Secure Forever: Once Saved Always Saved

By Robert Metevia

This book is a must-read for anyone seeking the assurance and peace of mind that their salvation, once received, is forever and can never be lost. It is also a must-read for those who want to defend this precious doctrine and pass along to fellow believers the truth that will set them free. No longer will it be necessary to walk on eggshells, trying to keep what only God can keep.

This book will enlighten the understanding of its readers to see that the truth of their new position in Christ is absolutely perfect before God, while their practice is fl awed. It will also reveal that Gods work of justification declares them righteous forever, while His work of sanctification makes them righteous in their behavior. A number of other theological distinctions will be made to help the readers understand the permanency of their salvation, such as the differences between salvation faith and service faith; innate knowledge and head knowledge; sinner and saint; the believers relationship with God and his fellowship with God; judicial forgiveness and parental forgiveness; and a distinction between the words faith of Christ and faith in Christ.

This book will also reveal the warfare that goes on in the minds of believers, preventing them from going for broke and trusting in Christ and Christ alone for their salvation. To trust in Christ plus ones own ability to maintain a certain level of faith is not to trust in Christ alone to complete what He has started, but instead to trust in Christ plus human effort. The truth of once saved, always saved will motivate believers to serve Godnot out of a fear of losing their salvation, but out of gratitude that they are kept by Gods power to serve others and can never be lost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449745202

Robert Metevia

Robert Metevia presently serves as a hospice chaplain and has pastured two Baptist churches. He is also a chaplain for the VA hospital and has served as a jail ministry chaplain through Forgotten Man Ministries. He received his master of divinity degree from Luther Rice Seminary in Georgia.

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Secure 

 Forever

Once Saved Always Saved

Robert Metevia

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Copyright © 2012 Robert Metevia.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations are taken from The KJV translation.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-4520-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011963166

WestBow Press rev. date: 3/29/2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Chapter1—CAUSE AND EFFECT

God Must Change our Will

By Grace Alone

God’s Means of Grace

Head Knowledge and Inate Knowledge

Salvation Faith and Service Faith

An Infant’s Faith

The Humility of Salvation

The Conclusion

The Imparting of Faith

The Mechanics of Salvation

God’s Sovereignty vs Man’s Responsibility

How our Thinking has evolved

Putting it Togeter

Carrying out the Great Commission

God the Savior and Man the Responder

Chapter2—GOD’S SALVATION

Back to the Basics

Progressive Revelation

So Great a Salvation

The Plan of Salvation

The Good News of Scripture

Chapter3—ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED

Saving Faith

The Promise of Eternal Security

Nothing can separate us From God’s Salvation

Adoption

Works of the Holy Spirit

The Gift of Everlasting Life

God’s Motivation

Forgiveness of Sins

What Happens when a Believer Sins?

Our New Position in Chirst

Jesus is Our Surety

Justified and Sanctified

Freedom from Sin

Summary

Chapter4—ANSWERING OBJECTIONS TO ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED

Conditional Statements

The Book of Life

False Teachers

Passages Dealing with Conversion

Faith plus Works

Abiding in Christ

Christian Rewards

Missing God’s best

God’s Discipline

Fruit Bearing

The Sin unto Death

The unpardonable Sin

Justified vs Sanctified

Warnings

Interpreting Hard to Understand Passages

Chapter5—OUR VICTORY IN CHRIST

The Salvation Experience

Regeneration

Conversion

Repentance

Faith

The Human Struggle

Paul’s Battle with the Flesh

Experiencing His Life

Chapter6—ETERNAL ELECTION

Theological Definitions

Romans 8:28, 29

Scripture Alone

Dealing with Objections

The Comfort of Election

Chapter7—PRESERVATION THROUGH PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance of The Saints

The Guarantee of Perseverance

A Certain Security

The Holy Spirit’s Work in Perseverance

Objections to the Doctrine of Perseverance

Chapter8—FAITHFULNESS vs UNFAITHFULNESS

God is Not Mocked

The Judgment Seat of Christ

Enduring Consequences

The Five Crowns

Focusing on the Judgment Seat of Christ

Running the Race with Confidence

Redeeming the Time

Chapter9—FINAL THOUGHTS

Not of Works

Work or Lack of Work

Motivated by Fear

To Go For Broke

Master-Slave Relationship

God’s Valuation of Us

True Worship and Peace

The Foundation of Godliness

Finding Rest in Him

The Source of Our Faith

The Big Stumbling Block

The Purpose of This Book

Dedicated to My Dad

A man who lived out his faith

INTRODUCTION

The debate over whether or not a believer can lose his or her salvation continues to be a much talked about subject within the evangelical church. A common belief among many Christians is that their decision to come to Christ is what saved them. If this is true, logic would lead us to believe that their decision can also undo the salvation that they have received. A close look at the Scriptures, however, will reveal that the decision we made to come to Christ was only the human response to the salvation that God had freely bestowed upon us when we, by the gift of faith, received Christ as our personal Savior. This human response to say yes to the Savior would not have been possible without God’s impartation of saving faith, the necessary ingredient by which we receive so great a salvation. This book will explore the biblical doctrine of once saved always saved and focus on God’s free and unconditional gift of eternal life.

