"Eternal Security Of The Believer: Fact Or Fantasy?"

ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER:

FACT, OR FANTASY?

Text: John 5:24

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth

my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath

everlasting life, and shall not come into con-

demnation; but is passed from death unto life."

-Jesus Christ

Introduction-

What used to be called the doctrine of the

"final perseverance of the saints," is now often

referred to as "once saved, always saved," or

"eternal security of the believer." Is this a

Bibical truth, or is it just some concoction of

some deranged theological mind?

I want to stand on the side of those who

affirm eternal security of believers, not because

someone told me to believe that, but because it

is a Bibical truth taught and promoted by none

other than our Lord Jesus Christ. It was He who

spoke the words that I just read in the beginning

of this message, and it strongly supports this

idea.

Now, I’ve heard all the arguments for and

against the eternal security of believers, why

some say it is just an excuse to believe and then

live as you choose, and how some teach that our

salvation is dependent on our "holding out," or

"enduring to the end," in our own strength and

faith. Those who say that do not realize how

true a statement it is that if our salvation

depended on our own efforts to be victorious over

sin, the temptations of the world, and Satanic

powers, then we would all be hopelessly lost and

condemned, for man so often fails. But, if we

are secure because of the power and will of One

who is stronger than us, then we can have blessed

assurance.

As Barney said on The Andy Griffith Show, "Let’s

nip it in the bud, right now," that false pre-

sumption that the grace of God leads to sinfulness.

Titus 2:12-"The grace of God teaches us, that

denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should

live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this

present world."

How, then, does grace teach us to live? Soberly,

righteously, and godly. God’s unmerited favor

and undeserved love is an incentive not to do

wrong, but to live with thankfulness and gratitu-

de to One who loved us so much that He gave His

Son to die for us.

Those who belive they can be saved one day and

lost the next have no assurance. They have no

joy of sins forgiven, because they believe that

they might stumble sometime in the future and

wind up condemned by God. Jesus said-

"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

Don’t tell me about "so & so," and how they made

a decision and walked an aisle and joined a church

and were baptized but then forsook God and lived

for the Devil. God knows those who are His. He

will keep all true believers. Hypocrites, and

fakers who never made any genuine commitment to

Christ will be found living a lie. But they

seemed to be so sincere, you say. So did Judas!

Not every one who says "Lord, Lord," will enter

God’s kingdom, but only those who do the will of

God. And, what is the will of God? That you

believe on Him whom He sent into the world to die

for our sins. Trust in Him, and you will not be

disappointed.

The Scipture declares that we are "kept by the

power of God through faith unto salvation ready

to be revealed in the last time." 1st Peter 1:5

Now that’s real security-God’s power keeping us,

through faith, and according to Ephesians 2:8-9

we are saved by faith, and that is not of our-

selves. We would never believe if God did not

grant us the faith to believe. It is the gift

of God! Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the

Word of God. It is all of grace. It is not what

we can do for God, but what He has done for us

in giving His Son; therefore, in the ages of ages

to come, He will be glorified for His grace, not

us for our goodness or our deeds of righteous-

ness.

(God) is able to keep us from falling, and to

present us faultless before the presence of

His glory with exceeding joy.-Jude, vs. 24

Again, in John 10:28, Jesus said-"All that the

Father gives to me shall come to me, and he that