Eternal Security

Issues – April 2022 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Eternal Security

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. — Romans 8:34 NKJV

Two Problems And Their Solution
In the first eight chapters of The Epistle To The Romans , Paul takes much time to write about the two great problems that every person has from the time he is born:

1. The problem of his sins – his bad deeds.
2. The problem of sin as an evil principle within him – the flesh.

God – in the Lord Jesus and His work upon the cross – has the solution to both of these problems. Whoever believes on Him receives the forgiveness of sins and is justified, or declared righteous. At the same time his sinful nature has been judicially condemned at the cross. The believer has been set free from his sin, and can now live for God through the Holy Spirit.

Four Questions
In Romans 8:31-39 the doctrinal part of this epistle ends with a series of “Who” Questions:

1. Who is against us? There are enemies who are against us. Yet as believers we should know that these enemies cannot separate us from God because He is for us. He demonstrated this when He gave His own Son (vv.31-32). This is a firm foundation on which faith rests.
2. Who will bring a charge against us? The Devil does this, yet it must not disturb us. The Judge declares that He finds no guilt in us. He justifies us, and this silences every charge against us (vv.33-34).
3. Who is he who condemns? People may be against us and the Devil may accuse us. Only the Judge would be able to condemn us. But all who are “in Christ” will not be condemned, because the righteous Judge will never utter such a sentence. God does not punish twice. Our Savior bore our punishment on the cross. Our security lies in Christ, in what He has done and is still doing (v.34).
4. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? No condition and no person will ever be able to do this (vv.35-39).

No Condemnation
Let’s turn to the third question now and look at the answer a bit more closely. The question is: Who is he who condemns?

It is as if we are standing before a court and someone makes an accusation. We cannot stop that from happening. No accuser can at the same time pronounce the verdict. Only the judge can do that, and in our case He declares, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (v.1). If the divine, righteous Judge speaks this verdict, no one can challenge it. No appeal can be made against this ruling. It is final. No condemnation! No damnation!

A Divine Explanation
The explanation as to why we will not be condemned consists of four important declarations. They show the security of our salvation.

1. Christ has died.
2. Christ has been raised.
3. Christ is at the right hand of God.
4. Christ makes intercession for us.

The answer resembles four whacks of a hammer with which God, as it were, drives four nails into a wall, which no one will be able to pull out again. Every whack of the hammer includes the word “Christ.” He who is exalted to God’s right hand has solved the problem. In spite of Adam’s offense through which “judgment came to all men” (5:18), the righteous verdict for the believer is no condemnation! The Judge stands on our side. The verdict has already been given. We need not fear.

This mighty fact of salvation is fully secure in Christ! In Him we have:

The sure foundation: Christ has died. This was needed to atone for our sins and to condemn sin. The Just One died “for the unjust” (1 Pet. 3:18). Christ was “delivered up because of our offenses” (Rom. 4:25). He was made “to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21). Because God judged sin on Christ, there is no more condemnation for us. A just God does not judge a matter twice. The cross of Golgotha is the foundation of our salvation. At the same time, it is the evidence of divine love. There the Lord proved His love to us. He loved His own who were in the world even to the end, or uttermost (Jn. 13:1). God likewise has demonstrated His love toward us (Rom. 5:8).

The sure evidence: Christ has been raised. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is one of the essential points of the gospel (1 Cor. 15:4). It is basic. In Romans 4:25 we read that the Lord Jesus “was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” No justification without resurrection. The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus are united together inseparably. The resurrection is the confirmation and guarantee that God has accepted the work of His Son. God has set His seal on this by raising Him up from among the dead. At the same time the resurrection shows us that we are on the side of the Victor of Golgotha (1 Cor. 15:57). Looking upon the Risen One gives us power.

A sure position: Our position is “in Christ,” and this Christ is now at God’s right hand. The Gospels, the Acts, and the Epistles speak of this. He has died and been raised again, and He is now sitting as Son of Man at God’s right hand. God sees the redeemed in Him – in Christ we are standing before God. Although this thought actually goes beyond the teaching of Romans, we see it indicated here to show us how fully secure our position is. With all respect we say, “Christ would have to leave His place at God’s right hand for someone to be able to condemn us successfully.” This is impossible, for He has sat down at the right hand of God “forever” (Heb. 10:12). Therefore our position is fully secure. There is no longer any condemnation and can never be any condemnation! Not only so, for the fact that He is already there guarantees that we too shall one day be where He is (Jn. 14:3). Our security is linked together with our sure hope!

An absolute certainty: Christ is interceding for us. In Romans 8:26 Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit helps in our weaknesses. Christ is helping us there, where He is now. We are very often too little aware of this fact and its effects. Nonetheless, He does this and does it constantly, even when we are not thinking of it. This is also true when the Devil wants to disturb our minds about our eternal salvation. Christ loves us far too much not to step in to help us. He works with the intent that we should rejoice in the certainty of our salvation. Zechariah 3 is an illustration of this ministry of the Lord. There we read that Joshua the high priest, wearing filthy clothes, was standing before the Lord. Satan is there to accuse him. Yet the accusation accomplishes nothing; God does not accept it. The Lord takes Joshua’s dirty clothes and assures him that his iniquity has been removed from him. Instead, he is to be clothed in rich robes, or festive garments (Zech. 3:1-5).

Divine Love
At the end of his exposition Paul reminded us of divine love. He asked the question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom. 8:35). As already mentioned, nothing and no one is “able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v.39). This is impossible!

In the four points we have considered we see solid proof of divine love to us. Christ loved us when He was treading the difficult way to Golgotha. His love does not change; He still loves us. God has loved us and has given His Son for us. He has justified us in Christ. Could there be any doubt about the love of God? No! With the bride in the Song of Songs we can happily say, “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine” (Song 6:3). “My beloved is mine, and I am his” (2:16).

Romans 8 begins with the statement that God sees us “in Christ” and there is now no condemnation. At the end it is confirmed that God in Christ is for us. He has done all that was or would ever be needed. God has given His Son, has saved us and has freed us. He has loved us and He still loves us. Indeed, God is for us. Can there be any doubt we are eternally safe and secure?

To Sum Up
We cannot keep the Devil from trying to make us insecure, but we can very well prevent him from having us call in question our eternal security. We must simply look in the right direction. Looking at ourselves – what we believe, think or feel – or at people and their insights will not do. Our look must be directed to the cross and to the Risen One. We must focus on the Man at God’s right hand. This removes our every doubt. Christ has completed everything. He loves us and God loves us. This gives us eternal security and joy.

By Ernst-August Bremicker