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The Security Taught In The Bible

From Tom Stephens

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NOTE: Please read this document with an open heart. The writer has no reason to humiliate or disturb the reader in any way. However, it is my belief that, when wrongly understood, harsh judgment may be placed on those who choose to go their own way because they were taught wrong doctrine. Believing one can consistently walk in sin—and love the things of this world without confessing and repenting—can end up a disastrous doctrine. I share this information because it is simply the “truth of God’s Word”. Why would you NOT DESIRE to consider both sides?



Let it not be said that the Bible does not teach security for a Christian. By numerous scriptures, the Bible has shown there is no such doctrine as unconditional security taught.





Now, let us look at the security that IS given to the believer by the Word of God. All too often, many, in an attempt to disprove the "eternal security" fallacy, have failed to emphasize the security that IS taught in the Scriptures. Two extremes have been taken: one teaches UNCONDITIONAL security; the other teaches NO SECURITY. Every true Christian should be able to say with Paul, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."



Some passages that teach the security of the believer are: "...Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." (Romans 4:7,8; and Ps 32).



"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39).



"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" (John 10:27‑29).



"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35‑39).



"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" (Jude 24).



"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philipians 1:6).



"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (I Peter 1:5).



Many have used these Scriptures to support the claim that it is impossible for one who has been saved to be lost. Actually they teach nothing of the sort. These verses do not say, do not teach and do not infer, when the context is studied, that it is IMPOSSIBLE for one who has once been converted to be finally lost. It may be well to point out that the expressions, "once saved, always saved," “always saved," "once in grace, always in grace," "eternal security," "unconditional security" and "eternal perseverance of the saints" are found nowhere in the Word of God, but are statements of man which are not founded upon the Bible.



I. ROMANS 4:7,8 – Paul quoted directly from Psalm 32

Here, Paul proclaims blessings on those 1) whose sins are forgiven; and 2) those whom the Lord will not impute sin. These two verses were direct quotes from Psalm 32. This entire Psalm explains in detail and quite clearly the Spirit led meaning. In order to do true justice to what Paul is saying, I must pen the entire Psalm.





A Psalm of Penitence: Probably when David sinned with Bathsheba – covered it up – then repented.



1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile (deceit/deception).

3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. (Ps 32:1‑11) KJV



My commentary on Psalm 32:

Verse 1: David probably wrote this Psalm sometime after his sin with Bathsheba, and his plot to murder her husband, Urias. That’s the reason he began the Psalm with the joy of knowing he had been forgiven. David needed to share this experience and made it one of his songs – forever read by those who would follow him. So he cried out, Blessed is that man whose sins are forgiven; and who has no guile (deceit/deception) in him – David had practiced deceit when he attempted to cover up his sins with Bathsheba through the murder of her husband, Urias.



Verses 2‑4: David's sin with Bathsheba – David was miserable and inwardly tortured by the heavy hand of the Lord. He was guilty of the heaviest sin he could imagine.



Verse 5: Repentance finally came. David confessed, and peace came to him.

Verses 6-11: David proclaims joy and trust in the Lord. Also includes a comparison to those who do evil.



Note: When Paul quoted this Psalm in Romans 4:7‑8, he was speaking about those who loved the Lord with all their hearts, and were willing to fall face down in repentance before the Lord.



Though some believe works are actually sin, and will be burned up at the judgment, this is erroneous thinking because sin cannot be burned up; rather they must be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ prior to the passing away of the body. Still, in 1 Corinthians 3:12‑23, Paul speaks of our works, some being gold, silver and precious stones. These are the good works, and some being wood, hay and stubble, the "poor" works. Jesus will order the poor works to be burned at judgment, and they will suffer loss.



In no place does the Bible indicate sins can be “burned up”, and the carrier "saved". Paul spoke of two types of works: 1)The good...cherished metals and gems*, and 2)...and the bad…”wood, Hay, and stubble” that cause loss at judgment. *Sin is not dealt with in this manner, for there’s no such thing as good sin/s. Only the precious blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from sin. Therefore, we should never allow ourselves to be deceived where our soul is at risk!



Paul gives us a wonderful sample of the good works which will always prove our ministries in the Spirit, in Hebrews 11:32‑40. (More on works – see James 2;14-26).





Note: For further explanation concerning “works”, see “Often Asked Questions Answered” – Question number 6, below (Will not a backslider still be saved and suffer only loss of reward?).



