Eternal Security

The quest for security springs from the universal craving of the human heart, irrespective of race, nationality, culture or social or economic status. Because of this, a major part of human activity in every country is directed to find security for the people. This is even more so when signs of the time are appearing everywhere in this period of time. There are more plane and train crashes; more floods happening in places never have any flood in history; more and stronger hurricanes or tropical storms. Then, there are sudden changes of weather condition. Earth quakes and many other calamities and disasters are happening everyday. More and more people are dying because of wars and unknown diseases without mentioning more cases of senseless killing and murder or taking of human lives.

In our contemporary culture there are various agencies, industries or organisations (private or public) in some way or other devoted to provide the people with some sort of security. One example is the insurance agency. But, the scope of providing security is limited. A person can insure himself against an accident. But, there is no way to be sure that an accident will not happen. He can insure against fire and theft. But, there is no way to be completely sure that fire will not break out and no theft will take place. There are security forces such as police and armed forces and army. The trouble is, the stronger the security measures of one nation autometically becomes insecurity of another nation. Then, there is the provision of Social Security and health program in some countries. We must admit that all these means of providing security are good and should be fully supported. But, they are all temporal and none of these means is able to provide total or permanant security. Man can provide limited measure of security in time but he is powerless to achieve real, permanant and total eternal security.

The Source of Eternal Security

I believe the source of true and eternal security comes from the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God speaking through the pages of the Holy Scripture offers the total divine security in time and eternity.

Solomon paints a beautiful picture concerning the call of God's Wisdom which is personalised in the first two chapters of the Book of Proverbs. Please read Proverbs 1:20 to 33.

It is good to consider the contract between one who listens to Wisdom and one who refuses the call of Wisdom:

"But whoever listens to me will dwell safely. And will be secure, without fear of evil" (Prov. 1:33, NKJV).

In other words, to give heed to the Voice of God's Wisdom is the key for us to dwell in safely at all times; to have total eternal security, without fear of evil.

"Because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you" (Verses 25 to 27).

The above is the alternative of not giving heed to the Voice of God's Wisdom, but instead disdaining God's counsel. This obviously is the road to ultimate calamity.

Foundation of Eternal Security

There are only two ways we can build our foundation on; one is on the Rock and the other is on the sand:

Jesus said, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock" (Matthew 7:24 and 25, emphasis added).

Verses 26 and 27 give the alternative of building the house on the sand which is a poor foundation. The result is total calamity.

Notice that, the key to building the house on the rock which provides total and permanant security is to listen to the words of Jesus and obey His commands. This calls for a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul said, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11).

Peter said Jesus Christ is the "chief cornerstone" and believers are "living stones" of the spiritual house built on the foundation of the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4 to 6).

Understanding the Shepherd Psalm

The need of a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and to maintain an intimate relationship with Him is described in many passages of the Scripture. One of the most beautiful and the most familiar is the Shepherd Psalm:

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (Psalm 23:1 to 3).

These 3 verses describe the type of security provided by Jesus throughout our life on earth. Notice that the security is total; physical, material and emotional. The all important condition is we must acknowledge Jesus is our Shepherd.

Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27).

Jesus tells us very briefly who are the true Christians and what is the basic requirement for being a Christian. He says, only His sheep hear His voice and obey Him and do what He says. A person who is not His sheep is not a true Christian and will not hear His voice and follow Him.

Any Christian who fulfills this requirement is qualified to claim all the promises of the Shepherd Psalm.

The next 3 verses of Psalm 23 is the promise of Eternal Security:

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (verses 4,5,6, emphasis added).

Notice that when we acknowlege Jesus as our Shepherd it is His responsibility to provide us with total and permanant security in life or death. We need not fear death nor evil when we dwell in the Lord's House forever!

The apostle Paul put it this way:

"For I am persuaded that neither death or life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38,39).

Security in Time of Trouble

Psalm 91 shows the total security made available to Christians who fulfill certain conditions in time of trouble:

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord 'He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust' ........ " (Verses 1 and 2).

There are two conditions here. The word "dwells" speaks of the continuing position of our standing in God and maintaining a personal relationship with Him. The second condition is, we must acknowledge and make confidant confession to the Lord of our trust in God in our walk with Him by faith.

With these conditions fulfilled the Lord will deliver us from all the forms of trouble listed in other verses of Psalm 91.

These are the promises of God:

"I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation" (Psalm 91:14 to 16).