I have concluded that people who will not subscribe to the eternal security of the believer are those who ascribe eternal salvation to the whims of men (choice, decision, etc.) and lay no emphasis at all upon the sovereign power and work of the Holy Spirit. People are born again because God wills it, and He grants it to men 'from above', in and by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13; Romans 9:15-16; John 3:3-6).
Such a person is truly born again, a new creature in Christ for which old things are passed away and all things are become new (1 Corinthians :17). He is given the Holy Spirit, sealed in the Holy Spirit, taught by the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13; John 14:26; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:14). In brief, the Holy Spirit, who is the third person of the trinity, plays an active role in the believer's life so that one is instructed in and eagerly follows after holiness.
Does the believer follow holiness perfectly? No. But because of the reality of the Holy Spirit working in him, he loves what he once hated, hates what he once loved and acts accordingly. When tempted by sin he is appalled by the notion and is eager to go to the Lord to find strength against the temptation (Matthew 6:13). If he sins he is likewise eager to go to the Lord to confess and find forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). When commanded by God he yearns to obey out of love for God and his neighbor.
The Bible says that the one who is born again, the one who is regenerated by the Holy Spirit through a living faith, does not and cannot continue in sin simply because he is born of God (1 John 3:9). That person "does not make sin his trade and business; it is not the constant course of his life; he does not live and walk in sin, or give up himself to it; he is not without the being of it in him, or free from acts of sin in his life and conversation, but he does not so commit it as to be the servant of it, a slave unto it, or to continue in it." (John Gill)
The person of the Holy Spirit works actually and effectively in the life of the believer. The believer, being regenerated by the Spirit, is of the renewed mind (thoughts) and new heart (affections) that the Spirit provides. He is actually guided in and eager for the new ways of life, ways that are pleasing to God. This work is not theoretical; it is the work of the very real Spirit of God. The results are not according to any sort of programming; they are of the new will, in response to the love of God.
Such a person is truly born again, a new creature in Christ for which old things are passed away and all things are become new (1 Corinthians :17). He is given the Holy Spirit, sealed in the Holy Spirit, taught by the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13; John 14:26; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:14). In brief, the Holy Spirit, who is the third person of the trinity, plays an active role in the believer's life so that one is instructed in and eagerly follows after holiness.
Does the believer follow holiness perfectly? No. But because of the reality of the Holy Spirit working in him, he loves what he once hated, hates what he once loved and acts accordingly. When tempted by sin he is appalled by the notion and is eager to go to the Lord to find strength against the temptation (Matthew 6:13). If he sins he is likewise eager to go to the Lord to confess and find forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). When commanded by God he yearns to obey out of love for God and his neighbor.
The Bible says that the one who is born again, the one who is regenerated by the Holy Spirit through a living faith, does not and cannot continue in sin simply because he is born of God (1 John 3:9). That person "does not make sin his trade and business; it is not the constant course of his life; he does not live and walk in sin, or give up himself to it; he is not without the being of it in him, or free from acts of sin in his life and conversation, but he does not so commit it as to be the servant of it, a slave unto it, or to continue in it." (John Gill)
The person of the Holy Spirit works actually and effectively in the life of the believer. The believer, being regenerated by the Spirit, is of the renewed mind (thoughts) and new heart (affections) that the Spirit provides. He is actually guided in and eager for the new ways of life, ways that are pleasing to God. This work is not theoretical; it is the work of the very real Spirit of God. The results are not according to any sort of programming; they are of the new will, in response to the love of God.
