Sermon Tone Analysis

Perseverance of the Saints

How do we come to understand this doctrine?

It is a defining doctrine that is held within the Southern Baptist Church.

If someone were to ask “what makes a southern baptist different from other evangelical Christians?”

What would be your answer?

Or “Why are you Southern Baptist?”

Autonomous churches partnering for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Baptism by immersion following salvation.

The Security of Salvation.

Perseverance of the Saints.

Once Saved Always Saved.

This last point is part of what we are focused on today.

What does the SBC Say about this?

IV.

Salvation

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer.

In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.

There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus.

It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.

Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God.

Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.

B. Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ.

Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.

C. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him.

Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.

D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

V. God’s Purpose of Grace

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners.

It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end.

It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable.

It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

All true believers endure to the end.

Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.

Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

These are both supported by a tremendous amount of Scripture that is easily accessible with the Baptist Faith & Message.

So what does this mean?

There is a range of belief that occurs within the Southern Baptist Church.

(caused from the merging of general baptist churches and particular baptist churches)

It has been narrowed from general to particular to traditionalists to calvinists.

This comes down to disagreements in definition of terms in the previous statements, as well as order.

What I love these faith statements, is that I find them to be extremely faithful, without needing any further explanation or defining.

Consider the first part of this again: Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners.

It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end.

It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable.

It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

I believe this statement is supported by Scripture, and further attempts to narrow this understanding one way or another provides difficulties.

Overemphasis on election is not consistent with man’s free agency, and overemphasis on man’s free agency is not consistent with election.

I think this is best seen through examining Romans 8

Glorification of all that are Saved

D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

This is the state at which we are made perfect.

The work that God began in us is complete.

This will not happen until we enter eternity, but is our goal in this life.

In Everyday Life

Motivation

The fact that the saints will persevere does not excuse us from a Christian life, rather it demands us to live one.

The promise is that true Christians will endure.

This means the greatest motivation that we have is to strive for our ultimate goal of glorification.

Scripture speaks to us in such a way.

It is VITAL that we understand and teach:

It is NOT: “Since God has saved you from the consequences of sin it really doesn’t matter how you live.”

It IS: “Because God has saved you from the consequences of sin, your obedience to him and submission to his will should be your highest priority.

Commitment

How committed are you?

Expressed through regular practices of obedience and edification.

Bible Study

Prayer

Involvement in the Local Church

Great Commission work

Hope

What is the hope you have?

Confidence

What is your confidence in?

“I’ve Got Confidence”

Fearlessness

We should not fear Psalm 46:2

Why?

Sacrifice

We all make sacrifices… What are you sacrificing for?

Perspective

It is easy to lose perspective.