A friend pointed me to a May 27, 2015, blog post by Dr. John Piper at desiringgod.org. The title of the post caught my attention: “You Can Believe the Promises of God and Be Lost.” You can see that blog here.
I was hoping that Piper would say that it is possible to believe non-salvific promises and not be born again. After all, people can believe a prosperity gospel and not be saved. People can believe God’s promise about the truthfulness of His Word and yet not be regenerate. There are lots of promises of God in Scripture which are not promises of being born again.
However, as I read his article, it was clear he was saying that you can believe the promise of everlasting life and yet still be unregenerate. For example, he wrote concerning those in Matt 7:22 who were upset to learn that they would be excluded from the kingdom, “These folks believed that they were secure in relation to Christ. They called him ‘Lord,’ and they tapped into supernatural power in his name.” The only eternal security promises he mentions which the people of Matt 7:22 believed are Rom 3:28 and Josh 1:5, though the latter is not really an eternal security verse as it is used in Joshua.
(For a clear explanation of Matt 7:21-23, see this 5-minute video by me, this explanation by Zane Hodges, and this blog by me.)
Piper goes on to make this startling statement: “Believing that Christ and his promises are true, based on a testimony, is a necessary part of faith. But it is not the saving essence of faith” (emphases his). That is direct contradiction of the Lord’s words in John 3:16; 5:24, 39-40; 6:35, 37, 39, 47; 11:25-26. It is also a direct contradiction of the Apostle John’s purpose statement in John 20:30-31.
So, what is the saving essence of faith? Piper calls it a “spiritual apprehension of the truth” and “apprehending the beauty of worth of the truth.” He says, “saving faith in the promises of God includes spiritual enjoyment of the God of the promises…saving faith must include this enjoyment. Enjoyment of the glory of God is not the whole of what faith is. But without it, faith is dead” (emphasis his).
He says the problem with the people of Matt 7:22 is that although they believed the promise of everlasting life, “they did not love God.” Loving God is spiritual enjoyment of the promises of God, according to Piper.
Piper ends by saying that “to apprehend and embrace spiritual beauty…is the ‘embracing of spiritual beauty’ that is the essential core of saving faith. And this embrace is what will shape our lives most deeply and receive the ‘well done’ at the last day.”
In other words, Piper is saying that in order to be born again one must 1) believe the promise of everlasting life to the believer and 2) persevere in love for God. That persevering in love for God produces the life of good works necessary to receive the Lord’s “well done.”
Piper merges the Great White Throne Judgment and Judgment Seat of Christ (the Bema), and he makes receiving Christ’s approval at the Bema the final link in gaining access to His kingdom. In his view, unless there is a way to be sure that you will persevere until death in love for God, then you won’t know where you will spend eternity until you appear at the Bema/Great White Throne Judgment.
Back to the title of my blog. The answer is no. Emphatically no. A person cannot believe the promise of everlasting life and yet end up being eternally condemned. The Lord Jesus Christ guarantees it as the Gospel of John (and the epistles) repeatedly makes crystal clear.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31). To believe is to be persuaded. It is not to love God and do good works. Yes, our belief in the promise of everlasting life should produce love for God, and love for God should produce a lifetime of good works. But love for God is not part of what saving faith is. Perseverance in good works is not part of saving faith. Indeed, love for God and perseverance in good works are not guaranteed by God.
What God does guarantee is beautiful: “He who believes in Me has everlasting life” (John 6:47). Believe that promise, and you will never be eternally condemned (John 3:18). Guaranteed. Amen.
Leo Z
Amen Pastor Bob! No matter how anyone put their spin on a “faith (believe) in Jesus PLUS message (be it adding loving God, enjoying Him or whatever else)..and add a “final salvation” component based on the add on to the saving gospel, IS a FALSE saving message which will save no one. Scripture is clear on eternal salvation being by God’s grace alone, through faith alone (believing alone), in Christ alone. How anyone reading Jesus’ own words can say otherwise, is perplexing to me.
Yes! Being saved should spur a believer to love Him, enjoy Him and glorify Him because He has already been given eternal life.
I know, this is a rehash of what you’ve already said. It’s my way of saying I concur plus I just had to get out of my system. Keep on contending! Earnestly praying for you and GES.
Ken Tamashiro
Hi Pastor Bob,
I agree with you on your topic. You cannot call something Beautiful when it is in error which can cause much frustration for a Believer when he can’t measure up.
