What Is Perseverance? Part 2

Perseverance is the word that should be used rather than eternal security. The only time the Greek word translated perseverance is used in the New Testament is Ephesians 6:18—“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (NASB). Perseverance means to persevere or to be constantly diligent.

It is lawful for saints of God (the people of God) to enter into the mystery of Divine providence. Jeremiah said to the LORD, “RIGHTEOUS art Thou, O LORD, that I would plead my case with Thee; Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with Thee: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease? Thou hast planted them, they have also taken root; they grow, they have even produced fruit. Thou art near to their lips But far from their mind. But Thou knowest me, O LORD; Thou seest me; And Thou dost examine my heart’s attitude toward Thee. Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter And set them apart for a day of carnage! How long is the land to mourn And the vegetation of the countryside to wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, Animals and birds have been snatched away, Because men have said, He will not see our latter ending” (Jer. 12:1-4 NASB). Jeremiah appealed to God’s righteousness. He learned quickly that providence is the work of God, even when the wicked prosper and the righteous are afflicted. Therefore, Christians learn quickly that Divine providence, like the incarnation, is a great mystery (I Tim. 3:16).

A Divine mystery is a truth that is revealed by God, because it is above the power of natural reason to comprehend. Christianity was designed to cause impressions of awe and reverential fear. Distance between the absolutely Holy One and the unholy ones by natural birth demands respect. Consider the distance between a king and his subjects! What is that compared to God and man? Transcendental worth is seen in things above our reach. Consider what Paul said in his last remarks concerning his greatest doctrinal treatise! “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:33-36 NASB).

Christianity humbles the pride and haughtiness of man’s natural reasoning. It was man’s desire to be like God that caused his fall. Religionists are told how wonderful they may become by the power of their free will. The whole course of grace is a riddle to the natural man. Isaiah was inspired to say, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Is. 55:8-11 NASB).

Nothing in time takes God by surprise. For whatever is done in time, there was an eternal purpose for it. Jeremiah soon learned that trials are progressive. If one’s faith is not equal for ordinary times, what will he do when he faces extraordinary times? If one cannot endure cruel words for his faith in Christ, how will he endure wounds for Christ? Each new trial is more powerful than the one which preceded it. It is wonderful to know that in each trial God prepares His chosen, redeemed, and regenerated for the next trial.

According to Jeremiah 12:7-17, God had forsaken His temple and left His heritage. Verse 7 supplies the answer to Jeremiah’s question of verse 1. The LORD said in verse 7, “I have forsaken My house, I have abandoned [or left] My inheritance; I have given the beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies” (NASB). This was just the answer Jeremiah needed. He was in need of being strengthened, not pampered. Verse 6 was very painful for Jeremiah, but verse 7 was God’s description of Judah and Jerusalem. Israel’s apostasy made them fierce. What about all the churches of Christ in name that have apostatized? Laodicea of Revelation 3:14-22 is a good example of what is taking place today. The fact is that only those who are willing to die for Christ are willing to live for Him. Both Jeremiah and Paul were willing to die for their Lord, and they also lived for their Lord. If we cannot stand criticism by a few, what will we do when the religious world criticizes us? Peter said, “AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (I Pet. 4:18, 19 NASB).

Jeremiah had to submit not only to be without friends, but he must witness to friends who will become his foes. The question is often raised, “How can we account for the fact that in a world governed by a righteous God, righteousness should have to suffer so much?” Such a question is for oneself. Jeremiah 12:5 was the answer the prophet needed, because he was in need of being taught perseverance.

God’s preservation and the believer’s perseverance do not mean that there is a convergence of two concurring factors. Perseverance cannot be thought of as a supplement to preservation. It only points to preservation. Self-assurance and frivolity are removed from perseverance. Preservation by God results in the perseverance of the saints. Christ said, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:39, 40 NASB). Perseverance is the doxology to God’s preservation.

Perseverance, like every other Bible truth, is a subject of great debate. There are those who appeal to admonition and say the warnings imply the possibility of apostasy. They quote the following verses: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (I Cor. 10:12 NASB). “If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister” (Col. 1:23 NASB). “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end” (Heb. 3:14 NASB).

Paul’s warning in I Corinthians 10:12 was made in the context of his rebuke to the Corinthians for their complacency. He left his own example in I Corinthians 9:24-27 to admonish the Corinthians. Paul’s expediency was not relaxing Divine standards, but sacrificing his own liberties. How does Paul compare with modern advocates of prudence and expediency? His first preaching produced opposition (Acts 9). He disputed with the Jews (Acts 11), excited the multitudes into a rage at Philippi (Acts 16), caused an uproar at Thessalonica (Acts 17), and was able to help only those in Corinth “…who had believed through grace” (Acts 18:27 NASB). He powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ (Acts 18). The salvation of Paul was not in jeopardy, but it was his service about which he was concerned. He said, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (I Cor. 9:24-27 NASB).

