XLVI

XLVIII. THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS - OBJECTIONS ANSWERED

A Objections answered.

1 Some say that the natural tendency of the doctrine of perseverance condemns it; that perseverance tends to produce and foster carnal behavior and a life of sin on the part of those who think that they are saints. Concerning this statement, I would like to say that there is a big and obvious difference between the abuse of a good doctrine, and its natural tendency. The legitimate tendency of a doctrine may be good, and still some people can abuse and pervert that doctrine. This is true of atonement, and the offer of pardon through Christ. The Universalists and Unitarians believe that these doctrines tend to encourage the hope that we can sin without punishment. They say that to present the idea that Christ has made atonement for sin, and the fact that God can forgive the oldest and vilest sinners encourages immorality, and encourages the hope of being ultimately pardoned after a life of sin. They say that atonement encourages the hope that, after a sinful life, the sinner may repent and be saved at the very end of his life.

2 Now, this objection to the doctrine of pardon and atonement is so believable that many intelligent people have rejected these doctrines simply because of this objection. They think that the objection is logical. But a close examination shows that their objection against these doctrines has no foundation at all; and as it turns out, the real natural tendency of these doctrines presents a strong argument in their favor. Telling a convinced and self‑condemned sinner that Christ has died for his sins, and offers to freely and immediately forgive all past sins, has no natural tendency to produces a spirit of perseverance in rebellion. Instead, this is the quickest, safest, and the most effective way to subdue him, and get him to repent immediately. But suppose, on the other hand, you tell him that there is no forgiveness and he must be punished for his sins, what tendency does this have to encourage him to immediately and genuinely repent. What tendency does telling him that he must go to hell have to produce within him the love required by the law of God? Assuring him that God will punish him for all his sins, might serve to restrain most of the outward manifestations of a sinful heart, but it does not encourage one to subdue his selfishness, and to cleanse his heart. However, the offer of mercy through the death of Christ has the most sin subduing tendency. The manifestation of God’s great love for the sinner, God’s real pity for him, and God’s readiness to overlook and blot out his past tends to break down the stubborn heart into genuine repentance, and gives birth to the most sincere love for God and Christ, together with the deepest self‑loathing and self‑abasement because of sin. Therefore, instead of the legitimate tendency of the doctrines of the atonement and pardon through a crucified Redeemer condemning themselves, the tendency of these doctrines greatly confirm their existence and importance. Yes, people can abuse these doctrines, just like they can abuse every good thing; but is this a good reason for rejecting them? People often abuse eating and drinking, as well as all of the most essential blessings of life. Should we reject them because of this?

3 It is true that careless sinners and hypocrites abuse the doctrines of atonement and forgiveness through Christ, but is this a good reason for denying and withholding these doctrines from the convicted sinner, who is earnestly asking what he shall do to be saved?

4 It is also true that people can abuse the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, and the carnal and deceived professing Christian often abuses this doctrine. However, is this a good reason for rejecting it? Is this a good reason for withholding its consolations from the tempted, storm‑tossed saint? No way! The circumstances of temptation from within and without, that often surrounds the saints in this life, are such that when they become aware of their situation, and they begin to see the circumstances they are in, the only hope they may have may be the hope they find in the doctrine of perseverance. The inevitable consequence of a thorough revelation of themselves would produce despair if it wasn’t for the covenanted grace and faithfulness of God. What saint, who has ever seen himself in the light of the Holy Spirit, has not seen what Paul saw when he said, “In me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing?” (Romans 7:18) Who, that has seen himself, does not know that he can never take one step towards heaven, except as he is drawn by the grace of God in Christ Jesus? Who, that knows himself, does not understand that he never would have been converted if it wasn’t for the grace of God stirring his emotions and drawing his mind in the right direction? And what true saint does not know, that his former habits were so bad, and the circumstances of trial he is experiencing is so overwhelming, and the downward tendency of his own soul is so strong that, although he is converted, he would not be able to persevere for one hour if it wasn’t for the indwelling grace and Spirit of God which holds him up, and quickens him in the path of holiness?

