In Christianity today, people have many different views on salvation. Some think that it is impossible to know that we are saved; others think that we can still perish after we are saved. The Bible, however, shows that our salvation is not only certain but also secure. Once we are saved, our salvation can never be shaken or changed. Therefore, once we are saved, we are eternally saved. This point is proven in the Bible in relation to at least twelve items.
1. “Predestinating us unto sonship...according to... His will” (Eph. 1:5).
God made us His sons and predestinated us unto sonship according to His will, not according to our condition. If our sonship was based on our condition, it would not be secure, because our condition constantly fluctuates. But our sonship was predetermined according to His will; it does not depend on our condition. His will is not based on spur-of-the-moment decisions; rather, it is according to His eternal plan. It is eternal and unchanging; it does not depend on and cannot be influenced by our condition. Thus, our sonship is eternally secure.
2. “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose” (2 Tim. 1:9).
God saves us and calls us according to His purpose, not according to our works. The salvation and calling of God are according to His will and apart from our works; they have absolutely nothing to do with our behavior. Thus, our salvation will not change even if our behavior changes; instead, it is eternally secure according to God’s unchanging purpose.
3. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing” (John 6:39).
God’s will is that all whom He has chosen and given to the Lord, according to His unchanging purpose, would not be lost. Since we were saved according to His choosing and belong to the Lord, we will never be lost. We are eternally secure.
4. “The unchangeableness of His counsel” (Heb. 6:17).
God’s counsel cannot be changed; therefore, the salvation which God gives according to His counsel cannot be changed. How could it? Our salvation is eternally secure according to God’s counsel and purpose.
1. “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).
God did not choose us accidentally or on the spur of the moment; He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. His choosing was not because of any special condition of ours. Our salvation is not accidental or coincidental; it is according to God’s choosing in Christ before the foundation of the world, which cannot be influenced by any change on our part. Thus, our salvation is eternally secure and unchanging.
2. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15:16).
We did not choose the Lord. We would not choose the Lord or even think of Him; rather, He chose us. Even if we had chosen the Lord, our choosing would change because we are prone to vacillate. Instead, the Lord chose us. He is eternally unchanging; therefore, His choosing is also eternally unchanging.
3. “That the purpose of God according to selection might remain, not of works but of Him who calls” (Rom. 9:11).
God Himself selected us according to His purpose, not according to our works. Therefore, our works are not related to God’s choosing and absolutely cannot affect His choosing. God’s choosing is of Himself and according to His purpose. Both He and His purpose are eternally unchanging, so how can His choosing change? How can His choosing not be eternally secure?
4. “The gracious gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29).
Since God’s calling is according to His unchanging person and unchanging purpose, He will not repent of it or change. Therefore, the salvation that we received according to His choosing will not change. According to God’s choosing, our salvation is secure.