Saved to Sin? No, Saved to Serve! (3 Common Misconceptions of Eternal Security) (Rom. 6:1-2)

Saved to Sin? No, Saved to Serve! (3 Common Misconceptions of Eternal Security)

(Rom. 6:1-2)

Today, we are going to find out what eternal security is not. We are going to look at three common misconceptions of eternal security. Sometimes you have to see what something isn’t to truly understand what it really is.

I. It Isn’t “Fire Insurance” (Rom. 6:1-2 - What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?).

I’ve heard so many people say this about eternal security, “I got fire insurance!”; now when that is usually mentioned it is dealing with sin in their life of someone who is a Christian. This idea that it’s ok to sin since I’m a believer and nothing can separate me from salvation in God, it is a dangerous and destructive frame of mind. Eternal security does not give the Christian a license to go out and sin. Paul’s reply to such an idea is “God forbid (may it never be so). How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”, the result of receiving this gracious gift of salvation is a changed life. The Bible says about those who are saved are no longer slaves to sin, Rom. 6:18 says that, “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness”; we have changed masters and our spiritual condition has changed. We are no longer in spiritual darkness, we are now in His glorious light. We have been set free from the bondage and slavery of sin and are now free to live and serve and glorify Christ in all that we do. Eternal security gives us blessed assurance and not blessed insurance. The assurance I received when I found out that my salvation is eternally secure and eternally kept in the precious hand of Jesus and the Heavenly Father. When I finally found that out, I then began to understand that all the time I wasted to try and keep myself “saved” can now be used to live more productively for the Kingdom of God by serving Him without fear. Let me give you an example; In 1937, the Golden Gate bridge was built in San Francisco, spanning that great bay. It was a dangerous thing to work on because it rose hundreds of feet above those icy, swirling waters of the San Francisco bay. The workman were afraid for their lives. Some of them fell and drowned; in all 23 people lost their lives in accidental deaths. Management said they had to something about this, so they built a safety net underneath the workers. They spent $100,000 to build this net, and when they built the safety net, they found out it really wasn’t an expense. It was a great saving, because work went 25% faster, and far fewer lives were lost. As a matter of fact, only ten fell and they fell into the net, and of course their lives were saved. Why could these people work with more productivity? Because of their security! They knew the net was there. And that’s the way it is a Christian’s life. I’m not struggling to keep myself safe. I know that I am saved. I’m saved by the grace of God; so I can be productive with grateful service. When we are confident of the future, we can concentrate on the present. So the bottom line is that eternal security gives us blessed assurance and not ‘fire insurance’. We are saved not to sin freely but to serve freely. The life of the believer will show the fruits of salvation. Although we will never be sinless in this body, we can live a life of holiness, a life that desires to live for God, to serve and please Him. (Rom. 6:19,22- I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.; But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life). We are given the ability through Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to live lives that are holy. It simply means that we are set apart from the practice of sin and set apart to the practice of righteousness. We have freed from sin to become servants of God because of the person and work of Christ we have new life and eternal life.

II. It Isn’t Cheap Grace (Rom. 5:8-10 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.)

Just because we believe in eternal security it doesn’t mean we make light of the glorious salvation that was attained by the suffering and death of Christ on that old rugged cross. Belief in eternal security in fact, makes us more aware of the wonderful work of salvation that Jesus has provided for us through His death and resurrection. It keeps us remembering that the work of salvation is only the wonderful work of grace and mercy that it is because He is the only one that can effect the work of grace in our lives. The familiar verse of the work of salvation by faith is found in Eph. 2:8-10 - ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them’; we are taught by this verse that this gift of salvation is in no way something that we can attain by our works or power. God chose to love us and provide the way of salvation through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. By faith we receive the salvation of our souls and the remedy for our sins and eternal life that is only found in God the Son. By the work that Jesus did by suffering and dying on the cross, by having my faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone, there I become a child of God. I was then put into an eternal relationship with God and He is my Father. I am in a relationship that cannot be denied or revoked. For example, I have a daughter and I am her father, that is the truth about our relationship and no matter how much she might want to deny it, the truth is that our relationship cannot be broken irregardless. Now the fellowship between us can be affected in our relationship. But it does change the fact of our relationship. Sin in the life of the believer can affect the fellowship we have with God but not our eternal relationship. Just like the verse we’ve read in Eph. 2:8-10, we see that we are saved by faith in Christ and we are the workmanship of Christ (we are saved and kept saved and completely saved) and we are saved for good works in Christ. If we are busy for the Kingdom of God then a Christian won’t have time for sin in their life.

III. It Isn’t Just Profession, It’s Possession (Luke 6:43-44 - For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. - James 1:22 - But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.)

I am not preaching perfection or trying to get people to question their salvation. I am just looking at the facts of scripture that say my life is supposed to have evidences that I am in Christ. For we are ‘known by his own fruit’ and our lives are changed when we are saved. 2 Co. 5:17- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. We sometimes need to ask the hard questions about our Christian walk. Are we doing all we need to do for our Lord Jesus Christ? Do we reflect the glory of God in our lives? Is there evidence in our lives that can convict us of being a Christian? 2 Co. 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.” Security of the believer brings assurance of your salvation and the test is simply was your faith put in Christ for your salvation and if it was you will see evidences of that salvation. Our lives that are saved and changed by Jesus will reflect that change. A life that seeks to live and desire the things of God is a life that is saved from sin. It is not profession only it is also possession of salvation in Christ.

I hoped this has helped you see what eternal security isn’t so that you can understand better what it really is. And if anyone asks you can explain the wonderfully complete and secure salvation that we have in Jesus Christ.