God Preserves His People

I am a planner. When I go to bed at night I know what my morning will hold when I get up (unless the LORD return or he takes me to be with him). With the good and the bad I do not like the uncertainty of an unplanned day. To be perfectly honest my two least favorite days of the week, as far as uncertainty of planning goes, are Sunday and my day off. Those days lack structure compared to the other seven. The lack of structure tends to make me anxious. This is a type of uncertainty that I do not like to experience.

What is it for you? Maybe an uncertain relationship? The uncertainty of keeping your job? Fragile and uncertain health? An old car that you have no certainty of getting you from point A to point B and back to point A? Whatever the source, uncertainty is often not our preference. Even when it is preferable most would prefer to deal with certainty.

How much more is that a reality for the eternal destiny of souls? For any person who has been awakened to the reality that eternity waits for every one of us there is hand-in-hand with that a desire for a good future. Even more so for the person who has also come under conviction of sin and recognition of God as a righteous judge. With these soul searching discoveries comes the desire for a blessed future in eternity which is certain.

Final Post with the Final Point

This post will conclude our time of looking at God’s eternal plan and love which worked for the redemption of his people though they had rebelled against him. I am sure that in the future I will return to the discussion of God’s work of salvation (soteriology: The Ordo Salutis; Creedal and Confessional Statements on this doctrine; how the doctrine of the trinity impacts this doctrine & questions that you may want addressed with regards to this doctrine…please leave questions in comments. I would love to interact with them.)

This post will lean heavily upon the Canons of Dort as we look at the “P” of TULIP: Perseverance of the Saints. I will reference various articles from the Canons of Dort (further referred to as CD) throughout this post. This is the belief often referred to casually as: Once Saved Always Saved. However, what we will see today is much more dynamic and reasonable. I do not say this as a reflection on my writing but on what is laid out in light of scripture in the CD. We will consider the following:

• Persevering but not Perfect
• Perseverance and Preservation
• Perseverance and Sanctification
• Perseverance and Assurance

Persevering but not Perfect

From the very beginning of the final point of the CD it is very clear that although the believer may have certainty to some degree of his or her salvation, that nonetheless they are not without sin.

“Those people whom God according to his purpose calls into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord and regenerates by the Holy Spirit, God also sets free from the dominion and slavery of sin, though not entirely from the flesh and from the body of sin as long as they are in this life.

Canons of Dort; Point 5; Article 1

Article two goes on to explain how this plays a role in God’s plan for us to persevere in the faith. Weaknesses and failures are a

“…continual cause to humble themselves before God, to flee for refuge to Christ crucified, to put the flesh to death more and more by the Spirit…”

Canons of Dort; Point 5; Article 2

If we were without weaknesses and trials, temptations and the flesh we would not feel our need for God and grace so strongly. We are pushed by such things in this life while the Spirit draws us to seek Christ. It is in his strength that we persevere amid imperfections.

Perseverance and Preservation

If you take 10 minutes and read through the 5th point of the CD you will see that “preservation” is a common word and concept and “perseverance” is almost non-existent by comparison. A common concern and/or objection to the use of the letter “P” in TULIP (perseverance) is its lack of both scope and clarity. It falls short and fails to grasp the whole doctrine…yet no one word has that capacity either. However, I would propose that “preservation” is a preferred term. As you see in the CD itself that claim is substantiated by the words frequent appearance. Here is why the word is used and the hope that it gives:

1. The preservation brought about by the triune God as represented in the “P” is the biblical and logical continuance of what has been seen in Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, and Irresistible Grace. That is to say the initiating love of the Father, the definite work of the Son to redeem a particular people, and the Holy Spirit’s ministry to regenerate the Elect moves on in its purpose by the preserving of the Elect unto the end. We read in Romans 8:29, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” God had purposed to bring those whom he had delighted to set his love on to a process of being “conformed to the image of his Son.” Therefore, this doctrine is rooted in the unconditional love of God. It is both the biblical and logical conclusion of God’s unchanging love toward his people.
2. This concept of God preserving is the Christian’s hope. We read in John 10:28-29, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” It is within the working power of the Triune God that we are preserved. And allow me to elaborate on one particular phrase: “…no one will snatch them out of my hand…no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand…” Yes, this teaches that neither the Devil nor the World can snatch you from the hand of the Father and Son, but that is not all. Let me paraphrase for a moment to make my next point: You cannot snatch you out the Father or the Son’s hand. You cannot sin enough nor fall far enough to topple out of the hand of God. Praise be to God you are not able to and here is why. You did not get into his hand nor make the way yourself. It was not through some faulty and unstable plan and execution brought on by you. It was all God. He made you alive. He brought you to himself. He changed your heart and taught you to love him. He gave you a heart that grows more sensitive to sin and hungers for repentance. You didn’t get you into his hand and you can’t get you out of his hand. NO ONE….NO BODY…NOT YOU…NOthing can get you out. His love is set, fixed, unchanging, and it ain’t moving. He is preserving you because the Son died for you.

“God’s plan cannot be changed; God’s promise cannot fail; the calling according to God’s purpose cannot be revoked; the merit of Christ as well as his interceding and preserving cannot be nullified; and the sealing of the Holy Spirit can neither be invalidated nor wiped out.”

