A while back I started a series on the language of TULIP, and how some of those terms screen out other important realities. (Read the first article, in particular, to understand the concept of “terministic screens” a little better.) I’m finally getting around to the last point of the acrostic: the perseverance of the saints.
This particular point of the doctrines of grace is less problematic than some of the others. In short, the doctrine states:
The doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints is stated in the Westminster Confession in the following words: “They whom God hath accepted In His Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved” [Chapter XVII, Section 1]. Or in other words we believe that those who once become true Christians cannot totally fall away and be lost, — that while they may fall into sin temporarily, they will eventually return and be saved. (Loraine Boettner)
If there is anything that the language, “perseverance of the saints,” might screen out, it could be the very Spirit-enabled work of this perseverance. That’s why defenders of the doctrine always seem to clarify up front that this is not a works-based, try-really-hard-and-you-might-keep-your-salvation kind of doctrine.
When I was growing up in the heart of Christian fundamentalism, the complaint against this point of Calvinism was that it taught people that final salvation was up to them and their works. Well, apparently that’s the danger of using a term like “perseverance of the saints.“
Some have suggested that we call this point the Preservation of the Saints. I’m afraid, though, that just doesn’t capture the idea in its wholeness.
Some (and I emphasize “some”) of the passages that indicate this need to persevere in faith are the following:
- 1 Cor. 6:9-10
- Gal. 5:19-21
- Eph. 5:5
- Heb. 3:14
- Heb. 6:4-6
- Heb. 10:26-27
Those passages do not merely teach that God will preserve those who trust in him, but that those who are his are characterized by certain works (or the refraining from certain works). So to say that this doctrine is simply about God preserving us is to capture less than is meant.
Take this passage from Samuel Rutherford, for example:
Worthy Sir, I beseech you in the Lord to give your soul no rest till ye have real assurance, and Christ’s rights confirmed and sealed to your soul…. Take pains for your salvation; for in that day when ye shall see many men’s labours and conquests and idol-riches lying in ashes…oh how dear a price would your soul give for God’s favour in Christ!
Perhaps “Perseverance of the Saints” is the best label for it after all! Maybe this is the term that makes the most sense of passages like Romans 2:5-11. So it is right to say that if we do not, by the power of the Spirit, live lives that evidence saving faith, then we cannot lay claim to having the seal of the Spirit at all. That is the meaning of Perseverance.
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Hey Will, nice article. I know that you are a supporter of the HCSB, as am I. I just wrote the following post about the lack of a comprehensive list of scholars and pastors who are supporters (would recommend) of the HCSB. It has bothered me long enough that I am hoping that some of us who are HCSB supporters can help to reconcile this problem. The goal is to have HCSB supporters get the word out to everyone they know and create a statement (one paragraph) about why they support/recommend the HCSB. I am hoping that there will finally be a list to answer the ESV list. It is not a competition but I believe the HCSB translation deserves a more comprehensive list of supporters. Check out my post and get back to me if you will. I am hoping that you could be a partner in the effort. thanks