ON SECURITY

 

  The Christian world is split in half by those who believe in synergism and those who believe in monergism regarding Christian “security.”  The doctrine of “eternal security” is based on grace, and that no person can save himself and no person can take it away. That is also the doctrine of those who believe in “conditional security.” What then is the difference? The synergistic viewpoint stresses that people must cooperate with God for rebirth and for preservation. The monergistic viewpoint is that God has a Plan for everyone, no cooperation is required, and hence grace is irresistible.

  Synergistic doctrine stresses that all are called, but because of free will, people can resist the Holy Spirit. God has a Will. Because Adam was made in the image of God — Mind (Will), Body (Flesh), and Spirit (Willingness), synergists believe that people can exercise their will to assist in the control of their flesh and spirit.

  Monergistic doctrine (Calvinism) believes in free will, but that natural man is drawn toward sin, not toward righteousness. Therein is the big difference — whether God calls or whether God elects. With “election” those called cannot influence God’s irresistible grace, but with free will (Arminianism) sinners are called to repentance and regeneration.

  One must question why the Books of Job and James are in Holy Scripture. Martin Luther “reformed” the Catholic Faith. He did not like the idea of “works” which had been institutionalized in the Roman Catholic Church. Indeed, Luther had a great point there, because no man, the Pope inclusive, can preserve the faithful; only God can and to pay indulgences for “security” is outlandish, and is a consequence of the Pope’s Doctrine. Pope Leo X surely caused Luther’s rebellion and Protestantism with the institution of indulgences in 1517 to provide money to build Saint Peter’s Basilica.  Catholics do not really believe that indulgences can save from sin, but are for reprieve of  temporary punishment for sin.  However, that belief was quickly misunderstood.

  Ironically, the new Saint Peter’s Basilica, as the old one, preserved the bones of Saint Peter. Catholics, according to Matthew 16:18, believe the Church was built on the “rock,” Peter. Indeed, the “universal” (catholic church) building was built on the bones of Peter, and that building caused the Reformation. It seems to be God’s will that the drifting church (the Catholic) be preserved to preserve the Church and some peculiar saints (1 Pet 2:9). As “reformed” from Catholicism, most Christians descend from that original denomination. When Roman Catholics chose a “Pope” from all the bishops, no longer was the Church universal but peculiar.Now read the key verses: 

¹¹ Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. ¹⁹ Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; ²⁰ Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. (Jas 5:11,19-20); ⁸ And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8)

 

  James was the only writer to mention Job. Throughout my commentaries for the last thirteen years I have contended that Job is in Holy Scripture as an example of “security.” God knew that Job was peculiar; that there was “none like him in the earth.” That Job was “perfect and upright.” Satan had come to God to test the faith of God’s chosen person, Job. What made Job perfect and upright? He feared God and avoided evil. He did not enter unto temptation, as Adam had, because he feared death. He knew what death was, unlike Adam. Spiritual death is the removal of the Spirit of God from the living soul. Upright Adam had God’s Spirit removed. Would upright Job?

  It is unknown how Job became perfect and upright, but the entire Book of Job is about how Job was preserved. Job could have failed, not by sinning, but by following Satan, any of the demons, or his own wiles (will).

  God made the rules, and Satan used all types of devices, short of murder, to tempt Job to deny God  to save himself from tribulation and physical death. Job cherished his spiritual life and sought to preserve it, although he wished he had never been born. Since mortal birth is the process of physically dying, Job did not fear the death of his body but his soul. Hence, he desired to live forever, and to do that he must fear God more than Satan. “Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mat 10:28).

  Other people can kill the body, but only Satan can kill both body and soul. However, Satan requires your assistance and God’s permission. You can either choose spiritual death or not. Free will does not terminate at rebirth but continues unto death.

  You as a Christian are synergistic with God. He does all the graceful things, but you must fear Him. Why fear? Because God has the authority to make the final decision. Satan does not have the power to kill the Body. God implied that Satan would not be allowed to kill Job, but he could tempt him. Tempt from what? Being upright and perfect! Satan gambled that he could make Job curse God. That is blasphemy and any perfect and upright person who blasphemes God is an “apostate” by the renunciation of God.

