I Peter 1:3-5
We have learned some deep truths from God's Word. Some of these truths are highly debated, but when the Scriptures are kept in context and rightly divided, studied correctly, we find that these doctrines are undeniable. One leads to another, and here we are now looking at the security of the saints.
These doctrines put all of the emphasis on God. It is He who chooses us. It is He who died for us. It is He who calls us to salvation. Today we will learn it is He who keeps us. Man does not have a part in salvation. It is true that we must believe, but remember that we are born dead in trespasses and sins. We have no power, nor desire, to save ourselves, and even our faith is given to us by God. Everything points back to the Lord. This is reassuring, especially when we look at the Security of the Saints.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time," I Peter 1:3-5.
As we have previously mentioned, these verses also point us to what the Lord hath done to secure our salvation, not what we have done. God is also the One who keeps us saved and secure. "Mercy" here speaks of compassion; the mercy of God through Christ; salvation in the Christian sense from sin and misery; God not giving us what we deserve. This mercy is abundant, all together common, and abounding to those who have been and will be begotten again. Abundant is opposite of deficient. God's mercy is fully sufficient. Nothing needs to be added to it and nothing can be added to it.
"Hath begotten us again" is speaking of regeneration. This is a change from the carnal nature to a Christian life. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," John 3:3 (II Corinthians 5:17.) This is speaking of a simple action, and a work that only God can do. God saves us and gives us a lively hope. Lively is living, lively, active, also enduring, opposed to what is dead, inactive, or transient. Hope is speaking of the author and source of hope, not the one who needs hope. This lively hope is eternal. It is eternal because it is in Jesus Christ. We have been saved unto a lively hope; therefore, we have something to earnestly look forward to. We are secure in Christ Jesus.
"To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you," verse 4. The "you" here is speaking of all who have been and will be born again. What we have waiting for us is eternal. It is enduring, pure, unfading, and kept for later use. This is speaking of heaven, the abode of God and His glory, part of our inheritance. Heaven wouldn't be worth going to if God was not there. "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also," John 14:1-3.
Let us recap these verses and then we will get into verse 5. We are born again and are given a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; and this is by God's mercy. We are given an inheritance that is undecaying, pure, unfading, enduring, and has been reserved for us since before the foundation of the world. God has not had to make any new reservations, nor has He had to cancel any that were previously made. God is not in heaven reacting to any decision that mankind makes. A real simple Biblical illustration can be found by looking at the ark Noah built. Approximately two billion people were alive on the earth during the days of Noah, but how much room was on the ark for people? There was enough room for 8 people. God gave Noah the dimensions of the ark a little over one hundred years before the flood. God doesn't make mistakes, nor does God have to guess. With this in mind let us consider that there will not be too few mansions in heaven, nor will there be too many. All who God has chosen to save will be saved. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance," II Peter 3:9.
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time," I Peter 1:5. "Kept" here means to be a watcher in advance; to hem in; protect. We have been kept, are being kept, and will continue to be kept by the power of God. We are kept secure in Christ Jesus by the great power of God through the faith in Him that He has given us, and delivered us from sin and its spiritual consequences and also given us eternal life with blessedness in the kingdom of Christ.
We are earnestly looking and waiting for that which God ordained to take place from before the foundation of the world. Then will we experience for eternity what we barely understand, but have earnestly looked for since we believed.
Can you imagine living life with the fear of not knowing if you are truly saved or not? Multitudes live in fear that they may have done something to lose their salvation. This is terrible. It is even worse in that a study of the Scriptures can erase all doubt. There are Scripture on top of Scripture stating that we are secure in Christ Jesus. Let us look at a few of them. John 10:27-29; Romans 8:28-39; I John 2:25; I John 5:11; John 3:15- 16; John 17:3; and Ephesians 1:4. Eternal life is found only in Jesus Christ. God chose to save all who have been and will be saved before the foundation of the world. The only way to stop God from saving someone would be to defeat God. That is impossible. We are secure in Him. Salvation is totally a working of God. He saves us, and He keeps us saved. If our salvation were dependent upon us to get saved and then to stay saved, no one would get to heaven; for we all sin in thought, word, or deed every day.
We are dependent upon Jesus Christ. As we continue to read and study the Bible these things will become more visible. These Scriptures will jump out at you. Thank the Lord for the work of the Holy Spirit inside the believer, and on those whom He will save. God is Sovereign, and man does have a responsibility. After He saves us we are not to withdraw from the world, but we are to evangelize the world. The Gospel is beneficial for all who hear it. Christ came to save sinners. We have the greatest message ever given to mankind, and we should give it to mankind. Thank the Lord for His grace and mercy. To God be the glory.
