In Ephesians 2:8-9 it says, “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.” Because of the condition we are in, we cannot do anything to earn our Salvation. This is a key doctrine to interpreting Scripture. We cannot be good enough to impress God. All the works we do cannot make a holy and just God allow us into Heaven. Why? Because works are not a payment for sin, only death is.
Now, the good news is God, Who is holy and just, is also love. He loves us so much that despite all the evils we have done, He still wants us to go to Heaven. Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
You see, because the wages of sin is death, the only way we could go to Heaven is if our sin was paid for by DEATH. That was the whole reason why Christ came to earth. He became a man so He could die. II Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he (God) hath made him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
When Christ was on the cross, He became our sin, causing His own spiritual death. He was separated from His Father. That’s why He said, “Father, why hast thou forsaken me?” Then he died physically. Remember, our sins are on Him. When He died and shed His blood, our sin debt was paid. Three days later, He rose again, proving He was God and defeating death! Because our sins are paid for, there is nothing that separates us from Him in Heaven.
The only thing required for us to go to Heaven is to accept this payment on the cross. If we reject it, then we will still pay for our sins ourselves. If we accept it by believing Christ did that for us, He will give us everlasting life. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Because we are given everlasting life (something that never ends), at the moment of Salvation, we can know for sure we are going to Heaven when we die. I John 5:13 says, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
Once you are saved, you will go to Heaven no matter what choices you make after you accept Christ. This is very controversial, so I will spend some time defending it. It all goes back to, “Are you saved because of what you do, or because of what Christ did?” It can’t be both. Here’s why. Romans 11:6 says, "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
If you were saved by grace, something you do not deserve, then you can’t add works to it. Working for something is earning it. YOU CAN’T EARN SOMETHING YOU DO NOT DESERVE! So the two cannot be combined. Also, Ephesians 2:8-9 says that it is “Not of works,” so that means you can only be saved by ALL GRACE. Just like you can’t be saved by your works, you cannot stay saved because of your works. In fact your works are as “filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6) The best you have to offer is dirty before God. How are your dirty works supposed to keep you saved?
Alright, now we are getting into the exciting verses about eternal security. The gospel does not make sense if you don’t believe you are secure in Christ. In John, Christ talks about security in God quite often. For instance, in chapter 6, Christ says in verses 37-39, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” Then in verse 47, Christ said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
Everlasting life cannot end. If you already own (hath) everlasting life, you cannot lose it, or else it was not really everlasting life. If you don’t always have it, it is temporary life. If you can lose it because of bad behavior, it is probationary life. God says that He will not cast out anyone, and promises that everyone who comes to Him in faith, will not be lost, but be raised up in the last day. This is a promise from God with no strings attached. Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.”
Furthermore, Christ says in John 10:28-29, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
When talking to Nicodemus, Christ often referred to becoming born again. When you are born the first time, that is permanent. You are your parents’ child. When you are born again, you are God’s child. You cannot be unborn, and you cannot be unborn again!
These are just a few of the verses in John that talk about being secure in your Salvation. Here are other references from the New Testament I encourage you to look up.
I Peter 1:4-5
Ephesians 1:13-14 (more on that in the seventh chapter)
Romans 4:5
I Corinthians 3:13-15 (more on that in the fifth chapter)
Hebrews 10:17-18
I Peter 1:23
God has made this very clear in His Word because it is important that we understand Christ paid for every sin, past, present, and future. If Christ paid for all of our sins 2,000 years ago, then all of our sins at that time were future. Why would He only pay for some of our sins, and make us pay for the rest? If that was so, the payment we would pay would still be death. WORKS ARE NOT A PAYMENT FOR SIN.
Where is Salvation in this message? "Christ paid for most of your sins when He died, leaving only a few for you to pay. That payment is still death, eternal separation from God in the lake of fire, but hey, it could’ve been worse if Christ didn’t pay for any of your sins.” That is not Salvation! Christ had to pay for all sin, or else there would be no point in Him dying at all. We cannot expect our service to God to help contribute to our Salvation. This is why we can know Christ did it all.
I John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”
Explaining Repentance
The Bible often says you must believe to go to Heaven. It also says you must believe and repent. Other times it just says you must repent. Which one is right? All of them! They are all in God's Word. Believing and repenting must coincide with each other, otherwise, somewhere in the Bible a verse would be wrong. What does repent mean? Let's investigate.
The key to Lordship Salvation is a misrepresentation of the very common word, "repent." They believe repentance is turning away from sin, or at the very least being sorry for sins. This depends on who you ask. Honestly, if you ask ten different people, "What is the definition of repent?" you will probably get 11 different answers. However, if repentance has anything to do with turning from sin, then repentance is a work. Salvation is "Not of works, lest any man should boast."
You might hear a Lordshipper say, "You must kick yourself out of the throne of your life, and put Christ on it." This goes back to the idea that repenting is making Christ the Lord of your life, which means you will serve Him. THAT IS WORKS! There is no Scripture to back up such a claim. Stopping your sin isn't part of Salvation. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, not after we made Him Lord of all!
Yes, He should be in control of your entire life, but that is where discipleship comes in. However, if you're honest (I John 1:8), you cannot say that Christ is in control of your entire life. That should be your goal, but it will never fully be accomplished until you are in Heaven. So what does repentance mean? It simply means "a change of mind." The word "repentance" in the New Testament usually is the translation of the word