The Hymn of Security, Part 1

It's as if he knows full well under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that people are going to come along and say, no, you're not secure in Christ, you could lose your salvation.

He knows that that's going to happen and so he reacts to that by giving us further word in verses 31 to 39. Thanks for joining us here on Grace to You as John MacArthur kicks off a series on the permanence of salvation. It comes from Romans 8 and John's titled it Guaranteed for Eternity. John, when I was first converted, I think the very first question I had for the pastor who baptized me was, is my salvation permanent or do I need to fear losing it? And I know a lot of people struggle with that question and it also lends itself to doubts that people have about their salvation and sometimes those doubts last for years. So should we be surprised when people wrestle with the doctrine of eternal security, even people who have professed faith in Christ years ago? No, I'm not really surprised because for one reason, bad theology has found a place in the church and it's been there for centuries and I mean bad theology that states you can lose your salvation, that it's only temporary until you violate a command of God or until you turn your back on him and walk away and it's in your hands and so you can lose your salvation. I mean there's an entire segment of the historic Protestant church that believes you can lose your salvation.

So if people have been exposed to that, there's little wonder that it produces fear. Secondly, Satan tempts us to doubt. That's why Paul talks about the helmet of the hope of salvation in 1 Thessalonians 5. Satan wants you to doubt your salvation and he can tempt you to do that. And thirdly, assurance of salvation is really a gift of the Holy Spirit.

It's part of the fruit of the Spirit given to an obedient believer. So if a believer who is eternally secure because salvation is forever is walking in sin, he will forfeit or she will forfeit that assurance, so I'm not surprised at all. This is a very, very important subject to talk about because if you don't know you're saved, then how can you enjoy all the blessings of salvation? So we're going to be doing a series called Guaranteed for Eternity from maybe the most definitive passage, Romans 8, 31-39, this great, great and comparable text on the security of salvation. And we'll answer the question, can you lose your salvation or what can separate you from God's love? Does the Bible guarantee once you're saved you're always saved and how does God save sinners?

What is his long-term purpose? All of that is going to come clear in our study of Romans 8. We'll explore the things that people commonly believe threaten their salvation and we'll show what the Scripture has to say in answering that. So stay with us. Yes, friends, stay with us.

If you can't think of a reason to rejoice at this moment, we trust you'll have plenty of reasons before this study is over. So to get it started now, here again is John MacArthur. Well, let's open our Bibles to Romans chapter 8 and begin at least what will have to be a great adventure for us as we come to the conclusion of this monumental eighth chapter. And honestly, one would think that Paul had already said everything that could possibly be said about the believer's security.

And that's when Paul drops another nine verses on us. Just to say he isn't quite finished yet, there is more. And he closes this chapter with really just an incredible crescendo of questions and answers to conclude his teaching on the doctrine of security.

He really wants to nail this truth down. It is as if he anticipates that this truth is going to be rejected. It's as if he anticipates that there are going to be objectors who are going to bring up their objections. It's as if he knows full well under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that people are going to come along and say, no, you're not secure in Christ, you could lose your salvation. There are those persons who could take it away from you.

There are those circumstances that could cause you to abandon it. He knows that that's going to happen and so he reacts to that by giving us further word in verses 31 to 39. And although it is a part of his argument, it comes off as a great crescendo, a great triumphant hymn of security. But it isn't just emotion and it isn't just praise, it's also a very important part of his presentation.

Now as the case has been mounting, for me anyway, it came to a great climax in verses 28 to 30, but he isn't done. Now comes the coup de grace and he ascends even beyond that to this great hymn of triumph, this great hymn of security. And it is the final element in his presentation.

Now here's what he does. Any classical presentation or argumentation of theology must anticipate its objections. For example, very often when you read a theology or you read a commentary, you will find that the writer will present his view and then he will present the opposing views, anticipate what they are and rebut them. Now that's just classical technique in presenting an airtight argument and that is exactly what Paul does in the final verses of Romans 8. He anticipates the objections that could come and answers them all and literally defangs and defuses the enemy.

