Sermon 13

Salvation Is Forever (Part 2)

Romans 5:1-11

The message of Romans 5 is simple: you cannot lose your salvation. It is forever, eternal, everlasting and unchanging. I Peter 1:5 says that we are "kept by the power of God." Simply put, it is not up to us to keep ourselves saved; God secures our salvation by His omnipotent power. This doctrine of eternal security has to be the most comforting, most assuring, most joy producing of all Christian truth. Salvation is forever!

Romans 5 :1-11 gives us a list of the links in a chain that eternally secures us to the Savior. When the enemy hits you with doubt about the reality of your salvation, you can retreat to the promises of this passage.

By way of a brief review, last week I showed you the first two links in the chain...

Chain Link #1 - At Peace Wit God, v.1. The war between God and you ended the moment you were saved. Now, there is peace between you and God. You are no longer enemies because Jesus Christ Himself brought you together. This peace last as long as Jesus Christ is alive. The Bible says, "He ever liveth to make intercession for us..." Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

Chain Link #2 - Standing In Grace, v. 2a. Verse 2 reminds us that we stand in grace. Verse 20 tells us that this grace abounds beyond our sin. There is no way out of grace. The question frequently comes up, "Is it possible to fall from grace?" That phrase comes from Galatians 5:4 (read). However, in the context of the passage it does not mean that a believer can lose his salvation by committing sin. What Paul is saying is that if you think you can be justified (made right with God) by keeping the law (v. 2="circumcision"), or by your own self-righteousness, Christ is useless to you. You have fallen from the grace principle of salvation. That's what it means to fall from grace. To fall from grace means to believe what Galatians 1 calls "another gospel." The choice is between salvation by grace or salvation by works. It's either/or and can never be both/and.

Chain Link #3 - Hope Of Glory, vs. 2b-5a.

We Rejoice In Hope Of The Glory Of God, v. 2 (see also Romans 8:28-30). God has predestined the completion of our salvation, v. 29. We who are saved are predestined to be like Christ. If we have been justified then we have also been glorified. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. The word of "rejoice" means "a confident jubilation." It is a strong word which means to rejoice at the highest level. It implies security and fearlessness.

Have you ever watched a basketball game that came down to the last few seconds. However, with only a few seconds left on the clock one team sinks a basket which puts the game out of reach for the other team. At that time, even with some time remaining, there is rejoicing. That's the kind of rejoicing that this word describes - confident jubilation.

The word "hope" usually means to us something that is wishful but not certain. However, that is not what this word means at all. This "hope" means "trust and anticipation". "My hope is built on nothing less"; the second coming is referred to as the "blessed hope".

The phrase "the glory of God" (Romans 8:18, 30) refers to what we are going to be in heaven. Put this all together and what do you get? We are confidently jubilant as we anticipate our future glorification. The reason why we can be so confident, so jubilant, so sure of future glory is because our salvation is so secure now!

The first three links in the chain of security need to be drawn together. First, the security of the believer is anchored in the past - Christ has made peace with God. Second, the security of the believer is anchored and maintained in the present - we stand in grace. Third, the security of the believer is anchored in the future - we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

We Also Rejoice In Tribulation, v.3-5a. The believer not only rejoices in the glory to come, he also rejoices (glories = same word) in present tribulation. Why? Because tribulation (pressure) produces the kind of character that has a greater capacity to rejoice about the future. No matter how severe or devastating the trials may be, they can never take away our promised glory. In fact, tribulation makes a Christian better and so we rejoice in the good that comes from it. Tribulation produces patience (endurance). Patience produces experience (character; something that has been approved). Experience produces hope. Hope makes us unashamed. That trust in God is something for which you will never be ashamed or disappointed. Your hope is secure in Christ! So even when really bad things happen to you, it, in no way, robs you of your security in Christ.

Chain Link #3 - Possessing Divine Love, vs. 5b-8.

Before we were saved, God proved his love for us by sending his Son to die for us, vs. 6-8. Christ's sacrifice was a supernatural expression of divine love. One would hardly die for a righteous person. One might die for a good person. Christ died for the weak, the ungodly, sinners. This was God's expression fo His love for us.

If God loved us so much that he would sacrifice his only begotten son for us before we were saved, how much more does he love us once we have been saved?! Will He somehow stop loving us now? You see, in order for you to lose your salvation, God would have to stop loving you. How do we know that God hasn't stopped loving us? How does God express His love to us who are saved? The answer is in verse 5. "The love of God" does not refer, here, to our love for God, but to God's love of us. That love is "shed abroad" which means "an overflowing out-pouring" in our hearts. It comes to us by means of the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.

The fact that we possess the Spirit attests to our eternal salvation. The Spirit is given to us at the moment of salvation (see Romans 8:9,14-16). The possession of the Spirit is a down-payment of eternal salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14). It is the Spirit within that reminds us and assures us of God's overflowing love for us. Can anything cause God to stop loving a believer? (See Romans 8:35-39). The answer is no! Now, follow the logic here. If there is nothing which can stop us from being loved by God and if the presence of the Holy Spirit is the way that God expresses His love for us, then there is nothing which can cause the Holy Spirit to be taken away from us. We are forever in possession of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we are forever the children of God.

Chain Link #5 - Certainty Of Deliverance, vs. 9-10.

In these two verses, Paul argues from the lesser to the greater. If God saved us when were enemies, surely He will keep on saving us now that we are his own children. There is a "wrath to come" but not for the children of God. Paul further says that if Christ's death accomplished so much for us, how much more will He do for us in His life as He lives and intercedes for us in heaven?

The facts then that we are no longer enemies but children and that Christ no longer is dead but lives assures us that our future is absolutely secure. We have a certainty of deliverance.

Chain Link #6 - Joy In God, v. 11.

We have now received the atonement, the covering of our sins, forgiveness, by the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we "joy in God"! Not only is it the experiencing of the love of God but also it is the experiencing joy which can only come from God that assures us that we are eternally secure. In other words, we know that we belong to God because he has filled our hearts with joy.

Saved by grace; justified by faith; at peace with God; standing in grace, rejoicing in anticipation of future glorification, possessing the Holy Spirit which pours out God's love in our hearts, knowing the certainty of our deliverance because Christ lives and we are his children, and having joy in God. These are the 6 links in the chain that eternally secures us to our Savior. This is evidence of our eternal security.