(Ordinally written as a term paper for Tyndale Theological Seminary) By Joseph M. Willmouth Trinity Bible Church, Biloxi MS     INTRODUCTION My Christian life began in May, 1974, in Michigan. After I graduated from High School in Indiana, I joined the Air Force and ended up in Michigan. It was there that I ran into some Christians one night who invited be to a bible study. Later that week I attended their bible study, and it was there that I asked Jesus into my heart and life. Like so many other "baby" Christians, I was not really put into any kind of discipleship program, but was left to figure out things on my own. The only things I can remember being taught was what I could or couldn't do, say, or wear. Within a few months after my conversion, I had the chance to leave the Air Force and return home by serving in the Air National Guard. So with this, I went back home to an non-Christian atmosphere where it did not take me long to back-slide into sin. Years later when the Lord brought me to my knees, I returned to service and joined a local bible church. The Lord seemed to bless this faithfulness, because it wasn't long before my wife accepted Christ and as the years passed, so did our two children. But I can remember reading my bible and coming across Hebrews 6:6, yes the verse that many claim as the verse that clearly points to the loss of salvation for any unfaithful believer. This really threw me for a loop for awhile until I talked to my pastor. So this brings us to the point of this paper, can you loose your salvation? Do the Scriptures really teach this? LOSS OF SALVATION SCRIPTURES The truth of the matter is, when it comes to many of the passages that people like to point out as proof of the possibility of someone's lose of salvation, the problem is not the verse, but their hermeneutics. Biblical hermeneutics is the study of those principles which pertain to the interpretation of the Scriptures. (1)Paul tells Timothy that he is to handle rightly the word of truth in 2 Timothy 2:25. To sum up the rules or guidelines that should be used to understand the Scriptures, John Wycliffe best summed them up as such, "It shall Greatly Helpe Ye to Understand Scripture, If Thou Mark Not only What is Spoken or Written, But of Whom, And to Whom, With what Words, At what Time, Where, To what Intent, With what Circumstances, Considering what Goeth Before and what Followeth." John Wycliffe (1324-1383) The point is this, if all we had where the few verses setting by themselves (i.e., removed from their context), then there might be grounds to stand on for the loss of salvation. Let me give you an example of this, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." Galatians 5:4 (KJV) I have had Christians point this verse out to me as proof that a Christian can fall from grace (i.e., loss of salvation). Now just pulling this verse out of the Bible and reading it does give the appearance that someone can indeed lose their salvation. But when you applied the basic rules of interpretation (as pointed out by John Wycliffe), it becomes obvious that this verse is not talking about the loss of salvation. In the book of Galatians, the apostle Paul wrote the church warning them of the danger of being led astray from the gospel of grace by false teachers (Judaizers). These Judaizers were a group who appeared to be Christian, but were trying to make Christianity an extension of Judaism by teaching that Christian converts must be circumcised, and keep the regulations and rituals prescribed by the Mosaic Law (i.e., Salvation = Grace + Works). When you put this verse (5:4) in the context of chapter 5, verses 1-12, it becomes clear that Paul is not talking about the loss of salvation, but rather, you cannot be under the Law (circumcision) and under Grace (Christ). They do not mix, because a person is either under the Law or is under Grace. Plus if you look at the Greek word for "fallen" (ekpipto) in verse 4, its meaning can be "to drop away," "be driven out of one's course," "to become inefficient," or "take none effect." (2) Thus it becomes clear that Paul is not taking about the loss of salvation, but rather they (the believers) by their trying to go back to the Law was "hindering," "putting them off course," or "making them become inefficient" in their Christian walk. Many other verses have been misquoted or pulled out of context to support the argument of those who believe that a Christian's salvation can be lost. Lewis Sperry Chafer points out the so-called "insecurity passages" and says that a careful study of these passages show they are not in reality, opposed to the positive doctrine of security of the believer, but rather they seem to teach insecurity only when they are misunderstood. Chafer states, "Certain of these do not apply to the Christian since they belong to another dispensation (Matt. 24:13; Ezk. 33:7, 8; Matt. 18:23-35; 25:30). Other passages refer only to false and unregenerate teachers of the "last