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Secure In The Arms
Of God
By Grant Phillips
I do not understand
for the life of me
why some Christians
get so upset when
another Christian
says they believe in
the eternal security
of their soul; i.e.
once saved, always
saved. The only
explanation that
comes to mind, is
the innate desire of
mankind to take
credit for his own
good fortune. Any
other time, the
“credit” is passed
on to someone else,
usually God. For
example, if
sickness, death, job
loss, no job
promotion, financial
problems, family
problems, the car
breaks down, sin,
lost love, rotten
children, weeds in
the lawn, roof leak,
nagging spouse,
in-laws, out-laws,
snow, rain, and
other “misfortunes”
occur, we are quick
to blame God. But if
the good things come
our way, it is
because we have done
such a great job,
e.g. salvation.
I do believe in
eternal security;
i.e. “once saved,
always saved”. Those
who do not believe
in eternity security
argue against an
“easy believe-ism”,
and I agree. There
is no such thing as
“easy believe-ism”.
Does our opinion
really matter
though? What really
matters is what the
Bible says. So let’s
take a look.
There are three
falsehoods I would
like to address
about this issue.
1. To become a
Christian is easy,
just say, “I
believe”, and you’re
in.
2. “Once saved,
always saved” gives
the Christian a
license to sin.
3. A “Christian” can
lose his/her
salvation.
TO BECOME A
CHRISTIAN IS EASY,
JUST SAY, “I
BELIEVE”, AND YOU’RE
IN.
This usually comes
from Acts 16:31
which says, “And
they said, Believe
on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and
thy house.”
Scripture MUST be
compared with
Scripture. So let’s
look at a few
others. “And Jesus
said unto him, No
man, having put his
hand to the plough,
and looking back, is
fit for the kingdom
of God.” (Luke 9:62)
“If ye love me, keep
my commandments.”
(John 14:15) “Ye are
my friends, if ye do
whatsoever I command
you.” (John 15:14)
“Then said Jesus
unto his disciples,
If any man will come
after me, let him
deny himself, and
take up his cross,
and follow me.”
(Matthew 16:24) “And
he said to them all,
If any man will come
after me, let him
deny himself, and
take up his cross
daily, and follow
me.” (Luke 9:23) “My
sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and
they follow me:”
(John 10:27) “If any
man serve me, let
him follow me; and
where I am, there
shall also my
servant be: if any
man serve me, him
will my Father
honour.” John 12:26)
I can assure you
that this is a
miniscule sampling
of verses.
It is not a matter
of just saying, “I
believe”. The Lord
says in James 2:19,
“Thou believest that
there is one God;
thou doest well: the
devils also believe,
and tremble.” It is
all about a
“repentant” heart,
for “The heart is
deceitful above all
things, and
desperately wicked:
who can know it?”
(Jeremiah 17:9)
Notice the following
passage, “The
Pharisee stood and
prayed thus with
himself, God, I
thank thee, that I
am not as other men
are, extortioners,
unjust, adulterers,
or even as this
publican[tax
collector]. I fast
twice in the week, I
give tithes of all
that I possess. And
the publican,
standing afar off,
would not lift up so
much as his eyes
unto heaven, but
smote upon his
breast, saying, God
be merciful to me a
sinner. I tell you,
this man went down
to his house
justified rather
than the other: for
every one that
exalteth himself
shall be abased; and
he that humbleth
himself shall be
exalted.” (Luke
18:11-14) The
publican had a
changed heart and
cried out to God in
true repentance. The
Pharisee did not.
Neither can one be
saved by works, for
the Scripture says
“Not by works of
righteousness which
we have done, but
according to his
mercy he saved us,
by the washing of
regeneration, and
renewing of the Holy
Spirit;” (Titus 3:5)
Also, notice
Ephesians 2:8-9,
“For by grace are ye
saved through faith;
and that not of
yourselves: it is
the gift of God: Not
of works, lest any
man should boast.”
Some become confused
when comparing what
Paul and James say
about faith, but
there is NO
CONTRADICTION IN
SCRIPTURE. All
Scripture is the
Word of God in
written form. “For
the prophecy came
not in old time by
the will of man: but
holy men of God
spake as they were
moved by the Holy
Spirit” (2 Peter
1:21) “All scripture
is given by
inspiration of God,
and is profitable
for doctrine, for
reproof, for
correction, for
instruction in
righteousness:” (2
Timothy 3:16)
James says, “Even so
faith, if it hath
not works, is dead,
being alone. Yea, a
man may say, Thou
hast faith, and I
have works: shew me
thy faith without
thy works, and I
will shew thee my
faith by my works.”
