12 Reasons I Know that I am Eternally Secure (I am a Child of God)!

[Vine Abider]

On a flight home yesterday I was considering the OSAS arguments, both the pros and cons.  I decided to jot down reason why I know I’m eternally saved and secure in this wonderful salvation.  Below are 12 reasons that came to me, and I thought to share them with my brothers and sisters here on Worthy.  I hope and sincerely pray these may be a help to some and that God would shine liberating light on all of us.

(I you don’t see an applicable verse for any of these – please ask)

1.      Nothing can separate me from the love of God – not even me!  (Romans 8:38-39)

2.      Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross paid for ALL my sins – “removed as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12)

3.      By being born-again, God’s very life has been sent into me – “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying, ‘Abba!  Father!’”  (John 3:6, Galatians 4:6)

4.      Old things have passed away and I am a new creature in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:17, Col. 3:1-3)

5.      I have been placed into Christ – joined to Him - and placed in His body by the Supreme Power in the universe, which no one can undo – “It is of God that you are in Christ Jesus” “He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him”  (1 Cor 1:30, 12:18, 6:17, 2 Cor 1:21, Eph 2:6)

6.      I am now a child/son of God, born of my Father, and a partaker of His divine nature. (2 Peter 1:4)

7.      Christ’s attributes and inheritance are mine forever, given to us by our older Brother. “in Him . . . the righteousness of God in Christ” “Joint heirs with Christ”   (2 Cor 5:21, Romans 8:17)

8.      God now looks at me as He does His Son and we are sealed for Him by the Spirit.  (Eph 1:13, 1 John 4:17, Gal 2:20, Col 3:3-4)

9.      There is now no condemnation for me whatsoever, since I have been put into Christ!  (Romans 8:1)

10.   I know that as His child there is accountability and discipline to help me grow and mature, but it is all for the good and therefore, my loving Father will not send me to eternal death. (1 Cor 3:12, Rev 3:19, Heb 12:11, Psalm 16:10)

11.   My identification is now as a son of God with His life in me, but sin is still present in my flesh and can be manifested in my actions.  However, God no longer views me as a sinner (because of the all efficacious work of Christ for me), but rather as a child of God, a saint who sometimes sins.

12.   I have been set free for freedom’s sake and can come boldly ANYTIME to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need.  And this is especially true after I fail!

It has been bothering and a little grieving to me to see all my brothers and sisters on here who don’t realize what a complete work Christ has done for us in giving us eternal life, which may never be taken from us!  Christ’s awesome work, in His substitutionary death and resurrection, results in His very life being made available to “whosoever wills.”  And through being born-again we are made God’s children, who can’t be unborn.  Being God’s children is not just a legal matter of adoption, but also a matter of life – Father’s very life comes into us making us children of the Most High and Christ’s brothers!

And hopefully the aspect of a believer’s accountability has been effectively presented in this post and on various recent threads (by others & myself).  To reiterate, even though we are forgiven of sin because of Christ’s magnificent work on the cross, sin in a believer’s life can still cause many problems.  The new life that is in us does not want to sin, however we still have the choice to live according to the sinful flesh.  If we do, Romans 8:13 tells us we “are about to die.”  (then goes on to say, “But if by the spirit you put to death the practices of the body you will live.”)  This is not referring to eternal death here, but rather the living spirit in us will be deadened by setting our mind on the flesh, that is, until we turn back to Him.  Ultimately, all believers will be judged at the Judgement (Bema) Seat of Christ, discussed in Romans 14:10 and 2 Cor 5:10.  Here, the Righteous Judge will determine whether children of God have built (our works) with good materials (gold, silver, precious stone) or poor materials (wood, hay, straw).  If we did well and built with the materials God desires, we will receive accommodation and praise from Him.  If it’s found we lived in sin and built with a bunch of poor materials, these poor building materials will be judged accordingly and will be burnt up.  Therefore, we will suffer loss and He will be ashamed of us, but since we are still sealed children of our Father, we ourselves will be saved.

So that’s why I know that I know that I know that I have eternal life, which I cannot undo . . . no more that I can climb back into my mother’s womb and somehow be unborn.  Yes, it is truly amazing grace! 

 

“When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

“It is of God that you are in Christ Jesus.”

Exodus 12:13 & 1 Corinthians 1:30

 

[AdHoc]

@Vine Abider

Nice post.

The debate that rages is flawed. Have you ever noticed that the antagonists can't effectively deal with their opponent's scriptures. If they could, there would be no debate. What is the flaw? The flaw is because salvation to the average Christian is heaven. If heaven is salvation and entering it is based on works, then the argument is settled. But every one knows that salvation is not going to heaven.