days" (1 Tim. 4:1, 2; 2 Pet.2:1-22; Jude 1:17-19). One passage describes that which is merely a moral reformation (Luke 11:24-26). Several of these Scriptures bear on the important fact that Christian profession is justified by its fruits. Salvation which is of God will, under normal conditions, prove itself to be such by its own fruits (1 John 3:10; John 8:31; 15:6; 2 Pet.1:10; Jas. 2:14-26; 1 Cor.15:1, 2; Heb.3:6, 16). In addition to this, there are certain passages that contain warnings which, when rightly interpreted, do not imply the insecurity of the believer under grace. Jews are warned that since their sacrifices have ceased they must turn to Christ or be lost (Heb. 10:26), in like manner, unsaved Jews as well as Gentiles are warned against "falling away" from the illuminating, converting work of the Spirit (Heb.6:4-9). So, also, unspiritual Jews are warned that they will not be received into the coming kingdom (Matt.25:1-13), and Gentiles are given a corporate warning which has no reference to the individual believer (Rom. 11:21). Again, the one who is saved and safe may lose his reward (1 Cor. 3:15; Col. 1:21-23), and be disapproved concerning his service for Christ (1 Cor. 9:27). Likewise, he may lose his fellowship because of sin (1 John 1:6), and he may be chastened of God (1 Cor. 11:29-32; John 15:2; 1 John 5:16). (3) So as I stated, the problem is not the Scriptures but those who do not know how to properly handle the Scriptures. From what I have seen in my Christian walk (both in Europe and America), is that most Christians do not know what they believe, let alone being able to discern what is being preached to them is correct or not. This is a sad fact. Another problem that lies out there for Christians is there are "false teachers" or "preachers" who do not proclaim the truth because they can control people by fear (in this case, fear of losing their salvation). There may be some out there who would still want to argue what I have presented thus far, but when you start looking at the abundance of other Scriptures that teach the security of the believer, one must either agree with the security of the believer or believe the Bible is full or errors. The root of this problem is the believer's understanding of their role or position before God in attaining salvation. If salvation is by works, then you can work your way out of your salvation. "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." Romans 11:6 (KJV) But, if salvation is totally of God, then the believer can do nothing to work their way into it or out of it. So in order to understand our position before God, we must first understand how we are justified before God. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH Justification by faith was the second great principle of the Reformation. The Reformers believed that salvation was by the free and undeserved grace of Christ. This came to be known as "justification by faith only." The Protestants believed that by the action of God alone, in death and the resurrection of Christ, they were called from their sin to a new life in Jesus Christ. (4)Martin Luther saw the gospel, or good news of Christ in that God imputes or reckons the perfect righteousness demanded in the Law, fulfilled by Christ, to sinners who receive it by faith. This was the essence of Luther's doctrine of justification by faith. Luther clearly believed that faith or trust in the promises of Christ alone justifies, because faith alone receives and rests in Christ's imputed righteousness. (5)But when we speak of justification by faith, it is not simply two sides (Roman Catholic and Protestant) arguing a point, but we find that there is no clear dividing line between these two groups. Today among the Protestants groups there is disagreement about the extent of one's justification and salvation. I find it interesting that a standard Webster's dictionary explains justification by faith clearer than most religious groups do, "In theology, the act by which a sinner is freed through faith from the penalty of his sin, and is accepted by God as righteous or worthy of being saved." (6) The concept of justification has its roots in the Old Testament. The Just is a phrase that is peculiar to the Old Testament where men were classed as either wicked or just. "The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth." Psalms 37:12 (KJV) The term "just" is applied to such men like Noah. So the terminology refers to the qualities in a person of justice, reasonableness, righteousness in life and compliance with the law of God. Micah came close to answering the question of how a man can be justified with God, (7) "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:8 (KJV) Justification as a part of the Old Testament law for Israel had a provision found in Deuteronomy, "If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked." Deuteronomy 25:1 (KJV) The judge did not make the person righteous or wicked, nor could they. The