- The Confession’s Summary

2. The Confession’s Summary on the Perseverance of the Saints

Since the 1689 CoF is the Confessional Standard of your churches, let me turn your attention to it. The Confession of Faith should provide a good answer to the question.

1689.17.1 on the ‘Perseverance of the Saints declares thus:
“Those whom God hath accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, and given the precious faith of His elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, whence He still begets and nourisheth in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality; and though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon; notwithstanding, through unbelief and the temptations of Satan, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them, yet He is still the same, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraven upon the palm of His hands, and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity.
[The paragraph above is a combination of the 1647 WCF 17.1 and article 23 of the First London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1644 (in italic).]

Please note carefully that the essence of the perseverance of the saints is summarized in 1689.17.1 as; negatively, all those whom God has effectually called out of the state of sin and death to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ ‘can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace;’ and positively, that all those whom God has effectually called out of the state of sin and death to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ shall certainly persevere [continue, remain] therein [i.e., in the state of grace] to the end, and be eternally saved.

It is plain and obvious then that the perseverance of the saints is about the divine faithfulness of God in keeping all the effectually called elect in the state of grace to the end. It is not about the divine power of God in keeping all the effectually called elect in a life of faith and holiness to the end. It is not even about the continuous activity of the effectually called elect to remain in a life of faith and holiness. IT IS about the continuous activity of God of keeping the regenerated elect in the state of grace. In the words of Berkhof, “It is, strictly speaking, not man but God who perseveres.” God perseveres to preserve the regenerated elect in the state of grace till they enter into glory. God perseveres in His steadfast faithfulness to the covenant of redemption in the face of constant covenant unfaithfulness by His people. God perseveres to preserve His people in the face of constant covenant unfaithfulness, not a life marked by faith and holiness of life.

To say that all the effectually called elect are kept by the power of God in the state of grace to the end is very different from claiming that all the effectually called elect are kept by the power of God to continue in a life of faith and holiness to the end. They are two very different things.

The perseverance of the saints in the state of grace is God persevering to preserve the saints in the same state of grace to the end. It is not the saints continuing in a life of faith and holiness to the end. The former is a biblical teaching. The latter is a common misunderstanding and confusion at best, and a presumptuous claim at worst. Distinction is the essence of sound theology. The failure to distinguish the two leads to delusion and unbiblical claims.

Let me illustrate. Mr. Wang, the Owner and Master of a big Mansion, told a newly adopted boy, “As long as I am the owner of this mansion, you shall always remain a member of my family and have free access to all the blessings available in my mansion.” Mr. Wang’s promise guarantees that the lad will remain as a member of his family no matter what. The lad will never be turned away from or cast out of the family. It would be a serious delusion and grave presumption for the lad to think that the master’s words to him are a promise to keep him in a life of robust health and active usefulness to the end! No such thing is promised to him! For the boy to achieve and maintain a life of robust health and active usefulness, he has to labour hard to avail himself of all the appropriate means that the Master has freely made available for such purposes. Every believer, by the grace of God, has to fight and strive against the flesh, the devil, and the world to attain a life of faith and holiness, i.e. to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling

In fact the whole chapter 17 on the perseverance of the saints does not give the slightest hint that the power of God will keep the believers in a life of faith and holiness. There is no such promise. It is a foreign idea – reformed legalism – read into it. There is only certainty and infallibility of the security and perseverance of the saints in the state of grace by the divine power of God.

Instead, it is specifically stated that the believers will be overcome by unbelief and ungodliness. This is the very opposite of the presumptuous claim that the power of God will keep all the elect in a life of faith and holiness. IF this claim were indeed true, O, how wonderful and marvelous it would be. It would be so delightful for all the shepherds to shepherd flocks of faithful and holy sheep! There would be much less sorrow and grief for the shepherds to bear. They would have less gray hair. They would die at riper age too. But alas, the hard facts of the life and situation in our churches so easily demonstrate the utter fallacy of this deluded claim. It is strange that pastors could make a bold claim that is quite contrary to the hard reality of ministerial experience. Moreover such claim is also contrary to the testimony of the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments, concerning the general spiritual state of God’s people.

'Persevere therein to the end' simple means remains/continues in that state of grace to the end - WITHOUT the elect doing anything. An elect is brought into that state of grace by pure and free grace... and is kept in that same state of grace by the same pure and free grace unto eternal glory. He therefore perseveres – i.e. he remains and continues in that state of grace is absolutely by pure and free grace. To continue in a life of faith and holiness requires the good fight of faith against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.