In Touch - September 26, 2005
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- 2005 Sep 26
In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley
Monday September 26, 2005
Eternal Security Matters
From Christ's atonement on the cross springs our assurance of salvation and eternal life. Many people who claim Jesus as Savior know that they are saved but are uncertain about eternal security, the Lord's guarantee that our deliverance from sin is permanent. Such believers worry that their salvation can be lost through wrong actions. Eternity is God's promise, and He wants His children to be confident about spending their future in heaven.
When a person places trust in the Savior, he receives not only forgiveness of sin but also the life of Christ abiding within him: Jesus' eternal nature becomes his. If we base our security on anything other than Christ's finished work on the cross—such as our good works—then we will be prone to doubts about eternity and the wrong assumption that God's favor and heaven must be earned. In truth, eternal security is an extension of the Lord's grace.
When we were unbelievers, the promise of heaven impacted our understanding of divine pardon. In repenting of our sins, we changed our thinking about wrong behavior and acknowledged helplessness before God. In turn, we received forgiveness, and our intimate relationship with Him began at that moment. For believers, repentance makes right our fellowship with the Lord; forgiveness is already ours.
After receiving Jesus Christ into our life, we may still have some doubts or may even rebel and sin against Him. But our salvation is not lost. Scripture is clear on this point: "I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish" (John
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