https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/08\/EternalSecurity.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: I John 2:1-6<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. A large number of denominations follow a set of teachings popularized by John Calvin in\nthe 1400’s\n A. His teachings were not new. They actually date back to man named Augustine\nwho lived in the 400’s. Augustine’s teachings were very influential in the\nformation of the Roman Catholic Church\n B. What Calvin did was make Augustine’s teachings more consistent and presented\nit as five points.\n
C. We’re going to focus today on his point regarding the perseverance of the saints. <\/p>\n
1. “A child of God cannot so sin as to lose his soul eternally.”<\/p>\n
D. People often accept this without question<\/p>\n 1. “There is one verse in particular which I have a hard time reconciling with\nthe rest of Scripture. I know that you can’t lose your salvation (John\n10:27-29), but how is it possible to “fall” from grace? (Galatians 5:4)\nThere are some questions I just can’t find the answer to. And if one can not\nlose their salvation, then wouldn’t that mean that no shift in doctrine of\nlifestyle would be damning to them if they are already saved?”\n 2. Because of their preconceived belief, simple statements, such as the\nwarning not to fall from grace in Galatians 5:4 becomes confusing.\n
II. Arguments for the idea of eternal security<\/p>\n A. A popular argument goes this way: “If your son did not do what you asked, would\nyou completely reject him as you claim God will His unfaithful children?”\n
1. The argument is based on emotion, not facts<\/p>\n 2. The fact that people have been disinherited in the past doesn’t deter the\narguer.\n 3. Nor the fact that we cannot measure what God will or will not do based on\nhuman feelings. – Isaiah 55:8-9\n
4. But even so, we can show the flaw in the thinking. <\/p>\n a. If a man promised his son a new car upon graduation from college,\nif the son dropped out in his junior year, is he still obligated to give\nthe car?\n b. Obviously no, he may still love his son, but the promise was\nconditional\n c. The failure to receive the promise is on the son’s part, not the\nfather’s\n
5. God promised eternal life, but with conditions – Romans 2:5-9<\/p>\n a. If the conditions are not met, God is not obligated to fulfill His\npromise\n
b. It will not be a failing on God’s part, but on man<\/p>\n
B. Another popular passage is I John 3:9<\/p>\n 1. What doesn’t come across well is that in the Greek is “does not sin” means\ndoes not habitually sin or persist in sin.\n 2. In regards to “cannot sin,” Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New\nTestament states, “This is a wrong translation, for this English naturally\nmeans “and he cannot commit sin” as if it were kai ou dunatai hamartein\n<\/i>or hamartêsai <\/i>(second aorist or first aorist active infinitive). The present\nactive infinitive hamartanein <\/i>can only mean “and he cannot go on\nsinning,” as is true of hamartanei <\/i>in verse 1Jo 3:8 and hamartanôn <\/i>in\nverse 1Jo 3:6.”\n 3. Actually John, in I John 2:1, does talk about the possibility of a Christian\nsinning and what must be done about it.\n
4. To claim no sin would be a lie – I John 1:8-10<\/p>\n
5. It is no different than what Paul stated – Romans 6:1-2<\/p>\n
6. Sin is not the natural state for a righteous man, so he doesn’t remain in it.<\/p>\n
C. Two other passages are John 3:16 and John 5:24<\/p>\n
1. But notice there are conditions stated: hearing and believing.<\/p>\n 2. These verses do not rule out the possibility that a believer can become an\nunbeliever – Hebrews 3:12-14\n
D. What about John 10:28?<\/p>\n
1. It states that no external force can remove a believer.<\/p>\n
2. What isn’t ruled out, however, is for a believer to choose to leave.<\/p>\n
E. A similar passage is Romans 8:34-39<\/p>\n
1. “Nothing can separate us from the love of God”<\/p>\n 2. Paul is asserting that nothing can pull the believer away, but he doesn’t say\nthe believe cannot bar himself – Isaiah 59:1-2\n
3. But some have separated themselves – II Timothy 4:10<\/p>\n
4. Ephesians were on the brink – Revelations 2:4<\/p>\n
III. Proofs to the contrary<\/p>\n
A. After listing out the sins of Israel, Paul gives warning – I Corinthians 10:12<\/p>\n 1. I Corinthians 10:13 – God insures a way of escape, but its presence doesn’t\nimply that it must be taken. If it were always taken, there would be no\nreason for the warning.\n
B. The Galatians were children of God – Galatians 3:27<\/p>\n
1. But some had fallen – Galatians 5:4<\/p>\n
2. Why? Because they were listening to a different gospel – Galatians 1:6-9<\/p>\n
C. Enlightened, but fallen – Hebrews 6:4-6<\/p>\n
1. If eternal security exists, this is impossible<\/p>\n
2. As an aside: Some worry that they might go too far.<\/p>\n
a. Notice who this is written to: those who remain<\/p>\n b. It is a warning that if someone goes too far, it is impossible for\nthose who remain to pull them back.\n c. It doesn’t say that they may never come back on their own, though\nit is highly unlikely since they have denied the reason to come\nback.\n
D. Escaped, but entangled – II Peter 2:20-22<\/p>\n
1. Worse off because the ability to persuade is missing<\/p>\n
E. Galatians 6:1 – Why attempt to restore if one cannot fall?<\/p>\n
IV. Extremes in silliness<\/p>\n A. Sam Morris, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Stamford, Texas: “We take the\nposition that a Christian’s sins do not damn his soul! The way a Christian lives,\nwhat he says, his character, his conduct, or his attitude toward other people have\nnothing to do with the salvation of his soul. … All the prayers a man may pray, all\nthe Bibles he may read, all the churches he may belong to, all the services he may\nattend, all the sermons he may practice, all the debts he may pay, all the\nordinances he may observe, all the laws he may keep, all the benevolent acts he\nmay perform will not make his soul one whit safer; and all the sins he may\ncommit from idolatry to murder will not make his soul in any more danger … The\nway a man lives has nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul.”\n
