XLVI

XLVII. THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS PROVED (Part2)

A God is able to preserve and keep the true saints from apostasy without eliminating their freedom in Christ:

1 “For this reason 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 what I have committed to Him until that Day.” (2 Tim. 1:12) Here the apostle expresses his tremendous confidence in the ability of Christ to keep him: and it is clear that the apostles expected God to persevere save them only because they believed that God was able and willing to keep them from falling.

2 “For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect.” (Romans 14:4)

3 “Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (Phil. 3:21)

4 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Eph. 3:20)

5 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” (Jude 24)

6 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8)

7 “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 1:18‑20)

8 “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:5) These and many other passages prove beyond a doubt that God is able to preserve His saints.

B God is not only able to keep all that come to Christ (that is, all true Christians), but He is also willing to keep them. Christ has settled this question.

1 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37‑40)

a God is able to save all saints, or all who truly believe and come to Christ at any time.

b God wills to do it.
Now if God is both able and willing to keep and save all the saints, He certainly will do it.

2 But here I know some people will point out that using this argument establishes the doctrine of universal salvation. Some say that the Bible represents God as being both able and willing to save all men. They say that the fact that God is both able and willing to save the saints not only proves that they will all be saved, but it also logically follows that because He is able and willing to save all men, this proves that all men will be saved. But these two situations are not parallel to each other. Nowhere in scripture does God claim that he is able to save all men. In fact, God even denies such ability, and declares that He is unable to save all men; that is, He cannot wisely save all men under any circumstances, nor can He wisely do any more for saints or sinners than He does. You cannot find one passage in the Bible, where God declares that He is able to save all men. The passages that declare that “God can do all things” (Deut. 3:24), and that “nothing is too hard for the Lord” (Jer. 32:17), and similar scriptures, cannot be interpreted as proving that God is able to save all men. These scriptures do suggest that He has the power to do whatever is an object of unlimited physical power; but to save sinners is not an object of physical power. Their salvation, if accomplished at all, must be brought about by a moral and persuasive influence, and not by the exercise of God’s unlimited physical power. In the sense in which we can justly apply the terms ability and inability to this subject, God is really unable to do what is unwise for Him to do. God has a goal in view. His goal is the highest good and blessedness of the universe. God can only accomplish this goal only by applying the appropriate means, or under certain conditions. These conditions include the perfect holiness of moral agents. If God cannot wisely use means that will secure the conversion and sanctification of sinners, He cannot save them. That is, He is unable to save them. God repeatedly declares that he is unable to wisely secure the conversion and sanctification of everybody.

a ‘Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?’ says the Lord God, ‘and not that he should turn from his ways and live? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord God. ‘Therefore turn and live!’” (Ezek. 18:23, 32)

b “Say to them: ‘as I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezek. 33:11)

c “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?” (Isaiah 5:4)

d “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred.” (Hosea 11:8)

3 These are some examples of the way that God speaks of His inability to save sinners, and His inability to do more for the church or the world than He does. From such professions on the part of God, we understand that He denies any ability to do anything more or different than He is already doing which is consistent with the highest good of others in general. Since the highest good of others in general is the goal that God aims to secure, we can say that God is unable to do whatever He cannot do in consistency with the use of those means that will secure the highest good of His creation. God, therefore, never says that He is able to save all men. In fact, He fully denies that he is able to save all men, and God professes to be doing all that He can to save them. God professes that He is perfectly loving and infinitely wise, and to be doing all that infinite wisdom and unselfish love can do for sinners and for all men, and complains that all He can do will not save many of them.

a But, concerning the saints, God clearly affirms His ability to keep them in a sense that will secure their salvation. He does for them all He can wisely do, which is enough to secure their salvation, as He often states. No one can attentively read and consider those passages that relate to God’s ability to save all men, and those passages that declare His ability to save His people, without seeing that these two groups of passages are quite different. God clearly affirms His ability to keep, to sanctify, and to save His elect children, while He repeatedly expresses or implies that He is not able to save all men.

b Nowhere does the Bible represent God as willing the salvation of all men in the same sense that it represents Him as willing the salvation of Christians, or of His elect. The following passages are examples of Gods willingness to save all men.

