Riff's Christian Journal

Part 5: Perseverance Of The Saints

Once a person is born again they cannot lose their salvation. That is a bold statement but I do believe that scripture backs that up. Before we look at some verses from John 6 think of this.

Since no one can come to Christ unless they are drawn by the Father, and since “all” who are drawn will come, you have to realize that all the work of salvation is of God. If God, then, has chosen those who will be saved and has promised them eternal life, then He is the one Who will assure that they will persevere until the end, that is death. At that point they will then enter eternal life promised to them by the Father.

Now, let us look at some quotes (promises) by Jesus from John 6:

³⁷ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

³⁹ This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

⁴⁰ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

⁴⁴ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

⁴⁷ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.

These five verses alone guarantees that everyone who is saved will remain saved and will never ever lose their salvation. Otherwise God is a liar and is guilty of leading His children on. Salvation is all of God. The Father has chosen who will be saved, Jesus secured that salvation and the Holy Spirit applies that salvation. There is nothing required of the saved in order to receive salvation and there is nothing required of the saved in the work of keeping their salvation. The redeemed can do nothing to ensure they stay saved and the redeemed can do nothing that would cause them to lose their salvation.

Other verses you can look into are the following:

• John 10: 27 – 28
• Romains 8: 1
• 1 Corinthians 10: 13
• Philippians 1:6

Imagine, if you will, being the sinner that you are that God would require of you what is necessary in order to keep your salvation? If it took Jesus to do for us what we could not do in order to be saved, what makes you think you could do that and more in order to remain saved? After having begun in the Spirit you now believe that you could retain your salvation by your own righteousness?

If you are honest with yourself, and you are not, the answer to these would be “no” you could not. That is why it takes God not only to save you but to keep you saved as well.

I’d hate to think that my salvation, from start to finish, depended on me and not on God.

In my next post we will wrap all of this up and take one last look at how in John 6 the whole of “The 5 Points of Calvinism” is taught by Jesus. Yes, it is all there and it takes God to give one understanding into this for preaching Calvinism is preaching the Gospel.