The Certainty of our Preservation

"And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." (Romans 8:30)

All believers are persevering in faith. But what does a believing and persevering faith look like? I believe the answer to that question is not all mountains and rays of sunshine. Our Christian life consists of mountains and valleys. Sometimes, dark valleys. But nonetheless, we persevere until the end.

When we persevere in faith, we also persevere in prayer and study of God’s word. Knowing that we are still being tempted by the things of this world, and by our own sinfulness, we must be persistent in prayer in our daily life. Persistence in prayer shows our constant dependence upon God. The Bible is full of reminders for us to be diligent in our walk with God. Psalm 191 is full of them. Because we are very prone to wander. But before we think of our preservation being dependent on our works, be reminded that our perseverance is because of God's preservation of us. Why do you think the psalmist said in Psalm 191:10, "With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!"? The psalmist, in seeking God with His whole heart, is fully dependent on God not letting him wander from His commandments.

Believer, let this be a reminder for us: We persevere in prayer and in our faith because the three distinct Persons of our one and only God works in our preservation.

• God, the Father, has predestined to save us and preserve us even before the beginning of time. It is His covenant to us. And that covenant is secure because He is a covenant-keeping God and He does not lie.

• He then sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us and atone for our sins. But the work of Christ didn't end there at the cross. Up until now, Christ is praying for us. He is interceding for His people (Romans 8:34). Christ prays for us to keep us from stumbling and from falling away from the faith.

• Then, the Holy Spirit preserves our salvation. When we believed and trusted Christ, we were, as Ephesians 1:13 says, "sealed with the promised Holy Spirit". We've been given the power and the enablement to continually persevere no matter what happens.

So what does living our daily Christian life look like? I'd definitely say not a walk in the park. It is a steady uphill walk towards our glorification. It is not easy. But it is certain. It is certain because of the preserving work of God, the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:30 says, "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." Take note of that all our in the past tense because it emphasizes the certainty– the certainty of our calling, predestination, justification, and glorification.

Believer, let us truly rest in the certainty of God's covenant promise to us, in Christ's intercession for us, and in the Holy Spirit's enabling work in us.