The Security of Salvation

I. A few clarifications first:

1. The word “Salvation” in the Bible

The Biblical words for salvation are yasha` (יָשַׁע) in Hebrew and soteria (σωτηρία) in Greek; and both are pretty much alike in their usage and meaning.

Basically, these words mean: “deliverance, safety, salvation, rescue, welfare,” and “to deliver” (as a verb).

Therefore, it is important to note that these words are translated in various ways in the Bible depending on the context they are used in that passage. Nevertheless, whichever way they are translated, they still demonstrate their salvific concept (that’s rescue and deliverance).  

2. There are different salvations portrayed in the Bible:

• There is salvation as physical deliverance from things like death, bareness, persecution, suffering, sickness etc.
• Salvation as a national deliverance from invasion, slavery, sin, plagues, etc (in case of the Israel nation).
• The personal eternal salvation from the penalty of sin through justification, the power of sin through sanctification, and the presence of sin and its effects through glorification.  

So, what kind of salvation are we talking about here? We are talking about the eternal salvation.

II. Aspects of eternal Salvation

The Bible portrays three (3) ASPECSTS of the eternal salvation that are as follows:

1. Justification: We have been saved from the penalty of sin. This is the first aspect of one’s salvation that takes place at the moment of one’s spiritual birth; and it affects one’s legal standing before God. The moment a person believes in Jesus Christ, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed on them such that when God looks on that person, He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ on them and therefore, declare them legally just (Rom 5:17-19; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, we are legally just (righteous) before God because of Christ Righteousness that has been imputed on us through faith, and not through self-righteousness (Rom 3: 28; 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9).
2. Sanctification: We are being saved from the power of sin. This is the second aspect of eternal salvation that is guaranteed by our justification in a way that through our new birth, God has set us apart to live in the Spirit and bear the spiritual fruit (Eph. 2:10{walking in good works}; Rom 6:1-4, 12-14; 8:5-8; Col 3:12-17; 1 Thess. 5:23-24, Tit 2:11-14; John 17:17). It is a continuous process until the Second Advent. 
3. Glorification: We will be saved from the presence of sin. This is the final aspect of our salvation in which Christ will save us from the presence of all sin and corruption and give us the glorious bodies to live with Him everlastingly (1 Peter 1:3-5; Philip 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2).

III. How Secure is our Salvation

To begin with, I have two important questions for us:

• As believers, do we dedicate our lives to God in gratitude for His undeserved blessings, or we are fearfully laboring to merit His forgiveness, resurrection, and heaven?
• Believers, are we shielded in God’s unconditional and immutable love, or we are moving along a thin tight rope with a potential to plunge into hell through failing?

Biblical Truths about the security:

1. The promise is that those who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life. They will never be judged at the white throne judgment but have already jumped from death to life (John 3:16, 18; 4:13-14; 5:24). Notice: The reward for believing in Jesus Christ is eternal life at the moment of belief; and because the life is eternal, there is no way it can be taken away from a believer unless the life is not eternal. Remember that our God is faithful and His word is truth.    
2. God has given us His Spirit as a guarantee of the future promise of resurrection with imperishable bodies to eternal life with Him (2 Cor. 5:4-5). Our future glorification and heavenly inheritance is guaranteed. God has given us the Holy Spirit into our hearts who has sealed us and as a guarantee (down payment) of the future redemption (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14).
3. God’s program of predestination is complete and goes beyond one’s conversion and glorification into eternity. The justified must be very assured and confident of this in that their glorification is spoken of in the past tense according to Romans 8: 28-29. See Eph. 1:3-6. This means that we are justified once and for all.
4. Nothing shall separate us from God’s everlasting love that is extended to us through Jesus on whom our penalty of sin was place and who lived a righteous life on our behalf that upon believing in Him, his righteousness has been imputed on us (Rom 8:31-39; 5:8-10).
5. The Omnipotent God, through Christ protects the believers that no one can snatch them out of His hand (John 10: 27-29). All the believers are secure in Christ. Our new life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3-4), therefore, our resurrection to eternal life with Him is guaranteed.
6. The fact that salvation is a gift (Eph. 2:8-9, Titus 3:5), means that it cannot be earned by merit; therefore, implies that it cannot be lost based on works because it was not earned by works. Moreover, we are not keeping our salvation; it is kept by God in Christ.
7. The fact that we are declared just only because of the imputed righteousness of Christ on us (Rom 5:17-19); it is impossible for a believer to lose salvation because it would require that Christ lose his righteousness.
8. Because Christ is the final High Priest whose atonement and propitiation is enough for salvation, a believer cannot lose salvation. They can only lose salvation provided Christ’s atonement and propitiation was partial. Christ’s sacrifice was final and eternal (Heb. 9:12, 26, 28).
9. Christ as our advocate (Heb. 4:14-16) and the Holy Spirit as the seal (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 4:30) and our helper (John 14:17-18) guarantees eternal security.

IV. Practical Life: Does the security of Salvation give us license to sin?

1 John 3:3; teaches us that anyone who have hope in Christ purifies himself because He (Christ) is holy. We are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh but to live according to the Spirit because we are the sons of God (Rom 8:12-17).

What does God’s grace teach us?

“For THE GRACE OF GOD has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2: 11-14{ESV}).

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