person was already righteous or guilty when they appeared before the judge. What the judge did was examine the case and pronounce the verdict. The judge did not change the person's character or actions; they announced a verdict which they believed to be true and verified. The verdict does not make a person righteous or guilty, but only announces what is so. Throughout the Bible God is pictured as a judge, "That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Genesis 18:25 (KJV) "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:8 (KJV) "Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door." James 5:9 (KJV) When a sinner stands before God, God only has three options with regard to that person's case. Either God must condemn that sinner, or He must compromise His own holiness and find some sort of middle ground on which to accept him, or God can change the sinner into a righteous person and then truly announce him as righteous. But this type of righteousness has to be the kind of righteousness that satisfies the standards of a holy God, and it has to be an actual righteousness, not a fictitious one. (8)Justice refers to a virtue which doubtless has its only perfect manifestation in God. We must also make a distinction between just men of the Old Testament and those people who are justified according to the New Testament. According to the Old Testament people were justified because they were true and faithful in keeping the Mosaic Law, therefore they were just because of their own works for God. But in the New Testament justification is God's work for man in answer to their faith. (9) It's Definition: The word Justification comes from the Greek word dikaioo, which means to make valid, to absolve, to vindicate, or to set right. Zondervan's Bible Dictionary defines justification as, " the judicial act of God, by which, on the basis of the meritorious work of Christ, imputed to the sinner and received by him through faith, He declares the sinner absolved from his sin, released from its penalty, and restored as righteous."(10) The New Standard Dictionary defines justification as, "as the word used in the New Testament to describe the act of God in which a sinful man is forgiven and received into the fellowship of God through his faith in Jesus Christ....It means to pronounce righteous; it affirms that, in spite of past sin, an accused person now stands in right relations. It does not mean that he has become a righteous character, nor that he has not sinned in the past, but that now God, his holy judge, treats him as righteous."(11) Lewis Sperry Chafer defines justification as, "The declaration by God respecting the Christian that he has been made forever right and acceptable to Himself....All whom God has predetermined are called, and all who are called are justified, and all who are justified are now, and to be, glorified. God cannot afterwards condemn the one that He has before justified." (12) It's Nature: To be able to fully understand what justification is and what it is not we must look at it's nature. First of all God's justification is a declarative act by which the sinner is declared to be free from guilt and the consequences of sin. (13) "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." Romans 4:6-8 (KJV) "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Rom 5:18-19 (KJV) "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Romans 8:33-34 (KJV) "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 (KJV) In his book, "These Things We Believe," Clyde Turner says that God not only forgives the sinner, but God also restores the sinner to divine favor, and treats him as if he had not sinned at all. Mr. Turner states that justification is the act by which God declares the sinner to be righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. (14)Charles Swindoll says that the term justified is more than saying you have been forgiven for your sins, or that God makes us righteous so that we will never sin again. Justified means to be "declared righteous." God says to us, "Declared righteous! Forgiven! Pardoned!" (15)Not only is justification a declarative act, but it is also a judicial act in which the idea of judgment and salvation are combined to represent Christ fulfilling the law on behalf of the sinner. (16) "He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward." Matthew 10:41 (KJV) "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Romans 3:26 (KJV) "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:" Romans 8:3 (KJV) "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" Galatians 3:13 (KJV) "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers," 1 Timothy 1:9 (KJV) "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" 1 Peter 3:18 (KJV) Dr. H. C. G. Moule says that the term justification is a word that is connected with law, and has to do with acquittal, vindication, acceptance before a judgment seat. He says it is a forensic word, a word of the law courts (which in old Rome stood in the forum). And as a word used as such is a sentence of acquittal, a sentence of acceptance, at the judgment seat of a holy God. The direct concern of justification is with the sinner's need of a divine deliverance, and not from the power of his sin, but from sin's guilt. (17)A third element of the nature of justification is that it is a remissive act in which God actually remits the sin of man unto forgiveness.