Little Red Book Ministry

The Security of the Believer
“And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even
eternal life” (1 John 2;25).

Like the issue of the gifts of the Spirit that we studied in Lesson 7, the issue of the security of the believer’s salvation has caused a deep rift within the Church. Once again, it appears that the reason or culprit is improper handling of the scriptures. The Bible clearly shows that within the Church Age, once salvation is obtained, there is no way it can ever be lost. Consider the following verse:

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23).

We are born again of incorruptible seed! We simply cannot be corrupted or made guilty of sin.

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).

There are passages, however, which upon casual observation appear to cast doubt on this position. In fact, many brilliant and effective men of God have stood on the wrong side of the eternal security issue. This is not an issue on which one’s hope of eternal salvation hangs in the balance, and yet it is important because a wrong view can, in some cases, hamper a Christian’s effectiveness and joy in the Lord. Hopefully, by the time you finish this lesson you will understand that there is a logical and reasonable answer to these doubts. The position of eternal security survives examination and is found to be a pillar of sound doctrine for the church of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Note: As in the previous lesson, Unger’s Bible Dictionary, produced by Merrill F. Unger and published by Moody Press has been extensively referenced, especially in sections I and III. It is an excellent source of information for comprehensive definitions of biblical or doctrinal terms.