Kevin G. Thompson
beyondthefundamentals.com
A. In addition to being held securely by the Hand of Christ and God - John 10:28-30...
B. The believer is PART OF HIS HAND
2. The Believer is "in Christ" - Rom. 8:1; I Cor. 1:30; 15:22; II Cor. 1:21; 5:17; Gal. 3:27- 28; Eph. 2:10, 13; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2; I Pet. 5:14.
3. There is no condemnation to the Believer - Rom. 8:1; I Thess. 5:9-10; John 5:24.
4. The Believer "knows" Christ - II Tim. 2:19; John 17:3; John 10:27 - thus, the Believer can never be in the condition of Matt. 7:23.
5. The Believer is "born" of "incorruptible seed" - 1 Peter 1:23
6. The Believer is "sealed by the spirit" till the "day of redemption" - Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; II Cor. 1:22; Rom. 8:23 (1 Cor. 15:51-54)
7. The Believer is a "Joint-heir" with Jesus Christ - Rom. 8:17; Gal. 3:29;
8. Jesus is an Eternal being (John 8:58; Rev. 1:8, 11; Mic. 5:2; Eph. 3:11); being "in Christ," part of His body, and a "joint-heir" places the believer in the position that shares Christ's eternity with Him CURRENTLY - Eph. 2:6.
9. The Believer's "life is hid with Christ in God." - Col. 3:3
10. Nothing can separate the Believer from the love of God - Rom. 8:38-39 - which means, the believer will never be the subject of God's wrath (John 3:36), hate (Ps. 5:5), or condemnation (John 3:18).
11. The Believer's life is "everlasting" (John 3:16) and "eternal" (1 John 5:13), as opposed to temporary or pending. What good would the term "everlasting" be if it really meant "conditionally lasting." See also John 5:24.
12. The Believer is "chosen" - Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13 - with as much favor and acceptance as Christ - John 17:24; Eph. 1:6;
13. The Believer is "elect" according to the foreknowledge of God - 1 Pet. 1:2
14. The Believer is "begotten again unto a lively hope" - 1 Pet. 1:3
15. The Believer is "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" - 1 Pet. 1:5
16. The Believer is predestinated:
A. to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ - Rom. 8:29
B. to be adopted - Eph. 1:5; Rom. 8:23 C. to his inheritance - Eph. 1:11
17. The Believer has the Spirit of Adoption - Gal. 4:5-6; Rom. 8:15
18. The Believer is a Son of God - John 1:12; Gal. 4:5-6; Rom. 8:14, 19; Php. 2:15; I John 3:1-2;
19. The Believer has the righteousness of Jesus Christ - 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 4:5; Rom. 10:10; 3:25-26; 5:17-18, 21; 10:3-5;
20. The Believer is led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:14) which will not lead him into hell.
21. Christ is in the Believer - Col. 1:27; Gal. 4:6; - Christ has the power over sin and death and hell - Rom. 8:2; Rev. 1:18; I Cor. 15:56-57;
22. The Holy Spirit is in the believer - Rom. 8:11; I Cor. 3:16; II Tim. 2:14;
23. Believer is part of the Bride of Christ - Eph. 5:23-32; II Cor. 11:2; Rev. 21:2, 9;
24. The Believer is secured by God's greatness and knowledge despite serious doubts of the heart - 1 John 3:19-21.
25. Other New Testament believers give the example of having complete assurance of their Salvation which surpassed any contingency - 2 Tim. 1:12; Phil. 1:6; I Pet. 1:3-5.
26. The Believer didn't work to get salvation (Rom. 4:5; 3:28; Gal. 2:16; Titus 3:5), therefore the believer cannot work to keep salvation - 1 Pet. 1:5.
27. The present tense of "hath everlasting life" and the past tense of "is passed from death unto life" shows that salvation is a completed deal once the sinner "believeth on Him" - John 5:24.
