In my 40 years of teaching God’s
Word, the Bible…
…what has been one of the most
Frequently Asked Questions?
…what has been one of the most
controversial questions?
most FAQ’s and, at the
same time, one of the most controversial
 …one of the
questions has been, “Is
a
Christian eternally
secure?” (once saved,
always saved?)
I would take a bullet for believing in
the eternal security of a true believer.
•Would you?
Let’s consider 8 reasons why we
should believe in the eternal security
of the true believer!
#1. If I don’t believe in the eternal
security of a true believer…
…I must believe that Jesus did not
finish paying my way to heaven!
Regarding His mission to pay off our
sin debt to God, Jesus, while being
crucified, said…
“IT IS FINISHED!”
The Greek term is:
“TETELESTAI”
What does this word
mean? “To bring to
an end, to complete
something.”
 Perfect tense:
Action completed in
the past with
permanent results!
“He paid a debt He did not
owe because we owed a debt
we could not pay.”
–(Author unknown)
To say that I can lose my salvation implies that
Jesus’ death did not pay my sin debt in full, but
there remains…
an outstanding balance on the debt that I owe God
for my sins. I am then forced to say to Him, “It is
NOT finished! Your work was not quite enough—
I must complete what is lacking by my own good
works.”
If I don’t believe in Eternal Security I must
believe that Jesus did not finish paying my way to
Heaven.
This belief leads to a
second thing I must
believe.
2. If I don’t believe in the eternal
security of a true believer…
…I am forced to believe that there is a
contradiction in the Bible—in this
case that salvation is, at the same
time, a free gift and yet earned by my
own good works.
But note the following Scripture:
Romans 6:23
 “For the wages of sin
is death, but the free
gift of God is
eternal life
THROUGH Jesus
Christ, our Lord.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
 “For by grace you
have been saved
through faith, and
that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God;
not as a result of
works, so that no one
can boast.”
Question: Do I really believe
Ephesians 2:8-9?
 All true believers agree that pre-conversion
works do not contribute to salvation.
 But if I believe that I can lose my salvation
through too many post-conversion bad works
(too much sin in my life after being saved), I
cannot honestly believe the clear teaching of
Eph.2:8-9, that salvation is by GRACE ALONE.
 Instead, I must believe that the following is the
true gospel:
“Trust in Jesus’ work (His death
& resurrection)
PLUS
my own post-conversion
obedience = salvation from Hell.
Some disturbing questions:
*If I don’t believe in eternal security,
How faithful to God do I have to be
not to lose my salvation? What if I’m
not faithful to the end of my life as
was the case with some believers in
both the OT & NT?
*How much “grace” is available to
“cover” my choices to sin as a
Christian? When does this grace run
out?
The Reality is this: If eternal security is not
true, The “Gospel” would then be…
 I’m saved initially by God’s
grace, but kept saved on a
day-to-day basis by my good
works.
 If I don’t believe in eternal
security I must embrace a
serious contradiction that
salvation is, at the same time,
by grace and works.
 Both a gift given and
something I earn, in part!
No amount of good works can earn
our salvation and no amount of bad
works can make us lose our salvation
(Randy Alcorn).
But the Bible is clear that…,
 Grace and works are mutually exclusive, as
incompatible as oil and water…as
contradictory as saying, “A bachelor is taking
his wife out for dinner.”
 So then, if I believe that I am initially saved by
grace but kept saved by my good works, I must
believe that there is a contradiction in the
Bible, and this leads to a 3rd thing I must
believe if I don’t believe in the eternal security
of a true believer:
3. If I don’t believe in the eternal
security of a true believer…
 …I must believe that believers can boast about
their personal contribution to their
salvation!!!
 “For by grace you have been saved; and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST.”
 If my pre-conversion and/or post-conversion
works have anything to do with my eternal
salvation, there is room for me to boast. If my
own good works could contribute at all to my
salvation, God would never hear the end of it!
So, If I don’t believe in the eternal
security of a true believer…
I must believe that believers can boast
about their personal contribution to
their salvation and gain partial glory for
it.
