Sorry but the video is said to be too large to download on this site- even though is only about 37 min. I may re-film this content in a few less min.
ETERNAL SECURITY -Once Saved Never Lost
Can a Christian lose his or her salvation? This subject is critically important for one simple reason- we all sin. But each phrase centers on these questions: What happens when believers sin or backslide? Can a person’s sins or failures result in the loss of salvation?
John 10:22-30 is a key New Testament passage on the security of the believer, However, before going there let’s look at a verse that years ago led me to the understanding of and the great value of the Holy Spirit. It is Jude 24!
When people come to know Christ as their Savior, they are brought into a relationship with God that guarantees their eternal security. Jude 24 declares, “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” God’s power is able to keep the believer from falling. It is up to Him, not us, to present us before His glorious presence. Our eternal security is a result of God keeping us, not us maintaining our own salvation. This verse has helped me to know that I can count on, believe in, trust in, and always call on the Holy Spirit. There can be no misunderstanding in what it says. If we are baptized in the Spirit, keep Him close to us- He will keep us from stumbling and present us blameless before the presence of God.
JUDE 24-25
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
The word of the Father reinforces Christ’s words and work: “God’s gifts and His and His call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29) and the inheritance He gives “can never perish, spoil, or fade” (1 Peter 1:3-5). God assures believers that Jesus will “keep us firm to the end” (1 Cor.1:7-9) and that He is able to “present” us “without fault” in that final day (Jude 24). For God’s purpose to be thwarted by human weakness or fickleness would make God’s word dependent on human actions.
Then we move on to the key promise of eternal life- John 10:28-29. The Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29b). Both Jesus and the Father have us firmly grasped in their hand. Who could possibly separate us from the grip of both the Father and the Son?
JOHN 10:28-29
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
Someone may say about this verse 28- that says “no one” can snatch the believer out of Salvation-that they say what about the person themselves -can they “snatch themselves out of eternal salvation? What they seem to forget or dismiss is verse 29 where it says that the Father has given the believer into Jesus’ hand. That says the believer is from the one who is “greater than all” and then no snatching is possible. The question then becomes- “Do we believe the Bible”? Or is this the case where you just add your own interpretation that ignores the total context of the Bible?
Humans many times take a Bible verse out of context and those changes make the meaning something different than what it was meant to say or what our Lord says it means. We always need to read verses in the context of what God intends, More than that- humans often put their own belief on a Bible verse. So, what John 10:28-29 states “if a believer is in God’s hand (a true believer) – no one- not even the one’s whose eternal salvation may be in question- can take that salvation. Thus, some say the one who is NOT the “person permanently saved” can lose their salvation by them being the one who is rejecting it. But that person is also a “no one”. So, Jesus is making no exceptions- “no one” in John 10:28 is everyone and “no one” can snatch them out of the hands of God.
The Protection of Eternal Life. Jesus words in 10:28, 29 paint a picture of believers being held in His hand. This is a tremendous image of security.
EPHESIAN 4:30
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:30 tells us that believers are “sealed for the day of redemption.” If believers did not have eternal security, the sealing could not truly be unto the day of redemption, but only to the day of sinning, apostasy, or disbelief. John 3:15-16 tells us that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will “have eternal life.” If a person were to be promised eternal life, but then have it taken away, it was never “eternal” to begin with. If eternal security is not true, the promises of eternal life in the Bible would be in error.
This goes right in line with Matthew 12:31-32, where Jesus says that the unpardonable sin is to blasphemy the Holy Spirit. Regarding the Spirit’s confirmation, Ephesians 1:13 says “When you believed, you were marked in Him with a zeal, the promised Holy Spirit”. Paul states the Spirit serves us as a mark of permanence and security in our lives- a guarantee that the Christian’s destination will not be interrupted.
Matthew 12:31-32
31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
This reaffirms that as long as a person has not blasphemy but received salvation and is “sealed” with the Holy Spirit- it will be forever. What this is saying in essence, is we are “lost forever” if we never accept Jesus. And we do not blasphemy the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus as our Savior and are sealed in baptism with the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7-8).
So, we look at likely the most spoken verse in the Bible John 3:16.
John 3:15-16
15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This verse clearly states that all who believes shall NOT perish but have eternal life. So, we either believe what the Bible states or we try to interpret verses on our own. This goes right back to does the person truly believe or were they not serious. This tells us if we truly believe we have eternal life with God.
Romans 8:35
. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (New Living Translation)
This statement sets the stage for Romans 8:38-39. Paul writes that we must never interpret the darkness of earthly life as evidence of God’s lack of love for us. Nothing we do can keep Christ from loving us, and nothing that happens to us can mean that Christ no longer loves us. And all the previous verses tell us because of God’s love He will provide eternity.
Romans 8:38-39
Then the most powerful argument for eternal security is Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our eternal security is based on God’s love for those whom He has redeemed. This states nothing can separate us from God’s love and eternal salvation. Our eternal security is purchased by Christ, promised by the Father, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Our security is not in our ability to hold on to Christ’s hand but in His ability to hold us in His. In case, you did not catch this last thought- The Trinity seals us to Him (Ep. 4:30 and Ep. 1:13).
Hebrews 10:10
10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
The doctrine of the believer’s security does not rest just on Christ’s words in this one passage in Romans. All three members of the Godhead are involved in salvation, and Jesus’ perfect, one-time work to atone for all sin (Hebrews 10:10) is the basis for that assurance. Believers cannot save themselves or keep themselves saved, only the collaboration work of the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit can do that. So, we need to stop thinking we are the ones who has any real part in getting our salvation or in keeping it. We don’t earn our salvation, but once we use our free choice to claim Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Father assures that we retain this salvation. This free choice by the true believer must be real so he will know how grow in “the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
Anyone who treats the security of a believer as an insurance policy so that they can sin without consequences probably does not know the Lord to begin with That is simply not the heart of a born-again follower of Christ. As Paul said, “We are died those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer” (Rom. 6:2)? Or in James’ words, “Faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26). True faith results in a transformed life.
Those who have truly known the forgiveness of their sins and are in the habit of thanking God for His love will not use their forgiveness and salvation as a license to sin. True believers in Christ look for ways to exploit their promised salvation.
The proof of eternal life: (John 10:27)27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me”, gave rise to the Puritan theologians to the two marks of Christ’s sheep: the marks on the ear (“My sheep listen to my voice”) and the mark on the foot (“they follow me”). Just as cattle are branded today to identify their owner, so followers of Jesus are “branded” by these two truths: A true Christian is one who listens to the words of Jesus and who follows Him.
Practically speaking, that means when we read the Word of God, a spirit of agreement and of formation will well up in our hearts. We will embrace what we read, not resist it. We will affirm its truth and look for ways to apply it in our lives. We will want to follow Him. And when we fail, we will want to repent and seek His forgiveness. No true believer will be comfortable unless he or she is following Jesus.
