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ETERNAL SECURITY
DETAILED STUDY OF THE ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
1) CHRIST IS THE ONLY FOUNDATION OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S SALVATION THUS MAKING IT ETERNALLY SECURE
(v. 11) "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
["foundation" = "themelion" = a foundation for a building which one would "lay" and then "build upon".
Salvation is the key to entrance into heaven and the foundation of one's life in heaven which God solely and exclusively builds as a result of one trusting alone in Christ alone, (Eph 1:13-14; 2:8-9)]
(v. 12) Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
[Now once one is saved one then begins to build upon this foundation. One may build with eternally valuable gold, silver and precious stones, i.e., divine good works; or with valueless and destructible wood, hay and straw, i.e., human good works, (or perhaps no works at all - just a sinful lifestyle). The building that a believer's lifestyle is forming upon the foundation of salvation in Christ is representative of the reward that a believer receives when he gets to heaven]
(v. 13) each man's [each believer's, (v. 11)] work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work,
[each man's work will become evident; for the day......................
"the day" = a term which signifies the day when our Lord will return in judgment and rule the earth from Jerusalem, (Isaiah - details of the "Day" described throughout the entire book. 2 Thes 2:1-2 and I Thes 4:13-18 point to the rapture which is the beginning of the "Day" of the Lord]
(v. 13 cont.) each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work,
[Notice that the quality of each believer's work will be tested by fire. What a believer does with his life on earth will then be judged as to whether or not it deserves a reward in heaven. So fire is not just a judgment of the unsaved it is also used by God to judge the value of the deeds of believers' lives]
[I Cor 3:11-15 cont.]:
(v. 14) If any man's work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward,
["it" = the "foundation" of eternal life which is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, (v.11).
If a believer's work which he has built by what he did with his life on earth survives the test of our Lord as to its eternal value then he will receive a commensurate reward in heaven. The question as to whether the believer's works were of divine origin or not, (Eph 2:10), will be decided by Jesus Christ Himself. Ref. 2 Cor 5:10]
(v. 15) If any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire."
2) TOTAL AND EXCLUSIVE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN AN INDIVIDUAL'S SALVATION SECURES THAT SALVATION
[Rom 5:6-8]:
(v. 6) "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
(v. 7) For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
(v. 8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
(v. 9) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood,we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
(v. 10) For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
WHAT GOD HAS DONE ALONE IN SAVING THE BELIEVER CANNOT BE UNDONE BY THE BELIEVER. ETERNAL SECURITY, THEREFORE, IS BASED UPON THE FACT THAT SALVATION DEPENDS ON WHO AND WHAT GOD IS AND DOES, NEVER ON WHAT MAN IS OR DOES.
[Compare Eph 2:8-9]:
(v. 8) "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -
(v. 9) not by works, so that no one can boast."
These two verses are part of a passage which emphasizes the TOTAL & EXCLUSIVE sovereignty of God in a person's salvation. The emphasis of God's exclusive and total sovereignty in a person's salvation is so strong that before one looks at these two well quoted verses one must read the entire section (Eph 1:3-2:10) in order to verify that it is indeed true that God and God alone has anything to do with a person's salvation unto eternal life.
Eph 1:3-2:9 clearly describes THE ABSOLUTELY COMPLETE WORK THAT GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT DID IN ORDER THAT A MAN COULD BE SAVED.
"ABSOLUTELY COMPLETE" means that nothing needs to be added - nothing can be permitted to be added.
3) SALVATION IS A FREE GRACE GIFT WHICH MAKES IT ETERNALLY SECURE
Scripture passages verify that NOTHING from the individual can be permitted by God to contribute toward his salvation which God offers on a free grace basis only:
[Compare Ro 11:6]:
"And if by grace, then it is no longer by works, if it were [by works] GRACE WOULD NO LONGER BE GRACE"
Romans 11:6 above states that if an individual were to trust in Christ as Savior with the mental attitude that he must provide something himself in addition to that trust in order to gain entrance or to earn entrance into heaven, (water baptism, no more serious sinning, taking the Lord's Supper, i.e. the mass; going to church, making Jesus the Lord of his life, etc., etc.), then the grace basis - the GIFT basis - of his salvation would "no longer be grace" as Ro 11:6 says above. And his salvation would NOT be salvation AT ALL, for God saves on a grace - a gift - basis only. One can neither pay for nor do something to deserve a gift. A gift by definition is something that is freely given and freely received - without strings - without attachments. Compare Ro 3:22-24 which teaches that eternal life is a free grace gift by faith alone - no strings attached:
[Ro 3:22-24]:
(v. 22) "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, (v. 23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(v. 24) and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
[Notice that the redemption - the salvation - came FREELY by Christ Jesus. There is no mention of any other agent such as the individual and a contribution he might make. And the expression of faith alone in Christ alone is stated as resulting in justification unto eternal life. So this verse is saying that eternal life comes by faith alone in Christ alone. Eternal life is not through anything one might contribute himself as this would cancel God's free grace gift, (Ro 11:6).
4) THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MAN NECESSITATES THE ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
And to make matters worse, one must be mindful that unbelievers are totally depraved and unable to contribute anything to their salvation:
[Ro 8:8]:
"and those who are in the flesh [unbelievers or carnal believers] cannot please God." [with their deeds. Therefore anything done toward salvation would not be effectual] [Compare Isa 64:6]:
"For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment, and all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like wind, take us away." [Compare Ro 6:20; Job 14:1-4; Jer 17:9; Ps 51:5]
(v. 21b) "For if a law.."
[Notice: if a law. In the original Greek Bible there is no article before "law" in Gal 3:21b. When the article is omitted in the Greek it signifies the quality of the noun rather than a specific concept of law like THE Mosaic Law when a definite article is then used. Here at the beginning of the last part of Galatians 3:21, the quality of law is being referred to meaning any kind of law or rules of human conduct. Therefore the word "law" in verse 21b refers to the behavior of men - laws of moral conduct, codes and acts of moral behavior, etc. It is therefore a general statement referring to any set of deeds which an individual must perform, (not just the Law of Moses); for example, water baptism, repentant behavior, good deeds, church going, giving, etc.
Compare Romans 3:21: same grammatical construction and context]
[Gal 3:21b-22 cont.]:
(v. 21b) "For if a law [i.e., rules of human conduct] had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law"
[For if any kind of rules of human conduct could result in salvation then certainly the Mosaic Law would have been able to do the same. But God's Word is saying here that righteousness and eternal life are not based on any set of rules of conduct]
(v. 22) But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, [i.e., totally depraved and unable to contribute anything toward salvation] so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe."
So Paul's answer to the question of what one must do to be saved is not as a result of anything man can do but simply by faith alone in Christ alone: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved..."[Acts 16:31]
Therefore, one must be mindful of the fact that any action on the part of the unsaved such as water baptism would be contaminated and motivated by the indwelling sin nature of the unbeliever and thereby unacceptable by God toward his salvation.
5) THE BELIEVER IS IMMEDIATELY POSITIONED IN HEAVEN AT THE POINT OF SALVATION, THUS SECURING HIS ETERNAL DESTINY
[Eph 2:6-7]:
(v. 6) "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus"
[God immediately views the individual who has just trusted alone in Christ alone as Savior as having already been raised up in perfection and seated in heaven - even before anything else is done by that individual! This is called positional truth. Once an individual has trusted alone in Christ alone as Savior, (ref. Eph 1:13-14); even before he dies; he receives the position of being seated with God in heaven and then awaits to take that position in actuality when he is finished with his earthly, mortal life]
[Eph 2:6-7 cont]:
(v. 6) "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
(v. 7) in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus."
[Verses 6 & 7 state that God immediately raised all believers up and seated them positionally in heaven in order that in the coming ages: the millennium, the tribulation period and on into eternity-future God might show how inestimable, how incomparable - nothing compares - to the riches of His grace in the working of a believer's salvation. Notice - it is ALL HIS GRACE - not a hint that there is permitted a participation by any individual person or ANY contribution toward his own salvation. God is emphasizing here in this passage that He is to get ALL THE GLORY.
6) SALVATION IS THE SURE HOPE OF THE BELIEVER BECAUSE IT IS BY A MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE
The word rendered 'hope' in the original greek is not the same as in English by definition. In the Greek it signifies a sure hope not an indefinite possibility.
Let’s see what the word sure means in accordance with the normative rules of language.
[http://dictionary.reference.com/]:
sure (sh r, shûr) adj. sur·er, sur·est
Impossible to doubt or dispute; certain.
