True Believers Never Quit

Q: What does the Bible say about eternal security?

The Bible teaches that true believers, those genuinely called by God, will never lose their salvation, as seen in John 10:28-29. The concept of eternal security, often summarized by the phrase 'once saved, always saved,' is firmly rooted in Scripture. In John 10:28-29, Jesus declares, 'I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.' This assurance is not a mere hope but a divine promise backed by God's omnipotence. Both preservation and perseverance are key elements in this doctrine. God preserves His chosen ones, ensuring they remain within His grace, while they, in turn, persevere in faith. Hebrews 10:38-39 emphasizes that those who draw back are not part of His people, highlighting that true believers continue to believe, demonstrating the assurance of their eternal security.

Q: How do we know salvation is a work of God?

Salvation is entirely a work of God, as He initiates, carries out, and completes it, as stated in Ephesians 2:8-9. The scriptural basis for understanding salvation as a divine work is rooted in God's sovereignty. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.' This makes it clear that salvation originates from God's grace and is bestowed upon those He has chosen. Furthermore, God’s initiative in salvation is reaffirmed in 2 Timothy 1:9, which says He saved us and called us not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace. The act of salvation is not contingent upon human effort but solely on God's purpose and will.

Q: Why is knowledge of Scripture important for understanding faith?

Knowledge of Scripture is crucial as it reveals God's promises and the nature of true faith, shaping our understanding of salvation and assurance. Understanding the Scriptures is essential for grasping the foundations of faith. The preacher emphasizes that most believers do not adequately know the Word of God, leading to confusion about doctrines like eternal security. In John 5:24, it is written, 'He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life.' This verse, among others, showcases how knowledge of Scripture directly informs our assurance of salvation. When believers understand the depth of God's promises and His power to save, they gain confidence in their eternal security. Hence, Scripture not only provides the basis for our faith but also serves as an anchor in times of doubt.

Q: What is the difference between true faith and false faith?

True faith results in a lasting relationship with Christ, while false faith is characterized by temporary emotions or actions without genuine transformation. The distinction between true and false faith lies in their fruits. True faith manifests as an ongoing relationship and commitment to Christ, evidenced by a transformed life and a deep, abiding faith that continues even amid trials. As the preacher points out, false faith may produce emotional responses or outward conformity to religious practices, but it lacks the life-altering power of grace. True believers will persevere because their faith is rooted in their experience of salvation, leading to continual repentance and reliance on Christ for strength. Conversely, false faith will eventually wither, as seen in those who may profess belief yet fail to endure. 1 John 2:19 captures this well: 'They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.' This emphasizes the necessity of genuine, enduring faith.

