Heb.6:11,12 – And we desire that each one of you demonstrate the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and endurance inherit the promises.
One of the things that aggravates me is when an actor or famous athlete who publicly lives an ungodly lifestyle talks about giving glory to God. I think a lot of the cause of that has been the extreme preaching of a false perception of what some call grace. Grace covers our past but changes our lives now and in the future. Grace is not a covering to continue in a life of sin. So how do you know if someone is really saved? Jesus said to check out the fruit; I would say check out the fruit over an extended period of time. Those who belong to Christ will continue to walk in the ways of the Lord. Here is how Andrew Murray describes this.
“And how, then, are we to know who truly have received eternal life? And what is the mark of its being no mere superficial or temporary change? There is no mark by which man can decide. The only sure sign that the perseverance of the saints will be ours is —perseverance in sainthood, in sanctification and obedience. We are His house, we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast, firm unto the end. My assurance of salvation is not something I can carry with me as a railway ticket or a bank note, to be used, as occasion calls. No, God’s seal to my soul is the Holy Spirit; it is in a life in the Spirit that my safety lies; it is when I am led by the Spirit that the Spirit bears witness with my spirit, and that I can cry Abba, Father. Jesus not only gives, but is Himself our life.”
Notice what Paul says in this passage. He talked about walking in “assurance of hope until the end”. He also said we inherit the promises “through faith and endurance”. So the only way you really know if someone really has gotten it is by walking in faith until the end. Converts of cheap grace give up when trouble or opportunities arise. Christ in you will press on with joy until the end.
2 thoughts on “SAVED UNTIL THE END”
With God’s help I’m pressing on until the end.
I have and I’ve seen others fall when a loved one passes. Questions will forever come, life is forever, just not this one. Ultimately, this isn’t the life to hold onto, it’s to serve our Lord and our neighbors until our appointed time to meet Him face to face.