(I am not trying to reinvent the eternal security wheel here. I am simply elucidating a new way of looking at it, rather then regurgitating the 25 plus excellent verses on the subject)

I was against eternal security before I was for it. I rejected it for 27 years of serious Christianity. It was far too optimistic for my negative and even cynical worldview. However, the Lord worked diligently on my icy heart, chipping away at the layers of thick scar tissue, and as I continued to do my regular scripture study, I ran into verse after verse confirming this unassailable fact: once we have been adopted as His children, He won’t let us go. We can run and even try and hide, but the word of God, through a vast multitude of scriptures, teaches us this:

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; Even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭139:7-12‬ ‭KJV‬‬

God is the one Father who will never EVER forsake us – or even let us forsake Him. I could go on and on about His loving discipline (I’ve experienced plenty of that) and how He, in His faithfulness, afflicts us, in order to turn our hearts back to Him from the clever and powerful lies of this dying world. That, however, is not the purpose of this article.

In my view, one of the most foundational passages in all of scripture, one that is a fulcrum to my understanding of salvation, is Romans 3:20-28(quoted below). I strongly believe that all Christians should memorize it.

As I was laying in bed a few nights ago, reciting that glorious passage, something caught my attention – something that’s basic and fairly obvious, but I hadn’t thought about it in the context of eternal security. It resounded in my head over and over and over again…HIS righteousness…HIS righteousness…HIS righteousness.

“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:20-28‬ ‭KJV‬‬

If I ever had any creeping doubt about the permanence of my salvation, His word waxed mighty and prevailed. I got the message, and it couldn’t be any clearer. Our salvation has NOTHING to do with our righteousness, our obedience. It’s all about faith in HIS work on the cross. HIS righteousness. HIS obedience. Thus, no matter how far we stray, no matter how much we wrestle with sin or doubt, our faith in HIS righteousness alone, saves us. Thus, we cannot bounce in and out of salvation based on our failures and unrighteousness if our salvation has NOTHING to do with our behavior. It is based solely on HIS wonderful, blessed obedience; in other words, His righteousness. His righteousness. His righteousness.

I have written another article on the horrors of antinomianism, aka cheap grace, so no one can accuse me of teaching that salvation is a license to sin. If we truly love Him and have faith in what he suffered in order to redeem us from the hell we deserve, then we will seek to honor Him with our whole heart. If we don’t feel conviction over sin and don’t grow to hate it, then chances are very slim that we are actually saved by the blood, sweat and pain of the one and only God, Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION

Any time we are grieved by our sin and are worried that we have disqualified ourselves from His great love and mercy, remember: it is finished. He paid our debt, in full, on that one great and terrible day, and as long as our faith is in His righteousness, and not our own, we can be certain that we are forever saved…and that gives my soul great comfort.

“and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1:5-6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Other Articles By This Author:

THE LOVING DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD

God Doesn’t Always Answer Our Prayers: What the Scriptures Say About Unanswered Prayer

Preach the Word Boldly, and do Not be Ashamed of Jesus Christ

“Greater works than these shall he (we) do….” What is the meaning of this scripture?

Money and the Ministry: Teachers, Preachers and Mammon

Confronting Sin: Snatching Those we love From the Flames

Favorite Scriptures #1 – The Purpose of Life: Paul’s attitude towards life in light of what Jesus Christ did for him (Philippians 3:7-14)

***Favorite Scriptures #4*** – God chose the weak and the foolish things of the world to shame the strong and the wise. ( 1 Corinthians 1:17 – 2:5)

HELL AND THE WRATH OF GOD ALMIGHTY