“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2^nd Timothy 4:18).

True Baptists have always held to the doctrine of Eternal Security, or “once saved, always saved.” We believe that eternal life, to be eternal, must continue unabated no matter the force, or power that comes against it. The question then: has the Lord Jesus Christ bestowed eternal life upon His children, or has He not?

Let the wisest Man ever to grace the earth answer this question…

In His prayer before His suffering, the Lord Jesus offered these words to His Father: “…Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:1-3).

In this verse we learn that God the Father gave power to His Son over “all flesh,” and that He should give eternal life to those the Father gave Him in election. Some might be tempted to say that Christ merely offered eternal life; however, in the text the words “should give” means: “to give something to someone; of one's own accord to give one something, to his advantage; to bestow a gift” (definitions from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, and The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon). By definition, the Lord Jesus Christ bestowed the gift of eternal life to those His Father gave Him.

Again, the Lord Jesus spoke: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). In this lesson we are instructed that Jesus’ sheep receive eternal life by the gift of the Lord Jesus.

Again the Lord instructs: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Those who believe, according to this text, “will not perish, but have everlasting life.” Who is able to believe? According to verse 36, it is he that “hath everlasting life.” Those who are born again, or have experienced regeneration, now are in possession of everlasting life. They do not believe in order to receive everlasting, or eternal life. They believe because they have everlasting, or eternal life. Everlasting life is the same as eternal life. Everlasting is defined as: “perpetual, eternal, for ever, everlasting” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance).

In two of the three “witnesses” I have used to show that the Lord Jesus Christ gave, or bestowed eternal life upon His elect, we also see another theme intertwined. In John 10:28, the Lord states: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish…” Again in John 3:16: “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The intertwined theme: those who have received eternal, or everlasting life; will not perish.

The scriptures are clear that there are two eternal, or everlasting existences for mankind. For the redeemed of the Lord, there is everlasting joy, or life. For those who “know not God” there is everlasting contempt, or destruction. Notice:

“Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away” (Isaiah 51:11). 

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).

“Who [those who know not God] shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2^nd Thessalonians 1:9).

The child of God, who is the blessed recipient of eternal life, has the safety of everlasting joy of knowing “the only true God, and Jesus Christ.” They shall forever enjoy the “presence of the Lord,” while those whom God shall punish; the punishment is “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.” The Lord Jesus tells the wicked, “…Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

To perish, according to Strong’s is to be: “destroyed, to destroy fully, die, or lose” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). Again, there are two eternal existences for the race of Adam, either eternal destruction, or eternal joy. According to the Lord’s promises in John chapters 3 and 10, those who possess “eternal life,” shall never perish, or be destroyed. Thus we can safely assume, and believe with all our hearts, that any who are the Lord’s children, those that God “hast given him,” shall be safely preserved from destruction or perishing.

Strong’s says to perish is also to lose. According to the Lord, His Father’s will was for Him to “…lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (John 6:39). In His prayer of John 17, the Lord stated with strong conviction: “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12). The Lord Jesus has kept all that the Father intended for Him to keep, and by His own word He states, “none of them is lost.”

What a comfort this knowledge brings, that truly the work of Christ “is finished.” There is no fear of being lost, no fear of eternal destruction, no fear of perishing … only the anticipation of eternal joy, and the eternal presence of the Lord, the knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus Christ.

While these truths are evident, and very clear in the Scriptures, it is possible at times for us to be consumed with guilt of our sin, or worry of our condition so that we doubt our security in the Lord. Thus we come to our opening text from 2^nd Timothy:

“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2^nd Timothy 4:18).

The aged apostle, writing at the point of his death could affirm that God had thus far delivered him from every evil work against him. Whether it was thwarting Satan, Festus, Felix, Agrippa, Caesar, those “more than forty” men who conspired against him, the “mouth of the lion,” the night and day he spent “in the deep,” Paul knew that God had blessed him to escape all those evils. Perhaps my favorite verse in the Bible is where Paul affirmed to Agrippa, “Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day…” (Acts 26:22). By that testimony of his experience, Paul was sure that God, who delivered him from every evil work, would also ensure his safe arrival to his heavenly home.

Paul understood that it was by grace, or the work of God that he would be preserved. He had no illusion that his own “good works,” his ability to outrun the devil till he died, or keeping the law to a “jot and tittle,” or keeping any other numerous requirements, or yokes of bondage the world would place upon him would cause him to finally inherit his joy in heaven. No, he understood God had delivered him, and God would preserve him.

We, too, can rejoice to know that God keeps us from every evil work, whether foreign (a work by devils, wicked men or other outside forces), or internal (our own sinfulness or neglect). No matter the evil, it shall not separate us from the love of God. Men and devils are too weak compared to Christ, thus they cannot destroy us. We ourselves, though for our sinfulness God would be just to cast us away, not even our sin shall separate us. Why? “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth” (Romans 8:33). There is no charge that can be levied against the Lord’s people. God is our judge; He has pronounced us clean and righteous through the blood of His Son. Will God then despite His Son? No, His love to Him is far too great.

Eternally our place with our Lord is secure. No man, no power will ever remove us from Him. The Lord Jesus has been given all power in heaven and earth, and He has proclaimed “none is lost.” Will we heed the comforts of the Son of God, or will we heed the fears of our hearts, or those who would rob us our joy?

I encourage you to take hope in this beloved doctrine, this truth of the Bible and thus of the Lord Himself. While we live, may we be encouraged that God delivers us from evil works, and above this, He preserves us to His heavenly kingdom. Though heartaches ensue, though troubles abound, we can take comfort to know that none of these things remove the truth that we shall soon be with our Lord.

“When I am to die, ‘Receive me,’ I'll cry,

For Jesus hath loved me, I cannot tell why.

But this I do find, we two are so joined,

He'll not live in glory and leave me behind.”