Back To:


Secure in Christ
Alfred B. Davis
Posted: January 4, 2022

People want security. National security. Personal security. Financial security. People want security in all aspects of their lives. But what about spiritual security? Is it possible, and, if so, what is it and how can you have it?

Spiritual security starts with Jesus Christ. Specifically, by knowing that your sins are forgiven, and that Jesus Christ is your Saviour. Jesus said in John 14:6, "…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." This is echoed by Peter in Acts 4:12 when he said, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

We need salvation because the Bible says in Romans 3:10-11, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." A few versus later, in verse 23, Paul adds, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". In other words, none of us can measure up to God's absolute holiness and perfection. We are all, every single one of us, unrighteous sinners who come short of God's glory in every way.

In Romans 6:23, we read, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." This is both a warning of the consequences of sin and an offer of a way to escape those consequences. The warning of the consequences of sin is more than just a warning of physical death, the separation of the soul and spirt from the body. It is a warning of the second death, which is a separation of the sinner from God for all eternity in the Lake of Fire. Revelation 21:8 warns, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." This is why Jesus Christ came into the world. He came to pay our sin debt so that we don't have to.

In fact, the Bible says that when Jesus went to the cross, He took our sins upon Himself. In 1 Peter 2:22,24, we read that Jesus, "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth…Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." Further, in 2 Corinthians 5:21, we find that God "…hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." That is why Jesus, while hanging on the cross, cried out, "…Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). It was at that moment, when Jesus "bare our sins in his own body" and was "made…to be sin for us", that Jesus Christ, God the Son, experienced separation from God the Father. It was at that moment that "…we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9)" And, it was at that moment that redemption was made possible "…with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19).

Of course, the blood of Christ, which "cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7)", is only made available through the cross. We must be willing to admit to our sinful condition and turn to Jesus Christ as our only Lord and Saviour. Or, as Paul puts it in Romans 10:8-13:

"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Knowing that Jesus Christ is responsible for the means of our salvation gives us a great deal of security. We have confidence that He knew what was necessary and that He did not miss anything that needed to be done to purchase our salvation at Calvary. We could not have done it on our own or in our own strength. Instead, Jesus did it all and then offers it to us as a gift:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Our spiritual security further increases when we realize that Jesus is not only responsible for the means of our salvation, He is also responsible for the maintenance of our salvation. Philippians 1:6, for instance says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ". Therefore, we have confidence in our salvation because not only did Jesus begin a good work in us, the Bible also says He will continue to perform it "until the day of Jesus Christ", which refers to His return in glory.

In fact, numbers of passages in the Bible attest to Jesus keeping us secure by maintaining our salvation:

  • "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
  • "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 5:5)
  • "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14)
  • "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30)
  • "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
  • "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14)
  • "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)
  • "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

These verses tell us that we are "stablished," "sealed," "given the earnest of the Spirit," "preserved," "perfected," "kept," and "finished." This makes sense when you remember that Jesus said in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." He later expanded on that in John 10:27-30 saying:

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one."

Consider the language that Jesus used: "not perish," "everlasting life," "eternal life," and "never perish." These are definite, non-ambiguous terms. If we were responsible for maintaining our salvation, Jesus would not have used those terms because He would have known that they were not actually true but only potentially true for some and untrue for others. After all, He is an eternal Being who transcends time, meaning that all points of time, past, present, and future, are experienced by Him at all times. Therefore, Jesus would have known that some of us would perish due to failing to maintain our salvation. Consequently, He would have known that eternal or everlasting life was at best only a possibility and not a certainty. It would have been a lie to suggest otherwise.

Now, I have heard it said that we have the promise of everlasting or eternal life so long as we are "in Christ." But here we have another problem, namely, how do we get out of Christ? Some have suggested we get out of Christ if we sin too much. That would make sense if God's Law was like a rope instead of a chain. If it were like a rope, you need to break a number of strands (commit a number of sins) before falling from grace. Problem is, God's Law is like a chain; you only have to break one link (commit one sin). Consequently, if sin were able to cause you to fall out of Christ, it would only take one sin, not many to put us back under condemnation. If that were the case, no one would be able to make it because we, as born-again believers, struggle with sin as long as we are in this body with its sin nature.

Others try to get around this by saying it is only when we sin willfully that we fall out of Christ. They point to Hebrews 10:26-29 as their proof:

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Nevertheless, a closer look at this passage reveals that it is not talking about a saved person losing their salvation. It is actually talking about an unsaved person who has come under conviction and has had their heart opened to the truth of the gospel message. They have "received the knowledge of the truth" and have been "sanctified" but not saved. Having rejected what they now know to be the only means of salvation, "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."

This is very similar to Hebrews 6:4-6:

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

Again, this is not a passage teaching that a Believer can lose their salvation. This is another case of an unsaved person being enlightened by the Holy Ghost and given understanding of the gospel message. And, if they should "fall away" from the truth that God has made known unto them, "it is impossible… to renew them again unto repentance" because, like in Hebrews 10, they are rejecting what they know to be the only means of salvation. (If this was talking about a Believer losing their salvation, it would then also mean that it would be impossible for them to ever be saved again, which is a bit of a problem for people who claim to have lost their salvation and regained it.)

Still others teach that, while God may forgive us of our sin, we can somehow renounce our salvation and take ourselves out of God's hand. This is also a problem because Jesus said in John 10:27-30, "neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." "Man," in the Lord's statement, refers to any and all human beings, including you and me. Therefore, since we are human beings, we cannot pluck ourselves out of God's hand. According to Jesus, we would have to be greater than the Father to do that.

Think about this also. If God expected us to maintain our salvation, then our salvation would also be dependent on our good health. That may sound odd but consider what happens sometimes when some people develop dementia or suffer traumatic brain injury. Often there are profound personality changes and memory loss. In the case of dementia, for instance, people often lose more recent memories and revert to earlier times in their life, times before they were saved. Does that mean that they might lose their salvation because they revert to sinful habits of their past or even deny their salvation?

For example, my wife, who is an RN, once took care of a man who had been a minister for many years, and whose two sons were both in the ministry. He had a reputation as a good Godly servant of Christ. Suffering from Alzheimer's dementia, however, he began doing and saying things that his sons had never seen or heard before. They told my wife, "This is not our dad." Did he lose his salvation because he failed to maintain it while suffering from Alzheimer's? It is a fearful thing to think that a lifetime as a Believer could be undone by the degradations and humiliations of dementia, or by memory loss and personality changes brought on by traumatic brain injuries.

Thankfully, Jesus is not only the means of salvation but the maintainer of our salvation. Whether in sickness or in health, whether in good times or bad, we are promised in Hebrews 13:5, "…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Consequently, our spiritual security rests in Jesus Christ as both "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), and we can be "…confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). After all, Numbers 23:19 tells us that, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

Knowing that Jesus Christ is "the author and finisher of our faith" gives us confidence that we are secure in Christ, knowing that what He said He would do, He will do. And that is true spiritual security.

###