5 Where is the ground of hope for the saints who live in this world? The ground of hope is not in the false teaching that they have been physically regenerated, so that to fall is naturally impossible. The ground of hope is not in the false teaching that they have passed through any such change of nature as it secures their perseverance even for an hour, if left to themselves. The round of hope is not in the false teaching that they can or will perpetuate themselves for one day or a moment by their own resolutions. Where then is their hope? There is no chance that any one of them will ever be saved unless the promised grace and faithfulness of God in Christ Jesus goes before, and from step to step secures their perseverance. But, if God promises this grace to any saint as his only ground of hope that he shall be saved, it is equally promised to all the saints under the same conditions. No one more than another can place the least reasonable dependence on anything, except on the grace equally promised and granted to all. What does a man know about himself who hopes that God will save him, and yet he does not completely depend on promises of grace in Christ Jesus?

6 The natural tendency of a true and thorough conviction of sin, and the knowledge of our selves that is essential to salvation, tends to produce and foster despair and depression. As I have said, the soul in this condition has absolutely little or no ground to ultimately hope for salvation, except what the doctrine of perseverance provides, when the soul rightly understands it. No matter how far he may have progressed down the pathway of life, when the truth is thoroughly revealed to him, he sees that he has not made one step towards God, except when by the indwelling grace and Spirit of Christ draws him. He sees that he will make no progress towards heaven, unless the same gracious influence continues to such an extent that it overcomes all the temptations that attack him. His only hope is in the fact that God has promised to keep and preserve him. Nothing but God’s faithfulness to His Son gains any saint’s conversion. Nothing but this same faithfulness has gains the saints’ perseverance for even one day, and nothing else can make the salvation of any soul probable at all. What can anyone be thinking about, or what can anyone know of himself, who does not know this? Unless the same grace that secures the conversion of the saints, secures their perseverance to the end, there is no hope for them. It is true, that God conditions His promises to sinners and to saints on their faith, as well as on the right exercise of their own free will. It is also true, that grace secures the fulfillment of the conditions of the promises.

7 We have seen that the promises of the Father to the Son secure the bestowment on the saints of all the grace that they need to ensure their final salvation. It shocks and it distresses me to hear professing Christians talk of being saved at all, except on the ground of the anticipating, persevering, sin‑overcoming, and hell‑subduing grace of God in Christ Jesus. Why, I would just as soon expect the devil to be saved, as to expect that any saint on earth will be saved, if they are left with all the promises of God in their hands, to stand and attempt to persevere without the drawings, the inward teachings, and the over‑persuading influences of the Holy Spirit. Shame on a theology that places the ultimate salvation of the saints on the broken reed of their own resolutions and their best behavior! Their firmest resolutions are nothing unless the influence of the Spirit of grace goes before them to excite and persuade the formation of their resolutions. The Bible teaches this everywhere, and this is the experience of every saint.
Where, then, is our ground of hope, if we deny the doctrine of perseverance? “If the foundation is destroyed, what shall the righteous do?” Where, then, is the evil tendency of this doctrine? This doctrine has naturally no evil tendency. Can the assurance of eternal salvation through the blood, love, and grace of Christ, have a natural tendency to harden the heart of a child of God against his Father and his Savior? Can the revealed fact, that he shall be more than a conqueror through Christ, produce in him a disposition to sin against Christ? Impossible! This doctrine, which hypocrites can abuse, is nevertheless an anchor for the saints in times of trial. Should we deprive the children of the bread of life, because sinners will pervert the use of it to their own destruction? We desperately need this doctrine to prevent despair when conviction becomes heavy, and conflicts with temptation are sharp. Its natural tendency is to slay and keep down selfishness, to prevent the formation of selfish efforts and resolutions, and to perpetuate the soul’s confidence at all times. It tends to subdue sin, to humble the soul under a sense of the great love and faithfulness of God in Christ Jesus, to influence the soul to live on Christ and to renounce completely and forever all confidence in the flesh. Indeed, the tendency that the doctrine of perseverance has is the direct opposite of what those who object to this doctrine claim that it has. It is the abuse, and not the natural tendency of this doctrine, against which they press their objection. But the abuse of a doctrine is no reason why we should reject that doctrine.

8 Some say that real saints occasionally backslide for a while, and in these situations, the belief of this doctrine tends to lull them into carnal security, and prolongs their backsliding if it does not encourage them to apostatize.

9 If real Christians backslide, they lose, for the time being, their evidence that God accepts them; and they become aware that God cannot justly save them in their present state. These people really level this objection against that view of perseverance that teaches the doctrine of perpetual justification on condition of one act of faith. Perseverance, as stated in these lectures, holds out no ground of hope for a backslider, except on condition that he returns and perseveres to the end. Moreover, the doctrine that I taught here is perseverance in holiness, that is, after regeneration, holiness is the rule, and sin is only the exception. Therefore, every moment that a backslider remains in sin, he must have less evidence that he is a child of God.

