Staying Saved By Being Faithful Until Death
Becoming a Christian or child of
God, is not the end of God's Plan of Salvation for the individual. The next step involves living the Christian
life as revealed in the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17). As Jesus expressed it to the Christians at
Ephesus, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life"
(Revelation 2:10). The apostle John
expressed this truth by stating, "God is light, and in him is no darkness at
all. If we say that we have fellowship
with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in
the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:5-7).
The big step in our lives is becoming a Christian, born of the water and the Spirit (John 3:4-5), in growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Next, we must add various graces as outlined by Peter (2 Peter 1:1-11). Peter states, "If these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (verse 8). (1) First we must add to our faith virtue or morality or moral courage. (2) Secondly, we add knowledge to our virtue. It does little to add knowledge to our faith if we lack the moral courage to do the right thing. (3) Thirdly, we add temperance or self-control, this is how we must escape the worldly corruption that permeates our current culture through "lust" or "evil desire" (verse 4). (4) Next, we are to add patience or steadfastnessor perseverance. James reminds us to remember the patience of Job (James 5:11). There are too many spurt runners in the church. We must develop steadfastness and a methodical life style of piety that gave the early Methodists their name. (5) Then, we must work to make godliness an intricate part of our life. This is the opposite of too many so-called Christians that use profanity and are worldly minded. (6) Brotherly kindness comes from phileo meaning brotherly love, it carries with it the idea of tender affection. We are admonished to "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another" (Romans 12:10). (7) The final item is that we are to add love (KJV = charity). Thus we, as Christians, are not only to love our brethren in Christ, but man in general (to our feminist friends - it still includes womankind) as well as our enemies (Matthew 5:43-44).
However, if we lack these things, as Peter points out, we are "blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins" (2 Peter 1:9). On the other hand, he states, "brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (verses 10-11).
Dale I. Royal, Elk City OK
