I have had to revisit the Bible, expose myself to sound doctrine, unlearn and relearn a lot of things considering the faith which we received. Those of us who come from churches and Christian background where Salvation by fear, and by religious practises was preached may have a little difficulty understanding salvation by grace. Many of us agree that despite the good intentions of the Pastors who preached to us while we were growing in the faith, there were many things they didn’t understand starting from Salvation, Redemption, Justification, Eternal life, Sonship, Citizenship in Heaven and lots more. There was the display of power with emphasis on defeating the enemies but there was a lack of understanding on the subject matter of God’s love and grace. Many people who grew up in Africa  know what I am talking about.

You will agree that we in fact grappled with the assurance of salvation for a long time and made it to the altar at every opportunity because we tried to save ourselves instead of allowing Jesus to save us because the nature of salvation communicated to us was temporary and had to be sustained by our works which unfortunately are never and will never be perfect.

A lot of us were threatened to God through Christ as if God is that almighty terrorist who wants to take us captive but is requesting us to even beg him so that he can take us. This is why the gospel must be accurately presented as the love of God. God doesn’t love us because Jesus died for us; Jesus died for us because God loves us. The love of God, came before the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The gospel is not a threat message, it is a love letter of a saviour saying I paid the price to redeem you and I will save you to the uttermost if you trust me.

In the redemption package Sin had been dealt with when a man puts his faith in Jesus alone. Grace saves from sin and also teaches how to live righteously and soberly in this present world. Titus “God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing salvation for everyone. This same grace teaches us how to live each day as we turn our backs on ungodliness and indulgent lifestyles, and it equips us to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives in this present age.” Titus‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One. For the “law” of the Spirit of life flowing through the anointing of Jesus has liberated us from the “law” of sin and death. For God achieved what the law was unable to accomplish, because the law was limited by the weakness of human nature. Yet God sent us his Son in human form to identify with human weakness. Clothed with humanity, God’s Son gave his body to be the sin-offering so that God could once and for all condemn the guilt and power of sin. So now every righteous requirement of the law can be fulfilled through the Anointed One living his life in us. And we are free to live, not according to our flesh, but by the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit!” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭TPT‬‬

A believer is not saved to sin, he is saved from sin. That salvation is complete in his spirit thereby making him a new man, “Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭TPT‬‬

The justification that makes you a candidate for heaven is by faith not by works. The reality which your average preacher does not want to state is that we “sin” even after we are born again even though we are no longer sinners. 1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. There is a continuing work of salvation that goes on in the believers life, what has been done in his spirit needs to make it through his mind so that his life can reflect it. This is TRANSFORMATION and This journey takes time for different people depending on how well they are taught and exposed to grace.

The good thing is that no genuine believer makes an habit of sin because of the workings of the Holy Spirit in him. 1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

This passage suggests that those who are truly born of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, have a new nature that is fundamentally different from their old sinful nature. The “seed” of God refers to His divine nature or the Holy Spirit, which empowers believers to live a life that is increasingly free from sin. This does not mean believers will never sin (since we are all still in the process of sanctification), but it emphasizes that sin no longer has dominion or mastery over them as it did before they were born again.

Additional related verses:

– **1 John 5:18**

*”We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.”*

This reinforces the idea that the new birth in Christ changes a believer’s relationship with sin, making it impossible for them to live habitually in sin.

– **Romans 6:6-7**

*”For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”*

The believer’s union with Christ in His death and resurrection breaks the power of sin in their life, which is consistent with the new birth and transformation described in 1 John 3:9.

### Understanding:

This passage from 1 John is often interpreted in light of the believer’s ongoing sanctification, where, although Christians may still fall into sin, the dominant trajectory of their lives is one of victory over sin. The new nature in Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, brings an end to a lifestyle characterized by habitual sin. Rather than a sinless perfection, it speaks of a radical shift in the believer’s desires and direction.

What is only achievable in our walk as believers is Christ’s perfection not sinless perfection because the day you cross into that place where your salvation is based on your sinlessness then you become guilty of self righteousness. We are saved by grace and the works only come as a result of the workings of the Spirit in and through us.

What God considers in deciding who qualifies to reign with him is not our sinlessness, but our faith in the finished work of Christ. The perfect righteousness of Christ has been credited to us as a spiritual reality even though we may still grapple with issues in our mind and body.

So our names are not written in HEAVEN with pencils and an angel standing by to cancel it once we make a mistake. We don’t have any such explanation in the Bible. Heaven is no longer an aspiration for the believer, we already moved from the kingdom of darkness to light by salvation. Col 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. Sonship comes in now, the loving father does not disown his son because he made a mistake. The sacrifice of Christ is wasted, the credit of his righteousness to us sinner is in vain if after all is said and done we still have to earn Heaven by sinless perfection.

