Ezekiel 33:13 “If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done.”

Score one for Arminius! This certainly doesn’t sound like what some people mean by “eternal security.” The problem with how too many people treat “the eternal security of the believer” is that they do exactly what this verse is talking about: they trust in some words they once said, rather than in the Savior whom they profess. Following Christ is a lifetime commitment, and not a few choice words spoken with great emotion. Ezekiel is extremely relevant today! However, this in no way takes away from what Paul said in Romans 8, that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. That is eternal security indeed! None of what I said means that if you slip up once, you are done for. The key is in this verse: “trusts in his righteousness.” Someone who thinks, “I do this good thing, so it won’t matter if I indulge in this bad thing,” is what this is talking about. It’s amazing how many of us fall into that trap at times! If we recognize sin and repent of it, then the blood of Jesus covers it. However, if we refuse to acknowledge sin and repent, then we take ourselves out from under the covering of the blood.

I’m certainly preaching to myself here. Also, I am not to run around trying to decide whether people are saved or not, because I don’t know their hearts. Some pastors aren’t saved, and probably some people who are considered vile are saved. I am to preach the Gospel in all its glory, not as cotton candy that dissolves in a moment. Yesterday I watched a video of an Iranian believer, a former devout Muslim and even member of Hezbollah, and it touched me deeply. His love for Jesus is so strong! That is what salvation is all about. He trusts in nothing but Jesus. Being the product of generations of committed Christians, I have the temptation to trust in my heritage, and the habits that come naturally from that, but salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. I think it was November, 1972, when the Lord used the testimony of a preacher’s kid who had gotten into the degenerate Hollywood culture and then got saved out of that, to open my eyes to how full of sin and pride I really was. I can indeed testify that we are saved by grace through faith, and that not from ourselves, but as a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8)

Father, thank You for Your amazing grace. Help me trust You and cling to Christ Jesus alone, and lead others to do the same. May I do all the good things You desire of me, but not trust in the deeds for a moment. Instead, may I cling to Christ. May I be Your agent at all times in all ways, so that Your will may be done in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!