The sermon discusses the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, which is the belief that once a person is saved, they cannot lose their salvation. It explores the five points of Calvinism, including total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. The sermon emphasizes that believers are accepted in the Beloved and are kept by the power of God unto salvation. It contrasts the Calvinist view with the beliefs of Arminians and Roman Catholics. The sermon concludes with the assurance that God's faithfulness and power guarantee the believer's perseverance.

Our reading today from the Second London Baptist Confession comes from chapter 17 of the Perseverance of the Saints, paragraph 1. Those whom God hath accepted in the Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, and given the precious faith of his elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end and be eternally saved. Seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, whence He still begets and nourishes in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality. And though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation in rock, which by faith they are fastened upon. Notwithstanding, through unbelief in the temptations of Satan, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them, yet he is still the same.

And they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraven upon the palm of his hands and their names having been written in the Book of Life from all eternity. So we start a new chapter today, The Perseverance of the Saints. This is the P in the tulip acronym for the five points of Calvinism. In case you've forgotten them, T is total depravity, U, unconditional election, L, limited atonement, I is irresistible grace, and P is perseverance of the saints. And I want to spend just a real brief moment to touch on each one of those just to remind us.

Total depravity, I see two levels here of this. First, due to Adam's fall, all mankind is affected. All are dead and trespassed in sin. There is no one good, no not one. The second, every part of us, our minds, our bodies, our affections, our spirit, has been affected by sin.

We cannot do anything perfectly good or said another way, everything that we do is in some way tainted by sin, total depravity. Unconditional election. This is God's loving choice of specific sinners for salvation from before the foundation of the world was laid. He did not choose you because you were better than others. He did not choose you because He knew you would choose Him if He gave you the chance.

Election and predestination are unconditional. Limited atonement. Because God determined that certain ones should be saved as a result of God's unconditional election, He determined that Christ should die for the elect alone, not everyone. All whom God has elected and for whom Christ died will be saved. And if Christ died for everyone, then there are some who are in hell he died for, making his sacrifice not efficacious.

In irresistible grace or effectual call, those whom God elected, He draws to Himself through irresistible grace. God makes a man willing to come to Him. When God calls, He responds. Otherwise, you are diminishing God's sovereignty and power. Perseverance of the saints we'll talk today.

The precise ones that God has elected and drawn to Himself through the Holy Spirit will persevere in faith. None whom God has elected will be lost, and they are eternally secure." So these five points of Calvinism do not summarize the complete elements of the Reformed faith. They are the responses to the five doctrines at the core of controversy centuries ago raised by the remonstrants—including Arminius and others—who were protesting Orthodox Reformed theology at the Synod of Dort. Tulip was a clever acronym that came up that was brought up used to summarize the doctrines that were actually in dispute. Regarding the pea and tulip, Dr.

Sproul introduces this doctrine. The perseverance of the saints in our chapter here encapsulates the reformed concept of what some tend to call eternal security. That is, once in grace, always in grace. Another way to put this is, if you have it, you never lose it. And if you lose it, you never had it.

This is a controversial doctrine because everyone knows someone who has made a profession of faith in Christ and was enthusiastic about his faith, but who at some time thereafter left and repudiated the faith. We've seen people fall away or commit what is called apostasy. And as a point of clarification here, we use the term saints. We are talking about believers in Jesus Christ like we see in the New Testament. They're not specific, exalted persons from the past.

The saints are the elect, the true believers, those who have been redeemed by Christ and have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We will be spending time over the next three weeks looking at perseverance of the Saints, what it is, what it depends on, in the case of partial or temporary falling away. Our paragraph today starts with a clear explanation of what it is. The main point here is that believers can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace but shall certainly persevere to the end and be saved eternally. Again the subject of this perseverance is the saints, and who I labeled believers, is described by the confession as those whom God hath accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, and given the precious faith of his elect.

We see these descriptions directly from Paul's letters in the New Testament in Ephesians 1, 4-6. According, as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." Romans 8.30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. In 2 Thessalonians 2.13, But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. I think we all understand effectual call and sanctified and be given the precious gift of faith, but let's touch for a moment what it means here to be accepted in the Beloved.

We see this phrase used in Ephesians 1.6 that I just read, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved. In Ellicott's commentary, he explains that the verb here rendered made us accepted is the same verb that's used in Luke 1 28 and nowhere else in the New Testament. We translate in that passage highly favored. In that passage Gabriel is foretelling of Jesus's birth to Mary. And it's, quote, And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that are highly favored, the Lord is with thee, blessed are thou among women." Entomologically, and that is the study of the origin and the evolution of words, it means to bestow grace upon.

And the tense here is the past tense, not the perfect. Hence, the meaning is in connection with the previous clause, His grace, which He bestowed upon us in the beloved, in virtue of our unity with His beloved Son in whom he is well pleased. This special title is given to our Lord to mark a connection with the love declared in the last verse to be the source of God's predestination. I find that it really adds depth and understanding that the only other place where this verb is used here, we see Gabriel telling Mary that she is highly favored. And we are also highly favored.

We are loved. We are precious in His sight. And the saints, the believers, the subject of our paragraph today. Again, the main point of our paragraph is that believers can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace but shall certainly persevere to the end and be eternally saved. We read Jesus' words to the Jews in the Gospel of John, speaking of his sheep.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." John 10, 28 and 29. Did you hear the repetition there?

