Of the Perseverance of the Saints, XVII:2

This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which arises also the certainty and infallibility thereof.

This paragraph examines the bases of perseverance. The wrong basis is the free will of the Christian. If it were up to us, we would inevitably fail. We would never make it all the way to the end.

Instead, the Christian's perseverance is predicated upon:

1) God's immutable decree of election. Recall chapter III:3-4. What God has decided is fixed and firm. He has said it, so it will happen.

2) The free and unchangeable love of God. God is not a fickle lover. The objects upon whom he places his love will continue in that love. This does not guarantee a life without difficulties, nor that there will be no stumbling--recall the example of Israel.

3) The efficacy of the merit of Christ. There is nothing lacking in Christ's merits. Accordingly, his saving work on our behalf cannot fail or be found insufficient for the task appointed.

4) The intercession of Christ. Recall chapter VIII, especially paragraph 8. If our perfect Savior, the Beloved of the Father, should pray on our behalf, who can imagine that he will be refused?

5) The abiding of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is our seal--the binding as well as the stamp of ownership upon our lives.

6) The seed of God within the Christian. See 1 John 3:9.

7) The nature of the covenant of grace. This covenant is an eternal covenant, irrevocable and forever binding.

For all these reasons, the Christian has no fear that God will fail to bring him finally and fully to salvation.

Tomorrow: The necessity of perseverance.