of the doctrine of eternal security will eventually include these verses and I have seen countless otherwise competent teachers stumble all over themselves in trying to explain them. On its face the passage seems to say that someone who has accepted the Gospel and received the Holy Spirit can not only fall away, but in doing so renders any return to faith impossible. What a scary thought that is. But strangely that and other similar interpretations abound in Christianity today. Here’s my take on it.

One of the rules of interpretation is to use verses in which the point is clear to define the more obscure ones. So you’d think with all the crystal clear verses promising eternal security, that commentators would say, “We must be missing the intent of this one.”  Our Lord is not some trickster Who says something openly in one place and then tucks His true feelings into the fine print elsewhere. One of the measures of the inspiration of Scripture is its consistency.

But some folks can’t resist the temptation to use as a club for beating us into submission that which the Lord gave as a gift to release us from bondage. And so they take a whole stack of verses that say we’re saved forever and use this one to throw them all away.

The Testimony Of Two Witnesses

“And you 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’s possession – to the praise of His glory.” (Ephe.1:13-14)

This verse alone should have put an end to any argument, crammed as it is with legal wording and without a single weasel clause (conditions written into agreements that can modify or even annul them). The Greek word translated deposit means “earnest money” in our society and denotes a legally binding obligation to perform. Home buyers often write weasel clauses like “subject to inspection” or “subject to obtaining reasonable financing” into their earnest money agreements so they can escape from their obligation to purchase if things don’t work out. Notice that Ephe 1:13-14 contains no such conditions.The word translated “guarantee” needs no clarification. And for how long is the guarantee in force? “Until the redemption of those who are God’s possession,” in other words till we’re raptured or resurrected.

But there’s another passage in Hebrews a few chapters later where (if those who deny eternal security are correct) the same author who wrote our opening verse seems to blatantly contradict himself. It culminates with ” … because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebr. 10:1-14)

This passage speaks of the permanent and eternal changes brought about by our Lord’s substitutionary death that rendered obsolete the temporary and temporal provisions of the law. Put this together with the Ephesians passage and you have to conclude that you were saved at the first moment of belief and that the Lord has promised to keep you that way forever. Your behavior had nothing to do with getting you saved and it has nothing to do with keeping you that way. We behave the way the Lord wants us to out of gratitude for what we’ve been given not for fear of losing it.

So That’s What That Means

Hebrews 10 actually explains the context of 6:4-6. The letter was written to Messianic Jews who had received the gospel but were now being counseled by false teachers (called “Judiazers”) not to stop practicing their temple rituals. These Judiazers were trying to combine the practice of the Levitical system with the Gospel. To gentile believers they were teaching the need to first submit to to the rituals of Judaism before embracing Christianity, and to Jewish believers they were teaching the need to stay in Judaism. The Holy Spirit’s rebuttal for Gentiles is contained in Acts 15, and for Jews He had someone (probably Paul) write the Letter to the Hebrews.

The issue in Hebrews 6 is not salvation but fellowship. Since believers go on sinning even after they’re saved there has to be an ongoing cleansing process to remain in God’s presence. For Christians this process is confession as called for in 1 John 1:9-10, but for Jews it was the daily sacrifice. When Jesus came He rendered the Law obsolete by fulfilling it, so the daily sacrifice the Judiazers were prescribing would no longer cleanse a believer from his ongoing sin. Confession was now the only way to demonstrate repentance.

Placed in that context the passage is correct and the contradiction disappears. It is impossible to be brought back to repentance (fellowship) by killing a lamb, and sinning believers who sought this remedy would remain in their sins and out of fellowship with God. (The phrase “if they fall away” in Hebr. 6:6 means if they fall back into the rituals of the law.) Still saved, they would like the Prodigal Son be estranged from their Father and receive none of the blessings that remaining in His presence would bring. Any attempt to restore themselves to fellowship by any means other than sincere confession would not only be futile but would subject the Lord to public disgrace by implying that His remedy for sin was insufficient or incomplete.

