ONCE A SON, ALWAYS A SON.

ONCE A SON, ALWAYS A SON
I am often asked the question.
‘Do you believe “once saved, always saved”?’ My reply is,
‘I prefer to say,
“once a son, always a son.
”’
Christians are born again, and it’s impossible to be unborn. At times I may be a bad son or a rebellious son, but I am still a son.
When we were saved the Father gave us to the Son for safe-keeping. Jesus promises,
‘All that the Father gives Me will come to Me,
and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out’ (Jn.6:37). The term,
‘by no means,
’ in the Greek language is a strong
expression. It is a double negative. Jesus is saying,
‘Whoever comes to me I will never, no never, cast out.
’
Jesus is not only our Saviour, but also our great High Priest. He makes intercession for us at God’s right hand (see Rom.8:34). We see
the high priestly ministry of Jesus in operation in the life of Peter. Just before Peter denied the Lord, Jesus said to him,
‘Simon, Simon!
Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail’ (Luke
22:31&32). Peter failed, but Jesus his High Priest prevailed!
All the disciples were likewise given to Jesus by the Father, and He kept each one of them. At the end of His ministry on earth He
prayed,
‘While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost
except the son of perdition…
’ (Jn.17:12). The son of perdition was Judas. It is clear from the New Testament that Judas was never a
true believer. All the other disciples were believers and were kept safe and secure by Jesus’ high priestly ministry.
Jesus made this promise concerning those who are His sheep: ‘I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch
them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and
the Father are one’ (Jn.10:28-29). We are in Christ’s hand and His hand is wrapped around by the Father’s hand.
Double Wrapped
When I became a Christian, at the age of 13, the pastor who led me to Christ placed a coin in his hand and said,
‘This is your life.
’ And
then he closed his fist tightly around it. Next, he wrapped his other hand around that one and quoted Colossians 3:3: ‘
… your life is
hidden with Christ in God’
. He said,
‘You are double-wrapped. No one can take you away from God!’
I once heard a story that dates back to the days of slavery in the United States. A slave woman who was a believer was sharing with her
mistress the confidence she had that she was eternally secure, based on these verses. She said,
‘I am in Christ’s hand, and His hand is
in the Father’s hand. No one can take me out of Christ’s hand now.
’ Her mistress was also a Christian, but did not believe in eternal
security. She said to her,
‘But you can wriggle out of His hand, if you choose to do so.
’ ‘Oh, but Madam, you don’t understand,
’ she
replied,
‘I am not just in His hand, I am the little finger of His hand. How can I slip out of His hand when I am a part of His hand?’
When we were saved, we were joined to Christ so as to become actual members, or parts, of His body. If we perished this would mean
a member of Christ’s body would be maimed. Can you imagine the body of Christ in heaven being dismembered, being short of a nose,
missing an ear, etc.? The idea is ridiculous.
Dear friend, as a believer you are eternally secure because the Father has given you to the Son for safekeeping. You are safe in His