10 But as I said, the backslider loses confidence in his own Christianity, and in this state of backsliding, he does not believe the doctrine of perseverance as a doctrine of revelation. It is absurd to say that while backslidden from God he still has faith in God’s word. It is absurd to say that the backslider still believes that perseverance in holiness is a Christian doctrine, and that he believes in the strength of the testimony of God. In this state, he does not really believe the doctrine, and therefore it is not the tendency of the doctrine when it is believed that harms him, but it is his abuse and perversion of that doctrine. But perverting a doctrine is not a good reason to object to that doctrine. The real tendency of perseverance is to break the heart of the backslider, to demonstrate to him the great love, faithfulness, and grace of God, which naturally tends to subdue his selfishness and humble his heart. When backsliders are emboldened by this doctrine and become presumptuous, it is because of a gross perversion and abuse of it.

11 Those who persist in these objections should think about their own inconsistency when they pervert and abuse this doctrine at the same time they support other doctrines that can people can just as easily abuse. Let these people see that they are adopting a principle and insisting on applying it, which, if you applied this same principle to every doctrine, would set aside the whole gospel.

B Some object, saying that the Bible speaks of us saints as if there was a real danger of us losing our salvation.

1 These people say that the Bible requires us to spend the time of our journey here on earth in fear, filled with cautions, warnings, and threats that are certainly out of place, and should not be considered at all if the salvation of the saints is a revealed certainty. They ask, “How can we fear, if God has revealed that our salvation is certain”? Listen. Isn’t fear in such situations a result of unbelief? Can God reveal to us the fact that He will certainly save us, and then call on us or exhort us to fear that He will not save us? Can God require us to doubt His word and His oath? If God has revealed the certainty of the salvation of all true saints, can any saint fear that God will not save him without downright unbelief? And, can God even approve of such fears? If a person is aware that he possesses the character attributed to the true saints in the Bible, isn’t he required to persevere on the supposition that he has the most unwavering assurance that God will save him? Has he any right to doubt it, or to fear that God will not save him?

2 Let me say that no true saint who has evidence of his acceptance with God has a right to doubt, for one moment, that God will save him, nor does he have a right to fear that God will not save him. In addition, the Bible nowhere encourages, or calls on the saints to fear that God will not save them, or that they will be lost. It calls on them to fear to sin or apostatize, lest they should be lost, but not that they shall sin and be lost. The following are examples of the exhortations and warnings that are given to the saints:

a “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41)

b “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.’ All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.’ Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.’ He answered and said to them: ‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.’” (Mark 13:33‑37)

c “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.” (Luke 12:37)

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

e “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13)

f “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:15, 16)

g “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Eph. 6:10‑11)

h “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.” (Phil. 1:27, 28)

i “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thess. 5:6)

j “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Tim. 6:12)

k “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” (2 Tim. 2:3)

l “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5)

m “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.” (1 Peter 4:7)

n “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)

o “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)

p “who will render to each one according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;” (Romans 2:6‑7)

q “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:27)

r“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” (2 Cor. 6:1)

s “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Col. 1:23)

t “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)

u “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)

v “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)

w “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations” (Rev. 2:10-11, 17, 26)

x “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (Rev. 21:7)

y “And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear” (1 Peter 1:17)

C I cannot find any scriptures where God exhorts the saints to fear that they will actually be lost. On the other hand, the fear of being lost is rebuked in the word of God, and the saints are assured that Christ will keep and preserve them to the end, and finally bestow on them eternal life. God warns them against sin and apostasy, and informs them that if they do apostatize they will be lost. God clearly informs them that their salvation is conditioned on their perseverance in holiness to the end. God also calls on them to watch against sin and apostasy; and to fear both sin and apostasy lest they should be lost.

1 “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.” (Heb. 4:1)

2 “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)

3 “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. 3:12‑14)

D We are required to be afraid that sinning is possible, but we are not required to fear that we will sin in any sense that implies that we expect to sin. We are to fear that to apostatize is possible, but we are not to expect or fear that we will apostatize. We are to fear that losing our salvation is possible, but not that we will be lost. To be afraid that sinning and losing our salvation is possible is very different from fearing that we will sin and thus be lost. There is just as much need for us to fear sin, and to fear being lost as a possibility, as there would be if our salvation were not certain. When we consider the nature of the certainty of the salvation of the saints, that it is only a moral and conditional certainty, we can see the importance and the need for the warnings and threats that God addresses to us in the Bible. The language of the Bible is just what we might expect if the salvation of the saints is only morally and conditionally certain.

