Hello, everyone! How have you been coming with these studies? My family and I have been working through them together during our nightly Bible time. Seth Folkers provided these studies to me. Aren't they great. Here is your next one!
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Now that you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior, questions may come to mind concerning your salvation. You may ask, “How long will my salvation last?” “Is it possible for me to fail in the future and forfeit my eternal life?” “Can a person who has been saved ever be lost?” The way a person answers these questions will determine several things about his outlook on God and his new life in Jesus Christ.
What do the words “Eternal Security” mean? Simply put, eternal security means that once a person has been born again, once he has been genuinely saved, once he has trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, he can never be lost again. You see, by the infinite sacrifice of His own Son, God, through the riches of His grace, saves eternally all those who come to Him in simple faith. Once salvation takes place, God, through His own power, promises to bring to glory everyone who has been redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our everlasting and eternal salvation does not depend upon our faithfulness to God, but upon God’s faithfulness to us. It is the work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit that makes us secure.
In this lesson we will discuss what the Bible has to say about the work that God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do in the life of every believer as it concerns this matter of “Eternal Security.” By taking the word of God as our final authority, we will endeavor to settle once and for all the question of eternal security of the believer.
I. THE WORK OF GOD THE FATHER
A. The Purpose Of God. (Romans 8:28-39)
1. God’s purpose for the believer is to conform him to the image of Jesus Christ.
a. Does the Bible say that all things work together for the good, or for the bad, of those whom God has called unto salvation? (v. 28)
b. If a believer whom God has called to salvation was to lose that salvation and go to hell, could we honestly say God worked all things out for his good?
c. What are three things God has done for those whom He has predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son? (v. 30)
2. Paul moves from discussing the purpose of God in salvation, to the promise of God in salvation.
a. What seven things did Paul say would try to separate us from the love of Christ? (v. 35)
b. How do we know that none of these things will be successful in their attempt? (v. 37)
3. Next Paul scans the entire universe to see if there is anything that can separate us from the love of God.
a. He lists ten different things that cannot separate us from the love of God. What are they? (v. 38-39)
b. Is there anything at all in this universe that can separate us from the love of God?
c. In whom does the Bible say that you and I receive the love of God? (v. 39)
B. The Present (Gift) Of God.
1. Salvation is God’s gift to us. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
a. According to these two verses, how is a person saved?
b. Can good works help to earn salvation?
c. Since good works have nothing to do with getting a person saved, good works have nothing to do with keeping a person saved. Do you agree?
2. We are God’s gift to His Son (John 17)
a. Seven times in John 17, Jesus said that we, as Christians, have been given to Him by the Father.
b. List at least three verses from John 17, which say that believers have been given to Jesus by God the Father.
c. When God gives a gift to someone, does He ever change His mind and take His gift back? (Romans 11:29)
C. The Power Of God. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
1. When we were born again, the Bible says that God has reserved an inheritance for each of us. (v. 3-4)
a. An inheritance is something that is passed down from a father to his children. Therefore, it is something that we receive because of who we are (children of God), not because of what we do.
b. Where is our inheritance? (v. 4)
c. What kind of inheritance does the Bible say we have? (v.4)
2. Not only is our inheritance reserved for us, but we are said to be kept for our inheritance. ( v.5)
a. The word “kept” is a military term used for the protection of a city by means of a military garrison (troops).
b. According to this verse, are we responsible to keep ourselves saved through our own power and ability?
c. Whose power is it that keeps us?
II. THE WORK OF GOD THE SON.
A. The Promise Of Jesus Christ. (John 6:37)
1. God makes two kinds of promises to His children: conditional promises and unconditional promises.
a. A conditional promise says, “If you will do something, then I will do something.”
b. An unconditional promise says, “I will do something whether you do anything or not.”
c. When God gives a conditional promise, He always uses the word “if” or its equivalent. However, when God gives an unconditional promise, He leaves out the “if.”
2. God always makes it clear whether or not a promise is conditional or unconditional.
a. Is there an “if” in John 6:37?
b. Is this a conditional promise or an unconditional promise?
c. What is the promise that we can claim in this verse?
B. The Provision Of Jesus Christ. (John 10:27-29)
1. In these verses Jesus refers to believers as His sheep.
a. What did Jesus say that He gives to His sheep? (v. 28)
b. How long is eternal?
c. What three things does Jesus say will never happen to His sheep? (v. 28-29)
2. You and I are not secure because we are good sheep. We are secure because we have a Good Shepherd!
a. Can any sheep (Christian) belonging to the Good Shepherd (Jesus) ever be lost or stolen?
b. Is this a conditional promise or an unconditional promise?
C. T he Power Of Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 7:25)
1. The first part of this verse speaks of the power, or ability, of Jesus to save.
a. Who does the verse say Jesus Christ is able to save?
b. How long is Jesus Christ able to keep them saved?
2. The second part of this verse tells us that Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus prays for us and His prayers are always answered.
a. John 17 is a prayer that Jesus prayed unto the Father. What does Jesus say He has given to those whom the Father has given Him? (v. 2)
b. What did He pray the Father to do for those whom the Father has given Him? (v. 11)
III. THE WORK OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT.
A. The Presence Of The Holy Spirit.
1. The Bible teaches that every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20)
a. What does the Bible call the body of a believer in relationship to the Spirit?
b. Where does the Holy Spirit dwell?
c. What does the Bible say concerning one who does not have the Spirit? ( Romans 8:9)
2. Jesus gave us a wonderful promise concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit. ( John 14:16)
a. What does Jesus want the Comforter (Holy Spirit) to do for us as believers?
b. How long will the Spirit abide with us?
c. Since a person who possesses the Holy Spirit is saved, and as the Holy Spirit abides with the believer forever, can a believer ever lose his salvation?
B. The Protection Of The Holy Spirit.
1. One ministry of the Holy Spirit is the work of sealing the believer when he receives eternal life. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
a. A seal in the Bible is a symbol of three distinct things: authenticity, ownership, and security.
b. An “earnest” is simply a down payment pledging that the full amount will be paid at a future date. Who is the earnest of our inheritance?
c. What must a person do before he can be sealed with the Holy Spirit?
2. How long will the believer be sealed by the Spirit?
a. Ephesians 1:13-14
b. Ephesians 4:30
c. If this is true, can one lose his salvation?
C. The Power Of The Holy Spirit.
1. When a person is saved, the Bible says he is born again by the Spirit of God. (John 3:1-8; 1 John 5:10-11)
a. When you were born physically, there was a record made of your physical birth called a birth certificate, and it was marked with a seal.
b. When you were born again, a record was made of your spiritual birth, and it was sealed by the Holy Spirit.
2. You will be your Father’s child for eternity because you were born of his seed.
a. You can change your name, never see your father again, or hear from him, or even think about him for the rest of your life, but it will never change the fact that he is your father. The same is true of your Heavenly Father.
b. Your birth is fixed forever. As a person cannot be unborn after he is born physically, so too, a person cannot be unborn after he is born spiritually.
Conclusion: As Christians, we should rejoice in the fact that we are eternally secure, and just as sure of Heaven as if we were already there. (memorize John 5:24)