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Commentary on "Interpreting the Prophetic Writings"

CHRIS LEE

 

Day 7: Friday, March 13, 2009

This lesson provides a few more general guidelines for interpretation of inspired writings, deals again with the topic of “once saved always saved” (eternal security), and asks a few review questions covering the week’s concepts, including a question dealing with White’s denial of eternal security.

 

Problems

Because the doctrine of eternal security seems to be a central point of discussion in Friday’s lesson, today’s commentary will deal with that issue. Both the author of the Sabbath School lesson and Ellen White reveal a fatal misunderstanding in Seventh-day Adventist theology related to salvation. Adventists tend to see maintaining one’s salvation as being linked to one’s choices and actions at any given time. They are therefore reluctant to believe that there can be any lasting assurance of salvation. I believe this misunderstanding is linked to the denial of the existence of a human spirit. If one believes there is no human spirit, only breath, then it is impossible to understand the significance of the New Birth. Eternal Security is not a question of our will, but one of having a regenerated spirit and becoming a new man that is now a child of God.

I think it might be helpful to start by discussing how we are saved. Are we saved by or through anything we do or is salvation purely a gift of God? I believe the testimony of scripture is that salvation is not dependent upon anything we do, but upon a sovereign act of God. God chooses to perform this sovereign act so that the His workmanship will be displayed in us and He will be glorified.

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. - Ephesians 2:1-10 (NASB)


How do we go from our dead state to being made alive in Christ? What is this sovereign act of God that saves us? Jesus explains this to Nicodemus in the Gospel of John.

3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said* to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." - John 3:3-8 (NASB)

So we've all been born once "of flesh" or "of water" (a reference to the breaking of the water at child birth). However, if this is the only birth we ever experience, then we cannot see the kingdom of God. We must also experience a new birth of the Spirit. Unless we are born of the Spirit we cannot enter the kingdom. It is the regeneration of our dead spirit that is the sovereign act of God. We cannot do this nor could we ever merit such a new birth. It is a gracious gift of God. 

Unfortunately, there are many people that think that getting dunked in the baptismal tank and showing up at church each week means they're saved. It does not. Getting wet, attending church, or anything else you might do cannot save you. If you haven't experienced the new birth, then you're just playing religion. If you have experienced the new birth then you have entered the Kingdom of God. It's just that simple. 

Without a sovereign act of God regenerating your spirit, you remain spiritually dead and lost no matter how many good things you might say or do. There are likely people like this in nearly every church you might enter. They think they are Christians and they do all the right things, but in the end Jesus will say to them, "I never knew you." They have not been reborn and will not enter the Kingdom. All of their good works and religious deeds are worthless in terms of salvation or merit. 

What about those who have been given the gift of spiritual regeneration? When we are given spiritual birth, our spirit is then able to commune with God who is pure spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells us permanently as a “pledge” or a guarantee of our salvation.

21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. - 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NASB)

13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. - Ephesians 1:13-14 (NASB)

God Himself establishes us in Christ and guarantees us the promise of salvation by sealing us with the Holy Spirit. We actually become a possession of God. We now have an inheritance as sons of the King, heirs to the Kingdom.

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. - John 1:12-13 (NASB)

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. - Romans 8:14-17 (NASB)

Once you’ve been born again, you can’t be unborn. Once you have become a son or daughter of God you are always a son or daughter of God. God will not disown his children because you are already perfect in Christ, not by your own merit, but by the merit of Christ’s perfect life, death, and resurrection. In addition, you have been sealed forever by the indwelling presence of the third person of the Triune God. The Father can never reject the Son or the Spirit, therefore He cannot reject you when you are in Christ and indwelt by the Spirit. God cannot reject Himself. Jesus assured the disciples of this in very strong definite language.

27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 "I and the Father are one." - John 10:27-30 (NASB)

In fact, when we are brought to faith in Christ through the regeneration of our spirit, it can truly be said that we have already passed from death to life. We have eternal life now! It’s a present reality.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. - John 5:24 (NASB)

In the book of Romans we are given God’s eternal unbreakable golden chain. This is God’s absolute guarantee that He will sovereignly save those who are His and that we will be glorified with Him. In fact, this is so sure that the Apostle Paul even uses the prophetic past-tense of “glorified” even though we have not yet experienced glorification in a temporal sense.

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. - Romans 8:28-30 (NASB)

For those who have been called according to God’s purpose, the conclusion of this golden chain of salvation is never in doubt. Nothing will separate God’s elect from Christ. Let’s look at the very next versus which flow out of the chain of salvation above.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, "For Your sake we are being put to death all day LONG; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:31-39 (NASB)

A believer can never be truly separated from God. God’s elect have been chosen in Christ since before the foundation of the world. This cannot change.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. - Ephesians 1:3-6 (NASB)

What an amazing and comforting realization to know that the sovereign God of the universe chose us and predestined us to be in Christ! Those who are in Christ stand before God as over-comers, forever perfect in God’s eyes. Not because of what they have done, but because of what the Son has done.

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Hebrews 10:14 (NASB)

We are eternally secure because of Christ. We stand before God covered in Christ’s righteousness, perfect forever, sanctified or set apart, based on the perfect sacrifice of Christ. This is why we say that Christ is our true and ultimate rest. We have peace in Him knowing that absolutely nothing can ever remove us from His hand. We are His possession. Our security comes from our confidence in His all sufficiency and sovereignty. Our eternal security is not about our human will. It's all about His sovereign choice and sovereign act resulting in our regenerated spirit and His Spirit dwelling within us, guaranteeing our inheritance.
 

Summary

 

 

Copyright 2009 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised March 6, 2009. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.

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