- The Saints Commanded to Walk Godly

5. The Saints Commanded to Walk Godly – to Persevere

Everywhere in the Scriptures we read of the constant commands and exhortations for believers to be sober, to be vigilant against unbelief and ungodliness, to cease sleeping and be awake, to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, to put off the old man, to mortify the flesh, to walk worthy of our heavenly calling, and to pursue a life of faith and holiness. This is because a life of faith and holiness brings the greatest degree of salvation to a believer here and now. Each believer is commanded to be sober, to press on, to pursue, to strive, to fight the good fight of faith, to maintain a life of faith and holiness. It is true that God works in them to will and to do of His good pleasure. However, it is each believer who must labour with fear and trembling, through the grace of God working in him, to work out his own salvation, to labour to attain and maintain a life of faith and holiness unto God, to battle against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

To be kept by the power of God in the state of grace to the end is VASTLY different from being kept by the same power in a life of faith and holiness to the end! Let there be no confusion. Distinction is the essence of sound theology.

Christ did declare, “And 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.” John 10:28-29. Some seem to think that Christ had said this, “And I give them a life of faith and holiness, and they shall never cease to live a life of faith and holiness; neither shall anyone draw them away from a life of faith and holiness.”

There are obvious cases of believers who did not persevere in faith and holiness to the end. Most who hold to the ‘standard reformed position’ would just conveniently dismiss all such cases as false converts, i.e., those not elected of God. I believe this is a very deficient and inadequate solution. This is a dangerous form of reformed legalism. Lot, the nephew of Abraham, certainly did not continue in faith and holiness to the end. But God certainly kept Lot in the state of grace to the end, and as a result he entered into his eternal salvation. In churches today, many believers are more like their cousin Lot than their father Abraham. They are kept in the state of grace, because God by His power persevered to preserve them in the state of grace. However, only Abraham lived a princely life, through his faith and obedience. Lot lived a slavish life and missed God’s best for his life here as a pilgrim.

Eph. 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” God has before ordained that we SHOULD walk in them. But do we? Perseverance in faith and good works is the ultimate evidence of preservation in grace. But is it right to draw the inference that all elect will therefore persevere in faith and holiness of life? God's grace shall certainly preserve His elect in that state of grace and salvation to eternal glory. None shall fall finally away so as to be eternally lost. The elect "are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5). That is a solid Biblical truth that we should hold fast. Scripture exhorts and admonishes us to "persevere" in our faithfulness, to fight the good fight of faith, ‘watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like man, be strong.’ The elect’s preservation in the state of grace and salvation is an absolutely certainty because God perseveres to preserve His people. The elect’s perseverance to live holy and faithful life by the grace of God is conditioned upon the believer faithfully working out his salvation with fear and trembling.

Another usage of the word perseverance involves the continuance of a child of God in visible good works and the outward exercise of faith and holy living that is visible to others as well. A child of God may or may not continue in works of faith and holiness of life. Whether a child of God does or does not have this kind of continuance depends upon their personal obedience or disobedience to God. Needless to say, without God working in him both to will and to do His good pleasure, a child of God will have no obedience, yet unless he also exercise the God-given graces to do good works and exercise the inherent faith they have been given at effectual call to eternal life, they will fail to continue in faithful living and holiness of life. Failure to do so will mean missing out on some timely aspects of the blessings of salvation, but it will not change the fact that they will persevere, continue or remain in a state of grace (eternal life) and finally be housed in glory. Their persevering, continuing or remaining in the state of grace is wholly and completely and solely by the free grace of God, wholly and completely independent of their working out their salvation with fear and trembling or how well they stand fast.

While it is obviously a fact that God will without fail persevere to preserve His child in a state of grace (eternal life) to glory, it is just as obvious that not all children of God will persevere in obedience and holiness of life and some may even die in a sad state of disobedience. Thank God that He perseveres to preserve us in a state of grace and salvation (eternal life) regardless of whether we persevere in obedience and holiness of life, and enjoy the timely blessings of salvation that attend such obedience. God’s free grace perseverance to preserve His every elect is the ground and warrant and motivation for His saints to continue in a life of faith and holiness. The free grace of God that has brought salvation to us, teaches “us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” The exhortation that the saints SHOULD live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world IS NOT the same as saying all the saints WILL live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.