(James 2:17-18) “But
wilt thou know, O
vain man, that faith
without works is
dead?” (James 2:20)
“Ye see then how
that by works a man
is justified, and
not by faith only.”
(James 2:24) “For as
the body without the
spirit is dead, so
faith without works
is dead also.”
(James 2:26) The
Holy Spirit, through
James, is simply
making it very clear
that there is no
such thing as “easy
believe-ism”. Jesus,
Paul, James, and
others make two
things very clear:
1. Our works do not
save us, but
2. if we are truly
saved, we will
produce good works
via the Holy Spirit
living within us.
Paul makes it clear,
when speaking of
faith, that God
assures the way is
not blocked to His
Son, except by a
non-repentant heart.
Simply “Believe on
the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou
shalt be saved and
thy house.” (Acts
16:31) In this
respect, it is easy
to believe, but only
from a repentant
heart. James expands
the same doctrine to
say that true belief
will be verified by
works. If the faith
is genuine, it will
produce good works
by the power of the
Holy Spirit who
lives within the new
believer. If the
faith is not
genuine, only
corrupt works
devised by human
effort will exist,
if there be any at
all.
So it boils down to
this, “genuine
faith”. If your
faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ is
genuine, you will
follow Him. If your
faith in Him is not
genuine, you will
not follow Him.
“ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS
SAVED” GIVES THE
CHRISTIAN A LICENSE
TO SIN:
Some believe that
“once saved, always
saved” gives
Christians a license
to sin as often as
they like without
any repercussions.
That is not so. I
agree wholeheartedly
with others who are
opposed to this
Devil’s lie. The
Apostle Paul
addressed this very
subject in Romans
chapter six. “What
shall we say then?
Shall we continue in
sin, that grace may
abound? God forbid.
How shall we, that
are dead to sin,
live any longer
therein? (verses
1-2) For he that is
dead is freed from
sin. (verse 7) Let
not sin therefore
reign in your mortal
body, that ye should
obey it in the lusts
thereof. Neither
yield ye your
members as
instruments of
unrighteousness unto
sin: but yield
yourselves unto God,
as those that are
alive from the dead,
and your members as
instruments of
righteousness unto
God. For sin shall
not have dominion
over you: for ye are
not under the law,
but under grace.
What then? shall we
sin, because we are
not under the law,
but under grace? God
forbid.” (verses
12-15) Romans
chapter six should
be read in its
entirety.
Paul says in 1
Corinthians 6:12,
19-20, “All things
are lawful unto me,
but all things are
not expedient: all
things are lawful
for me, but I will
not be brought under
the power of any.
What? know ye not
that your body is
the temple of the
Holy Spirit which is
in you, which ye
have of God, and ye
are not your own?
For ye are bought
with a price:
therefore glorify
God in your body,
and in your spirit,
which are God's.” He
adds in Galatians
2:17, “But if, while
we seek to be
justified by Christ,
we ourselves also
are found sinners,
is therefore Christ
the minister of sin?
God forbid.” And
Galatians 6:14, “But
God forbid that I
should glory, save
in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is
crucified unto me,
and I unto the
world.”
It is abundantly
evident that “once
saved, always saved”
is NOT a license to
sin. Anyone who
would come to Christ
with the attitude
that they can say a
few magic words and
then live as they
please, is not
saved. They are
still in their sins,
and just as lost as
they ever were.
Their faith was not
genuine. It is a
mockery. Any person
who says they are a
Christian and thinks
they have a license
to sin because they
can never be lost,
is not a Christian
at all, and never
has been. They need
desperately to come
to the Lord Jesus
Christ, with the
right attitude, a
repentant heart, and
be saved.
Do Christians sin?
Of course we do. We
still live in this
body of sin. Read
Romans chapter
seven. But a real
Christian desires
freedom FROM sin,
not freedom TO sin.
His/her pleasure is
to please the Lord
and be in the
Father’s will,
desperately seeking
the guidance of the
Holy Spirit Who
lives within
him/her.
Also keep these
verses in mind, “You
should know in your
heart that as a man
chastens his son, so
the Lord your God
chastens you.”
