Let Us Review the Gospel
and Eternal Security
SALVATION BEGAN BEFORE
CREATION
God graciously made provision long before
the earth was created.
God
knew that Adam and Eve would sin.
God
knew that humans would inherit a sin nature.
God
knew that every sin must be paid for.
God
knew that sinful humans would not qualify to pay for their own sins.
God
knew that humans would need a Savior.
God
knew that humans would need a simple way of salvation.
God is one in essence while
three in persons.
All
three persons were involved in salvation.
The
Gospel of salvation was
planned
by God the Father
provided
by God the Son
applied
by the Holy Spirit
Jesus Christ was slain
before the foundations of the earth.
Before
the human problem was fully manifested
God’s
solution was wisely planned and ready to be implemented.
JESUS IS THE MEDIATOR
BETWEEN GOD AND HUMANS
God is
holy,
pure, prefect, eternal and infinite.
Humans are
unholy,
impure, imperfect, mortal and finite.
Each human needs a Savior.
An
unholy human cannot reside in Heaven with the holy God.
The justice of God requires that each sin be
paid for in full.
That payment could be made by each human --
if they could pay in full for each sin.
Or that payment can be made by another – a
substitute.
God promised to send a
messiah
to
save His people from their sins.
Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled
dozens of prophecies
in
exact detail.
(Look
in the notes of any study Bible.)
Jesus Christ was born of a
virgin.
Jesus Christ never sinned
one time according to the Bible.
Jesus healed the sick, cast
out devils, performed miracles.
These
were signs of His deity.
Jesus Christ was somehow
both God and human at the same time.
Jesus brought amazing new
light to the Jewish Scriptures.
This
was unlike any rabbi before Him.
Jesus revealed the fact that
God
is His Father
God
deeply cares about both Jews and Gentiles.
Jesus taught about Heaven,
Hell, judgment, prayer, angels, etc.
with
authority
with
clarity
as
only the Son of God could.
(He
had lived in Heaven and directly witnessed what happens there.)
Jesus is the one and only
Savior.
This
was witnessed by the
Word
of God
Holy
Spirit
believers.
(in their words and their transformed lives)
All
other messiahs and saviors were false.
No
other person has perfectly qualified to be the mediator between God and humans.
No
other religious leader (Buddha, Mohamed, Krishna, Reverend Moon, Joseph Smith)
Claimed
to have come directly from God.
Claimed
that God was his father.
Claimed
to be going directly back to God.
Claimed
that he was one with God.
Claimed
to have the power to forgive sins.
Jesus Christ perfectly
embodied God’s love, forgiveness, reconciliation, mercy and grace.
Jesus Christ willingly
accepted the cup of suffering and the need for Him to be crucified.
Jesus Christ completed the
work of salvation on the Cross
saying
“it is finished”.
The blood of the spotless
Lamb of God
atoned
for all human sins for all time.
The just demands of God’s
holiness to punish sins
were
fully satisfied
once
and for all.
JESUS CHRIST ROSE FROM THE
DEAD
The Roman soldiers at His
crucifixion
did
not break His legs
knowing
that He was already dead.
They thrust a spear through
His side
and
then suddenly blood plus water gushed out.
Jesus was born to die
as
a substitutionary sacrifice
He
completed his work of redemption on the Cross.
Jesus was buried in a
borrowed tomb.
Roman soldiers guarded the
tomb.
On the third day an angel
rolled away the stone.
Various people witnessed
that the tomb was empty.
Jesus rose from the dead
as
the Old Testament prophets said
as
He had prophesied.
Jesus was seen in His
resurrection body
over
the course of forty days
by
a total of hundreds of people
in
various size groups
at
different times
in
different places.
Jesus taught for forty days
in His resurrection body about
how
He had fulfilled the Word of God
what
His followers were to do until He returns. (Acts 1:1-8)
Jesus ascended into Heaven
being
witnessed by many. (Acts 1:9-11)
JESUS WILL RETURN TO JUDGE
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
Jesus Christ is now seated
at God’s right Hand.
Jesus Christ has an on-going
ministry of intercession.
Jesus came the first time as
a suffering servant.
in
humility, poverty, weakness
rejected,
despised, scorned, mocked, blasphemed, betrayed
A
man of sorrows, aquatinted with grief (Isa. 53:3)
Jesus will come the second
time as the reigning King. (not the same thing as the rapture)
in
glory, riches, power
with
the angels and saints
to
do battle and conquer His enemies
Jesus will return suddenly and without any
further warning.