(18) "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 4:5 (KJV) "For he that is dead is freed from sin." Romans 6:7 (KJV) Finally, justifications nature is a restorative act by which God forgives the sinner and restores the sinner to favor through the imputation of Christ's righteousness. (19) "And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." Romans 5:11 (KJV) "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" 1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV) "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Galatians 3:6 (KJV) Webster's defines "impute" as to attribute to another, to ascribe to a person as coming from another. (20)This is an fitting description of what Christ did for us. The word imputation comes from the Latin word imputare, which means "to reckon," "to charge to one's account," and relates to the problem of how sin is charged to every person. (21)John F. MacArthur Jr., states that justification by faith is Christ's own perfect righteousness, imputed to the believer, and that makes the pivotal difference between true biblical justification and that of cults and the Roman Catholic Church. (22)But the major emphasis in justification is that it is an act of God, shown in the process of completion and a continuous operation of the work of Christ. (23) "Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." Romans 4:25 (KJV) "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Romans 5:18 (KJV) It is an act as already accomplished in the completed work of Christ, and at the same time it is a state in Christ to which the justified sinner is elevated. (24) "And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Romans 5:16-18 (KJV) "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." 1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Romans 8:10 (KJV) "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" 1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV) It's Essentials: According to Zondervan's Bible Dictionary there are four essentials of justification that are taught by the Scriptures. The first is theremission of punishment where the believer is declared to be free of the demands of the law since they have been satisfied in Jesus Christ, and they are no longer exposed to the penalty of the law.(25) "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Romans 4:5 (KJV) "For he that is dead is freed from sin." Romans 6:7 (KJV) This is more than a pardon from sin, but the declaration by God that the sinner, though guilty, has had the fact of his guilt remitted in Jesus Christ. So justification proclaims one to be justified whom God sees as perfected in His Son; The sinner becomes righteous in God's sight when he is in Christ. (26) Another essential of justification is that it is therestoration to favor. Here the believer is declared to be personally righteous in Christ, so they are therefore accepted as being in Christ's righteousness. This implies that God treats the sinner as if he had never sinned since they are now regarded as being personally righteous in Christ. (27) "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Galatians 3:6 (KJV) The apostle Paul appealed to the Scriptures to show that the patriarch Abraham depended on faith for righteousness. So through God's restoration we have acquittal, approval, pardon, and promotion. The third essential of justification is theimputed righteousness of God. This is granted the justified believer through Christ's presence in him. Our salvation in Christ imparts the quality and character of Christ's righteousness to us, and Christ is made the Justifier through whom a new life is inaugurated in the believer.(28) "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Romans 3:25-26 (KJV) "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" 1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV) The final essential of justification is a new legal standing before God. Instead of being under the condemnation of sin, the justified believer stands before God in Christ. There has been an absolute interchange of position, where Christ takes the place of the sinner and it's curse, thus being made sin in our place and judged for our sins. (29) "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) "Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto." Galatians 3:15 (KJV) It's Basis: The term justification designates the transformation in which we are made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. (30) So it is that faith is the basis of