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Sermon #5238

Perseverance of the Saints

A Sermon on the Perseverance of the Saints from Psalm 73:24

Originally preached Dec. 6, 1953

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Scripture

Psalms 73:24 ESV KJV
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. (ESV)

Sermon Description

If it was God’s grace that saves humanity, will it not be God’s grace that keeps His people? This message is good news for the backslider. In this sermon on the perseverance of the saints from Psalm 73:24, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones highlights the grace of God in the believer’s future salvation. This doctrine, known as the perseverance of the saints, belongs at the bedrock of the faith. Dr. Lloyd-Jones begins with a proper understanding of God’s grace. God’s grace saves, restrains, and restores. The backsliding Christian will be restored because God is a God of grace. His grace is the reason all Christians are, remain, and we will be saved. Nothing, therefore, can separate the believer from God’s love. First, this doctrine is rooted in God’s own character. When God starts a work, He completes it. One finds His rest in this unchangeable person of God. The true believer cannot slide too far from God’s saving grace because God’s work of redemption doesn’t change. Second, this doctrine stems from God’s purpose. God has intended to save humanity from their sin for God’s own glory. Since saving them from sin is God’s purpose, the weak Christian will indeed be saved. Finally, this doctrine rests in the power of God. Listen and know that God not only desires His children to be saved, but He has the ability to save.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The psalmist's statement about the future is a logical deduction from what he has said about the past.
  2. The doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints is found throughout the Bible.
  3. This doctrine was a source of great joy and comfort for the saints of the New Testament and throughout church history.
  4. This doctrine is based on:
  5. The unchanging character of God. He never abandons the work he begins.
  6. The purpose of God to save those who believe.
  7. The power of God to sustain believers against opposition.
  8. The work of Christ in saving us while we were still enemies. How much more will he preserve us now?
  9. Our union with Christ. We have been crucified, buried and raised with him. We partake of the divine nature. This union can never be undone.
  10. God preserves us through:
  11. Restraining and guiding us by his counsel. Putting thoughts in our minds.
  12. Working within us to will and to act for his good pleasure.
  13. Chastening and disciplining us.
  14. This process leads to increasing glory, both now and in eternity. We experience foretastes of glory now through the work of the Spirit. We will experience glory in fullness in heaven, enjoying the life of God himself.

Sermon Q&A

What Does Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About the Doctrine of Final Perseverance?

Lloyd-Jones provides a comprehensive explanation of the doctrine of final perseverance in this sermon on Psalm 73:24. Let me answer your questions about this important teaching.

What is the doctrine of final perseverance according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the doctrine of final perseverance (or "perseverance of the saints") is the biblical teaching that those who are truly saved by God will inevitably continue in faith until the end and reach glory. As he explains: "This isn't something accidental or fortuitous. God has done all this to me, sees this man, because of the relationship that exists between us, and therefore, if that is true, well, then he must go on doing that in the future."

What biblical evidence supports the doctrine of final perseverance?

Lloyd-Jones cites several key passages:

  1. John 10:28-29: "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."

  2. Romans 8: The sequence that "them he justified, he hath also glorified" and the assertion that nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God."

  3. Philippians 1:6: God "which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

  4. 1 Peter 1:5: We are "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation."

What theological arguments does Lloyd-Jones make for final perseverance?

Lloyd-Jones presents several arguments:

  1. The unchangeable character of God: "God, unlike men, never starts a work and then gives it up."

  2. The purpose of God: "It is God's purpose to save such as believe. And it's an unchanging purpose."

  3. The power of God: Christians are "held by the power of God sustained by this grace of God."

  4. The logic of redemption: "If while we were enemies, we were reconciled unto God by the death of his son, how much more shall we be saved by his life."

  5. The nature of salvation: "We are saved by union with Christ... and I suggest to you that if you're ever in Christ and joined to him, you can never cease to be."

How does Lloyd-Jones respond to the objection that this doctrine promotes carelessness?

Lloyd-Jones firmly rejects the idea that final perseverance leads to carelessness in Christian living: "If you can listen to the doctrine that I have been announcing this morning and draw that deduction...you've got no spiritual life in you."

He quotes 1 John 3:3: "Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." True understanding of this doctrine doesn't lead to license but to greater holiness.

How does Lloyd-Jones connect God's sustaining grace to glory?

Lloyd-Jones explains that God's sustaining grace ultimately leads to glory: "Thou wilt afterward receive me to glory." This includes:

  1. Partial glory now: "We arrive at a certain amount of glory even here in this world...the gifts of the spirit, the graces of the spirit, the fruit of the spirit."

  2. Perfect glory later: "Afterward we shall arrive at it perfectly. The glory that awaits us, all that is meant by heaven."

The entire doctrine demonstrates that salvation isn't just about forgiveness but about being "prepared for that positive glory" of enjoying "the life and the glory of God himself."

Old Testament

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.