SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER

A. The Issue
In Christian circles, there is theological debate about the security of the believer. The core issue is whether or not a Christian, once saved, can ever return to a position of not being saved.

At one end of the spectrum are those who believe that once a person receives Christ, it doesn’t matter how he lives—he is secure. The more common view is that if a person does not live a holy life, he was never saved in the first place. At the other end of the spectrum are those who believe a Christian never possesses full assurance, since his status is dependant upon his obedience at that time. The two positions can be labeled as “once saved, always saved,” and “trying hard but never sure.” We do not believe that either of these positions reflects the full teaching of Scripture.

B. The Biblical Teaching
The Bible emphasizes two truths regarding this issue. The first is God’s ability to sustain the believer. Salvation is a work of God’s grace (Eph. 2:8). God resurrects the dead soul and places us into his family (Eph. 2:5; 1 Jn. 3:1). He places His Holy Spirit within us as a seal, guaranteeing our future inheritance (Eph. 1:13,14). He works to bring to completion the work He began in us (Phil. 1:6). He is faithful to provide us a means to overcome temptation (1 Cor. 10:13). He shields us with His power and refuses to let anything separate us from His love (1 Pet. 1:5; Rom. 8:38,39). He will not lose those who come to Him (Jn. 6:39).

The second truth that brings balance is man’s responsibility to walk in faith. We who have received Christ must continue to live in Him, being strengthened in the faith (Col. 2:6). Living by faith, or abiding in Christ, is essential for bearing fruit, for the fruitless are cut off from Christ, who is the vine (Jn. 15:1-6; Rom. 11:19-22). Adding Christ-like character to our faith makes us effective and productive and keeps us from ever falling (2 Pet. 1:5-11). While God provides help to defeat temptation, we can reject it and become entangled and overcome by sin, making us worse off than before we knew Christ as Lord and Savior (2 Pet. 2:20,21). We have a responsibility to not only watch ourselves, but also to encourage fellow believers so that none are hardened by sin’s deceitfulness and turn away from God (Heb. 3:12-14). We must rescue those who wander from the truth, which many will do in the latter days (Jam. 5:19,20; 1 Tim. 4:1). Two parallel passages reflect both truths:

“To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” (Jude 24)

“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation if you continue in your faith.” (Col. 1:22,23)

C. Conclusion
The eldership concludes with these statements regarding the issue of eternal security:

• Eternal security is a not a primary doctrine; that is, what one believes about it does not determine whether or not he is a Christian. God will still save whom he chooses regardless of our position on the issue. Within the church there is room for differing viewpoints. One of our guiding principles is that in matters that are non-essentials, we advocate liberty and love. In other words, we can disagree and still maintain unity.

• While those within the church may hold to differing views, the position that will be taught by the leadership is that we will emphasize the security of the believer who is walking in faith. We will teach both God’s ability to sustain the believer and our responsibility to continue to grow in faith. God promises to provide us with everything we need to grow (2 Peter 1:3), yet we have to make use of those resources (2 Peter 1:5-8). God’s plan is not simply to get us into the kingdom, but to enable us to be productive in our relationship with Christ. As leaders, we are responsible to praise those who are growing in their faith and admonish those who are unproductive (Hebrews 3:12-14; James 5:19-20).

• The ultimate test of whether or not someone is a Christian is faith that bears fruit. On one hand, those who hold to “once saved, always saved” conclude that a fruitless “Christian” was never saved in the first place. Those who believe he was truly saved understand him to have fallen away. Either way, the person lacks security. On the other hand, both views agree that the professing believer who walks by faith and bears fruit has full assurance of his salvation. His confidence is not based on anything he has done, but instead is based in Whom he has placed his faith. As Paul said, “I know whom I have believed, am convinced he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).

• While we believe it is possible for a believer to turn away from Christ, or to fall away from grace (Gal. 5:2-4), this does not happen easily. The hardening of the heart comes after continuous refusal to heed the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the providence of the Lord in times of temptation. Jesus warned that life’s worries and riches can cause a person who has begun spiritual growth to be choked (Mt. 13:22). When a believer sins, he must acknowledge that sin before the Lord in order to keep his heart from hardened because of sin’s deceitfulness.