Survey of the Westminster Confession of Faith (Chapter 17)

Survey of the Westminster Confession of Faith

Chapter 17

Of the Perseverance of the Saints

(Part  2)

II. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which arises also the certainty and infallibility thereof.

When commenting on the first paragraph, we touched upon the basis for the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. We stated that it is grounded in the unchangeable nature of God’s decree of election. This second paragraph deals with this fact in some detail.

Notice that the writers first eliminate an explanation for the perseverance of the saints that might be advanced in a non-Reformed system of theology: “This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will…” That is, a sinner who enters the state of grace does not remain in that state of grace by his own desire or power, which would, of course, raise the possibility of falling from that state. This has already been denied in the first paragraph.

The Confession offers another explanation for the perseverance of the saints and this explanation is a logical conclusion that follows from the doctrine of God’s decree of election. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, then, is a necessary inference of the doctrine of God’s decree of election. If the doctrine of God’s decree of election is accepted, then the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints must follow. The latter is an inevitable consequence of the former.

According to this paragraph, the decree of God to elect some unto salvation, which included the means, is unchangeable. This indicates that the number of the elect was determined by God at some point prior to our existence. If that is true, then it is easy to see why we must conclude that all those elected will, in fact, persevere.

Only if God’s decree of election were subject to modification at some point in time could we say that His decree does not necessarily infer the perseverance of the saints. As it is explained in Scripture, however, and as it is found in Reformed theology, the alteration of God’s decree of election is not a possibility.

It might be helpful, at this point, to quickly review Chapter III, which deals with the Eternal Decree of God. In this chapter, the first paragraph lays out the basic fact of the decree of predestination: “God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass…”

This statement says, in essence, that history is nothing less than the unfolding of what God has ordained should come to pass. The same paragraph goes on to state, of course, that the nature of the decree is such that God is not the author of sin, nor is any violence done to the will of His creatures.

The third paragraph of Chapter III states: “By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life; and others foreordained to everlasting death.” This paragraph describes the decree of election or, we might say, the part of God’s overriding decree that deals with the destinies of His rational creatures.

The fourth paragraph adds: “These angels and men, thus predestinated, and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.” Clearly, the Confession is internally consistent when, in our present Chapter XVII, the writers maintain that God’s decree of election is immutable and then draw from that fact an unavoidable observation, namely, that those who are elected unto salvation will, indeed, come to possess that salvation in its fullest.

Further, as we return to Chapter XVII, we see that the Divines describe the decree of election as, itself, grounded in the “free and unchangeable love of God the Father…” The doctrine of election is a doctrine of love, and this aspect is often overlooked by those seeking to understand the doctrine and even by those seeking to explain the doctrine.

God’s decree of election is an expression of pure and holy love. Paul emphasizes this wonderful truth when he says: “… In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Eph. 1:4b-6) When the decree of election is separated from the love of God, it inevitably becomes a perversion of Biblical teaching.

This paragraph continues and states that the perseverance of the saints also depends upon “the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ…” One of the great doctrines of Christianity is the priestly function of our Savior. The picture we are given in Scripture is that of a High Priest who, in fulfillment of all the types found in the Levitical system, brings to God a fitting sacrifice, one that is capable of taking away our sin. That sacrifice is, of course, Himself, the spotless Lamb of God.

God decreed to accept, and the Son of God provided a sacrifice of such worth that it could atone for our sin. This is what the writers have in mind when they refer to the “efficacy of the merit of Jesus Christ.” We are in a state of grace because of the worthiness of the sacrifice which He provided.

Further, following the presentation of this worthy sacrifice, the Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ ascended to the right hand of God the Father where, in addition to exercising absolute dominion over all created jurisdictions, He continues His priestly duties on our behalf. Now, in the heavens, our Savior appears as our Advocate, as the One Who unceasingly bears our names before the throne of grace and seeks our welfare. Having ushered us into the state of grace by His initial work of atonement, the Savior’s mediation maintains our standing in the state of grace.

Thus far, then, the Confession teaches that the basis for the doctrine of perseverance is God’s unchangeable decree of election in which the number of those who would enter the state of grace was fixed, and that decree found realization in the atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ, which includes His ongoing role as Mediator.

The third part of the Confession’s explanation of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints has to do with the role of the Holy Spirit. God the Father ordains, God the Son brings to realization what is ordained and God the Spirit, we are told, abides with the elect who have been put into a state of grace. The teaching of the New Testament on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit bears out the accuracy of what is state in this paragraph. The Holy Spirit is given to the Church as a “downpayment” on a full and complete inheritance that is to be possessed someday.

In addition to other things, the Holy Spirit is a pledge from God that His Word regarding our destinies can be believed and will be honored. We are introduced to what Christ has accomplished for us when we enter the state of grace, but the residence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts guarantees that there is more to come and that “more to come” is the final state of sanctification in the presence of God.

Finally, as grounds for the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, the writers mention the “nature of the covenant of grace.” By this statement, the Divines mean the security of the people of God is the design of the covenant of grace. The manner in which salvation has come to the world is one that assures the continuance of the saints in a state of grace and favor.

The fact that the writers would tie the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints into the all-important covenant of grace illustrates just how fundamental this doctrine is. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is not an “after thought” or a secondary implication of God’s plan of salvation, it is part of the theological fabric of the covenant of grace to the extent that where the doctrine of the covenant of grace is explained, there, too, must the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints be declared.

(To be continued)