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WE BELIEVE THAT SUCH ONLY ARE REAL BELIEVERS AS ENDURE UNTO THE END; THAT
THEIR PRESERVING ATTACHMENT TO CHRIST IS THE GRAND MARK WHICH DISTINGUISHES THEM
FROM SUPERFICIAL PROFESSORS; THAT A SPECIAL PROVIDENCE WATCHES OVER THEIR
WELFARE. AND THAT THEY ARE KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD THROUGH FAITH UNTO
SALVATION.
Introduction.
A lot of people are trusting in something that happened to them a long
time ago that it is salvation.
It might be salvation, and it might not be salvation.
True salvation is not trusting in something that happened a long time
ago, it is trusting in Christ right now.
Many people have said they are saved, yet have not endured to any sort of
faithfulness at all.
It is foolishness to trust in your trusting, especially if you are
trusting in something that happened years ago, and you are not trust
Christ today.
Salvation involves not only a past trusting, it also involves a present
trusting, and it also involves a continual trusting into the future.
Salvation is trusting God for all time and all eternity, not just
trusting Christ in the long ago.
There are many and varying degrees of this trusting, according to how
much knowledge a person has of God’s Holy Word.
If a person was raised believing they can lose their salvation, they
will continue believing this, unless the Holy Spirit of God reveals to
them the truth by their constant studying of the Word of God.
A person can be saved, yet "feel like" they are lost.
A person can also "feel" they are saved and be lost.
This is why the Bible says we ought to …make your calling and
election sure…" II Peter 1:10.
Study the Bible doctrines of calling and election.
The Bible teaches that God does the calling and electing to salvation.
God calls those who are dead in trespasses and sins and cannot help
themselves out of sin or to salvation.
Men cannot save themselves by their good works or by anything else.
Jonah declared that salvation is of the Lord.
We cannot scripturally deny what the Bible declares about eternal life.
Jesus Christ only gives eternal life because that is the only kind of
life he has.
We have temporary life, therefore that is the kind of life we give our
children.
Jesus has eternal life, therefore that is the kind of life he gives his
children.
No child of God will ever be lost.
If they are lost, that would mean God is defeated, and that his
chastisement is of no effect, no value, and has no meaning.
Scriptures that teach the fact of eternal life.
John 3:15 – "That whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have eternal life."
John 3:16 – "For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life."
John 3:36 – "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting
life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath
of God abideth on him."
John 6:39-40 – "And this is the Father's will which hath sent
me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that
sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may
have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:47 – "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me hath everlasting life."
John 6:54 – "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
The scriptures teach we can only be saved one time.
Hebrews 6:1-6 – Actually, 5:11-7:1 is a break in the discussion about
who Jesus Christ is. "Therefore leaving the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of
the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection
of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God
permit. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and
have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy
Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world
to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance;
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an
open shame."
Christ died one time for our eternal salvation, and will not die again.
1 Peter 3:18 states, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins,
the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to
death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
Hebrews 9:28 declares, So Christ was once offered to bear the sins
of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time
without sin unto salvation.
These are a few of the many scriptures that speak of eternal life.
Here is the proper view of eternal life as spoken by Jesus Christ. John
10:27-30 – "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is
greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30
I and my Father are one.
"WE BELIEVE THAT SUCH ONLY ARE REAL BELIEVERS AS ENDURE UNTO THE
END."
John 8:31 - Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If
ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Jesus said that only those who are genuinely saved will continue in His
Word.
Saved people are not saved because they continue in His Word, but continue
in His Word because they are already saved.
Colossians 1:23 - If ye continue in the faith
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which
ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;
whereof I Paul am made a minister;
I Corinthians 15:2 - Ye are saved …if ye keep in memory
what I have preached unto you...
Col. 1:21-23 - We will be presented perfect before God if
we continue in the gospel. And you, that were sometime alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the
body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and
unreproveable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which
ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;
whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Man's side of staying in Christ. This is responsibility. This is eternal
security which works in our lives, changing us into the image of Christ. This
is "justification in the flesh" as spoken of by James. We have been
speaking about "justification in the spirit", or the salvation of
the eternal soul.
Those who cannot continue.
Christ knew that Judas did not have that internal peace which would
cause him to continue with Him. John 13:18 - I speak not of you all: I
know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that
eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
Jesus said of Judas in John 6:70 - Have not I chosen you twelve, and
one of you is a devil? It was not a surprise that Judas was lost,
because Jesus knew from the beginning that he was lost.
Matt. 13:20,21 - In the parable of the sower, the seed that fell on
stony ground is representative of a lost person who appears to have been
saved, but he is offended (caused to stumble) at the word. The word
of God might do a lot of things to a saved person, but it will never be
offensive to him. But he that received the seed into stony places, the
same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet
hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation
or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
I John 2:19 - They went out from us because they were not of us. Even
though it appeared for a time they were saved, they were not. They went
out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might
be made manifest that they were not all of us.
Conclusion:
If you are trusting in your trusting, or if you are trusting in your good
works to save you or to keep you saved, you are trusting in the wrong thing.
There are many people who think they are saved because they do good
works, live clean lives before man, and are generally a blessing to those
around them.
Notice what Matthew 7:21-23 states, "Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name
have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity."
Be very careful to make your calling and election sure, for if you make
your calling and election sure, you shall never fail.
Do not shy away from the Bible doctrines of calling and election.
Those who are able to continue. (This group always receives even more
admonitions to continue. This is because they can really hear and understand
the words of Christ.) They have been given ears to hear and eyes to see.
John 15:9 - …continue ye in my love.
Acts 11:23 - Barnabas desired that these people would cleave unto the
Lord.
John 10:4,5 - The sheep follow the shepherd, they will not follow a
stranger.
John 6:66-69 - Everybody leaves except the twelve, they don't have
anywhere to go.
This verse is a climatic verse.
What a wonderful thought.
Also notice in the above verses that saved people are continually
admonished to cling to the love of Christ, the Word of God, or Christ
Himself.
It is not hard to put all of these into one thought of following
Christ.
They are not admonished to follow men or one another in order to
remain faithful.
We do need our brothers and sisters in Christ, but not to remain
faithful.
We only need Christ to remain faithful.
Our saved friends can point us to Christ, and can help us, but we
need Christ more than anyone else.
A special providence watches over their welfare.
Rom. 8:28 - All things work together for our good and God's glory.
Matt. 6:30-33 - God takes care of us, let us not worry.
Ps. 91 - The entire song. A wonderful exposition of God's ability to care
for those who cast their care upon Him.
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