Endure to the End: The case for Eternal Security

When we make a promise, normally we use word of promise or we can use a pinky promise. Some said, pinky promise strengthen the word of promise. The origin of this practice was surprising. Originated in Japan, and known as "yubikiri" which mean fingers cut off. Those who break the promise must cut the finger. Today, we no longer practice the cut. 

Relating this to salvation, we know Christ died for us. He promise that for those who believe in Him shall not perish. His sacrifice for the promise show to us on how actually his action to keep the promise is much and far more stronger than pinky promise.

Most Christian will agree that only Christ can save. Thus, the perplexing question is not about whether are we save in Christ but are we "always" saved? From this question, comes the famous dictum, Once saved always saved (O.S.A.S). Some will agree, and some will disagree with this doctrine. The dividing line between agree and disagree most of the time is depend on our understanding of whether salvation is total package or not. What do I mean by total package? Total package means that Christ does not give a possibility of salvation but He also guarantee and also work out the salvation in our lives, believer. Hence, salvation is understood not in forensic term (justification) but also in our general Christian life (sanctification). People who disagree with O.S.A.S believes that although Christ saved us, we need to maintain the salvation He gave otherwise, we will never endure to the end and forever lost.  

To verify OSAS best, let us look several Scripture passages regarding our salvation because at the end of the day, not the authority of Theologian who verify the doctrine that matters, but the Word of God should as the writer put it well, "God means what he says and says what he Means" as attested in His Word.  One important think to note before-hand is that being Christian and being at the church does not mean salvation is secured. We easily assume that for those who are in the church and sing the loudest will enter the kingdom of heaven and will be saved. As Ricardo Diegue expound this further in his paper wrote, 

"Most of the time, we tend to assume that the whole congregation that is called church is one hundred percent body dedicated to get heaven no matter what the components. It is important to know that salvation is only known by God. Being part of church does not mean one is automatically saved."

This is a false assumption we often discovered, even in our church. Apparently, not all Christian but only true Christian will be saved and not all visible church (church members) shall be saved but only the invisible church will be secured until the end (Reformed such as Calvin distinguished between visible and invisible church. Invisible is because only God knows who are His own: Romans 8:28-30). And from the literal and clear word of God from Matthew 7:21 make this case clear, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." 

Becoming church attendees does not equally means that we are automatically being in the part of the kingdom of God. One of the truest sign of  a true Christian, as the next part from Matthew 7 tell us, "he who does the will of my father" (v.21). This is precisely what James said in James 2:14, that "faith without works is dead." Works does not initiate salvation but the sign of true salvation received is the real fruits of spirit that can be seen by others. Faith is enough to saved but does not enough to remain just silent, faith will produce piety. 

After we clear that not all church member will be saved, assuming the case for those who truly believe in Christ and does the will of God, will they in certain point in their life walk away from their faith?  first of all, the Scripture tell us in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." From this passage, we know that actually that Ephesians 2:8-9 that faith is freely given apart from our good works. However, the focus is not faith but God who give us the faith. Dr. Martyn Llyod Jones has put, "We must never say that it is our faith that saves us...it is the Lord Jesus Christ who saves you. If you say that your faith saves you, your faith has become work, and you have something to boast...faith does not save us; it is through faith we are saved. Faith is only the instrument, it is not the cause of justification." Dr. Martyn Jones has expressed it well, and this is precisely what Luther was arguing also in the past. Faith is only an instrument that God use for our salvation.  

Second, not just we are saved by God apart from our works, God work in us to secured our future. The strongest evidence for this is located in famous verse of Paul, in Philippians 1:6 when Paul says, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus". The confident language of Paul show how actually God will help those who believe in him to endure to the end. Yet, this verse does not promote the passivity from our side because Paul, in the other time also says in Philippians 2:12, "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling."

Moreover, in 1 John 3:9, Paul also says, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seeds remain in Him; He cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." The verse does not tell that those believe in Jesus Christ will never commit sin anymore but they cannot go on sinning which mean they continue to live a sinful live without repentance. Moreover, the language of "seed" show how people after conversion will grow to bear fruits and this is precisely how this verse also related to Philippians 1:6. If we are still in doubt with this truth of eternal security in Christ Jesus, which is we can see as a total and whole package, 2 Timothy 2:13 says, "If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot deny himself." Commenting to this verse a Calvinist author says, "God would have to "deny himself", which is impossible. So we can no more lose our salvation that God can cease to be God."

To conclude, we know that not everyone will be saved in the church. Only those who are truly part of the invisible church, or in other words, those who believe in Him and show a real fruit of the spirits that we know, are totally comes from the work of God. We also note that salvation is a total package. Not that we are saved but always saved because Jesus Christ is the one who will help us to endure until the end. If in any case, people are truly drives away from their faith, they did not even come fully to Jesus in the first place. John Flavel an English Puritan best to conclude the writing with this question and answer of Him, 

"Did Christ Finish His work for us? 

Then there can be no doubt but he will finish His work in us."