I was reminded today of two of my prior postings, Means Hymn #1 and #2, in which I demonstrate the inconsistency of my former acquaintances in singing one thing and preaching another. Another hymn has been brought to my attention. This one focuses not on the issue of gospel means, but another one closely connected to it: the perseverance of the saints. My former pastor in the Primitive Baptist church used to tell me that Lone Pilgrim was one of his favorites. The song speaks of the Christian experience as being one full of struggles, trials, and temptations. Yet despite all these setbacks, he shall hold on his way. It is a gracious hymn pouring forth the truth that God’s people persevere in their journey to heaven. The hymnist records:
Ye pilgrims of Zion, and chosen of God,
Whose spirits are filled with dismay,
Since ye have eternal redemption thru blood,
Ye cannot but hold on your way.
As Jesus, in covenant love did engage,
A fullness of grace to display,
The powers of darkness n malice may rage,
The righteous shall hold on his way.
This truth, like its Author, eternal shall stand,
Tho' all things in nature decay;
Upheld by Jehovah's omnipotent hand,
The righteous shall hold on his way.
They may on the main of temptation be tossed,
their sorrows may swell as the sea;
But none of the ransomed shall ever be lost;
The righteous shall hold on his way.
Surrounded with sorrows, temptations and cares,
This truth with delight we survey,
And sing as we pass thru this valley of tears,
The righteous shall hold on his way.
It is most unfortunate that these words of truth must sadly be overlooked in certain quarters today. Not only has there been a departure on the true purpose of the gospel, today’s extremists do not have a proper understanding of the doctrine of eternal security as well. Now, let us not mislead any here. The question of the elect’s security in Christ is not at all doubted. It is only when the doctrine is expressed as the perseverance of the saints, as opposed to the preservation of the saints, that objections are raised. The reason for this is obvious once one understands what lies at the root of the modern time salvation system. Today’s extremists have a difficult time with maintaining the balance between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, and understanding that there is both an objective and subjective side of salvation. Preservation and perseverance are two sides to the same coin. The former is an objective truth, pointing to what God does outside of us. The latter is subjective and illustrates what God does in us.
Let us demonstrate eternal security from these two perspectives.
PRESERVATION (i.e. objective):
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (JOHN 6:37-39)
“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 10:29)
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (ROM. 8:38-39)
PERSEVERANCE (i.e. subjective):
“The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger” (Job. 17:9)
“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister” (Col. 1:20-23)
“But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Heb. 3:6)
A great verse in God’s word which captures both the objective and subjective elements of our security in Christ is 1 Peter 1:5:
“Who are kept by the power of God (objective – KF) through faith (subjective – KF) unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”
The reader will notice that the first set of verses speak of security strictly from the standpoint of God. No mention is made of any virtues or conduct found in those who are preserved. It is merely stated in certain terms that the elect are secure in Christ. It is the second set of verses which speak of security from the perspective of men. Accordingly, their character is described: they hold on their way, continue in the faith grounded and settled, and hold fast their confidence. This is where our moderns are faced with a great dilemma. What to do with these verses which seem to speak of creature effort for attaining final salvation? Of course, the most likely strategy will be to do here what is done everywhere else where some hint is given of human responsibility. The enduring, continuing, or holding fast will be interpreted to speak of attaining to some optional temporal blessing, where the failure to do so will only bring a temporal judgment. In light of the above passages, the end result would be that those who continue in the faith will be made the recipients of some temporal reconciliation, and that those who hold fast their confidence belong to some temporal house of Christ. This is entirely sad, as the context is clearly speaking of eternal matters. We would ask our moderns:
Did Christ effect a temporal reconciliation at the cross (see Col. 1:20-23)???? If so, are there now two kinds of reconciliation to go along with two salvations, two faiths, two sanctifications, two callings, two kinds of knowing God, two kinds of life, etc., which serve as the very pillars of time salvation?????
The charge that perseverance is an Arminian or works based system, as our moderns feel, is superficial and erroneous. It would become such only if the saint did it under his own free will and strength, thereby making his efforts meritous. The truth is that the saints persevere BECAUSE they are preserved. The general course of their lives is one of holiness (1 John 3:19; 5:18); certain because effected by the covenant promises of God (Ez. 36:27; Jer.32:40), who works in His people both “to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). Until this is realized, it is hypocritical to sing that the righteous shall hold on his way when it is denied in the pulpit. Why? Because it could not be stated with any degree of certainty that he shall do so. He may NOT hold on his way! In fact, if he is one of those hypothetical unconverted regenerates that today’s ultraists have invented, he may never even have a “way” of which to let go since he was never converted to begin with!
Of course hymns are not inspired, and are therefore, not the source of authority. In this case, however, this gracious truth that is being neglected the saints of God is nothing more than the teaching of the Bible itself. It is our hope that many would see their grave error and go back to believing the Old teaching that the righteous shall hold on his way.
“We believe that such as are converted, justified and called by His grace, shall persevere in holiness, and never fall away” (Kehukee Association Articles of Faith (1777), Article 10)
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