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Saved And Safe

John 17:9-12

"I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine; and all things that are Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. And I am no more in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, the name which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Thy name which Thou hast given Me; and I guarded them, and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."

We are living in enemy territory, so, beware!

The world system hates Christ while pretending to honor God. Satan prowls about as a roaring lion. The very atmosphere that we breathe is poisoned with "the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life" (1 John 2:16). The world system around us appeals to the flesh within us so that we fight a steady battle against temptation. How, then, can the dedicated believer remain safe and secure in such a dangerous world?

Our security is in Jesus Christ. When you have trusted Him as your Savior, you have a spiritual security that nothing can destroy. I know, it seems too good to be true; but even salvation itself is too good to be true! Our personal relationship to the Father through Jesus Christ is unchanged and unchangeable, even though our fellowship with Him may change from day to day. Our union with Christ is secure, no matter what may alter our communion. Let’s consider several truths presented in verses 9-12, as well as in the previous verses, that indicate and affirm that the believer is secure in Christ.

1. Christ prayed for us.

"I ask on their behalf...Holy Father, keep them in Thy name..." (verses 9 and 12).

To be sure, He was praying for His disciples; but our spiritual oneness in Christ makes up a part of that fellowship. Furthermore, we today stand in a similar relationship to the Savior as the disciples did in that day. It is unthinkable that our Lord would pray for that small body of believers and ignore the needs of the whole church.

The Father always answered the prayers of the Son. At the tomb of His friend Lazarus, Jesus said: "Father, I thank Thee that Thou heard Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always..." (John 11:41, 42). The Son would surely never ask anything outside the Father’s will, and the Father would never refuse the requests of the "Son of His love" (Colossians 1:13, margin). If our Lord asked the Father to protect and guard the believers, that request would be granted.

The word keep means "to watch over, to care for, to preserve." It is used in Acts 16:23 to describe the jailer’s guarding of Paul and Silas. In verse 12, Jesus also used the word guarded, which is a different Greek word meaning "taking custody, giving protection." The keeping is the result of the guarding. Both words affirm safety and security.

2. Christ is now praying for us in heaven.

"And I am no more in the world" (verse 11). In this prayer, our Lord looked upon the work of redemption as something already finished. He was to leave the world and return to the Father in heaven, and there He would enter into His "unfinished work" of interceding for His church.

We must not imagine our Lord’s heavenly intercession as the constant repeating of prayers before the Father. Nor should we imagine that the Father is against us and the Son must placate Him! Both the Father and the Son love us and are concerned for our welfare and spiritual success. The very presence of Jesus Christ at the throne of heaven is His intercession for us. He represents us. We pray to the Father through the authority of the name of the Son. We come to the High Priest at the throne of grace, and He gives us "grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). This keeps us from sinning. But if we do sin, then we come to our Advocate and confess our sins and find forgiveness (1 John 1:9-2:2).

This intercessory work of Jesus is an assurance to us of our security in the family of God. "Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us" (Romans 8:34). There are many who would condemn us for our sins and failures; in fact, we often condemn ourselves. But, the One who has the right to condemn will not do it. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

The Old Testament high priest had two sets of precious stones on his beautiful garments. He had twelve stones on the breastplate over his heart, and six stones on each of his shoulders. These stones represented the twelve tribes of Israel. The picture is most encouraging: our Lord carries His own over His heart and on His shoulders. He bears us in love. He intercedes for us because He loves us and wants the very best for us. When He was on earth, our Lord went through all of the circumstances of life-the testings and temptations-that He might be able to sympathize with us in our trials. The High Priest who prays for us loves us and understands just how we feel.

In the Old Testament economy, the high priests died and others had to take their place. But Jesus Christ can never die. "But He [Jesus]...because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:24, 25). Note the logic of the writer: Because Jesus Christ lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood; and this permanent priesthood means salvation forever.

And, I might add, if the Father always answered the Son’s prayers when the Son was in His humiliation on earth, will the Father not answer them now that the Son is glorified in heaven? Furthermore, if the Son, during His days of humble earthly ministry, was able to guard His own and keep them, certainly He would be able to continue this success now that He is enthroned in heaven. It seems reasonable, doesn’t it?