justification, without it there could be no justification. What is faith? It is the reliance upon a thing or person supposed to be trustworthy. So faith means that we have a practical confidence, a reliance, in something that is genuine. It means a putting of ourselves and our needs, in personal reliance, into God's hands. The virtue of faith lies in the virtue of its object, and that object in the matter of justification is our Lord Jesus Christ. (31) Faith is viewed by the New Testament as the act in which the fundamental right relation with God is really established, thus the man who trusts God is righteous. Without faith, no man can be righteous toward God, since it is faith that creates the basis and quality of all action. Faith is the trust of man's soul in God, whose redeeming love in Jesus Christ, and that alone made faith possible. Faith is not the result of man's works in search of God, but is the response to God's goodness. And faith is by its very nature the denial of personal merit, but is the acceptance of grace. When God reckons the believing man as righteous there is no fiction on God's part and no merit on man's part, and yet he is righteous.(32) So righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ. "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:" Romans 3:22 (KJV) The gift of righteousness comes by God's grace to the one who does nothing other than believing in God's Son, Jesus Christ. Romans, chapter five hammers home this point, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:12-21 (KJV) If a person would try to justify themselves by their own works of righteous, then their reward is not imputed according to the standard of debt, and their reward would "be due" making God obligated to him. Justification under those circumstances is no longer a gift of grace. (33) "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." Romans 4:4 (KJV) "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." Romans 11:6 (KJV) Thus it is clear that justification by faith in Christ must be recognized as a free gift that is based on Christ's death and reconciles us to God. Justification by faith in Christ must also be understood as a rejection of any view of salvation by works. God's justification of the sinner through faith in Jesus Christ is an act in which God takes the first step. Justification is a present experience that implies a time of final judgment and justification is always conditioned by the responding faith of people, and is grounded in the atoning work of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul understood justification to be a changing experience because it is made possible by faith. So to be justified, declared righteous, by God is to be reconciled to God by faith that is always based upon God's grace on the basis of Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross and realized through the human response of faith. (34) "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" Romans 3:22-24 (KJV) H. C. G. Moule sums up justification by faith as, "Faith, reliance, is the sinful man's 'coming in' to accept the sacred amnesty of God in Christ, taking at his Word his benignant King. It is the rebel's coming into right relations with his offended Lord in this great matter of forgiveness and acceptance. It is not a virtue, not a merit, but a proper means."(35) I found it interesting that in the same book that they quote a Bishop Hopkins, who says that faith is a marriage bond between Christ and a believer. That by faith we are united to Christ, and by that union we have a righteousness, and upon that righteousness the justice as well as mercy of God is engaged to justify and acquit us. (36)Not only does justification by faith show us that we have lasting salvation, but there are numerous Scriptures that plainly confirm the security of the believer. SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER Charles C. Ryrie says that eternal security is the work of God which guarantees the gift of salvation, once received, is possessed forever and cannot be lost. This is based on the fact that security rests on God's guarantee, its truthfulness, and does not rest upon our feelings or experiences. Eternal security is a true fact whether or not an individual has assurance of that or not. Eternal security is the grace of God who gives us the gift of eternal life, and that grace is eternal. When we receive that gift, it brings us into a relationship with all Persons of the Godhead, which guarantees and assures us that our salvation is eternally secure. (37) We have these assurances throughout the Scriptures: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 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 10:27-29 (KJV) These verses in John teach that the Lord said that we are secure in His and the Father's hand, and that guarantees that He will keep believers safe. Here Jesus gives believers a double wall of security, and in the Greek there is a double negative