Saved Forever! 5 Reasons You Can Believe in the Eternal Security of the Believer

SAVED FOREVER!

5 Reasons You Can Believe in the Eternal Security of the Believer

Selected Scriptures

Introduction:  During more than forty years of ministry, the number one question I’m asked by Christians is, “Can a Christian lose his salvation?”  Today, we are going to discover five biblical reasons to believe that genuine Christians are saved forever.

1. Why The Doctrine Of Eternal Security Matters

1. This Doctrine Affects My Eternal Destiny

1. This Doctrine Affects My Intimacy with God

1. This Doctrine Affects My Christian Service

1. Why Some People Believe They Can Lose Their Salvation

1. Failure to Understand the Biblical Concept of Salvation   (1 John 4:10)

1 John 4:10   “This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

1. Belief That the Doctrine of Eternal Security Leads to Sinful Living

(2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4-7)

2 Corinthians 5:17   “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Romans 6:4-7   ⁴ “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  ⁵ For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; ⁷ for he who has died is freed from sin.”

1. Troublesome Passages in the Bible   (Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 3:12)

Hebrews 6:4-6   ⁴ “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

Hebrews 3:12   “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”

1. Failure to Distinguish Between Salvation and Rewards

(2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 6:10)

2 Corinthians 5:10   “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Hebrews 6:10   “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

III.      Five Reasons We Can Believe In The Eternal Security Of The Believer

1. Salvation Is What God Has Done for Us, Not What We Have Done for God

(Ephesians 2:1-5; Romans 5:6-8)

Ephesians 2:1-5   ¹ “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, ² in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  ³ Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.  ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”

Romans 5:6-8   ⁶ “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  ⁷ For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

1. To Lose Our Salvation Would Be to Reverse an Act of God   (Romans 11:29)

Romans 11:29   “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

1. Christ’s Death Resulted in Eternal Salvation (Hebrews 7:25; John 6:37)

Hebrews 7:25   “Therefore He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

John 6:37   “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

1. Christ’s Death For Our Sins Is Final and Complete   (Colossians 2:13-14)

Colossians 2:13-14   ¹³ “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, ¹⁴ having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

1. God Has the Power to Keep Us Secure   (Jude 24; John 10:28-29)

Jude 24   “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.”

John 10:28-29   ²⁸ “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.  ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

Conclusion