1 These people base their objection on an error concerning the philosophy of moral government. Moral law exists with sanctions that are as real in heaven as they are on earth, and its sanctions have in heaven the same influence that they should have on earth. It is as true in heaven as on earth, that the soul that sins shall die. Now, can the sanctions of law have no influence in heaven? I suppose no reasonable person will doubt that the perseverance of all the saints in heaven is certain. But, if they are certain that they will not sin and fall, can they not be the subjects of fear in any sense? I answer; yes, they can be the subjects of fear. They are naturally able to sin, and sometimes they may be placed under circumstances or into situations where they are tempted to act selfishly. Indeed, the very nature of our mind makes it certain that the saints will always need to be watchful against temptation and sin.

2 Now, it is the purpose of the sanctions of the law in all worlds to produce hope on one hand, and fear on the other. In holy beings, it is the hope of reward and the fear of sinning lest they should perish. This hope and fear in someone who is duly influenced by sanctions is not selfishness. It is crazy not to have sanctions of the law influence you. Our reason tells us that both hope and fear should influence us, that our own salvation is of infinite importance, and that our damnation would be an infinite evil. Therefore, our reason tells us that we should secure the one and avoid the other. This is law both on earth and in heaven. We are not to do this selfishly, that is, we must not seek our own salvation, or avoid our own damnation selfishly, but we must seek to save as many as possible; to love our neighbor as ourselves, and ourselves as our neighbor. In all worlds, the sanctions of the law should have their influence, and with holy beings, they do have their influence. Holy beings are subjects that are afraid to sin and be lost, and are the only beings who have the kind of fear that God requires, and which it is the purpose of the sanctions of the law and of the gospel to inspire.
What! Does anyone have the right to tell us that the certainty of safety is completely inconsistent with every kind and degree of fear? What, then, is the use of law in heaven? Must a man on earth or in heaven doubt whether he will have eternal life in order to make room for the influence of moral law, for hope and fear, or in order to make room for the motives of moral government? There is room for the same fear in heaven that should be on earth. No one has a right to expect to violate the precept of the law, and thereby incur the penalty of law. However, every one must fear that it is possible. Neither on earth as well as in heaven, God never intended that the penalty should produce a slavish fear, or a fear that we will sin and be damned; but only a fear that sin and damnation is possible. A fear that to sin and to be lost is possible will be a means of confirming holy beings in heaven throughout eternity. The law will be the same there as it is here. Free moral agency will be the same there as it is here. Perseverance in holiness will be a condition of continued salvation there just as it is here. There will be temptations there as well as here. Therefore, saints will need substantially the same motives there to keep them that they need and have here. There will be laws and conditions of continued bliss there as well as here. There will be the same occasion for fear there that there is here. I say again, that the objection we are considering overlooks both the true philosophy of the mind, and of the influence of the sanctions of moral law.

E The objection we are considering is based on the assumption that the many warnings, or the exhortations to fear, that are mentioned in the Bible are inconsistent with the revealed certainty of the salvation of the saints. But, does not the Bible provide many examples where warnings were given even in situations where the result is revealed as certain? The case of Paul’s shipwreck is an excellent example. God, by Paul, revealed the fact, that no life on board the ship would be lost. This Paul mentioned as a fact without any revealed qualification or condition. But when the sailors, who alone knew how to manage the ship, were about to abandon her, Paul informed them that their staying on the ship was a condition of their salvation from death. The means were just as certain as the end; yet, the means conditioned that end, and if the means failed, the end would fail. Therefore, Paul appealed to their fears of death to secure them against neglecting the means to survive the storm. Paul had no intention to stir up any distrust for the promise of God within the sailors. All Paul wanted to do was to simply draw their attention to the conditional nature of the certainty of their safety, which he revealed to them, so that they would be afraid of neglecting the means, and would confide in the certainty of their safety by diligently using those means.

F This situation provides a full answer to the objection that we are considering. This is a situation where a revealed certainty of the event was completely consistent with warnings and threats. It is a situation where the certainty, although real, depended on warnings, threats, and a fear of neglecting those means. This situation is an excellent example of the revealed certainty of the ultimate salvation of the saints. Even if there were no other situations like this in the Bible, where warnings and threats are addressed to those whose safety is revealed, this situation would be a satisfactory answer to the false assumption that warnings and threats are inconsistent with revealed certainty. Paul was afraid that the sailors would neglect those means that would guarantee their safety, but he did not fear that they really would neglect those means, because he knew that they would not.