used which reads, "no, not any man.." The best way to visualize this is to picture yourself in the cupped hands of Jesus, and if that's not enough, the Father's hands are cupped around Jesus' hands to keep from losing anyone. What Security! Another passage that used this double negative is, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37 (KJV) This is an emphatic statement that might be paraphrased "the one who comes to me I will positively and absolutely not throw out." No "ifs," "ands," buts," or "howevers" about it. This statement shows beyond any doubt that there is nothing temporary about eternal security. (38) As a matter of fact, anyone who would closely study the gospel of John would soon find that anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ as Saviorhas(present tense) eternal life, not maybe or might have (John 3:18, 36; 5:24; 6:39). In Romans 8:30, we see the use of such words as, predestined, called, justified, and glorified. These are all written in the same tense indicating that the glorification of all believers is as certain as their predestination, calling, and justification. Hebrews 7:25, tells us that our Lord's continual intercession for us keeps us saved completely and eternally. This is because when we do sin, we have our Lord to plead our case before God (1 John 2:1-2), and because Christ has provided total and eternal satisfaction for our sins, we stand forgiven. Nothing and no one (and that means even ourselves) can separate us from the everlasting love of God (Romans 8:35-39). (39) I think Charles C. Ryrie sums it up well when he said, "If our salvation is not secure, then our new birth would have to be able to die or we would have to be able to destroy it by some act of sin. But never does the New Testament even hint that such could happen. Regeneration is that work of God which gives to the one who believes new life through the new birth. Further, regeneration is instantaneous--either one is dead in sin or alive in Christ." (40) The list of Scriptures goes on and on. For someone to say that you and I can lose our salvation is a boast of denial. Denial of believing the Word of God. Denial of the teachings of Jesus Christ, denial of the teachings of God the Father, and denial of the Holy Spirit. It is to say that you are smarter than God and even more powerful than God. In essence, a person would have to kick God off His throne and make themselves's God. CONCLUSION There are those who believe and teach that a person can lose their salvation, thus they would also lose their justification. But as the Scriptures have plainly pointed out throughout this paper that justification and eternal life is an act provided by God, not man. So how could a man lose something which is not his to begin with? It is clear that we must come to God, by faith in His Son, but it is God who justifies us and not ourselves. I once had a bumper sticker that showed Christ upon the cross and said, "If you can earn it, then why did He die?" This very simply points to the truth that God in all things made it so man could not brag about anything they have done, but that man must come as he is, on God's terms if he will be justified. The grounds upon which justification rests is the redeeming work of Christ's death, and is the sole basis upon which God can justify the lost sinner. The danger of making justification a strictly legal process and interpreting relations with God exclusively through that must be avoided. Justification is the moral action and reaction between the Divine and the human, which was the implicit teaching of Jesus throughout His ministry and in the way He treated other who came to Him for rest.(41) Bibliography A New Standard Bible Dictionary, edited by Melancthon W. Jacobus D.D., Edward E. Nourse D.D., and Andrew C. Zenos D.D., Funk and Wagnalls Company, New York NY, 1926 Christian Faith and Beliefs, by Morris Ashcraft, Broadman Press, Nashville TN, 1984 Eternal Security, by Charles R. Swindoll, Multnomah Press, Portland OR, 1981 Great Leaders of the Christian Church, editor John D. Woodbridge, Moody Press, Chicago IL, 1988 Growing Deep In The Christian Life, by Charles R. Swindoll, Multnomah Press, Portland OR, 1986 Hermeneutics, Bernard L. Ramm and Others, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids MI, 1988 Major Bible Themes, by Lewis Sperry Chafer, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI, 1972 Quickverse for Windows, Version 3.0d, Parson's Technology Inc, Cedar Rapids IA, copyright 1992-1994 Reckless Faith, by John F. MacArthur Jr., Crossway Books, Wheaton IL, 1994 So Great Salvation, by Charles C. Ryrie, Victor Books, USA, 1994 Systematic Theology, by Lewis Sperry Chafer, Vol. VII, Dallas Seminary Press, Dallas TX, 1974 The Fundamentals, edited by R. A. Torrey, Chp. 40, "Justification by Faith," by H. C. G. Moule, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids MI, 1995 The History of Christianity, editor Dr. Tim Dowley, Lion Publishing, Elgin IL, 1994 The Moody Handbook of Theology, by Paul Enns, Moody Press, Chicago IL. 1989 The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by Merrill C. Tenney, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids MI These Things We Believe, by J. Clyde Turner, Convention Press, Nashville TN, 1969 Webster's New Word Dictionary, College Edition, editors, B. Guralnik and Joseph H. Friend, World Press 1.  