Every knee shall bow and every tongue will
confess
that
Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:10,11)
Every human being will privately give an
account of his or her life
to
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself,
(John
5:22, Acts 10:42, Acts 24:15, Heb. 9:27, Rom. 14:12, 1 Cor 4:5,
at
either the Great White Throne of Judgment
(where
the unbelievers will be condemned for rejecting Christ),
(Rev.20:5,11-12,
or
the Judgment Seat of Christ
(where
the works of believers will be evaluated and rewarded).
(Matt.
25:14-28, Lk. 12:42-43, 1 Cor. 3:8, 11-15 1 Cor. 9:24,25, 2 Cor. 5:10, 1 Tim. 6:17-19, Heb. 6:10, Rev.
2:10)
HELL AND HEAVEN ARE REAL
Those in Hell experience
constant conscious torments without any hope of relief.
Heaven and Hell are the only
possible eternal destinies for every soul.
Reincarnation, purgatory,
annihilation and dreamless-sleep are not in the Bible.
Jesus taught more about Hell
and Heaven than anyone else in the Bible.
This (and other vital
biblical doctrines) point back to the central question.
Do
you call Jesus a Lair, Lunatic or your Lord?
(C.
S. Lewis coined the question.)
THE WAY OF SALVATION IS OPEN, SIMPLE AND
FREE
Faith alone in Christ alone
is the only biblical way to be born again.
For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith --
and
this not from yourselves,
it
is the gift of God --
not
of works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8)
But when the kindness and
love of God our Savior appeared,
He
saved us,
not
because of the righteous things we had done,
but
because of his mercy. (Titus 3:8)
Jesus said, I am the way,
the truth and the life.
No
one comes to the Father but through me. (John 14:6)
Jesus told Nicodemus (an
expert in religion)
that
you must be born again. (John 3:7)
For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the world,
but
to save the world through him. (John 3:17)
The jailer asked Paul what
he needed to do to be saved and the reply was:
Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. (Acts 16:25-31)
Whoever believes the Son has
eternal life,
but
whoever rejects the Son will not see life,
for
God’s wrath remains on him. (John 3:36)
This is the day of salvation
And
now is the acceptable hour. (2 Cor 6:2)
WHAT HAPPENED DURING REBIRTH
Rebirth takes only one
moment and lasts for all eternity.
ALL my unrighteousness was
instantly exchanged for ALL His righteousness.
This
is called the exchanged life. (Rom. 5:19)
I am in Christ and He is in
me and we are in God forever.
This
is called positional righteousness.
I became a new creation
The
old has gone
The
new has come. (2 Cor. 517)
ETERNALLY SECURE IN CHRIST
I am no longer my own. (1
Cor 6:19,20 )
I
was blood-bought.
Thus
I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ
starting
from the moment of rebirth
lasting
through all eternity.
I am forever accepted in the
beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)
I am always in the Hand of
God
and
no one can pluck me out. (John 10:28,29)
Nothing can separate me from
the love of God in Christ.
Nothing
means not-one-thing.
And
just so that there is no confusion about nothing --
Paul
gave a long list of what nothing includes. (Romans 8:31-39)
God’s unconditional love
ceaselessly enfolds me.
Unconditional
means without any condition.
I was given the gift of
everlasting life at the moment of rebirth.
Everlasting
means lasting forever.
I
have God’s eternal life dwelling in me while on earth.
This
does not begin when I get to Heaven.
I can break (and restore) my
fellowship with God. (1John 1:9)
However,
as an adopted member of His eternal family (Rom. 8:15, Gal. 4:5, Eph. 1:5)
He
has promised to never leave me nor forsake me.
As far as God is concerned, I was buried and
rose with Jesus Christ.
My Water Baptism was an outward picture
of
a one time inward spiritual event.
At
the moment of my rebirth
the
greatest spiritual miracle of my existence occurred.
From
God’s perspective
I
became forever identified with His Son, the Risen Savior.
Jesus will never cast me
out.
He
keeps all that come to Him
and
never casts them out. (Jn. 6:37)
I was, am and will remain
eternally secure.
I
am His and He is mine.
His
banner over me is love. (Song 2:4)
Jesus
and I are one. ( )
God
the Father cannot deny His own Son.
God
the Father loves Jesus His only Son with an infinite love.
As
I am in Christ, so He loves me.
HOLY SPIRIT AND REBIRTH
I did not know that I was
lost
Apart
from the conviction of the Holy Spirit
I
could not know that I needed to be born again.
I did not understand that my
sincerity, good works, religious activities, church membership
were
unacceptable as a means for my salvation. (Isa. 64:6)
My unregenerate heart was
deceived.
