The Preservation of the Saints – Part 2
Romans 8:28-39
August 27, 2017
Last time we met we started looking at this final doctrine of grace
Which is what we are calling “The Preservation of the Saints”
It is yet another important aspect to the understanding of
Being saved by GRACE ALONE.
We’ve already seen that we don’t bring any help to the table
In regard to being saved,
Now we are learning that we don’t bring any help to the table
In regard to staying saved.
The security of the believer rests solely upon the back of God.
Those whom He chose, He chose for eternal glory.
And in order to produce that glory in them,
He predestined them, called them, and justified them.
IT IS ALL THE WORK OF GOD.
And as we said, this topic (at least among Baptists) is not a topic of debate. Southern Baptists have long since believed in the security of the believer.
What I want you to understand is that the only way you can believe that
Is if you also believe those other doctrines of grace.
I told you last week that in my estimation Baptists are confused here.
Most want to be synergistic in regard to obtaining salvation,
But then be monergistic in regard to keeping it.
But it obviously doesn’t work that way.
The only reason salvation is secure is because
The God who secures us has chosen to do that.
We are saved because God willed it to happen
And we will remain saved because of that same will.
And that is what we are working toward understanding.
Our text of focus is Romans 8:28-39,
However, because we are on no time crunch here I decided last week to just quickly show you what a big theme security actually is.
We started a quick tour through the book of Romans
Where I told you that Paul devotes 7 chapters to the theme of security.
• In chapters 1-3a Paul gives us the depravity of man.
• In the middle of chapter 3 Paul gives us the absolute atonement of Christ.
• In the end of chapter 3 and all of 4 Paul gives us justification by faith
• And in chapter 5-11 Paul drives home the point of security.
And I just wanted to show you that so you would have no doubt that
Those whom God has chosen, He most certainly will save.
NOW, TO THAT END
I started showing you some quick points that dictate why we are secure.
1) WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD (5:1)
2) WE STAND IN GRACE (5:2)
3) WE REJOICE IN HOPE (5:2)
4) TRIBULATION STRENGTHENS INSTEAD OF SEPARATING (5:3-5)
5) CHRIST DIED FOR US WHEN WE WERE SINFUL (5:6-8)
And we looked at those quickly last time.
Let me show you a couple more simple points that prove security.
6) CHRIST LIVES TO INTERCEDE (9-10)
(5:9-10) “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Paul’s point is clear.
If the death of Christ was powerful enough to bring sinners to God,
Then surely the life of Christ is strong enough to keep saints there.
That makes sense doesn’t it?
Who is stronger a dead man or a live man?
Obviously a live man.
And who is easier to save a sinner or a saint?
Obviously a saint.
So if Christ can save a sinner through dying
Then certainly He can save a saint through living.
And He does this through His role as a faithful High Priest.
Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
That is another aspect of our security.
Even when we sin, Christ intercedes
And it is His role now which guarantees our security.
Let me give you another simple reality of security.
7) WE ARE MADE RIGHTEOUS IN CHRIST (12-21)
We first looked at this passage when talking about how Adam killed us all.
And certainly he did.
“death spread to all men, because all sinned”
Adam caused us all to be spiritually dead and enemies of God.
But the greater point is that Christ did just the opposite for His offspring.
Whereas Adam killed us, Christ made us alive.
Whereas Adam made us sinful, Christ made us righteous
Whereas Adam brought condemnation, Christ brought justification
(15-17) “But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
What Adam and Christ did are similar in the fact that
EACH OF THEM FULLY EFFECTED THEIR OFFSPRING.
The difference however is this:
• Adam brought death, Christ brought life
• Christ’s work is stronger than Adam’s since He overruled it.
So, if Christ’s work is stronger than Adam’s
Then we know that while Christ’s work can undo Adam’s work,
Adam’s work can never undo Christ’s.
Does that make sense?
In a simple sense that means that
While Christ can make saints out of sinners,
Adam can never make sinners out of saints.
Look at the end of chapter 5.
(5:20-21) “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
That’s why we sing about grace which is greater than sin.
The idea then being that we are secure,
Not because we are stronger than sin,
But because Christ’s work is stronger than sin.
We have been declared righteous and nothing can undo that.
Now, if you’ve read through Romans
You know that in chapter 6 Paul chases a rabbit.
He does so because he can feel the arguments piling up.
He just made the point that grace is greater than sin
And no amount of sin can ever undo the work of grace.
And Paul knows that the Church of Christ is lining up with their argument, ready to play “Devil’s advocate”
And here is their question:
(6:1-2) “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!”
Paul knew that when he started saying that
No amount of sin could undo the work of grace
THAT SOME WOULD TAKE ISSUE WITH THAT
AND ACCUSE PAUL OF SAYING THAT SIN IS NOW OK.
That was not and is not the point.
Paul was never saying that we could use grace
As an excuse to sin all we want.
He was merely saying that
For those who are saved no amount of sin could undo it.
Chapter 7 is also a bit of a rabbit chase,
Since in this chapter Paul addresses those
Who assumed their security was FOUND IN WORKS instead of grace.
