Introduction
Perseverance of the Saints, often referred to as the doctrine of eternal security, is a theological concept affirming the steadfastness of God’s grace in preserving the salvation of believers. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints offers profound comfort and assurance to believers, emphasizing that those who are truly in Christ will continue in their faith until the end. This concept, rooted in the interplay of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, reassures believers of God’s commitment to sustain them. We will explore key biblical passages that illuminate this doctrine, highlighting God’s unchanging nature, the effectiveness of Christ’s work, and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in ensuring the believer’s perseverance.
Eternal Security in Christ
Scripture provides strong assurances of the believer’s eternal security in Christ.
• Never Perishing, Eternally Held: John 10:28-29 (ESV): “I give them eternal life, 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.”
Jesus promises eternal security to His followers, stating emphatically that they will never perish. The imagery of being securely held in Christ’s and the Father’s hands symbolizes the utmost safety and security of believers, highlighting the impossibility of losing one’s salvation when it is entrusted to Christ.
• Unbreakable Love of God: Romans 8:38-39 (ESV): “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul expresses his confidence that nothing can sever believers from God’s love. This passage reassures believers that their relationship with God, established and maintained in Christ, is impervious to any external forces, affirming the believer’s eternal security.
• Completion of Good Work: Philippians 1:6 (ESV): “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
This verse speaks to God’s faithfulness in the believer’s life, emphasizing that the salvation He initiates will be brought to completion. It reflects the ongoing work of sanctification and assurance that God will not abandon what He has started.
• Guarded Through Faith: 1 Peter 1:3-5 (ESV): “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!… who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Peter indicates that believers are protected by God’s power, with faith serving as both the means and manifestation of this protection. The ultimate realization of this salvation will be revealed fully in the end times, ensuring that the believer’s hope is not in vain.
God’s Faithfulness to Preserve
The perseverance of the saints is undergirded by God’s unwavering faithfulness.
• Even If We Are Faithless: 2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV): “If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.”
Paul assures that God’s faithfulness does not depend on human fidelity. God’s commitment to His promises and His own nature ensures that He will continue to be faithful, even when believers struggle with faithlessness.
• He Will Sustain You: 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 (ESV): “who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Paul emphasizes God’s role in sustaining believers, ensuring they are found blameless at Christ’s return. This sustaining power is rooted in God’s faithfulness and the call into a relationship with Jesus.
• Kept from Stumbling: Jude 1:24-25 (ESV): “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,…”
Jude highlights God’s ability to keep believers from falling away, ultimately presenting them blameless. This doxology points to God’s active role in ensuring the believer’s perseverance and ultimate glorification.
In the next part, we will explore the role of suffering and trials in perseverance, the believer’s responsibility to persevere in faith, and the assurance found in Christ’s intercession.
The Role of Suffering and Trials
The Bible often associates trials and sufferings with the strengthening of faith and perseverance.
• Joy in Trials: James 1:2-4 (ESV): “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
James encourages believers to view trials as opportunities for spiritual growth. The testing of faith through trials is not a sign of God’s abandonment but a means to develop steadfastness and maturity in faith, essential components of perseverance.
• Suffering Produces Endurance: Romans 5:3-5 (ESV): “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
Paul presents a progression from suffering to hope, mediated by endurance and character. This process illustrates how trials play a crucial role in fostering a resilient, hope-filled faith, integral to the believer’s perseverance.
• Rejoicing in Fiery Trials: 1 Peter 4:12-13 (ESV): “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”
Peter frames trials as a participation in Christ’s sufferings, which leads to joy. This perspective positions sufferings as integral to the Christian experience, contributing to a future glorification alongside Christ.
• Renewed Day by Day: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV): “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”
Despite external decay or suffering, Paul speaks of an inner renewal. This daily renewal amidst affliction is a testament to the sustaining power of God, nurturing perseverance even in adversity.
The Call to Persevere
Believers are exhorted to actively persevere in their faith journey.
• Running with Endurance: Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV): “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”
The metaphor of a race calls for endurance and focus on Jesus. It’s a reminder that perseverance in faith is an active, intentional pursuit, involving the shedding of hindrances and steadfast focus on Christ.
