25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye
believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are
not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 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.
Jesus plainly tells the Jews that were crowding him and
demanding answers that He had told them already what they needed to know but
they did not believe Him. He insisted that the miracles He had performed should
be adequate proof. But, they did not believe because they were not of His
flock. He previously said that His sheep would hear, implying to understand and
obey, and He knows His own and they follow Him.
The result is eternal life for those “sheep” without any
chance of perishing.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
There is not even a possibility of losing one’s salvation
and this is clearly understood by anyone who believes the Bible and understands
it as written, to whom it is written, and when it is written: under what
circumstances.
Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ,
and every one members one of another.
1Corinthians
12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and
members in particular.
No man can pluck the believer out of Christ’s hand, because
they are a part of His hand. We are made Christ’s by the will of the Father,
and no one is more able than He is to keep the believer safe. Jesus Christ and God
the Father are one and the same individual which has been made clear. The
followers of Christ are His body on earth with the head in Heaven.
The doctrine of Eternal Security is fundamental to understanding
the parts of the Bible written directly to Christians who came from a Gentile
(non-Jewish) background. First, remember that we are saved, not by our own will
or power, but by God’s.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
God, then, in His three parts of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
or soul, body, and spirit come to dwell in us by the vehicle of the Holy
Spirit.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man
love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come
unto him, and make our abode with him.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.10
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit
is life because of righteousness.
That Spirit seals us and is our earnest money, so to speak,
our deposit, our promise of eternal life.
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the
day of redemption.
2Corinthians 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in
Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our
hearts.
2Corinthians 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame
thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
If you were under the Law you would not have this assurance
unless you stayed faithful and obedient at all times. Remember God’s warning to
Ezekiel?
Ezekiel 3:20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from
his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him,
he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin,
and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood
will I require at thine hand.
Preachers mistakenly apply this to us under Grace but this
is an error when they do. You cannot save anyone and are not ultimately
responsible for their salvation. Only God is. You cannot send a person to Hell.
A person who will be saved will be saved but if you forbear you will lose a
great blessing and a sublime reward. (see 1Thessalonians 2:19,20)
Looking forward to the Tribulation to come, as well, God has
warned those in a different time than the Church Age that not only can they
lose their salvation but once they accept the Mark the Beast will require of
them they cannot be saved again.
Hebrews 6:4 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.
Revelation 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured
out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented
with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence
of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their
torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night,
who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name. 12 Here is the patience of the
saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus.
Under the Law given to Moses an individual can be saved and
lose their salvation by disobedience and disbelief that leads to death. In the
Church Age, now, the believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit inside them and
cannot lose their salvation. At the end of history the believer can lose their
salvation and cannot be saved again, if they accept the Mark of the Beast
(popularly called the Antichrist) and worship him.
Until the Translation of the Church (popularly called the
Rapture from the Latin rapto) the believer is sealed and secure. Be grateful for
that.
1Thessalonians 4:13
¶ But I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others
which have no hope. 14 For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God
bring with him. 15 For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming
of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. 18
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Translation is defined by;
Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not;
for God took him.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should
not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before
his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
While what I presented is the short version of the doctrine
of Eternal Security I wanted to at least show that Christ has promised us
eternal life and that life is assured and we are to live without fear, honoring
and obeying Christ in all things. Of course, if you are still acting like a
wicked reprobate then perhaps your god is Self. He or she cannot promise you
anything but eternal misery. However, even a believer can still slip and even
willfully sin but God is faithful.
Always remember;
Romans 8:31 ¶ What shall we then say to these things? If
God be for us, who can be against us? 32
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s
elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it
is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as
sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, 39 Nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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