”Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” | 1 Peter 1: 23-25

There has been some discussion among Calvinists whether the letter “P” in the acronym “TULIP” should be “preservation” or “persevering.”

Some say that the word “persevering” leads folks to think that salvation is something that the sinner does. It is!

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Matthew 24: 13)

The only reason a child of God “perseveres” is because God Almighty preserves them. “The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord.” (Psalm 37: 39)

In 1 Peter 1: 5, the apostle speaking of God’s elect wrote, “Who are kept by the power of God.” That’s preservation!

But the next two words of the text read, “through faith.” That is persevering!

God preserves and keeps us by His power, but it is through faith that we persevere unto salvation.

In Jeremiah chapter 32: 40, God says, “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good…” That is preservation. But the next line says, “But I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.” And that is persevering.

In John chapter 10 the Lord Jesus, our great Shepherd made several statements about preservation and persevering.

He said, “I know my sheep,” That is preservation.

“They follow me,” That is persevering.

Christ said, “I lay down my life for the sheep.” That is preservation.

“A stranger they will not follow.” That is persevering.

Our Lord Jesus said in John chapter 6, verse 37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; (Preservation) and him that cometh to me (Persevering) I will in no wise cast out. (Preservation and persevering)

So, it really doesn’t matter to God’s people whether you use the word “preservation” or “perseverance.”

For unless God preserves us, we will never persevere!

~ Pastor David Eddmenson

Click here to listen to the message “I Did The Sinning God Did The Saving”

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Visit our primary website at www.ksgctn.org for more information about Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, watch our livestream (when available) and access our previously recorded messages.

Zebulon Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 19 December, 2021 | Previous post date: n/a | Pikeville, Kentucky