Is Perseverance Necessary For Salvation?

Many years ago, I was the speaker at an Easter, or Labour Weekend, Camp at Camp Columba, Pukerau. My topic was disciple-making. At one point I said how sad it is if we bring people to faith in Jesus, but we then abandon them and just let them die. New-born babies will die without protection and nurturing.

Some of the campers were so angry they packed up and went home. That was heresy. Someone born again cannot die. Once saved, always saved.

A few years ago, I worked sometimes with a person I really respect. He is a passionate Christian with boundless energy, a clear sense of mission and a great love for the Bible. He asked me to speak at one session of a camp for young people and then to be on a panel. One person asked the panellists about someone she knew who had seemed to be on fire for Jesus but had turned away completely from Christianity. She was struggling to believe that her friend really was saved.

The other panellists answered saying that it is not possible for a Christian to lose his salvation. I said nothing. Unfortunately, the camp leader asked me what I thought. I felt I was a guest at their camp and it wasn’t my place to disagree with my hosts. He insisted. I said I really respected what had been said but I had come to a different conclusion, and I didn’t really want to start a debate now. He insisted.

I said, "Well really briefly, and this is not exactly a biblical phrase, but I believe it is not about starting the race but finishing it.” He asked me what I based that on. I said, “Well, Jesus said that those who persevere to the end will be saved”.

That was the end of that discussion, but I was not asked to work with that person again.

You would think I would learn, wouldn’t you? The problem is that the same person who asked about Matthew 7 two weeks ago, also asked about:

Hebrews 10:39

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

“Those who shrink back and are destroyed”. Can a Christian lose his/her salvation? There are two camps on this. Both camps can quote Bible verses supporting their position. And both can be very passionate and sure that they are right – which I think raises three questions:

1.     How do we resolve something like that? When the Bible can be quoted to support two contradictory beliefs, how do we actually know what God is saying?

a.      I do not believe that the Bible is contradicting itself. It is more a question of whether or not we understand what is being said. Are we interpreting it properly?

2.     What is the answer? Can someone become a Christian and then stop being a Christian?

3.     It should be clear from the stories I told that people hold these views very passionately. What happens when we disagree? What should happen? What does Jesus ask of us when we agree on 99% of things but disagree on one – but that one is important to us?

I will share four passages that are most often used by people on one side of the debate, then four passages quoted by those on the other side. Wisdom would say I should stop at that point but, lacking wisdom, I will tell you what I think and then look at that passage from Hebrews.

Why do some Christians believe in “once saved, always saved” – more formally known as “eternal security’? Because of passages like these:

John 5:24

Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

Whoever believes has – present tense, already has – eternal life. Eternal life, by definition is not temporary life, so it can never be lost.

John 10:28-29

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

Philippians 1:6

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:13-14

When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.

As a bonus, Romans 8 says that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

And then on the other side…

2 Peter 2:20-22

If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.

Hebrews 6:4-6

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 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.

Romans 11:22

Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.

Or, you might think of some of Jesus’ parables. John 15, the branches that are part of the vine but are cut off; the seeds that sprout but then give up when it gets tough.

We have two lots of apparently contradictory passages. Can we choose those we like and ignore the others? How do we take them all seriously and discern what God is saying?

I am stupid enough to tell you how I understand it, but you might come to a different conclusion. The people for whom this is important have heard all the arguments and they have counterarguments. It is not as if a particular passage is so compelling that it ends the discussion. It is about interpretation; it is about faithfully trying to hear what God is saying.

There are apparently 80 or 85 warnings in the New Testament against apostacy – against falling away. Why? Why would there be that number of warnings? It strongly indicates that it is possible to fall away. And, it tells us God does not want us to do it. God wants us to be saved. He warns us and pleads with us.

Well, what about all of the other passages that say that God will complete what He has started etc? Most of those passages are about the faithfulness of God. Again, they say that God wants everyone to be saved and He will protect us; our inheritance is kept for us; God will faithfully help us to finish the race.

That is amazing! God is utterly faithful. Even though we are far less faithful, and we do stupid things, and we ignore Him and defy Him, God wants us to be saved. He keeps working calling us back, forgiving us, strengthening us, holding onto us. We can have complete confidence in God.

Some of those passages say that nothing else can snatch us out of God’s hand or separate us from God. God will hold onto us. Again, God is faithful. No one else, and nothing else, can defeat God.

We are safe! God will be faithful; no external force can separate us from God. But can we turn our backs on God? God is absolutely faithful but can we reject His love and mercy? I love all of the passages about God’s faithfulness. They give me assurance, but I think there are also many passages that say we can reject God. That is why there are so many warnings. God keeps saying, “Don’t do it”.

Again, I do not think these passages are contradictory; they are complementary. One lot of passages says God is faithful; the other lot says make sure you also remain faithful. Run the race so as to receive the prize.

So, what about the passage that started all this – Hebrews 10:39? Let’s read the whole passage, vv.19-39. We don’t have time to explore it in detail, so, as I read it look out for things like this:

1.     Is it talking about Christians? How do we know?

2.     Does it say we can have complete confidence in God?

3.     What does it encourage us to do?

4.     What does it warn us not to do?

5.     What are the consequences?

6.     What does God want? Listen for what God wants.

READ Hebrews 10:19-39

I know what I think that passage is saying but I am not going to comment any more. You come to your own conclusion. I want to comment on something else in this passage.

We are now two weeks away from Easter. That passage starts “..we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place – we have confidence to come into the very presence of God – by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body.”

We can come into the presence of God, with confidence, because Jesus died on the Cross. We can draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. We can come before God clean. How utterly incredible is that? We can come into the presence of God forgiven and confident, because Jesus died on the Cross in our place, taking our sins – paying the price.

At Easter we bow before God in utter amazement, and we rise up with overflowing gratitude. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

But look at what else this passage says about the Cross. If we choose a life of sin instead of following Jesus – if we fall out of love with Jesus and fall in love with the world – we show contempt for the Cross. We trample the Son of God underfoot. We treat as an unholy thing the blood of the Covenant that sanctified. We insult the Spirit of grace. If we know that Jesus died for us at massive cost and we say, “Who cares? I am going to do my own thing”, we take something very holy and says it is rubbish. If that is how we treat Jesus, this passage is very clear: We can expect judgement.

The writer says to the Hebrews, “You stood firm when you were suffering persecution. Don’t throw that away now”. The predominant theme of the whole of the book of Hebrews is “Keep going. Persevere.”

The predominant theme of 2 Peter is “Keep going”. It is a theme repeated many times: Keep going.

One last comment, just because I cannot help myself: look at v.23, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful”. I think that summarises the two lots of disputed passages. God is faithful. We can trust Him. Therefore, you too be faithful. We should hold unswervingly to the faith we profess because God will prove to be faithful. Keep going; God will not let us down. He will keep His promises.

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