G Some people don’t think that this situation is an important illustration. They object, saying that Jonah’s pronouncement of the destruction of Nineveh in forty days was just as real as the pronouncement of Paul that God would save all on board the ship. Therefore, they claim that Paul did not intend to reveal that the result was certain, because forty days after Jonah received that revelation concerning the destruction of Nineveh, God did not destroy it. To this, please let me say that in the case of Jonah, it is clear from the whole narrative that neither Jonah nor the Ninevites understood that the destruction of Nineveh was unconditionally certain. Jonah’s behavior indicates that God knew that the event was not certain. This was one of his excuses for not delivering His message. Even the Ninevites themselves understood that the event might not be certain, as their conduct showed. The difference in the two situations amounts to this: one was a real and a revealed certainty, and the other was neither. Why then should people use this situation to disregard the case of the shipwreck? Some of these people say that no condition was revealed in the one case more than in the other. Now as far as it is recorded in the case of Nineveh, no mention is made that Jonah told the Ninevites that there was any condition on which they could avoid the destruction of the city: yet it is clear, that both Jonah and the Ninevites understood that God’s threat was conditional in the sense of the event was uncertain. Jonah himself did not expect it with much certainty. But Paul clearly stated that he believed God that it would happen exactly as He had declared, that no one would loose their life, and Paul encouraged them to believe the same thing. Paul knew the end was certain, although he also knew, and soon informed them, that the certainty was a moral one and conditioned on the diligent use of the proper means. The two cases are not parallel. It is true, that God would have destroyed Nineveh if they did not use the appropriate means to prevent it. The same is true of the ship’s crew; and it is also true that, in both situations, it was really certain that the means would not be neglected; yet in Paul’s situation, the certainty was really understood to be revealed and was believed in, but not in Jonah’s situation. The point of this illustration is this: Can a man have any fear, and can there be a ground and need for caution and fear, where there is a real and revealed certainty? The objection I am answering is the objection that says, if the salvation of the saints is certain, and revealed as certain, and is believed to be certain, then there is no ground for fear, and no need or room for things like warnings or threats.

1 But this case of shipwreck is one in which all these conditions were met.

a The event was certain, and of course, the sailors would certainly fulfill the conditions.

b God revealed that their salvation from the storm was certain.

c Both Paul and the sailors believed God’s revelation. Yet,

d There still was warning, threat, and fear of neglecting the means.

2 But these conditions were not met in the case of Jonah and the Ninevites. In this situation,

a It was not certain that God would destroy the city.

b Jonah did not believe that the revelation was certain.

c The Ninevites did not believe that Jonah’s word from God was certain.

H Why, then, should anyone treat these two situations as being similar?

1 Paul repeatedly speaks of his own salvation as certain, and yet in a way that conditions his salvation on his perseverance in faith and obedience to the end. He says: “For I know that this will turn out for my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith” (2 Tim. 4:18)

2 Here, it is clear that Paul considered his perseverance and ultimate salvation by and through the grace of God as certain. Paul everywhere renounces all hope except in the indwelling grace and Spirit of Christ. Still, he felt confident of his salvation. But if he had no confidence in himself, where was his confidence based? “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)

3 Here again Paul expresses the fullest confidence of his own salvation. He did not merely intend to say that Christ was able, if Christ was disposed, to keep what Paul had committed to Him, but Paul assumed Christ’s willingness and proclaimed Christ’s ability as the ground of his confidence. We cannot doubt the fact that Paul expressed complete confidence in his ultimate salvation. Paul did not say that he was persuaded that Christ was able to save him if he persevered; but He had confidence in his Lord because Christ was able to secure his perseverance. It was because he was persuaded that Christ was able to keep him, that he had any assurance and I might add, even hope of his own salvation. This same reason was the ground of confidence that God would save others. To the Thessalonians Paul says, “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thess. 3:3)

4 Jude says, “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)

5 Peter says, of all the elect or saints, “who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:5)

I Thus, we see that the ground of confidence with the apostles was that God and Christ could and would keep them, not without their own efforts, but that He would influence them to be faithful and thus secure this result. The same was true of Christ as is manifested in His last prayer for them. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:15-16)

