The Eternal Security Of The Christian Believer

John 10:25-30, “Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.”

Is the person who puts his faith in Jesus Christ eternally secure? Yes, dear reader, they are! Believers have (present tense) eternal life! Here are two wonderful Bible studies from one of my favorite Bible preachers, Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995).I love this dear saint of God. The Lord took Brother Hutson home in 1995 from prostrate cancer. I thank God for a simple country boy Curtis Hutson, whom God used to turn many lost sinners to the righteousness of God by faith (Daniel 12:3)....

• ETERNAL SECURITY - PART ONE
• ETERNAL SECURITY - PART TWO

These two Bible studies are the best I've heard , hands down! I hope that you will take the time to listen to them. John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” A skeptic of eternal security once said that the Bible doesn't say you cannot get out of God's hand. As a rule you don't base doctrine on what the Bible does NOT say, but upon what the Bible does say! The Bible says that no man can pluck us out of God's hand.

1. God Purposed Eternal Life. 2nd Timothy 1:9, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” Acts 13:48, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” They were ordained unto eternal life. This does not mean God predestinates anyone to salvation. The Bible never says that God predestinates people to salvation; but rather, believers are predestinated to be conformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). God knows who will be saved (by our own freewill, not prechosen), and He predestinates those saints to ultimately be conformed into Jesus' holy character (which is sanctification).
2. God Promised Eternal Life. John 3:14-16, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” There might be some doubt about what God meant, but there is no doubt about what He said. God said that whosoever believes on His only begotten Son has everlasting life. Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” 1st John 2:25, “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”
3. God Produced Eternal Life. 1st John 5:10-11, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” We are not going to have everlasting life someday, we already have it right now! 1st John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
4. Believer's Have Precisely What God Purposed, Promised And Produced.

I read this amazing Bible verse the other day. Daniel 11:33, “And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.” I am just a humble sinner. I don't profess to know everything, I certainly don't. Albeit, I have been greatly blessed by God, since I got saved at age 13, to be introduced and taught by some of the greatest men of God; namely, Jack Hyles, Curtis Hutson, Max D. Younce, J. Vernon McGee, A. Ray Stanford, Lee Roberson, Hank Lindstrom, Mark G. Cambron, Harry A. Ironside, Ralph Yankee Arnold and John R. Rice, to name the major influences upon my life and doctrine. Is the person who puts his faith in Jesus Christ eternally secure? Yes, dear reader, we are!

Here are some important observations on eternal security made by Dr. Curtis Hutson:

1. God makes His promise of eternal security doubly sure. John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” Here we see double security—not only shall we never perish, but also no man can ever pluck us out of God's hand. Likewise in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Not only is the man who believes promised everlasting life, but also, he shall never come into condemnation, he is passed from death unto life. Amen and amen!
2. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The Lord will begin what He has started. Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
3. We are saved by God's grace, not our own works. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
4. Believers are kept by God. If we as saints had to keep ourselves saved, we would all be lost 10,000 times a day. My life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Think of this truth as 3 barrels. God the Father is the biggest barrel. Jesus is the medium-sized barrel. The born again child of God is the small barrel inside the two bigger barrels. In order for the Devil to get to the smallest barrel, he must first break through the biggest barrel, and then the medium-sized barrel. We are safe in God the Father and His dear only begotten Son, Jesus.
5. We have an inheritance in Heaven. 1st Peter 1:4-6, “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:” Would God reserve something in Heaven for you, if there was any doubt whether or not you were going to go to Heaven? The fact that the Lord is reserving something for you, indicates that He knows you are going to Heaven. Would that make any sense? No, it would not. We have an inheritance reserved for us in Heaven, and God is reserving us for our inheritance. We're not kept by our own power; We are kept by the power of God! What an awesome Savior!!!
6. Jesus prays for our security. John 17:11 and 20, “ And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. ...Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” Here we see that Jesus is not only praying for those who were alive and trusting Him at the time, but also those in the future who will believe upon Him. Jesus prays for our security! If the Father always hears the prayer of Jesus, and Jesus has already prayed for His Father to keep us, then the Father Has to keep us (and He has promised to keep us). Hebrews 7:25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Jesus prays for our security.
7. The Holy Spirit seals the believer. Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” The “day of redemption” here refers to the Rapture, when our mortal bodies will be changed into an immortal body, fashioned like unto the Lord's resurrected perfect body (Philippians 3:21). Ephesians 1:13-14, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” If a believer could ever be lost, it would mean that Jesus would speak falsely at the judgment.
8. The Lord knows who are His. 2nd Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” How does this passage compare to Matthew 7:22-23,  Many will say to me in that day, 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? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” If Jesus at some future point were to ever say: “I never knew you,” to someone who had previously been saved, but then lost salvation, Christ would be lying. Jesus could say: “I once knew you, but then you were lost,” but He would be a liar to say “I never knew you.” Dear reader, the Bible is abundantly clear that salvation can NEVER be lost.
9. If a lost sinner could ever be saved but then lost, it would make the sinners better than Christians in some respects. Many skeptics of eternal life use Hebrews chapter 6 to justify their false doctrine. Hebrews 6:4-6, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” For someone who errantly thinks that if they get saved, but then lose their salvation, they can never get it back, they won't want to get saved until their death bed. According to their flawed understanding, it would be better to never have been saved at all, then to get saved by lose it. Dear friend, it should be clear to you how silly the idea is that you can be saved, but then lose it somehow. The Holy Bible teaches: IF SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED!!!
10. If you could lose salvation by sinning, how much sin would you have to commit to lose it? No one can answer this question. The truth is that a man is not lost by the number of sins he commits, but by the nature of sin. Sin is rebellion! Sin is self will! Sin is going away from God. Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The emphasis in Isaiah 53:6 is not where you went, but what you went away from. Sin is sin! If you had to pay for even one of your sins, you'd have to be cast into Hell and burn forever (James 2:10; Revelation 29:11-15).