Not hesitating or wavering; firm: sure convictions.
Confident, as of something awaited or expected: sure of ultimate victory.
Bound to come about or happen; inevitable: sure defeat.
Having one's course directed; destined or bound: sure to succeed.
Certain not to miss or err; steady: a sure hand on the throttle.
Worthy of being trusted or depended on; reliable.
Free from or marked by freedom from doubt: sure of her friends. Synonym: Certainty
Excerpt: "... ensure, assure; clinch, make sure; determine, decide, set at..."
And let’s see what the word hope means in accordance with normative rules of language:
A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.
Notice that when you combine the two words into the phrase ‘sure hope’ you have a certain expectation of fulfillment. There is complete assurance no matter what of the fulfullment, the outcome. Notice: assurance is synonymous for the word sure.
Certain expectation does not allow for possibility of failure or conditions such as an individual’s faithful or unfaithful lifestyle and certain acts such as water baptism, going to Mass, etc. Sure is certain, an assured expectation - no doubts, absolutely reliable.
And look why: it rests in the reliability of God and His promise to save the individual at the moment of faith alone in Christ alone as sealed by the Holy Spirit Himself:
[Eph 1:13-14]:
(v. 13) "And you 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,
[Notice that God the Holy Spirit seals the believer and becomes a deposit Who guarantees the redemption of those who are God’s possession - the very ones that the Holy Spirit marks into Christ and indwells and seals at the point when an individual believes]:
(v. 14) Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory."
Let’s look at Scripture now to see about the use of the Greek word "Elpida" which God the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture to pen and which is rendered in English "hope":
[Titus 2:13]:
"While we wait for the blessed hope [Elpida, Str. # 1680] --the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ"
Shall we not conclude that the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ is assured, i.e., it is a sure thing, a certainty? Of course, knowing Who God is. If so then since it is described in God’s Word as an "Elpida" = "hope" then "Elpida" means a certain expectation, an event which is assured = a certain expectation.
The same word appears in Scripture to describe the believer’s salvation:
[1 Thes 5:8-9]:
(v. 8) "But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope [="Elpida"] of salvation as a helmet."
[Notice that those addressed, i.e., believers, (1:1, 5:1), have a sure hope, i.e. a certain expectation of their salvation - no matter what. They are indeed assured of eternal life. And the next verse confirms this]:
(v. 9) For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Note that salvation is dependent upon God alone. If God appointed one not to suffer wrath but to receive salvation as this verse stipulates then one can be assured that God being Who He is will deliver. So one will indeed not ever suffer wrath and assuredly has received salvation - forever.
Compare Jn 3:16 which indicates that at the moment of believing in the Son being given for you, the believer IMMEDIATELY enters a state of never perishing, (aorist tense = completed action in the past) and into present possession of eternal life (present tense) forever because eternal life is everlasting:
[Jn 3:16]:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Note that even a constant state of believing in Christ is not required because "whoever believes" is a nominative participle = lit. ‘whoever is the believing one’ = 'whoever' is defined as a believing one the moment one begins believing. A continuous state of believing is thus not required in order for one to be declared a believer at which time one receives the gift, (Eph 2:8-9), of eternal life forever before one faithful action is done.
[Compare Eph 2:8-9]:
(v. 8) "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith.."
"Through faith" = An objector might say, 'Well faith is something a believer contributes to his salvation.'
But Scripture defines faith as:
"...Being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" [Heb 11:1]
Does that sound like one is doing something - contributing something? Or does it sound like one is relying on God to do it all? Faith according to Scripture is simply a sure hope - a simple, complete trust in Christ as Savior.
7) SALVATION, BEING BY GRACE, GUARANTEES THE ETERNAL DESTINY OF THE BELIEVER
[Eph 2:8-9]:
(v. 8) "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith.."
"It is by grace" = grace = "chariti" = unmerited favor', i.e., you did - NOTHING - to deserve your salvation. This PRECLUDES - EXCLUDES - PROHIBITS - any contribution on your part for any reason. Thus it is secured by God since the believer provides no contribution toward it.
8) THE FAITH WHICH AN INDIVIDUAL EXERCISES TOWARD CHRIST UNTO ETERNAL LIFE IMPLIES NO ACTION, NO CONTRIBUTION ON THE PART OF THE INDIVIDUAL, THUS SECURING IT SINCE GOD IS THE SOLE CONTRIBUTOR
[Eph 2:8-9]:
(v. 8) "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith.."
"Through faith" = An objector might say, 'Well faith is something a believer contributes to his salvation.'
But Scripture defines faith as:
"...Being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" [Heb 11:1]
Does that sound like one is doing something - contributing something? Or does it sound like one is relying on God to do it all? Faith according to Scripture is simply a sure hope - a simple, complete trust in Christ as Savior. Incidentally, Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, (G. & C. Merriam Co., Springfield, Ma., 1980), defines faith and believe as follows:
"Faith...
1: a: allegiance to duty or a person: LOYALTY
b: fidelity to one's promises
2: a (1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God
(2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
b (1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof
(2): complete confidence
3: something that is believed esp. with strong conviction; esp: a system of religious beliefs syn see BELIEF ant doubt.
Believe...
1: a: to have a firm religious faith b: to accept trustfully and on faith <people who in the natural goodness of man> 2: to have a firm conviction as to the reality or goodness of something < in exercise> 3: to hold an opinion: THINK vt 1: to consider to be true or honest < the reports> 2: to hold as an opinion: SUPPOSE <I it will rain soon> syn see KNOW"
The New Analytical Greek Lexicon which is a dictionary of the koine Greek language of the Bible, (Wesley J. Perschbacher, Editor, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Ma; 1992, p. 329), states as the meaning of the word pisteuo which is translated believe in the English Bible translations as follows:
"(4100)... [pisteuo] 1 pers. sg. pres. act. indic., fut... [pisteuso] ...to believe, give credit to, Mark 1:15; 16:13; Luke 24:25; intrns. to believe, have a mental persuasion, Matt. 8:13; 9:28; James 2:19; to believe, be of opinion, Rom. 14:2; in N.T. [pisteuein en, eis] to believe in or on, Matt. 18:6; 27:42; John 3:15, 16, 18; absol. to believe, be a believer in the religion of Christ, Acts 2:44; 4:4, 32; 13:48; trans. to intrust, commit to the charge or power of, Luke 16:11; John 2:24; pass. to be intrusted with, Rom. 3:2; 1 Cor. 9:17"
Note that the Greek word used in the Bible which is translated into forms of the verb 'to believe' is also defined according to the Greek dictionary to mean a mental assent - devoid of additional actions on the part of an individual other than the mental agreement.
And finally, the Word of God confirms that forms of the verb to believe when used in passages concerning how an individual receives eternal life is defined as an acceptance - a mere mental assent - of the testimony of God:
[1 John 5:9-13]:
(v. 9) "We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son.
[Accepting the testimony of God about His Son is presented here as an agreement that what God is saying about His Son is true - mere mental assent. The next verse then defines accepting the testimony of God as believing:
(v. 10) Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart..........
["has this testimony in his heart" = in his mind. Anyone who believes that the Son will provide eternal life for him has this testimony in his heart such that it is a part of his mental understanding that he is now saved unto eternal life]
(v. 10 cont.) .....Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son.
[So to be saved one must believe in the testimony of God about His Son. The verb believe is herein defined relative to salvation unto eternal life as a mental assent, an acceptance, that what God says about His Son is true. Nothing else is required here in order to receive eternal life such as demonstrating this faith by some kind of action]
(v. 11) And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
[i.e., if you want eternal life: trust in God's Son to provide it for you]:
(v. 12) He who has the Son has life..........
[He who believes in God's testimony about His Son - that the Son will provide eternal life for him if he merely believes in the Son doing this has eternal life, (v.10)].... (v. 12 cont.) ...he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
To have the Son means to believe that He will provide eternal life for you. To not have the Son is to not take God at His Word that the Son alone will provide eternal life for you. So if you believe what God testifies to, then you will therefore have eternal life because God says so. God being Who He is, He will deliver. And then John writes further that an individual can know that he is saved unto eternal life at the very moment of his mental assent]:
(v. 13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you many know that you have eternal life."
So, taking God at His Word about eternal life through His Son provides assurance that you do NOW possess the gift of life everlasting in heaven never to lose it.