They Aren’t All Dead Yet

The Judiazers were 1st century proponents of legalism; the process of earning your way to salvation. And there are still plenty of them around. Today they prescribe various forms of penance and good works in place of sacrificing lambs but the idea is the same. They teach that our Lord’s hideous and painful death was not sufficient to save you and keep you; that there is much left undone that you must do. And even though He loved you enough to bring you life when you were still dead in your sins, He’ll now discard you without redress if you don’t toe the mark.

As my friend Hal Lindsey once said, “These people should be horsewhipped from their pulpits for trying to make expensive that which the Lord gave his life to make free.” Sound a little harsh? Read John 2:15. “So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the Temple area, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” The only times the Lord ever showed His wrath during his visit here was when confronting the leaders of organized religion. The writer of Hebrews also noted that He is never changing “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” If so maybe Hal’s wish will come true someday soon.

Periodically we take on difficult or controversial issues in these articles and resolve them through scripture. In each case we begin from the perspective that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and as such cannot be self-contradictory. So if we think we see a contradiction, the problem’s with our understanding, not God’s Word.

How secure are you?

One of the controversies in the Church has been whether our salvation is irrevocable once given (eternal security), or whether we can by word or deed lose or reject it (conditional security). It’s an issue that has plagued the Church from the beginning.

What School Did You Attend?

Among those Christians who even consider the issue (tragically, many don’t) there are essentially two schools of thought.

The Doctrine of Election holds that you didn’t choose God, He chose you. Since you didn’t choose to be saved, you can’t refuse or reject salvation (irresistible grace, it’s called). God chose you and He chose you forever. This view confuses Israel, who didn’t have a choice about a relationship with God, with the Church, who did (Rom 11:25-29). It’s a child of Replacement Theology.

The Doctrine of Agency holds that anyone can choose to be saved, but since you chose to receive salvation, you can later lose or reject it by word or deed. Some proponents of this view also contend that if you ever do lose or reject it, you never get another chance.

These positions are both right in what they assert; Election – you’re saved forever; and Agency – it’s your decision (Ephe 1:13-14). They’re both wrong in what they deny; Agency – you’re not saved forever; Election – it’s not your decision

The controversy probably stems from man’s difficulty in understanding two basic truths; the unconditional nature of God’s love, and the relationship between God and time (2 Ptr 3:8-9).

First His Love

Regardless of your theological position, one thing is clear from reading the Old Testament. In all God’s attempts at relating to His creation, none was successful. This was due to the basic flaw caused by man’s fall in the Garden; his inherent sinfulness. Man is simply not able to meet God’s standards, so sooner or later God had to go away to avoid destroying him altogether. He loves us so much He can’t let us be hopelessly lost, and yet He can’t violate His laws to save us. It’s an impossible situation. This is why, when Peter asked, “Who then can be saved,” the Lord answered, “With man this impossible but not with God.”(Mark 10:27)

In order to be a Father to His children, He had to find a way to eliminate the sin problem that was neither contingent on our behavior nor contrary to His law. And He had do it once and for all. The brutal fact is that if He had made any of our salvation conditional on our subsequent thoughts or deeds, we would all have been irretrievably lost within 24 hours.

Contained in the Old, Explained in the New

You say, “Why then is the Old Testament full of the stories of man’s disobedience followed by God’s judgement? Isn’t that the pattern He’s is showing us?” Good questions. Here’s the answer;

The Old Testament was before the cross and
the pattern was to teach us that nothing but the cross could satisfy God’s requirements (Acts 4:12).

In 4000 years of the most elaborate system of religious works ever devised (the Lord Himself officiating over much of it) with buildings costing more than anyone could afford today, not a single person was saved until our Creator’s own blood was shed on the cross. Obviously, some were born and died before that event, and others would be born and die afterward, so He had to make His death suffice for all time (Hebr 7:27). Because of this, all anyone ever needed to do was ask in faith to receive. Anyone can ask, and all who ask receive. It is His work that saves and keeps us, not ours.