I'm turning in the Bible today
to the book of Hebrews. I'll be speaking from Hebrews,
the 10th chapter, if you want to read the scripture with me.
Hebrews 10, verse 38 and 39. Now, here's my subject. I think it's a subject in which
you'll be interested. The title of the message is,
True Believers Never Quit. True believers never In Hebrews
10 verse 38, the apostle says this, Now the just shall live
by faith, but if any man draw back, if any man draw back, my
soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who
draw back under perdition or condemnation or eternal judgment. We're not of them who draw back,
but we're of them that continue to believe. We're of them that
continue to believe to the saving of the soul. Now, for centuries,
people have debated and argued and even fought over what they
call eternal security. And once saved, always saved. You're familiar with that term.
You've probably argued about it yourself. I have. Or this
term, once in grace, always in grace. You can get an argument
about that almost everywhere. Well, now, the great problem
which causes these arguments and debates and discussions on
eternal security and the security of the believer is three things. It's threefold. The great problem
is threefold. Here's the problem. Number one,
people do not know the scriptures. Now, that's just a fact. The
average individual, the man on the street, even the man in the
pew, and most men in the pulpit, do not know the scriptures. I recently heard a world-famous
evangelist, some of you may have heard the same statement, a world-famous
evangelist who's now up in years. I heard him say this on television
just a few months ago. He was lamenting the fact that
he had not given himself as he should to the study of the Scriptures. He said, I've been too busy,
I've preached too many sermons, I've read too many contemporary
books, and I've neglected the Word of God. And that's true
of most preachers and most people. They do not know the Scriptures. And the second thing that promotes
these debates and arguments is this, men and women do not know
nor recognize the power of God, the power of Almighty God. I'm going to preach on that next
week. The power of God, God reigns, God rules. Is anything too hard
for God? And then the third thing is this,
most people do not know what salvation really is. They think
they do, but they do not. Now that's the problem, it's
threefold. The reason they sit around arguing about whether
or not a man's eternally secure, once in grace, always in grace,
is they do not know the scriptures, do not know the power of God,
and really do not know what salvation really is. Now the scriptures,
if you know the scriptures, The Scripture plainly teaches, listen
to it, John 5, 24. He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall
not, shall not, I repeat, come into condemnation, but is already
passed from death unto life. He's not going to die again.
If he's born again, he's not going to get unborn. If he's
a sheep, he's not going to become a goat. If he's passed from death
to life, he lives. That's what the Word of God said.
John 10, my sheep hear my voice, I know them, they follow me,
I give them eternal life and they shall never, never perish. Paul said nothing can separate
us from the love of God, not life or death or tribulation
or persecution or whatever. And then Romans 8 and 1 says
this, there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are
in Christ Jesus, no judgment, no condemnation. This is what
the scripture says. And the scripture says, he that
hath begun a good work in you shall perfect it, shall perform
it, shall complete it in the day of Jesus Christ. Ecclesiastes
says what God has done, nothing can be put to it. So the question
is, if you ask a man, are you eternally secure? Here's the
question, who saved him? If his preacher saved him, he's
not. If he saved himself, he's not. But if God did, of course
he's secure. He's as secure as the throne
of Jesus Christ, his representative. And then the power of God. The
power of God is our security. Listen to this. Jude wrote this,
now unto him who is able. to keep us from falling, and
to present us holy, unblameable, unreprovable, glorified in his
presence. Now unto him who's able, he's
able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him.
He is able to do all that he promised Abraham believed. He's
able to raise our vile bodies. God is able. That's what we're
saying, the power of God. Our salvation is not resting
in our power, but in his power. We are kept Paul wrote in, or
Peter wrote in I Peter 1, we're kept by the power of God through
faith. I'm coming to that in a few moments.
We're kept by the power of God. But what I'm showing you is this.
If you know the scriptures, you have to know that God's sheep
will never perish. If you know the power of God,
you've got to know that God will never lose one of his children.
He said, if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more should your father give good things
to his children? And then most people don't know
what salvation is. Salvation is not mental acceptance
of religious facts. That's not salvation. Salvation
is not just believing a doctrine, or believing a creed, or joining