God's councils are laid forth, but never addressed. The Christian has a poor appreciation of his God. God made man pristine for the purpose of subduing and ruling the EARTH (Gen.1:26-28). If God has to sacrifice His dearly beloved Son so that a couple of battered Christians get to heaven this is a poor show for One Who calls Himself the ALL-Mighty. The 1,200 odd Chapters of the Bible do not show this myth. This is what they show:

God's plan is saved back to its original idea. "Let THEM have dominion turns into a City made of many men coming from heaven to earth. The Nations, who are never removed from earth, are partly allowed to enter the City. That can only mean that New Jerusalem is on the New Earth.

Man's spirit is pristine in Eden. But it is made as a PLACE for God to dwell. When a man is born again it is his spirit that is born (Jn.3:6). And this becomes the new meeting place between God and man (Jn.4:24). God dwelling in man's spirit assures us that even after the most heinous of crimes the man's spirit is SAVED (1st Cor.5:5).

Man is called a "SOUL" throughout scripture. According to Romans 8:29 the reason a Christian goes through many experiences (v.28)is so that he may be CONFORMED to the image of Christ. That is, the man who was made in the image of God, but who fell away from such a lofty position, will be restored. That is his character, his SOUL, will go through a reforming process. the problem comes in that God set a time for this to happen. The Christian should be like Christ when Christ comes. If he is not conformed to Christ's image, he is NOT DESTROYED. He is CHASTISED and COACHED in the following age. The Bible, in 1st Corinthians 10:1-11 tells us that our journey is the same as Israel's. Israel sinned, rebelled and slandered their testimony. But after CHASTISEMENT they are restored. Thus, the SOUL will be conformed - sooner, or later. Hebrews 12 tells us that the fruit of chastisement is "righteousness".

Man's BODY is corrupted by Adam's sin (since every man except our Lord Jesus came via Adam) (Rom.5:12-17, 6:23). If God conquers death by resurrection then the chain is broken. The new body is not "seed of Abraham" but constructed by the Holy Spirit (2nd Cor.5:1-5). This is desperately important for the Body of Christ is made with our Bodies (1st Cor.6:15). If a Christian is resurrected his BODY is SAVED for the intended purpose.

But this is not all. Man was made to reign on this earth. he is supposed to be part of Christ's KINGDOM. The disciples were trained by our Lord Jesus for 3.5 years. They understood that if a man who is born again does not enter the RULING PROCESS that Christ sets up ON EARTH when He comes, the man is NOT SAVED (Matt.19:25). That is, a man is not truly saved until; (i) his sins are remitted, (ii) his spirit undergoes a birth by the Holy Spirit, (iii) his soul is transformed into Christ's image and likeness, (iv) his body is saved from the grave, and (v) the man is declared fit to be a steward in Christ's Kingdom ON EARTH

What Calvin and Arminius BOTH missed was that God has TIME on His side. He did not restore the earth in 1 day. He took six days. He did not send His Son in 1,000 years, but after 4,000 years. He did not set aside the time of a man's life to reach His goal. To prepare for Himself Israel to host Him He will take 2,700 years. To get what He wants out of the Church he will take 2,000 years.

This all is a breeze for our God to perform. He has said it. He has predicted it. He does not count salvation as heaven. He counts men with faith in the work and Person of Christ, to cooperate with Him to transform us into the image of Christ. he will supply the new Body, and He will be the Judge if a man is fit to serve in His Kingdom. the slothful and unfaithful servant will just have to spend some time under chastisement.

 

[Marathoner]

It's a tough subject for me to address in writing, @Vine Abider. How can I possibly encapsulate a life lived... a life almost lost... and a life restored by our Lord in a manner that won't put our readers to sleep? It's a daunting task to be sure. 

I can focus upon that wonderful passage from Hebrews 12 to speak of that life almost lost, as it were, knowing that I'm not the only one who has been subjected to the discipline of the Lord. His discipline wasn't punishment, brother. Why would the Lord punish me, when His discipline was delivered to teach me what I needed to know? He taught me in a way that no man could.

This was why one brother and sister after the other would approach me from out of the blue saying,

"God loves you more than you can possibly know!"

That was the word, expressed in different ways. It was so I wouldn't lose hope in light of the trial I was about to endure, my friend. Ah, but I did anyway. It wasn't pleasant to endure by any means. I witnessed things that tore me apart, ignorant of the reason why I bore witness to those things at the time. 

His discipline prepared me for those works which He created me to walk in. I wept with those who wept, rejoiced with those who rejoiced, and served a stranger like they were my own flesh and blood. The discipline of the Lord, then, speaks more loudly than my words ever could. It is how I know that I belong to Jesus Christ. 

When He restored that life, I learned how He never abandoned me at any time. 

