Perseverance of the Saints: True Faith Always Endures

Perseverance of the saints is not just a theological idea—it’s a powerful reminder that true saving faith always endures. Learn what it means to persevere as a believer, even in the face of trials and failures. The perseverance of the saints is a work of Christ in us. Though we may stumble, true believers rise again and walk in repentance, proving the genuineness of their faith. https://youtu.be/6iMawZ59C7o Table of contentsJesus Is the Founder and Perfecter of Our FaithJesus Already Prayed for Our PerseveranceEncouraged When We DoubtJesus Doesn’t Pray Exactly Like UsA Saint’s Faith PerseveresEternal Security and Once Saved Always SavedTrials Reveal the Genuineness of Our FaithJob Is the Premier Example of a Persevering SaintPeter and Job Demonstrate That Perseverance Does Not Require PerfectionPeter and Job Demonstrate That Perseverance Does Involve Repentance A long-time friend of mine shared a testimony with me. He was one of my closest friends when we were in California, and I knew him to be a committed Christian. Around 2015, he relocated to Los Angeles and began working for a large, well-known company. He didn’t want me to mention the company’s name. I knew this friend as a responsible and hard worker, so I wasn’t surprised when he told me that he had advanced to upper management in the company. He said he regularly worked 12 to 20-hour days. When I asked how you work 20-hour days consistently, he said, and I quote, “That’s what I want to talk to you about. A select group of senior-level management chose to use cocaine, and I started using it too, and became addicted. I would use it throughout the day to keep going, and when I returned home, I would drink half a gallon of whiskey and take sleeping pills to come off the cocaine so I could fall asleep. Then I would wake up four or five hours later and use more cocaine to have the energy to make it through the day. This went on for years. I knew I was going to kill myself and leave my wife and children without a husband and father, so one night, God heavily convicted me, and I called a Christian rehab facility and said they had to come pick me up. My wife knew something was wrong with me, but she didn’t know what it was. She never gave up praying for me or loving me, and before I left the house, I confessed to her what was happening and informed her that she wouldn’t be able to communicate with me while I was in the facility. I also told her where she could find the stashes of cocaine around the house, because I didn’t want to stumble upon them when I returned home. When I left the facility, I went to work one more time, and that was to quit. I didn’t give them two weeks' notice because I didn’t want to create further temptation. I have been sober since then. I moved my family to Wyoming, where we found healing, and the Lord redeemed our family. We experienced this victory because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The cross can help us defeat anything.” End quote. It blessed me to hear this because I’m sure there were many sacrifices and much suffering on his part to see the positive changes in his life and family. Most of you know our familiarity with addiction: my brother died of a drug overdose, my dad was an alcoholic, and Katie’s mother died of alcoholism. Sadly, there are not many success stories in the addiction world. Some of you know this firsthand. But instead of looking at what he had done, he looked at what Christ had done for him. I don’t think my friend became a Christian during this time. I knew him from 2005 through 2010, and I was confident in his salvation. I believe Christ was with him through this season, praying for him and strengthening his faith, just as He described doing for Peter: Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus said He would pray for Peter’s faith so that it would not fail. Just as He did so with Peter, I believe He did so with my friend, and He does so for us. Jesus Is the Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith in the ESV, or in the NKJV, the author and finisher of our faith. Regardless of the translation you’re using the point is the same: our faith begins with Christ and is maintained by Him. This brings up an obvious question: Jesus said He prayed for Peter’s faith not to fail. So, when other people’s faith fails, does that mean Jesus didn’t pray for them, or would their faith have survived if He had prayed a little more? No, that’s not it at all. Jesus prays for believers’ faith because believers have faith. That’s why He can pray for it. Unbelievers don’t have faith. Jesus can’t pray for, or strengthen faith that people don’t have. The point is that if you are a believer, Jesus prays for and maintains your faith. If you are not a believer, Jesus does not pray for and maintain your faith, because you don’t have any. Jesus Already Prayed for Our Perseverance Jesus said, “I have prayed.” It is past tense. Peter’s faith hadn’t even been tested yet. It wouldn’t be tested until the servant girl says Peter was with Jesus. But Jesus had already prayed for it. Jesus is praying for our faith, too. This is one of His primary ministries as our great high priest: Romans 8:34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who diedmore than that, who was raisedwho is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Hebrews 7:24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. As believers, Jesus is interceding on our behalf at the right hand of the Father. We experience the same grace that Peter experienced. Encouraged When We Doubt Every believer experiences doubt. Unbelievers experience unbelief, but believers experience doubt. Sin has affected every area of our Christian lives, including our faith. No part of us is perfect, not even our faith. When we experience doubt, I hope we can be encouraged that Jesus is praying for our faith not to fail, or, as was the case with Peter, Jesus had already prayed that our faith would not fail. Jesus Doesn’t Pray Exactly Like Us Jesus is the God man: fully God and fully man. As a man, there are ways He is like us. But the danger is believing He is like us in every respect. He is also God in the flesh, and He didn’t pray for Peter the way we pray for people. We pray for people and wonder what will happen. We wonder if they will be saved, healed, get that job, or repent. But Jesus never prayed like this. He didn’t wonder if His prayers would be answered. He didn’t pray for Peter and think, “Is Peter going to make it or not. I sure hope so.” Instead, Jesus told Peter that even though his faith would falter, it would not fail because Jesus prayed for him. And the same is true for us: we falter. We will betray Christ at times; if not verbally, as Peter did, we will betray Him through our actions. But if we are believers, our faith will not fail because Jesus maintains it for us. This is known as the perseverance of the saints. A Saint’s Faith Perseveres John 10:28 I give [My sheep] eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. This emphasizes our security in Christ, and we can only be secure in Christ, if our faith in Christ is maintained: John 3:16 God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. It couldn’t be called eternal life if we could lose it. Then it would be called possible life. Jesus wouldn’t say His sheep will never perish if we could later perish. Philippians 1:6 I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Paul couldn’t write this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit if we could lose our salvation. That would mean God could start working in our lives, but then stop. 1 Peter 1:5 [Believers] who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. This describes God’s protective power over us as believers, ensuring our salvation is secure. For us to lose our salvation, we would mean we overcame God’s protective power. We might be wretched sinners, but we are not big enough sinners that we can overcome God’s power. As Romans 5:20 says, "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." Eternal Security and Once Saved Always Saved When you’re saved you can’t be unsaved. If you could be unsaved it couldn’t be said that you were saved. The possibility of being unsaved would prevent you from ever being called saved. When you’re born again, you can’t be unborn. Just as you can’t be unborn physically, you can’t be unborn spiritually. The Holy Spirit indwells us, regenerates us, and then seals us. We can’t be un-regenerated and unsealed. Revelation 13:10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. I like the ESV, but it uses the word steadfast. Most translations, such as the NIV and NKJV, read perseverance. This is the Greek word hypomonē, which is also translated as patience or endurance. In other words, this is referring to the perseverance of the saints. The context of this verse is the Great Tribulation: a time of intense persecution. The antichrist will be murdering everyone who doesn’t pledge their loyalty to him by receiving the mark of the beast. Most believers will be,