This means that believers today are just as safe and secure as were the twelve apostles when Jesus was with them on earth. Peter was attacked by Satan, tempted, and denied the Lord; but the Lord protected him and brought him to fellowship again. Peter’s faith wavered and he began to sink into the waters, but Jesus guarded him and rescued him. Thomas had his doubts, but Jesus lovingly encouraged him and led him into glorious assurance. Philip was worried about finding enough money to feed over five thousand people, but Jesus had the problem all solved. On more than one occasion, the Lord kept His disciples out of difficulties; but even when they found themselves in trouble, He was there to assist them.

3. We are the Father’s gift to the Son.

Christ is not praying for the lost world. He is praying for "those whom Thou [the Father] hast given Me" (verse 9). The church prays for the lost (1 Timothy 2;1; Matthew 5:44), but the Savior prays for the church. Believers are the Father’s special "love gift" to the Son, and it is unthinkable that the Father would permit this gift of love to fail by one believer being lost. (We will consider the special case of Judas in the next chapter.) Salvation is wholly of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8, 9). If we could not be saved by our good works, why should we be condemned after we are saved because of some sin or act of disobedience? If God, who knows all things, knew that we would fail, why would he have given us His Son in the first place? Either we are saved by grace and grace alone, or we are not saved at all. "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace" (Romans 11:6).

I cannot emphasize too strongly the fact that our salvation is part of a vast eternal plan, conceived in the heart and mind of God "before the world was." God does not start something He cannot finish. "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).

Not only are we the Father’s love gift to the Son, but eternal life is the Son’s love gift to all who believe on Him. Eternal life is a gift (John 17:2). We do not earn it; we cannot merit it. It is a gift. Would God, who knows all things, give us such a costly gift if He knew we would fail? Can our sins alter the faithfulness of God? "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29).

Salvation must be wholly by God’s grace if God is to get the glory. This leads us to another spiritual truth.

4. God is glorified in believers.

"I have been glorified in them," said Jesus (verse 10). Not one word about the failings of the disciples! There is no mention of Peter’s impetuous speeches, or James and John wanting to burn up a Samaritan village, or the disciples’ boasting that they would remain true to the Master. What a reassuring statement to all of us! When Jesus Christ presents His church to the Father in glory, He will say, "I have been glorified in them." But if any believer should "lose his salvation," God would lose His glory. The very glory of God is at stake in our safety and security.

This explains why Jesus prayed, "Holy Father, keep them in Thy name..." (verse 11). The Father’s name is mentioned four times in this prayer. Jesus manifested the Father’s name to His disciples (verse 6). He prayed that they might be kept in that name (verse 11). Jesus had kept them in that name (verse 12). Jesus had declared that name to be His own (verse 26). By "the name," of course, is meant the Father’s character. The security of the believer is related intimately to the very character of God.

The ultimate purpose of our salvation is the glory of God. Three times in Ephesians 1 we are told that we are saved for the praise of God’s glory (verses 6, 12, 14). "...so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever" (1 Peter 4:11). Sixteen times in John 13-17 our Lord talked about glory. He had glorified the Father on the earth (John 17:4), and now His disciples and His church would take His place to glorify the Father on the earth (verse 18).

If a true believer ever "lost his salvation," God would lose far more than would that believer. The believer does not deserve salvation, so he would have "lost" something that was not inherently his to begin with. But God would lose glory, and God deserves to be glorified because He is God. It would bring disgrace to the name and character of God if one of His children did not go to heaven.

While on the subject of glory, we should note that Christ has already given us His glory. "And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them" (verse 22). The tense of the verb indicates an act completed in the past with the results carrying into the present and future. The same tense is used of the Father’s giving the glory to the Son as with the Son’s giving glory to the believers. The Father will not take the glory from the Son, and the Son will not take the glory from the church. The matter is settled once and for all. This explains why Paul could write in Romans 8:39: "...and whom He justified, these He also glorified." Not "will glorify when they arrive in heaven," but glorified. It is done!

When you consider the majesty of God’s character, the glory of His eternal attributes, you cannot help but acknowledge that He can and does keep His own. Certainly He has the power to do it. He is too wise to make a mistake. He is faithful to Himself and to His Word even if we are unfaithful. "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).

Someone asked the great financier, J. P. Morgan, "What is the best collateral a person can give for a loan?" And Morgan replied, "Character." God’s character is the best collateral we can have that our eternal salvation is secure in Christ.

