ETERNAL SECURITY STUDY

We have heard so much through the years about eternal security that it seems good to make an overview of those scriptures that may or may not apply. But before we get too involved we must first determine what is salvation. We know that God is represented in Scriptures and in practice as one God, but having three personages, that of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We know also that we people are also of three natures, body, soul, and spirit. When we consider salvation, we need to know what is our interest, salvation of our body, that of our soul, or that of our spirit. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 AV)

Scriptures tell us that the “fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Jesus bodily, and ye are complete in Him. ”Col. 2:9-10. From this we can conclude that any of our needs for salvation can be received from Jesus, personally. The only restriction to what we receive from Him comes from what we ask, or fail to ask; what we believe, or what we do not believe; what we need, or what we do not need; what we will use and why, or what we will not use and why. There is always purpose in what God does, or what He will not do. All things are possible with Him, but not all things are probable. We must not presume what God will do or not do, but with faith trust Him to do what is best for His purpose which is to love everyone. The sin of presumption is based upon fleshly lusts: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” (2 Peter 2:9-10 AV)

So, now we have some guidelines to work with to consider salvation. Are we talking salvation of our body? Jesus can heal us, but why? We want to use our body to serve Him? If so, how? Or, shall we leave that up to Him? Are we really sincere, or do we just want to get out of the pain and sickness? Now we are getting down to business with God, and this is only about our body. What about our soul and spirit?

Where we go from here is to see that for our total salvation, body, soul and spirit, we must be properly motivated. We may even be required to show God how determined we are to serve by going to work without any assurance of salvation at all; God may prove to us that we are really sincere, and to bring us to a point of total commitment to Him before we are saved. So it was with Jesus’ disciples. At this point we will have submitted body in service, soul in service, and spirit in service. In due time He will shower the servant with the Grace of sonship, a work of total salvation, body, soul and spirit, by the indwelling Christ providing rebirth into a new creature, a temple of God for His Holy Spirit.

Now, this new child of God will continue God’s work for God’s glory, and as he asks for helps of God, they are available, again depending on the need, use, and motive. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13 AV) With this infilling of The Holy Spirit (baptism with the Holy Ghost) comes a number of enabling spiritual gifts suited for the ministry. At this point in the convert’s life, he can now walk in the Spirit, that he will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. According to the Apostle John, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1 John 3:9-10 AV) The Lord said He would never leave us nor forsake us. So as long as His seed remains in us we are His, and cannot commit sin, nor fulfill the lusts of the flesh. It remains at this point that we are eternally secure in Him, because it is He that does the keeping through our commitment. “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 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.”(2 Timothy 1:11-12 AV)

In the old covenant the Spirit of God did not dwell within God’s people; He dwelt AMONG them as He chastened and encouraged them to keep His laws and statutes. They would promise, fail and repent in a never ending struggle with obedience and with punishments. They had God’s promise of Messiah to come, but they still failed. If they had all as some did, receive Jesus, Messiah, they would have received the same indwelling Spirit of the Holy Ghost as we have today, keeping us from failure. Because of their failures, we find two particular words in the Old Covenant that do not appear in the New, and one word in the New that does not appear in the Old.

The two words found in the Old and not in the New are, backsliding and rebellion. A true, born again Christian will not backslide, nor will he rebel against God. Why? Because God is dwelling within him and is keeping him as a father keeps a son, that he will not be lost, neither will he commit sin.

The one word found in the new and not the Old is conscience. “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” (1 Peter 3:21 AV) “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14 AV) We see from this, that the indwelling presence of God works with the conscience God has given us to keep us holy for Himself. For He has said “be holy, for I am holy.”, which means, know that you are holy, because I who dwell in you am holy. This command helps us to know who we are in Christ, who said, “when you see me, you see the Father“. When people see a true, born again, Spirit filled Christian, they see Jesus living in them. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth“. (2 Timothy 2:15 AV) If our conscience is clear, we know that we are approved unto God.

The wonder of all this is that without Jesus we are as filthy rags, full of excesses and sin, bound for Satan’s Hell forever. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6 AV) We are the ones Jesus died for; this is what we were before we received Jesus for our cleansing and salvation. These are the persons we are to reveal the Christ in us to, the lost in sin, that they may be one with us, forever in God’s heaven. This is why we are called as disciples to “go into the world” and tell the “good news”. This is why we are to live without sin, walking in the Spirit of God that we may allow others to see that we have been with Jesus. We are to let the light of Christ shine from our countenance that the lost may know that God is real, and that they will be encouraged to listen to us as we reveal God’s Gospel.

If as you read this realize that either you are not saved or that you have not determined to serve God, repent of these sins and accept Christ in all His fullness , not only for your own salvation, but for that of those you will reach with the Gospel. May God please hear this plea for you and your family. Be saved for heaven, not lost to Hell, forever. Amen.