a church, or being a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Nazarene,
or a Catholic. Salvation is a heart experience.
Salvation is a new nature, a new heart, a new life, a new creation. That's what salvation is. Salvation
is a new birth. If any man be in Christ, he's
what? A new creature. Old things have passed away.
Behold, all things are become new. You see, my friends, repentance. Everybody talks about repentance.
But repentance is not an isolated experience. Nobody who's ever
repented will be heard to say, well, I repented 20 years ago. No, if he ever did, he's still
repenting. Repentance is not a once for
all sorrow over sin. It's the principle of a broken
heart and a contrite spirit before God which continues and intensifies. I have repented, I am repenting,
and I will repent. Faith is not an isolated decision. Faith is not just a profession
of faith in a religious meeting when you walk down the aisle
and shake a preacher's hand and say, well, I believe. That's
all there is to it. Oh, no. Faith is a state of grace. Faith is a commitment to Christ. Believers keep coming to Christ,
keep believing on Christ, keep coming to the Lord. That's right.
To whom? Coming as a living stone. I have believed. I am believing.
And if God did the work, I shall continue to believe. And we'll
continue in faith. Whose house we are, if we hold
fast the profession of our faith firm unto the end. Ephesians
2.89 says this, and you check on the better translations. For
by grace have you been saved through faith. 1 Corinthians
1 says this, to those who are being saved, Christ is the power
and wisdom of God. And then Paul wrote to the Romans
and said, now is our salvation nearer than when we believe.
You see, my friends, grace imparted is grace enthroned. Now that's so important. The
grace of God, which converts a sinner, is not a weak offer. It's not a weak invitation. It's
not just a plea and a pulling a psychological pressure, but
the grace of God is a powerful, life-changing, ruling reign. Where grace is imparted, grace
reigns through righteousness. You see, the truth of salvation,
the truth of assurance, the truth of a good hope, the truth of
security in Christ and eternal life has two sides. You remember
these two words. Two words, preservation and perseverance. We are preserved and kept by
the power of God. Perseverance, not apart from
faith, not without faith, through faith. Now let me show you that
in the scripture. Over here in the book of 1 Peter,
it says this, we are kept by the power of God. That's preservation. That's preservation. God keeps
us. Whom God saves, God keeps. Now,
what's the next two words? Through faith. That's perseverance. They will believe. They will
continue to believe. God keeps them, and they believe,
and they continue to believe. Look at Jeremiah 32, 40. Listen
to this. God says in Jeremiah 32, 40,
I will make an everlasting covenant with them. I will not turn away
from them to do them good. That's preservation. I will not
turn away from them, God says. I won't desert them. I'll never
leave you. I'll never forsake you. I'll
never let you fall. Never. I'll never turn away from
them. That's preservation. Now watch
the next line. And they shall not depart from
me. That's perseverance. God says
I'm not going to leave them and they're not going to leave me.
Listen to John 10. Listen. Christ said, in John 10, I know
my sheep. I know my sheep. They follow
me. I lay down my life for the sheep.
Another shepherd they will not follow. You see that? That's
preservation. I know my sheep. I give them
eternal life. They'll never perish. Here's
perseverance. They follow me. another shepherd
they will not follow, another voice they will not listen to.
God will keep his sheep, and his sheep will never quit. God
will save his sheep. Listen to this. All that my Father
giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I'll in
no wise cast out. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power in the beauty of holiness. But you know, most
of the problems with security and assurance, and that's what
we're talking about here, a good hope, security in Christ, assurance
in Christ. But most of the problems have
risen from the false presentation of the gospel in this day. There's
a false presentation. And what salvation really is,
let's examine from the Scriptures what the experience of salvation
is. There's this thing of redemption,
eternal life. a relationship with God, a knowledge
of God. Well, let me tell you this. It
begins with God. That's where this whole thing
began. Maybe that's where we're missing the whole thing. It begins
with God. It doesn't begin with a sinner.
It begins with God. Let me show you that. He chose
us. He chose us. He told his disciples,
said, you didn't choose me. I chose you. And He said over
in Thessalonians, God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. So it began with God. He chose
us. We didn't choose Him. And then
He loved us. It plainly says herein is love.
Not that we love God. He loved us. We love Him because
He first loved us. That's where it starts. It starts
with God. God purposed it. God planned
it. God chose us. God loved us. And then He quickened
us. You hath he quickened, who were
