Dr. Stephen S. Kim
Assistant Professor of Bible
Multnomah Biblical Seminary

 

1)         What does it mean to be lost?  

To be lost is a biblical term that was used by Jesus to describe the spiritual condition of those who were sinners in need of God’s forgiveness and redemption. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). The apostle Paul describes the state of the lost for all humanity, Jew and Gentile, who are born spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3), because all of us are born under the curse of Adam’s federal headship (Rom. 5:12).  

2)         How does God save me? 

God saves lost sinners through their faith in God’s provision of forgiveness, namely, the work of Jesus Christ upon the cross. Jesus, in using God’s provision of the bronze serpent in the wilderness as the basis for forgiveness for the Israelites as a type for the work of Christ on the cross (Num 21:4-9), said that if anyone would believe in Jesus who is lifted upon the cross for the sin of the world, he/she would be saved (John 3:14-15). Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

3)         How is it that this work is eternal? 

As a result of one’s faith in God’s Son and His work on the cross, God grants him/her not only forgiveness of sin but also eternal life. This is the kind of life that God possesses (John 1:4). The blood of the eternal Son of God can redeem mankind past, present, and future. 

4)         How does grace relate to Eternal Security?

The believer’s salvation is eternally secure because it is based on the merits of Christ’s work on the cross. If salvation were based upon works, then it could never be guaranteed. But, because it is based on faith and not works, the believer’s salvation is indeed guaranteed (Rom. 4:16).

 5)         What if my heart tells me that I am lost? 

The apostle John reminded believers that their eternal life exists in the Son of God, and that whoever has the Son has eternal life (1 John 5:11-12). John also reminded believers that their salvation is the work of God and is protected by the Son: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away. . . . And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of him who sent Me” (John 6:37-39). Having said that, however, if one’s own heart is testifying that he/she is lost, then perhaps it is because he/she has not been truly born again. The apostle Paul said that if one is indeed a child of God, then the Holy Spirit Himself will testify with our spirit that we are God’s children (Rom. 8:16).  

6)         If salvation is free . . . what is the purpose of good works? 

Nothing, as far as salvation is concerned! The Scriptures are absolutely clear that good works has nothing to do with our salvation but that believers are saved for good works: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:8-10). The Scriptures are equally clear, however, that genuine faith will be accompanied by good works: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? . . . . In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (Jas. 2:14-17).  

7)         If sin cannot condemn me . . . why is the final judgment according to works? 

There are two judgments according to the Scriptures. One judgment is for believers, referred to as the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:10), where believers will be examined for their faithfulness in serving Christ. This is not a judgment to determine their eternal destiny, for that was settled on the cross. This is a judgment or evaluation of their good works done for Christ. The other judgment is for unbelievers who have rejected God’s provision of forgiveness and redemption through Christ’s work on the cross. Therefore, they will be judged according to their deeds at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). Anyone whose names are not recorded in the book of life will be judged according to one’s own works.  

8)         Why didn’t Jesus talk about eternal security in the Synoptics? 

The doctrine of eternal security is found mainly in the epistles where the New Testament writers, especially the apostle Paul wrote about the certainty of our salvation. For him, the believer’s salvation is certain because it is not based on a person’s works but rather on the work of Christ on the cross. And, because a believer places his/her faith upon the finished work of Christ on the cross, his/her salvation is so secure. For the apostle John in the Fourth Gospel, one’s salvation is secure only if one’s faith is genuine by abiding in Christ and His teachings. The synoptists would not necessarily disagree with John’s theology. 

9)         Did the Old Testament saints have assurance of salvation? 

Yes, but in a different way than the New Testament saints. It is clear from the Scriptures that even the Old Testament saints were saved by grace through faith, just as the New Testament saints: “What does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness’” (Rom. 4:3; cf. Gen. 15:6; Gal. 6:3-9). The difference is that the Old Testament saints looked forward to God’s ultimate provision of forgiveness. Although the Old Testament saints may had a vague idea of the Messiah’s sacrificial death on the cross, that the blood of animals was a type of God’s future sacrifice was clearly in their minds. 

10)       How do I hear the Spirit’s witness that I am a child of God?

The apostle Paul assured his readers that the Spirit of God testifies with the believer’s spirit that he/she is indeed God’s child (Rom. 8:16). Furthermore, the writer to the Hebrews also reminded his readers that the hardship believers endure is also an accurate indication that God is a loving father who disciplines His children (Heb. 12:7-8).