So nothing in the word 'believe' relative to securing eternal life implies that any action is required beyond the simple trust - the simple mental assent stated in Jn 3:16 and numerous other passages in the Bible. Just as one would simply believe that a door is green via a simple mental assent; or that an individual who is physically incapable of vigorous movement, can still believe that exercise is good for his health, i.e., a simple mental assent, without actually performing the exercise itself; so in the same way one can trust alone in Christ alone as one's Personal Savior unto eternal life - without doing anything beyond the simple mental assent. Consider that this is true especially since God has completed all that is necessary for any individual's salvation, (Eph 1:3-2:9). And consider this in the light that all men are totally depraved and incapable of contributing a single acceptable thing toward anyone's salvation, (Ro 3:23; 8:8; Isa 64:6; Ps 14:1-3; 58:3; Jer 17:9).
[Charles C. Bing, Pastor of Burleson Bible Church, Burleson, Tx., states in the Journal of the GRACE EVANGELICAL SOCIETY, Vol. 9, Spring, 1996, Number 16, in an article entitled 'THE CONDITION FOR SALVATION IN JOHN'S GOSPEL', pp. 28-34]:
"Much discussion has focused on the use of the verb pisteuo [to belief either absolutely, or with the prepositions eis [in] and epi [on], or with the dative case [indirect object of the verb] or hoti [that]. While some would claim these constructions indicate different kinds of faith... [Scripture teaches] ...that all these combinations refer to saving faith.
...believe without an object implies no less than believe with an object as when prepositions are used. The prepositions eis and epi may emphasize the object of faith, but do not distinguish another kind of faith... The construction of pisteuo with the dative is also clearly used for salvation, as in 5:24. Jesus said, 'Whoever hears My word and believes Him Who sent me has eternal life.'
The similarity of believe with the dative and believe in is seen in 6:29-30...
[Jn 6:29-30]:
(v. 29) "Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him Whom He has sent.'
(v. 30) They said therefore to Him, 'What then do You do for a sign, that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?' "]
...and 8:30-31...
[Jn 8:30-31]:
(v. 30) "As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.
(v. 31) Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.' "]
It is exegetically impossible to separate their meanings in those passages. To believe Christ is to believe in Him, and vice versa. Thus the slightly less certain construction is clarified by John's favorite term for saving faith, believe in.
The pisteuo plus hoti [believe that] construction also denotes saving faith. While some may argue that this combination denotes an intellectual acquiescence that falls short of effectual faith, it seems obvious that one cannot believe in unless he or she also believes that.... Each implies the other...In fact, if one really believes that, one can hardly not believe in... We find the hoti construction in two passages that clearly discuss the condition for salvation. John 8:24 says 'If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.' The other passage is no less than John's purpose statement, 20:31...
[Jn 20:31]:
"But these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."] ...(cf. also I John 5:1)...
...Faith, then, when represented by pisteuo in its various forms denotes trust in something or someone. It assumes assent to the truthfulness and trustworthiness of a person or what is claimed. In John [and throughout the Bible for that matter], faith is trustful reliance on Christ's promise to give eternal life to those who believe...
While there is one condition for salvation, John may represent that condition with figures of speech designed to illustrate the response of faith.
LOOK. In 3:14-15 the anticipated response is to look upon Christ and His work for eternal salvation, as the Israelites looked upon the serpent on a pole in the desert for their physical salvation (Numbers 21). The point of the illustration is the simple look of faith...
HEAR. Similarly, John uses hearing to represent believing. More than the physical sense is involved. To hear is to listen, but also to accept as true, as we understand with the colloquial expression, 'I hear you.' Belonging to Jesus as His sheep is conditioned upon hearing His voice of truth (10:16, 27), as also is obtaining eternal life (5:24). The unbelief of the lost is due to their not hearing God's word (8:43, 47).
ENTER. Speaking metaphorically of Himself as the door to the sheepfold, Jesus also pictures the response of faith as entering the door (10:9). To enter correlates with faith in that both express one's trust for protection from the threat of the enemy.
FEED. The notion of feeding on Christ (6:57), including eating His flesh and drinking His blood (6:54), is another analogy of the faith that obtains eternal life, as is clear in 6:35 and 6:47. This is similar to the drink of living water (eternal life) offered to the Samaritan woman (4:10, 14). To eat and drink is to appropriate or receive something upon which life depends. There is no work or merit associated with these activities. Rather, the benefit is from what is appropriated, which corresponds to the object of faith, which is Christ.
COME. Another metaphor for faith is expressed by the word come. In 5:40 coming to Christ obtains eternal life. In 6:35 come is equated with both eating and believing. Coming, drinking, and believing are used synonymously in 7:37-38 as the condition for salvation. To come is to trustingly approach Christ for help. It entails no human merit or effort.
RECEIVE. Another word that may represent faith is receive. The promise that any who receive Christ will become children of God is closely linked to believing in 1:12. Believe appears to be in apposition to receive here in order to explain it. In 1:12 to receive is to welcome or accept as true the person or words of Jesus Christ (3:11, 32-33; 5:43). This is in contrast to those who 'did not know' and 'did not receive' Jesus as the Christ in 1:10-11...
~~~CALL
[CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD]
[Ro 10:13]:
"For 'WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.'
(v. 14) How then shall they call upon Him in Whom they have not believed?
[Notice that in order to call upon the name of the Lord unto salvation one must believe in the gospel of salvation as it says in verse 14: And now the key to understanding what Scripture means by the phrase "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved"]:
(v. 14a) How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in ?"
[So part and parcel of calling on the name of the Lord unto salvation is to believe in Him unto eternal life. We are back again to faith alone in Christ alone. Another way to explain salvation by faith alone in Christ alone is salvation by calling on, i.e., relying on, the name of the Lord. When you call upon someone to help you it is that you trust in him to come to your aid. Inherent in your calling upon that someone is the essential faith that he can and will help you. So, in essence, to call on the name of the Lord unto salvation is to believe in Christ as Savior, that He alone will make provision for you to have eternal life with Him in heaven. And that is the essential gospel message!]
~~~call ~~~repent
[REPENT] The word which is translated "repent" in Scripture relative to salvation does not refer to feeling sorry for one's sins nor does it require a change in behavior. There is another Greek word in Scripture, "metamElomai", which is often rendered "repent" in English, and means to feel sorry, to experience remorse, (2 Cor 7:8; Heb 7:21). This word is never found in a salvation passage.The word "repentance" in salvation passages is translated from the Greek word "metanoias" which means a turn about, a deliberate change of mind resulting in a change of direction in thought. Relative to God's revealed Word: when one believes a fact, one turns from doubt or unbelief to faith in that revealed truth. It comes from the combination of the Greek word meta meaning to change and the Greek word noias meaning the mind, the understanding. The sphere of this word is therefore limited to within the mind. A change in behavior may result from a change in mind but such is an added concept and must therefore be part of an additional expression of words. Therefore metanoias in and of itself does NOT include or imply a change of behavior until additional words are added to state or imply such a change in behavior.
[Vines, (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W.E. Vine, Revell Publishing, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1981, pp. 279-280), states]:
"METANOEO... lit. to perceive afterwards (meta, after, implying change, noeo, to perceive; [comes from the Greek noun] nous, the mind, the seat of moral reflection), in contrast to pronoeo, to perceive beforehand, hence signifies to change one's mind or purpose..." ).
So in order to turn to Christ for forgiveness of sins...which means that you BELIEVE that He can and will forgive you ...you must turn from your rejection of Him - from the belief that your sins are something you yourself can and will deal with in your own way and not God's way. So instead of rejecting Christ you turn to faith placed alone in Him alone as Savior - that is God's way of dealing with your sins. That is what the Bible defines as 'repentance for the forgiveness of sins':
[Compare Acts 19:4]:
"Paul said, 'John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, Jesus.' " [Compare Acts 10:43]:
"All the prophets testify about Him [Jesus Christ, v. 39] that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name."
[Compare Acts 3:19]:
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.."
(Ref. Acts 2:38; Mt 3:11)
So the word "Repent" in Acts 3:19 and Acts 2:38 - metanoesate the imperative form of the Greek verb "metanoeo". And in Mt 3:11, the noun "repentance" is translated from the Greek word "metanoias". Both words mean a turn about, a deliberate change of mind resulting in a change of direction in thought, literally, to perceive afterwards. Scripture does teach that to repent is to turn from one's sin within the mind such that one now seeks for God to remedy the situation through faith in what Jesus Christ did on the cross.
