Eternal Security of the Saved Soul
Jesus said,
John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
What kind of life does Jesus give His sheep? Eternal life, which means they will live for ever.
As a result of receiving eternal life, they cannot ever perish, not even temporarily.
Clearly, Jesus is talking about the soul, since it is evident that the body dies. That’s why we do not know anyone who is two hundred years old.
The idea that God gives eternal life and then we lose it, makes Jesus a liar in the minds of those who believe that false doctrine.
How can we trust someone who says they will give us eternal life, but then it turns out to only be temporary?
Of course, it doesn’t turn out that way. Satan puts forth such false doctrines to attract people to a false Christ.
Jesus also said,
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
The apostle John confirms this:
1 John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
We have the Son (Christ) when we put our faith in Him (His Word, what He says). When you trust someone (have faith in them), you trust what they have said in the past and you have faith in what they have done and what they say they will do in the future.
Jesus has earned that kind of trust. He makes lots of promises to assure us that our trust is well-placed with promises such as this:
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
There is no way Jesus will cast out someone who comes to Him for salvation. He is “not willing that any should perish.” (2 Peter 3:9)
God has determined by His will to sanctify (cleanse and set apart from others for Himself) those who believe on Him for the salvation of their soul. And He sanctifies them for ever, not just for as long as we behave ourselves in His sight.
Hebrews 10:10-14 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man [Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Again, logic dictates that it is impossible for those who have trusted in Christ as their Saviour to lose their salvation because He could not accurately be called Saviour, if we could lose our salvation because it was dependent upon us. We would be the saviors of ourselves. But because He is the only One who can save us, and He is eternal, our salvation, once we have it, is eternal.
Here is a more detailed explanation as to why.
1 John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
When we believe Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), God manifested in the flesh, sent to earth to be the Saviour of the souls of men, we are born, spiritually, by God, into His family. Faith in the Word of God and what it says about Jesus Christ shows God that we receive Him and His Word which tells us who He is and what He came to do. God counts that faith as righteousness and blots out our transgressions. “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” but the one right thing we can do that pleases God is to believe on His Son. When we do, God...
...blots out all our sins, erasing them from His record in heaven, (Isaiah 43:25)
...imputes to us (our record in heaven) the righteousness of Christ, so God sees us as righteous, (Romans 4:5-8)
...causes our dead spirit to come alive, gives us power to be born spiritually. (Ephesians 2:1-9; John 1:12,13)
John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Since our spirit is born of God, and not of our parents who gave birth to our body, it will have the characteristics of God. It will not ever sin. It cannot sin for it is born of God.
1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Since that which was born of our parents will die, God has arranged a way where we can be born of Him. It is the spirit that is born of God. It, therefore, cannot sin and furthermore, it cannot be judged for sin. Our record in heaven is now the record of a sinless spirit that has the characteristics and righteousness of Christ. God will never lay anything to the charge of His elect (Romans 8:33).
If we are in His family, we are in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
It is all the work of Jesus Christ. All we have to do is put our faith in Him. We are not saved by our works, nor do we keep ourselves saved. It is all the doings of Christ.
Titus 3:5-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
The regeneration of our dead spirit to life is what makes the sins of the flesh a wash - it replaces what God looks at. He no longer sees our sin, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ which has been imputed to our record by virtue of the fact that we are God’s children now and no longer children of disobedience.
Therefore, it is not how we live that determines whether we are saved or not; nor is it what determines whether we stay saved or not. We are kept by His power, not ours. That’s why He is so deserving of all the glory for our salvation.
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Additionally, God seals us with His Holy Spirit, until the day we are called home to meet Him in the air.
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
The Holy Spirit is God’s earnest “money”, the assurance that He will not renege on His purchase!
2 Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
2 Corinthians 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
With all these scriptures (and there are a whole lot more), there should be no doubt as to whether we are saved forever or temporarily. Sometimes doubt is caused by the fact that people go through the motions of a religious ritual, like saying a prayer, asking Jesus to come into their heart, giving their life to God, getting baptized, but they never really believed on Him with their heart.
That is the one and only thing we must do. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
If there are any scriptures that “seem” to indicate that we can lose our salvation, we must check carefully the context. That is where we will find that the meaning is often twisted by those who do not believe the voluminous amount of scriptures and common sense logic that prove that we cannot lose our salvation and who therefore are mislead by such verses that actually make other points.
An example of such a verse would be:
Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
This is not talking about the salvation of the soul, but of the physical life that otherwise would be lost due to persecution by the antichrist during the tribulation period.
If you have any questions or concerns about other verses that seem to contradict the doctrine of eternal life to all true believers, let me know. Send me an e-mail with the verse(s) you want me to explain, and I will gladly do so.
