Eternal Security

I. Verses To Consider

A. Romans 8:29

1. “Predestined to be conformed”

2. God has already predetermined that we will be like Christ

3. Compare Ephesians 2:10

a) We were “before ordained” to walk in good works

b) We were preprogrammed

4. Part of salvation is the “program” to be like Christ

B. Romans 8:30

1. “Justified, glorified”

2. The progression is such that if you have one part, you have all of the parts

3. You may not have them all presently, but you are guaranteed to have all the parts if you have one part

4. These various aspects of salvation are intertwined and cannot be separated

C. Romans 8:38-39

1. “Nothing shall separate”

a) Beings cannot separate us from God

b) Circumstances cannot separate us from God

c) Note that “things to come” (future events) can’t separate us from God

2. We are more than conquerors

D. John 6:37-40

1. “I will in no wise cast out”

2. “I shall lose none”

3. Cp. 2 Ti. 1:12

E. John 10:28

1. Eternal life refers not only to duration, but quality

2. If I HAVE eternal life then by logical definition I cannot ever not have eternal life

3. “No man can pluck them out”

F. John 3:36

1. “Hath eternal life”

2. Two options, have life or condemnation

3. Again, if I have eternal life, then it must be ETERNAL

4. If it were conditional, then it could not be called ETERNAL life

II. 5 Concepts to Consider

A. We are saved by faith, kept by faith (2 Tim. 1:12, 1 Pet. 1:3-5)

1. Once saving faith is exercised, Christ will make sure that I keep my faith

2. Even when my faith is weak, He upholds me

B. Our sins were paid in full (John 19:30)

1. If my sins are not all forgiven, then Jesus LIED when he said “It is finished.”

2. If my sins have been paid in full, this includes all of my sins, past, present, future

3. Note: when Jesus said this, all my sins were future

C. We are a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17)

1. We have a new nature that by its very nature cannot die

2. If we could lose our salvation, then what would become of this new nature?

D. We are sons of God (John 1:12)

E. We are saved unto good works (Eph. 2:10)

III. Answering the Objections

A. Hebrews 6:4-6

1. Two views

a) It is referring to professors, but not possessors

b) It is referring to saved individuals

2. It must be referring to saved individuals

a) “tasted” was used earlier for Christ’s death for every man

b) The descriptive words are too many to dismiss as a mere professor

(1) Enlightened

(2) Tasted the heavenly gift

(3) Partakers of the Holy Ghost

(4) Tasted the good Word of God

(5) Tasted the powers of the world to come

3. The “falling away” here is not falling away from salvation, but from obedience

a) Repentance is not always repentance to salvation

(1) The churches in Revelation 2-3 are told to repent

(2)

b) It is possible for a Christian to get to the point in their life where they bring Christ to an open shame and they won’t repent

4. This leads to judgment and the sin unto death

a) Compare 1 Co. 11:30

b) Compare 1 John 5:16

c) There are sins “unto death”

d) The sin unto death is not a particular sin. It can be different for different people at different times

(1) Annanias and Sapphira lied and died

(2) Korah rebelled and died

(3) Moses struck the rock and was prevented from entering the Promised Land

B. Hebrews 10:26

1. It is referring to a Christian

a) Note the use of the word “we”

b) They “received” the knowledge of the truth

c) The context is a saved person

2. There is no more sacrifice for sin

a) We have already had our sins paid for

b) OT there was no sacrifice for willful sin

3. There is only judgment to look forward to

a) This is not damnation, but judgment

b) It can be chastisement

c) If we sin willfully we can expect the judgment of God

C. 2 Peter 2:20-22

1. This passage is speaking of professors, not possessors

a) In verse 19 “they” are the servants of corruption

b) In verse 22 they started as dogs and remained as dogs; started as pigs and remained pigs

2. They reformed for the purpose of using Christianity for their own advantage

a) They wanted money (2:3, 14)

b) They were lustful (2:10, 14)

c) They were prideful (2:10-12)

3. Those who reform the outside, using the truth without applying the truth will have a greater judgment than if they had never known the truth

a) It is better to be a heathen who has no knowledge of the truth than to have a knowledge of the truth and reject it or use it wrongfully

b) Knowledge makes us responsible