Perseverance of the Saints
The Christian doctrine of perseverance of the saints teaches that anyone God saves will be kept by His power and will never permanently fall away from faith. In other words, if you are saved, you are eternally secure.
This doesn't mean our salvation depends on our own strength or ability to hold on to God. It's the other way around: God holds on to us.
Analogy: Think of it like a father holding his child's hand while crossing a busy street. The child might stumble or try to let go, but the father's grip is what guarantees they make it safely to the other side.
This doctrine is foundational because it shows that our eternal security rests not on our shaky grip on God, but on His unbreakable grip on us.
The Case for the Perseverance of the Saints
This idea can be understood by following a logical progression based on what the Bible teaches.
Question 1: If God starts our salvation, will He finish it?
Yes. The Bible teaches that God's plan of salvation is an unbreakable chain. If God chose you, called you, and saved you, He will absolutely see you through to the very end. His purpose cannot be defeated by our weakness.
- Romans 8:29-30: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined... And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
- Philippians 1:6: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
- John 10:28-29: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand... no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”
The bottom line: Salvation is like a golden chain with five links: foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. The “golden chain” is a powerful metaphor for the unbreakable process of salvation described in Romans 8:29-30. The key idea is that every person who is part of the first link will inevitably be part of the last. God Himself forges every link, ensuring no one is ever lost along the way.
Let's look at the first and most foundational link: foreknowledge.
What Foreknowledge Doesn't Mean
When we hear “foreknowledge,” our modern minds often think it means God simply looked into the future, saw who would choose to have faith in Him, and then chose them based on their foreseen decision. In this view, God's choice is a reaction to ours.
What Foreknowledge Does Mean
However, in the Bible, the word “to know” (and by extension, “to foreknow”) often implies a much deeper, more intimate, and active relationship. It's not just about knowing about someone; it's about setting one's love and affection upon them in a special, covenantal way.
Think about how the Bible uses the word “know”:
- God said to Israel, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth” (Amos 3:2). God obviously knew about the other nations, but He had a special, saving relationship only with Israel.
- Jesus will say to false professors on judgment day, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). He isn't saying He was unaware of their existence; He's saying, “We never had a relationship.”
So, when the Bible says God “foreknew” His people, it means that He set His saving love and affection on them from eternity past. It was an active choice of the heart, not a passive gathering of information about the future.
An analogy: It's less like a scientist observing a reaction from a distance and more like a groom choosing his bride before the wedding. His choice isn't based on merely observing what she will do; it's a proactive, loving decision to set his heart upon her.
The Unbreakable Five Links
With this understanding of foreknowledge as the anchor, the rest of the chain follows with perfect, logical security:
Foreknowledge: Before time began, God set His saving love upon His people. This is the foundation of it all.
Predestination: Because He chose to love them, He then predestined (or predetermined) their ultimate destiny: to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus.
Calling: At the proper time in their lives, God effectively calls these chosen individuals to Himself through the gospel, drawing them out of spiritual death and into spiritual life.
Justification: When they are called, God declares them righteous in His sight. He forgives their sins and credits them with Christ's perfect righteousness. This is a legal, once-for-all declaration.
Glorification: Finally, this process will be completed in the future when God removes all sin from their lives and brings them into His presence in glorified, perfect bodies.
The power of this chain is that it is unbroken. Everyone God foreknew, He will glorify. His loving choice in eternity past guarantees our glorious state in eternity future.
Question 2: Are true believers truly secure?
Absolutely. Scripture says that true believers are “sealed” and “guarded” by God's power. This is God's guarantee that He will finish what He started in us.
- Ephesians 1:13-14: “...you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance...”
- 1 Peter 1:5: “[Believers] by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
- Jude 24: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.”
The bottom line: The Holy Spirit acts as a divine down payment on our salvation. Just like a down payment guarantees the final purchase of a house, the Spirit's presence guarantees our future inheritance in heaven. God isn't just our Savior; He's also our bodyguard.
Question 3: What about when we sin or stumble?
Perseverance doesn't mean perfection. True believers still sin, stumble, and require God's discipline. However, God's discipline is proof of our sonship, not a threat of disownment. He corrects us to bring us back, not to cast us out.
- Hebrews 12:5-7: “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
- 1 John 3:9: “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”
- Jeremiah 32:40: “...I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.”
The bottom line: When a true child of God wanders, their loving Father pursues and disciplines them to restore them. He changes our hearts so that, even when we fail, our deepest desire is to return to Him. Someone who leaves the faith permanently shows they were never truly part of the family to begin with.
Question 4: So, where does our confidence come from?
Our confidence comes from God's unchanging character and unbreakable promises, not our own performance. This doctrine anchors our hope in the faithfulness of God, who cannot fail.
- Romans 8:38-39: “For I am sure that neither death nor life... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- 2 Timothy 4:18: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.”
- Psalm 138:8: “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.”
The bottom line: Our salvation is not a ship tossed about by the waves of our feelings and failures. It is held firm by an unbreakable anchor—the love and power of God Himself. He will bring us safely home.
Answering Common Objections
Objection 1: “Doesn't this give people a license to sin?”
This misunderstands the doctrine. Perseverance of the saints is not preservation in sin, but preservation from sin.
- God doesn't just save us from hell; He saves us for holiness. Being “born of God” means we have a new nature that desires to please Him (1 John 3:9).
- A genuine faith always produces good works, or “fruit” (James 2:17). Someone who feels free to live in sin shows that they likely haven't experienced true, saving faith.
- God's grace doesn't make us lazy; it makes us grateful. The security we have in Christ motivates us to obey Him out of love, not fear.
Objection 2: “What about Bible verses that warn people about falling away?”
These warnings are one of the primary means God uses to keep His true children on the right path.
- Think of them like “Guardrail” signs on a dangerous road. They aren't there because the engineer expects you to drive off the cliff; they are there to prevent you from doing so.
- These warnings serve to test the faith of those in the church. Those who heed the warnings and persevere show they are true believers. Those who ignore them and fall away reveal they were never truly saved in the first place (1 John 2:19: “They went out from us, but they were not of us...”).
Objection 3: “If my salvation is secure, why do I need to try to live a holy life?”
This sets up a false choice. The Bible holds two truths together: God works, so we work.
- Philippians 2:12-13 puts it perfectly: “...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
- We don't work for our salvation; we work out our salvation. Our effort is the evidence and result of God's power working within us. It’s like a sailboat: the wind (God's Spirit) provides the power, but the sailor must still raise the sails (our effort) to move.
Objection 4: “But I've seen people who seemed to be Christians walk away from the faith.”
The Bible makes a distinction between those who merely profess faith and those who truly possess faith.
- Jesus warned that many will say “Lord, Lord,” but He will say, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23). Their association was outward, not inward.
- Temporary backsliding is different from final apostasy. A true believer, like Peter who denied Christ, will be brought to repentance and restoration. An apostate, like Judas, will not.
- Perseverance is the ultimate test. Enduring to the end is the mark of a genuine believer (Hebrews 3:14).
Why This Doctrine Matters
Perseverance of the saints is not a technicality; it's a deeply pastoral truth that fuels the Christian life.
- It Leads to Humility: It reminds us that our endurance depends entirely on God's grace, not our own strength. We can't boast about staying saved.
- It Gives Real Assurance: In times of doubt, failure, or suffering, it gives us unshakable peace, knowing that our security rests in God's powerful, loving hands.
- It Inspires True Worship: Understanding that God is committed to preserving us to the very end leads to profound gratitude and praise for His incredible, covenant-keeping faithfulness.
~ john