© Daystar Devotional, 2012
Eternal Security
Weekly Devotional
Eternal security is a doctrine that maintains once you’ve accepted God’s gift of salvation you are eternally saved. The doctrine of eternal security has suffered much confusion and misuse. It is clearly taught in scripture that God’s grace is sufficient to keep all that come to Him by faith in the risen Lord. When properly understood and faithfully believed it is a doctrine of immense spiritual benefit and blessing.
The most common view (Arminian view), is that a genuine born-again believer can lose his or her salvation by turning away from the Christian faith. This view was founded by Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch Reformed theologian that lived during the late sixteenth century. Arminius believed that election was determined by man’s response to God’s universal offer of salvation. In other words, one could lose his or her salvation by later rejecting the very salvation he had once accepted.
Also, according to this view, a believer’s security is based on his willingness to continually strive toward spiritual excellence. But scripture says:“….And be found in him(Christ), not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”(Phil 3:8,9). We must be careful not to take away from the finished work of Christ, in that we assume responsibility for our eternal standing. We could never do enough to earn it in the first place. “…Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”(Titus 3:4-7)
Eternal Security is all about receiving mercy from a Holy and Just God, when we only deserve death. Another point of view and perhaps the greatest misunderstanding, is that we may sin continually without any consequences. Accepting God’s grace is an act of faith and it is not to be taken for granted. The Bible states: “ For by grace, are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”(Eph 2:8-9) Paul poses the question in an attempt to rid us of any notion that grace gives us a license to sin. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?...(Rom 6:1-6) As believers, if we choose to indulge in sin we will encounter chastisement and its consequences but our salvation will not be lost. The bottom line is that if you have ever asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and save you from your sins he has promised never to leave you. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”(Heb 13:5)
As a believer, you should never worry about losing your salvation, because even you are not able to take away what God the Father says is eternally yours through the blood of Jesus Christ. If we say that we may lose our salvation, we call God a liar and are saying that Jesus’ work on the cross wasn’t enough and is not yet finished. But Jesus said: “…It is finished…” (Jn 19:30) How then, can we undo salvation, if we have truly accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior? Christ reminds us: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”(Jn 10:28-29)
The most common view (Arminian view), is that a genuine born-again believer can lose his or her salvation by turning away from the Christian faith. This view was founded by Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch Reformed theologian that lived during the late sixteenth century. Arminius believed that election was determined by man’s response to God’s universal offer of salvation. In other words, one could lose his or her salvation by later rejecting the very salvation he had once accepted.
Also, according to this view, a believer’s security is based on his willingness to continually strive toward spiritual excellence. But scripture says:“….And be found in him(Christ), not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”(Phil 3:8,9). We must be careful not to take away from the finished work of Christ, in that we assume responsibility for our eternal standing. We could never do enough to earn it in the first place. “…Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”(Titus 3:4-7)
Eternal Security is all about receiving mercy from a Holy and Just God, when we only deserve death. Another point of view and perhaps the greatest misunderstanding, is that we may sin continually without any consequences. Accepting God’s grace is an act of faith and it is not to be taken for granted. The Bible states: “ For by grace, are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”(Eph 2:8-9) Paul poses the question in an attempt to rid us of any notion that grace gives us a license to sin. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?...(Rom 6:1-6) As believers, if we choose to indulge in sin we will encounter chastisement and its consequences but our salvation will not be lost. The bottom line is that if you have ever asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and save you from your sins he has promised never to leave you. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”(Heb 13:5)
As a believer, you should never worry about losing your salvation, because even you are not able to take away what God the Father says is eternally yours through the blood of Jesus Christ. If we say that we may lose our salvation, we call God a liar and are saying that Jesus’ work on the cross wasn’t enough and is not yet finished. But Jesus said: “…It is finished…” (Jn 19:30) How then, can we undo salvation, if we have truly accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior? Christ reminds us: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”(Jn 10:28-29)