John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
What kind of life does Jesus give His sheep? Eternal life, which means they will live for ever.
As a result of receiving eternal life, they cannot ever perish, not even temporarily.
Clearly, Jesus is talking about the soul, since it is evident that the body dies. That’s why we do not know anyone who is two hundred years old.
The idea that God gives eternal life and then we lose it, makes Jesus a liar in the minds of those who believe that false doctrine.
How can we trust someone who says they will give us eternal life, but then it turns out to only be temporary?
Of course, it doesn’t turn out that way. Satan puts forth such false doctrines to attract people to a false Christ.
Jesus also said,
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
The apostle John confirms this:
1 John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
We have the Son (Christ) when we put our faith in Him (His Word, what He says). When you trust someone (have faith in them), you trust what they have said in the past and you have faith in what they have done and what they say they will do in the future.
Jesus has earned that kind of trust. He makes lots of promises to assure us that our trust is well-placed with promises such as this:
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
There is no way Jesus will cast out someone who comes to Him for salvation. He is “not willing that any should perish.” (2 Peter 3:9)
God has determined by His will to sanctify (cleanse and set apart from others for Himself) those who believe on Him for the salvation of their soul. And He sanctifies them for ever, not just for as long as we behave ourselves in His sight.
Hebrews 10:10-14 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man [Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Again, logic dictates that it is impossible for those who have trusted in Christ as their Saviour to lose their salvation because He could not accurately be called Saviour, if we could lose our salvation because it was dependent upon us. We would be the saviors of ourselves. But because He is the only One who can save us, and He is eternal, our salvation, once we have it, is eternal.
Here is a more detailed explanation as to why.
1 John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
When we believe Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), God manifested in the flesh, sent to earth to be the Saviour of the souls of men, we are born, spiritually, by God, into His family. Faith in the Word of God and what it says about Jesus Christ shows God that we receive Him and His Word which tells us who He is and what He came to do. God counts that faith as righteousness and blots out our transgressions. “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” but the one right thing we can do that pleases God is to believe on His Son. When we do, God...
...blots out all our sins, erasing them from His record in heaven, (Isaiah 43:25)
...imputes to us (our record in heaven) the righteousness of Christ, so God sees us as righteous, (Romans 4:5-8)
...causes our dead spirit to come alive, gives us power to be born spiritually. (Ephesians 2:1-9; John 1:12,13)
John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Since our spirit is born of God, and not of our parents who gave birth to our body, it will have the characteristics of God. It will not ever sin. It cannot sin for it is born of God.
1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Since that which was born of our parents will die, God has arranged a way where we can be born of Him. It is the spirit that is born of God. It, therefore, cannot sin and furthermore, it cannot be judged for sin. Our record in heaven is now the record of a sinless spirit that has the characteristics and righteousness of Christ. God will never lay anything to the charge of His elect (Romans 8:33).
If we are in His family, we are in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
It is all the work of Jesus Christ. All we have to do is put our faith in Him. We are not saved by our works, nor do we keep ourselves saved. It is all the doings of Christ.
Titus 3:5-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
The regeneration of our dead spirit to life is what makes the sins of the flesh a wash - it replaces what God looks at. He no longer sees our sin, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ which has been imputed to our record by virtue of the fact that we are God’s children now and no longer children of disobedience.
Therefore, it is not how we live that determines whether we are saved or not; nor is it what determines whether we stay saved or not. We are kept by His power, not ours. That’s why He is so deserving of all the glory for our salvation.
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Additionally, God seals us with His Holy Spirit, until the day we are called home to meet Him in the air.
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
The Holy Spirit is God’s earnest “money”, the assurance that He will not renege on His purchase!
2 Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
2 Corinthians 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
With all these scriptures (and there are a whole lot more), there should be no doubt as to whether we are saved forever or temporarily. Sometimes doubt is caused by the fact that people go through the motions of a religious ritual, like saying a prayer, asking Jesus to come into their heart, giving their life to God, getting baptized, but they never really believed on Him with their heart.
That is the one and only thing we must do. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
If there are any scriptures that “seem” to indicate that we can lose our salvation, we must check carefully the context. That is where we will find that the meaning is often twisted by those who do not believe the voluminous amount of scriptures and common sense logic that prove that we cannot lose our salvation and who therefore are mislead by such verses that actually make other points.
An example of such a verse would be:
Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
This is not talking about the salvation of the soul, but of the physical life that otherwise would be lost due to persecution by the antichrist during the tribulation period.
If you have any questions or concerns about other verses that seem to contradict the doctrine of eternal life to all true believers, let me know. Send me an e-mail with the verse(s) you want me to explain, and I will gladly do so.
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