Special Study Outline

ETERNAL SECURITY (2)
The Bible does not teach the doctrine of “Eternal Security” as it is espoused by many religious leaders of our day. Dr. Charles Stanley, in his book, Eternal Security: Can You Be Sure? (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1990) argues that an unfaithful believer will not lose his salvation. This is the extremism characteristic of many who teach what is called, “Once-saved-always-saved.” The Scriptures make it clear that a baptized believer must continue serving Christ, or else he will lose his salvation. Falling away from the grace of Christ is a genuine possibility. In this lesson, however, we want to emphasize that believers can remain faithful to the Lord. We do not have to abandon Christ and forfeit our souls. The Bible teaches “eternal security” for the faithful child of God. It is very comforting that the Lord does not require perfection of us. If He did, then we would be without hope, for not one of us has ever been perfect and we cannot be so now. But perfection in the absolute sense of being totally free from sin is not what God requires of us, for the simple reason that our Savior, Jesus Christ, has already lived the perfect life demanded by God’s holiness (1 John 3:5). Indeed, God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21), and for that our lips should proclaim His praises for the rest of our days. However, while we cannot be perfect in the absolute sense, God does require that we be faithful—a faithfulness that we express by a willingness to do what He tells us at all times and at all costs. We are to be faithful even to the point of giving our lives for the sake of His name (Rev. 2:10). Faithfulness implies adherence to His precepts and a sustained commitment to Him as the absolute commander and Lord of every area of our lives. “Faithfulness” in the life of the believer speaks of stability and steadiness. It means that the overall direction of our lives is in harmony with God and His will and that we are seeking to please Him every day in every way. We are not only calling him “Lord, Lord” but we are doing what He tells us (Matt. 7:21; Lk. 6:46). He is God, we belong to Him, and our attitude is “speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth” (1 Sam. 3:9). The Bible speaks of many ways that we are to demonstrate our faithfulness to God: by “going on to perfection [maturity]” (Heb. 6:1-6) and seeking to “grow in the grace and knowledge” of Christ (2 Pet. 3:18); by seeking God’s will in His word (2 Tim. 2:15) and by applying what we learn in the development of a Christ-like spirit (2 Pet. 1:5-11); by praying fervently to God (1 Thes. 5:17), assembling together as believers (Heb. 10:25), and using our finances and earthly resources to accomplish His mission (1 Cor. 16:1-2); by living righteous lives (Titus 2:11-12), abounding in His work (1 Cor. 15:58) and seeking His kingdom first (Matt. 6:33). These are just a few of the ways that faithfulness to God is exhibited in our lives. One of the most comforting promises to the faithful believer is this one: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 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.” (John 10:27-29). But notice, Jesus said that His sheep “follow” Him. Anyone who does not follow Him is not one of His sheep—even if they followed Him in the past. Only those who continue to follow Him are promised the protection of God. The Apostle Paul, speaking of faithful Christians, declared: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Rom. 5:10). There is eternal security for those, and only for those, who trust in Christ. The same point is made in the Book of Hebrews: “He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” (Heb. 9:26-28, NKJV). Christ is bringing salvation only for those “who eagerly wait for Him.” This speaks of faithfulness. Our security is found exactly where our salvation is found: in Christ alone. “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:12-14, NKJV). Notice that it is those “who are being sanctified” who have been “perfected forever.” The inspired writer goes on to say: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:19-23). We partake of His promises by holding on to “the confession of our hope.” Another very powerful text to consider regarding God’s promises to the faithful believer are these words from the Book of Romans: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1-4, NKJV). Because of Christ, there is no condemnation for the faithful Christian. Notice Romans 8:1 again: “There is therefore now no condemnation...” for those who “walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.” This is biblical “eternal security.” The faithful believer in Jesus Christ is saved, sealed and secure. Earlier in the Book of Romans, Paul referred to the fact that we “stand in” a state of grace if we have faith in Christ (5:2). Standing in grace means there is not an ounce of condemnation in our lives. Those without Christ—whether they have fallen away from Christ or have never believed in Him in the first place—are condemned right now. They are “condemned already” (John 3:18). Those who maintain faith in Christ, by contrast, walk completely justified and righteous before God. As long as we are in Christ, we have already passed from death into life, and therefore we are not, nor will we ever be, condemned (John 5:24). “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Rom. 4:7-8, NIV) To avoid condemnation, we must be “in Christ.” In Christ, we are a new creation, with the old things passed away and everything made new (2 Cor. 5:17) In Christ, we are alive spiritually (Eph. 2:1) and we will be raised from the dead to live forever with Him. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22). Being “in Christ” speaks of a relationship with Him (John 14:20). John tells us that eternal life is in the Son of God, and as long as we have Christ, we have this eternal life (1 John 5:11-12). So again, very clearly, as long as we have a relationship with the Son of God, we have eternal life and are not condemned. This is true “eternal security.” “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4, NIV) We enter a relationship with Christ by faith in Him and baptism in His name (Acts 10:43; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27). If we “remain” in Him, He will “remain” in us. There is no condemnation to those who remain in Christ by walking after the Spirit. These promises are only made to those who are faithful to Him. Having said all of that, however, it is extremely important to recognize that the faithfulness we must demonstrate to God cannot be properly understood until we first appreciate the absolute faithfulness of God Himself. We can only be faithful because He Himself is faithful first. Our faithfulness is relative—His is absolute. In other words, we can be faithful in the sense of consistency, but only He can be faithful at all times and in every way. He never leaves or forsakes us (Heb. 13:5), therefore our faithfulness to Him is rooted in His faithfulness to us. The Christian who keeps believing in God’s faithfulness will himself remain faithful. The faithfulness of God is taught throughout the Bible. “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.” (Ps. 89:1-2). Clearly, our best days of faithfulness cannot begin to compare with that of Him who “is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands” (Deut. 7:9, NIV). He is “the LORD, who is faithful” (Isa. 49:7). We remain faithful to God by overcoming temptation, but it is God’s faithfulness that is the source of our ability to defeat that temptation. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13). We must continue in the Christian life to be faithful to God. However, as the Hebrew writer points out, it is His faithfulness that keeps us going: “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23). We must continue to have our sins forgiven in order to be faithful to God, but it is His faithfulness to us that is the basis of that forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 tells us that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV) Great is the faithfulness of God (Lam. 3:23). Let His people always be “the faithful” (Ps. 31:23). If you have never been saved, believe in Christ, repent of your sins and be baptized in His name (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38). If you have fallen away from Christ, repent and turn back to Him. Christ’s story of the prodigal son teaches us that God will run to meet us if we return from our rebellion against Him. And let us remember that we are able to remain faithful to Him only because He promises to remain faithful to us. Bryan Dunaway Grace and Peace Ministries www.gandpministries.org

