Message Three—The Security of Salvation
Heb. 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
John 10:28 And I give to them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish forever, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.
Being Eternally Saved and Secure Once We Are Saved
God has shown us in His Word from different angles that once we are saved, we are eternally saved, we are eternally perfected, we shall by no means perish eternally, and we are eternally secure.
By the Invariable God and His Unchanging Will
First, our salvation is secured by the invariable God. James 1:17 says that with the Father there is “no variableness or shadow cast by turning.” James clearly indicates that God is not variable, and with Him there is no shadow cast by turning. He is not like the heavenly bodies, which turn and whose shadows also change, as seen in the waxing and waning of the moon while it revolves around the earth and in the eclipsing of the sun by the moon. God is secure; He is not variable, not changeable. Therefore, since He has saved us, our salvation can never be changed, and we shall never perish.
Our salvation is secured by God’s unchanging will. Hebrews 6:17 speaks of “the unchangeableness of His [God’s] counsel.” Since God’s counsel, that is, God’s will, is unchangeable, the fact that He chose us and predestinated us before the foundation of the world that we might receive His salvation (Eph. 1:4-5, 11) is also unchangeable. Since He chose and predestinated us in eternity past that we might receive sonship and become His inheritance, He will carry it out and will not fail. Hence, our salvation is secure.
By God’s Inseparable Love
Our salvation is also secured by God’s inseparable love. First John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son a propitiation concerning our sins.” If we are saved because we love God, then our salvation is not reliable. However, we are saved because God loved us; that is, our salvation is of God’s love. Since God is unchanging, His love is also unalterable. Moreover, His love toward us is an inseparable love (Rom. 8:39). Hence, nothing can separate us from His love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither things present nor things to come, shall be able to separate us from the love of God. Because of God’s inseparable love, His salvation within us will never fail; it is forever secure and unchanging.
By God’s Unchallengeable Justification
It is because of His love that God gave His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus, to us to be our Savior (John 3:16), and it is by the grace of God that the Lord Jesus accomplished redemption for us (Heb. 2:9). However, after the Lord Jesus was judged on the cross by God’s righteousness on our behalf and thereby satisfied God’s righteous requirement, we who believe in Him are justified according to God’s righteousness to show forth God’s righteousness (Rom. 3:26). If the Lord Jesus had not satisfied God’s righteous requirement on our behalf, even though, because of His love, God desires to grant us the grace of forgiveness, He could not forgive us or justify us, because that would make Him unrighteous. However, since the Lord Jesus has satisfied God’s righteous requirement on our behalf, God can—and He must—forgive us and justify us according to His righteousness; otherwise, He would make Himself unrighteous. Hence, bound by His righteousness, God must justify us. Romans 8:33 says, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? Shall God that justifieth?” (ASV, margin). Since God is bound by His righteousness, He must justify us; He cannot accuse us or condemn us any longer. God’s righteousness is the foundation of God’s throne (Psa. 89:14a, ASV). God’s throne is securely established and cannot be shaken. Likewise, God’s justification according to His righteousness is securely established and forever unchallengeable. Hence, our salvation is eternally secure.
By God’s Eternal Life
The security of our salvation also rests on God’s eternal life. In John 10:28 the Lord said, “And I give to them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish forever.” Eternal life is God’s life. The Lord has given this life to us and has brought us into an eternal relationship with God, a relationship in life, so that we can never be separated from Him. Today, God’s eternal life in us maintains the eternal security of our salvation so that we shall never perish.
By God’s New Covenant
Our salvation is secured by the new covenant which God made with us (Heb. 8:8-12). This covenant was consummated through the redemption accomplished by the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus (Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20). According to this covenant, God will forgive the sins of all those who believe in the Lord Jesus and will not remember their iniquities any longer; He will impart His laws into their mind and inscribe them on their hearts; He will be God to them and they will be a people to Him; and they all will know God and will not need others to teach them. At the same time, this covenant is an eternal covenant (Heb. 13:20), which will remain eternally and is effective eternally. Furthermore, because God is faithful and is One who keeps His covenant (Deut. 7:9), He will never break His covenant (Psa. 89:34) but will fulfill it in us accordingly. Hence, His covenant, which cannot be annulled, guarantees the eternal security of our salvation.
By Christ’s Perfect, Complete, and Eternal Redemption
Our salvation is also secured by Christ’s eternal redemption, which is perfect and complete. Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.” By offering Himself on the cross without blemish as the one sacrifice to God, Christ has accomplished an eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12; 10:10, 12). Hence, this redemption is eternally perfect and complete, without any blemish or shortcoming. Through Christ’s eternal redemption we, the sanctified ones, have been perfected eternally. No one can condemn us any longer (Rom. 8:34), nor can anyone nullify the perfect, complete, and eternal redemption which Christ has accomplished for us. Hence, our salvation is eternally secure.
By Christ’s Eternal Salvation
We are saved with security by Christ’s eternal salvation. Hebrews 5:9 says that Christ “became to all them that obey Him the cause of eternal salvation.” The salvation brought to us by Christ is an eternal salvation, all the effects, benefits, and issues of which are of an eternal nature, transcending the limitations of time. Our salvation, therefore, is eternally secure. (Truth Lessons, Level 1, Vol. 4, lsn. 47)
