Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
HOW ETERNAL IS ETERNAL LIFE ?
The Bible teaches that everyone has broken God’s laws and deserves to be punished in flames forever. But God became a man to suffer on the cross, and then resurrect from the dead, so that we can be joined to Him and have our hearts and minds renewed by His Spirit. This is the “gospel” (the good news) message of the Bible. Jesus Christ has purchased the “free gift” of “eternal life.” Some people would question whether “free” really means “free,” or “eternal” really means “eternal.” Once we are saved, are we saved “eternally?” Read the Bible verses in this study and find out.
The Bible teaches that eternal life is eternal or....
ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED!
Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."1.
John 10:28,29 “...and I give ETERNAL LIFE to them, and they shall NEVER PERISH; and NO ONE shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and NO ONE is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”(This verse clearly means that NO ONE, not even the believer who may sin after he is saved, can be separated in any way from his Father’s hand. Such a separation would indicate that the believer, his or sin, which has been TOTALLY paid for by Christ’s suffering on the cross and in Hades, has MORE power than the FATHER, and that simply is NOT true!)
2.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life... nor any other CREATED THING, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.”(Paul was CERTAIN that his eternal security was SURE because of the believers’ position of being IN CHRIST JESUS. Since “God is love”
(1 John 4:8), Paul is saying that NOTHING, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God, which is IN CHRIST. Paul also says that NO CREATED THING can separate the believer from God. Since that is true, then we ourselves CAN NEVER SEPARATE OURSELVES from God if we have been born of Him, He personally seals us with His Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), and when that happens, salvation becomes IRREVOCABLE (Romans 11:29); that is, it cannot be changed.)3.
John 6:37, 39-40 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of ALL that He has given Me I LOSE NOTHING, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that EVERYONE who beholds the Son and BELIEVES in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. ALL that the Father gives ME shall come to me; and the one who comes to ME I WILL CERTAINLY NOT CAST OUT.”(Do you belong to Jesus? Can He ever “lose” you? These verses say clearly and unconditionally that once you come to Jesus and become a believer, JESUS HIMSELF will NEVER cast you out. What do “lose NOTHING,” and “NOT cast out” mean? He will keep us saved for He is FAITHFUL. Isn’t it wonderful to realize that God is stronger than we are? God showed His love for us, in that while we were still UNSAVED sinners, Christ died for us (
Romans 5:8).4.
1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who BELIEVE in the name of the Son of God, in order THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!”(The problem in the early church was the same as it is today -- deceivers were infiltrating its ranks and denying eternal security. That’s why the Apostle John wrote the above verses, “...that you may KNOW that you have eternal life.” Notice what John says in the same epistle in
1 John 2:25,26: “And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO DECEIVE YOU.” So be alert! People today still attack the doctrine of once saved, always saved.)5.
1 John 5:11-12 “And the witness is this, that God HAS GIVEN US eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”( Since the life is IN the Son, and we have been placed eternally IN Christ, who is the Son, and have been sealed by His Spirit, we HAVE eternal life. If eternal life is ETERNAL, then it can NEVER be “temporary life” that can be lost and regained. The Apostle John clearly said that we CAN KNOW that we have eternal life, and never said anything, anywhere about losing it.)
6.
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears MY word, and believes Him who sent Me, HAS ETERNAL LIFE, and does NOT come into judgment, but HAS PASSED OUT OF DEATH into life.(This verse means that once he is saved, the believer will never be judged for salvation at the LAST JUDGMENT, or be cast into the eternal second death -- the lake of fire. )
7.
Romans 8:1 “There is therefore NOW NO CONDEMNATION for those who are IN Christ Jesus.”(Only believers are IN Christ Jesus and were placed there at the moment of salvation. He is NOW our refuge, our HOLY ARK, and our REDEEMER. We CANNOT therefore be condemned to hell as unbelievers are, for John also says in
John 3:18 that UNBELIEVERS are judged for hell and CONDEMNED ALREADY, because they have NOT believed. Believers are “born again.” They cannot be UNBORN again! They are REDEEMED. They CANNOT BE UNREDEEMED. They are SAVED. They CANNOT BE UNSAVED. Why? Because all true believers are IN CHRIST JESUS ETERNALLY and are not condemned, and therefore CAN’T lose their salvation.)8.