I was His enemy yet did not
realize it.
Just as the shepherd leaves
the 99 to seek the lost one
so
God in Christ and with the agency of
the Holy Spirit
sought
me and found me.
Apart from my unworthiness
God
gradually and gracefully drew me to Himself by the Holy Spirit. (John 6:44)
God drew me to Himself with
tender chords of love.
The Holy Spirit convicted me
of sin, righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8-11)
This
was not just on one special occasion
But
during dozens of ordinary occasions.
Apart from the quickening of
the Holy Spirit
in
my natural mind the message of the gospel was foolishness. (1 Cor. 1:18)
Satan
had blinded my mind (2 Cor. 4:4)
When I did not respond
quickly in the correct way
He
did not reject me
He
did not give up on me
He
did not condemn me
He
patiently bore with my stubbornness and foolishness
He
melted my selfish heart with His gentleness
He
defeated my prideful will with His awesome forgiveness
He
revealed by degrees the tenderness of God’s own heart
HOLY SPIRIT AND MY LIFE IN
CHRIST
Earnest of my eternal
inheritance is indwelling Holy Spirit. (Eph. 1:14)
The Holy Spirit faithfully
reminds
me of what Jesus commanded me (Jn. 14:26)
points
my heart to Jesus.
I am never far from God for
His Holy Spirit dwells in me.
Just like Jesus, the Holy
Spirit is my Comforter. (Jn. 14:6)
I became a member of the
universal Body of Christ
for
the Holy Spirit sealed me in His Body.
The Holy Spirit gave me one
or more spiritual gifts
to
be used by His grace
to
be used to build up the Body of Christ
to
be used to glorify God in the bearing of much spiritual fruit..
GRACE OF GOD
Grace is God’s undeserved
favor.
I
did not deserve to be accepted through the merits of Christ.
And
as an imperfect believer, I sometimes sin in thought, word, and deed. (1 Jn.
1:10)
As
an imperfect child of the perfect God
I
do not deserve to remain as a child of God.
I
do not deserve for God to answer any of my prayers
this
is always by His grace.
I
do not deserve the peace that God so freely gives
this
is always by His grace.
What
I do deserve is
condemnation
punishment
permanent
rejection.
My purpose is to praise
God’s glorious grace
The
heavy emphasis in this essay on the grace of God may seem unusual.
However,
the believer’s biblical purpose
is
to live to the praise of His glorious grace. (Ephesians 1:6)
And
that is unfortunately far from the norm
in
the daily practice of most believers.
He who saved me will keep
me.
His
grace is, was and always will be sufficient for me. (2Cor 12:9)
His
grace was sufficient for those who came before me.
Their
testimonies encourage, strengthen and instruct me. (Psa. 119:2, 24, 99, 111)
TAKE THIS IN REMEMBERENCE OF
ME
The Blood in the Communion
Cup reminds me –
Jesus
bore in His Body one time
every
sin of every human for all time.
That
includes ALL my past, present and future sins.
ALL
of these were justly judged
and
ALL of these were completely punished.
God
was FULLY satisfied with the perfect sacrifice of His only Son.
There
is no sin I committed in the past or can commit in the future
that
was not imputed to Christ on the Cross.
The
Tabernacle and the Temple (and book of Hebrews) teach me about how
the
shedding of blood is required for the forgiveness of sins.
There
would come a single perfect sacrifice one day that
1.
1. fulfills all righteousness
2.
2. does away with the need for imperfect types and
shadows of things to come
3.
3. provides direct access behind the Veil into the
presence of God Himself.
ASSURED THAT I AM ETERNALLY
SECURE
God always keeps His
promises and covenants.
Humans
have failed God but He never failed them.
I am assured of an eternal
home in Heaven based on
dozens
of promises in the Bible
dozens
of types, shadows and principles in the Bible
the
eternal, authoritative and reliable nature of the Bible
the
great God that the Bible reveals who
is
loving, caring, just, holy
always
kept and keeps His word
never
lied, cannot lie and will never lie
made
up the spiritual rules and enforces them
understands
and enforces covenants
has
all power and authority in such matters
is
higher and mightier than any other entity in the universe
went
to great lengths to
set
up the way of salvation
communicate
the plan of salvation
make
sure that Jesus Christ was
the
son of Abraham
the
son of David
virgin
born
born
in Bethlehem
protected
the Bible in the monasteries during the Dark Ages
allowed
the Bible to be translated in English at the cost of many martyr’s lives
provided
the Reformation and the restoration of biblical means of salvation
raised
up godly evangelists, preachers and teachers when and where needed
has
done amazing things on the mission field for centuries
provided
the Christian radio stations and Bible teachers just when I needed them
personally
wooed me by the Holy Spirit
does
not want anyone to go to Hell
desires
to have me (and all believers) as part of the Bride of Christ
can
and will start all over with a new Heaven and new Earth.