Twice. We read twice that Jesus states that no one can snatch them out of His hand or His Father's hand. When we see a repetition in the Bible like this, we can assume that there's a strong emphasis being placed upon that. It's like, hey, pay attention here, listen up to what I've got to say. They will not finally fall from the state of grace.

And this should give us great comfort and great assurance. In 1 John 2, 19, they went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. We see here a contrast between true believers and false believers in this passage.

The implication here is that only true believers remain. False believers, those who do not belong to Jesus, will fall away, making it clear that they were not true believers to begin with. This is where we get the phrase mentioned by Dr. Sproul, If you have it, you never lose it, and if you lose it, you never had it. And finally, in Paul's letter to the Philippians, we read of his confidence that he who began good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1.6. They, the saints, believers, shall persevere unto the end and be eternally saved. God started this work of grace in you. It was intentional. It did not happen by chance.

God did it, and He will not leave it unfinished. Praise God. Our paragraph has a phrase here that believers can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace. We spoke about persevering until the end. What is this distinction here between totally nor finally?

Robert Shaw comments here, there may seem to be a redundancy of language in this statement, for if believers cannot fall totally, it follows that they cannot fall finally. The words here, I think, are not so much employed to further our understanding, but more to directly oppose the Arminian position under dispute. For these are the words that they actually use in their confession. In the Arminian Confession of 1621, Chapter 11, on Faith in Jesus Christ, paragraph 7, even if it is true that those who are adept in the habit of faith and holiness can only with difficulty fall back to their former profaneness and disillusionedness of life. Yet we believe that it is entirely possible, if not rarely done, that they fall back little by little and until they completely lack their prior faith and charity, and having abandoned the way of righteousness, they revert to their worldly impurity which they had truly left, returning like pigs to wallowing in the mud, and dogs to their vomit, and are again entangled in the lust of the flesh which they had formerly truly fled, and thus totally and at length also they are finally torn from the grace of God unless they seriously repent in time." This is from the Armenian confession.

So this gives us a clue to why in our confession we see the phrase here of totally nor finally. As with many doctrines presented in the confession This is one that is included to draw distinction between the Reformed faith and the Armenians and also the Roman Catholic Church. AA Hodges comments, the Protestant Armenians hold that it is not only possible, but also a frequent fact that persons truly regenerate by neglecting grace and grieving the Holy Spirit with sin, fall away totally and at length finally from grace unto eternal reprobation. Furthermore, in the Roman Church, it declares in her authoritative standards of the Council of Trent, if anyone maintain that a man once justified cannot lose grace and therefore that he who falls in sins never was truly justified, let him be accursed. That's from Session 6, Canon 23.

The Calvinist doctrine, as stated in this chapter of our confession, is that God has revealed His gracious purpose to cause every true believer to persevere in his faith and obedience in truth or obedience till death that he will never be allowed to fall away totally from grace and therefore he never can fall away finally. Our paragraph then adds that not only will the believer not fall from grace, but that the fruit of believers, the gifts, and the calling of God will not be removed or taken away from the believer. The beginning here comes directly from Romans 11 verse 29. This is because the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. God is not repenting over giving these gifts.

This means They are immutable, not changeable. They are given out of love, not because they are deserved or earned, but of the sovereign will of God. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Second Peter 1.3. Peter continues in his second epistle, for this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self-control and self-control with steadfastness and steadfastness with godliness and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

If these qualities are yours and are increasing, They keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall." Second Peter 1, 5-10. And finally our paragraph offers some guarantees of perseverance against troubles that may arise. The paragraph says, And now, though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon.

2 Timothy 4.7. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. The believer has persevered until the end and has kept the faith.

This is what God's word tells us. Continuing in our paragraph, notwithstanding through unbelief and the temptations of sin, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them. From Psalms 89, 31 through 32, if they break my statutes and keep not my commandments, then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes." And in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 11, 32, but when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." Chastening here is done out of love with the mind to restore us, to bring us back on track. It's not an indication that we have fallen totally and finally away. The confession finishes with this paragraph with a statement of how and why our faith and salvation are secure.

We read, Yet he is still the same and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraven upon the palm of his hands, and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity." It is through the power of God that our salvation is made sure, and we will never fall away. Peter tells us this in 1 Peter 1, 5, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. If you are called and given faith, God will not remove this from you. His election does not change. God is immutable and He knows who are His.

In 2 Timothy 2, 19, Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure. Having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his." And in Malachi 3.6, for I am the Lord, I change not. The fact that the elect cannot lose their salvation is further shown from the fact that we are engraven upon the palm of His hands from Isaiah 49, 16, and our names having been written in the book of life from all eternity, from Revelation 3, 5. This is also argued from the negative side in Revelation 20, 15, whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire, meaning that regardless of your profession or evidences of faith, if your name is not written in the Book of life, you will not be saved. Only those given true faith, the elect, will have their names written in the book of life.

But take comfort. God is faithful and just. It is God who has given you the faith to believe in Jesus Christ, and it is through His power and His Spirit that you will persevere into the end. There's no one, there's no thing that can take you out of His hand. He is sovereign over all things, and He doesn't change.

And in him you can trust. Amen.