Perseverance Of The Saints

Romans 8:37-39 (NIV)
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This scripture should alone settle the issue, but I will post more in time. If you are a believer in Christ who has along the way picked up the notion or accepted the teaching that a person can be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, be born again into the family of God and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus and then in spite of these glorious truths, through apostasy or some action or process in their lives come to lose their faith and be damned to eternal darkness – then I want to encourage you to read this one passage of scripture ten times a day for a month and really mull over each word and phrase and see if, after much thought and prayer, you can place yourself outside the categories presented here of the things that will NOT be able to separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. For example – neither death nor life. The scripture here states categorically that when a believer dies their death does not separate them from God’s love – that is a given in a faith where we all agree on the resurrection of the dead but then why include that life will not separate us from God either? Life is where we live in this world and make all our mistakes and believe in various errors (secondary issues like the age of the earth or mode of baptism for example). Life is the only place, time or condition where a person could do the things which, those who argue against the perseverance of the saints believe, would cut them off from their rebirth.
On a similar thought consider the category of "neither the present nor the future". Surely the straightforward interpretation of this is that neither what is now happening nor what will happen - in other words what you are doing and what you will do - if you are a true believer - will make you lose God's love for you in Christ?
But more convincing still, ask yourself – if you believe you can be lost once you are saved – do you fall inside or outside of the category “anything else in all creation”? Surely you are a part of the creation and therefore cannot separate yourself from God’s love?

But there is a reservation that comes from the Scripture and must be always considered prayerfully – “unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5) in context these words come after:  “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you.” Those who are not in the faith, but merely (and sometimes very convincingly) seem to be, can and indeed do fall away. The wheat and the tares grow side by side in the master's field - and even the angels cannot discern the difference enough to weed the unsaved out until the harvest is ready (Matthew 13:24-30). Those who make a profession of faith but then leave the faith never were Christians in the first place – see 1 John 2:19:
“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”

True Christians are saved, are being saved and will be saved – what God sets out to do – that He will do.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. (Thessalonians 5:23-24)
If we needed God to rescue us when we were lost, we also need Him to keep us safe until we are home and glorified. The Shepherd finds the lost sheep but then also hoists it over his shoulders abd carries it home(Luke 15). We do disservice to the mighty work of Christ’s continual Heavenly intercession (Hebrews 7:25) and the great condescension of the Holy Spirit that He comes to dwell in us and even be called the seal of our salvation (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30) and yet, by doubting the preservation of the Saints, claim that somehow Jesus’ prayers will fail and the Holy Spirit will give up in the face of our almighty freewill? In some ways the teaching against the 'P' of the Calvinistic TULIP is a pernicious blasphemy against the work that God has said he will do – he will not be separated by anything in all creation least of all the actual believe themselves – from the very sinners he has chosen before the foundation of the world to set his affection upon. This is most encouraging to the repenter who continues throughout their life to struggle with sin and depend on God's grace and mercy - not their works before or after they are born again.
 I love Him for this truth.
Amen.