There have always been those who assumed that they were secure in their salvation so long as they worked really hard at obedience.
THAT IS A HORRIBLE PLACE TO LIVE.
Why?
Because regardless of how much effort you give,
You can never live up to the divine standard.
And to emphasize that Paul gives a very revealing personal testimony about how he tried and couldn’t.
(7:18-20) “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.”
After revealing that security is real,
Paul is now making sure that you know
That security is not real because of our work.
Again, security is NOT a synergistic effort.
For, regardless of how much a man loves obedience and hates sin,
He does not have the ability within himself
To live perfectly enough to maintain righteousness.
In fact Paul admits at the end of the chapter
That he is nothing more than a wretched man.
So while security is real, it is not real because of our own works.
No man can be justified by the works of the Law
And no man can be secured by the works of the Law.
(And Paul addressed those common misconceptions in chapters 6 and 7)
But in chapter 8 Paul returns to the theme of security.
And He reminds again at the outset of the chapter that
Man is secure and they are secure for only 1 reason
And that is because of the effective work of Christ.
(8:1-4) “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
And this is where Paul begins to ramp up his argument even more.
For here he’s not just talking about security, but assurance.
He isn’t just proving you’re secure,
He wants you to know you are secure.
AND THIS IS SO IMPORTANT IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
I reckon it to be one of the greatest tragedies a Christian can endure;
To have security and not enjoy it.
This is also one of the greatest realities of the salvation God provides,
And it magnifies His grace even more.
I think this is one of the ways we know that this is truly God’s doctrine,
Because no man would come up with this.
Do you realize that no other man-made religion offers security?
Beyond that, many forms of legalistic Christianity seek to remove it as well.
WHY?
Because if you give people security
Then you’ve lost your manipulative hold on them.
I mean, I can be much more effective at getting you to be faithful if I can hold eternal torment over your head.
• I’ll be better able to get you to come to church…
• I’ll be better able to get you to give…
• I’ll be better able to get you to participate…
• I might even be able to get you to ride a bicycle around the world for evangelism for a couple of years…
• I might be able to get you to fly an airplane into a building…
If I can convince you that you’ll go to hell if you don’t.
Manmade doctrines hate security
Because it removes our greatest motivator.
But God, in His grace, does just that.
God’s desire is not just for you to be secure, but for you to know it.
1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Because genuine faithful obedience is rooted in hope not fear.
And that same assurance is now the theme of Romans 8.
And again, we aren’t going to hit this in its fullest detail (you can listen to our Romans sermons online) but I can give you the gist of it all.
Do you know the number 1 way you can know you are saved?
There has always been 1 reason above every other that bears witness
That you are a child of God more than any other.
THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We look at evidence of the Holy Spirit within us for our assurance,
And that is what Paul is describing in Romans 8.
(9-11) “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
That is Paul explaining that
The Spirit inside of you is the evidence that you are saved
And that Spirit will continue to work on you until you look like Christ.
Later he says:
(14) “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
And (16) “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Now, I know that is a really quick run through of a whole lot of Scripture.
But it is all to lead up to Paul’s biggest point in verse 28.
Paul has told us why we are secure
And that God gave His Spirit that we might have assurance.
And beginning in Romans 8:28
Paul is going to drive home the issue of security
And will inseparably LINK OUR SECURITY TO GOD’S ELECTION.
In short, you will find that we are secure because God chose for us to be.
And that is the point Paul makes first.
(READ 8:28-30)
There you see it don’t you?
“And we know that God causes…”
God is the driving force behind this.
It’s not us, it’s God.
“God causes all things to work together for good…”
That’s what we call providence.
That somehow God could allow all people to make decisions and follow the impulses of their heart and yet at the end God takes it all and forces it to fit His plan.
This was seen clearly in the cross, when Peter said “By the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed [Jesus] to a cross by the hands of godless men.”
This is the truth we so clearly see in the life of Joseph who endures such unspeakable tragedy, yet learned to see that God was behind it all.
Genesis 45:7-8 “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”
It doesn’t matter the circumstance, God causes it to work for good.
FOR WHO?
“to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
And DON’T read that like a condition, as if to say,
“If I continue to love God then God will make it all work out.”
No, we already learned in Romans 5 why any of us love God at all:
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
God caused us to love Him.
This was part of that effective call He placed on our lives,
When He wrote His law on our hearts and caused us to love Him.
So very simply Paul is saying in verse 28 that
God will always make everything work out for good
For the people He has chosen.
And then Paul explains what he means.
(29-30) “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; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
Again, as we have said many times,
There is no hint here of an incomplete work on God’s part.
What begins in foreknowledge ends in glory, every time.
And the point is that regardless of what the elect walk through,
There is nothing that can stop God from glorifying them
By conforming them into the very image of Christ.
That’s the good, and it’s going to happen.
• It doesn’t matter where you started in life…
• It doesn’t matter what you walk through in life…
• It doesn’t matter how you stumble in life…
• It doesn’t matter how your life comes to an end…
Nothing can stop God from completing His good work
Of conforming those He has chosen into the glorious image of Christ.
