Eternal Security in John

Intro

Greeting: Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas season. Today, we are here to discuss a topic that I has been on my heart for maybe the last 10 years or so. This topic is of whether a Christian can lose their salvation. 10 years ago I was in high school, going through the youth group here at Bear Valley Church. And going through the group I was fairly certain that someone could not lose their saved status with God, after all we are saved not by our works. Yet as I would go to camps I would see not just in myself but others a sense of short term motivation to live as a Christian. I would here an inspiring summer camp series, make a spiritual resolution and see this to be really just a camp spiritual high. As I grew older, I began to see some of my peers begin to either fall away due to a secular lifestyle or simply rejecting the faith and becoming an atheist for example. These where people who I watched make professions of faith and get baptized, live a similar life as myself. Situations like this cause many Christians to ask if they can lose their salvation. Do you not see yourself fail goals you set for yourself? What if the goal you fail to meet is to stay faithful to Christ? As we get into the new year, I get the privilege of address the important question: “Can a true believer in Jesus Christ lose their salvation? Is there a way that you can reject Christ after already being saved and lose your righteous standing before God?”

Overview: Today we will be taking you through the Gospel of John’s answer to this question. This is an important section of the scriptures for this topic, giving us the basic answers from Jesus on eternal security. I would love to address Paul’s teaching on eternal security or the potential problem passages in Hebrews, but today we are focusing on the basic foundational passages that explain how a true believer can never lose their salvation.

Today we will be going through 5 key sections from the Gospel of John so that you might be convinced being a shadow of a doubt that those once saved are always saved. Two Reminders before we get started:

We want the answer to be eternal security. For example: Have you ever talked to someone who believes that the bible supports drug use? Now here’s the thing: this is a fair discussion I would love to have. But not with someone who does drugs because they will make the Bible mean what they want. We live in a world where feelings are truth, and what I want is what I will see in the Bible. We cannot let that cloud or skew our judgment of the text.

The bible is very clear that a believer cannot lose their salvation. That being said, there are some difficult passages that you will be faced with that at first read seem to challenge this truth we hold. Hebrews 6:4-6 is one example of this. The Point is this: this is way too important of an issue to just blindly hope that Bear Valley Church is correct.

Hebrews 6:4–6 ESV

4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

Let’s Pray that we would see the truth in John’s Gospel for the topic of security

Reason #1: Eternal Life is Eternal

This is the simple starting point for the conversation on eternal security

A young Christian asks you, your saved child asks you, this is the answer

John 3:36 ESV

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Two Points

Eternal Life

Eternal Study: This is a time word

Illustration: This car will keep you safe forever, you will not die driving this car. Unless you get into a car accident

There is no possibility given that this is not actual eternal life

Two Reasons this verse is important for this conversation

Wrath of God

What is the tense of the first line? Past, Present, Future?

Eternal Life is not eternal life if it can be lost

John 3:16 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should probably not perish but maybe have eternal life.

Other Religions: Mormons, Muslims, even Roman Catholics

Welcome to the opportunity to try to get eternal life!!

Present Continuous

Why this argument does not work

My own example: I believe I became a Christian at a young age, let’s say for example, I believed in the Gospel when I was 7 years old. I have continued to believe till now.

Question: Can a person believe in the Gospel, and then live however they desire, turn away from God, and go to heaven?

Reason #2: Jesus is Faithful

John 6:37–40 ESV

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Context:

Miracle of Feeing the Five Thousand

John 6:26 ESV

26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

Those the Father gives Jesus will not be cast out (Vs. 37)

Not - Not in the greek

Jesus to do the will of the Father (v.38)

Vs. 39-40 explain what Jesus will 100% accomplish

Lose Nothing but raise it up

Read that again “lose nothing”

Explicit statement that all believers will make it to glorification and be raised on the last day

All who believe should have eternal life, and be raised on the last day

Practical Terms:

When you become a true believer, vs. 37 explains that Father has actually given you to be kept by Christ.