I remember this joke on TV where this Manager of a Broker Firm told his salespeople,… in order to sell these junk stocks you must put lipstick on this pig and call it Beautiful.
Grace and Peace and keep bring out the Truth!!!
Ken Tamashiro
Alvin
Piper ends by saying that “to apprehend and embrace spiritual beauty…is the ‘embracing of spiritual beauty’ that is the essential core of saving faith. And this embrace is what will shape our lives most deeply and receive the ‘well done’ at the last day.”
1 John 1:5
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
Piper is embracing the spiritual beauty of Satan.
2 Corinthians 11:14
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
Satan is the father of lies~!
He is embracing a false light, because God cannot dwell in the darkness of a lie~!
Alvin
Just to clarify, I’m not saying that Piper is lost. I don’t know, he could be like John MacArthur who at one time believed, but now is being used by Satan to spread a lie.
Alvin
I think a good example of believing something about Jesus, and believing Jesus as the Christ is the story in John 4:46-54 of the Nobleman.
In verse 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man BELIEVED the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.
Then in verse 53 The Nobleman believed in Jesus as the Christ:
So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself BELIEVED, and his whole household.
This story tells us three things: 1. You can believe something about Jesus that will not eternally save you. 2. Verse 48 that was the purpose of the signs (John 20:30-31). 3. And his WHOLE household believed. That means they were all old enough to understand and believe.
anon
Just wondering if you actually said this:
” People can believe God’s promise about the truthfulness of His Word and yet not be regenerate. ”
Is regeneration the same as salvation? Can a born again believer be unregenerate. Is not regeneration part of sanctification or does regeneration begin (and be 100% accomplished) at salvation.
Salvation = grace plus nothing through faith plus nothing in Jesus Christ plus nothing
Salvation = regeneration? regeneration = being born again
Is a Christian who sins regenerated?
Leo Z
Anon, Yes, salvation is the same as regeneration, born again, spiritually made alive, eternally saved. Yes, people can believe many Bible truths and not be regenerate (saved). To be regenerated is to believe the correct specific saving message God has given. What must one do to be saved? Believe (faith) in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31). The only condition. Believe in Him for what? For everlasting life. (John 3:16-18; 5:24; 6:47). As the Christ, The Son of God, He can impart and guarantee everlasting life (eternal life, eternal salvation, forever justification or any phrase of the same concept) to those who believe in Him for it (John 11:25-27; 20:30-31). No, regeneration is not part of sanctification. Being born again (regeneration) is a once in a moment event when one believes and is justified before God. Sanctification is spiritual growt. A lifetime experience of eternal life in discipleship to Christ. (Romans chp 5-8). Yes, salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone plus nothing (Eph 2:8-9). Yes, a regenerate person sins and struggles with it in his practical experience of eternal life (1 John 1:8-9; Romans chp 7-8)
Tim Amoroso
Excellent! Well written, sir.
Mary
Bob,
What about Joel Osteen? Is he a believer? What do you think?
Leo Z
Mary, a common question. Short answer, based on what he preaches and teaches, Joel Osteen is not a believer. He believes and promotes a false gospel called the “health and wealth, prosperity” gospel. He is at best a highly skilled and charismatic “motivational” speaker whose emphasis is on the power of “positive thinking” and “self affirmations” and blends in God and “feel good” Bible into his messages.
Robert Evans
Nothing more or less is asked – without variance – of an accountable individual throughout the Bible in order to have eternal life than what is asked of every accountable individual in the world in the passage that begins with John chapter one and crescendos with Jn 3:15-36: to believe – lit., whoever is the believing one: a moment of faith alone – in God’s one and only Son alone – Who is God, the Word, the Light, the Life become Man Who was given for the world / mankind by God His Father in order to propitiate the sins of all mankind in order for each man to choose to believe in so as to have eternal life.
So if one is contemplating only a mere man of his own imagination who is without the essence and possession of the eternal power of God which would qualify Him to receive the eternal condemnation of all of mankind, suffer that eternal punishment, and be resurrected from the dead in full possession of the essence of the power and glory of God, there will inevitably be something else which is inadequate that one is depending upon which cancels the offer of salvation by grace through faith alone in Christ Jesus, the Son of God alone apart from what Scripture offers to all accountable individuals to trust in for eternal life.