Security of Believer; Distinctives; Testimony (3)

Security of the Believer

We believe that God’s gracious gift of salvation--coming through faith apart from any work on man’s part--cannot be lost, taken away or undone. We believe sin will hinder a believer’s fellowship with God, but will not remove him or her from God’s kingdom or family. When a believer sins, they do not need to be saved again. Rather, they need to confess their sin to God their Father who will forgive, cleanse and restore them. - Distinctive of EFBC

We believe God’s gracious gift of salvation

We already talked about salvation being a grace gift of God.

What does GRACE mean?

Grace is giving what is undeserved (life).

What does MERCY mean?

Mercy is not giving what is deserved (death).

Romans 3:23–24 NIV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:23 NIV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 5:15–16 (NIV84) ...But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.

coming through faith apart from any work on man’s part

This is an essential to the gospel.

If salvation were dependent us earning, or performing, than Jesus’ sacrifice was naught.

The point of Jesus’ sacrifice was that we could not help ourselves. There was nothing we could do to be saved.

John 6:47 (NIV84) ...I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.

Romans 3:19–24 (NIV84) ...Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:28 (NIV84) ...For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

Romans 4:2–8 NIV

If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Romans 5:6 (NIV84) ...You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless (NASB - helpless), Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 10:2–4 (NIV84) ...For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Galatians 2:15–16 (NIV84) ...“We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 2:21 NIV

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

cannot be lost, taken away or undone

Romans 4:16 (NIV84) ...Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

Romans 8:31–39 (NIV84) ...What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 10:28–30 NIV

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Ephesians 1:13–14 (NIV84) ...And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

What about those passages that appear to speak of losing salvation? What about those individuals that we have seen walk away from the faith?

Matthew 13:18–23 NIV

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Matthew 13:24–30 NIV

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

Acts 20:30 NIV

Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

1 John 2:19 NIV

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

From these passages, we conclude that there are, and will be more and more who “appear” to be believers. They have a response to the good news of Jesus Christ, but it is not of true faith which is on going. There is some mental assent, even possibly accompanied by some works. However, their long-term actions and fruit show they were never really a part of the body of Christ. How can we tell? There is no hard and fast rule given to us by scripture. Rather, like these passages indicate, it will be shown in time.

What does the name ‘eternal’ life communicate?

Sin will hinder a believer’s fellowship with god

Even as believers, we will sin.

We are still in a fallen body, with a fallen mind, and fallen desires. There is a spiritual battle going on between our old fleshly desires, and the desires of the Spirit who is now residing in us. Sadly, there are times that we fail to yield to the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16–26 (NIV84) ...So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Romans 7:14–20 (NIV84) ...We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Romans 7:21–25 NIV

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

1 John 1:6 (NIV84) ...If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

It will result in the loss of rewards, though it is expressly stated they will still be saved.

1 Corinthians 3:10–15 NIV

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

And, they will be disciplined by the Father.

Hebrews 12:4–11 NIV

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

they do not need to be saved again

Actually, the scriptures state it is impossible to be be saved ‘again’. Jesus does not pay for us twice.

Hebrews 6:4–9 NIV

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation.

Hebrews 10:26 (NIV84) ...If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,

need to confess sin to God

If someone is a believer, and they sin, we are to exhort them, and encourage them to confess their sins.

1 John 1:9 NIV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Galatians 6:1 (NIV84) ...Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Hebrews 3:13–14 (NIV84) ...But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

James 5:19–20 (NIV84) ...My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

The remedy for the believer who sins is to confess to God. This is not being saved again. Rather, it is the restoration to fellowship with the Father, who promises to forgive and restore the one who confesses.

1 John 1:9 (NIV84) ...If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

How does the nature of salvation speak to the security of the believer?

Memory Verses:

1 John 1:6-9

What is Your Testimony

Guidelines for Preparing a Personal Testimony

1. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and guidance as you write (James 1:5,6).

2. Break your testimony into thirds:

a. Your life before your decision to receive Christ.

b. The decision itself: how did it occur; what thoughts were going through your mind; what were the circumstances; was any verse of Scripture speaking to you, etc.

c. The practical impacts which the decision has had on your life, your family, job, attitude, personality, relationships in general, etc.

3. Begin with an interesting, attention-getting sentence and close with a good conclusion. Consider what unbelievers you know talk about, or struggles they face. What struggles have you faced? How did you struggle before Christ? How has knowing Christ changed your life? What did you think being accepted by God required before you were saved? How has knowing salvation by grace changed your life?

