- The perseverance of the Saints, and being bound to give thanks -

2 Thessalonians 2:13,

“We are bound to give thanks…because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth”

Today I have been reminiscing, as all saints do at times, at the glaring weakness of my hands and heart in according to godliness. During this the Holy Spirit put in my heart the thought of how C. H. Spurgeon said he more than any other doctrine preached on the “perseverance of the Saints.” This very much encouraged my heart for I believe God was instructing me to begin to write on the this topic more, for God I believe was telling me He was and is giving me the grace to write well on this topic for edification of the church. This pleased me much, for after thinking about this I notice although I have not written on this as much as the other doctrines, yet in reality I find that I personally think about this more often than any other doctrine, the pleasure and peace which comes form the thoughts as I preach to my self the sovereign and Kind God in the eternal perseverance of His redeemed saints. This doctrine is a daily retreat and comfort to me, as I must also daily recognize my own weakness and sinfulness of my heart. I would have to say that there is no other doctrine that has been more of a help to me than the Doctrine of the Almighty God who absolutely without fail perseveres His saints to the very end.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17,

“But we are bound to give thanks…because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you…for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore…stand fast and hold the…word. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.”

          This scripture is one that God as heavily placed on my heart as of late. It has been much of a means of grace in encouraging me to forget my sin and be thankful He as chosen me from the beginning, before the foundation of the world, from salvation.

         As a redeemed saint that still struggles with the sinfulness of my heart, there is hardly any thing more which can encourage my heart more than cherishing the truth of my Loving God that, what He started in me He will finish, no thanks to me! Why is this so? Because from my experience and form what I gather from others, is that when the heart is drowned and smothered with the guilt and hopelessness of sin or besetting sins, the heart is too weak to find motivation from hope that “I” can will myself out of this. All hope in self-resources are gone and you are left to looking at the weakness of your hands and the unholiness of your heart, crying out to the Almighty God for mercy and help.

This is why such words as, “we are bound to give thanks…because God from the beginning chose you for salvation”, and “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6)”, are prefect for refreshing a saint with peace and hope to continue in their forsaking all this world, in order to follow their Lord Jesus Christ. In moments of seeing the power of sin and the weakness of our hearts, what can better motivate us to keep fighting the good fight of faith other than, that God has “predestined”, “elected” and “chosen” me to be absolutely saved from beginning of time.  It is here I begin to I see that God will not stop the sanctification work in me, not until I am to pathetic to save, but until Christ comes again. (Phil. 1:6) It gives me so much comfort and zeal to keep on fighting, when I am in moments of extreme sorrow and hopelessness of my sin, that “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Thanking God that He has not left me to the fate of the weakness of my will, for God said “He” will work in me to “will” His “good pleasure.” Praise to God that He “makes” me will good things, for if He did not I would have been like that of Sodom and Gomorra long ago.  Which is why we see such strong saints as King David praying to God such forceful things as, “MAKE me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. INCLINE my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. TURN away my eyes from looking at worthless things… MAKE me understand the way of Your precepts.”(Psalm 119:35-37,27)

            There seems to be nothing better than the doctrine of Gods predestining Grace in the perseverance of His elect which gives me the hope that spurs me in zeal to get up of the floor of despair and forgetting what is behind and strain for the upward call in Christ Jesus. Why because I know God does not fail in His promises. Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” Still my prideful heart will rise up and say God will let you go of you, if you let Him go. Which is true in the since of the unconverted. But then I remember my example of Jesus when tempted in the desert, that one must confront lies with the word of God.  I know I will never come to the point, as a truly saved saint, that I will utterly let go of Jesus Christ. Why?

          Philippians 3:12 “I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”

            Here I learn the very reason Christ is holding on to me, is that He might so work in me that I will not let go of Him. In this I see the doctrine that I will never, as a truly saved saint, let go of Christ as long as Christ is holding onto to me.  And Christ has already declared He will never leave me not forsake me! The Almighty Christ’s hold on me is the power that eternally enables and makes me to hold on to him, without fail, for God never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8, “Love never Fails).  Such promises and truths are infinitely wonderful and precious to the saint, which is why Peter was so bold as to say, “therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.”( Peter 1:10) Make sure you are part of Gods special elect, who get to enjoy such wonderful and magnificent promises.

Notice in our first text that we are “bound to give thanks” for God has “chosen us for Salvation” which means we have a “everlasting consolation and good hope by grace.” Hope to fight sin, “by grace”, Hope to over come besetting sins not by willpower but “by grace”, Hope that as a Christian I can never utterly lose my faith in Christ Jesus, is “by grace.” Why for this “hope by grace” is based on the fact God “chose us for salvation…from the beginning”, out the goodness of Gods own heart. The exact same thing is repeated in Ephesians 1: “ Just as He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world…In love having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself….to the praise of the Glory of His Grace. For in Him we have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His Grace.”

            It is remembering and savoring the truth that the Almighty has “In LOVE”, “predestined” me to be with Him forever, and will Himself see to it that I will never lose my faith, but “keep(Peter 1:5)” me to the very end, that I find my deepest source of strength to carry on when in the mist of depression in my fight of sin. I find in my hatred and disgust of my sinful self that my Heavenly Fathers “Love” toward me heals my brokenness, I find in my weakness God is my “strength”, I find in my unfaithfulness God is “faithful” to ensure His promises of grace to me, I find when I see my hopelessness that I find In Christ I have “hope by Grace”, I find in my despair of apostasy that Gods “predestining” is a rock and firm foundation under my feet which I can rest and find more strength to fight afresh the good fight of faith. For I know just as the psalmist understood of old, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.” And for this I am more than Glad to be “bound to gives thanks… for God from the beginning chose us for Salvation”, to be with Him forever and “behold [His] Glory.”