1 However, the apostles frequently express their confidence, both in the certainty of their own salvation, and in the salvation of those they wrote to. Paul says, “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:26-27)
Here Paul expresses the fullest confidence that he will win the crown, but at the same time, he recognizes the condition of his salvation, and informs us that he took care to fulfill it, lest he should be a castaway. He says, verse 26: “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.” He alludes to the Olympic games, and in this connection says, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” (1 Cor. 9:24, 25) He then adds, verses 26 and 27: “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

2   Of those who ran in these games, only one could win the prize. But this is not true in the Christian race. In the Christian race all might win. In those games, because only one could possibly win, there was a lot of uncertainty whether any particular runner could win the prize. In the Christian race, there is no need for any such uncertainty. Concerning himself, Paul says, “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air:” that is, “I do not run with any uncertainty or irresolution, because of uncertainty concerning whether I will win the prize. Nor do I fight as one that beats the air, or as one who fights uncertainly or in vain; but as long as I have this confidence, I keep my body under submission.” Some deny that Paul intended to express a confidence in his salvation in this scripture; but you cannot reasonably deny that Paul was expressing confidence in his salvation here. He was taking about the Christian race, and of the conditions of winning the victor’s crown. He clearly states that there was no real uncertainty whether he should win the crown. In the Olympic games, there was uncertainty, because only the fastest person could win; but here, no such ground of uncertainty exists; and, not only that, with Paul there was no real uncertainty at all, while at the same time he understoodd the conditional nature of the certainty, and kept his body under subjection. Can any one believe that Paul really had any doubt concerning his own ultimate salvation?
     Please notice, I am not using these passages to prove that all saints will be saved; nor that, if Paul was sure of his salvation, therefore all saints may be. My purpose here is simply to show that, while Paul was sure and had no doubt about his ultimate salvation, he was still afraid to neglect the means. He never became discouraged in the Christian race because of a sense of uncertainty, like those who ran in the Olympic games would often become discouraged. He was not unsure of how to proceed because of the great uncertainty of winning. Paul expected to win, and yet he was afraid to neglect the conditions of winning. He expected to win because he expected to fulfill the conditions; and he expected to fulfill the conditions not because he had any confidence in himself, but because he had confidence in the grace and Spirit of God to secure his perseverance. Nevertheless, he kept his body under submission and was afraid of self‑indulgence, lest he should be disqualified.
     Paul tells the Thessalonians that he knows their election of God. “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God” (1 Thess. 1:4) In both his epistles to the Thessalonians, Paul often speaks about them as if he regarded their salvation as certain, and yet he also frequently says things like warning and exhorting them to be faithful, and telling them to guard against being deceived by false teachers. “For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. For our exhortation did not come from deceit or uncleanness, nor was it in guile” (2 Thess. 2:1‑3) Paul exhorts them the same way he exhorts all Christians, with admonitions and warnings, just as you might expect considering the moral and conditional nature of the certainty of their salvation.

3 In writing to the Philippians, Paul says, “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; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.” (Phil. 1:6-7) With the confidence of an inspired apostle, Paul assures them that Christ will secure their salvation. Yet he says: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:12‑13)
Here Paul warns them to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. There is no stronger passage than this, where the saints are exhorted to fear and tremble. This is addressed to the very one to whom he had just said, “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. 1:6) Almost in the same breath he expresses the confidence of an inspired apostle, that He who had begun a good work in them would carry it on until the day of Jesus Christ; that is, that Christ would surely save them; and at the same time Paul exhorts them to “work out their salvation with fear and trembling.” Paul also addresses the church at Ephesus as follows:

4 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” (Eph. 1:1‑12)

5 Now, if you read this epistle all the way through, you will find that these same elect people are addressed throughout with exhortations and warnings just as all other saints are addressed throughout the Bible with exhortations and warnings. Examples like this are found throughout the epistles. Indeed it is very common for the inspired writers to address the saints as the elect of God, as people whose salvation was secure as a matter of fact, but whose salvation was after all conditioned on their perseverance in holiness; and so they proceed to warn, admonish, and exhort them, just as we might expect when we consider that the nature of the certainty that they talk about is a moral certainty.

