Sovereignty, Free Will, and Salvation - The Preservation of the Saints

Sovereignty

Free Will &

Salvation

The Preservation

of the Saints

Can you lose your salvation?

Westminster Confession of Faith

"They whom God hath accepted in His beloved Son effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit can neither totally nor finally fall away from a state of grace, but shall

certainly persevere therein to the end and be eternally saved."

Some Say Yes…

―If anyone says that a man once justified cannot lose grace and therefore that he who falls and sins never was truly justified, let him be accursed.‖

-Catholic Church Council of Trent: 6/23

―Persons truly regenerate, by neglecting grace and grieving the Holy Spirit with sin, fall away totally, and at length finally, from grace into eternal

reprobation‖ - Conference of the Remonstrants 11/7

Consistent vs. Inconsistent Arminians

There are some that hold to all the Arminian doctrines (God doesn‘t choose people for salvation, people can resist God‘s call, the atonement isn‘t limited), but

then try and argue that Christians can‘t lose their salvation. Such a position is inconsistent and is not what the Arminian or Wesleyan theology teaches (which is consistent), which says if humanity has the free will to choose or deny God before

being saved, they have the freedom to walk away from God if they choose after they are saved.

Inconsistent Arminians must admit that the person loses their ‗free will‘ at some point and cannot freely choose to walk away from God.

www.confidentchristians.org

Four Kinds of People

1. People who are not saved who know they are not saved

2. People who are saved who know they are saved

3. People who are saved who don‘t know they are saved

4. People who are not saved who believe they are saved

Making sure…

―Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. ‖

(2 Peter 1:10–11)

What evidence is there that says a Christian cannot lose their salvation?

New Covenant based on Abrahamic Covenant

―Now the Lord said to Abram, ―Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father‘s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great

nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the

families of the earth will be blessed.‖ (Genesis 12:1–3)

Abraham called Abraham blessed Abraham exhibits faith

The unconditional Abrahamic covenant is the pattern for our faith (cf. Rom. 4; Galatians)

Jesus on the Preservation of the Saints

―This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. ―For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him

up on the last day.‖ (John 6:39–40)

―My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will 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 the Father‘s hand. ‖ (John 10:27–29)

Jesus on the Preservation of the Saints

―I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in

Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. . . .

Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the

foundation of the world. ‖ (John 17:11–12, 24)

Paul on the Preservation of the Saints

―For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these

whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. ‖ (Romans 8:29–30)

―Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor

things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ‖

(Romans 8:35, 38–39)

―In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the

redemption of God‘s own possession, to the praise of His glory. ‖ (Ephesians 1:13–14)

―For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. ‖ (Philippians 1:6)

―Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will

bring it to pass. ‖ (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24)

―For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. ‖ (2 Timothy 1:12)

John on the Preservation of the Saints

―All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of

the Lamb who has been slain. ‖ (Revelation 13:8)

The Doctrine of Adoption

―But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that

we might receive the adoption as sons.‖ (Galatians 4:4–5)

―He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will‖ (Ephesians 1:5)

In Paul‘s day, a father could legally disinherit his own son(s) so they would receive nothing that was his. However, if that same father adopted a son, the law prevented

him from ever disinheriting that son; it was illegal and couldn‘t be done. It is no coincidence that Paul says we are ‗adopted‘ sons and not just sons; we cannot lose

our inheritance with God.

Who ultimately safeguards the salvation of the believer – God or the person?

God Keeps the Believer Safe

―For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. ‖ (Hebrews 10:14)

―Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of

Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of

God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ‖ (1 Peter 1:3–5)

―These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. ‖ (1 John 5:13)

―Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ‖ (Jude 1)

―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, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and

now and forever. Amen. ‖ (Jude 24–25)

―Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the

Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. . . . And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left

their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day‖

(Jude 1-2. 6)

tēreō

Word Study - Kept

① to retain in custody, keep watch over, guard someone; a prisoner② to cause a state, condition, or activity to continue, keep, hold, reserve, preserveArndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature.

