1. ADOPTION
When we receive Christ and are saved, we are God’s sons & daughters. He has imputed His righteousness onto our account (irreversible) and made us part of His family forever. *See Romans 4:5-9, 16. Ephesians 1:4-5 says that is His desire [will] and choice that has brought us to Him – that’s impossible to fight against. John 1:12 says that we believe and become His children.
2. COVENANT
Marriage covenants are strong, but they are secondary to that of Christ’s covenant with His people (Ephesians 5:25-26). God hates divorce because if gives a false picture of His faithfulness (book of Hosea). When we are saved, God covenants with us – never to leave or forsake us (Heb. 13:5, 20). All believers should expect to share in the marriage supper mentioned in Revelation 19 as His Bride.
3. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
God’s love is greater and stronger than whatever man can do. I didn’t do anything to earn or deserve God’s love, so it is also true that I cannot do anything to make Him stop loving me. He loved me when I was still a sinner (Romans 5:1-11). God can’t love me any more or any less – just look at the cross for the most compelling example of this kind of love. While this doesn’t mean that God saves everyone or that He overlooks sin, it does mean that, because He hath set his love upon me, I can be assured of eternity through grace and faith. *See John 5:24, 6:37-40; Titus 3:4-5.
4. GRACE
God’s grace is connected with His power … and He is far too strong to ever let me go (1 Peter 1:5)! His gracious commitment to me when I commit my soul to Him precludes my past sins and all my future sins (Phil. 1:6). God agreed to save me when I was 12 yrs old – even though I hadn’t even committed the bulk of my sins yet. He knew what I was going to do, and still He graciously saved me from my sins. Just as my acts of goodness cannot count toward my salvation, neither can my acts of sin and selfishness count against it. I was saved by grace, and grace is always victorious over sin (Ephesians 2:8-10)!
5. CHASTENING
As a child of God, I understand God’s discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11). He does not treat me like a convict feeling the need to constant punish (Romans 8:1). He understands that I am flesh and will require training… and I’m thankful. Some would say that sins destroy my relationship with God, but John writes in his First Epistle that my relationship with Christ is secure (sin only jeopardizes my fellowship with Him).
6. PETER
The chosen Apostle’s example is one of great encouragement to the worst of sinners. Peter committed the worst of sins — the ‘unpardonable sin’ of denying Christ (blasphemy). Not only once, He denied three times (Mark 14:66-72). Three wasted opportunities. The third time he even swore with an oath. Did not Christ tell Peter that any man denying Him would be denied before the Father (Matt. 10:33)? Yet Jesus didn’t just throw away this soul to Satan! He didn’t give up on Him, quite the opposite… He gave Peter three ‘second chances’ to voice His love for His Savior (John 21).
7. SO MANY SCRIPTURES
Is God indecisive? Is the Bible divided? No! Yet some would question hundreds of clear Bible teachings (teaching eternal security) because they do not understand a dozen vague passages (seemingly implying insecurity of salvation). The whole of Scripture has a singular teaching about salvation… either the Bible teaches you CAN or you CAN’T lose your salvation – not both. Over 10:1, the Scriptures teach that eternal life is a present possession (1 John 5:12) given to those who receive Christ by faith (John 6:37, 10:28-29), guaranteed for our assurance and faith (1 John 5:13-14) to the intent we believe even more.
>> There are far more reasons, this is just a quick list that is personal to me… please add your own reasons in the COMMENTS, below! Thanks.
What about QUESTIONABLE PASSAGES?
*I must admit that I don’t have all the answers! I firmly believe that many false teachings have been born out of a person’s inability to say “I don’t know” and leave it at that. We long to be dogmatic and know that we know certain things. We must agree to study and search the Scriptures, comparing verses with each other, drawing conclusions that gel with the whole of the Bible.
*Let context rule! Many cults and false teachings are based in the very same book I’ve built my life on. Consider the audience, date, dispensation, literary type, etc. of difficult passages. For example, John 15:6 is part of a parabolic teaching (Jesus doesn’t really give me sap or expect me to grow grapes on my fingers and toes. So why would I isolate the fire as literal ‘hell-fire’?). Also, Hebrews 6 is a difficulty to many, but it was written to Messianic Jews. Don’t try to apply verse 6 to your experience… it is simplify understood when you consider the author is speaking of the Jews who lived along side Jesus and saw His life, miracles, death, and resurrection first-hand, yet did not believe. He says that if they didn’t believe that, what else would they believe – there’s not another Jesus coming to save them (10:26).
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