By Scott Piper and Greg Taunt

* = Thoughts on each Scripture

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Eternal Security: One’s salvation through Christ cannot be lost or revoked 
under any circumstance.

	The Idea of eternal security is a hot issue among many Christians.  Some 
use the idea as an excuse to live however they want since they are “saved,” 
so it doesn’t matter how they live.  Some say that Scripture talks about 
losing one’s salvation.  I used to believe that one could give their 
salvation back to God.  I don’t know who in their right mind would want to 
give it back, but I thought that the option was there.  As I’ve studied, 
read prayed, and listened, I’ve come to the conclusion that you cannot lose 
your salvation.  To lose something implies that you misplaced it.  “Whoops, 
where did it go?”

Something so vital and important cannot be misplaced or 
lost “in the couch.”  I also don’t believe that you can just give the gift 
back.  The Bible says that when we commit our lives to Christ, we become 
“sons and daughters.”  We call this our rebirth. When a son or daughter is 
born to you, they will always be your child.  Evan if they go to court to 
“disown” you, the fact remains that they are still your child.  Choosing to 
invite Jesus into your life is a life long commitment.  It can’t be turned 
on and off like a light switch.  If we feel like we can “turn off” our 
commitment to God, then the commitment was never made in the first place.  
Or the switch was never properly wired before you turned it on then off, so 
you never had the light.  I think that is one of the biggest problems that 
people have with salvation, making the commitment.  If no commitment is 
made, there is no salvation.

My opinion should not change your mind, although I truly believe that these
words are not truly mind, but God’s through me.  The Bible is the final
authority.

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John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch 
them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than 
all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

   * “No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.” Strong words from Jesus 
     saying that no one can take you away from God, no one can “steal” your 
     salvation away from you.

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John 15: 5  "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and 
I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If 
anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and 
withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If 
you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it 
will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, 
showing yourselves to be my disciples.

   * “Remain” is a strong word.  It seems to indicate a commitment.  Anyone 
     can say they are a Christian and they can say it and act it for years, but 
     if there is no commitment to Christ, there is no salvation in the first 
     place.

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Romans 1: 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the 
godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their 
wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because 
God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's 
invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly 
seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without 
excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor 
gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish 
hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like 
mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them 
over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the 
degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of 
God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the 
Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them 
over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for 
unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations 
with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed 
indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for 
their perversion. 28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to 
retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do 
what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of 
wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, 
strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, 
insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they 
disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, 
ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do 
such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things 
but also approve of those who practice them.

   * This Scripture talks about “knowing God” and still turning your back on 
     Him.  Some believe that this is referring to Christians who turn away. I have 
     to disagree.  Everyone knows about God (v20) including the Devil and his 
     angels (James 2:19). I believe that this passage is referring to those who
     never made a commitment to Christ.  It illustrates what happens to people
     when they refuse God’s call.

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Romans 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and 
immortality, he will give eternal life.

   * “Persistence” is the key a commitment to God.

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Romans 6:2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were 
baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism 
into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through 
the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been 
united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united 
with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified 
with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no 
longer be slaves to sin-- 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from 
sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with 
him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die 
again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died 
to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same 
way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil 
desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of 
wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been 
brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as 
instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because 
you are not under law, but under grace.

   * When we became Christians—committed to Christ, our 'selves' died.  Does 
     that mean we won’t be tempted by sin?  Of course not.  Sin has lost its grip 
     on our life, yet many times we turn back to sin and empower it in our lives 
     again.  Why do we do that?  Why do we give sin control of ourselves when we 
     don’t have to?  It’s because we doubt God and His ability to take care of 
     us.  Does that mean God has given up on us and taken away his gift of 
     salvation?  No, He will discipline us and show us His love.  You see, God 
     has made a commitment to us as well.  Commitment works both ways.  Of 
     course, if we never made serious a commitment to Him in the first place, sin 
     is still our master.

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Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word 
of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in 
him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing 
our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to 
the praise of his glory.

   * It’s awesome to know that we make a commitment to God, His commitment 
     back to us is guaranteed.

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Hebrews 6: 4   It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, 
who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who 
have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming 
age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their 
loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to 
public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that 
produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing 
of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in 
danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. 9 Even though we speak 
like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your 
case--things that accompany salvation.

   * This is some hard Scripture! Does this refer to Christians turning their 
     backs on God?  Apparently not.  After doing some word study, I learned that 
     this passage refers to people who haven’t made a commitment to God.  They 
     tasted, but never ate. Verse 9 helps make that that point.

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Hebrews 6:17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose 
very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 
18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is 
impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered 
to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the 
soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,

   * This is one of the strongest Scriptures I’ve seen referring to God’s 
     commitment to us.

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Hebrews 7: 24   but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent 
priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God 
through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

   * This is also about God’s commitment to us.

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Hebrews 10: 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the 
knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful 
expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of 
God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the 
testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think 
a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, 
who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified 
him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, 
"It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his 
people." 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 
32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you 
stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33 Sometimes 
you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you 
stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You sympathized with 
those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, 
because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You 
need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will 
receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while, "He who is 
coming will come and will not delay. 38 But my righteous one will live by 
faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." 39 But we 
are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe 
and are saved.

   * This talks about knowing God and not making a commitment to Him.  There 
     is no other sacrifice but Jesus’ that will bring salvation. Verse 32, 
     remaining faithful, a commitment to God was made by them even though it 
     caused them a lot of suffering. They were committed.  They trusted God and 
     His Word.

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1 Peter 1:3   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In 
his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that 
can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith 
are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready 
to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now 
for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 
7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which 
perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result 
in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have 
not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you 
believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for 
you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

   * “Because you are trusting Him….” This Scripture describes active 
     commitment and faith (v5).  I think that is the word I’ve been looking for, 
     Active Commitment vs. Dead Commitment.  Those who have made Dead Commitments 
     to God made no commitments at all.

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1 John 5:13   I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son 
of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the 
confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to 
his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us--whatever we 
ask--we know that we have what we asked of him. 16 If anyone sees his 
brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God 
will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There 
is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about 
that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to 
death. 18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one 
who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19 We 
know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the 
control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and 
has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are 
in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and 
eternal life.

   * This deals with Christians who empower sin in their life after they’ve 
     made a commitment to Christ. The sin doesn’t cause them to lose their 
     salvation.  God disciplines us (like children) when we need to be corrected. 

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No one, not even our strongest enemy, can take away our salvation.  God’s 
commitment to us is infinitely stronger than any of our enemies.  Again, my
goal is not to argue with anyone's opinions on this matter, but to look at
God's Word and believe it.