Greek Meaning

Interpretation & ApplicationThis is how Paul describes himself in Philemon 1 (―Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus…‖). Prisoners can and do escape, but their breakout is only possible if the one holding them is remiss in their handling –something not possible with an all-powerful and all-knowing God. Unlike the false teachers that were accosting the early Church, Jude writes to those who are under the lock and seal of Christ Notice

that in vs. 6, the unrighteous angels are ―kept" also., but for judgment. Thus there are two ‗prisoners‘ of God. In the same way the ungodly angels cannot ‗lose‘ their punishment, the Christian cannot lose

their salvation

tetērēmenois

But if it‘s by faith we‘re saved, what if a Christian begins to show unfaithfulness

toward God?

God Remains Faithful to The Called

"for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29)

I know you've washed me white Turned my darkness into light

I need your peace to get me through To get me through this night

I can't live by what I feel But by the truth your word reveals

I'm not holding on to you But you‘re holding on to me

You‘re holding on to me

- ―East to West‖, Casting Crowns

Some Good Theology in Song

God Remains Faithful to Bless and Punish

―For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign

with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.‖ (2 Timothy 2:10–13)

―Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. What then? If some did

not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, ―That You

may be justified in Your words, And prevail when You are judged.‖ But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who

inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) ‖ (Romans 3:1–5)

Doesn‘t eternal security imply a person can sin all they want without fear of consequence?


No, Scripture is clear on the subject

―What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died

to sin still live in it?‖ (Romans 6:1–2)


―Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ‖ (Romans 6:11)

―For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. ‖ (Galatians 2:19)

―But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ‖

(Galatians 6:14)

―As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ‖ (1 Peter 1:14)

―He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. ‖ (1 Peter 2:24)

―No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. ‖ (1 John 3:9)

No, Scripture is clear on the subject

Westminster Confession of Faith

"Nevertheless, believers may through the temptations of Satan and of the world, through the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, through the neglect of their means of preservation fall into grievous sins and for a time continue therein, whereby

they incur God's displeasure and grieve His Holy Spirit come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comfort, have their hearts hardened and their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others and bring temporal judgments

upon themselves."


―Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I

preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold

fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. ‖

(1 Corinthians 15:1–2)

―So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ―If you continue in My word, then you are

truly disciples of Mine‖ (John 8:31)

The Perseverance of the Saved and Unsaved

―It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ―A dog returns to its own vomit,‖ and, ―A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the

mire.‖ ‖ (2 Peter 2:22)

The Saved The Unsaved

Stop! What about these verses?


Hebrews 6

―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, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 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. For ground that drinks

the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles,

it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. ‖ (Hebrews 6:4–8)


Hebrews 6 … Keep Reading…

―Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same

earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit

the promises (Hebrews 6:9-12)


Hebrews 6 … Who Does it Sound Like?

―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, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 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. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and

close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. ‖ (Hebrews 6:4–8)

―He took up his discourse and said, ―The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, And the oracle of the man whose

eye is opened‖ (Numbers 24:3)

―forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved

the wages of unrighteousness‖ (2 Peter 2:15)

―‗But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept

teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of

immorality. ‖ (Revelation 2:14)


Hebrews 6 … Who Does it Sound Like?



―While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one

of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. ‖ (John 17:12)

―Jesus said to him, ―He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean,

but not all of you.‖ ‖ (John 13:10)

―Jesus answered them, ―Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?‖ ‖ (John 6:70)


A countless Multitude of Unbelievers



―When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the

nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on

the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived

them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be

tormented day and night forever and ever. ‖ (Revelation 20:7–10)


“You will know them by their fruits…”



The people above experienced many things from God, and yet yielded a fruit (no spiritual life) that was bad, which

indicates they were never saved to begin with. ―You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? ―So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad

fruit. ―A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. ―Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ―So then,

you will know them by their fruits. ‖ (Matthew 7:16–20)


―In these verses he is not questioning the perseverance of the saints; we might say that rather he is insisting

that those who persevere are the true saints. But in fact he is stating a

practical truth that has verified itself repeatedly in the experience of the church. Those who have shared the covenant privileges of the people of

God, and then deliberately renounce them, are the most difficult persons of

all to reclaim for the faith.‖- F. F. Bruce


Hebrews 10

―For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the

fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much

severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said,

―Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.‖ And again, ―The Lord will judge His people.‖ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. ‖

(Hebrews 10:26–31)


Hebrews 10 Explained

―For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you

think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ―Vengeance is

Mine, I will repay.‖ And again, ―The Lord will judge His people.‖ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. ‖ (Hebrews 10:26–31)

Those who get the gospel message delivered to them but reject it have no where else to turn for salvation. Continuing in a willful, sinful

life is evidence that a person never was born again.


