A Secure Eternity
By Pastor Matthew Ritchey
I
would venture to say that each one of us has been faced with the reality of
existence after death. For some of us,
it was a dark, lonely, sleepless night that caused our mind to consider our
eternity. Others may have been
confronted with life after death at a church service, reading the Bible, or in a tract someone handed to
us. Almost all of us have encountered
the reality of our eternity, while grieving the death of a loved one.
There
are only two options for how a person will spend eternity. Option one, they can remain as they are – not
right with God and destined to live forever in a Lake of Fire eternally apart
from God’s glory (Romans 3:23, Revelation 20:15). Their good deeds or religious observances are
not going to save them (Romans 4:5, Ephesians 2:8-9). They need a Savior!
Option two, they can trust that Christ paid for their sins and provided
for an eternal life in heaven by His death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Their
faith in Christ’s work alone can 
save.
By doing so, eternal life in heaven is secure in Jesus Christ.
Maybe
you have already made the decision to trust Christ as your personal
Savior. Rest assured, Christ’s work is
enough. Heaven is your home.
If
you haven’t made that all-important decision, won’t you do so today? Those sleepless nights can be spent
contemplating other things. Your
eternity is secure in Christ.
Why
Do We Need to Focus on Eternal Security?
First, I write on eternal security,
because it is truth. If it is God’s
truth, there is benefit in having it known.
If we want to glorify God, truth is necessary (John 4:24). The truth of
eternal security lies not in our church’s doctrinal dogma, but in the Word of God.
Second,
I write to set people free. There are
many people who say “Hallelujah” when we speak concerning the majesty of heaven.
They would like to go there. Unfortunately, some of these same people may
have been taught that salvation is never guaranteed. They are led to believe that they have to continually
work toward salvation. In their minds,
they are never sure whether they’ve done enough to warrant eternal life.
They worry about an un-confessed sin that will keep them from heaven.
This thinking leads to despair and hopelessness. I want to give these people assurance that eternity
is secure with faith alone (not of works) in the finished work of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Finally,
I write because a proper understanding of our security in Christ should lead to
a motivation to serve. We can (through
the Holy Spirit and His Word) focus
on serving as God’s ambassadors on Earth.
We can (through the Holy Spirit) live according to the purpose and
standards that God sets forth in His Word. When we realize the love that God
demonstrated by sending His Son and all the riches as a result, it should
kindle the fire for service. When we
acknowledge that Christ willingly laid down His life so that we may have life
through Him, we should humbly consecrate our lives to God.
The
moment we place our faith and trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of
our Lord Jesus Christ, we become part of God’s plan for the heavens.
A Unique Relationship
In the book of Ephesians,
Paul is writing to the members of the Body of Christ at Ephesus. He wrote in chapter three about the mystery
that had been given to him. This mystery
was a message of how God is working today in this age of grace. This message was entrusted to the Apostle Paul
and laid out for us in his epistles. The
mystery includes the makeup (saved Jews and Gentiles, without distinction)
of the Body of Christ. It involves
how we enter this spiritual union, our purpose here on Earth, and our future
in the heavenlies. It consists of a
unique relationship between Christ and members of His body.
As
we read the first chapter of Ephesians,
notice the plural pronoun “us” used throughout the first chapter. Those in view are members of the Body of
Christ (see verses 22-23). If we have
placed our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are baptized by the
Holy Spirit into Christ (1 Corinthians
12:13). Due to the fact that we are in Christ, we shall receive all
spiritual blessings. “Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” (Ephesians 1:3).
We HAVE BEEN blessed with all spiritual blessings.
Our salvation is done. We can’t
undo it, because it is completed.
Our Position and Our Ministry
Now
take a moment to look around at your surroundings. Does it look like Heaven? Most of you will sarcastically answer, “I
hope not!” No, we are not yet in
Heaven. Therefore, our spiritual riches
have not yet been realized to the full extent.
They are in the heavenlies with Christ.
We are promised as believers in Christ that someday these blessings will
be fully realized at the redemption of our body.
