The Christian life has a number of paradoxes. One of them is the following: God’s children are eternally secure, but they must endure to the end. Those who persevere, by God’s grace, are kept. Those who ‘fall away’ reveal that they were never saved to begin with.
Question 29: What is the difference between one who truly possesses eternal life and one who professes to have eternal life?
One of the necessities of the Christian life is to know Christ to the end.
Philippians 3:914
Question 28: What does Scripture say is non-negotiable for those who will inherit eternal life? Do a quick comparison based on Scripture.
CONTINUING IN THE FAITH
| Possessors | Professors |
|---|---|
|
Luke 8:1315, John 15:16 John 8:3032 |
Gal 5:1921, I Cor 6:910 2 Pet 2:2022, I John 2:19 |
Question 30: What actions will characterise one who is truly “in Christ”?
- I Corinthians 15:2
- Colossians 1:23
You are to hold fast the Word.
You are to continue in the faith.
- Hebrews 3:6, 14
You are to hold fast your confidence and hope.
- Hebrews 4:14
- I Timothy 6:12, 19
You are to hold fast your profession of faith.
You are to lay hold on eternal life.
Question 31: Are we kept by grace or by works?
We are kept by grace alone. But the grace which alone keeps us is never alone.
- Phil 2:1213
Grace produces good works that give evidence of true eternal life. Those who care nothing for evidences of God’s grace working in them do not display a heart that loves God’s grace or a mind that understands it.
- God keeps us (Jude 24) but we must keep ourselves in his love (v21).
- God keeps us by His power, but one of the means He uses is our faith (I Peter 1:5).
- God’s sovereign power will not fail (Romans 8:2930), but eternal security is not passive or mechanical.
We are to fight the good fight to the end. It is an absolute priority that we would fight to know and love Christ to the very end.