“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
– John 8:51
I suppose one of the greatest threats to Christianity comes not from atheists or from other religions but from those who claim to be followers of Christ but clearly are not following Christ. They claim Jesus as their personal Saviour but not their Lord, and they claim that when they die, they will inherit the eternal kingdom of God despite the fact that their lives are full of sin, disobedience to Christ and His Word, and a life that demonstrates that they love this present world more than Christ (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17). They will say with their mouths that Jesus is their Saviour but their lives show that Jesus has saved them from nothing. They have not been changed (2 Corinthians 5:17).
This is the danger of eternal security. How well I remember the first time I encountered this type of teaching. I was in high school, had been a disciple for less than a year, and was approached by a fellow student who was not known for his zeal for Christ, and I didn’t even know he claimed to know Christ. We spoke for a few minutes before he asked me if I believed in “once saved, always saved.” I knew a little about the teaching and said that as far as I knew about the Bible, I could not see it matching up with the clear call to repent and follow Christ. He turned red in the face and became angry over this. He said that he knew he was a Christian and that Jesus was his Saviour and that he would spend eternity in heaven since he was always saved. Today this young man remains ungodly, lost, and deceived.
Now I know that some advocates of eternal security would claim that this young man does not understand the biblical teaching about salvation and many would claim that this young man has never been truly saved. I would agree. Yet someone lied to him and taught him that the Bible teaches that he was once saved, always saved, meaning that someone else had been misled before this young man and I am sure that this young man went on to pass along the deception. Since that time in my life I have encountered many more people who claim to be Christians yet they have no zeal for Christ or His Word, no passion to worship Him with their entire being, and nothing in their lives resemble that God has snatched them from the flames (Jude 23). Their is no evidence that they are taking up their crosses and following Christ (Luke 9:23-25).
This is why we need biblical teaching on perseverance. The only sure way to have the assurance of our present and eternal salvation is by continued faith in Christ. Even Calvinists would mostly not deny this. Peter wrote that the disciples were to add to their faith (2 Peter 1:5-7). Peter adds, “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8-11).
Jesus said in John 8:51 a key to eternal life and perseverance. Jesus said that if anyone keeps His word, he will never taste death. The Greek (as in Matthew 7:7-8) implies a continued action. In other words, Jesus is saying that if anyone keeps and continues to keep His word, he will never taste death. The disciple of John 8:51 is to keep on keeping His word. This lines up perfectly with the Arminian understanding of necessary perseverance. From the Arminian position, perseverance is not just a nice thing to obtain but is necessary for eternal life. We are to continue in the faith (1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Colossians 1:21-23; 1 Peter 1:5).
Even the great apostle of grace, Paul of Tarsus, understood how necessary perseverance is to the disciple of Christ. In 1 Thessalonians he wrote to the Christians that he sent Timothy to them to establish them and exhort them in their faith and to make sure they were still following Christ, “for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain” (1 Thessalonians 3:5). But why would Paul be concerned if he believed in “once saved, always saved?” If Paul believed and taught unconditional eternal security, why would he be concerned about the tempter coming to tempt the Thessalonians?
The safest place to be for security is in the arms of Jesus. If we continue to trust in Christ by faith, we are secure (2 Peter 3:17-18). When we run to Christ Jesus and make Him our sure foundation, we are secure. When we run from sin (1 Corinthians 6:18) to Christ, we find that He guards us from the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3). Our prayer for others should be what Paul prayed in 2 Corinthians 13:7, that they would do no wrong! Without a doubt we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), but Jesus is a great Saviour (Matthew 1:21) and we need to always keep our eyes on Him (Hebrews 12:2). This will assure us of heaven (Revelation 17:14)!
[Link to original post and comments at Roy Ingle’s website.]