(Deuteronomy 8:5)
and “For whom the
LORD loves He
chastens, And
scourges every son
whom He receives.”
(Hebrews 12:6)
(These verses can
also be applied to
the next heading, “A
Christian Can Lose
His/Her Salvation”.)
Our Father is not an
“Indian giver”. He
is not going to take
away something, i.e.
salvation, that He
has given us, but He
will chasten
(discipline) His own
children if
necessary.
A CHRISTIAN CAN LOSE
HIS/HER SALVATION:
If this were true,
and it is not, how
many sins would you
have to commit to
lose your salvation?
Would it matter as
to the type of sin?
Which one would “put
you over the edge”?
These are all
ridiculous questions
of course, since
there is no truth in
the basis.
Jesus said in John
10:27-30, “My sheep
hear my voice, and I
know them, and they
follow me: And I
give unto them
eternal life; and
they shall never
perish, neither
shall any man pluck
them out of my hand.
My Father, which
gave them me, is
greater than all;
and no man is able
to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. I
and my Father are
one.”
Jesus says that He
gives His sheep
eternal life. From
Strong’s Lexicon,
“eternal” means:
1) without beginning
and end, that which
always has been and
always will be
2) without beginning
3) without end,
never to cease,
everlasting
Jesus’ sheep receive
life that will carry
them through
eternity, because it
is eternal
(everlasting). It
does not end. Since
this life comes from
God, it is without
beginning and end.
It has always been
and always will be.
It has no end. It
never ceases. It is
everlasting. Jesus
gives this eternal
life to those who
come to Him in true
repentance, seeking
forgiveness of their
sins and willing to
follow Him.
Jesus also makes it
crystal clear that
His sheep shall
never perish. No man
can remove His sheep
from His or the
Father’s hand. His
Father is greater
than all, and He and
His Father are One.
To say that a true
child of God,
Christ’s sheep, a
true Christian, can
lose his/her
salvation, is to
question the
omnipotence of God,
to put it mildly. To
make such a
preposterous claim
is to announce your
supremacy over God
Himself. This
teaching is straight
from the prideful
heart of Satan.
Satan wants to
dethrone God, and
what better way than
to make mankind
believe that God
just doesn’t have
the power to keep
what belongs to Him.
God has sealed every
believer with the
Holy Spirit,
guaranteeing our
security as a child
of God, and
guaranteeing our
home with Him in
eternity. “And do
not grieve the Holy
Spirit of God, with
whom you were sealed
for the day of
redemption.”
(Ephesians 4:30)
“Now it is God who
makes both us and
you stand firm in
Christ. He anointed
us, set his seal of
ownership on us, and
put his Spirit in
our hearts as a
deposit,
guaranteeing what is
to come.” (2
Corinthians 1:21-22)
“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.” (Ephesians
1:13-14) “Now it is
God who has made us
for this very
purpose and has
given us the Spirit
as a deposit,
guaranteeing what is
to come.” (2
Corinthians 5:5)
Again, God performs
the work in us. We
are helpless without
Him. We, His
children, succeed,
because He sees to
it that we do, just
as good earthly
parents try to lead
their children to
succeed in life.
Unfortunately,
sometimes earthly
parents fail, but
God cannot fail,
because He is God,
and He has the means
to assure victory in
all of His children.
The Holy Spirit is
our seal, our
guarantee. God
cannot and will not
allow even one of
His own to be stolen
away by Satan or
man.
Satan tried to
convince Adam and
Eve that they could
be greater than God.
Now he is working on
the rest of us. Can
we actually believe
that we, mortal man,
can take away from
God that which
belongs to Him?
Jesus was very clear
about this. His
sheep are His own,
and no power could
remove them from His
protective hand. He
is the Almighty God
on high. (John
10:29-30)
Folks, think about
this. Better yet,
pray about it. If
you can’t see what
Jesus is clearly
saying, ask Him to
open your eyes to
the truth. These
verses are
indisputable in
their meaning and
clarity.
To be so
“in-your-face” as to
think we can sin all
we want and laugh at
God while doing so,
would be unthinkable
for a Christian. The
Holy Spirit helps
the Christian look
at sin for what it
is, and will
discipline us if we
need it.
To be so arrogant to
think that I am
greater than God is
equally frightening.
