Equipping University

We are bombarded with warnings every day. Some are necessary ("Don't Pass A Stopped School Bus" and "Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear"). Others are ridiculously unnecessary ("Do Not Use Preparation H Orally"). The Bible never wastes words. Every sentence has meaning and purpose and the warning passages provide the reader a necessary benefit. We have asserted that the function of warning passages is to serve as the means by which God preserves his elect for salvation. Let us keep this function in mind as we examine various passages that provide readers with warnings and admonitions.

A proper understanding of God's intended function of the warnings and exhortations in Scripture will help determine the shape of our doctrine of eternal security and assurance. The Bible presents both the promises of God and the warnings of God. We must interpret them according to their intended purpose. The warning passages in Scripture function in unison with the promise passages to evoke faith and assurance in believers. The promise is that true believers will not fall away but will instead persevere to the end and enjoy the blessings of eternal life. Now, someone might ask why God would warn a believer about falling away from the faith if it is impossible that a believer will fall away. In other words, if it were impossible for a person to drink poison, why would I warn a person to not drink poison? The problem with such a question is that the questioner does not understand God's purpose in the warnings. In the Bible, God uses warnings as the means toward that end. The warnings serve to grab our attention

The Christian life is often compared to a race in the Bible. Winning this race is the most important thing in anyone's life. Ironically, this race is the total opposite of the races we know today - particularly marathons. In today's marathons, officials are concerned with individuals who finish the race but do not start it. In the Bible, the more pressing concern is for those who start the race but do not finish it. The New Testament is filled with exhortations to run the race well so that you actually complete the race set before you. We must maintain this biblical train of thought: the reward that we receive by faith in Christ for winning this race is based or grounded on grace alone. However, only those who exercise faith in Christ and endure in their faith to the end will receive this reward. We see this truth in the biblical presentation of the nature of the type of faith that saves.

The Bible is not always as simplistic as we want it to be or perhaps think that it is. That is surely the case regarding the doctrine of salvation. To display the full understanding of all that is our salvation, the Bible uses a wide variety of metaphors or word pictures. We can understand the basis of these metaphors easily enough. However, we often miss a subtle difference in them ��� a temporal difference. For instance, salvation is depicted as a reality that is the actual possession of true believers right now by divine right as joint-heirs with Christ. At the same time, salvation is also depicted as a future reality that has not yet been inherited by those same true believers. This tension between past and future is usually termed the "already-but-not-yet" by theologians. Some passages describe the "already" and others the "not yet." However, a majority of the metaphors for salvation surprisingly fall into both categories. To emphasize one over the other is to fall into theological error. This type

The issue of eternal security is one of the most hotly debated topics in the history of Christian theology. Many believe that those who suffer from a lack of assurance promotes anxiety and a chronic uncertainty that leads to a preoccupation with oneself, one's fears, and one's failings. This lack of assurance leads to a paralyzed and feeble faith. At the other end of the spectrum, many believe that those who "know that they know that they know" they are saved with no threat of losing that salvation tend to live a life of moral laxity leading to a fatal spiritual apathy. Is it possible to avoid both extremes? There are two types of passages that the student of the Bible must strive to understand in order to come to an accurate position on this subject. First, there are passages that seem to clearly indicate a simple understanding of the absolute eternal security of the believer. However, the same individuals who spoke and recorded the divinely inspired promises also spoke and wrote divinely inspired statement