[Big Boy Stan Murf]

5 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

There is now no condemnation for me whatsoever, since I have been put into Christ!  (Romans 8:1)

That's an incomplete scripture you posted there...

Here's how it actually reads in God's Word:

Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The OSAS crowd like to quote this from the newer translations that leave the second part of Romans 8:1 out... which of course is done in support of OSAS teaching

You claim to have been thing both of pros AND cons.... care to share what you found in God's Word that would be "con"?

[Vine Abider]

47 minutes ago, Stan Murff said:

That's an incomplete scripture you posted there...

Here's how it actually reads in God's Word:

Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The OSAS crowd like to quote this from the newer translations that leave the second part of Romans 8:1 out... which of course is done in support of OSAS teaching

You claim to have been thing both of pros AND cons.... care to share what you found in God's Word that would be "con"?

Most modern translations don't include that last part of Romans 8:1 which is in the KJV, because it's not in the oldest/original texts.  (BTW - this phrase is also stated in verse 4)  Most scholars say it simply reads, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus."  Check it out on BibleHub and see for yourself that this is the case: https://biblehub.com/romans/8-1.htm

And thanks for asking about the "cons" to eternal security I've been considering.  As to these verses/passages considered, I can tell you that most of them apply more to the accountability for a believer, which culminates at the Judgement (Bema) Seat of Christ - not eternal damnation of born-again children of God.

[Tristen]

'Once saved, always saved' is interesting as a matter of doctrine. But regardless, we each need to be assured that we are in the 'Now saved' category; working out our own salvation before God (Philippians 2:12).

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

[TheBlade]

Praise GOD you blessed me brother. 

6 hours ago, Stan Murff said:

That's an incomplete scripture you posted there...

Here's how it actually reads in God's Word:

Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The OSAS crowd like to quote this from the newer translations that leave the second part of Romans 8:1 out... which of course is done in support of OSAS teaching

You claim to have been thing both of pros AND cons.... care to share what you found in God's Word that would be "con"?

Since you started this my brother. The phrase "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" appears in verses one and four. Most scholars consider this a special type of scribal error called dittography, which is the repetition of a letter, syllable, word, or phrase. The thought is that a scribe accidentally copied the phrase from verse four in verse one, and that the textual error repeated itself in later manuscripts. Scribal errors do occur as is testified in the large amount of variants within the textual witnesses. However, just because a word or phrase is repeated does not mean that a scribal error has occurred."

So here's another fact since you don't know of what you speak. Do you know how many "Scholars" are not OSAS and still do not add the rest of that verse for a reason. I only posted one. There are many many more. It has oh .. nothing what so ever to do with OSAS. Let it go. Your OSAS or your not. Your not bless you praise GOD you believe in Jesus Christ who came in the flesh praise GOD. Yeah OB best not to bite

[Dennis1209]

15 hours ago, AdHoc said:

What Calvin and Arminius BOTH missed was that God has TIME on His side. He did not restore the earth in 1 day. He took six days. He did not send His Son in 1,000 years, but after 4,000 years. He did not set aside the time of a man's life to reach His goal. To prepare for Himself Israel to host Him He will take 2,700 years. To get what He wants out of the Church he will take 2,000 years.

Your post is very informative and illustrated. It took a while, but with an open mind, I have come to understand your exegesis, and it appears sound from my limited understanding. I am not debating OSAS; I will only ask what we do with all the conditional clauses (if, to the end, etc.) on Salvation. But that is not why I chose to reply; I am excited, I anticipate we are the terminal generation.

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

For the first time in history, we see the convergence of everything prophetic for our generation exponentially increasing, pointing to the nearness of the seven-year Tribulation.

2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

As you know, there is precedence in scripture of 6,000 years and Israel's feasts and observances of God's plan and timing, followed by a millennium, or a total of 7,000 years, as the Genesis restoration account alludes. As you state, two thousand years for the church age (or the age of Grace) is almost complete.

No one can accurately date the exact year of Jesus's birth or death, and it usually has a 3–5-year estimation for the calendar and other unknowns. But the point is, those two millenniums are up somewhere around 2033, give or take a few years. There is no doubt in my mind we are in that season.

There are no signs or anything to look for on Jesus's imminent return (only be ready and prepared) to snatch His bride the church. I am pre-trib not to beat another proverbial horse to death on the timing of the harpazo. That means, if the Tribulation is as close as I suspect, how much closer are our redemption and glorified bodies? That gives me goosebumps in anticipation.

 

[Vine Abider]

1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said:

Your post is very informative and illustrated. It took a while, but with an open mind, I have come to understand your exegesis, and it appears sound from my limited understanding. I am not debating OSAS; I will only ask what we do with all the conditional clauses (if, to the end, etc.) on Salvation.

