SECURITY OF BELIEVER IN CHRIST
Leslie M. John
Exposition of few verses from the Holy Scriptures given to us leads us to come to a point of conviction that the salvation of a believer in Christ is secure and eternal. In spite of charging believers that they have false hope in security of salvation and that salvation can be lost if a believer sins in his day-to-day life, the reasoning about the efficacy of the sacrifice of the Son of God gives us enough faith beyond doubt that the believer's salvation is eternally secured.
The work of God rendered through His One and only begotten Son, Lord Jesus Christ in extending His grace toward us is everlasting one, which will not be taken back by Him on any reason. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit unto redemption and the reasoning that salvation of a believer can be lost is untenable.
An important fact that should be noted is that a true believer will not sin but will stand firm in his faith in the Lord. The Scriptures say that one that commits sin is of the devil and one that is born of God does not commit sin (1 John 3:8-9). These verses show us that one can have assurance that believer is secure eternally while at the same time one that constantly seeks refuge in the hope that the security of salvation is not a true believer, but is yet to come to the Lord in the true sense of the repentance and acceptance of Lord Jesus as one's own personal Savior.
The love of God:
"Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord". (Romans 8:33-39)
Apostle Paul shows us the love of God in Romans 8:33-39 that none can separate us from the love of God inasmuch as the Son of God, Jesus Christ, our Lord died for us, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and seated on the right hand of the Majesty. The fact that our Lord Jesus is interceding on behalf of us with the Father in heaven without ceasing is another reason to believe that believer is secure and his salvation is secure lest it should mean that the intercession of the Only begotten Son Jesus Christ on behalf of us is in vain and has no effect.
The Father in heaven can not deny Lord Jesus Christ's intercession on behalf of us. The feign thoughts that God, the Father in heaven, can deny the intercession of His One and only begotten Son, Lord Jesus Christ are too presumptuous to be taken as true. The salvation given to a believer as a merciful gift by His grace be taken back, by the One, who sent His Only begotten Son for our sake.
No doubt, the believer in Christ makes himself/herself accountable for the sins he/she commits in his/her life time on this earth, for the sins he/she commits and may lose his/her rewards from God at the 'Bema Seat of Christ', when they are judged for their works for Him. Salvation can neither be earned through the works of a man nor can it be purchased for a price. It is the gift of God, through Lord Jesus Christ, who paid the price for our sins upon the cross of Calvary, where He shed His precious blood for our sake and washed us in His blood.
The love of God is so great that He found us in our trespasses and sent His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ for our sake, that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. He sought us because He loved us first. We received salvation not because we loved Him first, but because He loved us first. While we were yet in sins and enemies to God, He loved us and compassion on us. God is not human that such gift from Him that He gave to us would be taken back by Him from the believer, who trusts in Him and receives Jesus as his/her personal savior.
It is by hearing the Word of God that the sinner confesses his/her sins and reposes faith in God through His Son, who died for him/her and becomes a believer in Christ. It is the Father in heaven, who draws unto himself, those are to be saved. Such faith comes by hearing the Word of God, and he, who receives Jesus as his/her personal savior is secure in His arms. Holy Spirit leads the believer everyday and guides his/her paths. No temptation has ever over taken any believer that he could not find an alternative way to escape from such temptation.
God provides alternative so that the believer may not fall into sin. In spite of such provision available, if believer commits sins he/she will receive chastisement from God and not only suffers in this world, but also loses rewards in eternity, but not salvation because believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit. It is the gift of God and a firm promise from God, who will not break His promises. Notwithstanding any doubt that arises in believer about his/her salvation, believer's salvation is secure and eternal. God is trustworthy and faithful that once He gives eternal life to a believer He will keep His promises and gives the believer redemption of his soul from all sins.
The gift of God is not so feeble or frail that it can be taken by God, nor is Jesus Christ's intercession on behalf of the children of God is so feeble that the Father in heaven refuses His intercession. The Holy Spirit's works, guidance, conviction of the guilt of believer are not so weak that His work can be of no avail in this world before He ends His work on the second coming of Jesus.
The gift of God is so precious that once it is given to a believer God can not deny His own love toward us, nor can He deny His love toward His One and only Son, Jesus Christ that He takes back that gift from us.
