While in seminary I worked at a golf course where my coworkers and boss knew I was a Christian. As a result, they sometimes would ask questions about the Christian faith or make comments about Christianity.
One day my boss said to me in front of others, “I’ve stopped smoking. I want to make it into heaven like Christopher!” I took that opportunity to teach my boss and coworkers about eternal security and assurance. I told him, “Whether or not you smoke does not determine if you go to heaven. Your belief in Jesus Christ and commitment to follow him is what decides whether or not you go to heaven. And when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we receive eternal security and assurance.”
The apostle Paul teaches about this truth when writing to the Philippians, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6, NASB).[1] Paul had planted the church in Philippi on his second missionary journey (Acts 16) and wrote this letter to them about ten years later assuring them of their salvation.
A question people often ask is, can someone lose his salvation? That question is connected to what Christians call “eternal security” and “assurance.” Eternal security means the work of God guarantees the gift of salvation forever, and salvation cannot be lost once it is received.[2] “Assurance” is a believer’s personal feeling that he is eternally secure because he realizes he possesses eternal life.[3]
I believe Scripture teaches both eternal security and assurance. Here are a few passages along with my added emphasis. From the apostle John we learn that Jesus taught, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:27–29). From the apostle Paul we learn, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29). The apostle Peter teaches us “to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). And from Jude we learn, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (Jude 24).[4]
One of the best things about assurance and eternal security is that they help us realize we do not have to be perfect. I struggle with always feeling like everything must be organized and prepared. However, when it comes to our salvation we do not have to be perfect. The blessing of the doctrines of assurance and eternal security is that we do not have to be perfect. Regardless of our performance, God has accepted us and saved us if we place our faith in him.
My former boss, perhaps half-jokingly, said he was quitting smoking to get to heaven, but whether or not he smoked did not matter. What mattered was whether or not he had placed his faith in Jesus Christ. (I knew that he had based on our private conversations.) And once that faith in Jesus Christ has been placed, God will continue the work that God began.
[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
[2] Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1999), 57.
[3] Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1999), 57
[4] Here are some additional verses along with my emphasis added to show the doctrine of eternal security taught in Scripture.
-“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NLT)
-“However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. . . For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:37–40, NLT)
-“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. . .indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39, NLT)
-“Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:10–15, NLT)
-“And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30, NLT)
-“If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.” (2 Timothy 2:13, NLT)
These ten passages by four different New Testament authors explain the doctrine of eternal security and assurance. Here, and in most of Paul’s writings, Paul seems to indicate that salvation is an event that occurs and cannot be taken back.
Other Scripture that supports eternal security and assurance: John 1:12; 3:15; 17:2-4, 6; Col 2:9-14; 2 Tim 1:12; 1 Peter 1:1-9; James 2:14-17; 1 John 2:18-19; 5:11-13