Lets look at another piece of scripture.
Here I shall quote from the Greek:
"
ὁ δὲ βεβαιῶν ἡμᾶς σὺν ὑμῖν εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ χρίσας ἡμᾶς θεός, ὁ καὶ σφραγισάμενος ἡμᾶς καὶ δοὺς τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν." -2 Cor. 1:21-22
Source
The word here we shall be dealing with is: "
σφραγισάμενος"
And it means:
σφραγίζω,v {sfrag-id'-zo}
[SIZE=-1]1) to set a seal upon, mark with a seal, to seal 1a) for security: from Satan 1b) since things sealed up are concealed (as the contents of a letter), to hide, keep in silence, keep secret 1c) in order to mark a person or a thing 1c1) to set a mark upon by the impress of a seal or a stamp 1c2) angels are said to be sealed by God 1d) in order to prove, confirm, or attest a thing 1d1) to confirm authenticate, place beyond doubt 1d1a) of a written document 1d1b) to prove one's testimony to a person that he is what he professes to be [/SIZE]
2nd Corinthians 1:21-22
- "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
- Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."
We persevere because God has sealed or secured us eternally by His Spirit. We cannot have one of these doctrines without the other. By any common understanding of the language, for the saints to persevere (
continue in a state of Grace) means that they are continually or eternally secured. i.e., once they are saved, they are always saved. For that is what secured or sealed means. So despite all the recent attempts by some theologians at separation (and some--well meaning), there really is no need for any distinction. Just because some stray from the true intent of the phrase, doesn't mean that we now have to reassign the phrase to their groups.
All who are truly in Christ persevere because they are secured eternally. Anything less, is Salvation by works. There is not one person who will ever be lost from the ranks of those called and chosen of God who had their sins forgiven by God. Because if one is eternally secure, he obviously cannot fall, and thus by definition must persevere. If not, then we have to redefine terms so eternal doesn't mean eternal. But then we are all just playing word games. A saint is either eternally secure, or else he is not a saint, and has not been made sanctified, Holy and unblamable before God. Because everlasting life cannot be temporary or fleeting. That would be a contradiction in terms.
Heb. 13:5: "I will never leave you or forsake thee"
Since when does, "
I will never leave you" re-translate to "
I will leave you if you don't keep up?" we cannot make our own private interpretations of scripture references, we must surrender to the authority.
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,..And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." -Eph. 1:13, 4:30 (KJV)
That Greek word Sealed there is [
sphragizo], meaning to stamp as secured. Clearly believers are secured by the Holy Spirit of God and not by their own works. And so how could they suddenly find themselves unsecured? And note carefully that they are sealed "until the redemption" of the purchased (
in the blood of Christ) possession. It is absolutely ludicrous to take this verse and claim that it actually means that we are not secured by the Holy Spirit until the day of Redemption. Indeed, it would be tortuous of God's Word to do so. Christ went to prepare a place of inheritance for us, but He also sent the Holy Spirit to seal (secure) us unto the day of that we ultimately receive that purchased inheritance. Nothing could be plainer. Again, note that it is the Holy Spirit of promise. And God does not break His promises. Man assuredly does, but God does not. We are by His power sealed, preserved unto the day of the consummation when we receive our inheritance.
"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 1:24 (KJV)
Our God is a God of power, not an idle God who sits twiddling His thumbs worried that some of us will not make it. The truth is, we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Did God choose us before, knowing full well that we would never endure to the end to be saved? God is not the author of confusion, we were both foreknown and chosen unto eternal salvation. Or is it possible that He cannot "keep you from falling"?
"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." -Rom. 8:38-39 (KJV)
That covers it all. In short,
nothing can separate us from the love of God. Yet we're supposed to believe that the Christian can indeed be separated from the love of God in "direct" contradiction to God's word. We cannot be separated from God's merciful love by rulers, by powers, by creatures, by life, by deceivers, or even by ourselves. There is nothing that can separate the believer. And that makes null and void any interpretations by man that the believer can fall out of saving Grace with God. Jacob God loved, Esau He hated. Nothing could separate Jacob from that love of God. So the question is, who are we going to believe in all this? The words of men, or the Word of God that says over and over again that we cannot and will not be abandoned by God. What is our Authority? Is it the Word of God or the word of man?
When professed Christians deny eternal security, they are actually making an attack upon the very gospel itself. Because one must believe in the perseverance of the saints in order to accurately teach the good news of the unmerited favor of God. The gospel is of Grace. And let's face facts. When we get right down to the basics in the, "
we can lose our salvation," camp, it's fundamental cornerstone is the belief that ultimately we retain our salvation by our "own work" in enduring. But the problem is, a work of enduring or maintaining favor with God, is not a gospel of Grace. It's the merit system, which God has warned us cannot be Grace. God's Word makes it perfectly clear that our own merit has nothing whatsoever to do with our Salvation. To deny this is to deny true Grace. We don't acquire salvation by merit, and we certainly don't hold on to salvation by our merit. Therefore we cannot say we will lose salvation by neglect. It is true, "
we must endure to the end in order to be Saved." But the question is, who will endure and how. And the answer is those in whom God dwells and strengthens and guides that His will be done. Anything less is nothing more than a salvation by works merit system, dressed up to look like Grace.
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation" -1 Pet. 1:5 (KJV)
The power or strength of God keeps us. And either this is true or it is all just words, and we're kept by our own work in endurance? One or the other, but certainly not both. The real question is, do we believe what God says, or do we follow after man's theories?
God Bless
Till all are one.
