FAITH: Held by God
FAITH: A Celebration of the Canons of Dort • Sermon • Submitted
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They say there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. I know of one more: those who are in Christ Jesus remain in him forever. And yet, how many of us struggle with fears and concerns that we, or our loved ones can somehow lose our salvation?
repeatedly assures us of God’s primary role in our salvation. “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. he alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Where is our certainty? If it is in us, in our efforts of faithfulness, then, yes we have reason to worry about losing our salvation.
From the Old Testament through to the New Testament, the consistent truth is that our salvation is from God, on account of God, by God. The Father decrees it, the Son made it possible, the Holy Spirit confirms it.
The doctrine of grace reminds us that faith is God’s gift to us. God moves first, we respond. “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. God gives faith to us, and we respond. But not everyone does.
During his ministry, many came to find out more about Jesus. Those who were in the Jewish leadership asked Jesus, “If you are the messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them by telling them that he is the messiah, but they didn’t believe him because they are not his sheep. They didn’t know his voice and they didn’t follow him.
But to those who know his voice and who follow him, he gives eternal life. They shall never perish, no one can steal them from God’s hand.
Jesus is saying, “I know my people, and my people know me. Nothing and no one can steal them from me.” Jesus’ promise is eternal. Jesus isn’t fickle. He’s not looking down on us and wondering, “Oh no, what’s Paul going to do today? Will he exercise enough faith in me to keep him saved? Will he be able to avoid every temptation today? Will today be the day he loses his salvation?”
No, Jesus looks down on me, he looks down on you, and says, “Holy Spirit, you’re in them. Keep them assured that they belong to me. Lead them and guide them, even when they doubt, even when fears take over. Give them the assurance that they belong to me. I bought them with my body and blood, they are mine!
Jesus bought us with his blood, when he died on the cross in our place. says, “for all have sinned and have fallen short of God’s glory.” And then in chapter 6:23, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God has given us eternal life in Jesus Christ.
God initiates this action in us. God moves first, as we saw earlier in the series. God moves first because we are dead in our transgressions. God first moves us to live, so that we can receive his promises, his plans. Our response to him is a life of service, of glorifying and enjoying God forever.
We are reminded of God’s action in “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
God initiates this action in us. God moves first, as we saw earlier in the series. God moves first because we are dead in our transgressions. God first moves us to live, so that we can receive his promises, his plans. Our response to him is a life of service, of glorifying and enjoying God forever.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
But still, doubt can creep up. We can look at how we live and we can easily focus on the things we are doing that are wrong. We can see where we don’t always focus on God, we aren’t always mindful of him, His glory, and honouring him in our service.
To those thoughts, God speaks these words:
“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” ().
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Salvation doesn’t depend on us! Our salvation can’t be lost. Angels, demons, present, future, no powers, nothing can steal us away from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing can steal us away from God’s love.
Over the past 6 weeks a picture of God has become clear: he is loving and gracious. “God loved us so much that he sent his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16)
I hope, I pray that the picture we have of God is that of a loving Father who protects us from all eternal harm. That even as we navigate difficult and treacherous terrain in this life, that we can know that God is with us.
I leave you with this picture from Jim Oosterhouse’s book:
The Bible teaches that our eternal security does not depend on our hanging onto God, but on God holding on to us. Picture a father and his son holding hands, walking along a treacherous path. If the child is holding onto his father’s hand and lets go, he can fall. If the father is holding securely onto the child’s hand, the child is safe. The comfort of scripture is not that believers are hanging onto God, but that God is holding onto them. Salvation is completely God’s work. We can rest secure in God’s loving grip. Amen.