"FOR MY NAME'S SAKE" - I SAM. 12:22

"Once saved always saved!" Do I believe this slogan? No & yes! "No," since it may 1) deceive someone into a mechanistic way of conceiving how their security works; and 2) lead them into the trap of thinking that justification is the end of the journey rather than its beginning. "Yes," since the "name" of God is at stake (I Sam. 12:22). The Lord's zeal for His own glory, not my fickle & feeble efforts, is the effective cause behind the certainty of the believer's security! Does this mean a believer's efforts are irrelevant to his security? Again I answer, "Yes & No!" "Yes," if the ultimate foundation is in view. "Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9 KJV). And I would add a clarifying statement, "From beginning to end!" In the Bible, the believer is the receiver, God is the Giver - not the other way around. "No," since what God gives to the believer is not simple "preservation," but "perseverance."The gift of perseverance is not given "in spite of" the believer's carnal lifestyle, but comes to him as the "sustainer of" a believing lifestyle!