Guaranteed Security

When God opens the windows of heaven to bless us, the devil opens the doors of hell to blast us. When God works, Satan works also. Satan is not against religion; to the contrary, he uses religion as one of his principal tools to tempt us, not to be ungodly, but to lead us to believe we are godly. The spirit of the antichrist is active and influences religion, politics, medicine, the financial systems, and our newscast and educational realms. Every day, we witness Satan’s influence on significant social issues related to justice at various levels: economic justice, racial justice, social justice, and legal justice. Many of those advocating for justice develop theories and practices that omit the Lord. There is no escaping the far-reaching influence of the antichrist in this world. Thankfully, we can have absolute eternal security in Jesus Christ as the apostle Peter explains. 2 Peter 1:10-11: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” When Peter says, “practice these things,” he is telling us our good works are evidence of, and give assurance of salvation though they are never the basis for it. We will never stumble or fall away from our faith if we keep growing in Christlike virtues and traits. If we have truly repented of our sins and trusted in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for salvation, we are saved. We never need to doubt our salvation because we draw upon Almighty God’s divine power and promises. God’s very character flows through us to create the qualities that give stability and security in this life and into our everlasting life. 2 Peter 1:5-7: “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.” Peter isn’t suggesting we enter the Lord’s kingdom by adding these characteristics in our lives; we can’t work our way into heaven on our own merits or efforts, and he didn’t say we would never make a mistake or commit a sin. Instead, he said that if we diligently add these spiritual qualities to our Christian lives, our doubts and fears fade into faith and confidence. This blessing of security is an invaluable anchor of encouragement in our deteriorating culture. God blesses all His children, and the blessings we receive from Christ will last forever. Nothing can compare with it. God is our shield, our exceedingly great reward. He will provide security in our biological lives, and when it ends, we transition to everlasting, eternal peace, purpose, and joy in His presence. There is no more extraordinary gift we could receive.