Picture a beautiful ring with many gems. Each of the stones on the ring is beautiful in and of itself, but all these stones put together on one ring make it exceptionally beautiful. Now picture the same ring, but one of the stones has fallen out of its socket and all that is left is an empty space. As beautiful as the ring was, it now looks almost ugly. The doctrine of salvation is like that beautiful ring. Mounted on it is the stone of redemption, the stone of justification, the stone of sanctification, and the stone of election, but there is a space for one other stone, that if missing, ruins the beauty of this ring. It is the stone of the security of the believer.
We begin this study with a definition of eternal security. Eternal security is a doctrine that states that all who have been chosen of God, (see Election And Predestination) redeemed, (see Redeem And Redemption) justified, (see Justification) and sanctified (see Sanctification) are therefore secure in their position in Christ and shall never lose their salvation. This doctrine is simply stated, "Once saved, always saved". This doctrine is also sometimes erroneously called the perseverance of the saints. This designation was popularized by John Calvin in his Institutes. The Institutes declared 5 doctrines which can be remembered by the acronym TULIP.
T= Total depravity of man
U= Unconditional election of God
L= Limited atonement
I= Irresistible grace
P= Perseverance of the saints
In response to Calvin's belief on eternal security, arminians, who believe that salvation can be lost, have devised their own flower. It is the daisy. While pulling its petals one says, He loves me, He loves me not... Nonetheless, calvinists emphasize that the saints persevere until the end, whereas it is better to say that God perseveres with the saints until the end. It is not that the saints hold onto their salvation, but that the salvation of God holds onto the saints and thereby they are secure.
Those who do not believe in the security of the believer say that salvation can be forfeited by an act of the will. That is a person may make a profession of faith but somewhere in their walk with God they then choose not to believe and forfeit their salvation. A believer may also lose their salvation, some say, by committing some specific sins. Salvation in this manner is lost involuntarily. For example, in 1 Corinthians 6 there is a list of sins that some Christians practiced before being saved. Some believe that if a believer commits these sins, then they forfeit their salvation. Murder is one of those sins Paul lists. If I should go out and murder someone, I would lose my salvation. Drunkeness is another of the sins Paul lists. I have never been drunk in my life but if I should go out to a bar and get drunk, then my wife would lose her salvation. You ask, why should my wife lose her salvation for a sin that I commit? Well if I became drunk, she would kill me! Seriously, these are great sins but they can not cause me or anyone to forfeit their salvation. The problem with these list of sins that cause the forfeiture of salvation is that each person's list is different, there does not seem to be an agreed upon list of sins between arminian theologians.
Those who object to the eternal security of the believer do so on the basis of 3 objections. First they say that it violates the free will of man. The argument is that since unsaved man volitionally chooses to be saved, he then can choose not to be saved. The problem with this position is that when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, his heart is changed. An unsaved person has a heart that is bent on doing evil. But when he comes to Christ, He changes his heart. A couple of passages of Scripture bear this out. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that if a person is in Christ he is a new creation. In the Greek language of the New Testament there are two words that are translated by the English word new. One is neos which means new in time. The other is kainos which means new in quality. Kainos is the word that is used here. A believer gets a new in quality heart, a heart that is not bent on sinning. At the moment of salvation, God gave to the believer a new heart and changed his volition to do that which is right. It is important to remember that in His incarnation, Jesus Christ had a genuinely human will that He could exercise in either obedience or disobedience to God. But because His human nature was welded to His divine nature it became impossible for Jesus to sin. This doctrine is known as the impeccability of Christ. When a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, that same divine nature becomes theirs. The Christian has the opportunity to consistently be obedient to God. Philippians 2:12-13 states that God is working in the Christian to accomplish His purposes. While God never violates the free will of man, He nonetheless is sovereign over it, accomplishing His good purposes.
Secondly, those who object to the doctrine of eternal security say that it leads to immoral living. The argument is this: since the saved need not worry about eternal punishment, why bother to live a godly life? The believer might as well "live it up" for there are no consequences to their sins. Well, the apostle Paul speaks to that in Romans 6 where he asks the question, "should we continue in sin that grace may abound?" The answer is absolutely not! A changed heart creates a desire not to sin, and when a Christian sins, a changed heart produces remorse over that sin. A lack of desire to live righteously or a lack of remorse over sin only indicates that there never has been a changed heart. A person can not lose something they have never possessed. And even though there are no eternal consequences of punishment for sins committed, there are yet temporal consequences for sin. When a Christian sins there is a loss of the blessing of God, there is a loss of the fellowship of God, and there is a possibility of punishment from God such as sickness or other calamity (1 Cor. 11:30). Such punishment is designed by God to cause the sinning saint to return to fellowship with God and confess and forsake the sin. Not only does the doctrine of eternal security not lead to immoral living but is actually an impetus for moral living.
