The Final Question

If you believe you had the ability to say yes to God in believing the gospel, how can you be sure that some time you may not decide to say no to God-even in eternity in heaven?

Zins expresses the problem as anyone:

It is ironic that many...who adamantly argue that God forces no one to come to Him have no problem believing that God forces those who have come to Him to say with Him. For most evangelicals, free will mysteriously disappears after one chooses salvation...."God will not make you come, but He will make you stay," might be their theological sentiment.

This is a mischaracterization, because we don't say God forces us after salvation, nor do we say free will mysteriously disappears. Try to understand. The answer is simple as the Bible itself: Why would I ever want to give up heaven? There would be nothing to tempt me away from the Lord, who is so wonderful that nothing could! Nothing can exceed what Jesus did on the cross for me.

But Satan was in the presence of God and rebelled! Yes, but he was never bought with the precious blood of Christ. This gratitude keeps a person from ever rejecting God. This is new birth.

Who tempted Satan though? It was his own pride. But angels are different beings. They follow a different paradigm than we do. What we can say is a fallen angel or demon will never repent. When they made the choice it was for forever and they knew that. Man gets the redemptive design once fallen to choose or reject the salvation offer because we are fleshly beings. The flesh can't be redeemed; it's verdict is death. Hence the crosswork which puts it death when we die on the cross with Christ and we receive a new life through His resurrection. In Revelation 5 the angels have no way to experience the precious blood of Christ in forgiveness of sins, but they can praise the redeemed ones.

The resurrection, delivering us from these bodies of sin, suffering and death is going to solve the problem. "The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh...the two are contrary, so you can't do what you would." "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?" "I thank God, through Jesus Christ."

Jesus said, Thy word is turth...I am the truth...the resurrection and the life." He promised believers eternal life...that we would never perish. I believe Him. That's all you need to know...it's that simple. By not simply accepting this simplicity you are trying exalt yourself above God, get above His mind or in His mind, like one trying to figure out something he can't understand, but keeps trying anyway. You can understand to a point, but eventually, you will not be able to understand something, because only God understands all things.

Salvation nor assurance of salvation is by works, nor can works be a sign of the reality of one's salvation or the means of providing assurance. Even the apparent working of miracles, casting out of demons, and prophesying in Christ's name are no proof that one belongs to Him, as Christ solemnly declared:

Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, yet that work iniquity. (Matt. 7.21-23).

If you read this verse as believers who shall lose reward, that is a correct rendering. But also, for those who are unsaved, no amount of work can save them.

On the other hand, there could be in the life of a particular person not one good work to indicate the reality of salvation, yet that person could be truly saved and thus elected of God to the blessings He has planned for the redeemed for all ages.

Every man's work shall be...revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide...he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Cor. 3.11-15)

This is the fire of burning off false works and the loss suffered in outer darkness (no fire or furnace about it) shall be without the reward. If being elect without having the choice is the basis for assurance in salvation, then there can be no assurance, because nobody could no for certainty they were selected. But Christians do know we were selected because we fulfilled the condition for believing and receiving Christ.

Biblical assurance of eternal life in heaven with Christ rests upon His promises, the promise of the Bible, and His infinite foreknowledge. Christ said, "Come unto me," and we came. The gospel says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and though shalt be saved," and we believed. Christ and His Word promise the following:

• Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.... (1 Pet. 1.2)
• According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world...having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.... In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.... (Eph. 1.4-7)
• For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.... Whom He did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Rom. 8.29-30)
• But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of GOD, even to them that believe on his name: which were born [again], not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1.12-13)
• For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already...He that believeth on the Son have everlasting life.... (John 3.17-18, 36)
• And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.... (1 John 5.11-13)
• Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hearth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5.24)

We believed, were saved "according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 1.1), and are simply resting in His abundant promises that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3.16). By simple faith in God's promise (the God who cannot lie), the believer knows that he has passed from death to life and will never perish-and he has been given the witness of the Holy Spirit within: "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself..." (1 John 5.10). And "the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God:...heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ..." (Rom. 8.16-17).

Having "heard the word of truth, the gospel of [our] salvation: in whom also after that [we] believed, [we] were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession..." (Eph. 1.13-14). Those who believe on Christ know they are saved and will never perish, because God cannot lie. Our trust is in Him for now and eternity.

Paul said, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1.12). We, too, have believed and know the One in whom we are eternally secure. We, too, are fully persuaded that "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for [us], who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1.3-5).

We have the many infallible proofs of prophecy fulfilled in Israel (and still being fulfilled before our eyes), and those that promised in detail the coming of the Messiah-prophesies that have without question been fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have the historical proofs that the Bible is God's Word. The Bible offers a true and infallible testimony of the creation of this earth, the fall of Adam and Eve, the redemption through Christ's blood poured out in death upon the cross, of His soon return for His bride, and of His Second coming to rescue Israel and to establish His millennial kingdom, when He will rule with a rod of iron over the nations from His father David's throne in Jerusalem-and of the coming new heavens and new earth.

We simply believe God's Word in all things, and we are therefore certain that we are saved and that He is coming back to take us to His Father's house of many mansions to fulfill His promise "that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14.1-3). As Paul said, "...and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thess. 4.17-18).