“God will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when
our Lord Jesus Christ returns.  God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says,
and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
~I Corinthians 1:8-9

Soul Snacks: Do you believe in eternal security?  The eternal security of the believer has been hotly debated for hundreds of years by theologians much smarter than me, so it’s not likely that I’ll resolve the issue for you.

Perhaps you’ve already taken a position on this yourself—most Christians have.  Maybe you’re of the camp that believes you cannot lose your salvation—once you’re saved you’re always saved.  Or it could be you’ve joined doctrinal sides with those who’ve found Biblical support that it is indeed possible to “backslide” and fall away from God.

I grew up in a theological tradition that supported the latter.  I like to say we believed in backsliding—and practiced it regularly.  But all kidding aside, the older I get and the longer I’ve been a Christian, honestly, I’m not sure where I stand on this issue anymore. Frankly, there are compelling arguments for both sides.  I sometimes wonder if there is a third alternative that will be revealed to us when we get to heaven. Wouldn’t that be great!

But one thing I do believe, and that is, if it is possible to lose your salvation—and I say “if” it is possible—it must be exceedingly difficult to walk away from your relationship with God and into a life of sin for the very simple fact of the truth revealed in these verses—I Corinthians 1:8-9.  You see, you are not alone; your salvation is not up to you alone.  In fact very little of it is up to you.  That’s not to say that you don’t have a part to play—you do.  In verse 9, Paul says it is a partnership that you have been called into with Jesus Christ at the moment of your salvation.  You have to believe, obey, love and serve God.

But even then, God is helping you to do that.  According to verse 8, God is giving you the strength, and he will supply the strength to fulfill your end of the partnership until the day Jesus returns and finds you blameless.  Isn’t that great news?  You are not alone in your spiritual journey; someone greater than you is at your side helping you each step of the way.

And he is committed to finishing what he started in you.  Paul says it this way in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Now here’s the deal, when God starts a good work, he always finishes it.  He doesn’t have a workshop full of half finished projects.  He completes them all—each and every one of them.  And since you are one of his good works, you can have that same kind of confidence Paul talked about that God will take you from the starting line to the finish line of your salvation marathon.

The book of Jude says the same thing, “Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and present you before his throne without fault and with great joy…”  (Jude 24)  God is able.  You may feel weak and incapable in your spiritual walk at times; you may worry if there might be a time in the future where you would walk away from God.  But let me tell you this:  You are not alone.  Your salvation is not all up to you.  God is able to keep you from falling.  God is able to take you from start to finish and present you in the winner’s circle without fault (Jude 24), complete (Philippians 1:6) and blameless (I Corinthians 1:8).

You are not alone.  Your salvation is not all up to you.  If you can lose your salvation—if—then it must be the most difficult thing in all creation, since you will have to overcome God’s saving, sustaining, completing grace to do it.

You are not alone.  Your salvation is not all up to you.  God is able!  You now belong to the Great Finisher!

I hope that makes your day better!

P.S. “If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, his arm over us, his ear open to our prayer—his grace sufficient, his promises unchangeable.”  –John Newton

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son
of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
(I John 5:13)

Thoughts… God does not want you to be insecure about your salvation. He takes no pleasure in dangling you over the fires of hell on a rotten stick. He wants you to know in your knower beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are saved and on your way to heaven.

No earthly father in his right mind would want his children to be insecure about his love for them; that he would protect them and provide for their needs no matter what. Even when they misbehave, he doesn’t want them to feel as if he is going to kick them out of the house. A good father doesn’t love his kids one day but not the next. His love is unconditional, and his children know that. Home is a safe place for them, and that’s why they are secure and well adjusted.

So it is with God. And so God wants his children to be: secure and well-adjusted in the safe love of God. And the Apostle John wrote that this is one of the very reasons why God gave us his Word: To put into writing for all eternity that God’s children are eternally secure in their salvation.

Whether you feel saved or not, it doesn’t matter. God’s Word says that when you gave your heart to Jesus, you were saved.

Whether you feel forgiven or not, the Bible says that if you confess your sins, God is faith and just to forgive you your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

Whether you feel the love of God or not, Scripture says that he loves you with an everlasting love.

