THE POWER
The power that created the universe and all that is in it; the power, wisdom and knowledge by which all this universe continues to operate; a power that is more immense than man can imagine; the power of the “Almighty” God is that power that secures a true believer in Jesus Christ.
If a believer is kept by this “Almighty” power as 1st Peter 1:5 says, then there is no other power in the universe that can cause him to be not kept — to be lost. 1st Peter 1:5 concerning believers says,
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation…?” If a man believes this he need never “fear” losing his salvation.
In John 10:27-29 Jesus said,
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand“.
The fate of the sheep of Jesus is sealed in these words: “they shall never perish“. Why? They are in the Almighty’s hand, and there is none who can take them from Him. If a man believes this he need never “fear” losing his salvation.
Jesus also said in John 6:37-40,
“All that the Father gives me will come to me; and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all which he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believeth in him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Jesus stands with open arms ready to receive all who come to him, casting none out. The Father’s will is that Jesus loses none and that all who believe may have everlasting life. Oh, how great is the security of a believer. He need never “fear” losing his salvation.
Paul teaches in Romans 8:28-39,
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestinated, these He also called: and whom he called, these he also justified: and whom he justified, these he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Everything that happens is for the good of believers. They are predestined to be like Jesus. The Almighty God is for them, giving them freely all things, justifying them, and nothing can separate them from His love. They need never “fear” losing their salvation.
What further security could anyone want or add to the Almighty power of the Living God that keeps true believers? This power unfathomed by any man is committed to “The Believer’s Security”. No true believer can ever lose his salvation.
THE MEANS
Thus far it is evident from scriptures that the Almighty God is committed to the security of the believer. A true believer can never lose his salvation. The way by which God’s keeping power works is faith. Once again, 1st Peter 1:5 says,
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”.
Notice that it is “through faith” that the power of God works. Where there is faith there is the keeping power of God. Therefore true believers are kept by the power of God. If real faith can stop, then the keeping power of God can stop. A true believer, one who is exercising faith, can never lose his salvation.
Again in John 10:27-29,
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
We notice that those who never perish and who cannot be snatched out of the Father’s hand “follow Jesus”. True believers follow Jesus. If a follower of Jesus can quit following Him, then he can perish and he can be plucked out of the Father’s hand. Followers of Jesus — His sheep, true believers — can never lose their salvation.
Looking at John 6:37- 40 again,
“All that the Father gives me will come to me; and he who comes to me I will by no means cast out. For I come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believeth in him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
We see that Jesus cast none away; but if a man can choose to willingly walk away then he will cease to be kept. The Father wills that all who come to Jesus have everlasting life, but if the Father doesn’t always get His perfect will then one who comes to Jesus may not necessarily receive everlasting life. II Peter 3:9 says the Lord “is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that nay should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. Since it is evident that all will not come to repentance, then it is evident that God does not always get His will. A man who does not willingly walk away from Jesus can never lose his salvation.
Again look at Romans 8:28-39 (at the top of this page).
Again we see in verse 28 that it is those who love God who have all things working for their good. Jesus said in John 14:21,
“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me”.
So those who obey Jesus are those who have God working for them. Also, in verse 39 the Word says that it is the “love of God, which is in Christ Jesus” from which believers cannot be separated. This is a special love God has for those “in Jesus” (I Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:27). John 15:10 says,
“If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love.”
So a man who obeys Jesus, staying “in Him”, can never lose his salvation.
Finally, in Romans 11:20, “Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.”
We are told plainly that we stand by faith. Faith is the means or way by which God’s keeping power works. A man of faith need never “fear” losing his salvation.
THE REASON
We can now have confidence in the will and ability of the Almighty God to keep believers and understand that He has chosen faith as the means by which they avail themselves of His keeping power. Now let’s search for God’s reason or purpose for the believers’ who are kept by faith.
