I’m here to tell you that my soul’s security – the forever assurance of my salvation is in my Saviour. I do not have slightest concern about where my soul will spend eternity. I sometimes sin, but I know that my sin doesn’t affect the condition of my soul. I am not as faithful in my service as the Lord would have me to be, but that doesn’t undo His grace. There is an old hymn, “My hope is built on nothing less that Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name. His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.” That is not a song of mushy sentimentality – that is solid scripture.
The doctrine of eternal security, the perseverance of the saints, the preservation of the saints is not only one of the most important teachings of New Testament its also one most liberating. There is nothing like the comfort, contentment, peace and joy of knowing this divine security! It is impossible to enjoy the water if you are in constant fear of drowning. Today, the primary reason that I don’t swim much is my relative blindness. I don’t fear the water; I fear losing my glasses in that water. Today, I don’t fear Hell, but I do fear disappointing the Lord who has saved me by His grace.there are thousands of sincere believers who are not sure of their eternal safety. But I am passionate about what I believe is one of the greatest truths of the Bible. I would be remiss not to teach it again, since ware given the opportunity by this scripture.
Paul declares that all men are sinners. “There is none righteous, no, not one.” In Romans 4, we are taught that a person is saved from sin not by being good, but by grace through faith. Even Abraham, the grandfather of Israel was saved because his faith was “counted for righteousness.” This was difficult for Jews to understand, because they came from a religion that taught them they had to follow a myriad of rules and regulations to please God. Well, eternal security is often just as difficult to those who were raised in good churches which emphasize holiness, morality and character. Some people have trouble believing that holiness, morality and character are not contributions that sinners have to make toward their salvation.
Let me show you from the Bible a few more verses that teach us this precious truth. I Peter 1:5 says we are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” We are not “kept,” nor do we maintain salvation, by our own weak, limited power to good. Rather we are “kept” safe and saved by the awe-inspiring, unlimited power of God. Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches us that after we “trusted” Christ for salvation, we were “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” As the Holy Spirit came to reside in us, He became the guarantee of our inheritance. He is the earnest – the down payment – the engagement ring in our relationship with God.
And how long will He maintain this guarantee? It’s not for 60,000 miles or even a 100,000 miles – but until the end. “Until the redemption of purchased possession.” Until our bodies are glorified in heaven. Ephesians.4:30 says almost the same thing: “Grieve not the H.S. of God, whereby ye are sealed unto day of redemption.”
Here in Romans 5, we see six great links, six realities of Eternal Security. This morning we examined the first two: peace with God and standing in grace. The other four are: hope in glory, possession of love, assurance of deliverance, and joy in God.
Think of it this way. God has promised us a fantastic future. Does He keep His promises? Of Course! What He has said, He will do. Paul said in Titus 1:2 that he lived “in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began.” We can “rejoice in hope” because no matter how bad things can become, God has promised that things will be much better in the future. We can “rejoice in hope” because no matter how good things are right now, they can’t even compare with the “glory” that we will know in the future! The promised future “hope of the glory of God” assures us that what God started in our lives when He saved us, He will complete in glory!
The security of our future is rooted in God’s past. If you are born again, if you are saved, it is not only true that you chose Christ, but also Christ chose you. Ephesians 1:4 says, “He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.”
Let’s turn to Romans 8:29-30 and look at this in detail. “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.” One of great truths of Bible is that whoever truly yearns to be freed from his sin will be saved. “For whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” Whosoever will may come! But another great truth is that God chooses those who come to Him. In fact, He chose them long before they chose Him. That was true of Abraham; it was true of David; that is true of all God’s saints. That is called “election” in the Bible.
Though these concepts of election and choice seem to clash in many minds, they are both true. Those God “foreknew He also predestined to be CONFORMED to the image of His Son.” Are we “conformed to the image of His Son” yet? Practically speaking, no. Partially conformed. Yes, I certainly hope so. Completely conformed? No. The Lord is not through with us in this conforming business. And yet as far as the plan and decree of God is concerned – it’s a done deal. Please understand this important truth: God didn’t predestinate us just to enter into a business deal with the Lord Jesus. He predestined us to be “conformed” to Jesus. That is not yet complete; we have a long way to go to be like the Lord. But He didn’t predestinate just the initiation, He predestined the completion! We are not predestinated just to start, but to finish! We are not predestined to be incomplete, but to be complete!
In verse 30, we learn that those who are “predestined” are the same as those who are “called.” And those who are “called” are also “justified.” And those who are “justified” are also “glorified.” Notice that all of this is in the past tense. Have you been “called”? Yes, if you are a true Christian. Have you been “justified?” Yes, if you are saved. Are you now “glorified?” No way! However, according to I Corinthians15, that is a guaranteed completion, because in the plan of God it is just as finished as our justification. Again note the past tense. God is speaking of our future as though it has already passed. In the timeless mind of God, in His plan, in His promise and counsel, it has been finished!!! We are eternally secure because God has promised that those He “foreknew” and “predestined” in eternity past will certainly be “conformed” to Christ and “glorified” in eternity future! Thus, our security in the future is rooted in eternity past! This is why Paul say that we can “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God!”
We should praise God for our security – we must. Eternal security is not just a doctrine to be studied, it is a reason to worship! We are at “peace with God” because of Christ’s work in the past. We “stand” in grace because of He intercedes for us in the present. And we have no fear of the future because of the “hope of the glory of God.”