And believing this leads to a 4th thing
I must believe, namely…
4. If I don’t believe in the eternal
security of a true believer…
 I must believe that the ultimate purpose of
God saving sinners is not His own glory!!!
 But as God says to Israel, “I will not give My
Glory to another” (Is.48:11).
 And it is clear that the ultimate purpose of the
Father’s selection of us, the Son’s sacrifice for
us and the Spirit’s seal upon us, is…
“to the praise of the glory of His grace,
which He freely bestowed on us…” (Cf.
Eph.1:6, 12, 14).
For all eternity we will shout
and sing…
Not believing in the eternal security of a
true believer means I must believe that
the ultimate purpose of God saving
sinners is not His own glory which leads
to something else I must believe,
namely…
5. If I don’t believe in the eternal
security of a true believer…
 I must believe that God is not sovereign in
both initiating and bringing to completion my
salvation!
 “…He chose us…before the foundation of the
world…[we] were sealed with the Holy Spirit
…who is the GUARANTEE of our inheritance
until the [future] redemption of the purchased
possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians
1:4a, 13b-14).
 The eternal security of the believer is the only view of
salvation that reveals the glory of God’s sovereign
ability to complete the final phase of our salvation.
Romans 6:5
“Since we have been united with Him
[Jesus] in His death, we shall certainly be
united with Him in a resurrection like
His.”
His resurrection guarantees ours. We are
as secure as He is!
Romans 8:29a; 1 John 3:2b
 “For those whom He foreknew (all believers), He
also predestined to be conformed to the image
of His Son.” The verb tense of the word
“predestined” reveals action already
completed. From God’s eternal viewpoint all
believers are already conformed to the moral
likeness of Jesus Christ, already in their glorified
state as verse 30 declares. Our experience has yet
to catch up with what God considers a done deal.
As John writes, “we know that when He is
revealed, we SHALL be like Him.”
John 6:37-40
“All that the Father gives Me will come to
Me, and the one who comes to Me I will
by no means cast out….This is the will of
the Father who sent Me, that of all He has
given Me I should lose nothing. And this
is the will of Him who sent Me, that
everyone who sees the Son and believes
(trusts) in Him may have eternal life; and
I WILL raise him up on the last day.”
Romans 8:30
To say that salvation can be lost is to reject
the clear teaching of these passages and
say that God is neither able, nor
sovereign when it comes to completing
what He purposes to do with those He
saves.
If I don’t believe that God’s will is
absolutely sovereign and will come to
pass—that He could somehow lose me
after having saved me—then I must live
with another serious consequence of not
believing “Once saved, always saved,”
namely…
6. If I don’t believe in the eternal
security of a true believer…
 I must believe that there is no such thing as
assurance of salvation.
 1 John 2:25: “And this is the promise that He
has promised us—eternal life.”
 1 John 5:11-13: “And this is the record: that God
has given us eternal life, and this life is IN His
Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does
not have the Son does not have life. These things
I have written to you who believe in the name of
the Son of God that you may know that you
have eternal life.”
And if I don’t have assurance of my
salvation—if I believe I can somehow
lose it by committing too many sins, or
certain kinds of sins—this will lead to a
6th thing I must believe…
7. If I don’t believe in the eternal
security of a true believer…
I must believe that one of the chief
motivations for pleasing God is the
horrifying fear of ending up in HELL
after all!!!
What biblical passages
support the idea that the true
believer should obey God for
fear of losing his salvation
and ending up in Hell after
all?
 Some passages seem to teach that salvation
can be lost until we do a closer examination of
the context, original languages, meanings of
words, grammar and syntax, cultural setting,
etc.
 Complex passages must always be interpreted in
light of clear passages, such as John 3:16.
 Our God of truth is incapable of contradicting
Himself!
 Our heavenly Father is sad when those He has
saved doubt their eternal security in Him.
As believers, what should
motivate us to please God?
 “I urge you, therefore, brethren, because of
the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to
God which is your reasonable service”
(Rom.12:1).
 Meditation on God’s mercy upon us—morally
filthy, wrath-deserving sinners—should compel
us to present our bodies and minds to unswerving
allegiance to Him—no other response makes
sense!
