Eternal Security

ETERNAL SECURITY

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The phrase "eternal security" means that once a person is saved by believing in Jesus Christ, that person’s salvation can never be lost through any subsequent sin, act, or lack of action. The believer’s place in heaven is eternally secure. If a Christian understands the Biblical teachings on salvation, then eternal security is not difficult to understand nor believe. Some of these Biblical teachings would include salvation by grace only, and that all personal sins (past, present, and future) were paid by Jesus Christ at the cross.

However, because many Christians do not understand a lot of the Scriptural teachings on salvation, eternal security is not taught nor accepted by many in the Church. There are many viewpoints from which the Bible teaches eternal security, many promises from God which would have to be broken to lose our salvation.

1. POSITIONAL VIEWPOINT - Every believer at the point of salvation is placed into the position of being in union with Christ.

Rom 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, (NIV)

Eph 1:3-6 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (NIV)

Jude 1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:

2. LOGICAL VIEWPOINT - God did the most for us when we were His enemies, and will do much more for us as members of His royal family.

Rom 5:9,10,15,17,20 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, (NIV)

Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (NIV)

3. THE “HAND OF GOD” VIEWPOINT - The believer is held by God’s hand, and God will never let go. This is an anthropomorphism, that is, attributing to God some human characteristic that He, in fact, does not possess. This is for the purpose of helping us to understand some characteristic about God.

John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. (NIV)

Psa 37:24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. (NIV)

4. EXPERIENTIAL VIEWPOINT - Though we may say we no longer believe, God remains faithful to us. This is because He is immutable, that is, unchanging.

2 Tim 2:13 if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. (NIV)

5. FAMILY VIEWPOINT - We are born into the royal family of God and cannot be removed from it.

John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- (NIV)

Gal 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, (NIV)

6. BODY VIEWPOINT - We are part of the body of Christ. The Head of the body, Christ, can never say to any member of the body, a believer, that He does not need him.

1 Cor 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don’t need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don’t need you!" (NIV)

Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (NIV)