Of the Perseverance of the Saints<\/p>\n
They, whom God has accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.<\/em><\/p>\n The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints logically follows from the the first four doctrines of the TULIP acronym. If salvation is absolutely monergistic; if those chosen for salvation are sovereignly chosen, if Christ died for the elect and only the elect, if God’s grace is truly irresistible—then how can it be that the elect would not persevere, especially when it is held that perseverance itself is a gift?<\/p>\n That God’s grace is irresistible, truly irresistible, is to me the weak link in the chain. We may or may not have free will, depending on how it is nuanced, but I believe the Scriptures are clear enough when they warn us that men, even regenerate men, are capable of resisting, to their peril, the work of the Holy Spirit. “Beware, brethren<\/em>, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God…” (Hebrews 3:12)<\/p>\n It is also sobering to read Irenaeus (Against Heresies, Book I, Chapter XXVI) when he condemns the Nicolaitans: “The Nicolaitans are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles [and of whom it was said that he was full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom!]. \u00a0They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, as teaching that it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.”<\/p>\n All this being said, I trust (I trust!) in the faithfulness of Christ my Savior, who has promised to never leave me nor forsake me, and to complete that good work He has begun in me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Of the Perseverance of the Saints They, whom God has accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints logically follows … <\/p>\n