1) “Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:4)

2) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16‑17)

3) “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

c Passages like these teach us that God wills the salvation of all men only in the sense of desiring it. We know this from the fact that He nowhere suggests any intention or plan to save all men. Instead, God reveals the fact that He cannot, He shall not, and of course, He does not expect or plan to save all men. By professing a willingness to save all men, we can therefore understand God to mean that He desires that all men be saved, and that He would secure their salvation if He could wisely save them. This is all that we can understand that God is saying, without accusing Him of contradicting Himself.

d But God says that He is willing to save all who will truly believe in Him, in the sense of planning or designing to save them. This is clear from the scriptures we have already examined, and there are more passages we haven’t examined yet.

e We have seen that the Father has given a certain number to Christ, with the express purpose of securing their salvation, that He has committed to Christ all the required power and influences to save them, and that they will actually be saved. We can’t find anything like this anywhere in the Bible concerning any other group of people. This objection, then, has no foundation, and the argument that God is willing and able to save His saints, remains rock solid.

C Christ clearly prayed for all believers in a manner that secures their being kept and saved.

1 “As You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:2, 6‑14, 20‑24)

2 Now notice, that in this very touching prayer, Christ says:

a Verse 2. “As You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.” We have seen, that, in the 6th chapter of John, Christ teaches that all are given to Him that come to Him by the Father.

b Jesus proceeds to affirm that He had, in exercising this power, kept in His Father’s name all who had been given and had come to Him, and He had lost none.

c He asks the Father to keep them in His own name from that time on, since He was about to physically leave them. He says, verse 15, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” Again, He says, 20‑24: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

3 Now, as surely as Christ’s prayer is answered, all believers will be saved; that is, at least all who have ever believed, or will ever believe after Christ offered this prayer. God always answers Christ’s prayers.

4 Some believe that a part of Christ’s prayer is not and will never be answered. Some say in the 21st verse that Jesus prays for the union of all believers, which has never been answered. The verse reads, “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” Here Jesus explains the sense in which He prays that all believers may be one. It is not that they should all be of one denomination or one creed, but that they should possess one and the same spirit. Christ prayed that the same spirit that united the Father and the Son, that is, the Holy Spirit, who is in the Father and the Son, might also be in all Christians. This is His meaning; and no one who understands and believes his Bible can doubt the fact that all true Christians possess the same Spirit that dwells in the Father and the Son.

5 But, some may continue objecting, pointing out that Christ prayed to be delivered from crucifixion, and His prayer was not answered.

a Jesus did not pray to be delivered from crucifixion without qualification. He said, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matt. 26:39)

b If it were the pains of the cross from which His soul shrank in the garden, and from which He desired that God would excuse Him if possible, it is plain that He did not pray for God to deliver him without qualification; but, on the contrary, He submitted the question to the will of His Father. However, in His prayer in John 17, Jesus makes no such qualification. He knew that in this situation it was His Father’s will to grant His request. He informed His disciples of the fact that it was His Father’s will to keep and save all who God gave to Christ, and who the Father drew to Christ. The spirit of this petition agrees with His teaching on the subject. He had taught earlier that God would keep and save all believers, and that this was His Father’s will. How could Christ insert into this prayer the conditional statement “if it be Your will?” He couldn’t.

6 Christ clearly suggests that His Father always hears and answers His prayers. “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’” (John 11:42)

7 The book of Hebrews says this about Christ, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25)
Here, Christ is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through Him, seeing He lives always to make intercession for them. This, as clearly as possible, implies that all His intercessions prevail. Indeed, since He is the mediator, His intercessions must prevail.

8 Now let us consider how far we have come in establishing the perseverance and final salvation of all believers.

a All those elected to salvation will be saved.

b All true believers belong to this number.

c God and Christ are able to keep them from apostasy, and save them.

d God wills to do it.

e Christ clearly prayed for the perseverance and final salvation of all believers.

f Christ prayed according to the revealed will of His Father;

g Christ’s prayers always prevail and are always answered.