Scripture establishes that salvation is a one step by faith in Christ as Personal Savior process. It is not by repentance and then faith. Scripture establishes that faith and the repentance that it refers to are synonymous. According to Scripture, repentance with respect to salvation is hearing the truth of the gospel and changing one's mind about believing it. So in effect, repentance and belief are two sides of the same coin. One does not believe in the gospel of salvation unless one has changed one's mind............. i.e., repented ? "metanoeo", .........from not believing it to believing it.
One changes one's mind about not believing the gospel and then what happens is that one believes - two sides of the same coin. An unbeliever who has repented from disbelief of the gospel of salvation is now a believer.
Vines further defines repent as it is found in the New Testament more specifically as follows, (p. 281): '"In the N.T. the subject chiefly has reference to repentance from sin, and this change of mind involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God".
So the New Testament use of the word repent relative to salvation is restricted to an action which is within the mind - (especially since the stem of the word 'repent' in the Greek is the word for the mind or the seat of moral reflection).
Therefore the phrase 'turn from sin relative to the word repent = "metanoeo" cannot be anything other than an activity which is restricted to within the mind. The New Testament definition of turning from sin relative to salvation therefore is a mental adjustment in which one turns from thinking that one does not have a sin problem...
(Some consider themselves relatively more moral than others and therefore God doesn't have a problem with them. There are 'worse' offenders than themselves. Others state that they are not doing anything so seriously wrong that God should be concerned about them. They're doing the best that they can and that's all they think that God expects. Still others feel that their sins are something that they themselves can and will deal with - often with a system of works which includes water baptism, church going, asking for forgiveness, etc., etc. And still others who are born into a family such as being a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, think that God will automatically favor them because of this).
...to the attitude that they are helpless and hopeless sinners before God and must turn to God's mercy for forgiveness through faith alone in His Son alone:
[Titus 3:5]:
"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."
[J. Dwight Pentecost states in his book, "Things Which Become SOUND DOCTRINE", Revell, Co., Westwood, N.J., 1965, p. 71]:
[The] word 'turning' gives us this basic concept that we have been considering [relative to the meaning of the word 'repent' in the New Testament]. There was a change in attitude, a change of mind.... [For example, the people of Thessalonica to whom Paul preached had known no God but idols]... Then Paul came to them to present the truth of God. They turned from their idols to believe the truth that had been revealed, and the Apostle says that the act gave them salvation...
[1 Thes 1:9]:
"For they themselves [believers from other parts of the world, (v. 8)] report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God."]
...As a consequence they waited 'for His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead, even [that is to say] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.' (I Thessalonians 1:10). In the passage, the change of mind was not the precursory step to salvation. It is not the first of several steps to salvation. It is not a prerequisite for salvation. Rather, salvation depends upon believing, and believing involves repudiating the false teaching that one espoused, and holding to the revealed truth of the Word of God. From Scripture, then, we see that salvation is predicated upon faith. Faith involves the repudiation, or turning from all falsehood, from every false basis of salvation, from every false hope, and turning to accept from God the gift of salvation through His Son. But salvation is not dependent upon the work of repentance; rather, it depends upon the faith that involves repentance.
Salvation will be preceded by repentance. The one who turns to God accepts God's judgment upon sin, accepts the fact of his need of a Saviour, accepts the fact of his guilt, accepts the fact of his lostness apart from Christ, accepts the fact of his helplessness. He turns from all self-righteousness in which he trusted, turns from his own works, turns from his church as a means of dispensing salvation, and [in this one time process of turning, he] turns to the Lord Jesus Christ, accepts the fact of God's judgment upon sin and sinners, and by faith receives Jesus Christ as the One Who is judged for him [all of this in the one time process of turning - of changing his mind - of repenting].
SALVATION IS DEPENDANT UPON THE OBJECT OF ONES FAITH NOT UPON SUPPOSED DIFFERENCES IN THE QUALITY OF THAT FAITH:
~~~repent
[Charles C. Bing, cont.]:
"...These pictures of faith all denote receptivity, agreement, or trust. All are essentially simple activities and essentially passive. None communicates the idea of merit, work, effort, or achievement. Neither do they communicate an exchange of one's life or the ongoing submission of one's life to Jesus as Master in order to obtain eternal life.
When we observe the clear statements in John about the condition for salvation, the effect of this condition, and the pictures of this condition, we conclude that John presents faith alone in Christ alone as the only condition for salvation...
It is extremely significant that we do not see qualifiers with the word believe. John does not condition salvation on whether one 'really believes' or 'truly believes.' Neither does he speak of 'genuine faith,' 'real faith,' or 'effectual faith.' There is only one kind of faith. One either believes in something or he does not. Therefore, those who speak of 'spurious faith' or 'false faith' are psychologizing faith as the Scripture neither does, nor provides a basis for doing.
In contrast, John does use qualifiers to distinguish the real from the fraudulent in other concepts. He speaks of the 'true light' (1:9), 'true bread' (6:32), 'true vine' (15:1), 'true worshipers' (4:23), and 'true God' (17:3). When he shows that even the unsaved can be referred to as disciples (6:60-64), he later calls the saved who adhere to His word 'disciples indeed' (8:31)...
Neither do we find condition for salvation stated as surrender or commitment of all of one's life to Jesus as Master. Salvation is totally and absolutely free and is not conditioned on human merit. It is what one receives, not earns, merits, or barters for. It will be given freely to whoever asks (4:10)....
[Jn 4:10]:
"Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is Who says to you, '''Give Me a drink,''' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.' "] So the issue is not the quality or quantity of an individual's faith, but to Whom that faith is directed which will produce eternal life. If it is directed toward Jesus Christ: eternal life.
Notice that the issue is not what the Samaritan woman at the well believed but in Whom she believed - Who He was.
[SALVATION IS NOT CONDITIONED UPON CONTINUAL OBEDIENCE]
Similarly, we do not find salvation conditioned on continual obedience. If anything, we could argue that John's Gospel purposefully introduces us to those who believed in Jesus as Savior, but were less than fully committed as disciples or were partially obeying Him. Martha believed and was obviously saved (11:27; and we can assume Mary and Lazarus were too), but there is no indication that she followed Christ in the fullest sense of leaving home and family. Less than full confession and commitment are also found in the 'secret disciple,' Joseph of Arimathea (19:38). Some would argue that Nicodemus was also in this category (cf. 19:39). In addition, the Jewish rulers mentioned in 12:42 believed in Christ, but did not confess Him publicly for fear of being ostracized by the other Jewish leaders."
Furthermore, just as milk is milk before anything is added to it and so adding something like chocolate to it merely changes it into chocolate + milk, i.e., chocolate milk, so faith does not need works added to it in order to become faith. It already IS faith. Once works are added then the faith becomes faith + works - the works being an expression of that faith which already existed in the first place; that faith being all that was needed to result in eternal life, (Eph 1:13-14; 2:8-9).
The final authority as to whether works do play a part in an individual's salvation must, however, come from God's Word:
[Ro 4:1-5]:
(v. 1) "What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?
(v. 2) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.
[So justification unto eternal life before God does NOT include any kind of works - whether meritorious or not. This verse says that Abraham's works justified him before men, not before God, that he was a saved man - saved unto eternal life. Therefore, God is the One Who justifies unto eternal life, not men - and it is by faith alone as it says in the next verse]:
(v. 3) What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and [as a result of his belief - not anything he did] it was credited to him as righteousness. [Ref. Gen 15:6]
(v. 4) Now to the one who works [for salvation], his wage is not reckoned as a favor [i.e., grace] but as what is due. [thus canceling out the grace basis of salvation, (Eph 2:8-9), and remaining under condemnation] (v. 5) But to the one who does not work, [for salvation] but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith [without works] is reckoned as righteousness."
[Compare Titus 3:5]:
"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit"
So if ANYTHING is done by an individual other than God with the result that salvation is supposed to be received then those actions are by definition attempts to receive eternal life meritoriously. Actions which will inevitably fail. The concept of all works toward one's salvation being meritorious cannot be changed unless the meanings of words which God has inspired to be used in the Bible can be arbitrarily redefined contrary to the intention of the Almighty Himself, (Ro 4:3-5; Titus 3:5).
And then there are those who require confession - even in public - of Jesus as Lord in order to be saved. This false concept is 'extracted' from Scripture by taking Romans 10:9-10 out of context. But this passage actually tells a different story:
~~~ro10v17
[Ro 10:8]:
(v. 8) But what does it say? '''The word is near you [as a result of Paul's preaching] it is in your mouth and in your heart.''' [because you have heard the preaching of Paul and can recite it from memory] that is the word of faith that we are preaching,
[Compare Dt 30:14]:
"No the word is very near you, [as a result of Moses' teaching, (v. 11)] it is in your mouth and in your heart [because you have memorized passages and recite them] so you may obey it."
