6 3 Eternal Security 4 Handout

Hebrews Series- Fellowship Baptist Church

Passage:            Ephesians 1:3-14

Theme:              Salvation Cannot Be Lost (Part 4)

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

2.    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

There are two other reasons why true faith is secure and they are found in Ephesians 1:3-14 

3.    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 The purpose of God was 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 The purpose of God was 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 The purpose of God was 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 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.

4.    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

Paul reviews here the steps of salvation and also 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

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

Inherent in the human nature is the tendency to break promises. 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.  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.