In the religious tradition in
which I was raised, there was one doctrine which seemed to
be emphasized more than any other. While bringing all the tithes
into the storehouse was indeed part and parcel of nearly every
message, this particular doctrine of which I speak stood head and
shoulders above even that, and formed the basis upon which every
man's salvation ultimately rested. That foundational truth was articulated
as once saved, always saved. The way it was presented was
this. Jesus Christ died to give every man the possibility of
being saved. All that any man had to do to
take advantage of that which Christ had provided was to take
him up on his offer of salvation by making a decision to accept
Christ as his personal Savior and thereby be assured of eternal
life. Because once that transaction
was made, the man was eternally saved and could then never perish,
regardless of what else he might do or not do, even if he denied
the faith which he once professed. He was in. His ticket to heaven
was punched, and nothing could take it away from him. He then
had eternal security. Akin to nearly every other false
doctrine, this concept is extremely close to the truth, while in
reality missing the mark and giving multitudes of spurious
professors a false sense of peace and security while serving to
plunge these religious captives into an even darker abyss. The
error in this instruction, as it was propagated at the time
and still is today, was not in the teaching that the Lord keeps
those whom he saves and none shall perish, for the scriptures
are abundantly clear that he will keep his people from falling
and will reject none who seek him. The Lord said, My sheep
hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of my hand. All that the Father giveth
me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out. Rather, the error lies in teaching
that salvation is some sort of covenant or agreement which a
man has the power to accept or reject according to the whim
of his own free will. This teaching has perverted the
preaching of the gospel and turned it into a cooperative and collaborative
effort between God and man to bring the man's salvation to
pass, rather than the gospel being, as the scriptures plainly
teach, the declaration of that redemption which Christ has both
purchased and applied to those who are the objects of His grace
and mercy. Nevertheless, the foundation
of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them
that are his. Exactly how long the Lord has
known them is revealed in Paul's letter to Timothy, who has saved
us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. The Lord doesn't
know them because of something they have done or that He foresaw
they would do, but rather they are caused to believe because
He knows them, because they belong to Him. The determination of
God to keep those that are His is revealed to be His determined
purpose in the sending of Christ into the world to save His people
from their sins. Thus we see this set forth in
His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. as thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him. It is impossible that he should
lose any of those which are given to him, since he is the faithful
guardian or shepherd of his flock. He has specifically come into
the world to secure their salvation by his life, death, and resurrection. He does also manifest that same
salvation to them by the gift of faith. There is no other way
in which the sons of God can be known, or that they can know
of this salvation, apart from the application of faith which
is the gift of God. We are justified by faith, not
as an activity of the flesh, but by the revelation of Christ
as the basis of that justification. In like fashion, we are preserved
by the same faith, which is the power of God. Then it must be
true that everyone for whom the salvation which Christ procured
in His perfect and finished work of redemption must be preserved
in that salvation. They are kept by His power, which
in fact shall be manifested in the last day. If you would like
a free transcript of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream.net.