Mila 18 is very well written, and is hard to put down, but it is a disturbing book on many levels. I don’t recommend that the faint in heart read it. On the other hand there is very important information and insight in its pages. One thing which didn’t hit me the first time that I read it is that just about everything in this book could be repeated so easily today. But instead of the Jews, it could be you and me as Bible believers inside a ghetto being prepared for death. Mila 18 could be read as an illustration of Matthew 10 from verse 16 to the end of the chapter. “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Those words of Christ were not given to Jews, but to Christians – to disciples – ultimately to you and me. There were Jews in Poland in 1939 who compromised with the Germans out of fear or other factors. Later others began to fight among themselves, and some committed suicide. Many did not endure to the end of their tribulation. Although some, in both the book and reality, were eventually saved, those who compromised and did not endure faithful to the end – were not saved.
I’d like you to think about the words “but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” If we were inclosed and enslaved behind ten foot walls with little food, water, or sanitation, would we endure? Would you give up your faith in Christ in order that your children could have a crust of bread? If your daughter was threatened with debauchery, but you could spare her by denying Christ, would you? How much torture could you personally endure for Christ? What would you say if I told you that if you could not endure and keep your testimony then you will not graduate to glory when they eventually kill you? “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
Most Baptists say that they believe in “eternal security” and they may even call it “the perseverance of the saints.” But most of those believers have never thought much about the definition of the word “perseverance.” There is a difference between the preservation of the saints and the perseverance of those saints. To “persevere” is to “endure” – “to remain faithful through thick and thin.” I believe in both the “eternal security” of the believer and in “the perseverance” of the believer. These are two separate Christian characteristics and doctrines. Yes, they are intimately connected, and it is probably a mistake to teach one without teaching the other at the same time, but they approach a wonderful subject from different directions, and that can be confusing to people who aren’t paying attention.
This morning, let’s consider first the PRESERVATION of the saint.
This is not the subject of Matthew 10, but I’d like us to think about it anyway. Preservation is the activity of God on the saint’s behalf which will keep him, and finally bring him to Heaven. “Eternal Security” is that doctrine which assures us that everyone whom God has chosen to save, and who at some point in time were called by the Holy Spirit, and who were given faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, being reconciled to God, shall eventually be glorified with Christ to spend eternity with the Lord. I have books, tracts, articles and sermons which analyze dozens of scriptures teaching these things. I’ve preached messages which had twelve reasons why I believe eternal security to be the truth. I have heard messages where the preacher outlined forty or fifty scriptures to prove this doctrine. I have read articles which argued a hundred reasons for eternal security. The preservation – the eternal security – of the saint is without a doubt a Biblical doctrine.
Romans 8:28-30 – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” These verses assure us of eternal security, even if there was never another word on the subject. Let’s say that you are saved (justified, regenerated) – then you are among those are one of the “called according to His purpose.” But there comes something which causes you to doubt Christ and which quenches your love for the Lord. If because of that doubt you somehow lost your salvation, and you were cast into Hell, it could not possibly be said of you that all things have worked together for your good. The loss of your salvation would prove this scripture to be wrong – a lie. Is that possible? It is not possible that God should lie. Paul goes on to say how that all things work together for good for the elect’s sake – the chosen. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” In other words, Paul sets this before us in such a way that everything from God’s eternal foreknowledge to the ultimate glorification of the saint is ordered and guaranteed.
So not only do all circumstances work for us, but God’s purpose and power work for us as well. John 10:27 – “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. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” Who is it Lord, who will never perish? How can we identify this group which you say will never perish? “It is MY sheep. MY sheep shall never perish.” Why Lord? How can that be? “Because I give unto them eternal life.” And because “my Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” The Arminian comes along and says, “Yes, that is true, but those sheep can jump out of the Lord’s hand.” Oh, is that so? Show me some chapter in the Word of God which says that such a thing can happen. Give me a single verse.
Look at John 17:6-11 and the Lord Jesus’ prayer for us – Father, “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” These are the words of Christ for every one of His saints – not for just apostles or the first disciples. “Father, keep though thy power these believers, these children of the family of God.” Is there anyone here who is willing to say that the Father did NOT answer positively, any of the prayers of His own beloved Son? Jesus said, “I know that you always hear me, and always grant my prayers.” For this prayer not to be answered, then the Lord Jesus was either confused, deceived, or deceptive. Impossible on every count.
Consider the logic, or the illogic if the saint who is eventually lost – If a person could be saved and then lost again, it would be quite obviously the result of sin. Therefore the opposite – his remaining a child of God – would be the result of abstaining from sin. This would make all the scriptures which say that salvation is all of grace to be in error. If a Christian could ever be lost, then salvation could not really be of grace. It would mean that you and I have to do something to remain saved, or to turn that around, it would demand that we not do some other things. And ultimately if someone lived his life, died and gained admittance into Heaven, he could say, “I did it.” No matter how he said those simple words, there would be some degree of boasting in them – “I did it.” In Romans 3 Paul dealt with this specific subject. “By the deeds of law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.” There will not be a single soul in Heaven with anything in which he can boast when it comes to salvation.