9 In Christ’s prayer in John 17, He clearly tells us that He did not pray for the world, that is, for all men. He prayed only for those whom the Father had given Him. For these He prayed, not merely that God would save them on condition of their perseverance, but that God would keep them from the evil that is in the world, and save them, and make them one in the sense that one Spirit should be in them all. He asked the same things for all future believers, that He asked for those who had already believed.

10 If I stopped here, my argument is complete and the proof is conclusive. But since this doctrine is so abundantly taught in the Bible, I will consider a number of other passages, which will throw even more light on the subject.

D Christ clearly and purposefully teaches this doctrine:

1 “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:39, 40, 47, 51)
Here Jesus teaches us that it is His Father’s will that all believers, who believe at any time, shall be saved; that He should lose none of them, but He should give them eternal life (John 17:2) Then He claims that He has the ability to keep and save them according to His Father’s will. This concerns all believers, or all who are given to Christ.

2 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone 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 My Father’s hand.” (John 10:27‑29)
These scriptures show that Christ intended to teach that the salvation of all His sheep is certain. Now, some may object to this, saying that they are only sheep as long as they remain obedient, and therefore Jesus’ statement that He will save His sheep, does not secure those who sin at any time. However, let me say that Christ recognizes all the elect as His sheep, whether converted, or whether in a state of temporary backsliding, or not. Christ says that His sheep hear His voice, that they follow Him. And Christ suggests that those who are not of His sheep do not hear His voice, and do not follow Him. “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.” (John 10:16, 26)

3 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety‑nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety‑nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” (Matt. 18:12‑14)
The purpose of this parable is to teach the doctrine of perseverance that I am defending. If not, what is its purpose? This answer is a full answer to the objection that God recognizes no one who goes astray as a sheep.

4 Some say, that although no one else can pluck the sheep out of the Father’s hand, yet we can do it ourselves. I grant that it is naturally possible that we can do that; but this objection is good for nothing, because Christ clearly says, “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 pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.” (John 10:27‑29)
Not only is no one able to pluck them out of His Father’s hand, but Christ gives to them eternal life, and they shall never perish. This implies that, although they are able to apostatize and be lost, yet, in fact, they never will. What could we make out of everything Jesus says about Himself as a shepherd in this passage, if, after all, He loses some of His sheep? Let any one meditate on this whole chapter and see.

E Another argument, that supports the doctrine of perseverance, comes from the fact that Paul, an inspired apostle, believed it. “Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:1‑6)
Here Paul represents himself as giving thanks for all the saints at Philippi on the ground of his confidence that He who had begun a good work in them will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. His confidence did not rest in them, but in the faithfulness of Christ. Paul did not express a confidence that they would persevere by themselves, but that Christ who had begun a good work in them would complete it: that is, that He would work in them to keep them and secure their perseverance to the end. He expected this of all the saints at Philippi. But, if Paul believed this of all the saints at Philippi, we can conclude that he believed and expected this for all true saints. There is no suggestion that he expected this because of any peculiarity in their situation, like perhaps they were better than other saints, or maybe God would do more for them than for anyone else. He simply expressed his confidence that He who begins a good work in any saint, will carry it on and perfect it until the day of Christ.
If someone says that Paul only intended to express the conviction or opinion of a good man that the Philippian saints would be saved, but that he did not intend to suggest that this is the voice of inspiration; I would like to reply by saying that Paul clearly expresses his confidence that they would all be saved, and that God would perfect the work which He had begun. Now, why does Paul have this confidence? Paul was an inspired man. If inspiration had taught him that real saints could fall away and be lost, how could he consistently express such a strong persuasion that all the saints at Philippi would be saved? If Paul believed in the perseverance of the saints, then it must be true, or else he was deceived concerning this very important doctrine. But isn’t it safe to trust Paul’s opinion of perseverance? If any one contends that we cannot conclude that Paul believed the same concerning God's perfecting the work in all saints that he believed concerning the Philippians, I will not argue with him. However, it is clear, that nowhere in this epistle or elsewhere, does Paul suggest that he had higher expectations concerning the Philippians’ salvation than he had concerning the salvation of any other true saints. In writing to other churches, the apostles spoke of all true saints as the elect‑children of God. They seem to represent the salvation of all such people as certain, but always keeping in mind the nature of this certainty, that it was conditioned on the right and persevering use of their own free will. As a result, they constantly try to guard the churches against deluding themselves into thinking that they are true saints, and they admonish them to prove themselves in this respect. The apostles also warn them against the supposition that they can be saved without actual perseverance in faith and obedience to the end of their lives.