Here are some of my own observations regarding eternal security:

1. There are no examples in the Bible of anyone who lost salvation. Search the Scriptures and you will see, that no one ever lost God's free gift of eternal life. Some saints sinned so woefully, like Samson and King Saul, that it cost them their earthly life, but there are no recorded incidents of any saint losing salvation.
2. King David lost the “joy” of God's salvation, not salvation itself. Psalms 51:3-4 and 12, “For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. ...Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” David had lusted upon Bathsheba as she bathed on the roof. I do not think for one second that she didn't know exactly what she was doing. I am fully convinced that she put on a naked show for David, knowing that the king might be looking from his palace rooftop (and he was). Women have a sixth sense about this kind of stuff!
   
   Long story short, David commit adultery together with her and she became pregnant, which David didn't intend. David ended up deciding to murder Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, to hide his sins with Uriah's wife. If anyone ever had a reason to lose salvation, it was David for what he did. Yet, the Bible in Psalm chapter 51 records his prayer of repentance to God (this was actually a song which the Jews sang, strangely enough... lol). David asked God to restore “the joy of thy salvation” (verse 12). I love what Evangelist Luke Bishop said: “You can live it UP, but you cannot live it DOWN!”
   
   David lived it up in sin with Bathsheba for a short time, but then paid for it dearly for the rest of his miserable life on earth. His family fell to pieces. David's kingdom was torn away from him by Absalom, his own rebellious angry son. David's half-children children raped and murdered one another, resenting their father's sin and hypocrisy. Ahithophel, David's most trusted advisor, joined with Absalom in the rebellion against David. It is obvious to understand why when you learn that Ahithophel was Bathsheba's grandfather! Oh, how sin weaves its ugly thread. The Devil's apples all have worms! Satan is a beautiful liar. Sin thrills and then it kills. Sin fascinates and then it assassinates. The middle letter in the word “sin” is “i.” Just like the Devil, we all have “i.” problems! Isaiah 14:13-14, “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Five times in these two Old Testament verses we find Satan putting himself before God. David got his priorities wrong and it led to sin. The guilty king lost the joy of his sweet fellowship with the Lord for several months, but he never lost free gift of God's salvation, which is by faith alone.
3. Just like the first physical birth, the new spiritual birth is irreversible. Just as the first physical birth cannot be undone, neither can the second spiritual birth be undone. Jesus said: “Ye must be born again” in John 3:3b. He didn't say that you have to be reborn again and again. Not one verse in the Holy Bible says anything about losing one's salvation, or of needing to be reborn again and again into God's family. Jesus plainly said in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” The moment that you come to God as a guilty sinner, and put your childlike trust in the 'GOOD NEWS' (Gospel) that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God—the buried and risen Christ who died on a cross to pay for your sins, you are forever saved. Nothing more is required or allowed by God. If you're born twice you die once, if you're born once you die twice. It is that simple friend.
4.  If salvation could ever be lost, then it is dependent upon our faithfulness, which means God owes us a debt. Romans 4:4-5, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

It is my hope, pray and privilege for God to use a broken humble sinner like me to help teach others for Christ. There is much heresy on social media; such as the lie that God's free gift of salvation can be lost, or must be maintained to stay saved. The Bible teaches: ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED (OSAS). To God alone be ALL the praise, credit and glory.