I thank my God that
my eternal soul is
in HIS hands and not
mine. I don’t have
to worry about my
eternal security,
because no one is
greater than He, and
nothing can take
what belongs to Him
away from Him.
Before closing, I
need to address four
passages that some
have trouble with.
They are Galatians
5:4; Philippians
2:12; Hebrews 6:4-6
and Hebrews
10:26-27.
GALATIANS 5:4
“Christ is become of
no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are
justified by the
law; ye are fallen
from grace.” The
phrase “of no
effect” means to be
separated from
Christ. The term
“fallen” means to
reject something or
lose one’s grasp of
it. The people Paul
was speaking to in
verse four had a
decision to make.
They were at the
crossroads. They
could take the broad
road to destruction,
or the narrow road
which leads to God
by His Son, Jesus
Christ. It was
either the law or
grace. If they chose
the law, then they
were separated from
Christ, because they
rejected His grace.
Notice in verse five
that the pronoun
changes from “you”
in verse four to
“we” in verse five.
In verse five he
says, “For we
through the Spirit
wait for the hope of
righteousness by
faith.” Verse four
is speaking to a
group of people who
are not saved. Verse
five is speaking to
a group of people
who are saved,
because they have
chosen grace over
the law by their
faith in Jesus
Christ. Keep in mind
too, that no one,
apart from Jesus
Christ, can keep the
law (James 2:10).
Also keep in mind
that the Law cannot
save anyone. The Law
is good, even though
it condemns us,
because it makes us
recognize sin. The
second intent of the
Law, is to guide us
to the One who can
saves us; i.e. Jesus
Christ, the Lamb of
God.
PHILIPPIANS 2:12
“Wherefore, my
beloved, as ye have
always obeyed, not
as in my presence
only, but now much
more in my absence,
work out your own
salvation with fear
and trembling.” When
Paul tells this
group of Christians
(not unbelievers) to
“work out their own
salvation”, he is
simply saying “grow
in Christ Jesus”.
After a person is
saved (salvation),
the Holy Spirit
works in the
sanctification
(maturing) process
within the believer.
This is done by
studying and
applying God’s Word
in their own
personal life and
mixing it with
prayer. It takes
work by the power of
God within us to
live as He would
have us to live.
Work on our part is
not involved in
salvation, but it is
in sanctification.
We cannot just sit
back and rock our
life away after
becoming a
Christian, and
expect to grow
spiritually. Working
out our salvation is
growing spiritually.
HEBREWS 6:4-6
“For it is
impossible for those
who were once
enlightened, and
have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and
were made partakers
of the Holy Spirit,
And have tasted the
good word of God,
and the powers of
the world to come,
If they shall fall
away, to renew them
again unto
repentance; seeing
they crucify to
themselves the Son
of God afresh, and
put him to an open
shame.” These are
people who have
heard the Gospel,
witnessed its power
upon others, and
even shared in its
blessings via food,
healing, etc., but
have not gone all
the way and put
their trust in Jesus
Christ. They have
sat in the
congregation, sung
the hymns, listened
to the sermons,
gripped the back of
the pew, seen others
accept Christ, but
have failed to give
their own lives to
Jesus. They have
rejected Christ.
They have chosen
works (the Law) over
Grace for salvation.
They cannot be
provided any other
message than the
true Gospel they
have already heard.
To give another
gospel, other than
the one true Gospel,
would crucify the
Son of God afresh,
and put Him to an
open shame.
HEBREWS 10:26-27
“For if we sin
willfully after that
we have received the
knowledge of the
truth, there
remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins,
But a certain
fearful looking for
of judgment and
fiery indignation,
which shall devour
the adversaries.”
Again we see those
who are apostates,
as in Hebrews
6:26-27. They have
heard and understood
the Gospel, even
been on the verge of
accepting Christ,
but have turned
away. There is no
other sacrifice that
can be made accept
the One they have
been told about …
Jesus Christ. There
are no other
sacrifices for sin,
only the sacrifice
of the Lamb of God,
whom they have
rejected. They have
received the
knowledge of the
Truth via the eyes
and ears to their
mind. If they reject
that, there is no
other sacrifice for
sins, but there is
judgment.
You can have
security in Jesus
Christ, not a
license to sin, and
not your eternal
destiny depending on
you, but your whole
being wrapped in the
secure arms of the
Almighty God. Turn
from sin. Live for
Him. Trust Him.
Grant Phillips
grantphillips@windstream.net
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