4. Present your testimony in such a way that others can feel with you in past and present experiences, but avoid the tendency to dwell on the past. Express clearly your present experiences of walking with Christ and the joy of the Christian life.

5. Use Scripture verses naturally in your testimony.

6. This testimony will be a “practice session” for a future opportunity to share your testimony with a non-Christian. Work at including facts which would help a non-Christian know the basic facts of the gospel:

Recognition of sin and the inability to reach God by one’s own effort

Recognition that Jesus Christ died for each person’s sin and thus made a way to God

Receiving Jesus by believing that He, God, died for our sins, and rose from the dead!

Assurance of God’s promise to forgive and save those who believe.

7. Enjoy working on your testimony! As you’re writing your testimony, give God praise and thank Him often for what He has already done in your life, what He is currently doing, and what He will do in the future.

8. Share it with loving enthusiasm in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

9. When sharing a personal testimony it is best to avoid:

a. Mentioning church denominations, especially in a derogatory way, or speaking critically or negatively about any other individual or group.

b. Giving the impression that the Christian life is “a bed of roses.” Let it be known that while there are difficulties, the Lord is the One who is with us.

Testimony Worksheet

INTRODUCTORY SENTENCE:

BEFORE I RECEIVED CHRIST I LIVED AND THOUGHT THIS WAY:

HOW I RECEIVED CHRIST:

AFTER I RECEIVED CHRIST THESE CHANGES TOOK PLACE:

CONCLUDING STATEMENT (and favorite Scripture verse for a Christian audience):

Distinctives

We have already seen our church’s distinctives of Interpretation, End-times, and Eternal Security. All of our distinctives come naturally from our method of interpretation.

There are a couple we have not yet covered.

God’s Omniscience

As stated in our Confession of Faith, God has “limitless knowledge”. God has complete and perfect knowledge of all things. This includes all things that are possible, as well as, all things that are actual in the past, present, and future. God exercises His perfect knowledge in a perfect manner consistently with His other divine attributes--including: holiness, goodness, justice, and love--for His own glory and the good of His creation. This is infinite wisdom.

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”” (Romans 11:33–34, NIV) (See also: Psalm 139:6; Psalm 145:5; Isaiah 40:28).

Genesis: Creation & Flood

We affirm using the normal, literal, interpretation of the first book of the Bible, Genesis. We do not accept Genre Hermeneutics which claim certain genres in scripture should be treated allegorically. Rather, using the normal, literal interpretation, we see Genesis as an historical account, which serves as the foundation for all of scripture.

We affirm the Creation account found in Genesis 1 & 2 is a literal, historical account, as is also the interpretation of the original audience as seen Exodus 31:12-17, when the six days to work and the Sabbath rest is defined as a week based upon God’s creative work. Furthermore, we believe the literal, grammatical and historical understanding of the word ‘day’ in Genesis 1 is a 24-hour period. This is seen in every use of the word ‘day’ when it occurs with an ordinal in Hebrew, as well as the use of ‘evening and morning’.

Additionally, we believe Adam was literally the first man, who along with the first woman, Eve, were created in God’s image, apart from evolutionary processes. Thus, we believe and will teach God created the universe out of nothing by spoken decree, including the Earth and all life therein, according to their kinds, in 6 literal, consecutive, 24-hour days, apart from processes of evolution, and ‘rested’ from His creative work on the 7th day.

We also affirm that Genesis 6-9 is an historical account of the global flood which God brought upon the whole earth--literally covering the entire face of the earth, not a local region--as a judgment for man’s wickedness (Genesis 6:5-6), destroying everything that lived on dry land save for the persons, animals and birds kept alive in the ark (Genesis 7:11-24).

In these historical accounts, which are referenced by Jesus himself, we find the foundational understanding concerning purpose for life, why there is evil in this world, the fact of our separation from a Holy God due to sin, and the hope which God alone provides through his mercy and grace in the salvation which is found in Christ alone!

Marriage

As defined in EFBC By-laws, Article V:

In keeping with the second statement of our Confession of Faith, we view the Bible as God’s authoritative revelation by which we judge every realm of knowledge and endeavor, including marriage. It must be believed, obeyed and trusted regarding marriage.

