ETERNAL SECURITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

JOB

[Job 14:15-17]:

(v. 15) "You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made.

(v. 16) Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin.

(v. 17) My offenses will be sealed up in a bag; you will cover over my sin."

[Job 19:25-27]:

(v. 25) "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.

(v. 26) And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;

(v. 27) I myself will see Him with my own eyes--I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"

ABRAHAM

[Gen 15:1-6]:

(v. 1) "After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

'Do not be afraid, Abram.

I am your shield,

your very great reward.'

(v. 2) But Abram said, 'O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?'

(v. 3) And Abram said, 'You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.'

(v. 4) Then the word of the Lord came to him: 'This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.'

(v. 5) He took him outside and said, 'Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring [lit. your Seed"] be.'

[" 'So shall your offspring([lit. your Seed") be.' " =

In order for Abram to have countless offspring and be blessed by it in his own life he would have to have eternal life. The next verse indicates that God credited His perfect righteousness to Abram which is to say that Abraham was granted entry into the kingdom of heaven, i.e., eternal life]:

(v. 6) Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as reighteousness."

The Apostle Paul confirms that Abraham was saved by faith alone in the Seed Jesus Christ alone:

[Ro 4:1-3]:

(v. 1) "What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?

["this matter" = The matter of how to be justified unto eternal life, i.e., saved. Cp Ro 3:21-31]

(v. 2) If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about - but not before God.

(v. 3) What does the Scripture say?

[And here Paul quotes Gen 15:6]:

'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' "

[Compare Gen 12:7a]:

"The Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your Seed [Jesus Christ, (Gal 3:16)] I will give this land.' " (cp Gen 13:15; 24:7: same phrase)

And Paul further defines the meaning of the word "Seed" in Gen 12:7, 13:15 & 24:7:

[Gal 3:16]:

"The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his Seed. The Scripture does not say 'and to seeds,' meaning many people, but 'and to your seed,' meaning one person, who is Christ."

[Jn 8:56]:

(v. 56) [Jesus said to the Jews]" 'Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day; he saw it and was glad.' "

[Our Lord is saying here that during Abraham's lifetime on earth he rejoiced at the thought of seeing the glory of the Messiah Jesus Christ's triumph over sin - demonstrating that he, Abraham, truly was born again and eternally secure by faith alone]

JACOB

[Gen 37:34-35]:

(v. 34) "Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.

(v. 35) All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he said 'in mourning will I go down to Sheol to my son.' So his father wept for him.

[Notice that Jacob could not be saying that when he dies he would have his dead son dug up to have Jacob's body placed in the same grave with his son. Certainly Jacob means that he will see his son in the afterlife]

DAVID

[Ps 16:8-11]:

(v. 8) "I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

(v. 9) Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

(v. 10) because you will not abandon me to 'Sheol', nor will you let your holy one see decay [= David who was holy, i.e., 'set apart' for salvation unto eternal life, (v. 1)].

[Allen P. Ross states, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord & Zuck Editors, Victor Books, USA, 1987, p. 804]:

"David was assured that the Lord would preserve his life in the face of death. He rejoiced because God enabled his body to rest securely even when confronted with death. The reason he could rest is that God would not abandon him to the grave, nor...let His holy one see decay. This verse refers to David, who describes himself as God's 'holy one,' that is, one of God's saints (cf. v. 3). He took comfort in the fact that God would not, at that time, allow his body to die and decay in the grave. [i.e., he would be resurrected at some time].

In fact God had caused him to know the path of life so he anticipated experiencing further joy in God's presence.... Death posed no threat to David because he enjoyed great blessing and fellowship with the Lord. God would not permit death and the grave to interrupt that marvelous fellowship [so soul sleep was obviously out of the question in David's mind]:

(v. 11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand"

EPISTLE OF BARNABAS

http://biblefacts.org/church/barn.html#2

The Epistle of Barnabas

APOSTOLIC FATHERS (trans. and ed., J. B. Lightfoot)

6:10 And whosoever shall set his hope on Him, shall live for ever.

AUGUSTINE’S CONTRIBUTIONS

1. Absolute predestination 2. Impossibility of falling away or apostasy. (Eternal Security) 3. Man has no free will. 4. One cannot know if they are saved. 5. God commands impossibilities. 6. The supreme authority of the Roman church. 7. Purgatory. 8. Prayers for the dead. 9. The damnation of unbaptized infants and adults. 10. Sex is sinful because depravity is inherited.