Vs. 38 explains that Christ has come to obey the Father

What does the Father want to happen, for you to go from becoming a Christian all the way to the resurrection of believers.

Christ is responsible for carrying out the Father’s wishes and making sure this happens

Moment to Reflect

The fear of losing your salvation generally comes from self awareness

You know who you are and your tendencies

Could you not see yourself spiraling into a certain sin and decide to reject God?

Could you not see yourself being persuaded or convinced to follow something other than Christ?

Have you not seen yourself set goals that you were not consistent enough to achieve

Why can I stand before you and guarantee that if you are a true Christian you cannot lose your salvation?

It is entirely rooted in Christ’s faithfulness

Losing your salvation is as possible as Jesus disobeying God the Father

Reason #3: True Disciples Remain

John 8:31–32 (ESV)

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Those who abide are true disciples

Those who remain in the faith and continue to follow God

The bible allows for only two possibilities, once saved always saved, or never saved.

The bible warns about those who appear to be disciples but are not

John 2:23–25 ESV

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

The bible consistently commands believers to the show themselves to be true believers by persevering in the faith

It is better to talk about this entire subject of security by using the phrase perseverance of the saints

A major reason why this eternal security debate is even common: The American Church has such a superficial view of being a Christian. Many people are convinced they are saved through making a profession of faith when they were younger or wrote down a date in their bibles.

One of the great dangers of preaching on eternal security is for me to assure someone that the will never lose a salvation that they never had

As a preacher, I must warn you: A large portion of the American church today is made up of superficial believers in Christ who are not saved. Similar to those in John’s Gospel, they might enjoy a connection to the church, maybe want their kids to have morals, or enjoy a sense of community.

If you are a superficial believer in Jesus, please do not convince yourself that you have eternal life. Please do not fall into a false sense of security because you are around Christians or hear Christian teaching or have a intellectual belief in Jesus. Repent of your old life and turn to trust in Jesus Christ. ‘

To summarize, the Gospels are very aware of people who claim to believe and fall away. Jesus puts them in a category of never believing.

Reason #4: God will keep His sheep

John 10:27–30 ESV

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Verse 27:

Our works based security friends love to stretch this verse saying

Only those who hear are secure

Are you actually following Jesus?

This totally ignores the analogy Jesus is using

Preston example:

Verse 28:

Eternal Life

Never Perish

Not Not

Never Snatch out of my hand

Argument for Losing your salvation

“No one can remove you from the flock, but you can remove yourself.”

Sidenote: John 6, it is not about you

Exact same argument you hear in response to Romans 8 where nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Nothing except yourself

Can you yourself remove yourself from God’s hand?

“Never perish” is not given a qualification

Reason #5: God chose believers to persevere

John 15:5–6 (ESV)

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Basics of this Section:

Christ is the vine, you are the branches

Two options: abide or not abide

Two Ways of Seeing this illustration:

Every branch in the vine is a true believer, and a warning is given to abide, and not lose salvation

Every branch in the vine has at least some connection to Christ, yet true believers will be shown by their fruit and abiding.

Isaiah 5:1–5 ESV

1 Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

John 15:8 ESV

8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

This verse implies that not all in the vine are true disciples

John 15:16 ESV

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

God’s sovereignly controls all things

This includes believers not falling away

True believers have been chosen that their fruit would abide

Such a great concluding spot to the study

If there is any choice on our end, we will fail. If you can choose to persevere or choose to fall away, your sinful self with choose destruction.

Conclusion

Summary

5 Reasons that true believers are secure

Eternal life is eternal (John 3:36)

Jesus is faithful (John 6:37-40)

True disciples remain (John 8:31)

God will keep His sheep (John 10:28-29)

God chose believers to persevere (John 15:16)

3 Closing Points

Understand that many who claim Christ in the church today are superficial believers and will not receive eternal life.

Stay Faithful

Rest in the truth that security lies not in your own faithfulness but in the faithfulness of Christ.