Why I believe in the Security of the believer:

1. Eph 2:8-9 a. we are saved by grace; b. through faith, and that c. not of yourselves d. it is the gift of God (and thus unchangeable for the "gifts...of God are without repentance" Rom 11:29) e. not of works lest any man should boast (works and grace are mutually exclusive, (Rom 11:6 and if by grace, then is it no more works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace...".

2. John 10:27-30 This promise is unconditional. There are two kinds of promises God makes, conditional and unconditional. "If" is used if the promise is conditional. This promise in John 10 is unconditional. The strength of the Father is what keeps the sheep. But, some may say, can't the sheep jump out of His hand on its own volition? Two conditions would make this possible: 1. That he be given the freedom to do so, and 2. that he have the power to do so against the purpose of God. But the sheep belong to Christ as a gift from His Father. That which is owned has no right or will contrary to the will of the owner. It would disgrace a human shepherd of sheep to say that he allowed his sheep to stray. How much more so with God. They are not greater than the Father. Also if they did jump out they would perish, which would contradict "they shall never perish".

3. John 3:16 "have (as a present possession) everlasting life".

4. John 5:24 "Hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life"; (again they have as a present posession)

5. John 6:37, 39-40 "all that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out"; "of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing...I shall raise him up..."

6. Rom 5:8-9 "we shall be saved from wrath ..."this is stated as a fact.

7. Rom 8:1 "now no condemnation..." from now on we have no condemnation.

8. Rom. 8:11 "He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies..." SHALL, not may, if we keep the faith.

9. Rom 8:29,30 "whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified them he also glorified" The past tense can be used of a future event only because it is so certain that no one will be lost.

10. Rom 8:33, 34 "It is God" (the one who would hear a charge against the elect) "that justifieth". The accused has already been declared righteous, by THE JUDGE!

11. 1 Cor. 1:8, 9 "Who (God) shall also confirm you unto the end" SHALL, not may if we keep the faith.

12. 1 Cor. 15:49 "we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" SHALL, not may if we keep the faith.

13. Phil. 1:6 "He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ." WILL, not may if we keep the faith.

14. 2 Tim. 4:18 "The Lord shall...preserve me unto His heavenly Kingdom" SHALL, not may if we keep the faith.

15. 1 Pet. 1:5 "Who are kept by the power of God" ARE KEPT, not may be kept if we keep the faith.

16. 1 John 3:2 "Now are we the sons of God...but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him..." SHALL, not may be like Him if we keep the faith.

B. Doctrines which are consistent with E.S. and not with Arminianism.

1. Salvation: all that happens at salvation must be undone if one is to lose his salvation; a. one is redeemed from the curse of the law, Gal. 4:5, b. one is reconciled to God, 2 Cor. 5:18, c. one is at peace with Him, Col. 1:20, d. one is justified, Rom 5:1 e. he has been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of the Son, Col. 1:13 f. he has been born again of incorruptible seed, 1 Pet. 1:23 etc.

2. The new birth. This is the coming into being of a new divine life which has the incorruptible and immortal nature of God (John 1:13). This seed not only lives forever, but remains (I John 3:16). If it were possible for the saved to be lost, that would mean the death of the life resulting from the new birth, but this life is said to be eternal (John 3:16).

3. The substitutionary atonement: The sinner who believes in Christ has, in the person of Christ, been executed, and therefore, he cannot be condemned by the law for he is dead in its sight. Thus, one who has been saved by being ransomed by the death of Christ cannot be lost, Rom. 6:8-11.

4. The sealing of the Holy Spirit: We are sealed until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30). The seal denotes the unalterable position of those sealed. (see Rev. 20:2, 3; Dan 6:17). That is exactly what the Holy Spirit as a seal means to the saved person. God has sealed him so that he, as a believer, cannot be changed until the day of redemption.

5. The Holy Spirit is given as an earnest of our inheritance (Eph. 1:14) to guarantee the completion of a transaction. To say that one who has been saved can be lost is to say that possession of the inheritance shall not be given to one to whom God has already made an earnest payment.

