God's Perfect Plan of Redemption: Election, Perseverance, & Eternal Security

A few years ago I wrote a couple of blogs that addressed the issues of election, eternal security, and evangelism.  One was specifically on the doctrine of election (click here to read it) and the other one was on questions that arise from this doctrine (click here to read it.)  This blog deals a little more specifically with God's overall plan of redemption and how all of the aspects tie together.  The main point is that those who are truly "in Christ" are secure in that state and cannot lose their salvation, since it is God's work and not theirs to begin with.  This blog is lengthy, so read on if you're interested...

A question that sometimes rises within Christian circles is the issue of eternal security. Can a Christian, at any point, lose their salvation and fall from a state of regeneration. The Scriptural answer to this question is “no.” But the reasoning for this answer is often rejected because it requires one to delve into deep theological issues that are often divisive and perplexing…and many Christians would simply rather not go there. Of course it’s “there” pondering the deep things of God, that the greatest spiritual growth is bound to take place. It’s when we search the Scriptures with submissive hearts that we discover just how glorious, powerful, majestic, and sovereign our God truly is. And that reality can be scary…and extremely humbling.

Eternal security is rooted in God…not man. Because salvation is a work of God…not man. The Apostle Paul wrote,

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4-6 NASB)

Eternal security is true, because the doctrine of election is true. Though the vast majority of Christians reject this doctrine….Jesus and Paul both taught it in Scripture. Nor is this doctrine an isolated and obscure passage that is disputed. The doctrine of election is taught throughout the entire cannon of God’s Word. From Genesis to Revelation, a major theme of the Bible is God calling out a people for His Great and Glorious Name.

God’s Word states: “Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, and who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:33-39 NASB)

Misunderstandings of the doctrine of election are legion and I don’t have time to address them all here. But I’ll address some. Election does not mean that sinners are saved against their will. Some erringly think that if you are “chosen” then you’re forced to follow Christ against your will. In truth, what God does for the elect is to change their will. God’s Spirit takes a sinner who is spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-4) and grants them a new birth that is spiritual in nature (John 3). Christians WANT to follow Christ because God changed them into people who prefer Christ to sin.

Furthermore, election does not mean that the offer of salvation is extended to only some people. The call to repentance and faith in Christ is a universal call that Christians are to take to the entire world. The specifics of election are not something God has revealed to man. In other words, we don’t know who God will save and who He won’t. That’s His business. We don’t have the power within us to change their hearts anyway. We are called simply to share the gospel message with the world.

Some would say that this is an empty offer since not all are elect. Some would say that “the deck is stacked against” those who are not “chosen.” But the reality of the matter is that the spiritual deck is stacked against ALL people. And it’s stacked against us because of our own doing. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) No person will freely and lovingly choose to follow Christ with their life in their natural sinful state. They must be born again.

Of course this doctrine hits directly upon the issue of fairness in many people’s minds. But “fairness” eliminates grace. If it’s true “fairness” we want then God could easily condemn all of us to eternal Hell because all of us have fallen short of His perfectly holy standard. So in His grace God chooses to save some. And for those who experience this salvation, God’s grace is truly glorious. For we are reminded again and again in Scripture that God’s grace has nothing to do with anything inherently good in us. In humility we must bow our heads and gratefully thank a good and sovereign God who chose to save us….when He didn’t have to.

The Apostle Paul addresses the issue of fairness rather bluntly in Romans 9, where he essentially says, “Who are you to question God? God can do whatever He wants with His creation.” (see Romans 9:14-23) At the end of the day, no sinner who has ever lived has the right to question God about anything He chooses to do. And any blessings He chooses to bestow is a complete act of grace and undeserved by the sinful recipient.

The ironic part of the doctrine of election is that it is rejected out of hand by the vast majority of Christians. In fact, many will cling to the doctrine of eternal security while at the same time rejecting a Biblical view of election. Many Christians who would claim to believe the Bible to be completely and totally inspired and perfect will nonetheless waffle on this particular doctrine because of their personal disdain for its implications. But if you believe all Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), then you must accept all of it…even the parts that are hard to understand. You cannot logically, nor scripturally claim that eternal security is true, unless you also claim that election is true. If our ongoing security is accomplished by God’s abiding presence in our life. Then we must also understand that it was God’s work prior to our regeneration that brought us to faith in Christ to begin with. It’s either a work of God…or its not.

Therefore, eternal security is rooted in Divine election. We are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. Christ lived a perfect life on our behalf, then died a sacrificial death to pay for our sins. We are “born again” by the Spirit at some point in our life. We are “justified” and granted the perfect life of Christ, because Christ was burdened with the cost of our sin. With the result being that we follow Christ for the remainder of our days on earth, and never fall away. Though we still sin and fall short daily (see 1 John 1:8), the overarching theme of our life is one of love and obedience to our Lord. Our life will bear “spiritual fruit.” In other words, our love for Christ will impel us to imitate Christ in the world, and we will have many good works to show as the fruit of our faith. THESE WORKS DO NOT SAVE US….but they prove that we truly are saved. And in this fact is where much confusion sometimes lies. For if you believe that salvation can be lost, then you must by necessity believe that salvation, at least in part, depends upon your works. And any form of works salvation is absolutely bludgeoned in Scripture by the Jesus Christ, Paul, the other Apostles, and the Old Testament.