Paul
states in Philippians 3:20 that our
conversation, or citizenship, is in Heaven.
As the song states, “This world is not my home. I’m just a-passin’ through.”
We
have been given a privileged responsibility.
We are ambassadors of Christ, who have been given the ministry of
reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). We are to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). We don’t
fulfill our purpose on Earth through our own efforts, but by relying on the
Holy Spirit to use God’s Word to
strengthen and guide us. We simply yield
our lives to God for His use (Romans 12:1-2).
The
riches that we have been given in Christ are riches (I personally think
security is one of these riches) are imputed to us the moment we believe. God’s work of sanctification takes place
immediately when we place our trust in Him.
He separates us for His purpose and service. And while we have been
declared saints (positional sanctification), I would hate to ask how many of us
truly act like saints (practical sanctification). Although we often don’t act like it, we HAVE
been given the power to live victorious, Spirit-filled, God honoring, lives.
The All Sufficiency of Christ
Due
to the fact that all spiritual blessings are bestowed in Christ, we can focus
on the glory that shall be revealed in us. “According
as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love:” (Ephesians 1:4).
The
focus of this verse is that God had a plan before the world was created to
offer salvation through Christ (“in Him”). Again I remind you, this particular plan
wasn’t made known until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul. God determined those saved would be
identified with the Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit (read Ephesians 2:11-22). This new creation, or group of people, is
known as the Body of Christ. As members,
we have the spiritual, heavenly riches that Christ secured on our behalf. The results of this plan are that the members
of the Body of Christ stand “holy and
without blame before Him in love.”
Does it sound like our salvation needs
anything to be added to it? Is there
room in this verse for working to earn more of God’s favor? The answer to both questions is an emphatic
“No!” If you have accepted Christ as
your personal Savior, you are “in Christ” and stand holy and blameless before
God in love.
A Sure Thing
“Having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:5).
Verse
5 points out the wonderful eternity that waits for believers. This is often referred to as “our position in
Christ.” While we are still here on
Earth, this position is something that we focus on, grow to appreciate, and
live accordingly (Philippians
3:7-12). As we increase in understanding
of the destiny that awaits us, we should find that the things of this world
start to pale in comparison to the glory that will be revealed in us. On redemption day, our walk as Christians and
our position in Christ will be one.
The
word “predestination” refers to the fact that believers can count on this
destiny, because God has provided the means for it to happen. We can look forward to this day because it is
secure in Christ.
There
are no imperfections with God. If He
says we have a destination awaiting us with all spiritual blessings in Christ,
don’t doubt it for a minute. We can live
our lives looking forward to our eternity.
Accepted and Sealed
“To the praise of the glory of His grace,
wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1:6)
God gets the glory for the riches and inheritance we have in Christ. When we place our faith in the death, burial,
and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are accepted in the beloved
(Ephesians 1:6). It does not result from any good that we have
done or have to try to do. It is due
to the fact that the Father accepted Christ, and we are in Christ. We, therefore, stand before Him, not in our
own righteousness, but in the righteousness of God the Son.
Let’s
say you were back in college. You have
just completed and handed in a 2,000-word term paper on a subject of your
choice. Would you continue to work on
the 2,000-word paper if it were already accepted with an ‘A+’ (100%) by the
professor?
Friend,
if we’ve already been accepted, we don’t have to work to be accepted. We have been set free to live as servants of
our Lord (Galatians 5:1, 13). We serve in response to His goodness and
grace. Even in our daily lives, we can
depend on the Holy Spirit (working with the Word
of God) to be our guide (Galatians 5:16-18,
22-25).
No
Stain Remains
“In Whom we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein
He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto
us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath
purposed in Himself.” (Ephesians 1:7-9).
These
verses are pointing once again to the riches we have through the Lord Jesus
Christ. We have redemption and
forgiveness of sins through His blood.
This forgiveness doesn’t just extend to the sins we’ve committed in the
past. It includes all past, present, and
future sins. We are absolutely
forgiven. No stain remains. We have been justified freely by God’s grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).