Hermeneutics, Bernard L. Ramm and Others, pp.5-8, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids MI, 1988 2.  Quickverse for Windows, Version 3.0d, Strong's Hebrew/Greek Dictionary, index #1601, Parson's Technology Inc, copyright 1992-1994 3.  Major Bible Themes, by Lewis Sperry Chafer, pp. 187-188, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI, 1972 4.  The History of Christianity, editor Dr. Tim Dowley, p. 372, Lion Publishing, Elgin IL, 1994 5.  Great Leaders of the Christian Church, editor John D. Woodbridge, p. 190, Moody Press, Chicago IL, 1988 6. Webster's New Word Dictionary, College Edition, editors, B. Guralnik and Joseph H. Friend, p. 795, World Press 7.  Systematic Theology, by Lewis Sperry Chafer, Vol. VII, p.217, Dallas Seminary Press, Dallas TX, 1974 8.  So Great Salvation, by Charles C. Ryrie, pp. 127-128, Victor Books, USA, 1994 9.  Systematic Theology, by Lewis Sperry Chafer, Vol. VII, p.219, Dallas Seminary Press, Dallas TX, 1974 10.  The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by Merrill C. Tenney, p. 460, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids MI 11. A New Standard Bible Dictionary, edited by Melancthon W. Jacobus D.D., Edward E. Nourse D.D., and Andrew C. Zenos D.D., p. 489, Funk and Wagnalls Company, New York NY, 1926 12. Systematic Theology, by Lewis Sperry Chafer, Vol. VII, pp. 219-220, Dallas Seminary Press, Dallas TX, 1974 13. The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by Merrill C. Tenney, p. 460, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids MI 14.  These Things We Believe, by J. Clyde Turner, p.82, Convention Press, Nashville TN, 1969 15.  Growing Deep In The Christian Life, by Charles R. Swindoll, p. 238, Multnomah Press, Portland OR, 1986 16.  The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by Merrill C. Tenney, p. 460, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids MI 17.  The Fundamentals, edited by R. A. Torrey, Chp. 40, "Justification by Faith," by H. C. G. Moule, p. 441, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids MI, 1995 18.  The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by Merrill C. Tenney, p. 460, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids MI 19.  Ibid, p. 460 20.  Webster's New Word Dictionary, College Edition, editors, B. Guralnik and Joseph H. Friend, p. 733, World Press 21.  The Moody Handbook of Theology, by Paul Enns, p. 311, Moody Press, Chicago IL. 1989 22. Reckless Faith , by John F. MacArthur Jr., p. 114, Crossway Books, Wheaton IL, 1994 23.  The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by Merrill C. Tenney, p. 460, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids MI 24. Ibid, p. 460 25. The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by Merrill C. Tenney, p. 460, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids MI 26. Systematic Theology, by Lewis Sperry Chafer, Vol. VII, p. 222, Dallas Seminary Press, Dallas TX, 1974 27.  The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by Merrill C. Tenney, pp. 460-461, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids MI 28.  Ibid, p. 461 29.  The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by Merrill C. Tenney, p. 461, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids MI 30.  Christian Faith and Beliefs, by Morris Ashcraft, pp. 95-96, Broadman Press, Nashville TN, 1984 31.  The Fundamentals, edited by R. A. Torrey, Chp. 40, "Justification by Faith," by H. C. G. Moule, pp. 442-444, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids MI, 1995 32.  A New Standard Bible Dictionary, edited by Melancthon W. Jacobus D.D., Edward E. Nourse D.D., and Andrew C. Zenos D.D., p. 489, Funk and Wagnalls Company, New York NY, 1926 33.  So Great Salvation, by Charles C. Ryrie, p. 131, Victor Books, USA, 1994 34.  Christian Faith and Beliefs, by Morris Ashcraft, pp. 259-260, Broadman Press, Nashville TN, 1984 35.  The Fundamentals, edited by R. A. Torrey, Chp. 40, "Justification by Faith," by H. C. G. Moule, p. 446, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids MI, 1995 36.  Ibid 37.  So Great Salvation, by Charles C. Ryrie, pp.137-138, Victor Books, USA, 1994 38.  Eternal Security, by Charles R. Swindoll, p.10, Multnomah Press, Portland OR, 1981 39.  So Great Salvation, by Charles C. Ryrie, pp.138-139, Victor Books, USA, 1994 40.  Ibid, p.139 41. A New Standard Bible Dictionary, edited by Melancthon W. Jacobus D.D., Edward E. Nourse D.D., and Andrew C. Zenos D.D., pp. 489-490, Funk and Wagnalls Company, New York NY, 1926