It’s About Time

On the matter of time, the understanding from science has come only in our generation, long after both of these theological views were formed. Simply put, time is a physical property, to which only physical beings are subject. God is a spirit, not a physical being. He doesn’t just have lots of time, He’s not governed by time at all. He can see the end from the beginning, and everything in between. He knew every sin of your life before He created the Earth. He also knew you were going to ask Him for forgiveness for all those sins. When He went to the cross He took all your sins with Him, and paid for them there, so that when you asked He could immediately forgive you. (Even the faith to ask was a gift from Him.)

Holy and Blameless, Without Spot or Blemish

If you’ve asked Him to be your Savior there is no sin you can commit in your lifetime that will cause Him to revoke your salvation, because there is no sin that He doesn’t already know about. And that means there is no sin He hasn’t already paid for. If He gave you the faith to ask, He will use that same faith to sustain you. As He died, He said, “It is finished.” He was talking about the work of saving you.

Some of the confusion regarding the permanence of our salvation comes from our failure to distinguish between the two facets of our relationship with the Lord; union and fellowship.

Basis and Status

Union describes the basis of our relationship and is explained in John 17:20-23. The summary of the passage is verse 23; “I in them and You in Me.”

Ephes 1:13-14, and 2 Cor 1:21-22 clearly state that at the moment of belief we’re united with God and the Holy Spirit is sealed inside us as “a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” In John 17:23 Jesus claims to be in us as well. Since the Father is in the Son and the Son is in us then the Father is also in us. Father, Son and Holy Spirit; all in us. Union.

Fellowship defines the status of our relationship at a given point in time. Are we together frequently and conversing often, or has something come between us, causing us to be estranged from one another?

The Need for Both is Clear

The Lord wants us to learn the lessons taught by Israel, first that the most concerted effort ever put forth by man could not produce a single life good enough to meet God’s standards for righteousness.

But even so He still wants us to live in a way that is pleasing to Him, obeying His laws and receiving His blessings. He knows we’ll be happier and live longer, better lives that way. And that’s the second lesson.

Of course we can only be truly free to live happy blessed lives, if we’re not constantly afraid of losing everything, and yet our sin nature will cause even the best of us to fall short on many occasions. So He made sure that His promise of Eternal Life could be kept irrespective of our merit by paying the whole price Himself, and then made it irrevocable by sealing Himself inside us. The old hymn calls it “Blessed Assurance.” He calls it union.

You Still Sinning?

And He made sure that when we continued to sin by breaking His laws even after being saved we could restore our relationship simply by confessing our sins and asking His forgiveness. Its called maintaining fellowship and He made it possible by paying for all the sins of our lives in advance.

Who You Calling Stubborn?

He knew that being stubborn and rebellious creatures, we would sometimes deny our sins, justifying our behavior and refusing to repent. Since He never could tolerate sin, He knew that this would interrupt our fellowship and require Him to withdraw His blessing temporarily (its called discipline). He hopes this will prompt us to repent and confess our sins so we can be forgiven and restored, having no fear of being refused or rejected. (1 John 1:8-10)

There are two reasons so many Christians live defeated fruitless lives. Either they’ve been taught a doctrine that omits any reference to Holiness so they live out of fellowship and don’t even know it; or they’ve been convinced that they’re somehow beyond God’s forgiveness and therefore can’t restore their relationship with Him. Both ignore the admonition and promise of
1 John 1:8-10 and are main battery weapons in Satan’s artillery.

The Lord’s Prayer

So next time you pray “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” you’ll know you’re asking to be restored to fellowship after being angry with someone who’s wronged you. You’ve forgiven them and can now be forgiven for your anger (Matt 6:14 ). Justified or not, anger’s a sin (Matt 5:22)

And Then There’s Hebrews 6:4-6

And the next time you read this famous passage, you’ll know that the writer was warning Messianic Jews that if they went back to sacrificing lambs for their sins (falling back into Jewish ritual) it would be impossible for them to restore their fellowship with the Lord. The shadow had been replaced by the reality. He wasn’t threatening them with irretrievable loss of salvation but with loss of fellowship.

