THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER

1 Peter 1:5

Morning Meditation 11/12/17

"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

The word "Who" in this text is a believer in Christ. He is kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation . . ." It is that same power that spoke the universe into existence. It is power beyond all human comprehension. We are "kept" by the power of God. The word "kept" means, "to guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent a hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight." Are we thus protected by a military guard? Jude 1:9 says, "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." Then Jesus told the story of the poor beggar dying and the angels carrying him to Abraham's bosom.

Charles Spurgeon said in a sermon "Your only question is, 'Did Christ die for me?' And the only answer we can give is -- 'This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ came into the world to save sinners.' Can you write your name down among the sinners -- not among the complimentary sinners, but among those that feel it, bemoan it, lament it, seek mercy on account of it? Are you a sinner? That felt, that known, that professed, you are now invited to believe that Jesus Christ died for you, because you are a sinner;and you are bidden to cast yourself upon this great immovable rock, and find eternal security in the Lord Jesus Christ." --The Park Street Pulpit Vol. 4.

WE ARE SECURED BY CHRIST

What I mean by this is that Christ came into the world to take back His lost creation. To do this He had to become a man. The incarnation of Christ into a human body was absolutely necessary. It was first foretold in Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

Donald Grey Barnhouse said of this verse, "Here is the first definite mention of the Lord Jesus Christ in His character as the Saviour of mankind. On the first pages of the Book we thus find the announcement of His coming and a foreshadowing of the fact that He was to be the seed of the woman. Here is the first teaching of the doctrine of the Virgin Birth of our Lord."

Barnhouse continues, "The word 'seed' is found many times in the book of Genesis and is one of the keys to the book. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit tells us that the word is in the singular because it refers to the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:16). The hatred that would be directed against the woman would also be directed against her greatest Son, the Lord Jesus. The highway of the cross begins here." DONALD GREY BARNHOUSE VOL. 1 Page 23.

Another mention of the Virgin Birth is found in Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Liberal theologians have fought over this verse with a play on the word "virgin." The word in the Hebrew is "almah," and means, "virgin, young woman." The Theological Workbook of the Old Testament says, "There is no instance where it can be proved that this word designates a young woman who is not a virgin."

The liberals claim that this word can mean a young woman, but not necessarily a virgin. It is amazing how senseless and intellectually dishonest they are. Matthew 1:18-23 is a New Testament commentary on this verse, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

The word "virgin" translates "parthenos" and means, "a marriageable maiden,

a woman who has never had sexual intercourse with a man." This is the Holy Spirit's explanation of the passage in Isaiah 7:14. It seems like the Holy Spirit closed the door to any interpretation that excluded a literal Virgin Birth when He used the name Emmanuel, "which being interpreted is, God with us.." This is what we mean when we speak of the Virgin Birth, i.e., God manifest in the flesh.

Jesus came into this world to secure for Himself a people. To do this He had to become a man and die to pay man's sin debt. Hebrews 2:14-17, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

Next let's look at the eternal security of the believer as being,

SECURED THROUGH CHRIST

Our security is not only secured by Christ but it is also secured through Christ. What is meant by secured through Christ."

It means that one must go through Him to obtain this salvation. There is no other way. I have heard the saying over and over, "Well, are all going to the same place. We just have to do the best we can and wait until the final judgment." A person who would say that is probably not saved. To be saved, there is such an experience that you can never get away from it. If that were true, there would be no security of the believer. It would be right to say, "I hope I am saved." But God's plan of salvation is by grace (non meritorious), and it is received by the repentant sinner by faith alone.

Being secured through Christ means that He is our Substitute not only in His death but also in His life." Romans 5:10-11 says, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." The word "saved" means, "to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction."

An Earl White paraphrase goes like this: For if, when we were enemies (this is what all men are prior to salvation), we were reconciled (a completed action in the past. It is an aorist passive verb and means we were reconciled at a point of time in the past, and the passive voice means that He did it) by the death of His Son, ( as the sinner's substitute dying in our place), We shall be saved (this is a future passive verb, meaning, that what God starts, He finishes, i.e., the future tense is speaking of the security we have because of our past salvation, and the passive voice means that the subject is acted upon (the saved are the subjects being acted upon). This means that we are recipients of His keeping power. Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

It is through Christ that we are secure. Colossians 3:3-4 says, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Jesus has taken every born again believer to Himself. There is no way that Satan could possibly get to us. We are in Christ and Satan would have to go through Christ to get to us. Words cannot be found strong enough to describe our safety in Christ. He lived a perfect life for us and we are alive in His life.

SECURED BY GOD'S STAMP OF OWNERSHIP

Ephesians 1:13-14, "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."

The seal of His ownership is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. "an earnest,

money which in purchases is given as a pledge or down payment that the full amount will subsequently be paid."

There is no subsequent payment, but there is the salvation of the body. This is at the rapture and the resurrection. Paul's inspired description of this event is found in 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Corinthians 1:22 says, "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." The word "earnest" means a down payment on our salvation. It is God's guarantee that He will come again and finish the job. Praise God!!! Someone hold my mules!!!

In the light of the Holy Spirit's indwelling Paul writes in Ephesians 4:29-32, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." We are secured by God's stamp of ownership. It is visible to Satan. When he looks at me and you, he sees that Jesus has claimed another from the kingdom of darkness, and has put His Stamp of ownership on us.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White