Center for Biblical Theology and Eschatology

Once Saved, Always Saved

by Dr. Forrest Krummel

5^th in a series of sermons on the 5 Points of Calvinism: T.U.L.I.P.

September 29, 2002

First Presbyterian Church

Burlington, Iowa

The Rev. Dr. Forrest Krummel

 

      One of my favorite stories in the Bible is that of Jonah. When we think of the story of Jonah, most of us who know the story, think of a whale. But, believe me, the whale is really a very minor character. The whale is simply a means to an end.

God told Jonah to go to the ancient city of Ninevah and to preach repentance. Now, that is the last thing in the world that Jonah wanted to do. Ninevah was the enemy. The last think that Jonah wanted was for them to repent—to turn to God. So he ran. He got into a ship and ran to the farthest corner of the world. A great storm blew up on the sea. The ship was about to go down. All of the sailors were praying fervently to their various gods to no avail. Finally Jonah fesses up says that he is the source of their entire problem. He tells them to throw him overboard, and while they were reluctant to do so at first, they eventually do. I think that in the back of Jonah’s mind he thought that he would rather be dead than do what God wanted him to do. No sooner does he hit the water than a giant fish comes up out of the stormy chaos of the deep and swallow him whole. After three days in the belly of the fish, he is finally spit out on the shore near Ninevah. To make a long story short, Jonah reluctantly preaches repentance, Ninevah repents, and the city is not destroyed. One further note, Jonah is still not happy. He criticizes God for the Almighty’s graciousness.

The thing that I like about the story is the fact that once God has hooked you, you can run and fight and squirm, but sooner or later, God is going to reel you in. It may take a lifetime, but it is going to happen.

This is the fifth in a series of five sermons on the Five Points of Calvinism; conveniently summarized in the acronym TULIP—

• Total depravity—without exception, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
• Unconditional election—God chooses to save us not because we are worthy but because God is good. In other words, our salvation is based not upon us, but God. God doesn’t grade on the curve.
• Limited atonement—Christ died for us, thus taking away the sting of death and those who hear the call of Christ to discipleship respond to it.
• Irresistible grace—it is a desire that God places in our hearts to do the will and the work of God.
• Perseverance of the saints.

As with the other points of Calvinism, the perseverance of the saints is not so >much about us as it is about God. It says that God perseveres in saving us. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) In other words, "Once saved, always saved." Once God has elected or chosen you, you cannot lose your salvation. Christ is your savior and you never have to worry about your salvation.

That does not mean that you are perfect. Remember total depravity. Nor does it mean that we do not disappoint God. Nor does it mean that we cannot stumble. It just means that our salvation is not in jeopardy.

I am reminded of the story of King David. God chose David to be the king over Israel and called David "a man of his own heart." If you remember the story of his being chosen the king of Israel, David was not chosen because of who he was—after all, he was the smallest the youngest and maybe even the forgotten child of his father. No, he was chosen because of who God is.

Once chosen, David could not fall from God’s grace, though he could stumble in his faith journey. Do you remember the story of David and Bathsheba? Bathsheba was a married woman when David saw her bathing and wanted her to be his. They had an affair and when she became pregnant David did everything in his power to cover up the relationship. He brought her husband Uriah home from the military front but Uriah would not enjoy privileges that his soldiers could not enjoy. David got Uriah drunk, but still Uriah would not sleep with his wife. So King David arranged for Uriah to be killed at the front. When the prophet Nathan discovered what had happened his confronted David and the king confessed. Tradition says that David wrote the 51^st Psalm as a prayer seeking God’s forgiveness. David could not avoid the consequences of his action. Civil was and unrest plagued the rest of his reign. But at no point did he ever fall from God’s saving grace. He was still the instrument of God. He became the measuring rod by which all future kings of Israel would be measured and from his lineage the savior of the world—Jesus Christ—would be born.

The perseverance of the saints reminds us that once you’ve been adopted by God through Christ, you cannot be unadopted or disowned. God will work with you and through you—often using the circumstances of your life—to perfect your faith. In reflecting upon God’s gracious act of salvation through Christ the apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Rome:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger of sword? …No, in all of these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 35-38)

To God be the glory. Amen.