SECURED FOR ETERNITY

1 John 5:9-13; Phil 1:6

The salvation that God has accomplished through His one and only Son, Jesus Christ is truly a great salvation. Once a sinner embraces it, it guarantees absolute deliverance from the time he or she takes hold of it until it is completed in heaven. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Christians who are constantly struggling to believe that it is possible for them to be consciously assured of their salvation while they are still waiting to go to heaven.

Some questions, which were asked during one of my Bible studies in the past, convey this struggle: "Isn't it being so presumptuous to believe that you are saved while you are still alive and that you are going to heaven when you die?" "Can a person really know that he or she is saved?" Perhaps, even some of you today share the same questions. Also, there are others who manifest their doubts in their salvation by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ every time the Gospel is presented to them. How many times have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Twice, thrice . . . 10 times. There's really no need to do it multiple times. If you have sincerely believed and accepted Jesus Christ, the Bible provides you with absolute certainty that you are sufficiently saved for eternity.

For example, consider the passage we read earlier, the apostle John had written this first epistle with so much emphasis on the fact that you can know your salvation. In fact, if you go back to verse 13, he literally said that the very reason he was writing this letter was to help recipients know that they have eternal life. If you back track to verses 10-12, he even mentions that God has place a testimony in our hearts with regards to our salvation. What kind of testimony is this? I believe this is the testimony that comes from the Holy Spirit testifying in our hearts that we are really saved. This is not an emotional feeling, but instead is a conviction based on the biblical verses used by the Holy Spirit to build a deep-seated assurance in our hearts. Somehow, without this assurance, it is very difficult to be victorious and productive as believers. Now, this is the reason why we need to spend some time today discovering some verses and proofs that would help us develop this deeper conviction in our hearts that we are saved and secured for eternity. Here are some of them:

I     THE PROMISE OF GOD:

When we as sinners have exercised our faith in salvation, we base our faith not on ourselves but on what God has promised to us through the finished work of Jesus Christ. In verses 9-10, John is actually saying that the one who is giving you a testimony or a promise is not man, but God. Therefore, if it is God, then it is not a lie. He is obligated to fulfill it. Do you believe this?

Now, turn to verse 11, God has promised to give us eternal life. Would it be considered eternal life if you will lose it every time you sin? Absolutely not! Consider also that there is no condition attached to eternal life. Does it say, "You will only have eternal life as long as you remain sinless or faithful"? There are no conditions set. The day you believed in Christ, you received eternal life, meaning you received a life that would last forever. Jesus reinforces this truth in John 5:24: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

I want you to see two things in this verse. First, eternal life is a present possession - has eternal life. So life is not what you will receive when you die, you receive it when you believe in Christ. Second, you have crossed over death to life. This is past tense referring to an accomplished fact. In other words, condemnation has been cancelled. You are no longer hell bound, but heaven bound. Paul makes a reference about this fact in Romans 8:1:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Indeed, there is no more condemnation because Jesus had already been condemned on the cross for our sins. His death gave us the right to live forever.

II    THE PURPOSE OF GOD:

Another important proof about our security is God's ability to accomplish whatever He has purposed for us.

Do you believe that God is capable of completing the work of salvation? Without any doubt! Well, in the New Testament, there are two passages that we can use to identify God's purposes in salvation:

A. To conform us to Christ's image:

Falling into sin, God's image in man was ruined. Salvation in Christ will restore that image. From the moment we believed in Jesus, God began the amazing work of changing our images into the very image of Jesus Christ. This process will ultimately be over when we get to heaven. No one and nothing can prevent this from happening because God's purposes will surely prevail.

The questions in this passage have only one obvious answer - NO ONE. Therefore, salvation will certainly be completed.

B. To display God's grace:

One more passage that speaks of God's purpose is Ephesians 2:7 - in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Clearly, salvation is God's way of displaying His grace for eternity. Grace in the Bible simply means God is giving free gift to undeserving sinners. Christians are trophies of God's grace. Therefore, it is God's intention that He gets the praise when you and I get to heaven.

Think about this. If salvation is based on how you and I will safeguard it after receiving it, then the glory lies on us rather than on God. No way, salvation is wholly the work of God - the giving and the keeping is totally based on God's amazing grace. God's intends to display this grace for eternity through believers in heaven.

III   THE PROTECTION OF GOD:

Another important proof about the Christian's security is the ability of God to keep. The apostle Peter wrote to the early believers about such an assurance:

Notice the statement, "shielded by God's power." Commentators agree that the word shielded is a military term meaning a garrison within a city. When Peter was writing to Christians who were undergoing severe persecutions, he encouraged them by saying that God was guarding their faith according to His power until we meet Jesus Christ face to face. You see, the last part of the passage gives reference to the second coming of Christ (until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time).

The beauty of this truth is the fact that we are being kept. It is not us trying to keep ourselves. Now, this is a very critical truth. Sometimes, there are Christians who think that if they themselves decide to live disobedient lives, then God will stop protecting them. Is this true? Absolutely not! Listen, if you have truly received Jesus and you decide to go another way, God's protection to you will involve some disciplinary actions.

Here is a passage that talks about God's discipline. There were some believers in Corinth who abused the Lord's supper by trying to participate in them even though they were well aware that they were committing immorality. In verse 30, Paul showed them the consequences of their behavior - weakness, sickness, and death. The only way to avoid these problems was to judge themselves or examine their lives before participating in the Lord's supper. Paul told them that failure to do this will result in their discipline, and their discipline is done so they won't be condemned with the world or with the unbelievers (vs. 31-32).

The Lord Jesus Himself had also spoken about this truth regarding our protection by saying:

First of all, let's emphasize the word never in verse 28. This is an emphatic negative. Never means never. You probably know some people who would say "no" first, and their no can change to yes later. This is not the case for the word never. This suggests absolutely no possibility of perishing. Then, notice the double protection mentioned in verses 28-29. No one can snatch us from the Hand of Christ (v.28). Plus, no one can snatch us from the hand of the Father (v.29). All true believers enjoy the absolute protection of God's most powerful hands.

IV    THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST:

Last but not the least, Jesus being our High Priest is actively ministering to us today in the heavens in order to secure our salvation. His ministry is two-fold:

A. Our Intercessor (Preventive)

He is regularly praying for us so our salvation will be completed. These words remind us of Christ statement to Peter prior to his denial:

Just like Peter, Satan wants all of us to fail and lose our salvation. But Jesus is constantly praying so we can be overcomers. Don't miss the last part, when you are thriving, you have to do your part encouraging your other brothers and sisters in the Lord.

B. Our Defense (Curative)

God's desire for Christians is that they will not sin. But is that possible? Verse 1 clearly anticipates that because of the sin nature in us, we will still sin; however, God's provided Jesus Christ in heaven as our defense. In other words, He is our lawyer. When Satan tries to accuse us before the Father because of our sins, Jesus stands on our behalf to defend us against condemnation based on what He has accomplished for us on the cross. Jesus is our most effective defense. He will never fail.

Think about all these four proofs - the promise, purpose, protection of God, and the priesthood of Christ. They are sufficient to give us the absolute certainty about our salvation in Christ. Let's stop entertaining doubts, and let's begin living with great confidence. I really believe this kind of assurance can help us become more victorious and productive as believers.