Eternally Secure (1)
A Sermon on Romans 8:28-30
Scripture
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the …
Sermon Description
What does the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints have to do with identity as the body of Christ? Very much, says Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his sermon on Romans 8:28–30 titled “Eternity Secure (1).” One must be careful to remember that Christ did not come to just save isolated individuals but instead came to redeem His people, the church. The spiritual union between the church and Christ is modeled after the essential union between the Father and the Son. So, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, it is absurd to think Christ’s love for His church can be frustrated somehow as if the Father’s love for the Son could be disrupted. Part of the assurance is based on the glorious truth that Christians are those the Father has given to His Son. It is impossible to imagine separation or falling away if one remembers that Christ died for the church in order to redeem it, perfect it, and present her to God the Father. Moreover, argues Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is the fact that perseverance is guaranteed based upon the teaching of chastisement. God refuses to leave His children alone. He will be faithful to discipline in order to conform His children more and more to the image of His Son. In the end, they are secure in Christ. Praise should erupt to the God who calls, keeps, preserves and will never forsake.
Sermon Breakdown
- The doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints means that those who are born again can never finally fall away from grace.
- Every term the apostle Paul uses in Romans 8:28-30 carries the implication that this doctrine must be true, otherwise God has made a mistake.
- What is said about believers everywhere in Scripture also implies this doctrine. For example, we are told believers are saved in the life of Christ, dead to sin, born again, and united with Christ.
- John 5:24 clearly states that believers have eternal life and will not come into condemnation.
- We must think of ourselves as parts of the whole body of Christ, not just as individuals. We have no separate existence.
- Christ died for his people, the church, not just for us as individuals. We are only saved as individuals because we belong to the people Christ died for.
- The nature of the church shows that if any believer could fall away, the church would no longer be perfect. It is impossible for any part of Christ's body to be lost.
- The doctrine of chastisement confirms the final perseverance of the saints. Chastisement shows we are God's children, and he chastises us to prepare us for heaven. If we were not chastised, we would not be his children.
- God treated Judas and Peter differently, showing he preserves his own people. Though Peter denied Christ, Christ prayed for him and restored him. Judas was allowed to go his own way.
- Psalm 89:31-34 shows that though God may punish his people's sins, his lovingkindness will not be taken from them and his covenant will not be broken.
- The doctrine of the remnant shows that if God did not preserve a remnant, all would fail and fall away. But God reserves a remnant for himself according to election by grace.
- Romans 9:6-7 shows that not all who belong to Israel are children of God. There is a true Israel within the larger nation. In the same way, not all who call themselves Christians truly are. But God knows who are his.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.