James 1:3 and 1:12 say, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith produces patience”,
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
It seems clear here that there is to be trying or testing or proving of a man’s faith in God and of his commitment to God, and a crown of life for those who love Him, or as John 14:21 says, those who obey Him.
This same trying is expressed in 1st Peter 1:7 and 4:12,
“That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ”,
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.”
Every believer has his faith put to the test — tried, proven.
But where does the power of the Almighty God that keeps believers, come into action? In 1st Corinthians 10:13:
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able; but will with the temptation will also make a the way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Paul teaches that God’s power works for believers during the time of trials to assure that their testing will not be too difficult for them to pass, and that God will provide to those who are obedient ways of escaping trying situations — thus passing the test. So God’s power works for true believers in a way that will always assure their success. The man exercising faith can never lose his salvation for God’s power enables him and provides him a way of escape.
Paul in, 1st Timothy 1:19 and 4:1 says: “Having faith and a good conscience; which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck“,
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith”,
These verses us that some believers will stop doing the truths that the faith teaches. They will be tested and fail.
God has always tried His people as He did Abraham in Genesis 22; Israel in Exodus 16:4, 20:20, Deuteronomy 8:2, 8:16, Judges 2:22, 3:1, 3:4; David in Psalm 26:2; Job in Job 23:10; Joseph in Psalm 105:19; Jeremiah in Jeremiah 12:3; People in general in Psalm 7:9, Proverbs 17:3; the righteous in 1st Thessalonians 2:4, Psalm 11:5, Jeremiah 20:12, Revelation 2:10, James 1:12, 4:12, 1st Peter 1:7, Hebrews 11:36. Every believer has his faith tried.
Jesus teaches in John 15:1-6:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away: Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine: neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches: he who abides in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered; and men gather them, and throw them into the fire and they are burned”.
Every branch does not bear fruit; also, every person, receiving his life from the true vine, Jesus, does not bear fruit. Therefore, that branch or person who does not bear fruit is separated from its life source and cast into the fire. A healthy branch in a vine will bear fruit; so also will a true believer who is in Jesus. So if the man in Jesus stops having faith, the means for the keeping power of God, he will stop being fruitful for Jesus. He, as an unhealthy branch, will be separated from Jesus, the vine.
Clearly, then, the reason for our being kept by the power of God through faith (1st Peter 1:5) is to provide for the testing, trying, proving of our faith. A man possessing real faith will never lose his salvation for he is kept by the power of the Almighty God.
THE RESULTS
The results of having our faith tried and our being kept by the power of God are glorious. The Bible then calls us “over comers”. Jesus said to each of the seven churches in Revelation, chapters 1 and 2, that it would be the over comers who were so gloriously blessed. John in 1 John 5:4-5 says that the victory that overcomes the world is by our faith. If we keep the faith, keep on believing, keep on trusting, the power of the Almighty God keeps us. No true believer will ever lose his salvation.
Paul in II Timothy 4:7-8 said,
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
It is very clear that since he had kept the faith there was laid up for him that crown of righteousness. Had he not continued in the faith when he was tried, he would never be given the crown of the righteous. He kept believing, even in the midst of trials, and God’s power kept keeping him, even as 1st Peter 1:5 says,
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time?”
Paul provided the means — faith, and God provided the power.
Paul, writing to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, said,
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein you stand; by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.”
Paul had preached the gospel, they had received it, and they stood in it. But Paul said they would only be saved by it “if” they kept it in memory, and if not, they had believed in vain. A man who truly believes need never lose his salvation.
Jesus in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:21 says, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
He gave us this parable and many others to teach us the necessity of our being faithful to our Lord. Where there is true faith there is faithfulness. Again in Revelation 17:14 the saints with Jesus will be “called, and chosen, and faithful.”
The conclusion of the whole matter is that if you are a true believer, you will overcome, you will be faithful, you will be kept by God’s power, and you will finally “inherit all things.” Keep the Faith!