Ephesians 4:30
A. One of the most attacked doctrines of the Bible is that of eternal salvation. This message is not to attack anyone or any denomination, but to try to help those who remain in bondage. The greatest protection against false doctrine is sound doctrinal teaching. John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
B. I want to give a short synopsis of two heretical teachings that have evolved over the past 400 years: Calvinism and Arminianism. These unbiblical doctrines were instituted by John Calvin 1509-1564 (French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation) and Jacobus Arminius 1560-1609 (Professor of theology at the University of Leiden). I will not deal with them in their entirety because of the length of that study. Calvinists - Calvinists believe that you are saved from the foundation of the world and there is nothing that you can do to either be saved or stay saved, thus eternally saved through predestination.
Total Inability or Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement or Particular Redemption
Irresistible Grace or The Efficacious Call of The Spirit
Perseverance of the Saints
Arminians - Arminians believe that salvation can be lost but differ on the after affects. There is the older school of thought that, if a saint “falls from grace,” then they are eternally lost with no hope of revival of heart and redemption (Hebrews 6:4-6) There are the newer groups (especially in the Pentecostal Holiness and Charismatic churches) that believe that salvation can be lost and regained more than once but you must die in a state of grace in order to go to heaven. Both of these theologies try to reconcile the wickedness of man with the holiness of God in different ways. Calvinists believe that man can only be right with God through election and predestination. Arminians believe that man can only be right with God by living a life that is holy enough to be accepted of God. Both views are heretical.
Free Will or Human Ability
Conditional Election
General Atonement or Universal Redemption
The Holy Spirit can be Effectually Resisted
Falling from Grace
C. Both groups believe that you are either Calvinist or Arminian. We are neither! We are Bible believers who get our doctrines totally from the Word of God, not from theologians. We believe that God is a sovereign God, needing nothing or any man. He does as He wills when He wills and how He wills. He asks counsel from no man. He knows the end from the beginning and nothing has ever either occurred to Him or surprised Him. In God’s sovereignty, He has given to man a free will to be exercised in both salvation and service. This in no way affects His sovereignty in a negative way. Calvinism and Arminianism are both perversions of the truth of the Bible. Our forefathers lived and preached the truth before either John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius came to their unbiblical conclusions.
D. John 10 is one of the “great” chapters in the New Testament as our Lord explains so simply the way of salvation verses the way of religion. He called the religionists “thieves and robbers” because they rejected the “Door” of salvation. Religion is man-made and involves a devilish mixture of faith and works! I emphasize the word “devilish!” Religion is Cain worship with man’s goodness meriting favor with God and, therefore, obtaining salvation through self worth. Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
E. In John 10:27-30, our Lord said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” What a blessing it is to the child of God to know that they are saved and saved eternally!
F. Now, let us look at verse 31! “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.” My, how the religious crowd hated the Lord Jesus! They still hate Him today and the “Jesus” that they worship is “another Jesus!” Religion is an enemy of the Christ of the Bible for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is set forth in these verses: the blessed doctrine of “Eternal Life.”
G. It is one if not the most hated of all doctrines found in the Bible because it destroys the goodness of man and man’s ability to both earn and keep his salvation. Eternal security has been referred to as a “doctrine of devils.” That is a dangerous statement for this reason: eternal life is a work of the Holy Spirit! It is He that seals us unto the day of redemption.
H. You would think that “eternal life” is something that every sinner would love to have but this is not the case. I thank God for “Eternal Life!” I am the least of all saints and the worst of all sinners! I am so glad this morning that salvation is of the Lord and I will go to Heaven on day by the amazing grace of God!!
I. The words everlasting and eternal are used many times in the Bible: Everlasting Life” 11 times, “Eternal Life” 26 times. A man once said that “One who does not believe in ‘eternal security’ is doomed to live in ‘eternal insecurity.’" Let us look at this “eternal life” unto which we have been sealed.
1. The Meaning Of The Word Eternal – it means for ever and for ever and for ever...
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
1 John 5:11-13 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
2. Eternal Life Is An Unconditional Covenant Of God – this means that it does not depend upon us but upon His promises!
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Romans 8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, [even] eternal life.
3. Eternal Life States The Sufficiency Of Christ’s Death – His sacrifice is sufficient to not only save but to save eternally.
Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
4. Eternal Life Depends Upon The Ability Of God To Keep That Which Belongs To Him – Eternal Life is the responsibility of God, not man!
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:
2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: 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.
1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
5. Eternal Life Is Our Lord’s Prayer For Us – His prayers always get answered!
John 11:41-42 Then they took away the stone [from the place] where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up [his] eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said [it], that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are].
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
6. Eternal Life Is A Product Of The Integrity Of God’s Word – if God said it, you can “take it to the bank!” Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, [even] eternal life.
7. Eternal Life Is The Fidelity Of God’s Love For Us – He has loved us with an everlasting love! John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Romans 5:8-11 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Romans 8:34-39 Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
8. Eternal Life Has The Seal Of The Indwelling Holy Spirit – we that are saved have the Spirit Of God living in us until the day He takes us home!
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Ephesians 1:13-14 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Conclusion: Not wonder the Devil hates the doctrine of Eternal Life! He may try to rob you of your peace and profitableness but he CANNOT rob you of your salvation! Glory to God! We are saved! We are secure! We are safe! FOREVER! Eternal life is the only kind that God gives and not to have it is not to be saved! Not to know it is to live in insecurity and fear.
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