Perseverance Of The Saints

    

Over the years a good many people have asked me, "Do you believe once saved always saved?" My answer is, "That depends on one thing - Who does the saving? If salvation is in any way dependent upon, or determined by fickle, fallen, sinful man, no, I cannot believe once saved always saved. However, if we believe, as the Word of God universally teaches, that `SALVATION IS OF THE LORD', then we must also believe once saved always saved, because the Bible declares, `WHATSOEVER GOD DOETH, IT SHALL BE FOREVER: NOTHING CAN BE PUT TO IT, NOR ANYTHING TAKEN FROM IT: AND GOD DOETH IT, THAT MEN SHOULD FEAR BEFORE HIM' (Eccles. 3:14)."

     Many profess to be saved, think they are saved, and appear to everyone else to be saved, who do fall away and depart from Christ. But they never were saved by God. If God had saved them, they would be "KEPT by the power of God through faith" "UNTO SALVATION" (I Pet. 1:5). There is a difference between professing grace and possessing grace, between being saved and thinking you are saved, between acting like a Christian and being a Christian. BUT OF THIS YOU MAY BE SURE - Every sinner saved by the grace of God is saved forever and can never perish. The believer cannot be condemned (Rom. 8:1) for any reason (Rom. 8:33-34) because God will not charge his own with sin (Rom. 4:8). He charged our sins to Christ and will never charge them to us! GOD'S ELECT ARE INFALLIBLY SAVED AND SECURE BECAUSE NEITHER THE PURPOSE OF GOD THE FATHER, THE PURCHASE OF GOD THE SON, NOR THE POWER OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN EVER BE FRUSTRATED.

 

Donald S. Fortner, Pastor

GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH OF DANVILLE

2734 Old Stanford Road

Danville, Kentucky 40422

236-8235