How Secure is Our Eternity?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.  Here is this week’s question: Dear Dave and Tom, How important is the doctrine of eternal security?

Tom:

Now Dave, I think this is an important question because—well let me give you my background. I was involved in a Baptist church and when I was wondering about this question, I surveyed the elders in the church.I think there were six or seven elders.Well seven they would have, but six of them—I mean it was split right down the middle.Some said they believed in it and some said they didn’t.Now I want you to jump into this, but let me tell you another concern that I have about this.As you know, I’m preparing to go to a conference in which that’s going to be one of the main issues and the problem that I have is that I have been listening to a number of debates with Roman Catholic apologists.And I don’t care what the issue is, they always come back to this business of eternal security.Of course, the Roman Catholic Church does not believe in it.You are saved through baptism and through that baptism you are justified, but as a process as you grow—it’s infant baptism, but as you grow and commit sin guess what?You lose your justification.So then you have to go through the sacrament of penance, be rejustified through the absolution given by the priest and so on.So this is a major doctrine within the church and I notice in discussions especially debates that you’ve had with them, they keep pointing to it.“Well wait a minute Mr. Hunt, we know you believe once saved, always saved, but there are many, many Protestants they would call them (and they’re not really Protestants), but evangelicals don’t agree with you.”So how important is this doctrine?

Dave:

Well Tom, I think it is important first of all because it is Bible teaching.Now whatever side you are on you are going to go to the Bible.So we have to honor the Bible as God’s Word and we want to find out what it says.There are people who will be offended which ever side they are on by what we are going to say.So first of all, we are not trying to get into an argument with anyone.We don’t have time for that.We have a question; they asked our opinion, so we will give our opinion.Now what is the importance of it?Well for a person who believes that they can lose their salvation—if you can lose your salvation, apparently it’s up to you to keep your salvation.Well then when you get to heaven wouldn’t you be able to boast that you had kept your salvation?I don’t believe that’s biblical.No one can boast in the presence of God.It is by his grace and by his mercy that he has saved us.Now Jesus said, I give my sheep eternal life, they will never perish.So I am one of his sheep; I have eternal life.And 1 John:5:13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
See All... says, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know (present knowledge) that you have (present possession) eternal life.”Well it would be a strange kind of eternal life if I have eternal life today and I don’t have it tomorrow.I don’t see how you could call it eternal life.Jesus in John:5:24Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
See All... said, “He that hears my word and believes on him that sent me HAS everlasting life.”And then he explains what that means.“Shall not come into condemnation, but HAS passed from death to life.” Now Jesus says if I believe in him I have passed from death to life and I will not come into condemnation, then to say that I could come into condemnation would seem to be a denial of what Jesus said.Now I know people say well yes, but who says you will always believe?You can back away from it.Well, the Bible says Ephesians:2:8-9 [8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
See All..., “For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”So if I’m a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ, I’ve been made a new creature in Christ Jesus.I’m a new creation and he has created me unto good works.Now isn’t he going to see to it that I will maintain those good works?Furthermore, if you want to take the other side of the coin, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3, he says our works will be tested by fire.I think it is the fire of God’s truth and judgment of course, in that final day.But he says here’s a man, he doesn’t have one good work that endured the fire.He’s not going to have any rewards, but yet it says if he had faith in Christ, he is saved yet so as by fire.So a person that doesn’t even have a good work, I would need that for me to know whether they were saved or not, but God knows the heart.Now a verse that people often point to, a passage people often point to—Hebrews:6:4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
See All..., let me just read it very quickly: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come.”I would say that’s a Christian.“If they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance.”So if you believe you can fall away, you can get saved again.It says it very clearly: “It is impossible if they can fall away to renew them again unto repentance.”Now he gives two reasons for that.Seeing they crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh.”Well if the first crucifixion of Christ was not enough to keep you saved, and you lose your salvation, he’s going to have to be crucified for you to get saved again, number one.Number two, you put him, that is Christ, to an open shame.Why?Because he did a very foolish thing.He obtained your salvation, he paid the price.Infinite cost—you couldn’t pay it and then he turns it over to you to keep it.Well it’s like turning a fortune over to a two year old.I couldn’t save myself, I couldn’t live a good enough life to get saved, I certainly can’t live a good enough life to keep saved.But then he goes on and he talks about the earth that bringeth forth thorns, briars and so forth and rejected and to burned and then he says this: “But beloved we are persuaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation though we thus speak.”So it seems that this falling away is a hypothetical case.He doesn’t say when, he says if.But this is not what accompanies salvation and I want you to know the writer says you can’t get saved if you can fall away, but falling away is not what happens to a true Christian.

Tom:

Dave, a verse that I’ve often wondered about and we’re about out of time on this segment, but when I got saved I was sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption.

Dave:

Of redemption of the body.That is the resurrection.

Tom:

Right, so what happens if I fall away?See I think of this in terms of Roman Catholicism.A Roman Catholic in infant baptism is sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Dave:

That’s what they say.It’s not biblical.

Tom:

But the point is that when they lose their justification, they become unsealed.And then they have to be resealed and then unsealed.It doesn’t work, it doesn’t fit whether it’s Roman Catholicism or—

Dave:

It says “sealed unto the day of redemption.”I’m going to take God’s Word for that.

Tom:

Dave going back to my illustration of surveying the elders.Six believed in it and six didn’t.Does this affect their eternal destiny?

Dave:

Do you have to believe in eternal security to be saved?You have to believe the gospel in order to be saved.Paul says, “This is the gospel I preached unto you, which you receive, by which you are saved and so forth.How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” You believe that?I believe you are saved.Now there are some differences of opinions as to exactly what that means as far as one’s eternal security is concerned and I am not going to throw someone out of the church and say they are not saved because they don’t believe in eternal security, although that’s what I believe the Bible teaches.But I couldn’t say that that is such an integral part of the gospel as the Bible lays the gospel out that you must believe that in order to be saved.You must believe that Christ died for your sins according to the scriptures, was buried and rose again the third day.You believe that you have passed from death to life.

Tom:

By faith alone.

Dave:

Right.