B. Can a Christian lie?<\/p>\n
1. Ananias and Sapphira did – Acts 5:3<\/p>\n
2. But all liars end up in hell – Revelation 21:8<\/p>\n a. There is no distinction between regenerated and unregenerated\nliars.\n
C. Can a Christian get drunk?<\/p>\n
1. Evidently since there are warnings against it – Ephesians 5:18<\/p>\n
2. But a drunkard cannot go to heaven – Galatians 5:21<\/p>\n
D. Can a Christian commit fornication?<\/p>\n
1. It has happened – I Corinthians 5:11<\/p>\n
2. But they cannot inherited the kingdom in that state – I Corinthians 6:9-10<\/p>\n
V. We must always be on guard<\/p>\n
A. Paul understood the danger – I Corinthians 9:24-27<\/p>\n
B. The warning of the parable of the sower – Luke 8:13-14<\/p>\n
C. So is there no security?<\/p>\n
1. There is, but it is conditional – II Peter 1:10-11<\/p>\n
2. It is based on obedience – Hebrews 5:9<\/p>\n
D. Do I doubt my salvation? Not at all, so long as I know I am obedient – I John 2:3-6<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 2:1-6 I. A large number of denominations follow a set of teachings popularized by John Calvin in the 1400’s A. His teachings were not new. They actually date back to man named Augustine who lived in the 400’s. Augustine’s teachings were very influential in the formation of the Roman…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[59,427,58,60],"class_list":["post-62328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-calvinism","tag-eternal-security","tag-once-saved-always-saved","tag-perseverance-of-the-saints"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50951,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-sovereignty-of-god-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":62328,"position":0},"title":"The Sovereignty of God (Hamilton)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 6:13-21 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When looking at the history of the development of the denominational world, one issue that has significant impact revolves around understanding God\u2019s sovereignty. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sovereignty is being above or superior to others; to be chief, greatest, or supreme. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The question is: Can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7475,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/where-in-the-bible-does-it-say-we-inherit-the-nature-to-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":62328,"position":1},"title":"Where in the Bible does it say we inherit the nature to sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 20, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Where in the Bible does it say that we only inherit the nature to sin and not the original sin? Answer: Don't you just love questions that want you to choose between two possibilities, but neither one is correct? The concept of man inheriting the original sin of Adam\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38562,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-arminianism\/","url_meta":{"origin":62328,"position":2},"title":"What is Arminianism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good morning Jeffrey, I'm having an issue understand something. A lot of the denominational world is under the assumption that if a person is not a Calvinist, then they are an Arminian. What is an Arminian? I've thoroughly studied Calvinism and its faults, but I can't seem to find\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61984,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/christianity-by-force\/","url_meta":{"origin":62328,"position":3},"title":"Christianity by Force","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 23, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We live in a country where the choice of one\u2019s religion is freely made. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is not that way in all countries, nor has it always been like this II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Catholic church had a long history of compelling membership \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In his book, WHAT LOVE IS THIS,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91290,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/election\/","url_meta":{"origin":62328,"position":4},"title":"Election","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kenneth Frazier via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 1, 31 March 1992 John Calvin is well known for his views on election and predestination. Qualben's \"A History of the Christian Church\" gives this evaluation of Calvin's belief. \"As a logical tonsequence, Calvin asserted that God had from eternity foreordained\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42128,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-salvation-assured\/","url_meta":{"origin":62328,"position":5},"title":"Is Salvation Assured?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 2:15-25 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0During the Reformation, a man named John Calvin came up with a system of belief that has impacted a large portion of the denominational world. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The ideas were not original with Calvin. He based his work on many that preceded him.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62328\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}