F The apostles saw the conversion of sinners as evidence that God planned to save them, or that they were of the elect:

1 “Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 13:48)

2 This passage as well as other passages, speaks of the conversion of sinners as settling the question of their salvation. But if true saints do fall from grace and perish, why should the inspired writers so often express themselves as if they considered the regeneration of a person as an indication that he is one of the elect, and as securing his salvation?

3 It is so common for Christ and the apostles to speak of regeneration as settling the question of the salvation of those who are regenerated, that many have overlooked the possibility that there are any other conditions of salvation insisted on in the Bible. When the jailor demanded of Paul and Silas what he should do to be saved, Paul replied to him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)

4 Here, the Bible mentions faith as if it is the sole condition of our salvation. The Bible often speaks about things like repentance, faith, and regeneration, as if they are the only conditions of salvation. Every student of the Bible knows this. Now, it seems to me, that this could not, and should not be, if there is no connection of some kind between real conversion and eternal salvation. It is true that the Bible often mentions and insists in the need to persevere to the end as a condition of salvation, just as you might expect when we consider the nature of the certainty in question. If there is no certain connection between true regeneration, or faith, or repentance, and salvation, it seems incredible to me that we should so often find faith, and repentance, and conversion mentioned as if they secured salvation.

5 The Bible reveals that those who believe possess eternal life. They no longer come into condemnation, but they pass from death unto life. The following passages are examples of the way that the scriptures treat this subject.

a “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13)

b “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:36, 16-18)

c “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14)

d “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24)

e “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” (John 6:37, 40, 45, 47)

f “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38)

g “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.’” (Mark 16:15‑16)

6 Now these scriptures strongly suggest that there is a definite connection of some sort between coming to Christ, receiving Christ, etc., and eternal life. But, let us not forget that perseverance in faith and obedience are also conditions of salvation. Also, the above scriptures do not settle the question that all who at any time repent, believe, or come to Christ, will be saved. These texts are just what we might expect if the fact of regeneration was connected with salvation.

7 Some object to what I have just said by pointing out that many who were involved in Christ’s ministry and were represented as believing, turned their back on Jesus and walked no more with Him.
My response is that the Bible clearly recognizes different kinds of faith, such as an intellectual faith, the faith of miracles, and the faith of the heart. The following are examples of the way the Bible treats this subject:

a “Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. ‘You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.’” (Acts 8:13, 21)

b “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble!” (James 2:19) These and many other passages clearly speak of an intellectual faith, or of a simple conviction of the truth.

c “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt. 7:22, 23)

d “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:1, 2)
The above two scriptures are examples of the way that the Bible represents the faith of miracles.

e “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made to salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’” (Romans 10:9‑11)

f “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Acts 8:37)

g “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” (Gal. 5:6)

8 These and similar passages speak about evangelical faith, or the faith of the heart. When the Bible mentions that the multitude believed Christ’s instruction, or because of His miracles, and then they turned back and didn’t walk with Him anymore, we understand that those passages simply teach that they became convinced of His Messiahship at the time, and that they intellectually believed that He was who He claimed to be. But their lives seem to indicate that they were not truly regenerated, or that they never had the true faith of the gospel.