In addition to God’s power to save, the reader will begin to understand the difference between salvation faith and service faith. Simply put, salvation faith, the faith necessary to enter into God’s grace, is a free gift from God and is maintained by God alone. Service faith, on the other hand, is the faith we exercise after we are saved and has to do with our own obedience. Salvation faith—a faith dependent upon God and which can never be lost—deals with our justification, while service faith deals with our faithfulness, which is connected with our sanctification.

Believers who have developed the mindset that their faith maintains their salvation, must ask themselves, What must I do to maintain my faith? If a believer is maintaining and strengthening his or her faith by prayer, Bible study, evangelism, and other Christian activities, the unavoidable conclusion is that they are attempting to be saved by their good works, a conclusion that goes against what Scripture clearly teaches.

Hopefully your interest has been peaked enough to discover the great truths contained in this book. As you begin to uncover the truth of what took place at your salvation, you will begin to understand not only God’s power to save but His power to keep saved those He has saved. When properly understood from a biblical perspective, the issue of the believer’s security in Christ will be forever settled by those who embrace the truths that Scripture declares.

Jesus said: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). It’s not the truth that you don’t know that sets you free but the truth that you do know. The opposite of knowing the truth that will set you free is to believe a lie that will keep you in bondage. The truth of our eternal security, when embraced, sets believers free to serve God without taking on the responsibility of maintaining the salvation they have freely received from God.

There are many believers who want to believe that once they’re saved they can never be lost, but they are afraid to take that step of faith, to go for broke (R.T. Kendall) and believe with all of their heart that Jesus paid it all, and that God is now satisfied with the once for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross for their sins. To trust in Jesus plus one’s own ability to maintain a certain level of faith is not to trust in Jesus and Jesus alone but to trust in Jesus plus human effort.

We can’t have it both ways. Attempting to cover all the bases in order gain a sense of assurance amounts to trusting in self and will only lead to doubt and insecurity. May God open the hearts and minds of those who have never come to see that salvation, once received, is forever.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Your author is indebted to the many experiences encountered through the years, experiences orchestrated by God for the purpose of correction and instruction. After looking back on the hours of pouring through the Scriptures to find assurance and security, I have discovered God’s reason for allowing me to go through the many long hours of study. He has opened my eyes to the truths contained in this book and desires for me to share them with others who are seeking the same peace of mind.

The devil, as a roaring lion, seeks those whom he may devour. If he can get you to think that you’ve committed the unpardonable sin or get you to focus on the possibility of losing your salvation, he will render you ineffective for the kingdom of God.

There is also the influence of a number of fine Christians who have studied the word of God and who have inspired me to dig deep into the subject of our eternal security. They were indeed God’s agents who have spurred me along and motivated me to uncover rich nuggets of truth that have enlightened my understanding of God’s amazing grace.

I would also like to mention by name several individuals who have been a blessing to me through the years. Joe Paul, a great friend and faithful man of God, is one whom I view as a modern day prophet. We worked together as chaplains for the VA hospital in Saginaw, Michigan, and he served as a fine example of what it means to walk by faith. Jerry Larkin, my former pastor and good friend, has inspired me along the way by his example of living a life of integrity. Jerry and I had the privilege of serving together as hospice chaplains for SourthernCare Hospice in Saginaw, Michigan. Lester Ossewaarde, a former school teacher of mine and a good friend, served as my proctor when I took distant learning classes through Liberty University and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. His down to earth way of explaining things has given me insight in a number of subjects, including the subject of this book. Norm Rosa is truly a man of zeal who has ignited the coals of my theological side and has been an inspiration to me during my faith journey. John Blehm, a former employer and good friend, taught me the value of having a good reputation and showed me by example that a good name is better than precious ointment (Eccl 7:1). Debbie Vuillemot has shown me how beauty can come from ashes. God has given her the insight to be able to see the thorns in her life as blessings from God. Karen May has taught me how to enjoy life’s journey by focusing, not on the negative, but on the positive. She has truly been an inspiration. Last, but not least, Emily Hill has helped me to see the simple side of things and to not get bogged down with all the details of life. Her simple faith has been an encouragement to me and has helped me to see the positive in all I do. In addition, I am indebted to a father and mother who served as an example of diligence and faithfulness. The values that they passed on were used by God to shape me into the person I am today. And I can’t forget my dear sister, who has been used by God to spur me along, even when I did not want to be spurred.