what? Dead, in trespasses and sin. Moses says, Show me your
glory. And the Lord said, Well, I'll
show you my glory. My glory is my goodness. I'll
be merciful to whom I will be merciful. I'll be gracious to
whom I will. He quickened us. The Son quickeneth whom He will.
When we were ungodly, Christ loved us. When we were sinners,
He died for us. It starts with God. And then
He called us. II Timothy 1.9 says, He saved
us, and He called us, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. He called us, and then He justified
us. It says in His Word, who can
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God who justifies. Who can condemn? It's Christ
that died. Yea, rather He's risen again.
Who is He? Ascended to the right hand of God. Who makes intercession
for us? It begins with God. This thing
of salvation doesn't begin with you. It begins with God. Whom
He foreknew, He predestinated to be conformed to the image
of His Son. Whom He predestinated, He called. Whom He called, He
justified. Whom He justified, He glorified. And then not only that, but he
begat us to life. You've read this scripture so
many times, John 1, verse 11. As many as received him, to them
gave he the right, the privilege to become sons of God, even to
them which believe on his name. There's no period there. There's
a semicolon. And the next verse says, which
were born. As many as received him, to them
gave he the privilege, the right, the power to become sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not
of blood, that is, not of family inheritance, not of the will
of the flesh, not of the will of man, but born of God. He beget
us of his own will, beget he us through the word of truth.
We're born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible seed,
by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. He gave
us repentance. It's the goodness of God that
leadeth to repentance. He gave us faith, for by grace
are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It's
the gift of God. What's the gift of God? Faith
is. Faith's the gift of God. We're His workmanship. We're
His workmanship. We're not our own. He hath made
us and not we ourselves. God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give us the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus.
Salvation starts with God. Salvation's of the Lord. The
book of Psalms says this over and over again, the salvation
of the righteous is of the Lord. He revealed Christ to us. We
didn't find Christ. He wasn't lost. We were lost.
He found us. The sheep wasn't looking for
the shepherd. The shepherd was looking for the sheep. How'd
we turn this thing around? He revealed Christ to us. Paul
said, God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me
by His grace was pleased to reveal His Son in me. And He'll keep us. That's what
I've been saying. He'll keep us. He that hath begun. Now, I tell you, this thing of
salvation, eternal life, this experience of grace, we need
to look into the Word and find out what it's all about. It begins
with God. And Philippians 1, 6 says, He
that hath begun a good work in you, not just for you or on you,
but in you. He who began it, it begins with
God. He chose us. He loved us. He called us. He quickened us. He justified us. He redeemed
us. He accepted us in the Beloved.
He keeps us. He'll raise our vile bodies.
He that hath begun a good work in you shall perfect it, shall
perform it in the day of Jesus Christ. That's security. That's
preservation. That's confidence. That's a good
foundation. No, you can quit arguing eternal
security when you come to see who does the saving. His power,
His ability, the wealth of His sacrifice. But another thing
about salvation, it begins with God, but it finds its way into
the soul and mind and heart and experience of the believer. The Word of God's like a sharp
two-edged sword that pierces asunder and divides even the
bone and the marrow down to the secret parts. And there are many
things that take place in a person who's an object of God's grace,
an object of God's love, an object of God's redemption. There are
a whole lot of things that take place. More than just raising
your hand and waving it and saying the sinner's prayer after some
preacher or going down an aisle getting in line, going to the
inquiry room. A man who's saved is born again
by the Spirit of God, by the Word of God, the very life of
God which he lost in Adam. The life of God is implanted
in him. We're not born again because
we believe. We believe because we're born again. We're not born
again because we love God. We love God because we're born
again. We're not born again because we're here. We're here because
we're born again. That's right, we're born of the
Spirit of God. And that man's not only born again, begotten,
quickened, raised from a spiritual grave, but he's convicted and
convinced of his sins. He can say with David, my sins
are ever before me. And he's convinced and made aware
of his inability. He cries with David, who shall
ascend into the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in that holy
place? And then he sees Christ. That
man actually sees Christ Jesus, the power and wisdom of God,
the glorious, anointed, appointed, sent Redeemer. He sees Christ. That's what the Word said, He