Whether you feel God’s presence or not, the Word says he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Whether you feel he has heard your prayers or not, God’s Word says you can have confidence that if you ask anything according to his will, he hears you.

Whether you feel that heaven is your home after you die or not, the Bible says that Jesus is your resurrection and your life; that in him, you will never die.

So who are you going to believe: your feelings or God’s Word?

I think I will go with what God’s Word declares to be true. I hope you will too!

Prayer... Dear God, thank you for your Word. It gives me security in my eternity, and nothing can tear that away from me.

One More Thing… “Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.” —St. Augustine

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless
on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has
called you into fellowship with his Son
Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
(I Corinthians 1:8-9)

Food For Thought… Where do you stand on eternal security? The security of the believer has been hotly debated for hundreds of years by theologians much smarter than me, so it’s not likely that I will persuade you one way or the other.

Maybe you are of the camp that believes you cannot lose your salvation—once you’re saved you’re always saved. Or it could be you have joined doctrinal sides with those who’ve found Biblical support that it is indeed possible to “backslide” and fall away from God. I grew up in a theological tradition that supported the latter. As I like to say, we believed in backsliding—and practiced it regularly.

All kidding aside, the older I get and the longer I’ve been a Christian, honestly, the less secure I am on this issue. Frankly, there are compelling arguments for both sides. I sometimes wonder if there is a third alternative that will be revealed when we get to heaven. Wouldn’t that be something!

But one thing I am increasingly secure about, and that is, if it is possible to lose your salvation—and that is a big “if”—it must be exceedingly difficult to walk away from your relationship with God and into a life of sin for the very simple fact of the truth revealed in these verses—I Corinthians 1:8-9. You see, you are not alone; your salvation is not resting on your shoulders. In fact very little of it is up to you. That is not to say that you don’t have a part to play—you do. In verse 9, Paul says it is a partnership that you were called into with Jesus Christ at the moment of your salvation. Your part is to believe, obey, love and serve God.

Even then, God is helping you to do that. According to verse 8, God is giving you the strength, and he will continue to supply the strength to fulfill your end of the partnership until the day Jesus returns and finds you blameless. Isn’t that great news? You are not alone in your spiritual journey; Someone greater than you is at your side helping you each step of the way.

He is the Great Finisher, and he is committed to finishing what he started in you. Paul says it this way in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Now here’s the deal, when God starts a good work, he always finishes it. He doesn’t have a workshop full of half finished projects. He completes them all—each and every one. And since you are one of his good works, you can be fully confident that he will complete his work in you. God will take you from the starting line to the finish line of your salvation marathon.

Jude says the same thing, “Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and present you before his throne without fault and with great joy…” (Jude 24) God is able. You may feel weak and incapable in your spiritual walk at times; you may worry if there might be a time in the future where you would walk away from God. But let me tell you this: You are not alone. Your salvation is not all up to you. God is able to keep you from falling. God is able to take you from start to finish and present you in the winner’s circle without fault (Jude 24), complete (Philippians 1:6) and blameless (I Corinthians 1:8).

You are not alone. Your salvation is not all up to you. If you can lose your salvation—if—then it must be the most difficult thing in all creation, since you will singlehandedly have to overcome the greatest force in the universe: God’s saving, sustaining, completing grace.

You are not alone. Your salvation is not all up to you. God is able! You now belong to the Great Finisher!

I hope that makes you more secure in your salvation!

Prayer… Father, how blessed I am to be the recipient of your saving, sustaining, completing grace. In your love you saved me and brought me into a lopsided partnership; a partnership where you do all the heavy lifting, and what little I have to do, even that, you help me to do. Thank you for the promise of completing in me what you began, for keeping me from falling and presenting me before your glorious throne without fault on that great and glorious day that Jesus Christ returns. Thank you that I am as secure in my salvation as secure can be. I love you, and praise you, and will joyfully serve you all the days of my life.

One More Thing… “If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, his arm over us, his ear open to our prayer—his grace sufficient, his promises unchangeable.” –John Newton