Perseverance of the Saints

The Dallas Mavericks pulled today a feat that I thought only the Texas Aggie football team was capable of--they blew a 13 point lead in the fourth quarter and lost 90-78 (a 12 point deficit) to the San Antonio Spurs. Granted, it's a bit easier to lose 25 points in basketball than it is in football, but that isn't the point. The point is that there was absolutely no excuse for them to lose that game. The Spurs scored more points in the fourth quarter than in the second and third quarters combined. It was truly a debacle. This (of course) got me thinking...they were doing so well, and then they blew it. But that's what we do all the time. We work hard at becoming more like Christ, but then we blow it.

I am part of a denomination (the Presbyterian Church in America) which holds to the historical doctrine commonly known today as "Calvinism". For those reading who don't know what Calvinism is, it is a doctrine of salvation that is normally explained in five points. The fifth point is known as "Perseverance of the Saints", the belief that once someone has become saved, they will not fall away permanently because God will preserve them and complete the work He began in them. The doctrine does not teach that we remain in Christ of our own power to be saved, but rather that God holds us in Christ, and as a result of this, we persevere in Him.

Every Christian who learns the truth of this doctrine should instantly fall on their knees and scream with joy. It is like the removal of the second huge burden from the soul to know that God will be faithful to keep us in Him. This is not a ticket to antinomianism (the belief that you can sin as much as you want), but rather it is an assurance that even when we screw up royally and do things that displease God, He is still working in us to come back, to live for Him, and to reflect Christ. It means that we can rely on God's faithfulness, which is a solid rock, rather than on our own, which is shifting sand, changed by every wave.

"And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6, ESV)

Luke