I. JOHN 6:39

In John 6:39 Jesus calls attention to the fact that it is not God's will for Him to lose anything, but that He should raise it up at the last day. But, is God's will always followed in relation to men? We know that it is not. God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance," yet men are going to hell by the thousands out of the will of God. Christ does not attempt to teach unconditional security but gives consolation to believers that if they follow God's will they cannot be lost, but will be raised up at the last day. "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).



II. JOHN 10:27‑29

In John 10, who are the ones that Jesus said would never perish? Jesus did not say, "I give unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish," instead He said, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish." Now who are the ones to whom the words "them" and "they" refer? In verse 27 we find that Jesus makes this reference to those that "hear" and not only hear, but "follow". No one has a Bible right to claim the promise, "shall never perish," unless he is hearing the Master's voice and following Him. Everyone will admit that the backslider does not "hear His voice," and does not "follow Him," therefore, The backslider has no right to claim this promise.



The only "eternal" security the Bible teaches is to the believers who CONTINUALLY REMAIN in the Lord Jesus Christ. That a man may be in him and not remain, Jesus made clear when he said, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:6). The everlasting life that a Christian possesses is in The Son. John said, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is IN his Son." ( 1 John 5:11). Therefore, as long as we abide In The Son we have eternal life and "shall never perish". Thank God, this is the security of the Christian.



III. ROMANS 8:35‑39

In Romans 8, was Paul teaching an unconditional security when he said, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."



Paul did not say, "You cannot separate yourself." Neither did he say, "Sin cannot separate you." We know from Scripture sin will separate us from God. "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isa 59:2). Paul was in no sense of the word attempting to teach the Romans it would be impossible for them to be unfaithful and finally be lost, but was merely giving security to the faithful.





The Apostle knew as his day so his strength would be, and he intended to be faithful. Other Christians may have the same assurance; not because they believe it impossible for them to backslide and to perish, but because they know God will never leave nor forsake them while they live as they were then living, and as they determined to live to the end. Paul also said, "we are not of them who draw back unto perdition;" but this does not prove that a Christian will not or cannot drawback, but plainly implies that some do so.



The Apostle says that, though we may face tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, death, life, angels, principalities, powers, things present, things to come, height, depth, or any other creature.



These things in themselves cannot separate us from the love of God; and what those who believe Eternal Security have missed in this scripture, is that "Those who are willing to go through all these things for the sake of their God...are the same ones who have real security in Christ Jesus. Yet, Eternal Security people do not believe in connecting Romans 8:38,39 with Romans 8:34‑37.



Odd, isn't it?



IV. HOW BELIEVERS ARE KEPT

Believers are kept in the same manner in which they are saved. While The Bible Does Not Teach Justification by works, yet the Scriptures reveal that there are certain things which sinners must do in order to be saved. Sinners must repent; for, "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3‑5). Sinners must believe, because, "He that believeth not shall be ****ed" (Mark 16:16). Sinners must call upon the Name of the Lord, because, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved " (Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13). Remember this: 1) Jesus taught that whosoever does the will of His Father is saved; and 2) James taught works prove our faith – after we are justified.(James 2:14‑26; also Genesis 22 and Joshua2)



Sinners must confess with their mouth, because, "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" (Romans 10:9). Some will say, "You are preaching justification by works." No I am not. Let me ask a question, Why is not ALL the world saved? You will say, "Well, because the world will not believe." There you have it.



Although you may believe in justification by faith, as I do) yet you must admit the reason the world is not saved is because it will not believe. In other words, sinners must meet certain conditions before they can be saved, although they cannot save themselves. Some say, "God has chosen me, and I just say `Amen' to His choice." Nevertheless, you still do something, even if it is just saying, "Amen."



Use whatever phraseology you choose, yet you must come to the conclusion that, although man cannot save himself, he does have a part in his salvation. Now, as we are saved, so are we kept. The Bible says that.



Christ is "able to save" (Hebrews 7:25). and also, "able to keep" (Jude 24: II Timothy 1:12), but the fact that Christ is able to save does not mean that ALL sinners will be saved. Neither does the fact that Christ is able to keep necessarily mean that ALL believers will be kept.





We cannot save ourselves, nor can we keep ourselves. WE ARE saved and kept only as we yield ourselves to Christ. Our salvation was conditional and our being kept is conditional. God has held out the prospect of salvation to all the world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; 2 Peter 3:9). Yet that salvation is conditional, not UNconditional, or all the world would be saved.