Salvation is the gift of God:
Romans 6:23 is a very familiar verse in the Bible. There is one great gift that God gave unto us through His One and Only Son Jesus Christ and that gift is the salvation and it is the greatest gift of all. Wages are the earnings for the work done by someone. Bible calls the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord The Father in heaven in His mercy sent His One and Only Son Jesus Christ because He loved us first, even when we were dead in our trespasses and saved us by grace.
The believer, who has truly tasted that love from God and received the gift of salvation, cannot think of falling into sin and be away from that grace leading him into repentance again and again that, which would mean crucifying Lord Jesus afresh repeatedly and putting Him to open shame.
Hebrews 6:4-6 reminds us of this fact that a believer, who is enlightened and tasted His heavenly gift will not think of falling into sin every day to seek refuge under the provisions in the Scriptures about the security of the believer and security of the salvation, but would rather lead a holy life pleasing unto the Lord. We are saved by the grace of God through faith and not of ourselves but it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8-10 show us that this gift of salvation, which is so precious can not be gained through any amount of works of man that any body could boast of such good works, but we are the workmanship of God. Man may rob one to pay another to earn laurels from the latter but God knows the inner thoughts of man
God has chosen us:
Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said that He would no longer call them as 'servants', but would call them as friends inasmuch a servant would not know what his master does. The disciples had no choice of becoming His disciples, but it was Jesus, who chose them as His disciples and ordained that they should go and bring forth fruit unto the Lord. Herein lies the greatest love that God showed unto us that He chose us and ordained us to be his children. We love him because He loved us first (1 John 4:16).
Jesus also promised His disciples that whatever they ask of the Father in heaven in His name, He would give unto them. They did not belong to this world, and because they did not belong to the world, Jesus chose them. (John 15:16) Whoever receives Jesus as his/her personal Savior, to them God gave power to become the sons of God (John 1:12).
Jesus gives eternal life to all those, who believe in Him, so that they shall never perish, nor can any one pluck the believer out of His hand. The Word of God is so clear here in John 10:28-30 that no one can pluck a believer out of His hand.
"And I give unto 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. I and my Father are one". (John 10:28-30)
A believer can trust in the words of Lord Jesus Christ, just as Apostle Paul affirmed in Romans 8:38-39, that neither any one or any act, or any power, can separate us from the love of God, because we are in Christ Jesus and let us, therefore, give thanks unto the Father in heaven, just as Apostle Paul asked us to do in Colossians 1:1-13, that God made us partakers in the inheritance of the saints in light and for delivering from the power of darkness in order to translate us into the Kingdom of His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ.
We believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and about the eternal life that Jesus promised unto us and we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. We are purchased possession of our God so that we may be unto him the praise of his glory. We should bear in mind the hope of our calling, and know "what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints" (Eph.1:13-18)
The severity of Judgment: The writer of Hebrews warns about the severity of the judgment of God that falls on those that sin willfully trampling down the sacrifice of our Only High Priest, Lord Jesus Christ and apostatizes. Hebrews 10:26-31 deal with this dilemma that Christians attribute to salvation being lost in case a believer in Christ commits sin. These verses show us the importance of realizing who the Son of God is, and the results deliberate denial and renunciation of the faith in Christ fetches.
In the Old Testament the greatest of all punishments was awarded to deliberate denial of the Word of the LORD. "Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him". (Numbers 15:31).
Such punishment is awarded to those, who deliberately renounce the Son of God and tread Him down under foot. The recognition of the efficacy of the blood of Jesus Christ and his High Priest-hood stands out to be the dominant demand from any one in the world. One that is saved will never renounce Lord Jesus Christ and the efficacy of His blood shed upon the cross of Calvary.
It is, therefore, beyond doubt that only unbeliever can tread down the Son of God under his feet and face the serious consequences of being thrown into the 'lake of fire'. The believer in Christ is secure eternally inasmuch as his belief in Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior involves inseparable union with Christ and the death to sin (Romans 6:6-8).
If any believer in Christ strives to trample upon the Son of God and denies Him, God will make him kneel down on his feet with enough chastisement, and acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord, and reaffirm that He is the Savior.
Dear Friend, Today is the day of salvation
God Bless!
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