that seeth the Son and believeth on Him hath everlasting life. What does he see? Whom does he
see? How does he see? He sees with eyes of faith. He
sees with the heart. He sees it in the Word. He sees
it in the Gospel. He sees the Son. He sees Christ,
the everlasting surety, the shepherd of the sheep of the everlasting
covenant. He sees Christ incarnate in human
flesh. He became a man, made of a woman,
made under the law to redeem us from the curse of the law.
He sees Christ in his obedience, Christ in his righteousness,
Christ in the fulfillment of all righteousness and perfection
as our representative. He sees Christ on the cross,
our sin offering, our substitute, our justifier. He sees Christ
taking our sins in his body on the tree, and it's by his stripes
that we're healed. He sees Christ risen from the
tomb, victorious over death, hell, and sin. He sees Christ
exalted to the right hand of God as our advocate. ever living
to make intercession for us. He sees Christ his King and his
Lord who reigns over him. And seeing all that and believing
that regarding the Son of God, his substitute, he commits his
soul, heart, body, life, family, earnings, everything he is, has,
knows, ever will be to that Redeemer. That's right. That's what Paul
says in II Timothy 1.12. I know whom I have believed.
It's not some impotent, frustrated, disillusioned, disappointed super-Jesus. I know whom I have believed.
He's the Son of God. He's the God-man. He's our wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. He's all and
in all. He's the fullness of the Godhead
bodily. He's the victorious substitute.
He's the risen King. He's the coming conqueror. I
know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded, confident beyond
a shadow of a doubt, not in myself, not in you, but in Him, that
He's able. He's able to save. He's able
to justify. He's able to redeem. He's able
to present us faultless before His throne. able to save to the
uttermost them that come to God by Him. He shall not fail. He's able to keep that which
I've what? Committed unto Him against that
day. A committal, a surrender, absolute
unconditional surrender. Laying down your shotgun, putting
down your sword, pulling down your flag, and putting the banner
of Christ Jesus in its place over your soul's fortress, Christ
my Lord. That's a whole lot more than
a little empty, silly, easy-believerism profession of faith. And that
person can say, Christ is my life. Christ is my hope. Christ is my all. Oh, I tell
you this, my friends, there's a lot of difference in false
faith and saving faith. False faith can do a lot of things.
False faith can do many things. Deceive people, false faith.
It can excite the emotions, like those people who wanted to make
Christ king, you remember? And then they cried crucify.
It can reform the life, did for the Pharisees. It can attain
high office, it did for Judas. It can speak well of Christ,
Nicodemus did. It can be baptized with Simon
Magus, give gifts like Ananias and Sapphira, travel with believers
like Demas, yeah, and fight for your beliefs like Saul, and even
persevere to the judgment and cry in the face of the Son of
God himself. I've preached in your name, cast
out devils and did many wonderful works. I never knew you. But
there's some things false faith can never do. It takes a broken
heart. It takes saving faith. False
faith can never produce the life of God in the soul. That comes
by grace. False faith can never produce
a broken heart over sin. God saves such as be of a broken
heart. False faith can never bow to
the sovereignty of God in all things. False faith will not
bow to God and give him all the glory. False faith will never
look to Christ alone apart from works. False faith can never
love the Redeemer above all things and all people, and false faith
will not continue. Somehow, someway, someday, they'll
fall along the way. Somehow, someway, someday. John said they were not of us,
because if they had been of us, no doubt, they would have continued
with us. We're not of them that draw back
eternal condemnation, but we're of them that believe to the saving
of the soul." What does the Word of God say about Abraham and
Enoch and all those great men of faith? They died in faith.
They died in faith. And true believers always do. If you want this message on a
cassette tape, I have it. True believers never quit. write
for it. Send two dollars, we'll mail
you this tape and another message that I'll be preaching next week.
Until next week, may God bless you.

True Believers Never Quit

What does the Bible say about eternal security?

How do we know salvation is a work of God?

Why is knowledge of Scripture important for understanding faith?

What is the difference between true faith and false faith?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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True Believers Never Quit

What does the Bible say about eternal security?

How do we know salvation is a work of God?

Why is knowledge of Scripture important for understanding faith?

What is the difference between true faith and false faith?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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