The Eternal Security of the Believer - Doctrine of the Week

The Doctrine of the Week for this Sunday is the eternal security of the

believer.

Jesus said in John chapter 10 verses 27 through 29, My sheep hear

my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall

anyone snatch them out of my hand.

My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able

to snatch them out of my Father's hand.

So when a person repents and places their faith in Christ, their sins

are forgiven and they are given the gift of eternal life.

Now how long is eternal?

Well, it's everlasting.

If it ends or if it is taken away, it's not really eternal or

everlasting.

So once a person is saved, they are always saved.

And you've probably heard this phrase, once saved, always

saved.

And that is true.

However, this concept is often misunderstood where people have the

idea that as long as somebody at some point said that they believed,

that that is a guarantee that they're going to heaven no matter what.

The problem with that is this.

Many people say things that they don't mean.

And young children especially say things that they don't really

understand.

So the real issue is not whether a person professed faith.

The issue is, do they possess saving faith?

Do they believe right now?

Is there evidence of spiritual life?

Are they producing fruit?

The biblical concept of eternal security has been appropriately called the

perseverance of the saints, or perhaps it is more accurate to say the

preservation of the saints.

The apostle Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1

through 4, where he says, You are saved if you hold fast

that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

So the point is this, a true believer keeps the faith.

They endure, they persevere.

Paul also told the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 13 verse 5, he said,

examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.

But with all of that said, a true believer is eternally

secure in Christ.

They did nothing to earn their salvation.

They can do nothing to lose their salvation.

In Romans chapter 8, Paul says about believers that they are predestined,

predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.

And then Paul raises the question, who shall separate us from the love of

Christ?

His conclusion, he says, 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 created thing shall be able to separate

us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.