We believe, based on the teaching of the Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments, that marriage is the original and foundational institution of human society, established by God as a one-flesh, covenantal union between a man and a woman that is life-long (until separated by death), exclusive (monogamous and faithful), and generative in nature (designed for bearing and rearing children), and it is to reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church. It was first instituted by God in the early chapters of Genesis, codified in the Levitical law, the Old Testament prophets compared it to a relationship between God and his people, examples of it are in the historical narratives, and, the wisdom literature discusses the unique unity of this relationship. Jesus explained the original intention and core elements of marriage, and several New Testament Epistles give explicit instructions on this union.

Human Sexuality

Our views of this issue flow from our commitment to God (Dt. 6:5; Matt. 22:37-38) and to His Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17; cf. Dt.32:45-47; Matt. 4:4), as expressed in the first two articles of our Statement of Faith. God created human beings as male and female (Gen. 1:27). The complementary, relational nature of the human race as “male and female” reflects the created order given by God when He created human beings “in His image” (Gen. 1:26-27; 5:1, 3; 9:6; 1 Cor. 11:7; Jms. 3:9; cf. Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 4:23-24; Col. 3:10). It is with joy in our finitude that we are to receive the gift of being either male or female, genders according to their biological physiology. Scripture grants these two genders and two life-enhancing options for sexual behavior: monogamous marital relations between one man and one woman (Gen. 1:27-28; 2:18, 21-24; Matt. 19:4-6; Mk. 10:5-8; cf. Heb. 13:4) or sexual celibacy (1 Cor. 7:7; Matt. 19:12). Either is a gift from God, given as He wills for His glory and the good of those who receive and rejoice in His gift to them.

Everything, from our environment to our bodily genetic code, has been ravaged by sin and the fall (Gen. 3; Rom. 3:23; 5:12). We all have desires to do and be what is contrary to what our God and Creator intended for us to be and do when He created us in His image. This is called the sin nature, or sinful flesh, in the scriptures. Every desire which is contrary to what God has revealed as right and good is sinful (Rom. 1:18-32; Rom. 2:8; Eph. 2:1-3; James 1:13). Desire and feelings are not a proper basis for determining what is right or wrong. Only God and His Word is the source of truth (John 17:17). Therefore, whatever one may claim as the source of transgenderism, gender disphoria, gender fluidity, homosexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality, pedophilia, or other identities, attractions and sexualities that are not in line with God’s revealed, created order (biblical male and female gender and monogamous marital relations between one man and one woman) are not what God intends and so do not render self-indicated gender identity, nor self-designated sexual orientations and behavior appropriate, nor legitimate. Self-identification as a gender or sexual orientation contrary to God’s created order is, in fact, a part of one’s sinful nature, and when acted upon is sinful, as indicated in the scriptures (Gen. 19:4–11 [cf. 2 Pet. 2:6-7; Jude 7]; Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Deut. 22:5; Judges 19:22-25; Rom. 1:24–27; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; 1 Tim. 1:8-11).

The gospel is full of grace and truth. In light of our sin, it is God’s offer of grace and forgiveness to sinners as well as a call to live a holy life. It empowers us in the struggle to resist sin, including the sins of self-identified gender and self-approved, unbiblical sexual practices (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Eph. 4:20-24; 1 Thess. 4:3-8; Tit. 2:11-13). We share this gospel with everyone in love, hoping that they will repent of their sin, and find peace with God.

As believers, we are called to relinquish our old sinful identities, proclivities, and behaviors, and to embrace our new identity as a person who has been washed, sanctified, and justified “in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:4-10; cf. 1 Cor. 6:9-11). We are called to live holy, righteous lives, as children of our Holy, Righteous, Gracious Father, who judges all men impartially; leaving behind the sinful way of life handed down to us by our forebears and the culture that wants to conform us into its image (1 Pet. 1:14-21; Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 2:24). This is for all aspects of our sinful nature, including those related to lust, pornography, promiscuity, cohabitation, adultery, gender-identity and sexual orientation.

Our recognition of both our sex as male or female as a gift from God and the ravages of sin upon this world dictates that we cannot support or affirm (Rom. 1:32; Rom. 2:8; 1 Cor. 13:6; 2 Thess. 2:12) what the culture of the world proposes as the resolution of tension between a person's biological sex and experience of gender dysphoria by the adoption of a psychological identity discordant with that person’s birth sex, nor can we support or affirm attempts to change via medical intervention one's given biological birth sex in favor of the identity of the opposite sex or of an indeterminate identity, nor can we support or affirm what our culture wants to call proper sexual relations and/or marriage when it is not the monogamous union of a (biblically defined) man and woman.