CHAPTER 1

CAUSE AND EFFECT

This chapter will set the tone for your understanding of the salvation you received when Christ became your Savior. It will focus on the difference between cause and effect and emphasize that our decision to accept Christ as personal Savior was not the cause of our Salvation but the effect of it. God was the cause. That is, it is He who saved us. Our decision to accept Jesus as our Savior was the result of what God did, or the effect. Making a clear distinction in your mind between what God did and your response to what God did will greatly influence how you begin to interpret the truth of what happened when you were born again into God’s family. It will also aid you as you deal with some of those hard to understand verses of Scripture that, on the surface, seem to indicate that believers can lose the salvation that God has freely given to them.

If you were to talk to the average Bible believing Christian about the subject of how a person is saved, most of them would acknowledge that salvation is by grace through faith, and they would be absolutely right. But what exactly do they mean when they say we are saved by the grace of God? A better question might be to ask, Does what the church practice with regard to salvation match what they say when they say that a person is saved by the grace of God?

Often you will hear thundered from the pulpit that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation, which is true. This is the meaning of grace. Grace means unmerited favor, or, to put it another way, salvation is a free gift from God. It is not of works, lest any man should boast (Eph 2:9). After preaching such a great sermon of being saved by grace without works, they undo everything they preached about by telling their audience that if they want to be saved, they have to do something, such as walk an isle to receive Christ as their personal Savior or to say a certain kind of prayer.

When the Bible says we are not saved by works, it means that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation, including making the decision to accept Christ as Savior. Before putting this book down and discarding it as heresy, consider this description of salvation from a well known Presbyterian pastor of his day:

Jesus is standing at the door of your heart knocking, but there’s a problem. The man inside the house is dead. The Bible teaches that we are dead in trespasses and sins. You can knock and knock until your fingers are bloody and blue, but a dead man will not get up and open the door. He is unable to. But when the Holy Spirit comes through the window and quickens the man, he will get up and open the door. (This is a paraphrase from Dr. D. James Kennedy during one of his Radio programs, Truths that Transform.)

In this description, which is an accurate biblical illustration of salvation, the person was saved not because he accepted Christ, but because God quickened him or gave life to his dead spirit.

Biblically speaking, the moment God quickens sinners (gives life to their dead spirit) they are saved. After being saved, they accept Christ as their Savior, as demonstrated by saying the sinner’s prayer, walking an Isle, or any number of outward signs. Out of man’s prideful arrogance, he puts the cart before the horse and says, look what I did. I accepted Christ as my Savior. The truth of the matter is that no one alive in their unconverted state can accept Christ as Savior without the enabling grace of God. Jesus said it best when He said: No man can come to me unless the Father which hath sent Me draw him (John 6:44). This means that nobody has the ability to come to Christ unless God does something first. Jesus, here, was stripping away all forms of human boasting and, in effect told His audience that there was nothing they could do to get to God. If they were going to get to God, it would have to be by God’s enabling grace. Then to emphasize His point, He said: Therefore Said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my father (John 6:65). If we take the Bible seriously, salvation is 100%, totally dependent upon God.

In this age of emphasizing the free will of man, we have adopted what I call a decision theology. A well known evangelist was quoted once as saying that salvation is 99% God and 1% man. He went on to say that our receiving salvation (the 1%) is our part, and, of course, what he meant by receiving salvation was our decision to accept Christ as our personal Savior. The verse of Scripture he alluded to was John 1:12: But as many as received Him to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, to them that believe on His name. If he would have read the next verse, he would have been forced to redefine what it means to receive Christ. The next verse reads like this: Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). The words, nor the will of the flesh, can also be translated with the words, not of human decision. The human decision to accept Christ is not what saves a person but the result of the salvation that God has already accomplished in that person. If we view it any other way, we are on the verge of pride.

So, in light of John 1:12-13, how does one receive Christ without the human decision to do so? The answer is by gift. In our modern day theology, we have mixed works and free gift together and find ourselves inconsistent with our own thinking. Generally, the way most look at it today is that God extends the free gift of salvation, and if you want it you simply reach out and take it. This would amount to human ability or works. They often compare it to offering someone a dollar bill. The way it becomes theirs is for them to reach out and take it. And to make it sound spiritual, they say, faith is the spiritual hands that reach out and take the gift of salvation. This would be the active way of receiving the dollar bill. But if the dollar bill is placed into the person’s pocket by the owner himself, then the person receiving it did nothing to receive it. This would be the passive way of receiving the dollar bill and is exactly how we receive salvation. We don’t do anything to receive it, including the human decision to do so. It is exclusively the gift of God’s grace to us. This, in effect, is what Martin Luther and John Calvin taught. The person’s decision to accept Christ FOLLOWS their salvation.