John 3:18 “He who believes in HIM is NOT judged; he who does NOT believe has been JUDGED ALREADY.”(This again states that the believer will NEVER be JUDGED for salvation at the LAST JUDGMENT, the Great White Throne Judgment. It also states that the UNBELIEVER, unless he turns to Christ, is headed for a DEFINITE court date with God and that he, the unbeliever, will be judged and CONDEMNED because he has NO ETERNAL LIFE in him, and has never been IN CHRIST. Sadly, the unbeliever will be sent to the lake of fire for all eternity after that JUDGMENT.)
9.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever BELIEVES in Him should NOT PERISH, but HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.”(This verse clearly shows that believers WON’T perish (go to hell) but HAVE eternal life.
)10.
Romans 6:23; 11:29 “For the wages of sin is death, but the FREE GIFT of God is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord. …for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”(These verses together clearly show that ETERNAL LIFE is a FREE GIFT of God that places us INTO Christ’s own eternal life. Being a gift of God, it is "irrevocable," that is, IT CANNOT BE REVERSED. Once a person is born of God, he acquires eternal life, which is IRREVOCABLE! In other words he is ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED.)
11.
Hebrews 10:17,18, “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is FORGIVENESS of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”( Once we have been forgiven by God, it is an ETERNAL FORGIVENESS. If a person could lose his salvation, what OFFERING for sin could the believer give to cover his sin? God says, “There is NO LONGER any OFFERING for sin.” So IF a person could lose his salvation, as some religious groups teach, there would be no offering that could be made to PAY for the new sins, and he would be eternally lost.)
12.
Hebrews 7:25 “Hence, also, He is able to save FOREVER those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make INTERCESSION for them.”(The Bible says God is able to SAVE FOREVER the believer. This verse means what it says -- that salvation is ETERNAL and goes on FOREVER with JESUS as our INTERCESSOR to protect us, not condemn us, if we sin in our weakness. NOWHERE does the BIBLE say that salvation is anything other than “forever!”)
13.
Psalm 34:22 "The Lord redeems the souls of His servants; and NONE of those that take refuge in Him WILL BE CONDEMNED.”(Here we see that once we are redeemed (saved) and have taken “refuge” (eternal security) in Him (in Christ), we will NOT be condemned (sent to hell). Condemnation, when used in salvation passages, always means hell. God’s promise to us is that WE WILL NOT BE CONDEMNED!)
14.
John 6:47 “Truly, truly I say to you, he who BELIEVES HAS ETERNAL LIFE.”(BELIEVING or TRUSTING in God as our Lord is the only thing that conveys eternal life to us and places us IN CHRIST for all eternity.)
15. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by GRACE you have been saved through FAITH (believing); and that NOT of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”
(If we have been saved by GRACE, and salvation was ALL of God’s work, not of ourselves, then we cannot alter the salvation plan. All we can do is make Him our Lord and allow His Spirit to renew our hearts and minds so that we may become His child eternally.)
16.
Romans 8:29,35 “For whom He foreknew, He also PREDESTINED to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren: and whom He PREDESTINED, these He also CALLED; and whom He called, these He also JUSTIFIED: and whom He justified these He has also GLORIFIED.” What then shall we say to these things? IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US? WHO will bring a CHARGE against God’s ELECT? God is the One who justifies; Jesus Christ...also INTERCEDES for us. Who shall SEPARATE us from the love of Christ?”(These amazing verses reveal clearly the security of our salvation. God KNOWS who will be believers BEFORE they ever become believers. He has PREDESTINED them to become conformed to the image of HIS Son. Predestination is the doctrine or biblical teaching that GUARANTEES all believers will get to heaven unconditionally. He also CALLED the believers. Read again #10 in this booklet. It says, “For the gifts and the CALLING of God are IRREVOCABLE.” The calling cannot be reversed, changed, canceled, or undone. ONCE CALLED, ALWAYS CALLED is what
Romans 11:29 teaches.) Romans 8:30 says, “whom He called, these He also JUSTIFIED….” Thus, we Christians have been irreversibly CALLED and irreversibly JUSTIFIED. If we are irreversibly JUSTIFIED, we can’t lose our salvation! If God is FOR us, NOBODY can be against us, that is, NOBODY can take away our eternal security. WHO will bring a charge against God’s elect? NO ONE. There is simply no one, including ourselves, who can take our salvation away from us. Jesus Christ, Himself, INTERCEDES for us as our ADVOCATE (or attorney).17.