28. God promised "eternal life" and He "cannot lie" - Titus 1:2
29. Possession of "life" is based on only one contingent - 1 John 5:12
30. The Believer's works may "be burned" but "he himself shall be saved" - 1 Cor. 3:15.
31. The Believer's body, soul, and spirit will "be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" - 1 Thess. 5:23-24
32. The Believer is sanctified and perfected by the one offering of Jesus Christ for ever and for all - Heb. 10:10, 14.
1. 1 Cor. 5:5. The person committing fornication with his mother in law. Paul's judgment includes destruction of the flesh by Satan, but the spirit of the man is still saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
2. Rom. 8:13. It is possible for a Christian to live after the flesh and physically die as a result. However, this does not overrule the other promises, especially the ones given later in the same chapter (Rom 8:29, 38-39).
3. Also see number 4 in the below list.
1. Many passages that seem to teach that salvation can be lost are not addressed to the church age. They apply to tribulation saints when it is possible for anyone to take "The Mark of the Beast" and fall under the consequences of Rev. 14:9-11. Some of the most common of these passages are:
A. Matt. 24:13; Mark 13:13;
B. Jude 1:21-24;
C. James 5:11 (see Jas. 5:3, 7, 8-10)
D. Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26-27, 36-39
E. 2 Peter 2:20-22
F. (This is also one of several mitigating factors for why James 2:24 is in such contrast to Gal. 2:16; Rom. 3:28; Eph. 2:8-9; John 6:29; Titus 3:5; Rom. 4:5).
2. Some passage make it sound as if the believer will lose his salvation in he sins. Each time, the phrase used is "shall not (or nor shall) inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:21). While every Christian has a certain inheritance in the Kingdom of God, some Christians will inherit dominions in the Kingdom over which they will reign in the Millennial Kingdom - 2 Tim. 2:12. Rev. 5:10; 20:6; 22:5. The Christian may lose his rewards (2 John 1:8; I Cor. 3:14-15; Col. 2:18). The inheritance of responsibility and dominion of reigning with Christ is one of those rewards - Col. 3:24. So the Christian, through evil works or lack of good works, may lose his reward, and not inherit the Kingdom of God in that he has no dominion apportioned to him as was previously possible. If this happens, the believer is still "saved" - 1 Cor. 3:15, and will still have eternal life with Christ. They just won't inherit any dominion in the Kingdom.
3. 2 Timothy 2:11-12 is sometimes twisted to mean that a Believer may be denied salvation. But the context and the wording clear the issue. "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:" This is pitched as "deny us salvation, or eternal life. But the denial has to do with reigning with Him, not Salvation. For clarity, it could be taught: "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny [suffering for] him, he also will deny us [our opportunity to reign with him]. The Believer may lose his dominion of reigning, but he does not lose his salvation. Verse 13 adds clarity. For as the body of Christ, once the believer is in Christ, he is part of Christ. Even if an authentic new creature denies Christ to the point of disbelief, that does not change the status of the person being "in Christ" or "members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Eph. 5:30). That person is still a "joint-heir" with Christ. He may have no reward, but his salvation is secure.
4. Uses of the word "condemnation" and "damnation" for believers - 1 Cor. 11:29, 34; I Tim. 3:6; Rom. 13:2; I Tim. 5:12. Not all "damnation" in the Bible is eternal damnation ("condemnation" is merely another word for "damnation"). Some damnation is temporal damnation, such as reaping what you sow (Gal. 6:7). Rom. 8:13 and 1 Cor. 5:5 are both cases of someone reaping temporal damnation for their sins. For example, in accordance with Romans 13:2, a Christian who disobeys the law of the land will consequently receive temporal damnation, being punished by temporal law enforcement - citation, prison, execution, etc...
5. The term "saved" is also used in ways that according to the context, is not talking about salvation of the soul. Instead, the passage is dealing with being saved from a specific danger or threat. For instance, the "saved" in 1 Tim. 2:15 is being "saved" from the deception that is similar to that mentioned in 1 Tim. 2:14. A saved person may be deceived by Satan regarding a particular issue, but Paul is giving the formula for a married couple to avoid the same type of deception to which Adam and Eve succumbed. 1 Tim. 4:16 out of context makes it sound like Timothy can "save" himself. Again, this is not talking about eternal salvation of the soul. Paul is giving a formula in 1 Tim 4:6-14 that will enable Timothy to avoid the "seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" listed in 1 Tim 4:1-5. Thus, the prescribed behavior, if followed, will save Timothy and those that hear him from those specific doctrines of devils. However, that formula is not sufficient to eternally save anyone's soul from hell.
Kevin G. Thompson
4 October 2009