Foundations of Faith
ETERNAL SECURITY (III)
Scene:Mr. Ronson’s Sunday school class.
Mr. Ronson:Last week, as you may recall, we had a very lively discussion relating to the doctrine of eternal security, and particularly the difficult passage in Hebrews 6 (see Mar98). Does anyone else have questions or comments about the eternal security of the believer in Christ?
Marty:There is another passage in Hebrews that I have found troublesome:”If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins” (10:26). Do not all of us sin willfully at times? I know I do.
Mr. Ronson:Yes, I do too, but if we read further down in the passage we will see the character of this “willful sin.” It is sin directly against all three Persons of the Trinity. It is sin against God the Father by treading “under foot” His Son; it is sin against God the Son by counting His shed blood as “an unholy thing”; and it is the sin of insulting or despising God the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of grace” (verse 29). This sin is similar to that of Hebrews 6. There one has “tasted the good word of God”; here one has “received the knowledge of the truth.” The person has received the knowledge of the truth without actually receiving the truth itself into his heart, soul, and mind (see Matt. 22:37). Here, one not only turns away from Christ after learning about Him, but turns violently against Him.
This is not speaking of losing one’s salvation by committing a willful sin, but of incurring God’s eternal wrath by preaching against His only way of salvation (verses 29,30).
Shawn:So, are these passages in Hebrews referring to backsliders?
Mr. Ronson:No, they are speaking of what we call “apostates.” Apostates are people who may know a lot about Christianity, but have never become real Christians, and have turned away from and against Biblical Christianity. These are to be contrasted with “backsliders” who are true believers in Christ whose hearts grow cold, and may fall into sin for a time. But the Holy Spirit is always working in such souls, ever drawing them back to their Lord and Saviour. Judas Iscariot is, perhaps, the closest specific example in the Bible to an apostate. We mentioned him last time (Mar98). Can you think of any examples in the Bible of backsliders? (See Assignment 5)
Mr. Ronson:You may find other Bible verses that seem to contradict the doctrine of eternal security. However, always keep in mind the many Bible passages that clearly teach this truth (Feb98), and ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in gaining a correct understanding of the more difficult and seemingly contradictory passages.
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Running the Race
HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE (in View of the Doctrine of Eternal Security)?
Scene: Mr. Ronson’s Sunday school class.
Mr. Ronson: Before we conclude our study of eternal security, I would like to ask a couple of related questions: What is so important about believing the doctrine of eternal security? And what difference does it make in the way we live our daily lives?
Kim: The main reason we should believe it is that the Bible teaches it.
Mr. Ronson: Excellent, Kim!
Lee: For your second question, it is kind of like the doctrine of election. Realizing that God has done all of the work of (1) providing salvation for us through the suffering, death, and resurrection of His Son, (2) choosing us to receive His salvation (Jun97), and (3) keeping us saved for eternity, causes us to praise, worship, serve, and obey Him out of appreciation for such love and grace.
Mark: In addition to that, by not having to worry every five minutes whether I am still saved, I have greater freedom and power to serve and worship the Lord.
Bev: But doesn’t it sometimes work the other way as well?
Mark: What do you mean, Bev?
Bev: Well, I have heard people ask it this way: If a person trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ, is taught “once saved, always saved,” and has the assurance of going to heaven, what is to keep that person from falling deeper and deeper into sin?
Mr. Ronson: That is a very good question, Bev-one that often comes up. Who would like to try to answer Bev’s question?
Marion: We have all of the blessings of our salvation that we recently learned about (Sep97-Jan98); we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us; we have a new, Christ-like nature; and we have the infinite love of Christ in suffering immensely for us as the most powerful motivation in the universe to keep us from sinning. Why, to go on living without paying any attention to God’s holy Word and what will bring joy to our Saviour is like … like spitting in Jesus’ face!
Tom: That was a great way of putting it, Marion! It really is sobering to think that after all Christ has done for us, we still mess up at times. The fact that God still loves us and does not kick us out of His family when we sin is a powerful motivation not to sin the next time we are tempted. “The love of Christ constrains us” to live for Him (2 Cor. 5:14, 15).
Bev: Hey, this is making a lot of sense to me. If I think that my eternal salvation depends on how I behave, then I am trying to add something of my own doing to the tremendous work that Christ did for me. So the value of the Lord Jesus Christ and His work are diminished in my mind, and I lose the powerful motivation of God’s love to keep from sinning and to do His will 100% of the time.
Mr. Ronson: Those were great observations, class. I couldn’t have expressed it better myself. Every true, born-again Christian who believes in eternal security should be living according to the very highest moral standards of all people in the world. Shame on us … and we bring great dishonor upon our Lord … if we don’t!
Finally, if we know individuals who claim to be Christians but give no evidence of loving and living for the Lord Jesus Christ, we ought treat them like any other unbeliever and give them the gospel.
Assignment 5: Give the names of two backsliders, one in the Old Testament (try 2 Samuel) and one in the New Testament (try Luke), and write out at least one verse for each that shows what they did in their backslidden state. Also, write out at least one verse for each that shows they were restored to the Lord.