I
have heard of preachers who refuse to preach the truth of total forgiveness of
sins, because they think that it will only encourage people to sin. Let me tell you, if you realize the price
that Christ paid so that you could be forgiven and you still choose to sin,
there is something wrong with your understanding. The truth that we have been declared right
before God and forgiven of all sins should bring us in appreciation and
devotion to the One who made it possible.
Please
notice throughout chapter one of Ephesians
that the work depends upon Christ. The
only thing required of us is to trust and believe (verse 13). Further, it is not a matter of finding out
that we didn’t have enough trust. It
points to a moment in your life that you placed your faith in the finished work
of the Lord Jesus Christ to save you. At
that moment, it is a done deal. We HAVE
(not ‘try to have’ or ‘will have’) an inheritance (Colossians 3:24)!
Is
there any room for our salvation to be in question in the chapter we have been
considering? God Forbid! The moment we genuinely place our faith and
trust in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are saved, secure, and
can claim heaven as our home (Philippians
3:20-21).
Secure Unto the Day of
Redemption
Ephesians 1:13-14 states, “In Whom [Christ] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in Whom [Christ] also
after that ye believed [or upon believing], ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the
praise of His glory.”
These two verses alone should be enough
to convince us of our eternal security.
The moment we place our faith and trust in the finished work of the Lord
Jesus Christ, we are baptized by the Spirit into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). We are not placed into the Body temporarily,
but are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). He is called “the Holy Spirit of PROMISE” in this verse. God always makes good on His promises (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Our
salvation is secure in Christ unto the day of redemption, which is the time
when we are taken to heaven with our Lord to receive our eternal, glorified
bodies in heaven. We are secure, because
God affixes His seal of ownership upon us, His purchased possession.
The moment we believed, we were taken from an existence of darkness
and sin, and made alive together with Christ (Ephesians
2:1-5). Our life began the moment we
believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Why
is it called eternal life (meaning “no beginning or end”) if our life in Christ
had a beginning? It is not our life
we are living, but Christ’s (Colossians
3:4). Christ is eternal. We are secure, 
because
we are living the life of Christ.
Completed
in Him
As
a result of Adam’s sin, we will all die a physical death. Because of Christ’s resurrection, all of us
(saved and unsaved) will be resurrected.
It is a fact that each person ever born into this world is born
spiritually dead. Because of Christ’s
sacrificial death, we can have new life.
He
paid the price for our sins and rose again so that we may have life. His work is a completed work. The work He has done, and the results of it,
are imputed to those who believe. When
we say our salvation can be lost, we are saying that Christ’s work wasn’t
sufficient. This is absurd! We cannot add anything to completeness
(Colossian 2:10-13). We are secure
because Christ’s work was sufficient.
God
has given us the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). God never turns away from the gifts he gives
(Romans 11:29). We are secure in Christ because God is true
and faithful (2 Corinthians 1:20). Eternal life would not be eternal if it
ended, or was recalled. I cannot stress
enough that WE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM!! (Colossians 2:10).
Meaningful Definitions
In
conclusion, let’s look at some words used in our salvation:
VICARIOUS
means “to substitute.”
Many
of you have read a doctrinal statement with a sentence that reads, “We believe
in the vicarious and substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Bible
tells us that we are incapable of pleasing God in any way. We could not satisfy God with any of our
goodness or rightness. It took the
perfect Son of God to stand in my place.
Christ was the ‘substitute’ (to stand in one’s place) that paid the
price of my sins. Christ’s sacrificial
death was the payment for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2).
PROPITIATION
means “to appease; to satisfy.”
Under
the Law, the priests were required to go before the Lord once a year in the
holiest of holies. This day (called the
Day of Atonement) served as propitiation.
It was a sacrifice served to satisfy/appease God on behalf of the nation
of Israel.
Today
we no longer have a Day of Atonement.
The substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ turned away God’s wrath
toward our sinfulness. God was eternally
satisfied with Christ’s sacrifice. Romans 3:25 tells us that God set forth
Christ to be the satisfaction for our sins.