6 But, if someone still argues that if the fact of election was revealed to anyone, than threats and warnings would be out of place for that person; let me reply, that this the same thing as saying, that if a certainty is revealed at any time concerning anything, then warnings, and threats, and fears, are totally out of place. But this is not true, as we have seen in the case of the shipwreck. Here the certainty was revealed to the individuals concerned. Christ also revealed to His apostles, as well as to Paul, the fact of their election. Can any one reasonably call into question the fact, that the apostles clearly understood their election of God, not only to apostleship, but also to eternal life? Do you remember, what Paul said in writing to the church at Ephesus, in the passage that I just quoted. In that passage, Paul recognizes himself as one of the elect, just like he does elsewhere, and just like the apostles do either directly or by way of implication, and yet Paul and the other apostles did not feel that warning, and watchfulness, and a fear that sin was possible were at all out of place with them.

J Job speaks as if the certainty of his salvation had been revealed to him. He says: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me.” (Job 19:25‑27)

1 Can any one believe that Job regarded threats, warnings, and a fear to sin as out of place with him? Most people agree that there is such a thing as a full assurance of faith or hope, or attaining the knowledge that our salvation is secure. But would a saint who has attained this be any less affected than others by all the threats, warnings, and the exhortations to fear that is found in the Bible? Would these souls stop trembling at the word of God? Would they stop passing their time of sojourning here with fear? Would they no longer “work out their salvation with fear and trembling?” Would God no longer regard them as belonging to those people mentioned in Isaiah: “‘For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,’ says the Lord. ‘But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.’” (Isaiah 66:2)

2 Christ prayed for the salvation of His apostles in their presence in such a way that it left no room for them to doubt their ultimate salvation if they expected His prayers to be answered. He did the same concerning all that should believe on Him through His word. Now will you proclaim that all those who sincerely believe in Jesus must stop having confidence in the power of His prayers before they can feel the power, the importance, and the influence of His warnings and threats, and the various motives that are addressed to the elect of God to keep them from falling? Such a thought is preposterous. What! Do we have to doubt the power of His prayers, in order to appreciate the force of His warnings? In fact, the more holy any one is, and the more certain he is of his eternal salvation, the more sin becomes an object of loathing, of fear, and even of terror to him. The more holy he is, the more readily he trembles at the word of God, and the more sensibly and easily he is affected when he thinks about sin and Divine wrath, the more awful and terrible these things appear to him, and the more seriously they affect him, even though he has the fullest assurance that he will never taste either sin or hell.

3 Even though the Bible assumes that individuals are not sure of their salvation and on that assumption it proceeds to warn them, many still insist that if the end is certain, so are the means; and therefore it is absurd to fear that we will neglect the means, or that either the end or means will fail. But as we have said, to fear that neglecting that the means is possible, and to fear that we will neglect them, are not the same. We are naturally able to neglect the means, and there is just as much real danger of our neglecting them, as there would be if no revelation were made about it, unless a revelation of the certainty of their use is a means of securing the use of them. We therefore should be afraid that we might neglect them. There is, in fact, as much real danger of our neglecting the means of our salvation, as there is that any event whatever will be different from what it turns out to be. There is no more real danger in one situation than in the other; but in one situation, the certainty is revealed, and in the other case, it is not. Therefore, when the certainty is not revealed, it is reasonable to fear that the event will not happen as we desire, and as it should turn out. But when the certainty is revealed, we have no right to fear that it will turn out differently, or to fear that we will neglect the means; but we should fear that it is possible for us to neglect the means, just as if no revelation of certainty had been made. This is exactly what Paul did in the case of his shipwreck.

K Perhaps, someone may ask, “shouldn’t we be afraid that some of the saints will be lost, and pray for them because of this fear”? I answer, no.
The saints are the elect. None of God’s elect will be lost. We are to pray for them just like Christ prayed for His apostles, and since He prayed for all believers, not with the fear that they will be lost, for this would be to pray in unbelief, we are to confidently pray for all saints that they may persevere unto the end and be saved. But some people say, that Paul expressed doubts concerning the salvation of the churches in Galatia. I answer, that he expressed no doubt about their ultimate salvation. Paul says, “I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.” (Gal. 4:20) In the margin it reads, “I am perplexed for you.” He says in the next chapter: “I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.” (Gal. 5:10); Paul set himself zealously to reclaim these churches from error, and expresses full confidence of the result; and I cannot find any passages where he doubted whether they would finally be saved.

L But it is still said that if the salvation of all the saints is secured, and this certainty is revealed, there is no real danger of their either neglecting the necessary means, or of their being lost. Therefore, all warnings, threats, and fears are a waste of time. They say that since we know that salvation is certain, it is irrational and impossible to fear without doubting the truth of God. After all, certainty is certainty, and it does not matter at all what kind of certainty it is. If the certainty is granted then the event is certain. Therefore, all danger, and of course all cause for fear, is out of the question.