1 John 2:1 “My little children I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And IF ANYONE SINS, we have an ADVOCATE (an attorney) with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.”(Every believer KNOWS that he should NOT sin. But he also knows that HE DOES sin. We have an advocate who has our salvation in His hands eternally.)
18. Romans 8:14-15 “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you HAVE NOT received a spirit of slavery LEADING TO FEAR AGAIN, but you have received a spirit of ADOPTION as sons by which we cry out “Abba! Father!”
(Once we are saved from the flames we deserve, we never have to FEAR that punishment again. We are God’s ADOPTED children, in accord with
John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who BELIEVE in His name.” Again, once a child, always a child.)19.
1 Peter 1:5 “...(you) who are PROTECTED by the POWER of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”(This verse clearly reveals we are PROTECTED in our salvation by the power of God through faith. Those who claim salvation by “good works” DO NOT have such protection.
)20.
Ephesians 4:30; 1:13-14 “…and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were SEALED for the day of redemption.” “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were SEALED in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s OWN POSSESSION, to the praise of His glory.”(When a believer becomes a Christian, he is SEALED by the Holy Spirit, who, according to
2 Cor. 1:22, is the seal, and God’s pledge of eternal security. A seal in the Scriptures signifies: SECURITY, SAFETY, OWNERSHIP, AUTHORITY, AND RESPONSIBILITY. Even today, many formal documents have “seals” on them, particularly GUARANTEES! Since the Holy Spirit Himself IS the seal, it is a seal that can never be destroyed or withdrawn. It is an everlasting seal. We can never be “unsealed.” The verses above tell us that we are SEALED for the DAY of REDEMPTION with the Holy Spirit Himself, within us, as our PLEDGE that God WILL keep His promise. Thus we discover in these verses that we are God’s OWN POSSESSION, GUARANTEED by His own seal (the Holy Spirit) that we WILL make it to heaven and be fully redeemed out of this earthly life into God’s heavenly life. Our eternal security is thus GUARANTEED by the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in us.)21.
1 John 5:10 “The one WHO BELIEVES IN THE SON OF GOD HAS THE TESTIMONY IN HIMSELF; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.” Romans 8:16 “The SPIRIT HIMSELF BEARS WITNESS WITH OUR SPIRIT that we are CHILDREN OF GOD.”(The Holy Spirit who seals us also gives “TESTIMONY,” or “BEARS WITNESS WITH OUR SPIRIT” that we are the blood-bought, born-again, sealed, adopted “CHILDREN OF GOD.” The verses you are studying in this booklet are what the Holy Spirit uses to accomplish this inner witness. He will “guide you in all truth… teach you all things… and bring to remembrance all that I [Jesus] said…” (
John 14:2; 16:13). Those who are not saved do not have this “inner witness.” They are not absolutely sure that they will go to heaven, since they are not sure if they have been good enough, or if they could lose, return, sin-away, or reject the salvation they think they have. Some who are not saved actually have the idea that they are really good enough to go to heaven; they are blinded by their pride.)22.
1 Corinthians 1:8 “(Jesus Christ) Who shall also CONFIRM you to THE END, BLAMELESS in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”(Here Paul reaffirms the doctrine of eternal security in that Christ will CONFIRM us to the end of our lives, and we will be positionally blameless on the day of the resurrection.)
23.
2 Timothy 1:9,10 “(God), Who has SAVED us, and CALLED us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His Own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus FROM ALL ETERNITY, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who ABOLISHED DEATH, and brought LIFE and IMMORTALITY to light THROUGH THE GOSPEL.”(Notice it says we ARE SAVED and CALLED and we know that God’s calling is irrevocable; and notice in the verses it says BOTH our salvation and calling were NOT according to our works, but was decided BEFORE WE WERE EVER CREATED, “…FROM ALL ETERNITY.” The verses also reveal CHRIST abolished DEATH, eternal death, for believers. In other words, believers can never go to hell! It has been abolished for them. Now we know He did not abolish earthly death, since Christians still physically die! So it must mean He abolished ETERNAL DEATH -- Hades -- for believers, since unbelievers WILL DIE the eternal [flames of Hades] death.)