9 John speaks about those who openly apostatized as if they had never been true Christians: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.” (1 John 2:19)
Notice the force of that expression, “They went out from us, but they were not of us”; that is, they were not truly Christians. Why does John say this? He gives the reason why he said this: “for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us.” In other words, some of those who claimed to be disciples separated themselves from the true disciples and returned to the world, that everyone could see who were and who were not true Christians. I am not saying that this passage unquestionably teaches this; but you cannot deny that this is its most natural conclusion.

G The inhabitants of heaven seem to believe that there is a certain connection between repentance and salvation. “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety‑nine just persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7) Now surely this joy is premature, unless they truly expect the one who repents to be saved. If, they thought that there was an uncertainty about the result, and if there was a probability that the penitent will fall and suffer a worse damnation than if he had never been enlightened, one would think that they would at least wait until the result was known before rejoicing. Yes, they might rejoice if the sinner broke off temporarily from his sin, and they might even rejoice at the possibility of his salvation; but to me this passage reads just as you would expect it to read if they believed that repentance and ultimate salvation are connected.

1 There are several parables that seem to take the perseverance of the saints for granted, or at least, they assume the truth of perseverance. The parable that comes right before the verse I just quoted is one of them.
“So He spoke this parable to them, saying: ‘What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety‑nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety‑nine just persons who need no repentance.’” (Luke 15:3‑7) Now, why all this joy at the return of one lost sheep, if there is a chance that he will stray again, and be eternally lost?

2 Immediately following this is another parable of similar importance. “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8‑10) Here again we can ask, why this great joy at finding the sinner, unless his conversion will result in his salvation?

3 I am not quoting these passages to prove the doctrine of perseverance, but only as examples of the kind of passages that seem to assume the truth of this doctrine, and as being just what you would expect if this doctrine is true, and just what you would not expect if this doctrine is not true.

4 To this one could say that there are many passages that are what we would not expect if the perseverance of the saints were true. The following are reliable examples:

a “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” (Heb. 6:1‑6)

b “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.” (Ezek. 18:24)

c “When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die.” (Ezek. 33:13)

d “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matt. 10:22)

e “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6)

f “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Cor. 10:12)

g “but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,” (Heb. 3:6, 12‑14)

h “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.” (Heb. 4:1, 11)

i “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10)

5 These passages are precisely what we would expect if the doctrine of perseverance, as I have stated it, were true. If the certainty of final salvation is only a moral certainty, even if the fact of conversion is settled beyond all doubt; if the final salvation of the truly regenerate is conditioned on perseverance as if there were no certainty about it; and if the fact of conversion is seldom settled in this life beyond any chance of error, then these passages, instead of implying any real uncertainty in regard to the final salvation of the saints, are just what one would expect if the perseverance of the saints is a true doctrine. These scriptures do not claim that any true saints are, or will be, lost. But they do imply the natural possibility and the danger that they could be lost. They further imply that without watchfulness and perseverance salvation is impossible. They also imply that we need cautions, warnings, and threats. They also imply that some men are not certain of their own salvation, and that they do not know without a doubt that they are saints.

6 Now, the things that these passages imply are really true. As a result, these passages meet the needs of the church, and are therefore just what you might expect when all the facts in the case are considered. I am not saying that these passages imply the truth of perseverance but these passages are consistent with it, and this is what you might expect if the doctrine, as I have stated it, is true.

H Regeneration is represented as securing perseverance in obedience:

1 In those passages that make regeneration the condition of salvation.

2 In those passages that clearly affirm that the truly regenerated do not, and cannot, live in sin.

a “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)

b “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)

c “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” (1 John 5:1, 4, 18)

