The topic of perseverance has come up several times lately in our church. One Bible elective has been going through Hebrews, which opened discussion. Then I preached a little bit about it from Mark 13:1-13 this past Sunday, which raised a few questions about it.
As you all probably know by now, I hold a different view on the perseverance of the saints than I did when I was young. Living in both “camps” within evangelicalism might give me a broader perspective than others, but of course we all have room to grow in walks with Christ and our understanding of Scripture.
We listened back to the end of my sermon in our pastor’s meeting yesterday–that’s me, Pastor Adam, Pastor Chewy, and Gabriel (who is a pastoral apprentice). It was a good conversation.
I hope my post today will clarify a few things and lead anyone interested to pursuing this important topic more thoroughly.
A Summary
The Scriptures teach that someone who comes to trust in Jesus for salvation enters into a relationship with Him that bears fruit and results in heaven. The Scripture does not teach that someone can be born again and then be un-born again and be finally lost. All those who receive Christ persevere to the end of their life and go to heaven. I affirm the perseverance of the saints wholeheartedly.
The Nature of Conversion
What I think we may need to grow in as a church is to understand the nature of genuine conversion. Those who are truly converted, or saved, or born again (whatever term you want to use) bear fruit for Jesus and endure. There is no such thing as a Christian who doesn’t bear fruit and persevere. In fact, it is the endurance of a Christian that proves they are a Christian (see John 15:5, 8). To say it another way, we know who is a Christian by their fruit.
Therefore, the Scripture says in various places things like, “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). Jesus said that. He means that the one who endures through trials and doesn’t turn away from Him will be saved on the final day. Endurance is necessary for final salvation. Why is endurance necessary for final salvation? Because endurance proves the legitimacy of their faith!
How Endurance Happens
What Jesus does not say in this verse is how someone endures to the end. Our endurance, like our conversion, is God’s doing. God’s Spirit helps us endure. God’s Spirit and Word correct us when we stray. God comforts us in our affliction. Endurance is not about trying really hard in our flesh to not turn from Christ, but about submitting and trusting in Christ through the trials and the persecution.
Look at 1 Peter 1:5 to see how our endurance happens:
“who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
1 Peter 1:5
God’s power guards us through faith for our final salvation. He will keep us to the end. And because He will keep us, we will endure and be finally saved.
I hope this helps bring clarity and comfort. If any saint from Lake Hills wants to discuss, you know where to find me. 🙂
A book that helped me better understand perseverance in light of all the warning passages of Scripture was Tom Schreiner’s book Run to Win the Prize: Perseverance in the New Testament.
Pastor Jacob’s Blog 