  Satan and his demons strived to get the perfect and upright man, one who depended on the Word (Jesus) to deny the Promised One. Job could have renounced God because God. He was tested because God wanted that Job demonstrate his spiritual free will. That he could resist sin with God’s help; he and God all alone against Satan and all his demons.  Job had to endure torments and temptations. God assisted him by a hedge of safety, but salvation was dependent on how well Job cooperated within the hedge of safety with God. He could have denied God to save the flesh of his family, his wealth, his health, and his own physical well-being; but Job valued his spiritual security more than his physical safety.

  Job is an example of synergism. He freely trusted God for final salvation. He endured both tribulation and temptation until Satan was through with him. Just when is Satan through with his devices to undermine God? When God is diminished to a lesser Being, and that can never happen. Satan knows that.

  Satan is through when Christians become lesser people. He is satisfied with that. Job was totally pure and was upright. Satan’s test was to change Job’s countenance wherein he could sin with impunity. He must be brought down to the level of the demons. Men are created a little lower than the angels in the image of Jesus (Psalm 8:5). Death was gain for Jesus because He was made King over the angels.

  Regeneration is rebirth. It makes lesser people like Jesus — meek and presentable to inherit the earth — to be as kings. Satan’s role was to make meek Job arrogant and proud. He failed… but he could have brought Job down from his uprightness. “Uprightness” is required for the strait gate that is required to enter unto Heaven (Mat 7:13).

  The hedge kept Job safe but no secure. Satan sought to find Job’s strongholds to bring him down. Christians are safe as well. God puts a “hedge” around us just as with Job. Christians and the Holy Ghost work synergistically throughout life just as the Christian “disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost” in Antioch.

  The Holy Ghost is the “hedge” as the Comforter. He is there to keep Christians upright. Why would He merely make Christians “comfortable?” Satan would like that because Christians are to be vigilant, to wit: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith” (1 Pet 5:8-9).

  The Devil was seeking to devour perfect and upright Job, and he is seeking to devour Christians who have stedfast faith. “Faith” is the Christians’ parts in the synergistic relationship. Stedfast faith keeps the upright from being devoured — their soul destroyed — by Satan. Faith is a gift from God and is not of yourselves (Ephes 2:8). Steadfast faith was the “hedge” that kept Job safe from the evil ones. God gifted that hedge, but Job cooperated with God by trusting the “gift” to keep him safe.

  Safe until when? When the Devil relents. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas 4:7). The Devil will not quit until you show steadfastness, when Christians totally submit to God for protection. Thus submission, not one time, but all the time, keeps Christians safe until they endure to the end (Mat 10:22). Endure what? Satan’s trials. Death ends the contest. The prize is in hand when death makes it gain. Death is the final security against Satan and unless a Christian in this age is dead, he is vulnerable until the end.

  The feeling that Christians have overcome the world by staying upright is not salvation, but the assurance of salvation. Those who continue to live like the world should not feel secure in that they follow the Law of Sin and not the Will of God. The problem with reformed theology is that it is a deception. It makes Christians feel safe, just like Adam and Eve, even though their eternal souls are in jeopardy. Adam and Eve fell from Glory to tribulation in the world, and they were also “totally upright” (Gen 1:31). As Adam-kind, you too can fall to the cunning of the Serpent. Christians are safe (Greek, sosos) but they are not saved until the world is overcome.

  Job did overcome the world. He demonstrated that, but a less upright person would have failed. Job was like Jesus who was without sin. If you are not totally upright, then you are vulnerable to the wiles (will) of the Devil.

  The truth kept Job safe. James pointed out that even the Christian brethren could err from the truth. It is the truth which sets and keeps free, and if Christians fall for the lie, then they err from the truth. Just as with Adam and Eve, the lie is always, You shall not really die! because that means to die spiritually. The deception in Calvinism is that their doctrine is that you will never die even when living for Satan. If you understand Job, then you know how to dodge the tricks of Satan. Vigilance is important because, even if you are upright, you are fair game. Why stay vigilant if you are secure? Because security is conditional. It depends on your synergy with the Holy Ghost of Jesus.

  Paul checked on the new Christians at Antioch to see if they were still Christians. (Acts 13). Their joy in the Holy Ghost was the evidence that they continued in the faith. They had endured to that time. Would they endure to the end? That was up to their keeping the faith that God gave them.