Canons of Dort; Point 5; Article 8

Perseverance and Sanctification

“And, just as it has pleased God to begin this work of grace in us by the proclamation of the gospel, so God preserves, continues, and completes this work by the hearing and reading of the gospel, by meditation on it, by its exhortations, threats, and promises, and also by the use of the sacraments.”

Canons of Dort; Point 5; Article 14

The doctrine of the saints persevering is primarily based on the truth of God’s work in the lives of his people to preserve their souls. However, this does not replace the fact that in our new God given nature that we do not strive forward in the faith. In fact the first phrase of the above quote echoes Paul’s words to the Philippians: “Therefore, my beloved…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” To workout in this sense is like a leather smith stretching out a piece of leather to develop its quality and widen its length. It is to take and work, stretch, and prosper it. So also with our faith we are to exercise it and not leave it dormant. CD mentions what is widely held to be fundamental “workouts” of the Christian life, formally called: Means of Grace. These are the:

• “hearing and reading of the gospel, and medicinal on it” – The follower of Christ needs the nourishment of the joy and power which comes form the news of Christ crucified as the manifest love of God and means of our redemption. We need to hear it, but also meditate on it: fill your mind with that truth. We are to talk it over with our brethren, write it out in a note book, memorize it, and chew on it in our mind.
• “it’s exhortations, threats, and promises” – Live in light of instructions, warnings, and promises of the scriptures. This is obedience. To read and meditate on the gospel while not acting on the gospel is to be unaffected by the gospel. True joy in salvation will lead to feet being put on your faith. A healthy Christian will be glad to follow scripture’s exhortation, alter life and behavior in response to its threats, and live boldly based on its promises.
• “the use of the sacraments” – Baptism is our public commitment into the body of Christ and often the primary entry for new believers into membership of a local church (we will discuss membership later). But it is also a benefit to the congregation. It reminds the veteran believer of the power of the gospel to change and save a life. It calls to memory our own conversion. The grace of God is experienced in many ways at baptism. Then the Lord’s Supper is our continued public commitment to Christ and his church. At the table we identify with the brethren. In this is the benefit of community and the reminder of Christ’s power in and for us.

Our active participation in these things is our role in sanctification. The work to regenerate and justify is solely the work of the Triune God, yet our sanctification, though empowered by God, does not leave us as pawns. We are to be living and intentional testimonies of the God given faith being alive in us.

Perseverance and Assurance

This is the icing on the cake. This is what we rejoice in when we speak of eternal security. Let me first speak to the phrase: icing on the cake. I say that for two reasons:

1. It is truly a delight to ponder ones eternal salvation. I know of late I have found comfort when difficulty arises in the quiet thought: “I am justified. There is now no condemnation for me.” Wow! When remembered and applied to the circumstance what news or situation can rain on that parade?
2. Yet, with all the joy it brings we need to realize something: Assurance is never promised in the Bible. I do not mean that it is uncertain if the justified will make it to heaven. I mean that the peace that assurance gives is not promised in the Bible (NOTE: Canons of Dort; Point 5; Articles 8-13). Yes it is sure that the regenerate will be in paradise, yet in this age no where are we promised the experience of joy and peace by it. With that we see that at times God may remove that sense of assurance to drive us closer to him with more zeal. We might also see habitual sin muddy the waters of our assurance. Let me put it all in this way. If you have been a Christian for any number of years you have known that person who displays the fruit of repentance and the Spirit yet they are doubting and unsure. For whatever reason, God in his perfect plan has not allowed that believer the privilege he has to others.

Now, how can we encourage that brother or sister. How can we ourselves enjoy assurance and be at peace knowing that we are in Christ and justified? There is much we could say but let me put it like this:

I have this really good friend, we will call him Hunter. I say that he is a good friend. Why is that? Is it because of past experience, well yes in part. Yet, I have had pleasant past experiences with people with whom I no longer share friendship. On that same point it is not because I remember the first time we met…as a matter of fact I could not tell you the first time I met Hunter if my life depended on it. Here is why I say “He is a really good friend.” I say that because as of today He is my friend and I am his friend. I know without doubt that I can call or stop by without warning and he would be glad to see me, and I him.

Brethren, if your assurance that you have been justified and born again is based primarily on what happen back then: a sinner’s prayer, spiritual experience, etc…If anything from yesteryear is the primary foundation of your being certain that you have believed in Jesus you have nothing to be certain of. Certainty of that kind is primarily based on the question in the moment. To phrase it with the words of the Collins Baptist Catechism and the Heidelberg Catechism: “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” Answer:

“That I am not my own, but belong — body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.”

Collins’ Baptist Catechism Question #1

In short: Are you now trusting and hoping in the sacrifice of Christ as what keeps you in fellowship with the Father? That is the bedrock of assurance. Past experiences are of benefit yes, but they are not the foundation

Conclusion

God is so good, kind, and merciful. He made the salvation and preservation of our lives a part of his plan to bring glory to his name. When he created the heavens and the earth he was purposing to build a story that would bring him praise and honor as he alone is worthy of. In his wisdom he chose to set apart a countless multitude to be impacted and experience his love. Then in united purpose the Father manifest his love in the Son’s willing sacrifice for that countless multitude who were at that time ruthless rebels against God almighty. And in the now the Spirit moves to bring each one of those persons from every tribe, nation, and people into union with Christ and enjoy the rewards of his suffering. We are carried along by the power and love of God until the return of our great and glorious King.

Learn More:

Jeff Durban: Eternal Security