Perseverance of the Saints 1 Pet. 1:5 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Perseverance of the saints is the fifth point in the five points of Calvinism.  It has to do with the eternal security of the believer in Christ.  That is once a person has been baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit [1 Cor 12:13; Eph 5:30] he is sealed by the Holy Spirit [Eph 1:13, 4:30] and will not lose his salvation.  Eternal security is a biblical doctrine [Jn 6:37].  So, to refer to it as the fifth point of Calvinism is merely to state that in this one point Calvinism agrees with the Bible.

TULIP is the acrostic for the doctrine of Calvinism which says basically that Jesus died for only the saved and they have already been elected to salvation while the damned have no way to be saved. They couldn’t be saved if they wanted to because Christ didn’t die for them and they are too depraved to come to him on their own.

Total depravity

Unconditional election

Limited atonement

Irresistible grace

Perseverance of the saints

Here are some of the verses that teach the perseverance of the saints:

We are kept by the power of God – 1 Pet 1:5.  It is not we who keep ourselves saved because it is not we who saved ourselves.  We are saved by the power of God.  And we are kept by the power of God.  This is the very thing for which Jesus prayed in Jn 17:11.

Jesus brings us to God – 1 Pet 3:18.  When Christ once suffered for sins and when he, as the just, died for us, the unjust, he took upon himself the responsibility that “he might bring us to God”.  Jesus took personal responsibility to keep his “sheep” when he was here in the earth [Jn 17:12].  And he has taken personal responsibility to get us to God, as well.

God will in no wise cast us out – Jn 6:37.  Reading this verse in its context we find clear evidence that once a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ [Jn 6:40] he has everlasting life and Jesus will raise him up at the last day.  He will in no wise cast him out.

We shall not come into condemnation – Jn 5:24.  Once a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ he has already passed from death unto life and he will not come into condemnation.

We are already seated with him in heaven – Eph 2:6.  Once you have been saved, you are baptized immediately into the body of Christ [1 Cor 12:13; Col 2:10-12].  And since his body is seated at the right hand of God we are seated with him.  You are already there with him just waiting on your death or the rapture to see him.  At the rapture your body will get there.

Even after the judgment seat of Christ you are saved – 1 Cor 3:15.  A person who loses all of his reward at the judgment seat of Christ is still saved in spite of suffering the loss of everything else.  This is a huge loss [2 Cor 5:10-11] no doubt but it is not and never will be the loss of his salvation.

Thus we have assurance of salvation – 1 Jn 5:10-13.  God wants us to know that we have eternal life when we have his Son.  This is not a matter of hoping that you have eternal life or striving to keep eternal life.  You are assured of eternal life by God Almighty and he doesn’t lie about a matter like that [Titus 1:2].

Conclusion: the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is the only point of the five points of Calvinism that is true.  The rest of the points are proven by men using a Bible to teach something that God didn’t say.  If you are not saved then get yourself to a preacher who believes the Bible and is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.  Let him show you from the scripture what Christ did for you on Calvary.   Let him preach the gospel to you following the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  And then repent and trust the Lord to save your soul.  “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” [Rom 10:13].