My perspective is that most of the verses that appear to be related to conditional salvation, are in fact referring to accountability for the believer once they become born-again children of God.  This accountability will culminate and be finalized at the Bema judgement seat of Christ, and is regarding our works.  Therefore, when we are born again, with our loving Father's life in us, we become His children forever.  Loving Father's don't see their children killed, but rather they discipline them and correct them so that they can grow and mature properly, and build effectively with the things that are profitable (gold, silver, precious stone).

[AdHoc]

1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said:

Your post is very informative and illustrated. It took a while, but with an open mind, I have come to understand your exegesis, and it appears sound from my limited understanding. I am not debating OSAS; I will only ask what we do with all the conditional clauses (if, to the end, etc.) on Salvation. But that is not why I chose to reply; I am excited, I anticipate we are the terminal generation.

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

For the first time in history, we see the convergence of everything prophetic for our generation exponentially increasing, pointing to the nearness of the seven-year Tribulation.

2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

As you know, there is precedence in scripture of 6,000 years and Israel's feasts and observances of God's plan and timing, followed by a millennium, or a total of 7,000 years, as the Genesis restoration account alludes. As you state, two thousand years for the church age (or the age of Grace) is almost complete.

No one can accurately date the exact year of Jesus's birth or death, and it usually has a 3–5-year estimation for the calendar and other unknowns. But the point is, those two millenniums are up somewhere around 2033, give or take a few years. There is no doubt in my mind we are in that season.

There are no signs or anything to look for on Jesus's imminent return (only be ready and prepared) to snatch His bride the church. I am pre-trib not to beat another proverbial horse to death on the timing of the harpazo. That means, if the Tribulation is as close as I suspect, how much closer are our redemption and glorified bodies? That gives me goosebumps in anticipation.

 

Any debate that never ends from generation to generation is because of one of two things. (i) The human capacity is overwhelmed (as in the Triune God), or (ii) both debaters are debating from a false premise that corrupts both arguments. In Matthew 13 the Lord gave seven parables. The setting for the first four is a boat on the see facing a mixed crowd. The second three are in a House with only His disciples. Both are in the aftermath of His rejection by Israel. They illustrate the Kingdom IN MYSTERY as opposed to the coming age when the kingdom will be MANIFESTED. That is, our Lord Jesus was revealing to His disciples what would happen to the Kingdom in this age. All four parables from the boat have a negative connotation.

The one I point out now is the parable of the Leaven. There is not a single positive mention of leaven in the Bible. On the contrary, we Christians are told to live or lives without it (1st Cor.5:7). In all four parables our Lord did not apportion blame. We can thus infer that the negative things in the four parables would come upon the kingdom in any case. That is, we have an enemy - and this enemy is active whether we are awake or not.

Until the Bible was written, no formal false doctrine occurred. Only once the Canon of the Bible was agreed on that it was attacked. For instance, the Holy Spirit, in His foreknowledge, got John to write against the Gnostics before they even emerged (John's Letters). The Woman in the parable I judge is Mystery Babylon the Whore. She has daughters too. This woman seems to be Rome and Rome, having changed their attire from soldiers armour to priests' robes, set about locking the Bible away from the Laity. For the best part of 1,000 years we were fed Roman doctrine which no one dared to contradict. Church tradition was added and given equal status to the Word of God.

Luther, and later Arminius, were the product of 1,000 years of Roman "leavening" of scripture, just as the translators of the KJV where when they translated "passach" to "Easter" (Act.12:4) - two totally different feasts. The Reformation was a war. Men died for their beliefs. the main thrust of the Reformers was to extract themselves from Rome's power. They did much good and were surely used by God. We sit on their shoulders today. But they did not go to war about the Kingdom of Heaven. Nobody spent much time on the hundreds of issues that our great Book deals with and the MAIN DOCTRINE is the propitiatory Work of our Lord. But this grand story is not the end of things. Salvation is FOR SOMETHING - the KINGDOM. Let no one detract from Christ's most special Work. But let it be said that SALVATION is FOR THE KINGDOM.

Luther, and later Arminius took, as their basis, salvation for heaven. This forces them into a clinch where neither can deal with both sets of scripture. But if salvation is one thing and had by faith, and the it is for the Kingdom which is by works, the issue at once becomes clear. The threat against a Christian who is born again, has his sins removed, is baptized and is equipped with the Holy Spirit IS NOT HEAVEN. It is whether you are found worthy to be "ruler over all His things" or not (Matt.24:45-51) - TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.

I enjoyed your posting. Maybe you could review the scriptures that give the length of the Great Tribulation. Some say three and one half years. They have good arguments.