Westminster Confession of faith plainly states the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. It says, “They whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved" (Chapter 17, sec.1). Now this doctrine is based upon many Scriptures such as Ps.34:7, Jer.31:3, Ezek.11:19-20, Jn.5:2, Jn.6:51, Rom.11:29, 2 Cor.4:8-9,14, Heb.10:14, 1 Pet.1:3-5, and 1 Jn.5:11-13. However, the main verses for this teaching are Phil.1:6, Jn.10:27-30, and Rom.8:35-39.
In plain language, the marvelous teaching of perseverance proclaims that anyone whom God has made alive is going to continue. To state it another way, it is impossible to lose salvation once you obtain true saving grace. Or to state it in the old Baptist vernacular, “Once saved always saved.” The security of the believer does not mean the believer will never sin or never fail. No, he/she may fall terribly. But it says that when they do, they will come out of it, not with remorse (from the Latin, morsel which mean “to bite,” and therefore remorse means to bite again), but true believers will repent. That is, they will turn from sin and self to faith in Christ.
The key to understanding the perseverance of the saints is to understand that the basis of the believer’s assurance rests not in his own efforts, but in five unshakeable and infallible pillars. The first is the immutability of God’s nature (Jer.31:3); second, the unchangeable decree in election (Jb.23:14); third, the eternal covenant of grace (Lk.22:19-20; Heb.7:22); fourth, the promises of God (2 Cor.1:20; 2 Pet.1:3-5); and finally, the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ (Heb.12:2).
Now someone may ask: Is perseverance something we do or the Spirit does? The answer is both. It is the work of the Spirit (Phil.2:13), but the duty of the believer (Heb.3:6), and these are not mutually exclusive. The Spirit works in us and with us, not against us or without us. For us, perseverance means persistence under discouragement and contrary to pressure. The question is: How are we to do this? Here are five principles that writer to the Hebrews gives us that will aid us in persevering:
- The importance of guarding our hearts against the deception of sin and the disobedience from unbelief (Heb.3:12-14).
- Guarding the role that fellowship plays in our hearts (Heb.3:13).
- To be strengthened by the memory of God’s persevering grace in the past (Heb.6:11-12, 11:1ff).
- Fix our eyes on Jesus as the author and perfect of faith (Heb.12:1-3).
- To receive the ministry of God’s leaders who shepherd your soul (Heb.13:17).
Go Deeper
Related Resources from MTR:
 | Finishing the Race In this booklet, Pastor Marvin Knight explores what the Bible teaches concerning the doctrine of perseverance. |
 | The Doctrines of Grace Explore the key doctrines that were the foundation of the Protestant Reformation. (This study includes the text from "Finishing the Race.") |
 | Rest Assured A deeper look a the doctrine of assurance. |