Eternally Secured (Part 3)

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Jun Malazo

In this article I would like to begin to cover some of the Bible verses used by many to support the teaching that a believer is not secured in salvation for eternity.  In simplicity, it is a teaching that says that believers can lose their salvation. 

First of all, there are a few important principles that I would like our readers to understand.  Have you ever wondered why so many of us in the world of Christianity differ in beliefs and doctrines and yet, we all hold our claims to be based from the same source—the Bible?  This is because the issue is not about the source itself, but rather it is about the proper interpretation of the source.  The Bible says that, “… God is not the author of confusion…”  (1 Corinthians 14:33).  If God is not the author of confusion, then why are there so many differences in belief systems that refer to the same source?  Let me explain further.

There are proper rules of interpretation that must be applied.  The consequences of improperly interpreting the Bible are far greater than many realize.  Nearly all false teachings can be traced back to some misinterpretation of the meaning of Biblical words.  There are many innocent and unsuspecting people that have been led astray because leaders have twisted many Biblical principles to “fit” their own beliefs.  In part one of this series, I mentioned, “Paul, in 2 Timothy 2:25 admonishes us about ‘…rightly dividing the word of truth.’”  The phrase rightly dividing means to “expound correctly the divine message.”  If Paul warns about a right way to expound the Bible, we can then safely assume that it is because there is a danger of incorrectly expounding the Bible.”

The issue of eternal security is one of these beliefs that has not been rightly divided.  Every believer has the ability and responsibility to rightly divide the word of truth.  Therefore, as you read and interpret the Bible there are several rules to follow. 

First, there is the law of DEFINITION.  Someone has said, “Any study of Scripture must begin with a study of words.” It is important to understand that the our English Bible that we hold today has been translated from different languages—Hebrew in the Old Testament and Greek in the New Testament.  There are many English words that have changed over time.  Therefore, it is important to study the meaning of a Bible word based upon its original meaning.

Secondly, there is the law of USAGE.  It is important to know that the human authors of the Bible were Jews.  They were ministering to mostly the Jewish culture and mindset.  The majority of the New Testament was written in Greco-Roman culture.  Thus, there are words and expressions that these authors used that fit their culture and way of thinking that do not necessarily mean the same in our modern culture. 

To give you an example, there is an expression all throughout the New Testament that refers to Jesus as “the Son of God.”  There is a prominent religious group today that takes that same expression but says that since Jesus is only “a son” making Him lesser than God the Father.  In our culture today that way of thinking would make sense.  However, a careful study of the Jewish culture and mindset would reveal that claiming to be “the Son of God” is the same as being equal to God. 

So when a writer in the Gospels refers to Jesus as “the Son of God,” they need not explain because it is already understood that they are saying that Jesus and God the Father are equal. To a Jew, this is blasphemy which is a crime worthy of death (Please read John 15:8 and John 10:33). 

Next, there is the law of CONTEXT.  Someone said that, “The meaning must be gathered from the context.  Every word you read must be understood in the light of the words that come before and after it.  Many passages will not be understood at all or understood correctly, without the help afforded by the context.”  Too often people will take a single verse or a phrase from a verse without considering the verses before and after it.  In turn, they misinterpret a truth and thereby support their false doctrine.

Another important principle to consider is the rule of UNITY.  Any interpretation must be consistent with rest of the Scripture.  We must ask ourselves, “Does my interpretation violate already known biblical principles?”  In reality, to believe that one can lose their salvation has many implications as it leaves so many contradictions that cannot be reconciled in the Bible. 

There are many more rules to discuss such as the rules of HISTORICAL BACKGROUND, PRECEDENT, LOGIC, and INFERENCE.  However, I believe the first four are sufficient to understand the subject at hand.  Now I would like to explain a Bible verse using the principles discussed above.  This verse, like many others, has been used to support that salvation has to be maintained by following God’s will.  The verse is Matthew 7:21 and it reads:

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."  (Matthew 7:21)

If this verse is interpreted only by itself without considering its proper context, it can easily be misunderstood and misinterpreted. 

Matthew 7 is part of what we would call the The Sermon on The Mount wherein Jesus taught on several different subjects to his disciples.  To understand the full meaning of verse 21, we must look at verse 15 for its context.  This verse tells us that Jesus was warning His disciples against the deceitfulness of false teachers that, “…come to you is sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (v.15).  Jesus continues by teaching them how they can identify a false teacher by observing the fruit that will be evident in their lives.  It is no doubt that Jesus was identifying the false prophets as the religious groups that were prominent during His earthly days.  These are religious groups that emphasized external religious rituals and practices.  These are the false prophets that Jesus was warning them about.

When Jesus said in verse 21, “Not every one…,” He is still referring to the false prophets and those that would adhere to their teachings.  Jesus is referring to those that have outward religion but no inward relationship with the Lord.  Thus, knowing who Jesus was referring to gives a different light to this verse.

The statement in verse 21, “. . .but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. . .” does not mean doing good works to either gain or maintain eternal life.  To understand this portion of the verse, we must first identify what Father’s will is that needs to be done.  The amazing fact about the Bible is that it interprets itself.  The following verse explains what the will of the Father is:

"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. "  (John 6:40)

Notice the emphasis on the statement “..the will of him that sent me…” and the other statement “…believeth on him…”.  Clearly, the will of the Father in Matthew 7:21 has nothing to do with good works.  To further prove this fact, one does not have to look far.  In verse 22, Jesus tells us what these people (false prophets) will say someday when they meet God face to face.  They will say, “… Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”  Jesus’ response of rejection of their good works tells us that the will of the Father is not about good works (verse 23).  To believe so would violate unity of doctrine in the Bible.

It is unfortunate that Matthew 7:21 has been misinterpreted by many prominent Christian groups because it does have a powerful message of warning.  It warns us that the gift of salvation is not attained by good works.  So often people just look at their good works without considering if there was a time they truly received Christ through faith and grace alone.  What a disappointing day that would be if we have spent our days doing good works and then are rejected by Christ because we never really had a relationship with Him.  I pray that this will not happen to you.  You may be a very active and involved member of a church, but I urge you to search your heart if there was time you really accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior.  The Bible says, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:"  (Romans 8:16).  If you are truly a child of God, you will know because you will sense the presence of God’s Spirit in your life.

In closing, we are secured in salvation for eternity through the power of Christ.  In the next article we will discuss more verses that have been misinterpreted to support the teaching that Christians can lose their salvation.