How Do You Know This?

There are several places we could look to for support for this idea, but perhaps the clearest is in the parable of the Prodigal son. It’s found in Luke 15:11-32 if you want to review it. Two points are critical. When the son demanded the right to leave his father’s house and go his own way, he didn’t stop being his father’s son, and when he finally came to his senses and returned, his father welcomed him back with celebration. Union was never broken and fellowship had been unconditionally restored.

When you gave your heart to Jesus He gave you the authority to become a child of God (John 1:12). Since you are His child, you are also His heir (Gal 4:4-7) and your inheritance is eternal life (Titus 3:7). Your unconfessed sins will interrupt your fellowship with God, but you can never stop being His child.

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

There’s always been a pattern in the way God deals with man’s disobedience. This pattern was first seen in the Garden, appears repeatedly in the lives of the Patriarchs, in the history of Israel, and is found all through the New Testament. Disobedience brought consequences, but confession brought forgiveness and a new beginning.

Take the case of Abraham. The Lord had said to him, “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go into a land I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). But Abraham took his father, his nephew Lot, and all their families, traveling only as far as Haran, about half way, where they remained for several years. Later he continued, again with Lot and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, finally arriving in Canaan many years after they first started out (Gen. 11:31 and 12:4-5).

After that they left again, for Egypt this time, where they acquired Hagar, an Egyptian handmaiden, and got into trouble with Pharaoh for lying about Abraham’s relationship with Sarah. Then, after waiting 18 years for the Lord to give them a son, Abraham and Sarah decided to take matters into their own hands. Hagar became the first surrogate mom in recorded history, giving birth to Ishmael. And so Abraham, the first man to be called a Hebrew, caused the birth of the first Arab. The problems that created continue to this day.

Are You Going to Obey Me or Not?

Variations on the same theme continue in the lives of Isaac, Jacob, 11 of his 12 sons and ultimately in the history of the nation they founded. In fact the entire Old Testament can be summed up in one question. “Israel, are you going to obey Me or not?” (The answer was clearly no.)

For example, the land was given to Israel without condition (Gen.17:7-8), but to live there in peace and prosperity, they had to obey the Laws He gave them. When they didn’t, the Lord either permitted their enemies to rule over them or had them taken from the land altogether. Once these consequences were experienced and they had turned back to Him, the Lord helped them defeat their oppressors and return to their land.

Disobedience, consequence, confession, forgiveness, new beginning: the pattern was repeated with the Philistines, Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Assyrians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans. Their latest (and final) return, from the Roman expulsion, became official in 1948 and continues.

Why is He so Forgiving?

Why, when they continued to make the same mistakes over and over did He always take them back? The answer is in Ezekiel 36:22. It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. It’s because He promised He would and His integrity is at stake. It was an eternal and unconditional promise and their worthiness is not at issue.

The writer of Hebrews called Abraham a towering example of faith, omitting any mention of these acts of disobedience in summarizing his life (Hebr. 11:8-12). And Paul described Abraham as one whose faith was credited to him as righteousness, and who never wavered through unbelief (Rom 4:3, 20). It’s as if his acts of disobedience had never happened.

In Jeremiah 31:31-34 God promised a New Covenant that would permit Him to forgive their wickedness and forget their sins. That’s why there’s no mention of Abraham’s disobedience in the New Testament. The New Covenant has come and the Lord is making good on His promise to forgive all who ask and forget all we did.

“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). His mercies are still new every morning. He has promised to accept all who believe, irrespective of their worthiness. “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). He’s also promised to forgive us whenever we confess our sins, even after we’re saved. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) These are unconditional promises, given by One Who cannot lie. His integrity is still at stake. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebr. 13:8).

Are You Going to Believe Me or Not?

