A Cautionary Tale

Those who knew me in my youth -- high school and into my early 20's -- often consider me a "cautionary tale." "Yeah, that Stan, he really made mistakes. Don't do what he did." With all the news recently of well-known Christians who come out and say, "I figured it out! This Christianity stuff is bunk and I'm leaving!", you have to wonder what to make of it. What kind of cautionary tale are these? Back in the 16th century a guy named John Bradford, observing some criminals being led to the scaffold, said, "There but for the grace of God goes John Bradford." You have to ask, "Could it happen to me?"

Since I believe in the Perseverance of the Saints -- that those that truly belong to Christ ultimately end up in His presence -- you'd think I'd have to answer, "No! Can't happen." I think, perhaps, my answer might surprise you. Do I think that I could commit the apostasy of Hebrews 6:4-6 and go to hell? Yes, I do. That seems contradictory, I know, and that's why I thought I'd explain.

I think Scripture is clear.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. (John 10:27-29)

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up on the last day. (John 6:39)

And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Php 1:6)

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. (Rom 8:28-30)

Just a sample. Of those whom are His, He loses not one. No one (including me) can take them out of His hand. All will be raised on the last day. He will complete it. Those whom He predestined He justifies and glorifies -- no breaks in that chain. Those who belong to Christ will ultimately end up in His presence. And, yet, I hold that I could commit sufficient sin to end up in hell. How?

A basic premise of Christianity -- true Christianity -- is that we are saved by grace apart from works (Eph 2:8-9). We get that. But a goodly number of Christians -- genuine Christians -- believe it in one hand and discard it in the other. Sure, we're saved by grace apart from works, but we do produce the faith required to do it. Most of them will argue, "That's not a work." Given the biblical position that natural man is dead in sin, following the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:1-3), hostile to God (Rom 8:7), blinded by Satan (2 Cor 4:4), not even capable of understanding the things of God (1 Cor 2:14), and so on, it would seem like a significant work for a dead, angry, sin-ruled, blind, uncomprehending person to be able to produce faith. I don't believe we do.

You see, I believe in the Sovereignty of God. I believe that God chooses who will be saved "from before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4) and predestines them for adoption (Eph 1:5) and accomplishes this apart from what we will or do (John 1:12-13; Rom 9:16). My salvation is not my doing; it's His. His alone. I believe that faith is a gift from God (e.g., John 6:64-65; Rom 12:3; Php 1:29; 2 Peter 1:4) that we exercise when God enables us to (John 3:3; 2 Tim 2:25; John 10:26; 1 John 5:1). I believe that we are saved for good works that He prepares (Eph 2:10) and we maintain our salvation by His work (Php 2:13) and we cannot make a practice of sin because of His work in us (1 John 3:9). I believe, then, from Scriptures like these and so many more that while I on my own am thoroughly capable of messing up my own salvation, it is not my capabilities that are in view. It is God's. Every passage that points to assurance that we cannot be lost if we are once saved points to God's work, not our own (e.g., 1 Thess 5:24; 1 Cor 1:8; Jude 1:24-25).

The reason that I can know that I have eternal life (1 John 5:13) is not that I am confident that I can't sin myself to hell; it's that I have confidence in the Sovereignty of the God who saves. It's not that I am sure of my ability to maintain my salvation (e.g., Heb 10:36; Matt 10:22; Matt 24:13; Rom 2:7; 2 Peter 2:20; Php 2:12). In purely human terms I don't have that ability. It is God who holds me. From beginning to end it is God who calls, saves, maintains, and brings me home. Truly, then, when one who we all see as a Christian walks away (1 John 2:19), I can say, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." My eternal security is in Christ.