Is the Christian different from the lost man? Yes, he is. But why is he different? Because God has make him so. Ephesians 2:8 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves.” That faith is not of yourselves. “It is the give of God; Not of works, let any man should boast.” There we have that inability to boast once again. The next verse in Ephesians takes us into the second half of our message. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” \
Right now, the point that I’m trying to make is that salvation from sin is entirely of God. But that wouldn’t be true if you must do certain things – or any thing – to earn salvation. And it wouldn’t be true if you had to do anything to keep or maintain salvation. The Christian is a child of God today, and he will be one of the Lord’s own people for ever. This is the doctrine of the preservation of the saints.
But what about that other subject of the PERSEVERANCE of the saints?
The perseverance of the saints is a neglected subject – at least from this point of view. No true Gospel preacher tells people that by avoiding sin, people are saved and made ready for Heaven. On the other hand, very few preach that the perseverance of the saint in the things of God is a part of the eternal plan of God in salvation. There is but a small step from saying “God’s people will persevere,” to saying with the heretics that ”perseverance is a part of the means by which God saves.” Please listen very carefully – every Christian SHALL persevere in righteousness and faith, but it is not BECAUSE OF their perseverance that they are saved. “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.”
The preservation of the saint is God’s keeping of someone’s soul today and throughout eternity – and through all adversity. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” As I say, we could spend the next hour reading and quoting scriptures which guarantee our salvation. But we might also spend a lot of time looking at verses which teach that the Christian will continue in his love and faith toward the Lord, living in holiness and obedience, despite the world, the flesh and the devil. The perseverance of the saint refers to his on-going faithfulness toward the One who saved him.
Let’s say that the government builds a ghetto with ten foot walls, topped with glass and concertina razor wire. Because you claim to believe the Bible, you are accused of anti-social sentiments, and your family is driven into that prison community. And then water, food, sanitation and medical help is cut off to everyone in that ghetto. However, you are told that if you will become an informant against the real Bible-believers, you will be given preferred treatment. Or if you merely say that evolution is true and that all mankind are merely highly developed animals…. Of if you say that Islam or atheism is the only true religion… you will be released. But of course, you refuse these offers and all the rest of their compromises, and you persevere in your testimony of Christ alone. Isn’t this an extension of what the Saviour describes in this verse and in these verses?
In John 8 the Lord Jesus took the occasion of the woman taken in adultery to preach salvation from sin. Then a few verses later…“then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” From that point there was some verbal sparing with the Pharisees. “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
The perseverance of the saints can be illustrated in several ways. For example, if you are one of those professing Christians who can either take the Word of God or leave it, then you are not one of the Lord’s saints. Only “if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” If you are a person who can to hear a dozen undeniable scriptures, but who cannot be convinced that they say what they obviously say, you are not one of the Lord’s saints. If you cannot be “stablished according to Paul’s gospel,” then you are not a child of God. If for some reason or other, with one excuse or another excuse, you refuse to serve the Lord, then you are not a true Christian.
Did you notice earlier that Ephesians 2:8-9 both denies and then affirms Christian works? “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” And yet, despite the absence of works in our salvation, God expects works to flow out of our salvation. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” I think that it is safe to say that what God ordains, God guarantees. Everyone of those people to whom He graciously grants repentance and faith, will serve the Lord in good works – he ordains it – He guarantees it. And those who refuse to love Him, to trust Him, and to serve Him – those people prove themselves never to have been children of God.
II Timothy 2:19 – “The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.” What is meant by the words, “The Lord knoweth them that are his”? This takes us back to the Lord Jesus’ statement about “knowing and saving his sheep.” This not speaking of a casual acquaintance, but an intimate understanding and union. He gives unto those whom He knows in this way eternal life, and they shall never perish. But II Timothy 2:19 goes on. “The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” This departure from iniquity is not an option for any of the Lord’s sheep. And in a sense it is not a necessity either, rather it is a reality. It is as sure as it is necessary.
And why is it sure? Because the Lord has “power to stablish you according to my gospel.” Because, “Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.” Ephesians 1:3-6 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
If you are a child of God, then the fact is, the Lord has CHOSEN you to be holy. That doesn’t mean – eventually holy – it means today, now, tomorrow and forever. We need to understand, that if, and because, God purposes, and preserves, then we will persevere. We have a cause and effect situation. Perseverance is the effect, and God’s preserving grace is the unfrustrateable cause. It is the grace of God which causes us to persevere. “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel. To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.”
I believe that Matthew 10:22 is talking about faithfulness to the Lord throughout the persecution which was going to fall on those disciples – and potentially upon us. Those who break, cave in, give in, surrender or in any other way recant their faith in order to preserve their earthly lives, never were God’s people. God’s saints will never surrender; they will endure to the end, even if that end is death.
Am I saying that the true Christian will be sinlessly perfect? No! There has never been a sinless person in this life, outside of the Lord Jesus himself. But this perseverance means that like David, like Abraham, and like Paul, all of the Lord’s chosen saints will be stablished in the things of the Lord. After momentary lapses of spiritual sanity they will return to the Lord in further repentance. They will persevere in their faith and service to God. Perseverance is one of the Bible’s great doctrines. It is not just a piece of theological verbiage. It is a reality.
And if it’s not a reality in you, then you need to re-examine your profession of faith in Christ. God’s saints will all persevere in the things of God, because God is preserving them in Himself. Examine yourself – are you in faith and in the faith? Are you living in repentance before God?