After using the Israelites’ complacency as an illustration of God’s displeasure, Paul gave warning and assurance to those who had believed through grace. After appealing to the experience of the fathers whose indulgence of liberty impeded their spiritual progress, Christians should know that God’s order is learn and live—not live and learn. Revelation is given to deliver the saints of God from the bitter expense of unscriptural experiences. The Bible is filled with the wisdom of yesterday.

The Christian life is never represented as an ever ascending scale. It appears as an up and down life, indicting our falling and rising. David said, “Thou hast placed our iniquities before Thee, Our secret sins in the light of Thy presence” (Ps. 90:8 NASB). He said, “Search Me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead Me in the everlasting way” (Ps. 139:23, 24 NASB). David also said, “When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand” (Ps. 37:24 NASB). Paul spoke the same language: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it” (I Cor. 10:13 NASB). Therefore, believers are not in a contest whose outcome is undecided.

One of the most important aspects of the doctrine of perseverance must be the relation between perseverance and temptation. The Greek noun peirasmos means temptation or trial. The verb form peiradzo means to test or tempt. In I Corinthians 10:12-14, Paul went from admonition to consolation to admonition: (1) “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (v. 12 NASB); (2) “…God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it” (v.13 NASB); (3) “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (v. 14 NASB). The little book of I John is full of assurances, but look at how John closes it. He said, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (I John 5:21 NASB). If we take admonition alone, there would be a doubt about the outcome. Furthermore, if we take consolation alone, there would be slothfulness. The faithfulness of God is the foundation for perseverance. Human resistance to either temptation or testing is not a compliment to Divine faithfulness. The limit of either temptation or testing has its origin not in the Christian, but in the sufficiency and faithfulness of God.

It is a greater miracle when God provides the Christian with equipment sufficient to conquer circumstances than it is for the Lord to remove all the difficulties. Many believe in the “eternal security” of believers, but they fail to understand the true nature of salvation. It is not in the best interest of truth to substitute the designation “eternal security” for perseverance. Perseverance guards against the idea of security to which a person may fall and remain in sin. Easy-believism promoters are responsible for the over-simplification of the “eternal security” theory. Therefore, perseverance is the key for the correct understanding of the Scriptures. It enables the believer to understand the admonitions. At the same time, perseverance destroys any idea of antinomianism. It is true that the believer sins, but he cannot abandon himself to sin.

Christianity is sometimes spoken of as “trust in the Lord” (Phil. 2:24), sometimes as the “love of Christ” (Eph. 3:19), and sometimes as “the fear [reverential fear] of God” (Jer. 32:40). God’s elect constitute a world within a world (John 1:29; 3:16; I John 5:19). Therefore, salvation is effected either (1) by ourselves alone—which is Pelagianism, or (2) by ourselves and God—which is Arminianism (most Baptists, all Methodists, all Pentecostals, all Church of Christ, etc.), or (3) by the Triune God—which is true Christianity. The latter is the truth of Scripture.

Preservation and perseverance are not to be understood as a cooperative effort—preservation on God’s part and perseverance on man’s part—in order to accomplish salvation. Perseverance is not some independent thing added to Divine preservation. I Peter 1:1-9 gives both sides—preservation and perseverance. Persons who persevere are those who have been chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and regenerated by the Spirit. What the Godhead has done on behalf of the elected ones does not leave them to stand in their own strength for the accomplishment of their perseverance. God, in the covenant of grace, does not leave His chosen ones to stand in their own strength. The redemption by Christ and the regeneration by the Spirit were not so imperfectly wrought that they have left something to be performed by the elect for their security. God’s preservation is not dependent on the elect’s perseverance, but their perseverance is dependent on God’s preservation. (See John 10, John 17, and Romans 8.)

The true believer perseveres to the end. Christ told His disciples that He was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves (Matt. 10:16). Following that statement, He also said, “And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved” (Matt. 10:22 NASB). Perseverance is necessary for the manifestation of salvation. Exhortation to perseverance is in the same sense as being exhorted to make our calling and election sure (II Pet. 1:10). As persons are exhorted to repent, although it is already determined that they shall repent, in like manner saints are commanded to persevere, although it is already determined that they shall persevere. (Study Acts 11:18, 13:48, and Romans 8:28-31.)

Perseverance is the duty of Christians. If we should cease to watch and pray, such negligence would prove our fall—not our “falling away.” Christians are not preserved like pickles in a jar. Perseverance is not something given to believers apart from faith, but it is something that comes to realization only within the context of faith. Therefore, perseverance does not depend on us, but on God’s grace. Paul said, “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” (Phil. 1:6 NASB). Perseverance is the MANIFESTATION of spiritual life.