Beth-El Baptist Church

01/02/2011

Greg Tomlinson


What does it mean that the Christian has an assured hope?


The hope that the Christian regarding eternal life is debated by many believers. Some believe that to some degree, they are responsible for participating in the obtaining or the maintaining of salvation either through good works or by their own ability to continue believing. Others believe that salvation is completely the work of God and Christ and as a result the Christian is eternally secure in the hands of God.


  1. What is basis for a man's hope?

Psalm 16:8-11; 22:8-9; 33:18-22 Proverbs 14:32

Jeremiah 3:23; 14:8; 17:7-8, 13, 17 Lamentations 3:21-24

Acts 23:6; 24:14-16; 26:6-7 Romans 5:1-6; 8:22-28; 15:13

Galatians 5:1-6 Ephesians 1:17-20; 2:11-13

Colossians 1:23, 27 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2:19-20; 4:12-14

2 Thessalonians 2:16 1 Timothy 1:1

Titus 2:11-14 Hebrews 6:11-12; 7:19


Man is able to hope for eternal life because his hope is in His God and in the promises of God. The fullness of that hope is in the person and the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. On the cross of Christ, the sins of the man are completely and perfectly taken away. As a result of the removal of sins, and the imputed justification/righteousness from Christ, the believer can be confident in the reality of his own eternal salvation.


  1. What happens when someone believes?

Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30 1 Thessalonians 1:3-6

Hebrews 6:17-19 1 Peter 1:3-5

1 Corinthians 1:21-24 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

John 10:27-29 Romans 11:29


As soon as a person believes in his heart the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit which is the seal of their redemption and will remain until the fullness of their redemption. It is through faith that one is eternally secured in the presence of almighty God for eternity.


  1. What happens when some quits believing?

Hebrews 3:5-12 Ephesians 4:30

1 John 2:19 Revelation 2:5; 2:9; 3:9

Hebrews 10:28-31 2 Peter 2:18-22

Acts 15:36-41 cmp 2 Timothy 4:11


When someone quits believing, it can mean one of two things. It can mean that the person never actually believed in their heart regarding their sin, the holiness and righteousness of God and thus their great need for the savior Jesus Christ. It can mean that the person is like Mark who believed and for some reason was scared off from identifying himself as a Christian but later returned and was profitable to the ministry of God.


As Christian's, we need to be careful about judging the eternal state of others but instead continue to pray for others that they might not fall and for those who have fallen, to help them through the challenges and pray that they might return.