3 These and similar passages clearly teach the persevering nature of true religion through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In other words, they teach that the truly regenerate cannot sin in the sense of living in anything like habitual sin. They teach that with, all truly regenerate souls, holiness is the rule and sin is the exception. These passages teach that, instead of it being true that those who are born again live most of their days after regeneration in sin, it is true that they so seldom sin that in strong language we can truthfully say that they do not sin.
This language strongly teaches that perseverance is an unfailing attribute of Christian character. If it wasn’t for the fact, that other passages constrain us to understand that these passages use strong language in a qualified sense, we would have to conclude that these passages are saying that no truly regenerate soul sins. But since a sound rule of interpretation is that the words of an author must be consistent with everything else he is saying; and since John tells us that Christians sometimes sin when we read other passages in this same epistle and elsewhere; and since the Bible frequently teaches us that Christians sometimes sin, we must understand that the passages I’ve just quoted to you only affirm a general and not a universal truth. In other words, these passages affirm that truly regenerate people do not habitually sin, but holiness is the rule with them, and sin is the exception. Certainly, we cannot reasonably understand that these passages mean anything less than this. I know that some have said, that John uses the phrase being born of God in these passages in a higher sense, and that being born of God means more than simple conversion or regeneration, that it represents a higher state than all true Christians can establish. But notice, John especially tells us that all who truly believe are born of God.

4 Christ treats those who truly believe as those who persevere in obedience. “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.’” (John 8:31)

5 The parable of the sower appears to teach the persevering nature of true religion. “‘A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.’ When He had said these things He cried, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.’” (Luke 8:5‑8, 11‑15)
If Jesus did not give this parable to distinguish true religion from its counterfeits, and to illustrate the persevering nature of true religion, I do not know, and I cannot even think of what the purpose of this parable was. Please, will you read this parable and meditate on it?

6 The parable of the leaven also appears to teach the progressive and persevering nature of true religion.

a “Another parable He spoke to them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.’” (Matt. 13:33)

b This parable teaches the aggressive nature of true faith and piety, as it exhibits itself in both the hearts and lives of individual Christians, and as it progresses and extends itself into the world. True faith and piety is naturally persevering and aggressive, and once it truly exists, it will triumph through grace. When I speak of the persevering nature of true religion, I do not mean that religion in the hearts of the saints in this life would, if unsupported by the grace and indwelling Spirit of God, prevail and triumph over its enemies. However, what I really mean when I speak of the persevering nature of true religion is that through the faithfulness of God, He that begins a good work in any heart, will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. The persevering character of true religion is due to the indwelling Spirit of God.

7 This leads me to conclude that repentance is the condition of receiving the Holy Spirit; and when we receive the Holy Spirit, it is with the clear promise and pledge that He will abide in our heart forever.

a “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37- 39) Here we learn that water represents the Holy Spirit. The Bible commonly uses water to represent the Holy Spirit. Now let us hear what Christ said to the woman of Samaria.

b “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’” (John 4:13‑14)

8 The prominent truth taught in this text is that whosoever shall drink of this water shall never thirst. Here, our Savior contrasts the water He gives with the water of Jacob’s well, and says, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become within him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Christ states this as a fact. That is, one will never perish for lack of this Spirit or water, but this water will live in him, and it will spring up within him into eternal life. The Spirit will also remain in him, and secure him against falling and perishing. This passage clearly teaches the fact that the Spirit shall live with and in all who ever receive Him, and will prevail to secure their salvation.

a “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9‑11)

b Here it says that if you don’t have the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of Christ, you are not a Christian, and that they who are Christ’s do not walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. This passage also says that they who are Christ’s have crucified the lusts of the flesh. This is the true character of all saints. Passages like these are designed to distinguish true religion from its counterfeits, and to teach that perseverance in true obedience is a characteristic of all real saints.

I In Matthew 24:24, Christ suggests that it is impossible to deceive the elect. We saw that the elect unto salvation include all true Christians; that is, that all Christians are the elect children of God. They have come to Christ. Please notice what our Savior Himself teaches:

1 That no one can come to, or believe in Christ, unless the Father draws him.

2 That the Father draws those, and only those to Christ, whom He has given to Christ.

3 That all whom the Father has given to Christ shall come to Him, and of those that come to Him He will lose none, but will raise them up on the last day.

a “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44-45, 37-40)

b God uses factions or heresies to test the piety of true and false professing Christians. “For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.” (1 Cor. 11:19)

c The elect, or the true children of God, will not follow heresies. Christ says, “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet, they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone 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 My Father’s hand. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:4-5,27-29)

d But those who are not true believers will not, and do not hear and know His voice, and do not follow Him. “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.” (John 10:26)

J The eighth chapter of Romans is a clear proof of the doctrine of perseverance.

