Perseverance of the Saints

One of the more prevailing themes of Scripture that I have thought much about over the past two days has been the idea of the perseverance of the saints. Reading the introduction to Steve Lawson's "Foundations of Grace" along with Tom Nettles "By His Grace and For His Glory" has thoroughly laid out this idea for me. However, the Scriptures from John 13:36-38 really confronted me on this issue.

(36) Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later." (37) Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You. (38) Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.


In this passage, Jesus tells the disciples that He is going away to a place they cannot come yet. John 14:2 tells us that Jesus is going to the Father, to prepare a place for us. The reason they could not yet go with Him is because the place in Heaven wasn't yet prepared. The death, burial, and resurrection that allowed for the preparation had not yet happened. Even so, Jesus tells these disciples that they will one day go to this place. That is what Jesus says in verse 36.

In addition to telling the disciples that they would go to this place with the Father, Jesus called Simon Peter out. He told Simon that he would deny Him three times. His faith would fail, sin would be the reason, and denial would be the result. Jesus tells these words to Peter AFTER Jesus just told Peter that he would go to the place He prepares through His death, burial, and resurrection.

The point here is that Jesus called out Peter, after Peter had confessed Christ as the Son of the Living God, on future sin. Yet in this, Jesus still says that Peter will go to Heaven, to the Father, to the place prepared even though this sin would happen. The Scriptures remind me that I am called by the Father's grace and that the Father's grace will remain on me to the end as a part of the elect, even though I sometimes sin, all for the end result of His glory. As saints, we will persevere, just like Peter. The words of Christ remain true for us all. Praise be to God.