24
. Jude 1 “Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the CALLED, BELOVED in God the Father, and KEPT for Jesus Christ.”(In this short verse, notice Jude refers to THREE aspects of eternal security. First, that the believers are CALLED. Second, that the believers are BELOVED by the Father, and third, the believers are KEPT. To be kept or “reserved” means to be “guarded from LOSS or INJURY.” Thus, what Jude is saying here is that all believers are CALLED [which is an IRREVOCABLE quality], BELOVED in the Father’s hand, and KEPT from LOSS of their salvation.)
25.
Titus 3:5 " He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,"(This verse emphasizes that RIGHTEOUS DEEDS which we have done have nothing to do with our salvation. We are saved “ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY,” by faith alone. We are washed by “REGENERATION,” not baptism, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit the moment we believe the gospel,
Eph. 1:13).26.
Psalm 94:14 “For the Lord will NOT ABANDON His people, nor will He FORSAKE His inheritance.” 27. Isaiah 38:17b,c; 20a “It is THOU Who has KEPT my soul from the PIT OF NOTHINGNESS (hell), for Thou has cast ALL MY SINS behind Thy back... the Lord WILL SURELY SAVE me.”28.
Psalm 103:104,12 “He has not dealt with us ACCORDING TO OUR SINS, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities--As far as the east is from the west, SO FAR has HE REMOVED our TRANSGRESSIONS from us.”29.
John 4:14 “…but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him SHALL NEVER THIRST; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to ETERNAL life.”(People in hell and the lake of fire will be thirsty, but ONCE SAVED, NEVER THIRSTY)
30.
Hebrews 9:12 “…and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place ONCE FOR ALL, having obtained ETERNAL redemption.”31.
Hebrews 10:10-14 “By this will WE HAVE BEEN SANTIFIED through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR ALL TIME, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by ONE OFFERING He has perfected FOR ALL TIME those who are sanctified.”(ONE SACRIFICE saved us “ONCE FOR ALL, FOR ALL TIME.”)
32. Revelation 22:17 “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the ONE WHO IS THIRSTY, COME; let the one who wishes TAKE THE WATER OF LIFE WITHOUT COST.”(Jesus’ final plea to hell-deserving people who will be thirsty forever if they die without a Savior, is to “come” and “take the water of life.” It is FREE, “WITHOUT COST!” You will “NEVER THIRST!” Once you are saved, you are always saved!
OUR POSITION IN CHRIST
ADOPTED Rom. 8:15, Eph. 1:5 ALIVE Eph. 2:5, Co1.2:13
BAPTIZED Rom. 6:3, Gal. 3:27 BELONG Gal. 3:29
BORN-AGAIN 1 Pet. 1: 23 (Jn. 3:3, 5) BROTHERS Heb. 2:11
BURIED Rom. 6:4, Col. 2:12 CALLED Eph. 4:1, 2 I Tim. 1:9, Mat. 22:14
CHILDREN Rom. 8:16, Jn. 1:12 CHOSEN / ELECT Col. 3:12
CIRCUMCISED Col. 2:11 COMPLETE Col. 2:10
CRUCIFIED Gal. 2:20 DELIVERED Col. 1:13
DESTINED 1 Thess. 5:9 DIED Col. 3:3, Rom. 6:2,3
ESCAPED 2 Peter 1:4 FORGIVEN Col. 2:13
FREE / LIBERATED Gal. 5:1 HEIRS Gal. 3:29, Eph. 3:6
HIDDEN Col. 3:3 INDWELT Rom. 8: 11 (9)
JUSTIFIED Rom. 3:24-27, Gal. 2:16 KEPT Jude 1
LIGHT Eph. 5:8 NEW CREATURE 2 Cor. 5:17
PARTAKERS Heb. 3:1 PERFECTED Heb. 10:14
PREDESTINED Rom. 8:30 QUALIFIED Col. 1:12
RANSOMED 1 Tim. 2:6 RECONCILED 2 Cor. 5:18
REDEEMED Eph. l:7 REGENERATED Titus 3:5
RESURRECTED Col. 2:12 RIGHTEOUSNESS Rom. 5:17, Php. 3:9
SANCTIFIED Heb. l0:l0-14 SAVED 2 Tim. 1:9
SEALED Eph. 1:13, 4:30 SEATED Eph. 2:6
The following verses admonish we who are saints by calling to live accordingly:
Ephesians 4:1,17
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,Colossians 3:23-25
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
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