Perserverance of the Saints
by Rod Jackson
All verses are quoted from the NASB anything in [square brackets] is added by me for clarity.
What does the 'T' in T.U.L.I.P. stand for?
SHOW CARD - TOTAL DEPRAVITY
What does "Total depravity" mean?
Total Depravity means that all people are fallen in all aspects of their being (mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally) so that we do not even desire to be saved from our depraved state.
What does the 'U' in T.U.L.I.P. stand for?
SHOW CARD - UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
What does "Unconditional election" mean?
It means that God has chosen some or all people for salvation not conditioned on any goodness or faith in these people but is conditioned by God's will.
What does the 'L' in T.U.L.I.P. stand for?
SHOW CARD - LIMITED ATONEMENT
What does "limited atonement" mean?
It means God did not elect everyone but Jesus' atoning death is sufficient in power for all people but effective only for the elect.
What does the 'I' in T.U.L.I.P. stand for?
SHOW CARD - Irresistible Grace
What does "irresistible grace" mean?
It means that God's grace draws the elect.
READ 1 John 2:19 -
"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us [once saved], they would have remained with us [always saved]; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."
SHOW CARD - Perseverance of the Saints
Today's lesson is on the 5th point of Calvinism the 'P' in the acronym T.U.L.I.P. This stands for perserverance or preservation of the saints. This deals with the fact that God does a complete work. He does not stop or give up half way through the job.
Calvinists express this idea by the notion of "once saved always saved". Arminians on the other hand believe that a person can lose their salvation. When one understands both sides, one sees that from a practical point of view they are saying the same thing.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 - May your spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of Jesus. Jesus is faithful and He will do it.
Philippians 1:6 - God will complete the job of saving His remnant until Jesus' return.
2 Timothy 1:12 - Jesus will guard what has been entrusted to Him (i.e. Salvation)
John 6:37-39 - Jesus will never drive away those that come to/believe in Him. God's will is for Jesus to lose none of those that are given to Him.
:44 & 47 - Jesus will raise up (resurrect) those who come to/believe in Him. They (now) have eternal life.
5:24 - They (now) have eternal life. Crossed from death to life. While a dead person cannot give themselves life a living person may commit suicide. so one may be tempted to think that a person can commit spiritual suicide.
10:28 - No one can snatch Jesus' sheep from His hand
:29-30 - No one can snatch Jesus' sheep from the Father's hand.
It is the same hand. Hand stands for authority or power. So even we cannot snatch ourselves out of God/Jesus¡¯hand.
Jude 1 - The Elect are loved by God and kept by Jesus
Romans 8:31-39 - If God is for us who can be against us? Yet the whole world is against us. This is not saying that people won't be against us, rather that they have no power against us (do not fear him who can harm the body only, rather Him who can harm the body and soul in hell). Jesus is the judge of the world, He died for us. If He is the judge and He saves us, who will comndem us? Nothing in all creation will separate us from the love of God, that includes ourselves (we cannot commit spiritual suicide).
2 Timothy 4:18 - God will rescue Paul from every evil attack.
1 Corinthians 10:13 - God does not let anyone be temped beyond what they can bear and He provides a way of escape.
Luke 22:31-32 - Jesus prays for Peter that his faith may not fail. Yet Peter denies Jesus 3 times (v34). Did his faith fail? Well yes and no. Ultimately it did not fail, Jesus said, "But when you turn back" meaning that He knew Peter's faith would temporarily faith but He ultimately would not have a failing faith.
John 17:15, 2-21 - Jesus prays for the elect to be protected from the evil one!
So if Peter's faith did not ultimately faith neither will ours!
OBJECTIONS -
2 Timothy 2:12 - If we disown God He will disown us.
Matthew 10:32-33 - the elect do not ultimately deny or disown Jesus.
Remember Peter denied Jesus 3 times, yet was saved.
Romans 11:17-23 - Branches grafted out and in.
:4-7 - The preceding context lets us know that it is not talking about individuals but rather groups of people, the Jews and the Gentitles. It is like in Revelation 2:5 where it says that the lampstand maybe removed. The lampstand is the church, and historically when Muhummad went through there he literally removed all those lampstands (churches).
Galations 6:7-8 - As you sow so you¡¯ll reap.
John 3:6 - Flesh gives birth to flesh and Spirit gives birth to spirit. The elect are born of the spirit they will reap as they sow and they sow spiritually!
Ephesians 4:30 - Can grieve the Holy Spirit. But this cannot mean losing salvation because the verse goes on to say "with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
Philemon 24 - Demas Paul's fellow worker (written A.D. 61-62)
Colossians 4:14 - Demas sends greetings (written A.D. 62)
2 Timothy 4:10 - Demas loved the world and deserted Paul. (written A.D. 64-67)
Matthew 7:21-23 - Not all who call themselves Christians are Christians ("Depart from Me I never knew you"). OR Demas may have backslid and later returned, we are not told.
Revelation 3:5 - Never blot his name from the book of life, imples that those who don't overcome (remain faithful till the end) will have their names blotted from the book of life (ie. lose their salvation).
13:8&17:8 - Names not written in the book of life from the creation of the world.
20:15 - Names not in the book of life go to hell
21:27 - Names written in the book of life go to heaven
Since the names not written in the book of life were never written in it. We can say that names never being blotted out does not imply that some names will be blotted out.
Hebrews 6:4-6 - Seems to say once someone loses their salvation they cannot be grafted back in (which contradicts the arminian interpretation of Romans 11)
10:26-29 - Warnings are always relevant because of our 'old' nature.
John 15:2 - cut off branch in Jesus. Might be temporal punishment like 1 Cor 11:30,32 or where one is 'handed over to Satan' for the saving of their soul.