5. The unity of the church.

"Holy Father, keep them in Thy name...that they may be one, even as we are" (verse 11).

The emphasis today is on individual salvation. "Each one reach one" is a popular motto in our churches. Of course, sinners are saved individually. Our Lord, when He was ministering on earth, took time to talk to people personally and individually-Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, and many others come to mind. But even though faith in Christ is personal and individual, union with Christ involves all believers. That individual believer becomes a part of the Body of Christ, the church; and his life from then on must reflect this great fact.

The spiritual unity of believers is an important theme in this prayer. Jesus mentions it not only in verse 11, but also in verses 21-23. There are several illustrations of this great truth given in Scripture: the Vine and the branches (John 15:1-10), the Body and the members (1 Corinthians 12), the stones in the Temple (1 Peter 2:4-10). Because we are related to Christ, we are related to each other. We belong to each other and we need each other. I often say to the newlyweds after the marriage ceremony, "Now, remember, it’s no longer yours and mine, but ours."

There is an epidemic of "individualism" in the Christian world today. We seem to be living in the book of Judges; every man is doing what is right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; and 21:25). We recite the Lord’s Prayer and fail to notice that the first word is Our. It is not "My Father" but "Our Father." We belong to each other even when we pray. In more than thirty years of ministry, I have seen the individualistic spirit divide God’s people, split churches, transform friends into enemies, and hinder the progress of the gospel. If a preacher does not get his own way, he takes his friends from the church, goes up the street, and starts a new church. If a church member disagrees with his pastor, he takes his family and either meets in a home or starts attending another church, where (more than likely) he will soon have another disagreement.

We will study this important subject of spiritual unity in a later chapter. In our present context, the truth of the unity of the believer with God and with other believers relates directly to the matter of security. We are united to Christ by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13) and we are united to one another. If a true Christian could fall away and "lose his salvation," then this spiritual union is not dependable and the church can never be completed. We cannot fully relate to one another unless we are sure of our relationship to God.

This modern emphasis only on personal salvation makes us lose sight of the grandeur and glory of God’s church. I am not minimizing our personal experience with Christ, but I am affirming that it is not the primary goal that God has in mind. He is building His church. He is building up the Body of Christ. The glory and greatness of our personal salvation is but a reflection of what God is doing corporately in and through His church. I realize that this "corporate body" never meets, that it is a concept in the mind of God that will have fruition in eternity. But this does not mean His church is not real or important. What we do in our local fellowships should be governed by what God wants to do in His church, the corporate body.

The greatness of the church encourages me to believe that salvation is secure in Christ. Not one member of the Body will be lost; not one stone in the Temple will lose its place; not one branch on the Vine will fail to bear fruit to one degree or another.

6. The finished work of Christ.

The reason our Lord could return to heaven was that His work on earth was finished. "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do" (verse 4). In a previous study we learned of the greatness of this work. How does our Lord’s finished work relate to the subject of the security of the believer?

When Christ died, He died for all of our sins. Some people have the idea that Jesus died only for their past sins, so that, if they sin again, they lose their salvation and must be saved again. (Of course, logically this would mean that Jesus would have to die again for sins He didn’t die for the first time, and that makes the Cross something ridiculous.) Our sins were not in the past when Jesus died; they were all future. But even if we had been alive at the time of His death, it would have made no difference. The work of Christ on the cross was an eternal work, planned from before the foundation of the world, and time cannot affect it. He died for all the sins of all the people of all the world. He stretched out His arms on the cross and reached back to Adam and forward to the end of human history. He bore the whole burden of sin once and for all.

This means that, when the sinner trusts Christ, all of his sins are forgiven, past, present and future. "He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions" (Colossians 2:13). Remember, Jesus Christ did not die to make salvation available. He died to save us. Now, either He finished the work or He did not. If He did not, then we are still in our sins. But He finished the work of redemption. He did not "make the down-payment" and ask us to keep up the installments. He paid the full price Himself.

Our security in Christ is not an excuse for careless living. It is a basis for communion with God, unity with God’s people, and ministry to a lost world. Each of these themes will be discussed in chapters that follow.

Our response to this great truth ought to be one of gratitude, worship, and adoration.

"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing" (Revelation 5:12).