Part 2 - A Comprehensive Study On Salvation And The Authority, Promises, Privileges, Rights, And Eternal Destiny Of Every Born-Again Christian Series

Part 2

Eternal Life

Throughout the Bible, Christians are promised eternal life. None of the verses indicate that one can lose the eternal life that God promises (Matt 19:29; Mark 10:29-30; Luke 18:29-30; John 3:16,36; 5:24; 6:39-40; John 17:2-3; Acts 13:47-48; Rom 5:20-21; 6:23; 2 Cor 5:1; Gal 6:8; 1 Tim 1:16; 6:12; Titus 1:2; 3:5-7; 1 John 2:24-25; 5:11-13; Jude 1:21).

The Christian knows that they have already crossed over from death and have been appointed to eternal life because Jesus lives inside of them through the rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (John 5:24; Acts 13:48; 1 John 5:11-12; Titus 3:5-7). Jesus said He would "lose none" of those the Father gave Him (John 6:39). He will keep them strong and blameless on the day Jesus returns (1 Cor 1:8).

Name Written in the Book of Life

The Old Testament (OT) speaks of the "book of life" and indicates that all the living are placed in that book and are removed from it as the result of systematic sin (i.e., unbelief). In the NT, the book of Revelation says that names are written in the Book of Life only for those who actively believe (i.e., Born-Again). However, their names were written in the book "from the creation of the world." Jesus said He "will never blot out his name from the book of life" of those who overcome (Revelation 3:5). He didn't say He would blot out the names of those who fall. Christians have been given the authority to "overcome all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19).

Jesus said that genuine overcomers are those who are Born-Again and have been born of God. The name of the Christian is written in the Book of Life "from the creation of the world" and they "will never” be taken out of it” (Rev 3:5). When the Christian stands before Jesus, they will be dressed in white (Rev 7:9). They will never be blotted out of the Book of Life because "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God" and they will acknowledge His name before the Father and His angels. (1 John 3:9, 5:4-5; Rev 3:5; 13:8,17:8 - see also Ex 32:32,33; Ps 69:28).

Working Out Salvation

Christians don’t need to work for or work up their salvation; they must continually work out their salvation by doing the things that accompany it. God has given them eternal salvation as a gift in Jesus Christ, and it is His will that they obey Him, not in order to save themselves or in order to help God save them, but because they are already saved. It is God who provides the complete salvation (Phil 2:12-13).

People who consider themselves a Christian need to examine their fruit to test and see if they actually are (2 Cor 13:5). The Bible is very clear on this, “Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:10).

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-8 ESV)

Sons of God and Overcomers

Christians are “sons of God” who hold onto the teaching of Jesus because they are saved (John 8:31). God has given the Holy Spirit to "those who obey Him," and they are led by Him (Acts 5:32). Those who chose to live under the law and not under grace will be condemned by it (Rom 8:12-13).

Because salvation is a gift from God, it is not based upon works or abiding by obedience to the Law, but upon what Jesus did on the Cross (Acts 2:38-39). Jesus said that genuine overcomers are those who are Born-Again and have been born of God through the new birth of the New Covenant,

The Christian will stand firm to the end, even in the face of persecution, because they are overcomers by trusting-faith in Jesus, who is in them, and greater than he who is in the world (Matt 10:22; 24:12-13; Mark 13:13; Luke 10:19; 1 John 4:4, 5:3-5). They overcame the enemy “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Rev 12:11). Sitting on the throne is a reward for the overcomer (Matt 19:28, 25:31; Heb 8:1, 12:2; Rev 3:21).