1 We need to read and prayerfully meditate on the whole chapter, to clearly understand the scope of the apostle’s teaching on this subject. In the seventh chapter, Paul portrays a legal experience. He begins this eighth chapter by stating, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
The carnal mind is enmity against God because it is not subject to the law of God, nor can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:1‑18)

2 Here we see the difference between the character of true believers and those who are carnally minded. True believers are justified; they are in Christ Jesus. They walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in them, in other words, God writes the law in their hearts. True believers have the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of adoption; the Spirit witnesses with their spirit that they are the adopted children of God: “If children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in them. Paul continues: “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?” (Romans 8:24)

3 Paul then proceeds to notice the ground of this hope: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26‑27)

4 Paul tells us that this is true of all true believers. Of this Spirit, Paul states the following things:

a That all Christians possess this Spirit

b That this Spirit bears witness with the spirits of other Christians that they are the children of God.

c That He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God; that is, that He enables them to pray, and to pray aright, for those things which is in the will of God to grant to them.

5 Paul then says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”. (Romans 8:28) Here Paul represents those who love God, and those who are the called according to His purpose, as the same people; and tells us, that we know that all things shall work together for their good. This he notes as a second ground of hope. He next proceeds to state how we know that all things work together for the good of those that love God: or, to those who are the elect, called according to the election or purpose of God. He says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren”. (Romans 8:29), that is, we know it, because they are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Not ‘if they will be’, but ‘to be’, and therefore, all things must directly or indirectly contribute to this result. Paul then says, “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Romans 8:30) Therefore, we have hope from the fact, that those who God predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, He also called; and those who He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son and had called, He also justified; and those who He predestinated, and called, and justified, He also glorified.

6 Here then, Paul concludes, is a firm foundation for the hope that he has been talking about. All the things Paul pointed out in this chapter are the grounds for that hope. He proceeds to proclaim in a spirit of triumph: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:31‑34)

7 Here he says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” and then proceeds to point out several other considerations that enter into this ground of confidence. All who love God are His elect. God justifies them, and who is he that condemns them? God is for them, and who shall be against them? God freely gave His Son for all of them, how much more shall He freely give them all things? If He did not withhold His Son, surely He would withhold nothing else from them that was necessary to secure their salvation. Furthermore, Christ died, and still more, He has risen, and now makes intercession for them. If these things are true, we can now ask: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” (Romans 8:35‑36)

8 Paul then triumphantly tells us, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37‑39)

9 If Paul in the eighth of Romans does not settle the question of whether or not all the saints will be saved, how can we settle this question? Let us, in a few words, sum up Paul’s argument as he presents it here: We are saved already in hope; yet we have not received our crown. The grounds of this hope are that we are in Christ Jesus, and have the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of adoption. We walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. This Spirit witnesses that we are children and heirs of God. He makes intercession for us according to the will of God. We also know, that all things work together for good to those who love God, for they are called according to His purpose. Those who God has called, God calls to be conformed to the image of God. Hence, those whom God predestines He calls, justifies, and glorifies. Therefore, no one can condemn God’s elect. God justifies them, so who shall condemn them? Christ died for them. He has risen, and now makes intercession for them. God did not withhold His Son, and of course, God will withhold nothing from Christians that is essential to secure their salvation. Paul then concludes that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God.

10 I know that there are people who will reply to this saying, that although nothing else can separate us from the love of God, yet we may separate ourselves from His love. To this I answer, true; we can do so; but the question is, will any of the elected and called do so? No, for this is the thing that the apostle tells us, namely, the certainty of the salvation of all true saints. The apostle assumes in this passage that all who ever truly loved God are elect, or are chosen to be conformed to the image of His Son; and are called, sanctified, and justified, in conformity with such predestination. If this is not his meaning, what is? If this is not his meaning, what ground of hope can we find in what he says?