Hebrews 10 Explained

―For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you

think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ―Vengeance is

Mine, I will repay.‖ And again, ―The Lord will judge His people.‖ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. ‖ (Hebrews 10:26–31)

The word used for ‗sanctified‘ here is not what is used for a move toward purity or holiness, but it means ‗consecrate‘ or ‗dedicate‘. These apostates had identified with the church, had chosen to dedicate themselves to Christ, but defected and

turned from Christ, proving they were never saved.


Revelation 3

‗He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before

His angels. ‖ (Revelation 3:5)

Opponents of eternal security argue that the verse above implies a believer‘s name can be erased from the Lamb‘s book of life. This is nowhere stated in the text or

anywhere else in Scripture. First, it says that believers are already clothed in white garments, which indicates righteousness from God. Second, it simply says that believer‘s names are permanently inscribed in the book of life – they are there to

stay.


1 Corinthians 9

―Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I

have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.‖ (1 Corinthians 9:26–27)

The context of this passage is concerned with evangelism and the rewards that come from Christian service. Paul references a prize to be won rather than the gift of

salvation that is received. Christians can indeed be disqualified from their service (e.g. preachers that commit gross sins and are exposed, etc.) and Paul was stating

that he disciplines himself so this will not happen to him.


2 Timothy 2:12

―If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us‖ (2 Timothy 2:12)

First, the term means ‗refuse‘ – if we refuse Christ, He will refuse us. But further: How does a person deny Christ and how it is demonstrated? Peter denied Christ and yet did not lose his salvation. How do unbelievers or false believers show their denial of Christ: ―They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed. ‖ (Titus 1:16)

―But I know people/have a friend/relative who taught Sunday school, went to church for years, was really into Christianity and now will have nothing to do with God.

What about them…?


“They all are not of us…”

―They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown

that they all are not of us.‖ (1 John 2:19)


“no firm root…”

―The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary,

and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls

away. ‖ (Matthew 13:20–21)


“I never Knew You…”

―Not everyone who says to Me, ‗Lord, Lord,‘ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will

enter. ―Many will say to Me on that day, ‗Lord, Lord, did we not

prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?‘ ―And

then I will declare to them, ‗I never knew you; depart from Me, you who

practice lawlessness.‘ ‖ (Matthew 7:21–23)


Conclusions

• A believer is preserved by God and can never lose their salvation• Eternal security is not a blank check to sin. Scripture warns

against this thought. Further, the desires of the believer are changed so they desire righteousness and not sin.

• There are those who appear to be Christians but are not. Abandoning the Christian life is evidence of a person never being born again.


Eternally secure

―Now that God has taken my salvation out of the control of my own will, and put it under the control of His, and promised to save me, not according to my working or running, but according to his own grace and mercy, I have the comfortable certainly that he is faithful and will not lie to me, and that He is also great and powerful, so

that no devils or opposition can break Him or pluck me from Him. . . . Thus it is that, if not all, yet some, indeed many , are saved . . . Furthermore, I have the comfortable certainty that I please God, not by reason of the merit of my works, but by reason of His merciful favor promised to me, so that, if I work too little or badly, He does

impute it to me, but with fatherly compassion pardons me and makes me better. This is the glorying of all the saints in their God.‖

- Martin Luther


One Last Thought

The goal of the Christian life is not to see how far you can go to the edge before you lose your salvation. The goal is to stay as close to

God as you possibly can so you can walk in truth, avoid the consequences of sin, and enjoy all the benefits that come from living a godly life. This attitude makes the question of whether a person can

lose their salvation not worth asking from a practical standpoint.

The Preservation

of the Saints

Spiritual

Sovereignty, Free Will, and Salvation - The Preservation of the Saints