Finally, those who object to the eternal security of the believer do so on the basis of certain biblical passages that seem to indicate that a believer may lose their salvation. Hebrews 6:4-6, speaks of a person who is genuinely saved but who falls away. The question is though, from what does this person fall away. Salvation is not in the context of the passage. The author speaks of growing in grace and moving from spiritual immaturity to spiritual maturity. Somewhere along the way of this person's walk with the Lord they say, "I don't need to go on any further." They lose there desire to grow in grace. They are not turning away from the saving work of Jesus Christ, but the maturing work of the Spirit of God. Another passage that is often cited is John 15:1-6 where the believer who does not abide in Christ is cast forth as a branch into the fire. This passage though is speaking of spiritual productivity or fruitfulness, not relationship. Those who cast these branches into the fire are men. Men do not send Christians into eternal fire. One other passage that is often cited is Galatians 5:4 where some have fallen from grace. Here again, salvation is not the issue. these Christians were being told that in order to maintain their salvation they must do certain works of the law, specifically be circumcised. Salvation was initiated by faith in Jesus but maintained by certain works. Paul states that salvation is not only initiated by faith in Jesus but also maintained by the grace of God through faith in Jesus. These folks had fallen from a sphere of grace to works in order to maintain their salvation. All these passages speak of the loss of the blessings of salvation, but none of them speak of the loss of salvation itself.
There are, on the other hand, a number of passages of Scripture which speak of the eternal security of the believer. Again we remind ourselves that it is not the activity of the believer that secures salvation, but the activity of God. We therefore look at the works of the 3 persons of the Godhead in securing salvation for the believer.
First is the work of the Father. In the elective decrees of God we find the security of the believer. In eternity past, God chose certain of fallen humanity to fulfill His purposes. He provided them with salvation in order that they may accomplish His will. He not only chose them but predestinated them to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. For a person to lose their salvation then, their will would of necessity be greater than the will of God, or their sin be greater than the grace of God. The sinner must then say, "I am greater than God," and not only say that, but be that. That is impossible! Not only did the Father choose the believer to be saved and marked out the ends of their salvation, but Romans 8:30 tells us that He also glorified them. Glorification is the process of conforming the believer to the image of Jesus Christ. Paul states in Romans that the glorification of the believer is so certain it is if it is already accomplished. John states in his first epistle that when Jesus appears we shall be like Him. But if salvation can be lost, then we must remove these two passages from our Bibles. Another argument for eternal security is found in the love of the Father for the saints. God loved us enough that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Paul goes on to state in Romans 5 that if God loved us enough to save us while we were yet enemies of God, how much more will we be saved being justified. For a person to lode there salvation, God would need to stop loving them. God forbid! Finally, the power of God keeps the believer saved. Jude 24 states that God is able to keep the believer from falling. In that God is able to keep the believer from falling, there is a guarantee that He will keep us from falling. We know that God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:8-9), and since He is able to keep us from perishing, we can not perish. For a believer to lose their salvation, something more powerful than the power of God would be needed to be found. There is no such thing!
Next we look act the activity of the Son in preserving the saint. In the intercessory ministry of Christ we find our security. Jesus prays for believers. His prayers are typified by His high priestly prayer of John 17. Jesus there prayed that believers would be with Him wherever He was (v.24). He was on His way back to heaven, so His prayer was that believers would join Him there. If there is any chance that a believer in Christ could forfeit their salvation, then the prayer of Christ in John 17 was denied by the Father. If the prayer of Christ was denied by the Father, then Jesus was not praying in the will of God. And if Jesus was not praying in the will of God, then Jesus was not God. And if Jesus is not God, we have no salvation to begin with, we are all lost. To borrow from Paul, we are of all men most miserable! No, Jesus' prayer was answered and there is not a chance that a believer can be lost. Hebrews 7:25 states that Jesus prays for us even today in order that we might be saved to the uttermost. If the believer can forfeit their salvation, then another prayer request of the Lord is denied. It just can't happen!
Not only does Jesus pray for us, but He is our advocate when we sin. There is not one sin that we can commit that Jesus did not die for. On Calvary's cross, all our sin was dealt with by His blood. To lose salvation on the basis of a sin committed, means that Jesus is not our advocate. it also means that Jesus does not loves us. Romans 8 asks the question what shall separate us from the love of Christ. The answer to the question is that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. If a person can somehow lose their salvation, then there is something that can separate us from the love of Christ. Praise God it is not so!
