“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:17)
The Christian, the one who loves, believes and obeys the Lord God, can never be defeated! Men, who may have temporal power over the body, cannot bring the believer down for they have absolutely no power over the eternal soul (Matthew 10:28). Devils, which may tempt and afflict the believer now, cannot bring him down, for the Lord has promised to crush Satan under his feet and strike down those who hate him. (Psalms 89:23, Romans 16:20). The Lord, who alone has power of life and death over all souls, and can destroy whom He will, has promised to keep the believer and deliver him from evil unto the end (Psalms 121:7, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 1 Peter 1:5).
The believer, then, is quite secure in this life, even though evil will continually assault him, and he is most definitely secure in the life to come. God, who has begun the good work of salvation, “will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). He will never leave the one He has delivered, nor will He forsake him (Hebrews 13:5). He will never lose any of His own or drive them away (John 6:37-40).
These are great and precious promises indeed. They provide the believer with faith in God that he may win out over all unbelief (1 John 5:4), with certain hope that what God says is eternally true (Titus 1:2), with zealous and enduring love for the One who loves him and saved him (1 John 4:19). Faith, hope and love, working as the main three in the Christian life (1 Corinthians 13:13), provide such things as peace and joy but also confidence and boldness. The believer does not shrink back and whimper, as a beaten dog might (Hebrews 10:38, Revelation 21:8). He does not allow the accusations of the enemy, even if they are true, to cripple him with doubt and fear, and make him ineffective in the good fight of faith.
We should pause here to say that there are stipulations regarding such remarkable assurance. While it does belong to those who believe, but are yet ‘in the flesh’, and capable of sin, it does not belong to those who make sin their trade and business and are willful, unrepentant, sinners (Hebrews 10:26, 1 John 3:9). It does not belong to the one who does not agree with God regarding sin (see 1 John 1:9 where confess = assent to truth). It does not belong to any who do not love God and their neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40, 1 John 2:9-11, 1 John 2:15). It does not belong to any who love their life in this world and/or man’s corrupt world (John 12:25, 1 John 2:15).
In brief, it does not belong to mere professors of Christ, but to such who are truly born-again, born from above, born as the result of God’s work and not as the result of either human will or works, even baptism (John 1:12-13, Romans 9:15-16). It belongs to the one who is, genuinely, a new creature in Christ, in whom the old heart, mind and conduct have passed away and a new heart, mind and course of life have come (2 Corinthians 5:17). It belongs to those in whom the Holy Spirit of God dwells, teaching and leading him unto a real sanctification (John 6:45, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 8:14).
The believing soul can, and must, stand strong in faith, hope and love, and resist all of the accusations of the Evil One (Revelation 12:10). If they commit sin, and are truly grieved and sincerely repentant, they can be certain that God will forgive them and that His work in them will not cease (1 John 1:9). There is no condemnation, that is, no reversal of their justification in Christ, whose blood procures all forgiveness and who, by His work, justifies them ‘fully’ by his righteousness and saves them ‘eternally’ from all their sins. This, again, is for those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).
This knowledge is the greatest of strengths for the believer. It is strength to resist the Devil and the committing of sin, knowing that the effort will not go without recompense. It is strength to be bold and zealous, knowing that the God’s promises will never fail.
The Christian, the one who loves, believes and obeys the Lord God, can never be defeated! Men, who may have temporal power over the body, cannot bring the believer down for they have absolutely no power over the eternal soul (Matthew 10:28). Devils, which may tempt and afflict the believer now, cannot bring him down, for the Lord has promised to crush Satan under his feet and strike down those who hate him. (Psalms 89:23, Romans 16:20). The Lord, who alone has power of life and death over all souls, and can destroy whom He will, has promised to keep the believer and deliver him from evil unto the end (Psalms 121:7, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 1 Peter 1:5).
The believer, then, is quite secure in this life, even though evil will continually assault him, and he is most definitely secure in the life to come. God, who has begun the good work of salvation, “will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). He will never leave the one He has delivered, nor will He forsake him (Hebrews 13:5). He will never lose any of His own or drive them away (John 6:37-40).
These are great and precious promises indeed. They provide the believer with faith in God that he may win out over all unbelief (1 John 5:4), with certain hope that what God says is eternally true (Titus 1:2), with zealous and enduring love for the One who loves him and saved him (1 John 4:19). Faith, hope and love, working as the main three in the Christian life (1 Corinthians 13:13), provide such things as peace and joy but also confidence and boldness. The believer does not shrink back and whimper, as a beaten dog might (Hebrews 10:38, Revelation 21:8). He does not allow the accusations of the enemy, even if they are true, to cripple him with doubt and fear, and make him ineffective in the good fight of faith.
We should pause here to say that there are stipulations regarding such remarkable assurance. While it does belong to those who believe, but are yet ‘in the flesh’, and capable of sin, it does not belong to those who make sin their trade and business and are willful, unrepentant, sinners (Hebrews 10:26, 1 John 3:9). It does not belong to the one who does not agree with God regarding sin (see 1 John 1:9 where confess = assent to truth). It does not belong to any who do not love God and their neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40, 1 John 2:9-11, 1 John 2:15). It does not belong to any who love their life in this world and/or man’s corrupt world (John 12:25, 1 John 2:15).
In brief, it does not belong to mere professors of Christ, but to such who are truly born-again, born from above, born as the result of God’s work and not as the result of either human will or works, even baptism (John 1:12-13, Romans 9:15-16). It belongs to the one who is, genuinely, a new creature in Christ, in whom the old heart, mind and conduct have passed away and a new heart, mind and course of life have come (2 Corinthians 5:17). It belongs to those in whom the Holy Spirit of God dwells, teaching and leading him unto a real sanctification (John 6:45, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 8:14).
The believing soul can, and must, stand strong in faith, hope and love, and resist all of the accusations of the Evil One (Revelation 12:10). If they commit sin, and are truly grieved and sincerely repentant, they can be certain that God will forgive them and that His work in them will not cease (1 John 1:9). There is no condemnation, that is, no reversal of their justification in Christ, whose blood procures all forgiveness and who, by His work, justifies them ‘fully’ by his righteousness and saves them ‘eternally’ from all their sins. This, again, is for those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).
This knowledge is the greatest of strengths for the believer. It is strength to resist the Devil and the committing of sin, knowing that the effort will not go without recompense. It is strength to be bold and zealous, knowing that the God’s promises will never fail.
