Bethel MBC

Basic Baptist Doctrine

Lesson 21; 7/9/08

The Security of the Saints

Proverbs 30:5-6

5Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

As discerning God’s Word is every believer’s responsibility, we must understand what the Bible does not say as well as what it does teach us.  Men have long been guilty of adding to and / or subtracting from God’s Word.  This evening’s subject is one of the most commonly misconstrued and abused doctrines contained within the Scriptures.  The teaching that one may fall from grace is, as all heresy, offensive to God and must be refuted.  Yet another “Basic Baptist Doctrine” is that once we receive genuine salvation, we can never lose or forfeit it and thus return to our fallen state in sin.

The following are some of the arguments I have encountered in conversing with individuals who believe one may fall from grace:

1. “Adam and Eve fell, so it must be possible that the Christian may fall as well”

Refutation: Adam and Eve fell from the Law of God, not His grace!  Adam and Eve had not been redeemed or saved via the work of Jesus Christ when they were tempted and sinned.  Thus, Adam and Eve existed in a world without grace (by which we are redeemed today) because they lived in a perfectly holy state until they sinned.  The day our first parents took of that tree, they died spiritually.  The saved are promised that they will never die!

 John 10:28

28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 5:24

 24Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

The very definition of “eternal” is having infinite duration.  One cannot have ETERNAL LIFE one minute and not have it the next!

2. “If I get cold and away from God, won’t I lose my salvation?”

Refutation:  No.  Why?

Isaiah 54:7,8,10

7For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

8In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

10For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee

We may suffer chastisement from the Lord. We may stray away from the Lord’s will for us.  We may sin in a way that greatly displeases the Lord. Nevertheless, God loves us enough to chastise us for correction, not punishment.  If He did not love us, He would cast us out and forget the chastisement.  Our fellowship with the Lord may be hindered by our sins, but our relationship with the Redeemer may never be altered.

3. “If I fail to keep His commandments, I will surely lose my salvation”

Again, the possession and expression of our love for God may waver but our relationship (purchased with the blood of Christ) cannot change or diminish!

Romans 8:38-39

38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor 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

4. “What is the motivation to live a moral life and perform good works if we are not required to earn our way into Heaven?”

We are taught to be steadfast, but here is why…

a. So that we labor not in vain

I Corinthians 15:58

58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

b. It is the very least we can do for the One who died for us

Romans 4:4

 4Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt

c. We are called into His service

II Thessalonians 2:14-15

14Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle

What if we NEVER do anything for the Lord after we are saved??

Romans 4:5

5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness

5. “I must live a good life to overcome this world and escape a purgatory type of state, thereby going straight to Heaven!”

Refutation: The redeemed have already overcome this world.  We overcame the moment God saved our souls.

I John 5:4-5

4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  5Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

6. “If I believe that doctrine, the absolute security of the believers, I would take my fill of sin.”

Refutation: Sin is repulsive to a regenerated man. The nature of man is not changed, but he views sin differently and is given a new heart, etc.

II Peter 2:22

22But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire

It has been said that, “All swine love the mire, but not all are in it!”

I John 2:15

15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him

Here are some further thoughts as to the Bible’s teaching of our eternal security as the saints of God:

1. Not “as”, but “of”

We are not made as righteous AS God, but rather we are made the righteousness OF God!

II Corinthians 5:21

21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

2.  A bad seed?

I Peter 1:23

 23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever

How can an incorruptible seed be made corrupt?

3. Not only good…perfect!

Hebrews 10:14

14For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Those who are spiritually perfect are not in danger of losing their salvation because their souls cannot sin.

I John 5:18

18We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not

I John 3:9

 9Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God

4. Freed indeed

John 8:34-36

34Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed

How could we “free” from sin if we constantly worried about the security of our soul?  We would be the servant of anxiety and fear!  Jesus promises us that once we surrender control of ourselves to Him, we are secure for all eternity.

John 6:37

 37All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out

5. Light reflectors

We do not make our “light” shine to earn salvation by works, but we do good works that our Heavenly Father might be glorified among men.

Matthew 5:16

16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven

6. Born again….again??

We mock God and put Jesus to an open shame if we attempt to be saved again. He died once; which was sufficient to save all men from all their sins.

Hebrews 6:4-6

4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,  6If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Hebrews 10:26

26For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins

7. A onetime thing

Salvation is referred to as the “circumcision of the heart” in Deuteronomy 30:6 and circumcision is an open act of surgery which once done, never may be repeated.

8. Living water

John 4:14

14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life

Common sense tells me that if I have my spiritual thirst satiated and then can be lost again…..I would experience the thirst once again as well.  That is not what Jesus says.

9. Sheep

John 10:27-29

27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand

10. How many is too many?

How many sins, or what kind, would it require to cause a man to lose his salvation?  J.M. Pendleton said, “I’ve met many a man which holds that one can lose his salvation, but I’ve never met a man whom will admit to losing it himself.”

II Timothy 1:12

12For 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.