“We love Him because He first loved
us” (1 John 4:19)
We are motivated by God’s past
mercies but also by our future meeting
with Him.
 “Therefore, we make it our aim…to be well
pleasing to the Lord. For we [Christians] must
all appear before the judgment seat (bema) of
Christ…Knowing, therefore, the terror of the
Lord, we persuade men….” (2 Cor. 5:9-11)
 With a healthy fear (terror) of knowing he
would one day give an account for the very
motives behind his ministry, Paul felt the need
to persuade the saints at Corinth of his
sincerity and integrity.
In light of this doctrine of
the Bema Seat (future
rewards of true believers), it is
very possible that…
8. If I don’t believe in the eternal
security of a true believer…
 I may not believe and/or understand the
distinction Scripture makes b/t salvation and
eternal rewards.
 Salvation is Totally Free, based upon the
Amazing Grace of God displayed in the
Finished Work of Jesus Christ.
 Rewards are earned on the basis of anything we
do, say or think during our earthly lives as
Christians that is the fruit of the Spirit of God. It
is truly a Good Work, a God-work! We are
not saved by good works, but we are saved for
good works (Eph. 2:8-10).
1 Corinthians 3:11-15, selected
 “For no other foundation can anyone lay than
that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now
if anyone builds upon this foundation with
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
each one’s work will become clear; for the Day
will declare it…and the fire will test…what
sort it is. If anyone’s work…endures, he will
receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned,
he will suffer loss; but he himself will
be saved….”
2 John 8
“Look to yourselves,
that we do not lose
those things we have
worked for, but that we
may receive a full
reward.”
“Well Done, Good and Faithful
Servant…! (Mt.25:21)
So then, if salvation cannot be lost, what is lost
when a believer chooses to follow the world, flesh
& the devil?”
 In the here and now, loss of:
 Intimacy with God (Jn.14:21-23)
 The blessing of God—God becomes our
adversary, making our life miserable (Psalm 32;
James 4:4-6)
 Abundant life from God (John 10:10)
 Usefulness for God (2 Tim.2:20-22)
 Physical life—the sin unto death is possible
(Acts 5; 1 Cor.11:30; 1 Jn.5:16-18)
In the Hereafter, loss of:
Rewards from God. Just as there are
degrees of punishment in hell, there will be
degrees of rewards in heaven (Cf.
Mt.11:20-24 and Mt.20:20-28; see also
Rev. 3:11).
As Bruce Wilkinson says…
“Hell can never get better, but it can get
worse. Heaven can never get worse, but it
can get better.” The quality of eternity for
every believer will be determined by the
kind of Christian he/she was on earth-every moment matters forever! Everyone
in Heaven will have full joy, but each
person’s capacity for joy will differ
(James 1:12; Rev.2:10).
The Christian who honors Jesus Christ
much in the here and now will be honored
much by Jesus Christ in the hereafter! The
focus of eternal rewards is on the
exaltation of Jesus Christ!
Summary: If I don’t believe in the
eternal security of a true believer…
 I must believe that Jesus did not finish paying my
way to heaven, and...
 Therefore, I must believe that the Bible contains
contradictions (That salvation is, at the same
time, a gift to receive and something to achieve),
and...
 Therefore, I must believe that believers can boast
about their contribution to their salvation, and...
 Therefore, I must believe that the ultimate
purpose of salvation is not the glory of God,
and...
 Therefore, I must believe that God is not
sovereign in initiating and completing my
salvation which displays His ultimate glory,
and...
 Therefore, I must believe that there is no such
thing as assurance of salvation, and...
 Therefore, I must believe that one of the chief
motivations for pleasing God is the fear of losing
my salvation...
And finally…, if I don’t believe in
eternal security, I may not believe
and/or understand the difference
between salvation (which is free) and
eternal rewards (which are earned).
So, would you take a bullet for believing in
the eternal security of a true believer?
If I understand Scripture correctly, all
that I must believe if I don’t believe in
eternal security, makes this doctrine not
only worth believing in…
…but even worth dying for!
WHAT DO
YOU THINK?