Heaven is not a threat to the believer, it is a citizenship that is given when we believed. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Phil 3:20

Eternal salvation, as understood in Christian theology, is the belief that once a person is truly saved by faith in Jesus Christ, they are secure in their salvation forever. Several key Scripture passages provide a strong foundation for this doctrine, demonstrating that salvation is both secure and eternal for those who trust in Christ. Below is a case for eternal salvation based on Scripture:

### 1. **Eternal Security in Christ’s Finished Work**

– **John 10:28-29**: *“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”*

– In this passage, Jesus emphasizes the certainty and permanence of the believer’s salvation. Jesus gives “eternal life” to His followers, and the security of that life is not contingent upon their own efforts, but on His sovereign power.

– **John 6:37-40**: *“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out…this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”*

– Jesus assures that all who come to Him will be kept by Him, and none will be lost. This speaks to the preservation of the believer’s salvation.

### 2. **God’s Promise of Eternal Life**

– **John 3:16**: *“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”*

– The promise of eternal life is central to the gospel message. The use of “eternal” life suggests that it is not temporary but permanent. Believers are granted eternal life, not subject to expiration.

– **1 John 5:11-13**: *“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life… I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”*

– The apostle John writes to assure believers of their current possession of eternal life. This reinforces the idea that eternal life is a present reality for those who have faith in Jesus Christ.

### 3. **The Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit**

– **Ephesians 1:13-14**: *“In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.”*

– The Holy Spirit is given to believers as a “seal” or guarantee of their inheritance, which includes eternal life. This seal indicates that the believer’s salvation is secure and guaranteed until the final redemption.

Consider the Message Translation “It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This down payment from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭MSG‬‬

– **Romans 8:9-11**: *“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you…If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”*

– The indwelling of the Holy Spirit ensures the believer’s spiritual life and future resurrection. The Spirit’s presence is evidence that the believer’s salvation is permanent.

### 4. **God’s Faithfulness and Unchanging Nature**

– **Romans 8:38-39**: *“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”*

– Paul emphasizes the absolute security believers have in God’s love. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate a believer from Christ, which affirms the permanence of their salvation.

– **2 Timothy 2:13**: *“If we are faithless, He remains faithful— for He cannot deny Himself.”*

– Even if a believer struggles in faith or falters in their walk, God remains faithful. His commitment to the believer’s salvation is not contingent on human faithfulness but on His own nature. The faithfulness of the shepherd is not dependent on the bahaviour of the sheep but the character of the shepherd.

### 5. **The Finality of Salvation in Christ**

– **Hebrews 10:14**: *“For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”*

– Jesus’ sacrificial death has permanently perfected those who are being sanctified (i.e., believers). This speaks to the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement to secure eternal salvation. I have videos on the study of Hebrews on my YouTube page titled “BETTER THINGS” it would help.

– **Philippians 1:6**: *“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.”*

– Paul expresses confidence that God will complete the work of salvation in believers. God’s commitment to complete the salvation of His people assures that it is eternal and irreversible.

### 6. **The Unbreakable Covenant**

– **Hebrews 13:5**: *“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”*

– God promises His constant presence and support. This is a reaffirmation that salvation is not something that can be lost or undone by the believer’s actions.

– **Jeremiah 31:3**: *“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”*

– God’s love for His people is described as “everlasting,” a love that does not end or waver. This eternal love guarantees the eternal security of the believer.

### 7. **The Power of God’s Grace**

– **Titus 3:5-7**: *“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”*

– Salvation is by grace, not works, and the grace of God secures the believer as an heir of eternal life. This underscores that eternal life is a gift, not a conditional status.

### Conclusion:

From the Scriptures above, it is clear that eternal salvation is both secure and guaranteed for those who trust in Jesus Christ. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all play a role in assuring believers of the permanence of their salvation. God’s promises, His unchanging nature, and the work of Jesus Christ are the bedrock of this assurance. Eternal life is not contingent upon human effort but is granted by grace and secured by the sovereign work of God. The believer’s salvation is sealed and will be completed at the return of Christ.

Religious people like to emphasize fornication as the Oga patapata of sin, which is fine but the fact is that even malice is enough sin to take anybody to hell if they don’t believe in Christ. But if we believe in Christ we stand in his righteousness not our works. “and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We are not saved by works, we are not kept by works. True Salvation leads to transformation but justification is constant even while we falter. He is able to keep us. “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,” Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

You will hear people quote the “to Him that OVERCOME” as if Heaven is only possible through our sinless perfection but who is he that overcomes? 1 John 5:5 provides us with the answer ““Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

May the Lord give us understanding.

Thank you for your time