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sermonette: Eternal Security Particulars

Three Statements Refuted
John W. Ritenbaugh
Given 27-Oct-07; Sermon #852s; 19 minutes

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Good afternoon to all of you. Good to be back with you again. OK, I hope I do not wear out this subject in your ears, but it's important to me, and I have made it important to you by speaking on it so frequently, because I'm going to be speaking on the eternal security doctrine once again. And so I want you to turn to John the 17th chapter and verses 20 through 22. John 17:20-22: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You have sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one, even as We are one." The eternal security doctrine angers me, because I personally do not know of any false doctrine that is so cleverly written and then believed by the unsuspecting, and thus providing so many who accept its teachings with a misdirected and a false hope. It is truly a doctrine that is too good to be true, and of course it is not. It takes advantage of people who are especially vulnerable at a critical time in their life, because they feel guilty before God, having begun to more extensively and deeply understand sin, human nature, and their consequences to themselves. Now, this is a doctrine that most definitely does not tell the rest of the story. This is a doctrine that most specifically denies people who believe it the opportunity to become one with the Father and the Son. Now, if the eternal security doctrine is absolutely true, and salvation so strongly guaranteed as its proponents state, why would Jesus even have to pray in our behalf? Now, in this sermonette, I want to show you specific aspects of this doctrine that make it so deceptive. Now, these aspects lie in the fact that in their articles, the doctrine's authors strongly — and I mean strongly — using scripture, imply that repentance from sin and believing in Christ's sacrifice for sin at the time of their conversion ends one's responsibility before God. Now, they do not say that, but they imply it. Now, they will do this, even though in one brief paragraph, or perhaps even a couple of sentences, the writer may say that this doctrine is not a license to sin, which to me is an admission that they understand that their doctrine may be taken in such a way. Now, what I am saying is that the deception in these articles lies in the fact that their statements are always incomplete, showing only one portion of God's salvation. Now, this tactic is very similar to what Satan told Adam and Eve in the garden, when he stated, "You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Now, that was a true statement, but only on its surface. There was a great deal that was left unsaid that they needed to know in order to fully understand the deception in his persuasions. Now let me give you an example from the article I quoted in my previous sermon, which to me was one of the better written ones that I have seen on this doctrine. Quote: "Yes, my friend, the moment you believe" — out comes a parenthetical statement, still quoting — "and believing is nothing more nor less than taking God at His word" — end of parentheses — "you receive forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life. Therefore, you now stand before God" — listen to this — "complete and perfect in Christ's righteousness, and not in your own self-righteousness." End quote. Now that is one sweeping, hope-filled declaration that is only partly true, because it fails to deal with the "where does one go from here" question, that the Bible provides an overwhelming amount of counsel on. In other words, the question about the sanctification part of the salvation process is not even mentioned. OK, now here is another quote from the same source. Quote: "When Jesus cried out from the cross, 'It is finished,' He had indeed finished, or completed, through His death, and all-sufficient offering for sin, a perfect salvation. We cannot add to it, nor do any good work to deserve what God has provided full and free through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. God has done it all. We must simply believe it and receive it." End quote. A perfect salvation. Sounds so good, filled with hope, if only it were true. But you see, it's not complete yet. It's only getting started. Now, to the writers of these articles, you see, salvation is already an accomplished fact at that point in time. But let's understand this fact: people are indeed saved — if you do understand what the word literally means in English, it means "delivered." They are delivered from an exceedingly grave danger, that is death, because of sin. And this — and this is a big "but," no pun intended — the work of God in that person is not yet complete. It has only begun. Now here is a third quote, and they take this from John 10, verses 28 and 29, which you can look up later. Here comes the quote: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father's hand." End quote. Again, an incomplete statement. They overlook another aspect of the sanctification period, during which the Bible clearly shows the forgiven person can, by his life and attitude, show that he doesn't