1 To this objection, let me reply, that this statement comes from the assumption that there is no danger that the saints will fall once God has revealed the certainty of their ultimate salvation. But what do we mean by danger? We already know that all events are certain, in the sense that they are and were from eternity certain that they will be, and how they will be; and that all their circumstances and conditions are and eternally were, as certain as they ever will be. So that there never is any real danger, in the sense of uncertainty, that any event will be different than it turns out to be. Danger, then, does not mean that there is really any uncertainty concerning how anything will be. But danger simply means that there is a natural possibility, and from our human point of view, it is possible that things may be different than what we desire. This is probable in the sense that there is, humanly speaking, from the circumstances of the case and as far as we can judge from our course of events, a probability that something may not occur as we would want it to occur.

2 Now, there is always a natural possibility that the saints might fall; and in most cases, the circumstances are such that, from a human point of view, this is not only a real danger, but also a definite possibility that they will fail to receive eternal life. Humanly speaking, there is a solid chance that they will fall and be lost. Now, this danger is as real as if no certainty had been revealed. The event would have been just as certain without the revelation of the certainty as with it, unless the revelation of that certainty helps to secure their perseverance.

3 But up until know, I have replied to the objection on the assumption that the certainty of the salvation of the saints is revealed in the sense that individual saints may know that their own salvation is certain. Yet, the nature of the certainty leaves plenty of room for the influence of a wholesome sense of danger, and for the feeling of hope and fear. But the fact is, that certainty is rarely revealed to individuals as a certainty. The salvation and the characteristics of true saints are revealed in the Bible. Therefore, it is possible for individual saints to possess a comfortable assurance of salvation, based on the knowledge that they are saints. And we know that in the Bible, and probably since the Bible was written, there have been people who have had a direct revelation by the Holy Spirit that they were saints and were accepted by God.

4 But most of the time, saints have had no personal and clear revelation that they were saints, and they have had no evidence that they were saints except the evidence that they gather from knowing that their experience and life lines up with what the Bible says about saintly character. When Peter addressed his epistles to the elect saints, for example, although he regarded the elect as saved, yet he did not distinguish and address individuals by name; but left it for them to be satisfied whether or not they were saints by their own awareness of having a saintly character. Peter did not reveal to any one in particular whether or not he was one of the elect. This was, for the most part, true of all the letters written to the churches. Although they were addressed as a body, as elect, and as saints, yet from this they could not conclude that they were all saints or elect, but they had to learn whether or not they were real saints from their own character

5 We see that the Bible represents perseverance as an attribute of Christian character; and therefore ones awareness that he is walking in obedience is the only evidence he has that he is a saint. If saints abide in the light, and have the assurance that they are saints, then we have seen the sense in which they may be influenced by hope and fear, and the sense in which moral law with its sanctions may be useful to them. But when a saint backslides, he must lose the evidence that he is a saint, and then all the warnings and threats may apply to him. He finds himself not persevering, and will come to the realization that he is not a saint; and the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints cannot comfort him. It is a fact that the saints persevere daily. As one continues to backslide; it becomes less evident that he is a saint. The Bible is written on the assumption that individual saints are not certain of their election or of their own salvation. The Bible therefore addresses them, as if there was a real uncertainty concerning their salvation; that is as if, as individuals, they were not certain of their salvation. It represents the salvation of real saints as certain, but represents many professed saints as having fallen, and warns them against presumption and self‑deception concerning their profession, privileges, and experiences. It represents the danger of delusion as great, and exhorts them to examine and prove themselves to see whether they are truly saints. The warnings found in the Bible assume that individuals may deceive themselves and presumptuously assume their own election, saint hood, and safety, from their privileges, relationships, and experiences. Inspiration, therefore, proceeds to warn them, assuming that they do not know the certainty of their own individual salvation.

There is, therefore, no real difficulty in accounting for the way that the Bible is written on the supposition that the doctrine of perseverance is true. But on the other hand, it appears to me that the scriptures are just what we might expect if this doctrine is true. When we consider the nature of the certainty in every situation, and also that most of the professed Christians never receive a distinct revelation that they are real saints, that there is so much real danger of deception concerning our own characters, and that so many are and have been deceived; I say, when we consider these things, there can be no difficulty in accounting for the way in which both professing Christians and real saints are addressed in the word of God.