We now move to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in securing the salvation of the believer. Ephesians 4:30 states that the believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. Sealing is a ministry whereby the sealed is declared to be the property of the one who does the sealing. Documents were sealed by kings in Biblical times to authenticate their authority. Deeds were sealed and only those who owned the property could undo the seals. Christians, being sealed, are the property of the Lord, He has set His mark upon us and we are His until that seal be removed. Notice, Paul writes that we are sealed until the day of redemption, that is the day that Jesus comes for us in the rapture and makes us truly, in every aspect, His own. In order to lose your salvation, the Holy Spirit would of necessity need to seal you only for a indeterminate time. Scripture , though, determines that we are sealed until the day of redemption, and not one day sooner!
Secondly, the Holy Spirit indwells the Christian. John 14:16 States, "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever." The very moment a person trust the Lord Jesus Christ to save them, the Holy spirit comes and indwells them, He is that Comforter. Notice that Jesus says that he will abide with the believer for ever. In other words, if it were possible that the believer would lose their salvation and die in an unsaved state, since the Holy spirit will never leave the person who comes to faith in Jesus Christ, He would then need to suffer the consequences of the believer losing their salvation and dying in sin. The Holy Spirit would suffer in hell for all eternity. THIS CAN NOT BE! Because the Holy Spirit abides with the believer for ever, the believer can not lose their salvation.
Thirdly, the Holy spirit baptizes the believer at the moment they trust Christ into the Body of Christ. Spirit baptism is the ministry of the Holy Spirit uniting the believer with the universal body of Christ, the Church. For the believer to lose their salvation, the Body of Christ would need to be fractured. But the uniting of the believer into that Body is permanent, therefore, the believer can not lose their salvation.
On the basis of the ministry of the three persons of the Godhead we see that it is impossible for the believer to lose their salvation. But now we want to examine some specific passages of Scripture which state the same. While there are many, we will look at three. First on the list is 1 John 5:9-11. Here we read, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 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." The key word in this passage is the word eternal. God did not give us temporary life, nor did He give us conditional life, but eternal life. Eternal life not only speaks of a quality of life but a quantity of life-never ending. if eternal life could come to an end, by the loss of salvation, then it simply could not be eternal. To say anything other than what God has said is according to this passage, that which makes God a liar.
Secondly we examine John 10:27-30. Here we find the declaration that Jesus gives to His sheep eternal life. Once again, eternal means eternal. But then an added promise is given, "and they shall never perish..." In the original Greek there is a double negative here. While in English we would say that it turns the sentence into a positive, in Greek it only makes the negation twice as strong. We might translate this, "...in no way whatsoever will they ever perish..." Jesus goes on to say that, "no man can pluck them out of His hand." While some recognize that others can not pluck the believer out of the hand of God, they say that the believer in the hand of God can remove himself. This fails on two accounts. First, the believer in the hand of God qualifies as a man (person) of which there is none who can pluck out of God's hand. In order to a person to remove themself from God's hand, they would need to be something other than a man (person- mankind). Since all believers come from the human race, and since no man can pluck someone out of the hand of God, no one can remove themself from God's hand. Secondly, we find that the reason no one can remove a person from the hand of Jesus Christ is that the hand of the Father is united with the hand of the Son. The problem is we tend to think of the Allstate ad (you know those good hands people) where the insured is being supported by two hands side by side and open. Anyone can jump out of that situation. But Jesus said, "I and my Father are one" Not two hands side by side, but two hands, one over the top of the other, as one. The believer is protected from everything from without and within (themself). This precludes the possibility of jumping. Salvation can not be forfeited.
Finally we look at John 5:24. Once again we have a promise of everlasting life for the believer and an extra promise, they shall not come into condemnation. For a person to believer on Jesus and then somehow, lose their salvation, they would of necessity face judgment or condemnation. Jesus said they wouldn't. Now there are two possibilities here. One is that there is no such thing as eternal punishment. But if that be the case, why would a person need to be saved in the first place? That can't be it. The only other possibility is that a person can not lose their salvation.
What are the benefits of believing the doctrine of eternal security? There are two in particular that I want to bring to your attention. The first is that when a believer recognizes that God is able to keep them, they become truly free to serve Him. I'm not afraid of heights as long as I know that what I am standing on is able to support me and will not allow me to fall. I wouldn't mind standing on the edge of a 1000 cliff as long as I had a rope tied around me that would no break and was not long enough to allow me to go over the edge. If I didn't have that assurance, I might stay far away from that cliff. Knowing that the hands of God keep me safe and that I can not lose what is most precious to me, I have confidence to battle the enemy and not hide from him.
Secondly, by recognizing that it is God who keeps me and not myself, God is worshipped in the fullness He deserves. It constantly amazes me that those who supposedly preach a "full gospel" are generally those who deny the eternal security of the believer. That is not a full gospel at all, they ignore the best part! If I do not believe that God is able to maintain my salvation, then it is impossible for me to worship Him for His truly great salvation, in fact I dishonor Him by not believing in the eternal security of the believer. God not only provides salvation to the believer in Jesus Christ but He also keeps that one safe, therefore He is the Great God of Salvation!