So to paraphrase Ro 10:8:
But what does it - the Scripture - say? The Word of God is right there: You have spoken the words on your lips and you have them in your heart, (your mind). And this is the very thing we are preaching: that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone. Author and Apostle Paul is quoting Dt 30:14 here in order to draw a comparison between the times when Israel would stray from God yet have the word of truth close by which could bring them back into God's will for them. It was, in fact, so close to them as to be right there 'in their mouths'. They could recite it because it was already planted in their 'hearts', (their minds), through the teachings of Moses, (v. 5), and their custom of memorizing large portions of Scripture text.
Likewise, during the times of the Apostle Paul the gospel of salvation was similarly available in the mouths and hearts of his contemporaries with which to exercise unto eternal life considering the availability of Paul's preaching and the circulation of numerous letters which are now part of New Testament Scripture. So they did not need to go up to heaven or to the depths of the sea to find out truths from God, (Dt 30:12-13).
So in view of Dt 30:14 which Paul just quoted in Ro 10:8, and keeping in mind the order in which Dt 30:14 is in, ('in your mouth' then 'in your heart'), the Apostle maintains the same word order to drive home his point relative to the fact that people already knew of the gospel of salvation as a result of Paul's preaching. It was already in their mouths and hearts, (minds), such that they had the information they needed to know in order to be saved. If they confessed a belief in their hearts, (minds), of the gospel of salvation, then the result of that belief is eternal life - the confession being an expression of that faith, not a requirement to be saved]
[Ro 10:8-9]:
(v. 8) "But what does it say? 'THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART' - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
(v. 9) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved."
["If you confess" = The word confess in the original text, ("homolageses"), comes from the root words 'homos' meaning 'same' (from which we get the English word homogeneous), and the Greek word 'log o' meaning 'to speak'. It literally means to say the same thing, i.e., to acknowledge what is evident ALREADY on the mind. In this case what is evidently already on the mind is that Jesus is Lord. An individual will have it in his mind that Jesus is Lord when he becomes born again through faith alone in Christ alone as Savior, (I Jn 5:9-13). Then and only then does an individual have the potential of having Jesus Christ as their Lord - only AFTER He becomes his Savior unto eternal life. Previously that individual's Lord was the Ruler of this world, Satan, (ref. Eph 2:2; Mt 4:8-9). So, just as Moses said in Dt 30:14: "The word [of God] is very near you in your mouth and in your heart." relative to the Israelites of old already knowing and reciting with their mouths what they must do to get back with God, so Paul says in Ro 10:8 "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART' - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching," i.e., the gospel of salvation unto eternal life, (v. 4), is within the minds of those hearing it so that Paul then writes the next verse in the order of the quotation from the book of Deuteronomy]:
[Ro 10:8-9 cont.]:
(v. 9 cont.) "...if you confess [acknowledge] with your mouth [what is already accepted in your mind by faith unto eternal life] and believe in your heart [mind] that God raised Him [Jesus Christ, (v. 4)] from the dead you shall be saved."
[So the word of God relative to the gospel of salvation by faith alone and that of Jesus being Lord once one is saved is near to the individual of Paul's time in the same way as was the Mosaic Law was near to the Jew of ancient times; this nearness being a descriptive term meaning within one's mind and on one's lips. At the point when one has trusted in Christ as Savior one thereby understands and can now recite with one's lips that Jesus Christ is Lord. The confession when it does occur, (i.e., the acknowledgement that), one's Lord is Jesus Christ - can only come after having been saved not before. It must first be received as a truth by faith alone in Christ alone unto justification, (Ro 10:10a), before it enters the mind as being something one can express with one's lips making it known that one is saved.
Just as it is evident that one who confesses with one's mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in His heart that God raised Him from the dead that he is saved, so in the same way it is evident that if one walks according to the Spirit doing the works of the Lord and believes in his heart that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead then one is also saved.
The order of faith unto eternal life and then confession is confirmed by the grammatical construction of verse 9:
Verse 9 is a reverse cause and effect statement with the effect, confession, coming first - in the subjunctive mood and the cause, (believing), coming second. We know this because the conjunction "ean" which precedes the clause "'confess with your mouth" is the conjunction which is used to introduce the effect in the third class "if" condition and the verb is in the subjunctive mood both of which project a possibility of maybe one will and maybe one won't confess:
So the first part of the verse is the EFFECT, THE RESULT: some will and some won't confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord as a result of believing unto eternal life.
Thus the second part of the verse, (cause & effect are in reverse order), is the cause, the 'if' portion: if you believe:
"If you... ...believe in your heart." = When you believe then you may or may not confess that Jesus is Lord = if you do then the cause of that confession is that you believed!
Finally, the third part of the verse:"..you will be saved" is connected with the second part: BELIEVE. It is not connected with confess such that confession is required and its omission will block salvation.
So to paraphrase this verse with the meaning that the original language provides, we have the following:
'The possible result is that you will confess (maybe you will and maybe you won't) with your mouth Jesus as Lord as a result of the cause that you believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead which belief alone is what results in your being saved.'
So confession that Jesus is Lord is an expected, but not certain, response for believers to express as a result of but not a requirement for salvation. Some will confess and sad to say, some will not, (Ref. I Cor 3:11-15); just as some will be water baptized, go to church regularly, lead faithful lives and some will not.
Furthermore, one must not ignore the many clearer verses which teach that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone:
Jn 3:16,36; 5:24; 6:35-40,47; 20:31; Ro 1:16; 3:21-28; 4:4-5; Eph 1:3-14;2:8-9; Acts 2:21,38; 10:43; 13:38-39; 16:30-31; Gal 3:22; 2 Thes 2:13-14; 2 Tim 1:9; Isa 28:16, 49:23; Joel 2:32; Titus 3:5; etc etc).
One may better translate this part of Romans chapter 10 in modern English as follows:
'Because if you acknowledge with your lips that Jesus is Lord and this acknowledging is as a result of believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead then it will be evident and true that you will be saved.'
And, finally, verse 10 of Romans chapter 10 clarifies verse 9. This time Paul puts cause first then he puts effect:
[Ro 10:10]:
(v. 10) For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified" = So before confession is made, faith brings justification unto eternal life, nothing more needing to be done, after which the individual may or may not demonstrate his born again state via confession, or water baptism, or some other faithful act for that matter:
"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." = The confession is not necessary to be saved but it certainly makes one's salvation evident to man so that the conclusion can be drawn by man that you are saved. And PROPER confession, water baptism, celebration of the Lord's Supper will also demonstrate that one is saved.
If one does confess that Christ is Lord as a result of and after believing in Christ as Savior then one is assuredly saved but no more assuredly than if one did not confess Christ. But if one confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord and yet one has not believed in Christ as Savior then one is not yet saved. For Scripture teaches that it is faith alone in Christ alone that saves.
[Compare Jn 3:18]:
"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
(Ref. Gen 3:15; Gal 3:22; Jn 3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:47; 20:31; Eph 1:13-14; 2:8-9; Acts 16:30; Ro 1:16; 3:21-28; Titus 3:5).
There are many deeds that a believer often does alongside of or immediately after that moment when one expressed saving faith in Christ - water baptism, Lord's Supper, going to church, confession of Christ as Savior, prayer and many other things some of which are more mundane - such as going home, eating dinner, shopping for food, filling the gas tank up with gasoline, etc. If one were to believe for the first time in Christ as Savior and go to Krogers to shop for food then one would be saved. Shopping for food at Krogers had nothing to do with that person's salvation yet it is included in this particular statement of what it takes to be saved. What is important in statements such as these is to determine what is essential to salvation and what is not; and not to jump to the conclusion that everything in the statement is vital to eternal life.
Consider these passages of Scripture in light of the above:
[Mk 16:16]:
" 'He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.' "
Notice that this passage indicates that if one believes and is water baptized one shall be saved. From the first half of verse 16, one can conclude that salvation is gained in one or more of three ways: either by faith alone, water baptism alone or faith plus water baptism. The second half of verse 16 strongly points toward faith alone in Christ alone and it definitely states that faith alone in Christ alone is at least one way to heaven and probably the only way. Verse 16b indicates that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone because it states that the only way to condemnation is to never believe - to disbelieve. There is no mention that never being water baptized will result in condemnation. This would be a serious omission if water baptism were indeed essential to salvation. This verse establishes that the ONLY basis for condemnation is UNBELIEF.