Paul writes: “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly. You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 2:19 - 3:3 NASB)

Paul was aghast that the Galatians thought in any possible way they could merit salvation by their works. Will a true Christians perform good works? Absolutely. But the clear teaching of Scripture is that the works are a proof of genuine saving faith, rather than the cause of genuine saving faith. The book of James says: “Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18 NASB)

Jesus was constantly confronting the Pharisees with their legalistic and self-righteous attempts to merit God’s favor by “keeping the Law.” Should they have kept God’s law? Yes. But it should have been motivated by love for God and his commandments rather than an effort to earn salvation by their personal goodness. The prophet Isaiah confessed plainly that: “All of our righteous deeds are as filthy rags” before the Lord.” (Isaiah 64:6)

Our salvation is secure because it is rooted in the work of God rather than man. The entire salvation process is succinctly presented by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30 NASB)

Here the order and the truth is clearly laid before us. God foreknew, predestined, called, justified, conformed, and glorified. And since our ultimate and final glorification won’t occur until we are with Him in Heaven, we can rest assured that if we are truly a born again, regenerate, saved child of God, our eternity is secure. Jesus said: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27-28 NASB)

With this reality so clearly taught in Scripture, all other passages must be interpreted in light of this truth. If we believe that God’s Word is perfect and inspired by God, then we must also conclude that Scripture will not flatly contradict itself. Though there are many things that might be difficult to understand, we must conclude that our salvation is secure in Christ, and rooted in God’s work rather than our own.

But what about those who “fall away?” What about those who follow Christ for a season, then choose to reject Christ? The clear implication from Scripture is that they were never truly saved to begin with. They appeared to be true believers for a while, but their faith did not last over the long haul, thus proving that it was a mere passing fancy as opposed to a spiritual conversion. And in truth, this is not uncommon in our day, nor was it in Biblical times. The Apostle John wrote of this:

“They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.” 1 John 2:19 (NASB)

The writer of Hebrews writes: “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment.” (Hebrews 10:26-27 NASB) Clearly this refers to those who hear the gospel, and perhaps even mentally agree with it in their head, but who never fully embrace it with their heart. Sometimes it involves people who turn to Christ or the church for help during a crisis. But once the crisis is over, they fall away. But this passage cannot be describing those who are truly saved as described in Romans 8. Obviously they are not “predestined, called, justified, conformed, and glorified” or they would not “go on sinning willfully.” They are not “conformed to the image of Christ” as Romans 8 talks about. Intellectual agreement with the truth of the gospel does not imply a spiritual “new birth” that changes the heart and the life.

Peter writes of those who: “After they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb ‘A dog returns to its own vomit’ and, ‘A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.’” 2 Peter 2:20-22 (NASB)

Again, the point is “mental assent” to the gospel. They attain “knowledge” of Christ and His gospel, but not a life-changing re-birth. They “taste” of the gospel, as it were….then choose to return to their own vomit. That’s not a regenerate person. That’s a lost soul who has rejected the way of Christ. Just like those spoken of in Hebrews 10, these are not: “predestined, called, justified, conformed, and glorified” according to the marks of true believers in Romans 8.

The Reformers referred to the doctrine of eternal security as “Perseverance of the Saints” which is a little more accurate. Those who are truly of Christ will “persevere” unto the end. Eternal security, while accurate, can sometimes confuse people into thinking they can embrace a life of sin and still go to Heaven because they are Christians. But as the above Scriptures attest, those who embrace a life of sin are proving by their life that they aren’t truly regenerate Christians in the first place. True Christians will persevere unto their ultimate glorification in Heaven as explained in Romans 8 above.

In conclusion, eternal security goes hand-in-hand with election, sanctification, and Christian perseverance. All of it is accomplished by God both on behalf of and within the true believer. We are eternally redeemed and our lives show the fruit of it. And God gets ALL OF THE GLORY FOR IT….so that, as Paul says, “No man may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

If salvation is attained by man’s works…IN ANY PART…then according to Paul, the cross was WORTHLESS. (see Galatians 2:21) Furthermore, if salvation is attained by man’s works, IN ANY PART, then it would stand to reason that man can gain….and also lose his salvation. Since it would depend upon the fickle and fallen nature of sinful man. But if you believe, as Scripture teaches, that salvation is a Divine work of God in the heart, then you must also believe that salvation cannot be lost by those who truly are in a state of grace and regeneration. Salvation cannot be lost….because God CANNOT fail. And it is HE…not WE…who accomplishes this great and glorious salvation on behalf of undeserving sinners.

Comments

[Scott]

Wonderfully said, Shane. These doctrines all hang together. All through the OT Israel is God's elect, so really there should be no surprise that believers are just as elect in the NT.

To know there is an elect out there is an encouragement TO evangelize, to realize our efforts are not in vain. Paul did everything "for the sake of the elect."

[brian]

so i guess that means all christians are disciples, very good article shane!

[Debi Umphenour]

I know what you're saying and that it is biblical. I know God can do whatever He wants - He is God. I know the gospel is for everyone and we should try to reach everyone with the gospel. My heartbreak is that not everyone will receive his grace - I think of my loved ones. It's very hard, wouldn't you agree? And then I ask, why me?