Most churches have gotten caught up in the modern day thinking that our decision is what saves us. This would put the final decision for salvation in the person’s hands and not God’s. It would falsely indicate that man can do something to receive salvation. John 3:16 tells us: 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. This is often understood to mean that the offer of salvation is universal and whoever wants it can have it. Is this what Jesus taught? According to Jesus’ own words, a few chapters later, He tells us WHO WILL BELIEVE. Again, He said that only those whom the Father draws can come to Christ (John 6:44).

Perhaps it would be better to look at the context of John 3:16 to see exactly who will believe. Ten verses earlier, in John 3:5, Jesus told Nicodemus that unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. This means that unless a person is born again he or she is unable to enter God’s kingdom, see God’s kingdom or even comprehend with his mind God’s kingdom. Biblically speaking, being born again COMES BEFORE SALVATION FAITH. If a person is not born again, he cannot be granted the faith to receive Christ. Salvation faith is something GOD DOES, not man. With reference to John 3:16, this answers the question, Who will believe? It is only those who are quickened or given new life who will reach out to God in faith.

The book of Ephesians clearly teaches that God has quickened us when we were dead (Eph 1:1). Often in today’s modern theology you will here this explanation:

Man is desperately sick because of sin. He is in a comatose state and in the terminal ward. The doctor comes in with the medicine that will save the man’s life. The man is so sick that he is unable to open his mouth but manages to open his lips just enough for the doctor to pour the medicine down the man’s throat. (a paraphrase from R.C. Sproul in one of his radio programs, Renewing Your Mind.)

The medicine in this word picture is Jesus. Because man is desperately sick because of his sins, he needs the remedy (Jesus) or he will surely perish. The free will in this analogy is the man’s ability to open his lips to receive the medicine. Ephesians 2:1, however, does not teach that man has the ability to do this. Instead, it teaches that man has no life in him at all. HE IS DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS. He is unable to do anything spiritually. The Apostle Paul said it best:

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14).

To imply that man, by the powers of his own reasoning, can receive Christ as Savior clearly goes against all that Paul taught and teaches a salvation by human reasoning or works. Paul also said in Romans 3:11 that no one in their natural state understands or seeks after God. A more biblical explanation of the man being desperately sick analogy is this: THE MAN IS DEAD. He is lifeless and has gone under for the third time and is at the bottom of the sea. After the doctor pronounces the man dead, God, Himself dives into the water, pulls the dead corps up to dry land and gives that corps mouth to mouth resuscitation, breathing His very life into the man (R.C. Sproul). This is an accurate picture of salvation by grace through faith with no works. The lifeless person receives the gift of life first and THEN seeks God after he is made alive.

In John 3, salvation is compared to a physical birth. In a physical birth, we find that life doesn’t begin the moment the baby comes out of the womb but nine months prior. The same is true with a spiritual birth. Spiritual life begins, not when you make the confession of accepting Christ, but the moment God gives life to your dead spirit. The accepting Christ part with your mouth can occur months or even years later. The moment God begins to draw you to Himself is the moment that spiritual life begins. Your confession of Christ as Savior makes your salvation real to you and serves as a public testimony to others. There is something else true with regard to a physical birth. You had nothing to do with it. You didn’t decide where you were going to be born, who your parents were going to be, when you were going to be born, or even if you wanted to be born. It was purely an act of God through pro-creation.

I understand that these words strip away all forms of human boasting, but that’s exactly what Jesus did when He told His followers that they didn’t have the ability in themselves to come to Him. The free will of man has been exalted so much in our churches that salvation has been reduced to a human decision. A proper understanding of free will, however, from a biblical perspective, is totally opposed to this notion.

God Must Change our Will

The fall of man has affected man so totally that he has no desire whatsoever for God. This is why no one in their natural state seeks after God (Rom 3:11). If it depended on man’s free will to get to God, he would never come to Him. After the fall, man had lost the inclination to do so. God must make unwilling people into willing people, or, to put it another way, God must change our wills in order to bring us to Him. This truth uncovers another misconception in today’s modern theology. We are taught that God does not violate our free will. This is simply not so. Throughout the Old Testament, God changed the hearts of leaders to move them in the direction He wanted them to go. The Apostle Paul is the classic example in the New Testament. He was off to