The Bible does not teach the doctrine of “Eternal Security” as it is espoused by many religious leaders of our day. Dr. Charles Stanley, in his book, Eternal Security: Can You Be Sure? (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1990) argues that an unfaithful believer will not lose his salvation. This is the extremism characteristic of many who teach what is called, “Once-saved-always-saved.”

The Scriptures make it clear that a baptized believer must continue serving Christ, or else he will lose his salvation. Falling away from the grace of Christ is a genuine possibility. In this lesson, however, we want to emphasize that believers can remain faithful to the Lord. We do not have to abandon Christ and forfeit our souls. The Bible teaches “eternal security” for the faithful child of God.

It is very comforting that the Lord does not require perfection of us. If He did, then we would be without hope, for not one of us has ever been perfect and we cannot be so now. But perfection in the absolute sense of being totally free from sin is not what God requires of us, for the simple reason that our Savior, Jesus Christ, has already lived the perfect life demanded by God’s holiness (1 John 3:5). Indeed, God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21), and for that our lips should proclaim His praises for the rest of our days.

However, while we cannot be perfect in the absolute sense, God does require that we be faithful—a faithfulness that we express by a willingness to do what He tells us at all times and at all costs. We are to be faithful even to the point of giving our lives for the sake of His name (Rev. 2:10). Faithfulness implies adherence to His precepts and a sustained commitment to Him as the absolute commander and Lord of every area of our lives.

“Faithfulness” in the life of the believer speaks of stability and steadiness. It means that the overall direction of our lives is in harmony with God and His will and that we are seeking to please Him every day in every way. We are not only calling him “Lord, Lord” but we are doing what He tells us (Matt. 7:21; Lk. 6:46). He is God, we belong to Him, and our attitude is “speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth” (1 Sam. 3:9).

The Bible speaks of many ways that we are to demonstrate our faithfulness to God: by “going on to perfection [maturity]” (Heb. 6:1-6) and seeking to “grow in the grace and knowledge” of Christ (2 Pet. 3:18); by seeking God’s will in His word (2 Tim. 2:15) and by applying what we learn in the development of a Christ-like spirit (2 Pet. 1:5-11); by praying fervently to God (1 Thes. 5:17), assembling together as believers (Heb. 10:25), and using our finances and earthly resources to accomplish His mission (1 Cor. 16:1-2); by living righteous lives (Titus 2:11-12), abounding in His work (1 Cor. 15:58) and seeking His kingdom first (Matt. 6:33). These are just a few of the ways that faithfulness to God is exhibited in our lives.