God has held out the prospect of keeping every believer, yet there are conditions attached to that keeping. If a sinner fails to yield to God for salvation, he can never be saved. If a believer fails to yield to God for keeping, he can never be kept, but will fall away and finally be lost.



To say that one act of faith in Christ at some time in one's life absolutely guarantees him heaven, in spite of his future conduct, means to completely overlook or ignore the following Scriptures which teach Christian responsibility and the fact that...



V. ...WE ARE SAVED "IF"

"Moreover, brethen, I declare unto you the gospel which, I preached unto you, which also ye have received, AND WHEREIN YE STAND: by which also ye are saved IF ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:1, 2).



"Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, IF thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou shalt be cut off" (Romans 11:22).



"In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and without reproof in his sight: IF ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel" (Colossians 1:22,23).

"But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, IF we hold fast the confidence and

the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end" (Hebrews 3:6).



"For we are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end" (Hebrews 3:14).



"Wherefore the rather, brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for IF ye do these things, ye shall never fall" (2 Peter 1:10).



"Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. IF that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye shall continue in the Son, and in the Father"

(1 John 2:24).



"But he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, IF we faint not" (Galatians 6:8,9).



VII. OFTEN‑ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED

1. Do you not have several Scriptures to "explain away" when you teach that it is possible for a believer to lose his salvation?





We do not form Bible doctrines by considering only a few Scriptures. (The devil himself quotes scripture) but by shining the whole light of God's Word upon a subject. There are a few verses which of necessity must be explained (not explained away) in the light of their contexts, but lay an open Bible before you – and the "eternal security" people will have far more explaining to do than we who believe in conditional security. This truth in itself should discourage any belief in "once saved, always saved."



2. If a man is really saved, would he not lose all desire to go back in sin?

A man came to me not long ago with this question. Knowing his denominational affiliation, I asked, "Do you ever call for backsliders to come and renew their fellowship with Christ in your church?"



"Yes, of course," he replied,



"But, wait," I said, "you just finished telling me that, if a man was really saved, he would lose all desire to go back into sin, but now you say that you call for backsliders, people who have been saved and have gone back into sin, to come and renew their fellowship with Christ. Please explain this, "'I said.



The man had nothing else to say on that particular subject. Temptation is temptation, especially to the people of God, and, as it is possible for a "dog to turn to his own vomit again: and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire," (2 Peter 2:22) so it is possible for Christians to turn away from the way of righteousness and again become servants of sin.



3. If a man has truly been born again, will he not come back to God before he dies?

Not necessarily. Ezekiel tells of a righteous man turning from his righteousness AND DYING IN SIN (Ezekiel 18:26). Certainly God will speak to the backslider and beckon him back to the fold, (Jeremiah 3:22) but this does not mean the backslider will listen. The argument that, if a man is once actually converted, though he backslides, he will come back to God before he dies, and if he does not come back to God prior to his death, it is a sure proof that he was never saved, is not based on scripture, nor on logic.



If the backslider knew the exact hour of his death, perhaps he might turn to God, but the exact hour of death is not known. We might also say that, if the ordinary sinner who has never known Christ should know the exact time he was to die, perhaps he ALSO would make preparation for eternity. But, as sinners die unexpectedly, so also do backsliders.



4. Does not a believer have an Advocate with the Father?

Yes, and so does all the world have a Savior. "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD." (1 John 2:2). But, unless we as believers go to our Advocate in confession (1 John 1:9), his advocacy will benefit us nothing, just as Christ's death will not benefit a sinner who does not come to Him for salvation.



The fact that we have an Advocate with the Father is not our license for laxity, but an encouragement that if, when we sin, we will go to the Father in Christ's Name, we can be forgiven of our transgressions.





5. Will God charge sin up to a Christian?

Actually, the people who say that God will not charge sin up to a Christian, do not believe this statement themselves. Many of these same people say that it does not pay for a believer to sin, and call attention to the woes of backsliding, and even tell us that all backsliders will lose their reward. Now, how could all these things be, if God does not Charge sin up to a Christian?



The Scripture which many use to support the claim that a believer is not charged with sin, is Romans 4:7,8 (also Psalm 32), which reads: "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." From the context we see that the only sin that is not imputed to a Christian is "forgiven" sin and "covered" sin. In other words, God will not charge a believer with sins which he has confessed and are under the blood of Christ. But even this must be taken in a spiritual sense, because we know that many Saints are TODAY suffering for sins which they committed while they were sinners, although those sins are now forgiven.



