A Sure Salvation

Christians treasure the precious and magnificent promises of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:4). In Him, all the promises of God are “yes” and “amen” (1 Cor 1:20). The promise of eternal life is to be believed because of the sure Word of God, who issued it (Jn 1:1, 14; 1 Jn 5:11–13). Jesus gives eternal life to those who were given to Him, by God the Father, before Creation (Jn 17:2, 6, 24; Phil 1:29; 2 Tim 1:9).

Salvation is eternal. It belongs to God and to no other (Ps 3:8; Jon 2:9; Rev 19:1). Jesus came to save His people from their sins (Mt 1:21). In the eternal covenant (Heb 13:20), established by the good pleasure of our Triune God, it was decreed that God the Father would predestine some to adoption as sons, before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4–5). God our Father has graciously chosen His family from the beginning for salvation (Rom 11:5–6; 2 Thess 2:13). Thus, He sends us the Spirit of adoption (Rom 8:15, 23).

God’s chosen people are His elect from every nation, tribe, and tongue (Rev 5:9; 7:9). Christ Jesus was sent on a mission to redeem Israel (Eph 1:7; Gal 6:16), His bride (Eph 5:25), His church (Mt 16:18), the sheep of God’s pasture (Ps 100:3). He has given us the right to be called “children of God” as we consider what kind of love God our Father has bestowed upon us (1 Jn 3:1, 10), even pouring it out in our hearts by the Spirit (Rom 5:5).

The salvation of God was planned by God, executed by God (the Son), and applied by God (the Spirit). It is a done deal from beginning to end because it is the wisdom of God, the power of God that performs all the necessary works (Ps 57:2; 138:8; Is 26:12). For this reason, it is called, “sure.” Jesus Himself, as the one Mediator, is our Surety in relationship to the eternal covenant (1 Tim 2:5; Heb 7:22).

Salvation has far too many dimensions for us to consider here; but our desire is to make our calling and election to be a sure thing in the minds and hearts of those who read this brief article (2 Pet 1:10). In other words, we are looking for evidence that God has done this work of grace in your heart, my dear reader.

First, it is the Word of God, the Holy Bible, that reveals God’s sovereignty in saving His people from Himself (Ps 115:3; 135:6), that is, from the wrath of God (Rom 1:18; 1 Thess 1:10). God must judge sinners and punish them according to His righteousness (legal standard). God is glorified in both the judgment of reprobate sinners and the salvation of His chosen ones, the elect of God, His beloved on whom He sets His everlasting love (Dt 7:7).

Second, it is the Spirit of God who has given us the Bible (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20–21), as its divine author; and it is the Spirit who teaches us the Bible (Jn 14:26), by illumining the pages of holy writ that we might have knowledge and wisdom from God (Eph 1:18; 2 Pet 3:18). We know God because He has graciously chosen to reveal Himself to us. We have no understanding of how great this salvation is in fact, apart from God’s Spirit and God’s Word making it effectual in our hearts and minds.

Third, when the Spirit grows us in grace and the knowledge of Christ (2 Pet 3:18), by opening the Scriptures to us, we experience the transformative power of God in showing us what we call the doctrine of salvation (Rom 8:29; 1 Pet 1:2). He saved us (Titus 3:5); and then He tells us about it!

Fourth, we are called by Christ to come to Him (Mt 11:27). Those who belong to Him hear His voice in the preaching event, and the Spirit opens their hearts to respond to the call to repent and believe the good news (Acts 16:14; 17:30). Theologians who study the call of God recognize two aspects of this: the Gospel call and the effectual call.

The Gospel call is the Gospel of Jesus Christ being preached to all nations, that is, to all people (Mt 24:14). The Gospel of God is not secret knowledge. It is for all people to hear (against hyper-Calvinism). No one should ever be denied the opportunity to listen to the herald of news from heaven. Let him who has ears, let him hear what God is saying to all people.

What God is saying is that He is saving His chosen people out of the mass of humanity (Mt 1:21; Titus 3:5). He is calling His own people to leave the world of lies behind them and to come to the truth, as it is in Jesus (Eph 4:21). He is calling them out of darkness and into the marvelous light that is Christ Himself (1 Pet 2:9), the Light of the world (Jn 8:12). He is calling them because thy are His sheep who belong to Christ, bought for a price, purchased with his blood (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor 6:20).

Fifth, those who are called can be sure they have been chosen. The Christian knows the transformation that occurred when he or she was baptized by the Holy Spirit (Mt 3:11; Mk 1:8). The fact is manifest that the Spirit is producing virtues of various kind in the born again (Jn 3:1–8; 1 Pet 1:3; Gal 5:22–23; 2 Pet 1:5–7). Faith is there; it is growing (Lk 17:5; Rom 12:3; 2 Pet 1:5). The knowledge of God is also increasing. Godliness and moral excellence appear and continue. The saint is preserved because God is able to keep the child of God from stumbling into eternal ruin (2 Pet 1:10; Jude 24).

The golden chain of salvation is recorded in Romans 8:30. Those whom God predestined before the foundation of the world are glorified, body and soul, on the Day of Christ’s second coming. There is no deviation from the list of names recorded in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev 13:8; 17:8; 21:27); for those are the redeemed people to whom the Holy Spirit is sent (Jn 14:26; 15:26). Jesus promised that He would lose none of His own (Jn 10:28–29).

Nothing is left to chance, or accident, or luck in what God does to save His people. He is greatly glorified for accomplishing what concerns His beloved. It is well said that each of us is a great sinner; but Christians have an even greater Savior.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

September 3, 2024

2 Peter 1:10