The subject of Christian water baptism is a highly controversial one. Many insist that it is a requirement for being saved.
Dave Hunt states, ('THE BEREAN CALL' periodical, Bend, Oregon, March 1995 issue):
"Then what about Mark 16:16: 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved'? All who believe the gospel are saved, so of course all who believe and are baptized are saved; but that does not say that baptism saves or that it is essential for salvation.
Scores of verses declare, with no mention of baptism, that salvation comes by believing the gospel: '[I]t pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.' (1 Cor 1:21; see also Jn 3:16, 18, 36, 5:24; Acts 10:43, 13:38-39, 16:341; Rom 1:16, 3:28, 4:24, 5:1; 1 cor 15:1-5; Eph 2:8, etc.). Not one verse, however, says that baptism saves.
Numerous verses declare that whosoever does not believe is lost, but not one verse declares that whosoever is not baptized is lost. Surely the Bible would make it clear that believing in Christ without being baptized cannot save if that were the case, yet it never says so! Instead, we have examples of those who believed and were saved without being baptized, such as the thief on the cross and the Old Testament saints (Enoch, Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, et al.) to whom Christian baptism was unknown... [Ref Hebrews chapter 11]."
[Compare Jn 6:40]:
"For this is the will of My Father, that every one who beholds the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
If one concludes that water baptism, (Mk 16:16), or confession, (Ro 10:9-10), is an essential part of salvation, by extraction of a verse out of context then we must use the same extraction process in Jn 6:40, above, and conclude that only those living at the time of Christ, and that only those who actually saw Him can be saved.
Consider Mk 1:4 which, when taken out of context, appears to teach that forgiveness of sins comes only through John the Baptist's water baptism - which was strictly for Jews, leaving the Gentile world totally condemned without a chance for salvation:
[Mk 1:4]:
"John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."
In the same way, one might take verse 6 out of context and conclude that only the descendants of Abraham will be eligible for salvation. Most Jews believe this way:
[Gen 15:4-6]:
(v. 4) "Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'This man will not be your heir; but One shall come forth from your own body, He shall be you Heir.'
(v. 5 ) And He [God] took him outside and said, 'Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'
(v. 6) Then he [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness."
One might even falsely conclude in Matthew chapter 10 that Gentiles are entirely excluded from being saved by our Lord Himself:
[Mt 10:5-7, 32]:
(v. 5) "These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, 'Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans;
[One might conclude here that salvation was exclusively for the Jews]
(v. 6) but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
(v. 7) And as you go, preach, saying, '''The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'''
(v. 32) Every one therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father Who is in heaven.' "
So by the method one uses in falsely interpreting Romans 10:9-10 in order to conclude that one must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord in order to be saved one must also conclude that one must be a Jew who saw the Lord Jesus Christ as a Man 2000 years ago, (Jn 6:40), and one must have been water baptized by John the Baptist himself, (Mk 1:4), and have been a believer in the Abrahamic covenant as well as a descendant of Abraham, (Gen 15:6), etc. etc. This is however only the beginning. There are dozens of passages which, one might conclude, add even more to what must be done in order to be saved. The truth is, however a different matter. Paul answered it best when the frightened jailkeeper in Philippi asked him:
[Acts 16:30b]:
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' "
[And Paul's simple and complete answer was]:
[Acts 16:31]:
" 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved....' "
So it is belief and belief alone in Christ alone as Savior that is the way to heaven - nothing else can be added. If anything else was required, then Paul was lying to the frightened Philippean jailer. Anything else such as confession of Jesus as Lord, water baptism, Lord's Supper, leading a repentant lifestyle, etc. etc. may immediately accompany a person's first time expression of faith in Christ; yet these spiritually important things in a believer's life also contribute nothing toward that believer's salvation, (Eph 2:8-9).
All of the passages in Scripture relative to salvation might be likened to following a recipe. Many recipes contain nonessential instructions such as suggesting a number of ways to serve the results. Once a recipe has been followed and a successful outcome is obtained, further action such as serving it on a dish in some special way merely demonstrates what has already occurred. In like manner, once salvation has occurred by a single moment of trusting alone in Christ alone as Savior, (Jn 3:16, Eph 2:8-9), actions such as public confession, water baptism, divine good works, etc., serve to demonstrate to man what has already occurred. So the water baptism or the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord demonstrates the successful results of the faith which has been exercised in Christ as Savior, such faith resulting in salvation even before there is the slightest confession or any other deed.
The passage which includes Ro 10:9-10 therefore indicates that it is faith alone which results in salvation and thereafter what is expected to take place in the believer's life, (but not guaranteed), is confession that Jesus is Lord. The point here is that an if-then passage in Scripture, (and in every day conversation for that matter), may include statements in the 'if' portion of the passage that are not necessarily essential to the outcome of the 'then' portion of the passage.
The key to understanding what is essential is context and the examination of parallel passages which rule out the non-essential elements. There are numerous passages which clearly stipulate that faith alone in Christ alone as Savior is the exclusive way to salvation unto eternal life: Jn 3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:35-40, 47; 20:31; Ro 1:16; 3:21-28; 4:4-5; Eph 1:3-14; 2:8-9; Acts 2:21, 38; 10:43; 13:38-39; 16:30-31; Gal 3:22; 2 Thes 2:13-14; 2 Tim 1:9; Isa 28:16, 49:23; Joel 2:32; Titus 3:5, etc.
Note that the rest of the passage in Romans chapter 10 indicates that the exclusive requirement to receive eternal life is indeed faith alone in Christ alone:
[Ro 10:11-17]:
[Verses 11, 13 & 14 of Romans 10, which follow reiterate that once an individual believes in Christ as Personal Savior - nothing else being done - he at once is saved unto eternal life]:
(v. 11) "For the Scripture says, 'WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.' [i.e, 'Whoever believes in Christ will be saved unto eternal life, never to go to Hell] (v. 12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him;
(v. 13) for 'WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.'
(v. 14a) How then shall they call upon Him in Whom they have not believed?"
"Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." is not simply crying out to the Lord.
Notice that in order to call upon the name of the Lord unto salvation one must believe in the name of the Lord, i.e., trust in Christ, as Savior, as it says in verses 13 & 14. So another way to explain salvation by faith alone in Christ alone is salvation by calling on, i.e., relying on, the name of the Lord. When you call upon someone to help you it is that you trust in him to come to your aid. Inherent in your calling upon someone is the faith that he can and will help you. So, in essence, to call on the name of the Lord unto salvation is to believe in Christ as Savior, that He alone will make provision for you to have eternal life with Him in heaven.
~~~ro10v17
[OBEYING THE GOSPEL - BELIEVING IN IT]
Finally, in answer to those, after all of this, who still maintain that there are passages in God's Word which demand an obedience of works by an individual in order to be saved unto eternal life: [Heb 5:9b]:
"He [Jesus] became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him."
["obey" = "hupakouousin" = This word which is translated obey is Greek, however, it is a word reflecting the Jewish author's mentality which encompasses not just obedience in deed but alsoobedience of faith. Some say that salvation requires one to obey in deeds due to a verse like this with the word "obey" in it. But in the Jewish mind if you trust or believe then you thereby obey. The ten commandments, for example, prohibit a number of mental attitude sins, such as coveteousness. To disobey one of these mental attitude commandments is to have that mental attitude of coveteousness - no actual deeds required! If one believed that coveteousness was a sin and did not practice such a mental attitude, then one was obeying that commandment within one's mind, and without any actions. Therefore, faith in Christ as Savior is indeed obeying the Gospel of salvation by simply exercising a mental assent - a simple trust in Christ.
In the Gospel of John, our Lord explicitly states that the work that one must do for eternal life is exclusively a matter of faith. So to obey the Lord unto eternal salvation must necessarily be to obey His command to trust alone in Him alone for eternal life, no deeds required:
[Jn 6:27-29]:
(v. 27) "[Jesus answered] Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval. (v. 28) Then they asked Him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?'
(v. 29) Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.' " So to do the work that is required unto eternal life is simply to believe in Jesus Christ.
[Compare 1 Pet 1:17-23]:
(v. 17) "Since you [believers, v. 18] call on a Father Who judges each man's work impartially, [relative to rewards, 1 Cor 3:11-15] live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
(v. 18) For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers.