Christ’s payment served to satisfy God on our behalf (1 John 4:10). Because God’s wrath was satisfied with
Christ’s sacrifice, God’s righteousness can be accounted to all those who
believe in the ‘propitiatory’ (satisfactory) sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
There
are many who are still attempting to satisfy God through their own works. It may be that you are trying to satisfy God
through your church confirmation. You
were water baptized as an infant (or perhaps as an adult), you faithfully attend
church and tithe, you take communion, and you took the confirmation classes,
but none of these things were needed to satisfy God. God was already satisfied with Christ’s
sacrifice.
Some
believers live in bondage, thinking that they somehow have to repay God to
satisfy Him for what He has accomplished.
While I believe the Bible
tells us to live lives that are well pleasing to Him out of gratefulness for
what He has done, God is already satisfied with what Christ has accomplished on
your behalf. It is no longer a question
of appeasing the wrath of God, but on allowing Him to work in and through our
lives for His glory.
JUSTIFIED
means “to be declared righteous.”
Without
Christ, we are children of darkness without hope in the world. We stand guilty before God. Through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, we
have been declared not guilty, and announced to be righteous. The righteousness earned by the work of the
Lord Jesus Christ is freely credited to our account (Romans 3:24; Titus 3:7).
REDEMPTION
means, “to be purchased back.”
Before
being saved, we stood guilty before God in a fallen and condemned state, by
virtue of our relationship with Adam.
Christ, the Last Adam, paid the price to redeem us from our eternity in
the Lake of Fire without Him (Romans
3:24; Titus 2:14). In Christ, we stand redeemed!
SANCTIFIED
means “to be set apart for the purposes of God.”
I
believe there is only one step to become a saint: to place your faith and trust
in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the only scripturally required step for being a saint.
Paul
addresses the carnal Corinthians in his first epistle to the church in Corinth
as “them that are sanctified in Christ
Jesus, called saints…” (1 Corinthians
1:2). In the same letter, he tells them
that they used to be identified by works of darkness, but now they are
sanctified.
The
word ‘sanctify’ means “to set aside as holy; to purify; to consecrate.” The moment we trust in God to save us through
Christ, we are set apart as holy ones.
Due to our position as saints, God has set us apart (sanctified) to live
holy lives for His glory. Sanctification
can also refer to our walk as believers as we continue to set aside our lives
for God’s glory.
RECONCILATION
means that hostility (or enmity) has been taken away, and peace now
resides. This actually occurs in two
steps:
The
first step toward the reconciliation between God and man occurred through
Christ’s death on the cross. Now we are
urged to be reconciled to God by accepting Christ’s payment on our behalf (the
second step).
REGENERATION
is the work of the Holy Spirit in which He imparts the life of Christ to us (Colossians 3:3).
Regeneration
points to being inwardly cleansed, and we are made alive in Christ, who were
once dead in sins and trespasses. We are
made a new creation.
An Invitation to You
Christ
performed each of these works on our behalf, and all praise, glory, and honor
must go to our Creator, our Savior, and our Sustainer.
Where
will you stand on resurrection day? If
you are a member of the Body of Christ through Christ’s work, praise the Lord,
you will stand at the Bema (Reward) Seat.
If you die without Christ, you will stand before the Great White Throne. You will have rejected the Way, the Truth,
and the Life (Jesus Christ). Your reward
will be to spend an eternity of torment without Christ in the Lake of
Fire. This option isn’t God’s desire for
you. Hell was not prepared for you, but
for the Devil and his angels. God has,
in love and grace, sent His only Son to pay what we owe by suffering the fate
we deserve. Unfortunately, by rejecting
Christ, you have opted to spend eternity separated from Him.
If
you haven’t done so, I implore you to trust in the death, burial, and resurrection
of Christ alone to save you. Do so
today. Tomorrow may be too late.
Matthew Ritchey is Pastor of Grace Bible Church
in Beloit, WI. He is a student at St. Louis Theological Seminary, working
on his Th.M. This article was an excerpt from his Master Thesis. Matt, his
wife Jennifer and their children reside in Beloit.