It is unscriptural to say God will not charge unconfessed sin up to a Christian. Paul told the Christians at Galatia, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." (Galatians 6:7,8).





6. Will not a backslider still be saved and suffer only loss of reward?

It is true that sin will cause a believer to lose his reward, but this is secondary to the fact that sin will also cause a believer to lose his soul. This is illustrated in Matthew 25:28‑30 which says "Take

therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents." This is loss of that servant’s reward.



Verse 30 reads, "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" This is loss of that servant’s soul.



Many "unconditional security" people have perverted the real meaning of "the Judgment seat of Christ," and have taken the "wood, hay, and stubble" of 1 Corinthians 3:9 ‑15 to mean unconfessed sins of believers which will result in the believer's losing his reward only.



This teaching makes "The Judgment Seat of Christ" virtually the same as Roman Catholicism's "Purgatory." The "wood, hay, and stubble" of 1 Corinthians 3 do not refer to actual sins but to the time spent in committing those sins. No sins will be confessed at the Judgment Seat Of Christ. All sins must be confessed here on earth.



At the Judgment seat of Christ, every moment, from the time a Christian's spiritual life began until the time he died, (physically) will appear. Then the fire of God's judgment will be placed under that time. All done in behalf of God's glory will remain, and for that the believer will receive a reward. All done in behalf of self or not for the glory of God will be the "wood, hay, and stubble" which must be burned.

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The Security Taught In The Bible

From Tom Stephens

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PART II


"Wood, hay, and stubble" cannot refer to unconfessed sin, because Judgment fire does not burn out sin. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse from sin. Furthermore, the theory that unconfessed sins in Christians will result in loss of reward only, meets a weakness when we realize that even if a Christian confesses those sins prior to death, God could not reward that believer for the time spent in sinning!



"Wood, hay, and stubble," could also refer to time spent in teaching doctrine which ...was not rightly based on the Bible. Who taught such doctrine were good, honest, and sincere, God could not reward them for what they did, because their doctrine...was not the truth. This is really what Paul had in mind when writing to the Corinthians.



When Paul says, "If any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire (1 Corinthians 3:15), he simply means that though many works of believers must be burned, the believer himself will be saved, provided, of course, he remains on the one foundation, Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11).



7. How could the "eternal life" which a believer possesses be "eternal" if he could lose it?

Christians have not received "eternal life" in its finished aspect. The Scriptures reveal that "everlasting life" is not only a present possession, but also a future possession (Mark 10:30; Romans 2:7; Romans 6:22; Galations 6:8,9; Revelation 2:10; Jude 21;1 Peter 1:5; 1 John 1:6). Therefore, we are not to think that because we have "eternal" life that that life cannot be forfeited, because we have not received everlasting life in its finality. Sinners are under the condemnation of eternal death, but they can lose that eternal death by coming to Christ. Likewise believers can lose their "eternal" life by not remaining in Jesus.



It must also be remembered that eternal life is a possession. We are not eternal, only the life which we POSSESS is eternal. It can be seen, therefore, that this possession can be lost.



Paul the Apostle, in 2 Corinthians wrote, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”



When a person genuinely comes to Jesus Christ through the Cross, he has passed through a supernatural process called salvation, or the new birth. Paul meant his old heart had been taken out by spiritual surgery, and a new heart of flesh inserted. “…behold, all things have become new!”



My reasoning is that if any man profess to be born again to serve Christ forevermore, then he continues in sin, loving the things of the world more than living a holy life pleasing to God – That man seriously needs to reassess his situation, fall on his face in real repentance from the heart – for that man will face harsh judgment if he neglects. Why would any person take that risk?



The good Test For Knowing Jesus

“and hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he (Christ) walked.” (1 John 2:3-6)



And also:

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17)



God said, “I change not.” (Malachi 3:6)



Jesus, the same, yesterday, and forever.” ( Hebrews 13:8 )



Why take a risk? If you are not fully serving Jesus Christ, why not come to Him and repent of your sins, accepting Him to reside in you forever. Don’t allow the enemy of your soul to dictate what you believe without first counting the cost. Satan wants your soul!



Blessings

Tom Stephens



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Zechariah 12:3,9:
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people; And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.


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