• Faithful unto Death: Revelation 2:10 (ESV): “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
In the face of impending suffering, believers are urged to remain faithful. This command underscores the seriousness of perseverance, promising eternal reward for enduring faithfulness.
• Endurance to the End: Matthew 24:13 (ESV): “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Jesus emphasizes the necessity of enduring faith for salvation. This endurance is not merely passive but an active, continual commitment to faith, even in challenging times.
• Disciplined Effort in Faith: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV): “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.”
Paul uses the analogy of an athlete to describe the Christian life. The disciplined effort required in athletic training mirrors the dedication needed in the spiritual journey, underscoring the active nature of perseverance.
Assurance in Christ’s Intercession
The intercessory role of Christ is a key aspect of the believer’s assurance and perseverance.
• Christ’s Everlasting Intercession: Hebrews 7:25 (ESV): “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
This verse emphasizes the ongoing intercession of Christ for believers. His eternal priesthood guarantees a continual advocacy before God, ensuring the ultimate salvation and perseverance of those who come to God through Him.
• Christ Advocates for Us: Romans 8:34 (ESV): “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”
Paul reassures believers that Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension secure a position of advocacy for them. Christ’s intercession is a powerful defense against condemnation, underpinning the believer’s security in Him.
• Christ, Our Advocate: 1 John 2:1 (ESV): “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
John encourages believers with the reality of Jesus as their advocate. This role of Christ is not only a comfort but also a motivation for holy living, knowing that He represents and defends us before the Father.
• Preserved in Christ’s Prayer: John 17:11 (ESV): “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”
In His high priestly prayer, Jesus specifically prays for the preservation and unity of His followers. This prayer reflects His care and concern for their spiritual well-being and ongoing perseverance.
Fruit of the Spirit as Evidence
The presence of the Holy Spirit’s fruit in a believer’s life is a testament to their perseverance in faith.
• Character Transformed by the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Paul lists the qualities that are produced in a person’s life by the Holy Spirit. The presence of these fruits is evidence of the Spirit’s work and an indication of a believer’s ongoing growth and perseverance in the faith.
• Abiding in Christ Bears Fruit: John 15:5 (ESV): “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine and branches to illustrate the source of spiritual fruitfulness. Abiding in Christ is essential for producing spiritual fruit, a sign of true and enduring faith.
• Good Trees Bear Good Fruit: Matthew 7:17-20 (ESV): “So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.”
Jesus teaches that the nature of a tree is known by its fruit. Similarly, a believer’s life, transformed by Christ, will naturally exhibit good fruit, evidencing their perseverance in the faith.
• Living as Children of Light: Ephesians 5:8-10 (ESV): “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),”
Paul exhorts believers to live as children of light, reflecting the character of their new nature in Christ. This transformation is evident through the goodness, righteousness, and truth manifested in their lives.
Eternal Rewards for Perseverance
The Bible speaks of eternal rewards for those who persevere in their faith.
• The Crown of Righteousness: 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV): “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
Paul anticipates a reward for his perseverance in faith – the crown of righteousness. This reward is not exclusive to Paul but is promised to all who faithfully endure and look forward to Christ’s return.
• The Crown of Life: James 1:12 (ESV): “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
James assures believers that steadfastness in trials will result in the crown of life. This promise provides motivation and hope for believers to endure hardships, affirming that their perseverance is not in vain.
• Preservation and Reward: Revelation 3:10-11 (ESV): “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”
In Revelation, Jesus promises to preserve believers through trials and encourages them to hold fast to their faith. The call to hold fast implies a reward for those who persevere, indicating a future recognition and honor.
• Each One’s Work Revealed: 1 Corinthians 3:13-14 (ESV): “each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.”
Paul speaks of a future evaluation of each believer’s work. The endurance of one’s work through trials and testing will result in a reward, highlighting the value and significance of perseverance in the Christian life.
Conclusion
The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints offers deep assurance to believers, rooted in the promises of God, the intercessory work of Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It emphasizes that true believers, though facing trials and temptations, will persist in their faith, empowered by divine grace. This perseverance is marked by spiritual fruitfulness, growth in Christlikeness, and the hopeful expectation of eternal rewards. As believers cling to these truths, they find not only the motivation to endure but also the joy of knowing their salvation is secure in the hands of a faithful God.
