Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 10
On “make your calling and election sure,” the speaker offers unsettling options: the Christian life doesn’t happen by itself, a good start doesn’t guarantee the end, and “future security…is contingent on our choices,” yet he also says there is “eternal security in Christ” when abiding; how does that tension challenge common evangelical assurance language, and what would a church culture look like that truly held both Peter’s warning (“blind,” “forgotten…purged”) and Peter’s promise (“ye shall never fall,” “abundant entrance”) without softening either?
Another way to ask: How do you hold together Peter’s warning that you can fall away and his promise of security when you abide in Christ? What would a church look like that takes both the warning and the promise seriously without watering either down?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The speaker holds assurance and warning together: security is real “in Christ” as we abide, yet perseverance involves active diligence and choices—so shallow assurance language that ignores growth is challenged. A healthy church culture would regularly stir believers’ memory toward character growth while offering strong hope of not “losing out in the end” for those walking Peter’s path.
- He quotes the warning: the one who lacks these qualities “is blind…cannot see afar off” and “hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”
- He says this affects relationships and can make a believer “insufferable to others,” showing the warning is practical, not theoretical.
- On “make your calling and election sure,” he admits tension: “I’m not quite sure what to do with that,” then offers meanings: “the Christian life does not happen by itself,” “a good start does not assure…,” and “future security…is contingent on our choices.”
- Yet he also says, “there is eternal security in Christ…when we’re abiding in Christ.”
- He interprets “ye shall never fall” as not final loss: you may stumble, but if you keep returning to Christ and practicing these things, “You’re going to make it,” leading to an “abundant entrance.”