will
perfectly love me in Heaven when I am in a resurrection body that is free of
sin
will
deliver me into a reality that is free of the presence or influence of Satan
lives
outside of time
said
that mercy triumphs over judgment
is
not bound by the fears of any legalist or religious systems
was
the Creator of all I see and cannot see (Col. 1;16)
has
glorified Himself by redeeming people in much worse conditions than me
IN A NUT SHELL
By
grace alone
Through
faith alone
In
Christ alone
Based
on Scripture alone
To
the glory of God alone
Jesus Christ is the Alpha
and Omega, the Beginning and the End. (Rev. 22;13)
Jesus is the Author and
Finisher of my faith. (Heb. 12:2)
It is God who began the good
work in me and He will complete it. (Phil 1:6)
A human is the undeserving
and very fortunate beneficiary of the goodness of God.
There is NOTHING that any
human or I can add to the work of salvation or take from it.
It is arrogant to consider
that I can undo all that God has already done in salvation.
I was never good enough,
smart enough, wise enough, strong enough or dumb enough
to
add to or take from the Word of God
His
Word is forever settled in Heaven.
MANY MORE BENEFITS OF
REBIRTH
God put in me a supernatural
love for Christians.
I have a blessed hope of
promised home in Heaven with God forever.
I no longer fear death –
Absent from the body means face to face with Jesus.
I am promised a resurrection
body just like that of Jesus.
The Bible promises eternal
rewards for good works done in His Name.
I CANNOT LOOSE MY SALVATION
If I could loose my
salvation then:
all
the statements previous in this essay would need to be wrong
something
greater than God and His holy Word
had
canceled and/or overpowered them
in
the end, the power of sin, self and/or Satan
was
greater than the power of God Almighty
I
never was never fully set apart
by
God
unto
God
the
Holy Spirit failed to completely seal me in Christ
rebirth
is not a final escape from my fears of eternal damnation
my
salvation rested not on what Jesus has done
but
what I must be careful not to do
the
Good News has conditional clauses
that
are not made abundantly clear
the
teachers, preachers and church in general
did
not clearly warn me as to exactly how to stay saved
Jesus,
Paul, John, James, Peter and all the other writers in the Bible
were
not crystal clear and in full agreement on how I could loose my salvation
did
not teach about anyone being born again and again after loosing their salvation
did
not know about the real risk of losing eternal life
did
not care to warn others about the danger of loosing their salvation
I
am an imperfect, weak, fallible child of God. (1 Jn.1:10)
I
can never perfectly keep every letter of the law of God.
I
did not want to obey God as an unbeliever.
I
could not perfectly obey Him as a believer (even on my best day).
Like
a sheep, I wandered and went astray to my own eternal damnation.
In
the end, some minor or major error of mine disqualified me from Heaven.
Somehow
my blunder took God by surprise and/or caused Him to spurn me His child.
at
least one of my sins was not imputed to Christ on the Cross
this
seems to make the gospel is not Good News but a cruel joke
my
living a righteous life of trusting and obeying Jesus to please God
was
a big waste
those
millions who accepted torture and a martyr’s death
yet
slipped at the last moment
were
great losers
the
tender mercies and amazing grace of God that are repeatedly presented in the
Bible
are
actually flawed in ways that the Bible somehow omits
millions
of those who taught eternal security
were
terribly wrong
and/or
self deceived
if
I suddenly died without confessing my last sin then I am doomed, therefore I
must avoid
fatal
auto wrecks including
a
drunk running a red light
driving
on icy street
riding
with a less than excellent driver
potentially
fatal sports
skydiving
mountain
climbing
bear
hunting
ever
serving as a fireman, police officer or soldier
suicide
backsliding
(even for a short time)
tornado
earthquake
hurricane
atomic
war
neglecting
to completely confess of all my sins everyday
I
can never have deep peace, great joy or refreshing rest in the Lord because
maybe
there is some obscure verse that would disqualify me from Heaven
my
fatal sin may have already been committed
an
overwhelming temptation to the fatal sin may occur
later
today
anytime
tomorrow
when
under extreme stress anytime in the future
on
my deathbed
(C) John S. Oliver 2003