6. The omnipotence of God: We are "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation...", 1 Pet. 1:5. If God fails to keep a single one of those whom Christ bought with His own blood, He fails to conserve that which was accomplished by His death and resurrection!

7. The unbroken chain: whom He; a. foreknew, b. He predestined, c. He called, d. He justified, e. He glorified. Rom. 8:29, 30.

C. Explanations of certain passages:

Perceived inconsistencies in Scripture reside either in the original documents of Scripture or in the conclusions of either the translator or the expositor. Since we believe the original manuscripts to be inspired, any inconsistency must be in the translation or our understanding of the translation. We may not be able conclusively to answer all apparent contradictions because of our limited access to the original manuscripts and our limited ability to properly interpret what was written. However, the following five classifications can be used to catagorize most difficult passages.

1. Applying to the saved, passages addressed to others.

2. Interpreting passages apart from their context.

3. Difficult or obscure passages wrongly interpreted.

4. Using passages with figurative language to formulate doctrine.

5. Conditional hypothetical warnings.

Examples of each error:

1. Applying to the saved, passages addressed to others: Matt. 24 :13, Luke 11:24-26, I Tim. 4:1, I John 2:18-19

2. Interpreting passages apart from their context: a. Gal. 5:4 Those who are particularly concerned with doing everything that the law requires in order to be righteous in God's sight, so as to remain saved are fallen from grace. b. Heb 6:4-6 but verse 9 shows that "we are persuaded of better things (than those mentioned) of you, and things that accompany salvation." This situation fits Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night. Thus this passage refers to Jews passing from under the covenant of the law into salvation and cannot be said to be concerning saved persons. Heb 10:26-29, 39 and 2 Pet. 3:20-22 are similar passages.

3. Difficult or obscure passages wrongly interpreted: I Cor. 9:27 means laid aside, or put on the shelf, not thrown away.

4. Using passages with figurative language to formulate doctrine: John 15:1-6, Unfruitful branches represent unsaved people because they lack two signs of salvation, bearing fruit (John 12:24 "if it die it bringeth forth much fruit") and being pruned (chastening, Heb.12:6, 8).

5. Conditional hypothetical warnings: Acts 27:22- 25, 30, 31. This is an example of a hypothetical warning. God had already told Paul He would grant "no loss of life", but then Paul gives a conditional warning, "Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved". This line of reasoning may be used to explain some passages where a conditional warning appears.

D. Rational arguments discussed:

1. Belief in E.S. leads to loose living. But many of the strongest appeals in the Bible for a pure, holy life are based on statements which definitely teach E.S. a. The love of Christ constrains us ( 2 Cor. 5:14) to live godly lives. b. Paul appeals for believers to present their bodies by the mercies of God, Rom 12:1-2. c. As newborn babes, we are to desire the milk of the Word, 2 Pet. 1:23-2:2 d. We shall all be changed in a moment...Therefore be steadfast, immovable... I Cor. 15:51-58. e. The goodness (not fear of losing our salvation) of God leads men to repentance, Rom. 2:4. f. Flee fornication not because you may lose your salvation but because your bodies are members of Christ's body, and are the temple of the Holy Spirit (which abides with us forever, John 14:16) 2 Cor 6:15-20. Even those who believe in insecurity are not free from this criticsm because those who lose theri salvation by loose living could get it back by getting saved again.

2. Man is a free moral agent. Freedom to act along a given line does not imply freedom to reverse that action. For example after Adam ate of the fruit, he could not reverse that action nor its consequences. Before entering the marriage relationship, a women is free, but after marriage she is..."bound by the law of the husband as long as he lives" Rom. 7:2. Man is a moral agent but fallen man is never pictured as a "Free" moral agent. (Eph. 2:1,2; 2 Cor. 3:14, John 6:44).

3. I know someone who use to be saved but now he rejects all that he use to stand for. Only the Lord knows them that are His, 2 Tim. 2:19 and man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart, 1 Sam. 16:7.

Much of this information is taken from the book, Shall Never Perish, by J. F. Strombeck.

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