One of the most comforting promises to the faithful believer is this one: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 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.” (John 10:27-29). But notice, Jesus said that His sheep “follow” Him. Anyone who does not follow Him is not one of His sheep—even if they followed Him in the past. Only those who continue to follow Him are promised the protection of God.

The Apostle Paul, speaking of faithful Christians, declared: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Rom. 5:10). There is eternal security for those, and only for those, who trust in Christ. The same point is made in the Book of Hebrews: “He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” (Heb. 9:26-28, NKJV). Christ is bringing salvation only for those “who eagerly wait for Him.” This speaks of faithfulness.

Our security is found exactly where our salvation is found: in Christ alone. “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:12-14, NKJV). Notice that it is those “who are being sanctified” who have been “perfected forever.” The inspired writer goes on to say: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:19-23). We partake of His promises by holding on to “the confession of our hope.”

Another very powerful text to consider regarding God’s promises to the faithful believer are these words from the Book of Romans: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1-4, NKJV). Because of Christ, there is no condemnation for the faithful Christian.

Notice Romans 8:1 again: “There is therefore now no condemnation...” for those who “walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.” This is biblical “eternal security.” The faithful believer in Jesus Christ is saved, sealed and secure. Earlier in the Book of Romans, Paul referred to the fact that we “stand in” a state of grace if we have faith in Christ (5:2). Standing in grace means there is not an ounce of condemnation in our lives.

Those without Christ—whether they have fallen away from Christ or have never believed in Him in the first place—are condemned right now. They are “condemned already” (John 3:18). Those who maintain faith in Christ, by contrast, walk completely justified and righteous before God. As long as we are in Christ, we have already passed from death into life, and therefore we are not, nor will we ever be, condemned (John 5:24). “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Rom. 4:7-8, NIV)

To avoid condemnation, we must be “in Christ.” In Christ, we are a new creation, with the old things passed away and everything made new (2 Cor. 5:17) In Christ, we are alive spiritually (Eph. 2:1) and we will be raised from the dead to live forever with Him. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22). Being “in Christ” speaks of a relationship with Him (John 14:20). John tells us that eternal life is in the Son of God, and as long as we have Christ, we have this eternal life (1 John 5:11-12). So again, very clearly, as long as we have a relationship with the Son of God, we have eternal life and are not condemned. This is true “eternal security.”

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4, NIV) We enter a relationship with Christ by faith in Him and baptism in His name (Acts 10:43; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27). If we “remain” in Him, He will “remain” in us. There is no condemnation to those who remain in Christ by walking after the Spirit. These promises are only made to those who are faithful to Him.

Having said all of that, however, it is extremely important to recognize that the faithfulness we must demonstrate to God cannot be properly understood until we first appreciate the absolute faithfulness of God Himself. We can only be faithful because He Himself is faithful first. Our faithfulness is relative—His is absolute. In other words, we can be faithful in the sense of consistency, but only He can be faithful at all times and in every way. He never leaves or forsakes us (Heb. 13:5), therefore our faithfulness to Him is rooted in His faithfulness to us. The Christian who keeps believing in God’s faithfulness will himself remain faithful.

The faithfulness of God is taught throughout the Bible. “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.” (Ps. 89:1-2). Clearly, our best days of faithfulness cannot begin to compare with that of Him who “is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands” (Deut. 7:9, NIV). He is “the LORD, who is faithful” (Isa. 49:7).

We remain faithful to God by overcoming temptation, but it is God’s faithfulness that is the source of our ability to defeat that temptation. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13). We must continue in the Christian life to be faithful to God. However, as the Hebrew writer points out, it is His faithfulness that keeps us going: “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23). We must continue to have our sins forgiven in order to be faithful to God, but it is His faithfulness to us that is the basis of that forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 tells us that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV)

Great is the faithfulness of God (Lam. 3:23). Let His people always be “the faithful” (Ps. 31:23). If you have never been saved, believe in Christ, repent of your sins and be baptized in His name (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38). If you have fallen away from Christ, repent and turn back to Him. Christ’s story of the prodigal son teaches us that God will run to meet us if we return from our rebellion against Him. And let us remember that we are able to remain faithful to Him only because He promises to remain faithful to us.

Bryan Dunaway

Grace and Peace Ministries