[Notice the word "redeemed". The subject is salvation. Peter is reminding Jewish believers that they were saved not by things nor by their "empty way of life", i.e., by the deeds of the Law handed down by their forefathers but they were saved by the blood of Jesus Christ]:
(v. 18 cont.) For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers. (v. 19) but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
(v. 20) He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
[And the basis upon which the blood of Christ saved you, Peter says to fellow believers, is faith, i.e., belief in the gospel of salvation]:
(v. 21) Through Him you believe in God, Who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God [relative to salvation unto eternal life]
(v. 22) Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart."
["Now that you have purified yourselves" = now that you have received the gift of perfect righteousness unto eternal life by faith alone in Christ alone, (Rom 3:21-24), i.e., now that you have received purification unto eternal life through Jesus Christ.
[1 Pet 1:17-23 cont.]:
(v. 21) Through Him you believe in God, Who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God [relative to salvation unto eternal life]
(v. 22) Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart."
"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth" = Now that you have received perfect righteousness, i.e., purification unto eternal life by "obeying the truth" = by believing in the gospel of salvation, (cp v. 21).
So obeying the truth according to Scripture is believing in it. Verse 21 states that believing in God, in what He did relative to His Son: His Son's death, burial, resurrection and glorifiication (the Gospel of salvation) will result in purification eternal life. And verse 22 describes this action of believing in the gospel of salvation as "obeying the truth."
[THE FAITH EXPRESSED UNTO ETERNAL LIFE IS A GIFT SO SALVATION CANNOT BE OF WORKS]
Scripture says that even the faith that a believer exercises in Christ is given that believer - so the believer cannot say that he even provided his own hope -his own faith:
[Phil 1:29]:
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him.."
So, who gets the glory - the credit for exercising faith in Christ as Savior? - (NOT THE BELIEVER):
GOD AND GOD ALONE
9) ASSURANCE OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S SALVATION IS A RESULT OF THE ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
~~~1jn5v13
II) 1 JN 5:9-13
ASSURANCE OF YOUR SALVATION
A) [1 Jn 5:9]:
(v. 9) "We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son."
1) THE TESTIMONY OF GOD IS GREATER THAN MAN'S AND IT IS ABOUT HIS SON
This verse states that the testimony of God is superior to any man's because God is Who He is:
He is Sovereign and Almighty. And the particular testimony that author John points to here is the testimony of God which He has given about His son relative to trusting in Him unto salvation unto eternal life to which the next 3 verses attest]:
B) [1 Jn 5:10]:
(v. 10) "Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son."
1) BELIEVING IN THE SON OF GOD IN THIS CONTEXT = BELIEVING IN HIM AS CHRIST, AS ONE'S MESSIAH TO SAVE YOU UNTO ETERNAL LIFE
The context of this has already been established in the first verse of chapter 5:
a) [Compare 1 Jn 5:1a]:
"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God...."
[Kenneth S. Wuest states, ('Ephesians and Colossians in the Greek New Testament', Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Grand Rapids, Mich, 1963, p15):
" 'Christ' is the transliteration of christos which means 'anointed'....
...In the Church Epistles, the word does not refer to our Lord in His official capacity of the Messiah of the Jewish nation, but as The Anointed of God, the Person chosen from the Godhead to be the anointed Prophet, Priest, and King to accomplish the purposes of God in the plan of salvation."
So to believe that Jesus is the Christ is to believe that His purpose as the Christ = to be your Savior unto eternal life, is true resulting in the reception of becoming born of God, i.e., saved unto eternal life:
b) [Compare Jn 1:12-13]:
(v. 12) "Yet to all who received Him [Christ, (v. 1)], to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God -
(v. 13) children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
2) BELIEVING IN THE SON OF GOD AS CHRIST = MESSIAH TO SAVE YOU PRODUCES THE RESULT OF HAVING THE TESTIMONY OF GOD IN ONE'S HEART, I.E., ONE'S MIND
"Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony [of God] in his heart." =
Believing in the Son of God [to save you, (vv. 1, 11)] produces the result of having this testimony of God in one's 'heart', (i.e., in one's mind, ref. Heb 4:12). This means that one accepts the truth in what God has said, i.e., His "testimony" about His Son relative to eternal life. And Scripture teaches that God will then deliver on His promise of eternal life to that individual who believes, (Jn 3:16; 36; 5:24; 6:47; etc.).
3) ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN THE SON [TO PROVIDE ETERNAL LIFE FOR HIM] HAS THIS TESTIMONY OF GOD'S IN HIS HEART = MIND = MENTAL UNDERSTANDING
"has this testimony in
his heart" = in his mind, (Jn 12:40; Eph 4:18; Mt 9:4; Heb 4:12, etc.
..)
Anyone who believes that the Son will provide eternal life for him has this testimony in his 'heart' such that it is a part of his mental understanding that he is now saved unto eternal life.
B cont.) [1 Jn 5:10 cont.]:
(v. 10 cont.) "Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son."
4) ON THE OTHER HAND ANYONE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE GOD'S TESTIMONY ABOUT HIS SON MAKES GOD OUT TO BE A LIAR
"Anyone who does not believe has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son." =
Disbelieving the testimony of God that eternal life is secured solely through believing in the Son of God is tantamount to calling God a liar. So to be saved one must believe in the testimony of God about His Son relative to eternal life. Anything less and anything more than a one time moment of accepting the testimony of God about His Son relative to eternal life, i.e., believing in it would make this verse untrue. And the next verse tells us what that testimony is which individuals must believe in order to have eternal life]:
C) [1 Jn 5:11]:
(v. 11) And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
1) THE TESTIMONY OF GOD ABOUT HIS SON IS THAT GOD HAS GIVEN THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE TO MANKIND THROUGH HIS SON
Notice that eternal life is described as something that is given, i.e., a gift, (cp Eph 2:8), to mankind and that gift it is established is in the possession of the individual, i.e., given to him, when he believes the testimony of God about eternal life being through His Son. So believing the testimony of God about His Son incorporates such testimony within the mind of the individual, (v. 10), resulting in that individual having the Son, i.e., having eternal life]:
D) [1 Jn 5:12]:
(v. 12) He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
1) HAVING THE SON = BELIEVING IN THE TESTIMONY OF GOD ABOUT HIS SON = HAVING ETERNAL LIFE
"He who has the Son has life" = He who believes in God's testimony about His Son - that the Son will provide eternal life for him if he merely believes in the Son doing this, has eternal life, (Ref. v.10)
2) HE WHO DOES NOT HAVE THE SON = HAS NOT BELIEVED IN GOD'S TESTIMONY ABOUT HIS SON = DOES NOT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE
"He who does not have the Son of God does not have life." = To have the Son means to believe that He will provide eternal life for you. To not have the Son is to not take God at His Word, (i.e., believe), that the Son alone will provide eternal life for you. And he who has not believed in Christ as Savior "Does not have [eternal] life."
a) [Compare Jn 3:18]:
"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already [unto condemnation], because he has not believed in the name of the One and only Son of God."
"believed in the name of" = believed in the capacity and willingness of God to grant eternal life as a gift - just for trusting alone in Him alone, (Jn 3:1-18; Ro 3:21-24).
3) IF YOU BELIEVE WHAT GOD HAS TESTIFIED TO ABOUT HIS SON THEN YOU WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE BECAUSE GOD SAYS SO
If you believe what God has testified to about His Son, then you will have eternal life because God says so. God being Who He is as it is clearly indicated in verse 9: a sovereign God Whose testimony is greater than man's, He will deliver. And John writes these verses about eternal life for the following reason]:
E) [1 Jn 5:13]:
(v. 13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you many know that you have eternal life."
1) JOHN'S MESSAGE OF ETERNAL LIFE WAS WRITTEN SO THAT ALL WHO BELIEVE IN THE NAME OF, I.E., THE CAPACITY OF, THE SON TO PROVIDE ETERNAL LIFE FOR THEM MAY KNOW THAT THEY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE
So, taking God at His Word about eternal life through His Son provides assurance that you do NOW possess the gift of life everlasting in heaven never to lose it, (cp. Eph 1:13-14).
Consider if one could know now at the point of faith alone in Christ alone that one is absolutely saved, then it obviously would not depend upon any future thoughts, words, or deeds of the believer only on the faithfulness of God to keep His promise.
10) UPON BELIEVING IN CHRIST AS SAVIOR THE INDIVIDUAL IMMEDIATELY BEGINS HAVING ETERNAL LIFE IN HIS MORTAL BODY - NEVER TO LOSE IT, SINCE IT IS ETERNAL
[Compare Jn 3:16]:
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
"whoever believes" - "ho pisteuon" - present participle, indicating one who is believing in Christ as Savior in the present tense resulting in a state of never perishing and having eternal life: "shall not perish" - "me appoletai" - aorist, active subjunctive, indicating a once for all time exclusion from perishing as a result of the present state of believing in Christ as Savior.
