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Calvary Missionary Baptist Church |
The Perseverance of Saints -Outline Used, New Hampshire Confession By "The Perseverance of Saints" we mean that a person who is truly born again will continue to strive for God his entire life. This does not exclude backsliding, which we can all acknowledge as a reality, but it does mean that a backslidden Christian will be drawn back to Christ. The attachment to Christ never goes away in a true believer and the backslidden will be continually called to come back to where he belongs. Only such are real believers who endure to the end, and it is their persevering attachment to Christ that distinguishes them from superficial professors. A special providence watches over God's true children and they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. I. True believers will endure to the end. "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved." - Matthew 10:22 (NASB) "So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples" - John 8:31 (Amplified Bible) "As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him." - I John 2:27-29 (NASB) II. It is the true believer's persevering attachment to Christ that distinguishes them from superficial professors. "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us: but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us." - I John 2:19 (NASB) "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away." - Matthew 13:20-21 (NASB) "As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, 'You do not want to go away also, do you?' Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.'" - John 6:66-69 (NASB) III. A special providence watches over God's true children. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (KJV) "I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me." - Jeremiah 32:40 (NASB) "He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber" - Psalms 121:3 IV. True believers are kept by the power of God through salvation. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" - Philippians 1:6 "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." - Jude 24,25 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." - Hebrews 13:5 |