Welcome to my blog. Today we start a wonderful section on eternal security. The certainty of our salvation is one of the great comforting promises of scripture. It is our hope! Yet the topic remains controversial even among Christians.
Why is eternal security so important?
Our eternal security helps us throughout life by:
· Protects our minds – The knowledge of our salvation and a better future life helps us through every step of our lives to maintain joy despite difficult times.
· Hope– Knowledge of our salvation provides good wellbeing as shown by Teleios (1-3). It is difficult to have hope in our earthly or heavenly future and good wellbeing if you don’t even know you are truly saved. Eternal security is the helmet of our salvation, protecting our minds (
Ephesians 6:17) and the anchor for our souls as we face difficulties on earth en route to eternity with God (
Hebrews 6:19).
· Service – Eternal security allows us to better serve God as it is hard to be a joyful servant if we lack confidence that we will ever really be with God. Such doubts can sap our energy and turn our thoughts from serving God to ourselves. We can only serve fully when we have a confident secure foundation (
Colossians 1:9-14).
· Christian Growth – Knowledge of our security is necessary for progressing to maturity in the Christian life as exemplified in
1 Thessalonians 1:5-7. We may not feel we deserve salvation (actually we do not – it is God’s gift through Christ) and it may fight against our nature and upbringing; yet as Christians we must live by the facts of Scripture and its blessed truth. Eternal security provides confidence of our relationship with God.
What are the evidences of our eternal security?
These are on at least five levels. Will cover the first two of these important biblical concepts in this blog and then the rest over the next several blocks.
· Direct statements to our eternal security – At least several key verses directly indicate a believer who has trusted in Jesus Christ by faith for his salvation is eternally secure, are the following:
o 1 Peter 1:4-5 – To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
o John 10:29-30 – My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.
o 1 John 5:10-13 – He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
o Romans 8:28-39 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
· Perseverance – This theme is vital because it indicates that God alone, and not us, causes us to endure to salvation. Even if we wanted to change our position in Christ, or if we make mistakes, He causes us to persist to eternal life. Thanks be to God – it’s all based on Him not us! Here are some key verses (KJV):
o 2 Timothy 1:12 – For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
o Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
o 1 Corinthians 1:8 – Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
o 1 Thessalonians 5:23 – And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you for joining me. What a great promise God has given us that we are forgiven and secure in Him for those saved by faith In Christ precious death on the cross for our sins. However, we're just getting started! We will consider some biblical reasons behind security in the next several blogs, to Hopefully these blogs over eternal security will add greater confidence and joy to your life.
William C. Stewart, MD
1. Stewart WC, Adams MP, Stewart JA, Nelson LA. Review of clinical medicine and religious practice. J Relig Health Mar 2013;52:91-106.
2. MacIlvaine WR, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2013;19:251-255.
3. MacIlvaine WR, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Association of strength of community service to personal wellbeing. Community Ment Health J 2014; 50:577-582.
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