He takes the argument right out of the enemy's mouth, articulates it and argues against it and therefore silences any possible objector. Now the whole thing begins with a question. Look at verse 31.

And you hardly need an outline here because you're taken through this thing so very clearly by the text itself. What shall we then say to these things? Now that's the question. What is our response? I mean we have just heard the unbelievable reality, unbelievable to the human mind, that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to His purpose because God has set it in motion that He has got everybody who is planned by His foreknowledge in eternity past to be glorified in eternity future. We are secure in the fact then that if God predetermined that we would be glorified, everything in the middle is going to work out for our glory and our good. And now He says, so what do we say to that? What do we say to the teaching about eternal security or the perseverance of the saints?

That is that they having been saved will persevere all the way to glory. What do we say about that? What is our reaction? What is our conclusion?

What is our response? I think the phrase these things simply refers to the truths about our eternal security. He could go beyond that and encompass the whole doctrine of justification by faith because that doctrine includes security as well. But I think he's particularly emphasizing the fact that we are eternally secure once we're redeemed.

How do we respond? Well in the back of his mind he knows that some are going to object to that. Some people are going to say, no, we're not secure. We can lose our salvation. We could commit certain sins or God could do certain things or the devil could do certain things or Christ might be upset with us because of the way we're living. Maybe demons or temptation from the world or the flesh could encroach upon us and we could choose to walk away from the things of God and disobedience. We might even change our mind about things. We might be tempted to be drawn away. And so the objector will say, well, there is a possibility that we could lose so we object to that doctrine. And so Paul wants to answer that objector.

In fact, the objections that Paul deals with are obvious and very comprehensive. Basically they could be divided into two categories. Some people object and say, yes, you can lose your salvation because there are certain persons who could take it away. Secondly, there are certain circumstances that could cause it to be rejected. Now you can only have persons or circumstances.

And so in that sense, his argument is rather comprehensive. Let's talk about persons. Are there any persons anywhere who could remove our salvation under any circumstances? Verse 31 to 34 deals with that. Let's pick it up again in verse 31. What shall we say then to these things?

What's our response? Well somebody might come along and say, well, God could always take it back. Or maybe the devil could take it back. In other words, if we fall prey to Satan, he would put us in a position where we would forfeit our salvation and God would remove it because we've chosen to disobey. And so his response to that anticipated objection, without ever stating the objection, he just says, if God be for us, what, who can be against us?

And that's the way he deals with that objection. Well, somebody might take away our salvation. And so he says, well if God is for us, here it comes, who?

Just who could do that? I mean the who who did that would have to overcome the God who is for us. Whoever it is that's against our salvation would have to overcome the God who's for it, right? You know any person who can overcome God?

That's a tremendous statement. Is there any person anywhere in the universe who can remove our no-condemnation status? Is there anyone who's stronger than God? Is there anyone who's greater than God? Is there anyone who's purer than God?

Is there anyone who has a higher standard than God, a more holy obligation than God, a greater law than God? Is there anyone beyond God who can take away our salvation or cause it to be removed? How about the Judaizers? Could they do it to the Galatians when they accused them of not really being saved because they hadn't kept the Mosaic law, being circumcised and obeying all the law? Did they really take away their salvation?

You know, let's be honest about it. There are folks who would like to get us away from Christ, right? Very often I'm sure that there are people who have unsaved family members who would like to draw them away from Christ, who would like them to lose their salvation. Secular educators in our country and secular philosophers and hedonistic people and those who live for the flesh would like to draw us away from Christ and abandon us to the things of lust, pride. Legalists would like to draw us away from the purity of the gospel. False prophets, false teachers, false religion, Satan, demons.

I mean, there are plenty of persons who would like to do that. They would like to draw us away from salvation and cause it to be lost. But will God ever release us? I mean, are those who are against us greater than the God who is what? For us? Certainly not. And so, the objection that there might be some persons who would take us away, some person strong enough to remove us, some persons who are so against us that they could pull us away, he says, well if God's for us, who could possibly successfully be against us? And that's the idea.

