The Word

The Word

Vol. 9 No. 14

April 4, 2010

Upper Room Discourse

John 15:3

Eternal Security

In John 15:3 we have, “You all (believers only) are already clean because of the Word (Gospel of Jesus Christ) that I (Jesus) have spoken to you.”

In this passage our Lord pauses ever so briefly in the midst of a lesson on Divine Good Production to remind the disciples, and us, of a very important fact that is necessary to produce Divine Good. He reminds them that their salvation that is eternally secure, “you are already clean”. He is going back to the message He just gave in John 13:10. There He told them you have already taken a “bath” (metaphor for salvation), therefore you never have to take another bath (you never need to be saved again). Why in the midst of a discussion on fruit bearing does He do this? Because, standing confident in your salvation is the only way you are able to produce Divine Good. If you are not confident in your salvation you can not produce Divine Good, and will only produce human good, wood, hay and straw, 1 Cor 3:12-15. Why? Because your motivation in fruit bearing will be fear and worry about losing your salvation. Those who think they can lose their salvation believe that their salvation is dependent upon their works and good deeds and not on the grace of God, which is contrary to Eph 2:8-9.

Eph 2:8‑10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Those who know that their salvation is totally in the hands of God and not their works are freed mentally to serve purely out of love, see last week’s “The Word” for more discussion on this. That is why our Lord reminds the disciples of their eternal security once again. And that is why we will now review the Doctrine of Eternal Security.

A. Definition: Eternal security is defined as an unbreakable relationship between the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and God, based on His integrity.

Man's failure does not abrogate the integrity of God. Man's weakness does not cancel God's strength. Therefore, lack of integrity in the believer cannot cancel the integrity of God. Likewise, failure to execute the Plan of God for your life does not cancel your eternal salvation. Yet man is more impressed with his failures than with the integrity of God, and that is the problem. We need to be more impressed with the integrity of God and less impressed with our failures. This is why many believers don't believe in eternal security.

Our security is not based on or dependent on ourselves, our works or even our positive volition, but solely on the integrity of God. Eternal Security is an unbreakable relationship because God will not break the relationship regardless of what we do or fail to do.

1. Neither God nor man nor angel can cancel or destroy this unbreakable relationship with God. The moment we believe in Jesus Christ, God gives us forty things including Eternal Security. Even demons cannot cancel those forty things nor can we cancel them by renouncing God or our faith.

2. You have to be arrogant to think that you can commit a sin or make a renunciation of God that can cancel the work of God!

3. There is nothing the believer can do to cancel the one-second decision of believing in Christ. You do not have the power or ability to cancel it, no matter how evil you are, John 10:27-30.

4. In other words, God is greater than you. Yet people are so arrogant that they think they are greater than God. The dumbest people are those who think they can reject eternal security, who attempt to cancel the grace of God by teaching a works for salvation or Lordship salvation message.

5. Knowing the doctrine of Eternal Security should not cause you to go out and raise hell. Rather, it motivates you to want to know this wonderful God who has provided such fantastic things for you because of one non-meritorious decision you made in a few seconds.

6. To think you can help or assist God is arrogance. God does not need our help; we need His help! That is the grace policy of the Plan of God.

B. Approaches to understanding Eternal Security.

1. Positional Approach: Rom 8:1; Eph 1:3-6; Jude 1. Every believer is in union with Christ noted in the phrases “in Christ” or “in Him”, etc. Rom 8:38-39.

Rom 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

2. Logical Approach: Rom 5:9-10, 15, 17, 20; 8:32. God did the “most” for us when we were His enemies and will do “much more” for us as His sons.

Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

3. The Hand Approach: John 10:28; Psa 37:23-24. The believer is held by God’s hand, and He will never let go.

4. Experiential Approach: 2 Tim 2:12-13. Though a believer may say he no longer believes, God remains faithful, because He is immutable. The Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit indwells the believer and He cannot deny Himself.

a) 2 Tim 2:12 speaks of rewards. “Deny us” (believer’s) rewards. When a believer denies Christ, he is out of fellowship and therefore not producing Divine Good with the result of loss of reward, but not loss of salvation, 2 Cor 3:15.

b) 2 Tim 2:13, “faithless” = stops believing. A believer denouncing Jesus Christ, yet He remains faithful, He cannot deny the unconditional quality of our salvation.