Look again at that word “rejoice.” It means “to celebrate.” That’s what worship really should be: a celebration of the glory of God. We ought to wake up every day celebrating our security. We ought to enter this house of worship every Sunday celebrating our fantastic future! When a person retires, his co-workers often throw him a party to celebrate his hopefully secure future. He is retiring, because he can afford to spend the rest of his days away from that job. When a person is saved, we ought to throw a party to celebrate his future, for it is absolutely secure! But nothing in this world is absolutely secure. Banks fail; Stock markets crash; Jobs dissolve; Currency devalues. Accidents strike. Diseases spread. No one can be assured of absolute happiness in this life. Money can’t buy it. Relationships can’t conjure it. Video games only imitate it. Pills and booze certainly can’t manufacture it. There is no real security in this life. Ah, but then there is the security that is rooted in the eternal God.
The only real security we have is our “hope in the glory of God.” Colossians 1:27 puts it this way, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” In I Timothy 1:1, Paul speaks of “the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.” In Titus 2:13, we are told to look “for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Colossians.1:5 says that this “hope” is not just an emotional desire. It’s the “hope which is laid up for you in heaven.” I Peter 1:3 – “begotten us again into a lively hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” I Peter 1:18-21 – “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” Christ Jesus speaks of our hope, when He prays, “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them.” Hebrews.6:19 speaks of “this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.”
Though we can’t see it now, our future will be glorious. Right now, even though we have been saved, have our sins forgiven, are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, are redeemed, regenerated, justified and sanctified; We still live in the squalor of sin. We live in fleshly bodies that still find delight in sin. And unfortunately we still give in to sin. Our “hope of the glory of God” is God’s solemn promise that someday we will be free from these sinful bodies. Someday our bodies will be glorified, fit for eternity like resurrected body of Jesus. I Corinthians 15:51-53 says, “we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on.” You can bank on the security of the “hope of the glory of God.”
Note the word “tribulation.” It literally means “pressure.” It was used to describe the process of pressuring oil from olives or the squeezing of juice from grapes. Everyday, you and I face “tribulation.” We undergo stress or pressure; we get squeezed. We are not to be anxious or worry over it, we are to “glory” or rejoice in it! We don’t rejoice because we suffer, we rejoice in our suffering. When believers suffer they can rejoice, because we know that no matter what comes, …. no matter how difficult life may become, …. no matter what devastating circumstances surround us it can never take away the secure, promised future God has in store for us. Therefore our suffering should never take away our peace. It should never steal our hope and it cannot touch the joy we find in Jesus. If anything, suffering makes our relationship with the Lord that much more precious.
We rejoice in trials because they produce endurance. The end of verse 3 says that we can rejoice in trials because we know something special. We know that “tribulation produces patience.” This patience is related to “perseverance.” And it comes from a Greek word that has as its root the meaning of cheerfulness. But it is best translated “endurance.” Put another way, the more difficult the circumstances you face, the more you learn to endure. In a physical sense, the more we push our bodies through work and exercise, the stronger we become. The more we stretch our minds with study and deep thought, the more intelligent our minds become. The same is true in the spiritual realm. The more challenges we face, the stronger our faith in Christ becomes.
We rejoice in trials because they produce character. “But we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.” Trials produce “patience” or endurance. Endurance produces something else: “experience” or if you like “character.” “Character” comes from a word that means “to be approved or tested.” Gold, silver and other precious metals are tried by fire to test them, to prove them as genuine or pure. Trials in our lives are like fire that tests precious metals – they prove us genuine. I think this term could be translated “proven character.” Sometimes when we speak of special silver we say it is “sterling.” When we go through trials we gain “sterling character.” The pressure of the struggle melts away our selfishness, our insecurities, our flaws and impurities. When we go through trials we don’t just throw up our arms and say, “I’m hanging on until I get to heaven.” No, we rejoice in the fact that through the trials of life, God is at work, purifying us, refining us, teaching us.
We rejoice in trials because they give us greater hope. At the end of verse 4 we learn that “character,” that sense of being tested or approved itself produces “hope.” We are right back where we started. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is man that endureth temptation [trials]; for when he is tried, he shall receive crown/life which Lord hath promised to them who love Him.” Do you see the principle: the greater our struggles, the greater our reward.
The exhortation is: don’t quit in the midst of your trial. Keep on rejoicing. Keep on serving. Keep on giving. Live in the “hope,” the assurance, the security of the rewards that await you.
We will never be disappointed in our Saviour who is our Hope. We are secure because of our “peace with God,” because we “stand” in “grace” and because God has promised us a “hope [that] does not disappoint.”
A retired school teacher had a ministry in hospitals, helping kids keep up with their school work when they couldn’t attend classes. One day she met a little boy who was the victim of a horrible burn. He was in terrible pain and despaired even of life. But this lady came by and taught him about verbs and adverbs. After several days, she felt that she had accomplished little. Because of the pain, the little boy just couldn’t stay focused on the lessons. But then next day she received a call from the boy’s mother. “What did you do? He’s made drastic improvements.” The teacher didn’t know that she had done anything special at all. Later the little boy told mother, “I realized I was not going to die when the teacher came to teach me about adverbs. They don’t bother teaching adverbs to kids who are going to die.”
We are secure because of our hope – the Lord is teaching us about adverbs. God would not promise us hope if we could lose our salvation.
But this hope doesn’t belong to everyone. Only to those who’ve acknowledged and turned from their sins toward the Saviour. This hope belongs only to those who love and trust Christ.