Who could possibly successfully be against us? Let me give you an illustration. Turn in your Bible to Luke 22 for a moment. In Luke 22 verse 31, our Lord Jesus is speaking to Peter and whenever Peter acted in a less than obedient manner, he called him by his old name, Simon.

He was acting like his old self. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired you that he may sift you as wheat. Satan wants you, that's right. Now Satan is the most powerful personage in the universe outside of God and the Trinity, right?

The most powerful. He is the highest of all the fallen angels and in the sense of being outside the sphere of that which is holy and pure in the angelic host, he's the most powerful. And Satan desires the believer, not just Peter, but all believers. But verse 32 says, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. Who did he pray to? To the Father and when thou art turned around, strengthen thy brethren.

When you come out of this test, then you can strengthen others. What is the Lord assuming? That his prayer is going to be what? Answered.

Why? Because he knows the heart of the Father. He knows the mind of the Father and he knows there's no power in the universe, not even Satan himself who could ever rest, w-r-e-s-t, a believer from the arms of God. If God is for us, who can successfully be against us?

The answer to the question is no one, absolutely no one can be against us. You say, well I'd like to know if God is for us. Have you been reading Romans with us? God is for us. That's the whole point. Paul doesn't even prove that in Romans 8.

He doesn't even make a statement to affirm it. He just says if God be for us, and by the way, that's what we call a conditional particle a, if signifying a fulfilled condition, and it should be better translated and you might just mark it in your margin, since God is for us. Since God is for us, who can harm us? Anybody more powerful than God? There's so many scriptures that speak to this issue, but let me just have you look with me at two Psalms, Psalm 27...Psalm 27. It starts this way, the Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I...what?

Fear. I mean, if the Lord is my salvation, who is greater than the Lord? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? And what's the answer?

No one. Even the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes come upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. And though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, the war should rise against me in this.

Will I be confident? One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in His temple. In other words, He says, when I came to the Lord, I wanted to come on these terms that all my life I would be in His presence, that all my days I would dwell in the house of the Lord, that always I would behold His beauty.

And I came to Him on those terms and He took me on those terms, that's the implication and so I have no fear. Verse 5, for in the time of trouble He'll hide me in His pavilion. In the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me, He'll set me up upon a rock.

In other words, there's no way He can get to this guy. He's protected, He's insulated, He's covered. And so now shall mine head be lifted up above mine, enemies round about me, therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I will sing yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

What a great thought. And He closes in verse 14 by saying, wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. You have a weak heart and you feel you might turn against the Lord in times of doubt, wait on the Lord, He'll strengthen your heart.

He never lets go of His own and no one is more powerful than He is. Go to Psalm 46...Psalm 46, verse 1 says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried to the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. We're not afraid of that.

Verse 10, be still, know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I'll be exalted in the earth, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. He's for us. Who can be against us?

Successfully? Absolutely no one. Absolutely no one. What a tremendous confidence. Now look at verse 32, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Now somebody might come in and say, Oh yes, God is going to protect you as long as He's for you, but God might stop being for you. I mean, who's to say that God isn't going to look at you and say, This guy's more trouble than he's worth?

If I had known this when he came in, I wouldn't have accepted it. I mean, if we're going to believe that men are saved by their own act and that God's simply responding to their act, maybe God responds finally by saying, They're not really living the way I want, I'm just going to put them back out again. Maybe God is the one. Maybe God is the one person who could remove our salvation. God is the one person who could just push us out, say, You know, you're not good enough to stay in. You're not good enough to stay in here. You've sinned and you've been disobedient and so forth and you really can't stay, you're going to go out.

I gave it and I'm taking it back. And so in verse 32 He says, Look, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. How shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? I mean, if He had to give us His Son to save us when we were wretched sinners, don't you think He'd do lesser things to keep us now that we're in? I mean, if He did the greatest thing to redeem us, will He do less than that to keep us? It's a very typical argument of Paul's. It's an argument from the greater to the lesser.

That's its essential character, very typical. And he is saying if God loved us enough when we were wretched, vile sinners to give His only Son on the cross to redeem us, won't He give less things than the gift of His Son to keep us? I mean, if He would do that to save us, wouldn't He do whatever it takes to keep us that's less than that?