Just like He did with Israel, the Lord made eternal and unconditional promises to the Church. These promises were signed in His own blood, but even so, doubters ignore or re-interpret them, attempting to steal away our certainty. Turns out the New Testament can be summed up in a single question, too. “Church, are you going to believe Me or not?” Selah 02-04-00

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

This verse from the old hymn obviously refers to the Lord in His position as King of Kings. But did you know that you may also receive multiple crowns? There are five crowns mentioned in the New Testament and they’re given to believers immediately after the Rapture. A hint of this is found, right after the promise that we’ll be kept from the coming tribulation, in Rev 3:11. “Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown.”

The crowns are identified as the Everlasting Crown (Victory) in 1 Cor 9:25, Crown of the Soul Winner in Phil 4:1 and 1 Thes 2:19, Crown of Righteousness in 2 Tim 4:8, Crown of Life in Jas 1:12 and Rev 2:10, and the Crown of Glory in 1 Peter 5:4.

And You Thought the Emmys Were Something

The Award Ceremony described in 1 Cor 3:12-15 clearly distinguishes these crowns from the free gift of Salvation by sequence and purpose. The Gift of Salvation is granted at the moment of belief (Ephe 1:13-14) before any behavior, good or bad, has occurred and marks the beginning of our new life. The events of 1 Cor 3 take place on the Believers’ Judgment Day, and reflect the fruits of our life after salvation. It’s important to realize that everyone involved in this ceremony is a believer (vs. 15). Simply put, salvation is the gift at the beginning that makes it possible for us to earn the crown at the end.

I Want One Of Those

The requirements are explained in 1 Cor 4:5. If the motives of our hearts are pure when we perform certain “acts of righteousness,” we may be earning one or more of these special prizes. But if there’s any thought of personal recognition or of earning some special credit for ourselves, we’re disqualified. The Lord told us in no uncertain terms; if we perform for the praise of men, we’ve gotten all the credit we’re going to get. If we keep our good deeds secret He who sees all things will remember and reward us (Matt 6:1-4).

Matters of the Heart

The only permissible motive in earning these crowns is what I call an “attitude of gratitude.” Selfless acts of love performed for no other reason than to express the gratitude we feel for the free gift of salvation we’ve received. Both the reactions of others and the immediate outcome are irrelevant. It’s the one area of our life where we’re not held accountable for results as long as the motive of our heart is pure.

I’m persuaded that our Lord’s ways are so different from ours, and our motives so difficult for us to discern, it’s impossible to tell what we may be earning. And the minute we try we’ve probably disqualified ourselves anyway. Hence the admonition in 1 Cor 4:5. “Judge nothing before the appointed time.”

The Gift and the Prize

Understanding the difference between the Gift (Salvation) and the Prize (Crowns) gives you great advantage in interpreting scriptures that speak of these things. The words themselves hold the clue. One doesn’t earn a gift. It’s freely given out of love with no strings attached. And it’s never taken back. So it is with our salvation.

A prize on the other hand is something you qualify for and work to earn. It’s a reward for behavior, and if it’s later determined that you violated the rules and should be disqualified, it can be revoked. So it is with our crowns. “Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown.” (Rev. 3:11)

When you understand that the Bible is God’s Word and therefore can not contradict itself, you know that if He says even once that our salvation is guaranteed, then its guaranteed. He can’t say it is in one place and then say it isn’t in another. If it appears that way, He has to be talking about two different things. And sure enough, He is. When He speaks of the gift of salvation, it’s unconditional irrespective of behavior. (2 Cor 1:21-22) When He speaks of the rewards we can earn, He’s speaking of our crowns. (Phil 3:13-14)

Where’s My Crown?

By the way, what do you suppose we do with these crowns, once we get them? According to Rev 5:10 we immediately turn and, bowing before His throne, place them at His feet. In so doing, we acknowledge that even our acts of service were made possible because of His gift to us.

If you’re working to earn the gift He’s already offered for free, you’re wasting your time and your life, and missing out on the joy of service. If you’re working to enhance or preserve His gift you risk offending Him, saying His effort was not sufficient. If you’re overwhelmed by the fact that He has accepted you just as you are, and just can’t restrain yourself; passing His love along every where you go with out any thought of reward, then one day soon He will crown you with many crowns.