We persevere only because the Lord preserves
CHAPTER 17: Of the Perseverance of the Saints
(Parts One and Two)
The people God has purposed to save since before time began, who He has called, to whom He has given the gifts of faith and repentance, and who are being sanctified, will be saved, completely and forever (Romans 8:29-30). They cannot be removed from God’s gracious hand, nor can they remove themselves from His hand (John 10:28-29).
While believers are responsible to persevere in the faith (Galatians 6:9, Matthew 24:13), the elect will persevere in the faith to the end, not because of their grip on Him, but because of His grip on them (Isaiah 41:13). The perseverance of the saints may, therefore, also be understood as the patient and faithful perseverance of God with those He loves.
The perseverance of the saints does not mean they will not face adversity, trials, or tribulations (Acts 14:22). The elect are often beset by sin (1 John 1:8). Their sin may at times even be gross and scandalous, resulting from the hardness of their hearts. They will, however, repent from such backsliding, and persevere to the end, and thereby prove that they are the elect of God unto salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10).
(Part Two)
The perseverance of the saints is unfairly caricaturized by the phrase “once saved always saved.” The literal meaning of that phrase could not be more true. Those who are saved by God’s grace cannot be lost, but all too often, the “once-saved-always-saved” slogan is used of people who are not saved, but who claim to have had some kind of religious experience, or who have “accepted Jesus into their hearts” by reciting a rote prayer that was rather meaningless to them. These who were never actually saved, thinking they can live like Hell before they die and go to Heaven, are deceived (Galatians 6:7-8).
The Bible teaches the eternal security of the believer (John 10:27-29, Romans 8:32-39). Conversely, the Bible also teaches the eternal insecurity of the make-believer (1 John 2:19).
The perseverance of the saints is not about our ability to remain faithful to God. It is about God’s faithfulness to those He justifies and, more importantly, His faithfulness to Christ. He saves all for whom Christ died—to the end. And between now and the end, we have a Great High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for His own (Hebrews 7:27), guaranteeing that He will save them to the uttermost.
Must we persevere? Yes. But we persevere only because the Lord preserves.
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