“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”
(John 6:39-40)
One of the strongest assurances of the continuance of our salvation in all of Scripture is this: that the Son received a charge from the Father to preserve every soul given to Him, and to raise them up at the last day. That is to say, the salvation of the elect has been committed to Christ as a trust He must faithfully discharge.
Yet we often doubt Christ’s faithfulness to fulfill that charge. Though He has declared that He will lose nothing, though He has promised to raise up His people, we often doubt His perseverance. Though He stands bound by the Father’s will, we sometimes question whether we will be kept to the end.[1]
This is a sin of unbelief against a clear declaration of Christ. It treats His commission as uncertain and His power as insufficient. It imagines that some danger may prevail or some failure may occur in the execution of His trust.
This distrust often arises from a deep sense of personal unworthiness. We see our corruption, our instability, our repeated failures, and conclude that our salvation is in question. But this shifts the ground of our faith from Christ to ourself. It acts as though preservation depended on us rather than on Christ’s charge and ability.
We also sin when we measure Christ’s faithfulness by our present experience. When we feel weak, cold, or distant, we begin to question whether we truly belong to Christ. And in doing so, we magnify our fleeting feelings above His promise.
This must be confessed. Christ has not only offered us salvation; He has undertaken it. He has not just invited sinners; He has received a command from the Father to secure them. He is not at liberty to fail, for the Father’s will stands behind His work. To doubt His faithfulness is to question the very foundation of redemption.
This position also disregards the covenant between the Father and the Son. The elect are given to Christ as a trust, and He must render an account. And His honor, as Mediator, depends on the faithful discharge of this trust.
Therefore we must confess our lack of faith and return to a settled reliance on Christ’s promise, looking to Him who keeps, preserves, and raises up. For Christ does not fail in what He undertakes, nor does He lose what the Father has given Him.
Contemplations:
- Distrusting Christ’s Power to Keep. Lord, I confess that I have doubted Your power to preserve me. Though You have declared that none will be lost, my heart has feared that I might fall away. I have looked more at my weakness than at Your strength. Forgive me for distrusting the One who is able to keep all that is committed to Him.
- Assurance in My Feelings Instead of Christ. Father, I confess that I have sought assurance in how I felt rather than in Christ’s promise. When I feel strong, I have confidence; when I feel weak, I tend to doubt. Forgive me for building my faith on such a shifting foundation instead of resting in Your unchanging word.
- Forgetting Christ’s Commission from the Father. Lord, I have neglected the truth that You are charged by the Father to save those given to You. I have acted as though my salvation depended on me rather than on Your faithfulness to fulfill Your commission. Forgive me for overlooking Your ability to fulfill the charge given You by the Father.
- Fearing Loss Despite Christ’s Promise. I confess that I sometimes doubt my salvation, though Christ said He will lose nothing. My fears have contradicted Your promise and caused me to doubt Your truth. Forgive me for this unbelief and teach me to rest in what You have spoken.
Prayer (Confession)
Faithful and sovereign God, I come before You confessing my unbelief. You declared that Christ will lose nothing of all that You have given Him, yet I have not rested in this truth as I ought.
I confess that I have doubted the power and faithfulness of Christ to keep me. I have looked at my own weakness, my instability, and my repeated failures, fearing that I might fall away. Forgive me for taking my eyes off Christ and His Word and putting them on myself.
Lord, I am guilty of looking for assurance from my own feelings rather than in Your promise. When I have felt near to You, I have been confident; when I have felt distant, I have been worried. Forgive me for putting my hope in what changes instead of what is unchanging.
I confess that I have forgotten the great trust committed to Christ. You have given Your people into His hand, and He must give account of them. He will not fail, nor will He lose any that belong to Him. Forgive me for neglecting this truth and for living as though my salvation rested on my own strength.
Grant that I may rest wholly in Christ. Let me trust Him as the One who keeps, preserves, and will raise up all that are His. Teach me to look away from myself and to fix my confidence on Him alone.
Strengthen my faith, quiet my fears, and settle my soul in the certainty of Your promise.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Further Scripture References for John 6:39-40:
John 17:12; Matt. 18:14; 1 John 5:11; Rom. 8:11
[1] Thomas Brooks, The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, ed. Alexander Balloch Grosart, vol. 5 (Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert, 1867), 366-369.