See how it all hinges upon God’s sovereign prerogative?
And following that statement
Comes the best passage on eternal security in the entire Bible.
There are a lot of good ones, but none like this.
Paul is about to ask 5 questions regarding security.
• Maybe you’re a person on the fence as to whether or not you believe security is real.
• Maybe you’ve got some problems wrapping your mind around it.
Well here Paul is just going to probe the depths of the argument
To see if there is in fact anything
That can keep the elect from obtaining eternal glory.
And to deny the security of salvation you have to be able to answer “yes” To these questions.
#1 CAN ANYONE REVERSE THE SOVEREIGN DECISION OF GOD?
Romans 8:31
Paul just spent 3 verses explaining the premise this question stands on.
Namely, Paul just revealed that GOD IS IN FACT FOR US.
We just read how He causes all things to work together for good for us.
God is for us.
Well the question is: CAN ANYONE THWART THAT?
“If God is for us, who is against us?”
Well, we know who is against us.
• Satan is against us…
• The world is against us…
The question is
Do they have any power to thwart God’s decision to save us?
Can anyone reverse the sovereign decision of God to glorify His elect?
Well, Jesus said, “No”:
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “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.”
Jesus was pretty clear that
No one can thwart what God has purposed to do.
Isaiah 43:13 “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”
Psalms 115:3 “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.”
And that is the first issue Paul raises.
• He doesn’t ask if we deserve to be secure…
• He doesn’t ask if we have what it takes to endure…
He just asks that if God has sovereignly decreed to glorify those whom He has foreknown, can anyone stop Him?
And to that we have to answer “No”
Philippians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
And think about Paul for a moment,
• Are you aware of all the suffering he faced?
• Are you aware of how hard the enemy worked against him?
• Are you aware of the physical pain which was used to intimidate him?
Certainly someone who faced that much physical persecution
You would think would be in danger of throwing in the towel.
But look at what Paul said about his own life and his own suffering:
2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
See, Paul knew where security was.
It wasn’t in how hard he was holding on to Jesus,
It was found in how hard Jesus was holding on to him.
This is why I love the analogy of the anchor.
Even in the storm, regardless of the hardship, it is the anchor that secures the ship.
You can’t see it, but you know it’s there.
There is not a single thing a sailor can do to make it stick better or hold longer, it’s all up to the anchor.
And the writer of Hebrews says that Jesus is our anchor.
We are being held fast.
WHY?
Because God wants it that way.
And Paul just wants to know, can anyone thwart the sovereign decision of God?
“If God is for us, who is against us?”
And the proper answer is: “It doesn’t matter”
So first, Paul reminds us that we are secure:
BECAUSE GOD WANTS IT THAT WAY
The next question:
#2 IS THERE A LIMIT TO GOD’S GRACE?
Romans 8:32
The question is, is there a limit at which God says,
“That’s it, I’m not giving any more.”?
Well if there is, then it’s no longer grace.
If there is a point at which God will say, “You don’t deserve it”, then it’s not grace it’s merit.”
BECAUSE GRACE, BY DEFINITION, IS UNDESERVED (all of it)
But beyond that, look at the question Paul addresses.
It’s a very logical statement that he expects you to chew on for a moment.
(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?”
There again Paul begins with a theological premise…a foundation.
That God “did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all”
Is that true?
Yes, of course it’s true.
That is the atonement which Paul introduced back in chapter 3.
Romans 3:21-25 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;”
It is the atonement which Paul referenced again in chapter 8
Romans 8:1-3 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,”
God did send Christ to pay our debt.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
God already gave us a truly remarkable and priceless gift.
1 Peter 1:17-19 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
Through all our lives and through all of history,
We have yet to see a limit to the grace of God.
Romans 5:20 “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,”
Now based on the generosity God has already shown,
PAUL HAS A LOGICAL QUESTION TO ASK YOU.
If God already gave all that, “how will not also with Him freely give us all things?”
Did God give you His Son? (Yes)
Did God charge you for that gift? (No)
So why would you assume that God would stop now?
If God already gave you the greatest gift,
Why do you all of a sudden think God is going to start being stingy now?
And of course you get the point.
GOD CERTAINLY WILL NOT STOP NOW!
WHY?
BECAUSE GOD VALUES HIS SON!
• God values the sacrifice of His Son.
• He values the price that Christ already paid.
• He values the redemption that Christ already purchased.
To remove your salvation from you now,
Not only shows a limit to grace,
But also wastes the sacrifice of His Son.
For one of God’s chosen to be atoned for in Christ
And then to not be totally redeemed
Is to waste the enormous price that Christ paid for him,
And God simply will not do that.
People think they can lose their salvation
Because they focus so much on human weakness and unfaithfulness.
It’s a good thing security doesn’t rest on human strength or faithfulness
But on the sovereign decision of God and upon His unending grace.
So there’s two questions:
• Can anyone thwart the sovereign decision of God? (No)
• Is God’s grace limited? (No)
Well, there are 3 more questions, we’ll get next time
