make the kingdom, and what rewards to prepare? In His foreknowledge, He does know. Why then eat out your heart in anxious thought? “ Cast[ing] all your care upon him, for he careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). We cannot inherit some thing that God has not prepared for us, any more than we can fail to receive that which He has specifically prepared for no one but us. God’s grace does not depend upon our being in or out of grace at death. How then could we know that any of the Apostles or the early fathers will be saved: or the martyrs, or Luther, Wycliffe, Huss, Carey, Spurgeon, Moody, or other stalwarts? We could only be sure of those especially men tioned in God’s Word as having been translated, or in Hebrews 11—the Faith Chapter; or the dying thief on the cross, the only divinely-authenticated death in the Lord to which we can point. Unless we have a sound basis for assurance, all others can only say, “ When the roll is called up yonder, I hope to be there but I cannot count on it.” It is not in our own watchful care that we have salvation, but through believing faith in Jesus Christ, “ in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, accord ing to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1 :7,8). Grace that would make possible only a perishable redemption, or one that falls short, cannot be considered in terms of riches; it is not God’s brand of grace. His kind is related in Second Peter 1:2-4: “ Grace and peace be multi plied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. Accord ing as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called'us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the di vine nature, having escaped the corrup tion that is in the world through lust.” How can a lost redemption, and a non permanent salvation, call us to glory and virtue? Can sin attack to the loss of salvation the divine nature of which we are partakers? Finally Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). He does not say that we do not deviate a hair’s breadth. How, too, can He know them if of ourselves we can forfeit and take up again our position as God’s sons? “ And I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (v. 28). How can Jesus promise this if it can not be fulfilled should we suddenly die without a last opportunity to make our peace with Him? This smacks strongly of Eoman Catholicism’s last rites of the Church, rather than Bible-based Christianity. “ I give,” says Jesus, “they shall never perish.” Can we rob Jesus of His power as the Christ? To whose
strength shall we look—our own impo tent inability or “ the power of His resurrection” ? Summarizing, the Scriptures teach that: Without security there is doubt of God’s love : “ Love covereth all sins” (Prov. 10:12); “ Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3). “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in the world” (1 John 4:17). Verse 3 of chapter 3 states, “ pure, even as He is pure”—the imputed righteousness of Christ. Without security there is doubt of God’s power : “ That I may know him and the power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10). It is not the electric bulb that gropes along the wire to the power house, but the dynamo that causes the dead globe to burst into glorious vital ity at its touch. Similarly Christ’s res urrection power surges into the believer, and overcoming all obstacles, performs the miracle of new birth into life ever lasting. Without security there is denial of the Scriptures themselves : “ Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification” (Rom. 5:18); and verse 21, “ As sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Just as salvation is not of works, or of the keeping of the law, so it is not through our own efforts to keep free from sin, although all these are ful filled in Christ. It is His blood that cleanses; it is He who saves by grace. Without security there is denial of Divine inspiration of the Scriptures: “ For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Tim. 1:12b). How could Paul be inspired to write this if he himself might die in a fallen state of grace? He must have been inspired as to the security of the believer to have written it. Without security there is denial that God lives in our hearts: “ If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23)—not an overnight lodg ing, an intermittent stay, but a perma nent abiding place. Once in possession, Christ is one tenant who cannot be evicted. Without security Christ is made a liar: First, we deny John 14:23 quoted above. In verse 27 Jesus further states “My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth.” Jesus does not make worldly gifts—cheap, useless, perishable baubles given for personal gain, or that may be withdrawn; but, because He loved us, He gave His all without reser
vation. How can we have His peace when we are filled with the gnawing fear of uncertainty? Without security there is a form of godliness, but denial of its power: Sec ond Timothy 3:5 refers to hypocrites, professed followers of Christ, but whose lives lack proof and assurance, not only to the world, but to the professor as well. Let us answer honestly whether the security of the believer or the “ saved and lost” theory is depicted in the sad condition described by this aw ful condemnation. Without security witness and service are weak and ineffectual: John starts his First Epistle: “ That which was from the beginning, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.” What definite assur ance from actual experience! What su preme confidence in an able God! John knew that in every circumstance it worked. Because he had security, his witness was sure and, being sure, he was able to look beyond himself to the needs of others, and to lose himself— not in fearful fretting for himself—but in the service of Christ for others. Paul was willing to be accursed from Christ to save Israel (Rom. 9 :3), but once Christ’s, nothing could separate him from the love of God. He was a special vessel given to Christ by the Father as proof that even a “ perse cutor” could be saved and kept. The Psalmist pleads (39 :4): “ Make me to know my end.” The believer knows “ whom he has believed; that He is able to keep that which has been committed to him against that day.” Those who doubt their security cannot sing “ Safe am I,” and “He lives within my heart.” Doubt kills faith, but where faith is, there is no doubt. While the Scriptures proclaim se curity, there may be mere professors living in a fool’s paradise. As we have seen, if one professes, but continues to live a life of wilful, habitual sin, he may well be concerned about his soul’s condition. Christ alone, the resurrected and living Word, is his judge, but the written Word indicates that he is one who has escaped “ the pollutions of the world through knowledge [intellectual] of the Lord Jesus Christ, and . . . again entangled therein, and overcome” (2 Pet. 2:20). Probably the most assuring proof of real salvation is the concern and re morse of the true Christian when he fails his Lord. The unsaved professor is likely to be unconcerned, or emphasizes faith, conveniently overlooking the truth that “faith without works is dead.” “ Let a man examine himself” (1 Cor. 11:28). If saved, then saved and kept forever. If not sure, then “whosoever will may come” ; “ In the day of salva tion have I succoured thee . . . now is the accepted time . . . now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).
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