"shall have eternal life" - "eche" - present subjunctive participle, indicating a continuous, forever state of having eternal life from the then present time period which began when the believing started. Note that eternal life would have to be a forever condition otherwise it would not be eternal life.
Kenneth S. Wuest states, (Wuest's Word Studies, Vol. 3, 'Great Truths To Live By, Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., 1992, p. 67):
"In the words, 'should not perish, but have everlasting life,' there is a radical change in tenses, from the aorist which speaks of a once-for-all act to the present subjunctive which speaks of a continuous state. The contrast is one between the final utter ruin and lost estate of the unbeliver, and the possession of eternal life as an enduring experience on the part of the believer."
In the same way that physical life is an intrinsic part of an individual, so eternal life once received becomes an intrinsic part of the individual when he believes in the Son of God and receives it.
[Jn 3:16]:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Notice that eternal life becomes the present possession of the individual the moment he expresses believing in the Son being given for him.
[Compare Jn 6:53-54]:
(v. 53) '''Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no [eternal] life in you.
[Notice that the word life refers to eternal life, (v. 58), and the context leading up to v. 53. This eternal life once received is described here as "in you", implying an intrinsic part of you]
(v. 54) Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
Since eternal life once received is "in you" inferring an intrinsic part of you for eternity, then it is not portrayed in the Bible as occupying space in a particular part of your anatomy such that it can be removed and lost from within you and then recovered again.
Furthermore, the concept of eternal life existing outside of an individual is comparing apples and oranges. The concept of something cannot be compared to the possession of it. The concept of eternal life is one which is forever, everlasting, without end, of course; but the eternal life of a particular individual does not exist until he believes, at which time the eternal life cannot go out of existence because of some infraction and must by definition be an intrinsic part of that individual's existence forever. An individual's eternal life cannot be measured apart from the individual any more than an individual's physical life can be measured apart from the individual's physical existence. The concept of life can be discussed in general but that discussion does not apply to an individual who does not yet possess physical life or eternal life.
Finally, even if it could somehow be lost, it could not be described as eternal life - but life for the duration of time that it was an intrinsic part of that individual. Thus eternal life is eternally secure because it is defined as an intrinsic part of the individual for the duration of eternity.
But let's do a hypothetical test of this, assuming one can lose one's salvation, repent and recover it again:
A man lost his salvation ten years after he got saved. Later on he repented and regained eternal life, (if that were possible and it is not), at which time he dies. Hence is the length of his eternal life one eternity + ten years!?!
Consider that once physical life begins an individual exists. Once it leaves an individual, the individual ceases to exist as he originally began to exist, hence he is destroyed. Portions of that creation may and do continue to exist, but in a totally different format wherein the physical body is a mass of matter, dead, lifeless no longer containing a soul or spirit which the latter entities occupy other space. The context of the argument does not permit entering into this any more than you can say that water can lose its oxygen. Just as the oxygen is intrinsic to the existence of the water and losing it would destroy the water, albeit change it into something else which no longer functions as water, so taking away physical life from an individual destroys that individual such that he no longer exists as originally created. In the same way, once eternal life is received the individual is a new creation that cannot exist without that eternal life, it being an intrinsic part of that individual forever by definition. So it is not a viable argument to say one can lose something intrinsic as eternal life as if the individual would not be destroyed, no longer in existence and go back to the point he did not have eternal life as part of his intrinsic makeup. Recall that one is forever intrinisically in Christ, intrinsically part of His indestructible body at the point of faith in the gospel, sealed by the intrinsically indwelling Holy Spirit, (Eph 1:13-14). So how can one lose the life in Christ apart from destroying Christ? How can the eternal body of Christ be lost? How can the permanently indwelling Holy Spirit in one be destroyed?
11) A BELIEVER HAS BEEN SAVED COMPLETELY IN THE PAST WITH ONGOING PRESENT RESULTS FOREVER
[Eph 2:8-9]:
(v. 8) "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -
(v. 9) not by works, so that no one can boast."
"you have been saved.." = once saved always saved.
Kenneth S. Wuest, 'Ephesians and Colossians in the Greek New Testament', Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Grand Rapids, Mich, 1963, 66-67:
"Now comes the interjection...
["by grace you have been saved:]
...We have here in the Greek what is called a periphrastic construction...
[Paul deliberately uses a periphrastic construction, i.e., using an auxiliary verb = "este"have = been, 2nd pers., plur., pres. indicative, (statement of fact) along with "sesosmenoi" = saved rather than the normative inflected form of the verb to be saved in the past tense in order to stress the point of permanency]
..This [periphrastic construction] is used when the writer cannot get all of the details of action from one verbal form. So he uses two, a finite verb and a participle. The participle here is in the perfect tense, which tense speaks of an action that took place in past time and was completed in past time, having results existent in present time. The translation reads [more accurately] 'By grace have you been completely saved, with the present result that you are in a saved state of being'. The perfect tense speaks of the existence of finished results in present time. But Paul is not satisfied with showing the existence of finished results in present time. He wants to show the persistence of results through present time. So he uses the verb 'to be' in the present tense which gives durative force to the finished results. Thus, the full translation is, "By grace you have been saved in past time completely, with the result that you are in a state of salvation which persists through present time.' The unending state of the believer in salvation could not have been put in stronger or clearer language. The finished results of the past act of salvation are always present with the reader. His present state of salvation is dependent upon one thing and one thing only, his past appropriation of the Lord Jesus as Saviour. His initial act of faith brought him salvation in its three aspects, justification, the removal of the guilt and penalty of sin and the impartation of a positive righteousness, Jesus Christ Himself, an act which occurs at the moment of believing, and a position that remains static for time and eternity [cp. Ro 3:21-28]; sanctification, positional, the act of the Holy Spirit taking the believing sinner out of the first Adam with his (Adam's) sin and death, and placing him in the Last Adam (Jesus Christ) with His righteousness and life, an act that occurs at the moment of believing [cp. Ro 5:15-19]; [and sanctification] progressive, the process by which the Holy Spirit eliminates sin from the experience of the believer and produces His fruit, gradually conforming him into the image of the Lord Jesus [cp. Ro 8:29], a process that goes on all through the life of a Christian and continues all through eternity, and which never is completed, for a finite creature can never equal an infinite one in any quality; and glorification, the act of the Holy Spirit, transforming the mortal bodies of believers into glorified, perfect bodies at the Rapture of the Church [cp. I Thess 4:13-18; I Cor 15:52-53]. The believer has had his justification, he is having his sanctification, and he is yet to have his glorification. The earnest of the Spirit guarantees to him his glorification [cp. Eph 1:13-14]."
12) SALVATION IS A GIFT WHICH BY DEFINITION IS UNCONDITIONAL AND THEREFORE IS ETERNALLY SECURE
[Eph 2:8-9]:
(v. 8) "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this [salvation is] not from yourselves it is the gift of God"
"it is the gift of God..." = in order to drive home the point that salvation is solely of God, solely by His grace - IT IS DEFINED AS A GIFT. A gift is not given in exchange for any payment or promised actions in order to deserve it later on. A gift is not given in exchange for a promise - say to behave better or to make Jesus the Lord of your life or to be water baptized or to go to church, or to take the Lord's Supper, or to do some sort of penance, etc., etc., (compare Titus 3:5). A gift is not given under the condition of good behavior or it will be taken away.
THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE WOULD THEN NOT BE A GIFT AT ALL. IT WOULD BE CALLED SOMETHING ELSE ...SOMETHING WITH THE WORD CONDITIONAL IN IT PERHAPS - OR THE WORD AGREEMENT - OR THE PHRASE 'CONTRACT WITH GOD'; AND GOD THEN WOULD NOT HAVE INSPIRED ALL OF THE AUTHORS OF SCRIPTURE TO DESCRIBE SALVATION AS HIS GRACE - GIFT OPERATION.
13) ETERNAL LIFE IS SPECIFICALLY DESCRIBED AS NOT OF ONESELF , NOT OF WORKS WHICH MAKES GOD THE SOLE AGENT IN ITS PROVISION - SECURING IT FOREVER
[Eph 2:8-9 cont.]:
(v. 8) "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this [salvation is] not from yourselves it is the gift of God
(v. 9) not by works so that no one can boast."
Notice that Scripture