Page 77 - The Prophetic Word Newsletter Archive 2009

5. ERSEVERANCE (PRESERVATION) OF THE SAINTS BY GOD

Calvinism calls this final point the ”perseverance” of the saints, but that is a misleading
statement. This Calvinistic principle is not referring to the true biblical concept of the saints
“persevering” to the end (“he who endures to the end shall be saved”-Mat. 24:13), but rather it is
a concept that God, in His sovereignty, absolutely guarantees the “preservation” or ultimate
salvation of the saints in spite of how they walk or the choices they make. It is this fifth
Calvinistic principle that is indorsed widespread in the Body of Christ, even by denominations
who would say they are not Calvinistic. This is the doctrine coined with the popular cliché's

“ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED” and “UNCONDITIONAL SECURITY“

The good news is that there is such a doctrine as “eternal security”, but the
bad news (for bad people) is that it is not “unconditional” eternal security that
God offers to His saints. The promises of eternal security are for the eternally
minded saints-not for the worldly or fleshly minded. Again, due to the limited
space we have to expound on this subject, I want to suggest that you order
this book that I wrote on this subject. It will convince you that all of God’s
“exceedingly great and precious promises” (2 Pet. 1:4), always have conditions
attached to them. Nothing comes from God that is unconditional, even
salvation itself begins with conditional words such as “IF you confess and
IF you believe…” (Rom.10:9), “IF you hold fast…” (1 Cor. 15:2).

Calvinism, as we have seen, portrays the total inability of man to make ( $ 7.95 plus postage )
choices. It is God that does it all for us whether we want to obey or not! The
one who has been chosen unto salvation can only follow along with God’s
“irresistible grace”. Calvinism teaches that God will do for us what He would
not even do for Adam, namely protect him from his free will choice!

You need to think about what Calvinism is teaching in light of what happened in the Garden of Eden.
Adam was created in the image of God. He was therefore righteous. Did he have a free will to make
choices? God thought so or He would not have placed the forbidden Tree of The Knowledge of Good and
Evil along side the Tree of Life. Friends, that is choice! Not only did God place two choices before Adam,
but He also allowed evil in the Garden in the person of Satan the Tempter to test Adam. If the unchanging
God is “Calvinistic” minded then how is it that Adam fell at all? Why didn’t God apply point five of
Calvinism to protect Adam from a wrong choice? How is it that point four of Calvinism’s “irresistible grace”
didn’t keep Adam from yielding to this deadly sin? Saints, Adam was eating from the Tree of Life which
was the source of eternal life! Let us be sure that we understand that God knew if Adam had eaten from
the Tree of Life after he sinned, that He would have lived eternally in a sinful state:

““TTHHEENN TTHHEE LLOORRDD GGOODD SSAAIIDD,, ““BBEEHHOOLLDD,, TTHHEE MMAANN HHAASS BBEECCOOMMEE LLIIKKEE OONNEE OOFF UUSS,,
TTOO KKNNOOWW GGOOOODD AANNDD EEVVIILL.. AANNDD NNOOWW,, LLEESSTT HHEE PPUUTT OOUUTT HHIISS HHAANNDD AANNDD TTAAKKEE AALLSSOO OOFF TTHHEE TTRREEEE
OOFF LLIIFFEE,, AANNDD EEAATT,, AANNDD LLIIVVEE FFOORREEVVEERR--TTHHEERREEFFOORREE TTHHEE LLOORRDD GGOODD SSEENNTT HHIIMM OOUUTT OOFF TTHHEE GGAARRDDEENN

OOFF EEDDEENN……HHEE DDRROOVVEE OOUUTT TTHHEE MMAANN;; AANNDD HHEE PPLLAACCEEDD CCHHEERRUUBBIIMM AATT TTHHEE EEAASSTT OOFF TTHHEE GGAARRDDEENN,,
AANNDD AA FFLLAAMMIINNGG SSWWOORRDD WWHHIICCHH TTUURRNNEEDD EEVVEERRYY WWAAYY,, TTOO GGUUAARRDD TTHHEE WWAAYY TTOO TTHHEE TTRREEEE OOFF LLIIFFEE””

GGeenn..33::2222--2244

In light of what God allowed Adam to be subjected to, let us consider that here we are, not in the Garden
of Eden, but worse, in Satan’s backyard so to speak, in a world that lies under his sway (1 Jn. 5:19). Here
we are, as the righteous of God who have been restored by the new birth into the image of God, with
choices set before us between good and evil just as they were set before Adam. Satan is still very much
present and active to tempt us to make wrong choices just as he did Adam, but are we to believe that this
fifth point of Calvinism is going to protect us from doing what Adam did, and even if we do sin like Adam,
it will not be a matter of eternal life as it was for Adam? Calvinism believes God will still provide a state of
eternal life! Dear saints, in light of the fact that God is an unchanging God, doesn’t this dual standard
bother you like it does me? Will the unchanging God do for us today what He wouldn’t do for Adam?