Security of the Believer

Can a person who has genuinely repented of their sins, placed their faith in Jesus, been regenerated, justified, and adopted by God lose their salvation? Another way of asking this question would be, can a child of God be thrown out of the family of God for any reason? The Baptist Faith and Message, Article V states, “All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.” Article V defines the doctrine of the Security of the Believer or the Perseverance of the Saint. They are also known as Eternal Security. Here are six reasons we can anchor our souls to the security we have in Jesus Christ.

  1. The Indwelling Spirit (Eph 1:13-14) – Paul tells us we have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. When we heard the gospel and believed it, the Spirit sealed us as a down payment of our inheritance.
  2. Our inheritance is kept in heaven – (1 Peter 1:4)  Peter assurances us that our inheritance is kept in heaven where it is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. How can we lose what we do not keep?
  3. God’s power guards us – Peter goes on to say, God’s power is guarding you “through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). I would be concerned if I had to hold on to my salvation, but God is holding on.  
  4. We have eternal life – John writes to the church and tells them why he’s written the letter. He writes, “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). Quickly note he is writing to those who believe so that they may know they have eternal life. The believers already possess eternal life. God is a liar and can’t be trusted if it’s not eternal life.  
  5. The promise of God – John 10:2-29 is very helpful. Jesus tells us that God gives us eternal life and we will never perish. No one can snatch them out of God’s hand. I’m overwhelmed by God’s goodness and grace as I read those verses. God gives us eternal life.
  6. The Love of God – Romans 8:31-39 – Paul is convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. That’s good enough for me.

There is more I could say. I didn’t mention that God completes what he starts (See Philippians 1:6). Nor did I mention Jude’s promise that God can protect me from stumbling and present me before God without blemish and with great joy (Jude 1:24). We are saved by grace and kept by grace. We could do nothing to earn God’s free gift of salvation, and we can do nothing to lose our wonderful gift of eternal life. On a Twitter feed, Timothy Keller writes, “If you didn’t earn your salvation, how are you going to unearn it?”

Baptist Distinctives

Who are we? Our church is taking time this summer to walk through the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. Some truths make us Christian, like the deity of Christ and salvation by grace through faith. But what makes us Baptist? Many years ago, I asked my mom what made us Baptist. She quickly said, “The Priesthood of the Believer and the Competency of the Soul.” If you were to ask me, I’d list the following six tenets as Baptist distinctives.

  1. Autonomy of the Local Church – The local church is an independent body accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church. By autonomous, I mean self-governing. No hierarchy outside the local church dictates a church’s beliefs, actions, or practices. Colossian 1:18, 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 19, 23
  2. The Priesthood of the Believer – Every believer is a priest of God and may enter into His presence directly through our High Priest, Jesus Christ. We have a shared responsibility to minister to each other. This belief does not support individualism, but a corporate reality that the believer needs the church, and the church needs the believer. Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. Therefore, every Christian can read Scripture, pray, worship, and share the gospel. We all have equal access to God. 1 Peter 2:5,9; 1 Tim 2:5; Revelation 5:9-10
  3. Competency of the Soul – E.Y Mullins calls this the “Freedom of the Soul.” Others call it “Individual Soul Liberty” or even “Soul Competency.” No matter what you call it, the idea is that whether a believer or unbeliever,[1] each person has the right to choose what they believe is right in the realm of religion, and they are responsible to God. Baptists have always opposed religious persecution. We believe that every person, believer, and unbeliever alike, is created in the image of God and accountable to God; each person will give an account to God. Unlike the Priesthood of the Believer, this belief is true for every person who has been created. Hershel Hobbs writes on the competency of the soul, “Thus man is a person endowed with understanding and the privilege of choice. He is a person, not a puppet. God does not coerce man against his will.”[2] Romans 14:5, 12; 2 Corinthians 4:2; Titus 1:9
  4. Believers’ Baptism leading to a Believers’ Church – Baptism is reserved for those who have confessed their faith in Jesus. Therefore, the church is made up of regenerated members. In the Great Commission, Jesus tells the people to make disciples and to baptize “them” (Matthew 28:19). Who are the “them?” They are the disciples of all nations. There is no example in the New Testament of anyone but a regenerative person being baptized. Therefore, membership is reserved for those who are regenerated and believe. As taught in the New Testament and modeled in the early church, baptism is by immersion. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 4:13
  5. Separation of Church and State – God has established the church and the civil government. God gave each its individual sphere of influence and operation. The government’s purpose is outlined in Romans 13:1-7, and the church’s purpose is in Matthew 28:19-20. The government should not control the church, and the church should not control the government. The church is not building a Theocracy. As Baptists, we believe the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power and influence given to the church to affect change and hope in our society. Matthew 22:15-22; Acts 15:17-29
  6. Religious Freedom or Liberty – Every person can exercise their faith and religion without the government’s interference. Current SBC President, Bart Barber, says, “A person enjoys religious liberty if he may change his religious beliefs or religious affiliation without changing his relationship with the governing authorities over him.”[3] I agree with Barber when he says, the “religious liberty is a Baptist distinctive.” In the article cited, Barber gives a good historical account of why Baptists hold to this distinctive. This belief goes hand in hand with the competency of the soul. Matthew 13:24-43; Romans 14:12; Matthew 12:36

I didn’t mention things like the Cooperative Program and our mission agencies. All of these have a very distinct Baptist feel. How about you? What do you think are Baptist distinctives? In conclusion, consider the words of Timothy George “Yes, by all means, let us maintain, undergird, and strengthen our precious Baptist distinctives…but let us do this not so that people will say how great the Baptists are but rather what a great Savior the Baptists have, what a great God they serve.” I wholeheartedly agree with his words. May Christ be exalted, the gospel proclaimed and may God be praised.

[1] As you consider the Priesthood of the Believer and Soul Freedom, note the Priesthood is only for the believer, but soul freedom is directed to all people created in the image of God. The sphere of influence is the biggest difference between the two.  

[2] Herschel H. Hobbs, The Baptist Faith and Message, (Convention Press, 1994), 8.

[3] https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/sbc-president-bart-barber-on-why-religious-liberty-is-a-baptist-distinctive/