The Security of the Believer - How Secure?

Beginning doctrinal issues - not necessarily essential, but can change outlook on life
your hope and confidence - as well as your witness
Worm, Man - analogy (again)

What does it mean to be lost? sin and attitudes toward sin
What does it mean to be saved? - Can you be good enough to impress God to save you?
clean living? church membership? calling yourself a Christian, "going down front", Bible reading?
result of believing - not by product of doing
What does it mean to believe? Jesus was real? good man? God?
putting trust in Him as God's provision for forgiveness of your sin - AND Lordship of your life
Do all who profess Christ possess Christ? Matthew 7:22-23 - appear to be, but never were
How might YOU know? Do you love others? (John 13:34-35) Do you bear fruit? (Gal 5:22-23)
It's not - Are you perfect?
Abraham, David, Peter - Psalm 37:23-24 - failure is expected - it's what you do when you fall..

Can a person who's received Christ ever sin to the point of losing salvation?
If so, where do we draw the line? What sin is too big? What sin does God hate that much?
Our view of God's holiness and His view - He hates it all (Rom 3:12, Isaiah 64:6)
If we could lose salvation, we'd lose it once we got it - we have the sin nature
When a believer sins - it is as a child, not a stranger
Would someone who thinks you can lose faith believe that faith is result of works? probably not
belief at start, but works to sustain (Christ's blood's power becomes conditional)
Can a person know they possess eternal life (now and forever)? 1 John 5:13
Will you always feel saved? (salvation is a fact, not a feeling)
If don't believe eternally secure - can you ever be sure of salvation? (what if..??)
How can you share with others when you don't know yourself?
Can you continue to live in consistent sin after becoming a Christian?
continued carnality and indifference to God - has consequences
saved like a man barely escaping a deadly fire
Why do you think people have a hard time with teaching 'once saved, always saved'?
(you can live any way you want?) we've all seen people whose lifestyles make us question
What problems become evident if you are insecure about your salvation? What if you had to earn it?
Focus more on yourself and less on God - start taking matter into your own hands
Genesis and throughout Scripture - Godly people who didn't think God could handle it -

Views on salvation - Once saved you can ..
live any way you want - (license to sin?) - no fear of losing salvation (can't sin and be happy about it)
proper understanding of grace leads to holy living (Romans 6:1 - it costs God)
lose salvation due to sin
if human merit can't save us, how can human merit preserve us?
renounce the name of Christ - the unpardonable sin (unbelief or rejection of Christ)
salvation - your choice or God's (election) - if you believe you chose, maybe you can reneg
God doesn't change - He calls us to be His children - would He revoke that call?

Which view would you like to have? Doesn't matter- what is taught by the Bible?
Doesn't the Bible say both? both views seen in Scripture - both can't be true
How can we interpret? Many seek to impose their meaning on both clear and unclear
Scripture needs to be analyzed - in context of immediate passage and entire New Testament
Unclear passages in light of clear ones


Trinity Approach - all 3 persons of trinity work in concert to keep us secure
What is Jesus' role in our salvation? Romans 8:31-39 - Salvation Through Him
Our Redeemer and Substitute (Hebrews 9:24-28) -
high priest - holy place once a year, Jesus - once was enough
if lost with sin - and re-saved - isn't Christ being crucified over and over?
What is the Father's role in our salvation? His Holiness must be dealt with
His Love (Rom 8:39) - the Christ filter -our righteousness through Jesus
His Discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11) - deals with us as His children
Sin affects life, fellowship, intimacy with God, ability to serve - not relationship
His Power (1 Peter 1:5) God's power - who can overcome God?
What is the Holy Spirit's role in our salvation?
His presence identifies us (1 Cor 12:12-13) - unity found nowhere else
Regeneration - spiritual and eternal life - new creatures (at birth - children of parents)
Indwelling - 1 Cor 6:19 - in us
Seal - proof, only removed by authorized - (God - who promised not to do so)
Earnest (Pledge) - guarantee of security and more to come - 2 Cor 1:22

Positional Approach - Who we are in Christ position in union with Christ (Eph 2:5-6)

Logical Approach - How did God deal with us as sinners? even more as children - Romans 5:8-10

God's Hand Approach - in God's hand - His holding, not ours (swim cards) John 10:28-29
Hebrews 13:5 - He won't desert you - Footprints in the Sand

Tense Approach - you are my friend vs. you will be my friend (present tense throughout Scripture)
Ephesians 2:8 - action of past - results existing now

Grace Approach - Titus 3:5 not by our own - through His mercy and grace


Problem Passages 3 major categories
Judgment Seat - and potential loss of rewards (1 Cor 9:25-27)
Severity of God's discipline in this life when believers refuse to respond to His grace. (Heb 10:26-31)
Challenge to live like children of God - (Eph 5:1-12)

1 John 3:6-10 Are WE missing something? Can we rid ourselves of sin?
- we never sin? - the standard of God's people (which needs to stay the same)
we are not incapable of sin, but should be unwilling, because of who we are -
similar to a smoker told he can't smoke - he can - but knows he shouldn't
believers can and do fall into serious sin, for perhaps long periods of time -
can carry serious consequences - God's divine discipline - death

Known Sin in Your life Consequences
Fellowship with Lord - Psalm 66:18
Grieves the Spirit, prayer life, witness, Bible Study, all ministries (Spirit enable -> convict)
Misery when controlled by sin nature - Psalm 32:3-4
Works of flesh, with consequences - Galatians 5:19-21
God's heavy hand of discipline on us - Hebrews 12:5-10
Broken relationships, specifically to those we love most
Loss of testimony to others - dishonor to God - 1 Peter 3:15-17

Security of the Believer - Offers freedom in Christ -
Begun by God, through Christ - held together by Trinity
But, unless you abide in Christ - you can fall into serious conditions of sin - and suffer the consequences