want God's salvation. In other words, he plucks himself from God's hands. Now, one final quote from that article: "The most frequent objection to the doctrine of eternal security is that it supposedly promotes the idea that Christians can live any way they want to and still be saved." End quote. Now listen to this admission from the same paper — quote, this came right after the quote I just gave you — "While this is technically true" — did you get that? This is technically true — "that is not the essence of eternal security. A person who has truly accepted Jesus Christ as his or her Savior can," in quotes, "live a sinful life, but he or she will not do so." End quote. That statement, that he or she will not live a sinful life, absolutely denies scripture. Now turn with me to Colossians 1. Colossians 1, verse 23, says, "If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul, have made a minister." I do not need to go any further. I just want you to see what Paul said there: "If you continue..." Such a statement would be absolutely unnecessary if one could not fall away from the salvation that was originally given, through the forgiveness, the deliverance from the death penalty. "If" tells you right out that Paul knew a person could turn aside and take himself out of God's hands. Now listen to this, the Phillips translation, same verse: "This reconciliation assumes, of course, that you maintain a firm position in the faith, and do not allow yourself to be shifted away from the hope of the gospel." That is so clear. Paul knew very well people could give up on God. Their faith would break, but it was his hope that they would not. He himself said that he beat his body, "lest I find myself a castaway." Why would he say such a thing, if eternity was already secured at the moment that one was forgiven of his sins? The Moffat translation translates this verse as, quote, "If you adhere to the foundations and stability of the faith, instead of moving away from the hope you have learned from the gospel." Again, another clear statement: "If you adhere..." Now, every one of us here knows that I Corinthians 10, verses 6 and 11, reveal to us that the Israelites, and the events that they were taken through, serve as examples for our benefit. Brethren, many, many of them fell to death in the wilderness, because they wouldn't give their trusting submission to God. They were indeed saved from Egypt, but they did not continue. Now turn with me to Philippians, the second chapter, and verses 12 through 16. Philippians 2, verses 12 through 16, Paul says: "Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." In verse 16: "Holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither have labored in vain." It means labored uselessly, run uselessly, because they failed of the faith, even though Paul burned his heart out, you might say, trying to teach them truth and to exhort them to continue. So Paul was concerned for the spiritual well-being of their spiritual well-being, to the point that all of his work might come to naught, because these Christians fell away. Let's look at Romans 11, verse 22. Romans 11, verse 22 — this is so clear — "Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness; otherwise you also shall be cut off." Now do you see what I mean when I say that in a relationship with God, reciprocity is absolutely a requirement? I'm in no way blowing smoke or overstating my position. Now why is this so? Because it is God's desire to have a relationship with us, a relationship so close that we become one with Him, in a way similar to marriage, in which two become one flesh. Without reciprocity, without response on our part, that goal will never be reached, because without response on our part, there is no relationship. Fellows and girls, if you had an interest in one of the opposite sex, and you were trying to get close to them, but they kept giving you the cold shoulder, they did not want to have anything to do with you — how far would that relationship go? Can you have a relationship with a concrete wall? And so, those who are forgiven — if they act like a concrete wall toward God and do not respond to Him, what kind of relationship can there be? How can there be oneness with Him? It'll never happen. It's that simple. This is not complicated. A oneness can only exist when both parties are striving to be one with the other. And one more scripture, in Revelation, the second chapter. Revelation the second chapter, verse 5: "Remember therefore from which you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come quickly and will remove your candlestick out of its place, except you repent." Repent, or else. Now, this is said in the context of what had been a loving relationship, but they were plucking themselves from God's hands simply by drifting away. Well, brethren, there are wonderful and hope-filled promises from God pertaining to our salvation, but all of them require a positive response from us. None of our response earns us salvation. How can one earn something that is given from the very beginning of the relationship and continues until its fulfillment? I'm speaking of His grace. Earning it by any manner or any amount of works is an improbability. It's given, that we might be complete.