IX. The 7th Theological Statement

IX. The 7th Theological Statement Briefly Examined


‘Standard reformed’: All the elect will be saved eternally because they will hear and believe the gospel; and God’s power keeps them in a life of faith and holiness, and thus all persevere in faith and holiness to the end.
1689 Baptist: All the elect shall be saved eternally because God effectually calls them to eternal life; and God perseveres to preserve His elect in the state of grace, and they shall remain in that state of grace and be eternally saved.


The 7th theological statement expressed in your letter is as follows:
Perseverance of the saints – that all the elect will be saved, and kept in faith and holiness by the power of God and thus all persevere to the end.

Let me put the pruning knife to this last of the seven deformed branches by referring you to one respected reformed theologian.


1. The View of a Respected Reformed Theologian
on Perseverance

I will quote Berkhof, a man highly respected by many who hold to the ‘standard reformed position.’ Please read his words carefully, and note his caution that the doctrine requires careful statement because the term is so commonly misunderstood. I will highlight some portions in bold.

“The doctrine of perseverance requires careful statement, especially in view of the fact that the term “perseverance of the saints” is liable to misunderstanding. It should be noted first of all that the doctrine is not merely to the effect that the elect will certainly be saved in the end… but teaches very specifically that they who have once been regenerated and effectually called by God to a state of grace, can never completely fall from that state and thus fail to attain to eternal salvation, though they may sometimes be overcome by evil and fall in sin… Moreover, we should guard against the possible misunderstanding that this perseverance is regarded as an inherent property of the believer or as a continuous activity of man, by means of which he perseveres in the way of salvation… When Strong speaks of it as “the voluntary continuance, on the part of the Christian, in faith and well doing,” and as “the human side or aspect of that spiritual process which, as viewed from the divine side, we call sanctification,” – this is certainly liable to create the impression that perseverance depends on man. The Reformed, however, do not consider the perseverance of the saints as being, first of all, a disposition or activity of the believers, though they certainly believe that man co-operates in it just as he does in sanctification. They even would stress the fact that they would fall away, if he were left to himself. It is, strictly speaking, not man but God who perseveres. Perseverance may be defined as that continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer, by which the work of divine grace that is begun in the heart, is continued and brought to completion. It is because God never forsakes His work that believers continue to stand to the very end.” [End quote] Berkhof’s Systematic, page 545-6.

It is obvious that many have made the mistake that Berkhof warned against. They have made the doctrine of perseverance to teach “very specifically that they who have once been regenerated and effectually called by God to a life of faith and holiness [in contrast to a state of grace] can never completely fall from that life of faith and holiness [in contrast to state] and thus persevere to the end and attain to eternal salvation.” It seems that many have unconsciously replaced ‘a state of grace’ with ‘a life of faith and holiness.’

A. H. Strong, who is critiqued above, was a Baptist theologian, 1836-1921; see Nettles’ mild critique of Strong in his book ‘By His Grace for His Glory.’ Strong made the serious but common error of identifying the perseverance of the saints with ‘a continuous activity on the part of the Christian in faith and well doing.’ If I am not mistaken, your idea of ‘all elect shall persevere in faith and holiness to the end’ is identical with Strong’s idea of ‘a continuous activity of man in faith and holiness to the end’ as the essence of the doctrine of perseverance. As he rightly warned, Strong was mistaken and confused as to what constitutes the essence of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.

There isn’t the slightest hint in Berkhof’s chapter on the ‘Perseverance of the Saints’ (pages 545-9) to the effect that the power of God keeps all the elect in a life of faith and holiness to the end. It is very sad that Berkhof’s caution of possible misunderstanding has been ignored by so many who claim to believe the same doctrine. I just wonder, how well does your ‘standard reformed position’ compare with the view articulated by Louis Berkhof? Whose is the ‘standard reformed position,’ yours or his?

Berkhof (1883-1957) did not say anything new. His chapter on ‘Perseverance’ is basically a brief summary of what John Gill (1697-1771) had written on the ‘Perseverance of the Saints’ in his Body of Divinity 200 years earlier. Dr Thomas J. Nettles, in his book ‘By His Grace and for His Glory, has a lengthy chapter on “John Gill: A correction to modern caricatures and misrepresentations.” Perhaps we should begin reading the works of this Particular Baptist theological giant and the other Particular Baptist forbears. We are not doing ourselves a service by restricting our reading to the weaker Calvinism and diluted thinking of more current authors.

Interestingly, The Oxford Universal Dictionary on Historical Principle gives the following theological definition to the word perseverance: “Continuance in a state of grace leading finally to a state of glory.” This is the historical usage of the word.

A child of God has eternal life, bestowed by free grace, and eternal life is eternal. It continues; it never fails to continue. It is the eternal life in him that never fails. It is not his perseverance in a life faith and holiness that never fails. The very nature of eternal life is that it continues by virtue of the very power that gives that eternal life. This is the perseverance that the Confession speaks of. That was the historical usage of the word perseverance. Once regenerated by God’s free grace and omnipotent power, the elect will persevere, remain or continue in that state of grace and salvation unto eternal glory. If a person possesses eternal life then he must persevere or continue in that state of grace and salvation because the eternal life he possesses MUST CONTINUE. The person that possesses eternal life may possibly do and be overcome by many and various sins as the London Confession states, but the eternal life he has continues, remains or perseveres. The very nature of eternal life bestowed at effectual calling unto eternal life must continue and as that eternal life continues then the possessor of that eternal life does persevere in that state of grace and salvation. See this ancient truth summarized in the 1689 CoF.

Buck’s Theological Dictionary - about 1820, the entire Dictionary can be found online – defines perseverance as ‘the continuance in any design, state, opinion, or course of action. The perseverance of the saints is their continuance in a state of grace to a state of glory. This doctrine has afforded considerable matter for controversy between the Calvinists and Arminians…’ Perseverance is the continuance by the elect in that state of grace into which God’s free grace has brought them. The modern Calvinists and the ‘standard reformed’ folks have shifted the whole emphasis of perseverance away from the elects’ continuance in the state of grace into which God’s free grace has brought them to that which the regenerated elect do and continue to do. This degeneration from pure grace to man’s work is the natural inclination and disposition of men. The way the modern Calvinsists and the ‘standard reformed’ folks understand perseverance, there is no longer any controversy between them and the avowed Arminians. There is no more difference between them on this doctrine, just as in the doctrine of justification! How time have changed! ‘Peace, peace; when there is no peace!’