But how many believers are stunted because there is this fear hanging over them that they've just lost their salvation or they're going to .
Speaker 2Yeah , I imagine a lot , and I think , in addition to that , their salvation , or I should say their relationship with God , is stuck and away from what he intends for it to be , which Psalm 51 , restore to me the joy of my salvation and the invitation there is to live joyfully in confidence , not over what you do , but over what God has done for you . And I think the more and here's the reality is that ultimately , in eternal insecurity , what we're doing is we're focusing on ourselves . It's all about what I am or am not doing . Eternal security is all about focusing on God and what he has done for me . And so , ultimately , you kind of Mark , I think last episode you were quoting CS Lewis , in which I just completely lost the quote in my mind .
Speaker 2I just pulled an easy . What was the quote ? Oh , humility or pride is not thinking of yourself , less of yourself , but thinking of yourself less . That was how CS Lewis quoted it , and I think our eternal security is something similar . We need to stop thinking about ourselves and start thinking more about what God has done and the reality that he's holding onto us .
Speaker 1Well , ray , that's right . I mean , when we sin , the remedy is to turn to the cross right .
If we confess our sins , he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness . I read something there the other day when I was looking at that verse to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness . I read something there the other day when I was looking at that verse I thought I've never really seen that and had a revelation of what it's actually saying . If we confess our sins , he is faithful and just . That brings in the cross .
Speaker 4Yes , because God isn't just faithful to forgive our sins , he's just to forgive our sins and the cross makes provision for our forgiveness and keeps the law satisfied and we're justified through it . Blessed be the God and Father , lord Jesus Christ , who , according to his abundant mercy , has begotten us again to a lively hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead , to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away , reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation , ready to be revealed until the last time . What we're saying at the moment about having faith in God and his promises may not mean that much , but when you're on your deathbed , you want to know that you're saved . You want to know that the parachute you're jumping with isn't faulty , that you can take it on and put it back on . Take it off , put it on .
Speaker 3No God gives it to you and he'll keep you If we treat eternal security not as a hammock where I can just , oh , I can do whatever I want to do , bro . I mean right , I mean I can sit , and this is kind of the Catholic viewpoint that I had a relative who was Catholic and said , oh , you believe in eternal security . It's like , oh , so you can just do whatever you want to do . Now I go . What are you talking about ? Where did you get this idea ?
Speaker 3I'm not treating eternal security as a hammock , though I can rest because Christ has done the work . I treat it as a safety net because I can't
fall , I will never stumble , I'm not going to be going down to hell . He's not going to punish me when I mess up because he punished his son . There's only room for one punishment for the believer right or for the non-believer . You get punished in hell because you've rejected God , or Christ is punishing you . So now God can correct you , he can chastise you , and you want him to do that right . But no , it is a safety net , not a hammock . Just come alive with the idea that it's not about you , it's about Christ in you , the hope of glory , amen .
Speaker 1I love the way you've always put it If saved , always saved , explain that .
Speaker 4Yeah , I don't know where I got it from . I don't think it was original AI .
Speaker 4No , no it was pre-AI , it was many years ago , but you can find a thousand Bible verses to justify someone who believes or for someone who believes to justify you . Can fall away and you've got to persevere or at least you fall away . They find all these verses , not realizing there's such a thing as true and false conversion . If someone is genuinely saved , they put their hand to the plow and don't look back , because they're fit for the kingdom and God has made them fit . They're the good soil hero that brings forth fruit hundredfold . He doesn't fall away like the stony ground hero when temptation , persecution and tribulation comes . And then you look at verses like he is able to keep you from falling and present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy . Oh man Jude 24 and 25 .
Speaker 1I want to give a reference to this because , listen , we have a lot of people listening right now who have been haunted by the fear that they've lost their salvation or are going to lose it . Matthew 7 makes it very , very clear that there are people who will have thought they knew God .
Speaker 1Lord . Lord , have we not prophesied , cast out demons , done many wonders in your name ? And I will say to them I never knew you . Depart from me , you who practice lawlessness . I never knew you . And isn't that interesting when you think about what Paul said in Galatians ? He said but then , indeed and this is in Galatians 4 , 1 , and on , he said but then , indeed , when you did not know God , you served those which , by nature , are not gods . But now , after you've come to know God , or rather are known by God I love how he put that You're known by God .
Speaker 3Mark , I want to comment on that scripture that you just said . And then you'll tell them plainly I never knew you . Depart me from your work of iniquity . I never knew you . He didn't say at one time I knew you . Right , exactly Right . I mean , if he said I never knew you , it means he never knew him .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 3How do I break that down ? Any more than that , right ? So it's like depart from me , you worker of iniquity . I once knew you , but I don't know you anymore . This is a great verse for the doctrine of eternal security , right RC Sproul . He said the perseverance of the saints is really the perseverance of God . With the saints , christ does not save halfway , he saves to the last breath .
Speaker 2Wow , so often I hear preachers get lazy in their preaching and ultimately you can reduce their sermons down to spiritual moralism in which it's
like hey guys , today's sermon's on prayer , here's how you need to pray .
Speaker 2You're not praying enough , you need to pray more . If you're really a Christian , you'd be praying this way . All right , go pray and you leave and you're like man . Okay , I guess I'm a bad Christian . Or you leave going . Well , I guess I am a Christian because I'm doing these things when the reality is that we need to preach the gospel so that people have confidence in their eternal security . Again , not pointing at what we do , but pointing at what Christ has done for us . Amen .
Speaker 3Spurgeon , the old Baptist preacher . He said , if you could lose your salvation , you would .
Speaker 2I mean , how strong do you think you are ?
Speaker 3and how prideful are you to think that you can maintain it . I mean it's absolutely ridiculous . And then JI Packer . He said your faith will not fail while God sustains it . You are not strong enough to fall away while God has resolved to hold you .
Speaker 2We could have just ended it with . If you could lose your salvation , you would .
Speaker 3Thank you , spurgeon .
Speaker 1Yeah , spurgeon . 1 Thessalonians 5 , 23 and 24 . Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit , soul and body be preserved , blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ . He who calls you is faithful , who also will do it . There , my brothers and sisters , is your eternal security . He look unto him . He is faithful , he will do it . He's going to sanctify you completely . He's going to preserve you if you're his . So yeah , examine yourself to see if you're in the faith , make your call and election . Sure , if you live a life of habitual sin and you don't care about it , you may not be saved . But if you can look and you say I hate my sin , I wish I could never sin , I never want to sin , but yet you find yourself in the process of sanctification , stumbling . You are his and you are his forever . So rest in that and let that fuel you to draw closer to him and walk more passionately in your walk with him .
Speaker 2I heard someone once say if you're worried about your salvation , it's a good sign you don't have to be . Yeah , I like that Good way to put it .
Speaker 1Thank you for tuning in to this week's highlights from the Living Waters podcast . Friends , we value your time
, so we've created a bite-sized version of our podcast for listeners who want to get equipped . Without the jokes and fellowship , be sure to check out the full episode every Thursday where we dive deeper into the topic . Until then , you can watch the full podcast episode available now on livingwaterstv .