Eternal Security Of The Believer

by R. Darke, Victoria, B.C. | Category: Contending For The Faith | Jul 1971

While it might be poetically true that "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees", it is contrastingly true that he takes evil delight in the unhappiness of an insecure saint. If there is some way that he can find to deprive Christians of their spiritual joy, he will pursue it relentlessly. One of his favourite methods is to inveigle children of God into Doubting Castle, where they can be brought so depressingly low in spirit that they question whether they are saved at all. Having already savoured this kind of victory, he becomes increasingly persistent in his attacks on the important and precious truth of the believer's eternal security, and this he will continue until the Lord comes.

There are three expressions in Scripture that are inseparable; they are, eternal life, salvation, and children of God. Eternal life is a gift from God which we receive and enjoy on the basis of faith (Rom. 6:23), and there is nothing in Scripture to indicate that this gift is ever withdrawn from a believer in any circumstances. Children of God are born of God (John 1:12,13), and they must essentially have eternal life because God is eternal (Deut. 33:27). It is impossible for a child of God not to have eternal life, or for that eternal life to cease, for this would be a contradiction in terms. To infer that eternal life can be lost leads to the obvious conclusion that it could not be eternal in the first place. If something is eternal, it can never cease to be so. We can lose the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12), or the knowledge of our eternal life, but we cannot lose our salvation. Our lack of joy cannot alter the eternal nature of our salvation, any more than sin can cause us to cease being children of God. When we are saved we are born of God, and that which is born of God cannot sin (1 John 5:18). And so the security of our eternal life is not dependent upon us, but upon God (Jude 24), He maintains it, and He wants us fully to enjoy it by faith.

Throughout Scripture the Lord teaches us that security and strength are to be found in Him. He is the Rock (Deut. 32:4), our fortress and our refuge (Psalm 91:2,9). Paul tells us that our lives are hid with Christ in God (Col. 3:3), while the Lord Jesus assures us that we are not only safe in His hand, but we have the double security of being in His Father's hand also (John 10:28,29). The Bible also emphasizes that our salvation is entirely of God, and not of ourselves. "For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works that no man should glory (Eph. 2:8,9). Writing to Titus, Paul states: "Not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to His mercy He saved us" (Tit. 3:5). Our salvation, therefore, has been made possible only through the grace and mercy of God. We neither merit it, nor do we work or fight for it. We obtained it as a free gift through faith in the Saviour's atoning blood. If any other way was possible, then Christ needed not to die at Calvary. It is only after we are saved that we work as redeemed servants for a loving Master and merit reward; or fight the good fight of the Faith under the gallant leadership of the Captain of our salvation.

And so it is helpful to see in God's word the things that differ, and these are what Satan confuses to the distress of many Christians. We should distinguish between salvation and service, birth and growth, our relationship as children of God and our responsibilities as disciples. It is abundantly clear that we cannot lose our salvation, but we can fail in our service. The Lord said about His sheep, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. " (John 10 28) But Paul writing of his stewardship as a preacher and the need to keep fit and healthy to serve in this capacity, stated, But I buffet my body and bring it into bondage lest by any means after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected (1 Cor 9 27) No amount of buffeting of his body could bring him eternal salvation, "rejection" here must obviously refer to his service as a steward, as a preacher, a work that was the outcome of his salvation. He needed first to be saved before he could serve. So it is with the child of God and the disciple. Children are born (John 1:13), and disciples are made (4:1). We cannot cease to be children of our natural fathers, no matter what wrong we might do. They might reject us, and disown us, because they disapprove of our conduct, but they cannot change an unalterable relationship. The same principle applies to our spiritual birth. We are children of God because we are born of God. Our heavenly Father might be grieved by our disobedient old nature, which can hinder our disciple walk and service, but we can never cease to be His children. This relationship is as eternal as the Father Himself.

One of the most emphatic Scriptures confirming our eternal security is written by the apostle John. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God: and such we are" (1 John 3:1). Please note in your Bibles that the word "such" is in italics, and evidently is not in the original, and so we read, "AND WE ARE". Oh, how we should rejoice in this! This is God's answer to all doubt and despair, and this is also a key to all our joy that we are called children of God, and we are!

"What from Christ the soul can sever,

Bound by everlasting bands?

Once in Him, in Him for ever;

Thus th' eternal cov'nant stands.

None can pluck us

From the Strength of Israel's hands".

R. Darke, Victoria, B.C. | Jul 1971
Contending For The Faith