That's Paul's argument. Now you have to keep this in mind, that the reason God gave His Son for us is very simple. One basic primary overarching motive, it is this, God so...what?...loved that He gave His only begotten Son, John 3.16. God gave His Son because He loved. And He loved us when we were wretched. He loved us when we hated Him. He loved us so much, He gave the greatest thing that He could give, He gave Himself in the form of His Son on the cross. His love is so strong. His love is so far beyond our ability to conceive that He gave His Son to save us. Will not love that would do that do lesser things to keep us, like forgive our sins? You see, the Father having given the most in our salvation, the Father having given the best in our salvation, knows no way to hold back the rest.

He knows no way to hold it back. Having given the best, how can He give the least? To do so would defy the character of His love that gave the most to begin with and also would undo the work which Christ did. I mean, do you think really that God would give His Son to die on a cross to redeem men and then take away the salvation the Son paid the price to purchase? Hardly.

Hardly. Now I want you to notice verse 32, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. Will He not also with Him give us the rest?

If He would do that to save us, won't He do whatever it takes less than that to keep us? Turn to Genesis 22 and a familiar passage. It is a passage about Abraham and Isaac. And He said in verse 12, that is the angel to Abraham. Abraham's got his son stretched out, takes the knife, lifts it in the air ready to kill him on the altar. And the angel says, lay not thine hand on the lad, neither do thou anything to him.

For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not spared thy son, thine only son from me. Isaac was a picture of Christ, wasn't he? Sure he was. Isaac was an only son. Isaac was a child of promise. Isaac was one in whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Isaac was one through whom ultimately salvation would come. And Isaac was to be offered as a sacrifice in death. And as Abraham would not withhold his son Isaac, so God would not withhold or spare His son, Jesus Christ. The parallel ends at that point because Isaac was spared.

And the analogy becomes an analogy of comparison and contrast. In verse 15, the angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven the second time and said by myself, have I sworn, says the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son. And he goes on to say, I'm appreciative of your wonderful willingness to give your son and you'll be blessed for that. But you don't have to do it because in verse 13 God provided another offering.

And so the parallel in a sense breaks down at that point and becomes an analogy of comparison and contrast. When it came to God the Father, He was like Abraham, willing to give His son, not sparing His son. Now back to Romans 8, 32. So He says, he that spared not didn't hold back. In fact, Isaiah, didn't Isaiah say, isn't it in 53 where he says it pleased the Lord to bruise him? It pleased the Lord to bruise him and it says, he, that is the Lord, hath put him, that is Christ, to grief. God didn't spare anything. God didn't mitigate the judgment.

God didn't hold back His fury. This is Grace to You with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John is a pastor, an author, and chancellor of the Masters University and Seminary, and we hope you were encouraged by his look at Romans chapter 8 today. It's part of his series titled Guaranteed for Eternity. Also keep in mind, this entire study is available to download for free.

You can review these very practical lessons about the lasting peace Christ offers anytime you want. All you have to do is order the 2CD album or go to our website and download it for free. Contact us today. Our web address is gty.org.

If you'd like to put this series in a friend's hands, perhaps someone you know who struggles with assurance, you can order the 2CD album when you call us at 800-55-GRACE. But to listen to John's series Guaranteed for Eternity right now, free of charge, just go to gty.org, and there you will find every message from John's 54 years of pulpit ministry. And this note, the Bible teaching you heard today was also heard in English by listeners in the Philippines, Canada, the United Kingdom, and even Italy. Also, Gracias a Vos Otros. That's our Spanish broadcast.

It's being heard on thousands of stations worldwide. Know that the generosity of supporters like you here in the United States is largely what makes that international outreach possible. So thank you for all you do to help us reach believers half a world away and also right in your neighborhood. Press your support when you call us, 800-55-GRACE, or go to our website, gty.org. Now for John MacArthur, I'm Phil Johnson, encouraging you to be here tomorrow when John helps you answer the all-important question, Is My Salvation Permanent? It's another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace To You.