5. Family Approach: Gal 3:26; John 1:12. We are born into God’s family, we cannot be unborn.

6. Inheritance Approach: 1 Peter 1:4-5, based on God’s omnipotence. We are heirs of God.

7. Body Approach: 1 Cor 12:13, 20. Christ, the head of the body will never say to any member of the body (a believer) that He does not need him, nor should we.

8. The Sovereignty of God Approach: 2 Peter 3:9; Jude 24.

9. Greek Tense Approach:

a) Aorist tense: Acts 16:31, means once and for all in this context.

b) Perfect tense: (saved in the past with the result that you keep on being saved forever), Eph 2:8-9; Col 2:6-7.

10. Sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit Approach: Guarantee for protection at and safe delivery to your final destination (heaven), 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Tim 2:19.

11. Title Deed Approach: Jude 24-25; 1 Peter 1:5, God will keep any promise made.

12. God’s Essence Approach: God never goes back on His character. Rom 8:35, (love); 8:38-39; 14:4.

13. Marriage Approach: Rev 19:1-10 (Eternal Relationship).

14. God’s Faithfulness Approach: 2 Tim 2:11-13; 1 Cor 3:4-5; Rev 19:11.

15. Jesus Christ’s Work on the Cross Approach: John 19:30; Heb 10:14. Denying eternal security is to deny the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ and reduces the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to the level of offering bulls and goats. The sacrifice of Christ stands forever, John 5:24.

John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

16. Fact of New Creation Approach: 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15; Eph 2:5-6, Col 2:10, “And in Him you have been made complete.”

17. Assignment Approach: Assigned eternal life, Acts 13:48 (“appointed” = TASSO in the Greek that can mean “to put in order, arrange, appoint, assign, etc., which speaks to our Election and Predestination.)

18. How a Believer is Described Approach: Col 3:12; elect, holy, beloved.

19. The Verse Approach: Passage upon passage, verse upon verse screams Eternal Security. Psa 37:24; 28; Prov 24:12; John 5:24; Rom 14:4; 1 Cor 3:11; Col 2:6, 13-14.

20. The Father undertakes for the believer approach:

a) The Unconditional Covenants: Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic & New.

b) Infinite power of the Father to set free, save, keep: John 10:29; Rom 4:21, 8:31, 38-39; Eph 1:19-21; 3:20; 2 Tim 1:12; Jude 24.

c) Infinite love of God: Rom 5:7-10; Eph 1:4.

d) Influence on the Father of the prayer of the Son of God, John 17:19-20.

21. The Holy Spirit undertakes for the believer approach:

a) Regeneration: Entrance into that which cannot be removed. John 3:4-6; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 3:9.

b) Indwelling: Holy Spirit is given, Rom 8:15; 1 Cor 2:12; 3:16; 6:19; 1 John 2:27.

c) Baptism: by the Spirit, not water; believer is joined to Christ eternally in new creation, 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:27.

d) Sealing. Eph 1:13-14; 4:30.

22. God the Father Cares Approach: John 3:16.

23. God the Son Cares Approach: John 10, 11, 15, 17.

24. God the Holy Spirit Cares Approach: John 14:17-18, 26; John 16:7-14.

25. Unbeliever’s Care Approach: Luke 16:26-31. Even the “rich man” in hell had a care for his unbelieving brothers.

26. Angel’s Care Approach: Luke 15:7, 10.

If you would like more information on this subject,

you may listen to lessons 10-035 through 10-037.

A PERSONAL NOTE

FOR YOU

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you. God the Father also loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son for you by sending Him to the cross. At the Cross Jesus died in your place. Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins. He was judged for our sins and paid the price for our sins. Therefore our sins will never be held against us. Right where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in your life. To accept the free gift of eternal life by truly believing that Jesus Christ died for you. So wherever you are, pause to reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:

"Father, I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."

If you have done that, I welcome you to the Eternal Family of God!

Property of:

Grace Fellowship Church, Pastor James H. Rickard

James H. Rickard Bible Ministries ã