The Certainity Of Salvation

All that the Father

gives Me

Will come to Me,

And the one who 

comes to Me I will

by no means cast out. 

For I have come down

 From heaven

not to do My own will,

but the will of Him

who sent Me.

John 6:37-38

     Another effect of faith in the Scriptures is security, or certainty of Salvation. A most familiar passage, often seen worn on shirts, and on banners at football games, etc, and is found in the writings of John; here I will give the literal Greek translation: "For God so loved the world, so as the Son of Him, the only-begotten, He gave, that everyone believing into him may not perish, but have life everlasting" (John 3:16). Notice that not everyone is saved, only those "believing" and those saved are saved for eternity. How does one come to believe? It is by the Word of God that enables them by the power of the Holy Spirit that has given to them the ability by giving faith to them because without faith hearing is as if they were mute. But those enabled hear and are saved: "Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes the One who sent Me, has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment but has passed our of death into life. Jesus makes this clear when He said: "I am the Living Bread coming down out of Heaven. If anyone eats of the Bread, he will live forever. And indeed the bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).  It is only those who eat this Bread who are saved and it is those who do eat that He came to save, He did not come to save those who will not hear His Word and eat of His flesh. This teaching some Churches refuse to believe, for they understand and teach that Jesus Christ came for everyone, He did not, for if that were true then all would be saved. But as we know from Scripture there are some who will be cast into the Lake of Fire, eternal death awaits them, they are judged already. Jesus makes this so clear so that there can be no misunderstanding that He came for His own: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish to the age; and not anyone shall pluck them them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is grater than all, and no one is able to pluck out of My Father's hand. I and the Father are one" (John 10:27-30)!

     How is it that we hear the Savior's voice? It is by the Word of God, His Word, and it is that Word that by faith we believe that He is the One sent by God to save all those who have been given to Him, those chosen before the foundation of the world (Romans 8:28-2). The Good News is: "And this is the will of the father who has sent Me, that of all that He has given Me, I shall not lose any of it, but shall raise it up in the last day. And this is the will of the One who sent Me, that everyone seeing the Son and believing into Him should have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John6:39-40). Notice the importance of Jesus' words for twice does He remit this doctrine that He will not lose any that God has given Him and that this is the will of the Father and it is He who will raise up those believing. When will they be raised up? Not as so many pastors are teaching that there will be a "rapture" of the church, those believing such a believing a teaching not to be found in the Scriptures, in fact it is inconsistent with all clear teaching of God's Word, for it is on the "last day" that the church is raised to heaven, there is no plan "B" only plan "A" and that is He is coming once to this world to end evil and bring His sheep into a life incorruptible. You may rightly ask: "How does one see Him?" Is not Jesus in heaven? Yes! We see as the Greek word used in John 6:40 does not mean to see with our literal eyes, it can but there are other Greek words that clearly are used to see with the literal eye; it is the word "θεωρῶν" and the word in the two manners of translation as to the first manner is to: 1) to be a spectator, look at, behold
1a) to view attentively, take a view of, survey
1a1) to view mentally, consider
This viewing is as "1a1" states: mentally, to be considered, there will come the time when we will see Him literally, but until then we see Him through our reading and considering Him by means of His Word.  These words when spoken by Jesus caused those Jews hearing Him to murmur (John 6:41). Jesus makes it very clear and plain: "Then Jesus answered and said to them, 'Do not murmur with one another. No one is able to come to Me unless the father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up in the last day" (John 6:43-44). 

      This is our work, this is our life, this is the will of God, that we should take this Good News to all the world, and then He will enabled His sheep, and draw them to Him. Then on the "last day" He, Jesus Christ will come and take His sheep, His people, all those given to Him by the Father, home, an eternal home. Rejoice, our salvation is eternal, and we persevere until He comes again.

Now, therefore, 
     you are no longer
strangers and foreigners,
     but fellow citizens
with the saints, and members
     of the household of God,
                                Ephesians 2:19
Grace by to All those who love God


Richard L. Crumb