6 3 Eternal Security 4

Hebrews Series- Fellowship Baptist Church

Passage:           Hebrews 5:11-6:12 (Part 7)

Theme: The State of the Dull and the Diligent

Proposition:      Salvation Cannot Be Lost

Please open your Bibles to Ephesians 1

Last week we began to answer to these questions—is it possible for me to do something that would cause God to remove His saving grace from my life and return me to a pre-salvation state?  Would God abandon His work of grace in my life?  Would He allow my faith to cease?

And in the process of answering these questions we looked at two passages that make it clear that the continuance of salvation in one’s life, or the continuance of faith, is the result of the continuing work of God and His grace.  We saw that true faith is secure for two reasons:

1. My faith is secure because there is nothing that can interrupt or eliminate the relationship that God has established with His children.  Romans 8

     God is on our side in spite of any who would seek to change that relationship.

     No charge can be brought before against us God because our account has been cleared (justification)

     There is no one who can condemn us before God because Christ intercedes on our behalf against accusers.

     There is absolutely no one or nothing that can end the relationship that I enjoy with God the Father.  There is nothing that would cause Him to remove His grace—therefore my faith is secure.

1. My faith is secure because God Himself has taken responsibility to complete the work of salvation in me.           Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

Philippians 1:6 – the point of Paul’s thankfulness is that they are saints who are participating in the same grace he has received.  He states that God began the work in them and God will complete it.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – Paul expresses his desire that God would continue to sanctify them and keep them blameless until Christ’s return. 

He then reminds them in verse 24 that God is faithful, that God has called them, and that God will do it.  No doubts or ifs and none of this is contingent upon their efforts.

The message of both is this: that the grace which began in the act of salvation will complete the process of sanctification.  It will not stop until we are fully sanctified (glorified)

God began the process with His grace which produced faith.  God has personally taken responsibility to finish the process and He is faithful to complete whatever He begins, therefore my faith is secure.

Today I would like for us to see two other reasons why true faith is secure and they are found in Ephesians 1:3-14        

1. My faith is secure because God’s purposes in salvation will be accomplished.  Ephesians 1:3-10

Three times Paul states that God has done something according to the purpose of His will and in each case there is a stated result of that purpose being accomplished.

Ephesians 1:5 "he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,"

What was His purpose – to make us His children by adoption.  This adoption is accomplished by His grace and was part of His plan to make us holy and blameless from eternity past.  If He removed His grace and ended His adoption, He would be undermining His own purposes.

Ephesians 1:7-9 "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ"

What was His purpose – to redeem us, to forgive us of our sins, by His grace and to reveal to us His will, His purpose.  If He removed His grace, we stand unredeemed, unforgiven, condemned and He undermines His own purposes.

Ephesians 1:11 "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,"

What was His purpose – to give to His children their inheritance.  What is this inheritance?  It is our hope in Christ:  the reality of our resurrected bodies and our future with Him in eternity.  If He removed His grace and cancelled our inheritance, He would be undermining His own purposes.

Something else that is even more important here that I have not shown you is the result of His purpose being accomplished.  In each case, as God’s purpose is accomplished, there is a wonderful result:

            v. 6 – to the praise of His glorious grace

            v. 10 – to unite all things in Him (Christ)

            v. 14 – to the praise of His glory

What is at stake in each of these purposes is the praise and exaltation of God.  His name and reputation is on the line.  If there is something that God is concerned about it is His name and His praise.  God despises any activity that detracts from His glory or sullies His name.  My faith is secure because His name will be exalted and praised as His purposes are accomplished.

1. My faith is secure because God personally guarantees the transaction of redemption will be completed.  Ephesians 1:11-14, 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22

Look with me at verse 13.  Here Paul describes for us the act of salvation.  You heard the gospel and you believed.  We have already seen that the belief is a result of God’s grace.  In fact, that is what Paul has established in the previous verses. 

But now Paul states something that is simply amazing!

At the time the act of salvation occurred, God did something else.  Paul tells us that God sealed us with the promised Holy Spirit.  He also tells us that the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.

What does this mean?

Paul wants us to understand how secure our salvation really is and uses two illustrations.

Sealed – the use of a signet ring or other stamp in wax to signify 4 things:

Security – what was done has not been changed

                 Ownership – who it belongs to

                 Authenticity – who sent it or authorized it

Authority – one who acted with the orders under seal carried the authority of the one who gave the order

And what is the seal of security, ownership, authenticity, and authority?  The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead.

                        Guarantee – a down payment, earnest money

It is human nature to break promises. Governments make and break promises. Advertisers and politicians make and break promises. Employers and employees, preachers and church members, parents and children, husbands and wives, and friends and relatives all make promises to each other which often are broken. Some are made with the best of intentions, and some are made in order to deceive and exploit. But all of us find ourselves both making and receiving promises that, for whatever reason, do not materialize.[1]

It is for this reason that we require down payments when we have a major transaction.  We don’t trust that the other person will come through with their part of the bargain.

In this case the transaction has a unique guarantee of payment—the Holy Spirit. 

Now no money is actually exchanging hands and ultimately there is no giant cash register in heaven.

But Paul’s point is clear—God will finish the process of salvation, our hope in Christ is not futile.  God Himself personally guarantees that my hope will be realized and therefore my faith is secure.

There are other passages we could look at that also demonstrate that salvation cannot be lost but I think these have made the point.

The faith that is required for salvation is a product of God’s grace and the continuance and completion of that faith is also a product of God’s grace.  True faith is secure.

Believer – encouraged?  Motivated?

Unbeliever – interested? Ready?

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[1]MacArthur, J. (1996, c1986). Ephesians. Includes indexes. Chicago: Moody Press.