In this engaging episode, the hosts address a listener’s question on the distinction between eternal salvation and eternal life. Through an in-depth analysis of biblical texts, particularly from the Gospel of John and the book of Hebrews, they debunk common misconceptions and emphasize the importance of precise language and understanding in discussing everlasting life. Tune in to grasp the profound theological insights presented and the rationale behind the language used in the scriptures.
00:01:10 Question on Eternal Salvation vs. Eternal Life
00:02:02 The Use of ‘Eternal Salvation’ and Scripture Clarifications
00:05:19 Hebrews 5:9 and Eternal Partnership with Christ
The following is a listener-supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for joining us today. Especially right now, we’d love for you to know about our national conference. It is coming up in May, May the 19th through the 22nd. It is in North Texas at a beautiful camp, Camp Copas. You can find out more details on our website. We’d love for you to know about early bird registration, which goes through the end of this week. So only a couple of more days on that. And if you’re a first timer, we waive the registration fee. So get information and let us know of your interest soon. That’s faithalone.org. Now with today’s question and answer discussion, here are Bob Wilkin and Mike Lee.
SPEAKER 03 :
We have a question here from Amy, and she’s asking, Is eternal salvation an equivalent and interchangeable term for eternal life? And if so, why doesn’t the book of John where Jesus uses specific language convey what he’s offering?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, that’s a good point. Now, I myself have used the expression eternal salvation on numerous occasions. I know Ken Yates, I’ve heard him use it. But I have said on this show before that there’s only one reference to eternal salvation in the entire Bible, and it’s not talking about everlasting life as a present possession. Or it’s not even talking about everlasting life, per se.
SPEAKER 03 :
When you say eternal salvation, you mean as a equivalent for eternal life. Right. And you want to just clarify that this is a salvation that can’t be lost, it’s irrevocable, that it’s eternal.
SPEAKER 01 :
Right. But I think Amy’s right. We probably shouldn’t do that because… If we do, and someone happens to read in Hebrews about eternal salvation, for those who obey Christ, they’re going to be ultimately confused. And Amy makes a very good point. If the Gospel of John is the book telling the unbeliever what he must do to have everlasting life, and the Gospel of John never mentions eternal salvation, we ought to be reluctant to use that expression. It’s just like you and I have talked before, privately, and I even think on the air, about how people like to use everything but everlasting life, right? They like to talk about having a relationship with Jesus. Right. Guess what? That doesn’t appear anywhere in the Gospel of John. You’re not told, he who believes in me has a relationship with Jesus. People like to talk about the forgiveness of sins. Guess what? Nowhere in the Gospel of John do we read, he who believes in me receives the forgiveness of sins. It’s not there. And we don’t find anything about, he who believes in me receives eternal salvation. Even salvation itself is pretty rare in the Gospel of John. Let’s look at one, and then we’ll go over to Hebrews. But in John 3.17, after we get, “…for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him…” should not perish but has everlasting life then in verse 17 he says what for god did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved so there’s the word saved and there’s parallels between verses 16 and 17 in 16 perishing is parallel to condemned in verse 17. And everlasting life in verse 16 is parallel to saved in verse 17. In my book, The Ten Most Misunderstood Words in the Bible, I talk about the fact that saved in the New Testament, 30% of the time refers to having everlasting life, to being saved from eternal condemnation. This is one of the 30%. But 70% of the time, the verb sozo or the noun soteria, saved or salvation, refer to other deliverance, deliverance from illness, deliverance from death, deliverance from calamity, lots of types of deliverance. But here, this is one of the 30%, one of the relatively rare examples where saved occurs the word savior only is found once in john’s gospel in john 442 when the samaritans say we know you’re the savior of the world meaning he has provided salvation for the world he’s made it available to the world to all who believe in him and i think they’re building off of behold the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world in that sense he is the savior he’s made salvation possible Coming back to Amy’s question, look at Hebrews 5.9. I’ll go ahead and read that.
SPEAKER 03 :
And having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him.
SPEAKER 01 :
Now, J. Paul Tanner discusses this verse, and Zane Hodges also has a commentary on Hebrews in the Bible Knowledge Commentary. And Ken Yates has a commentary on Hebrews, which we publish. And all three are saying the same thing. that what the author of Hebrews is talking about here is ruling with Christ in the life to come, and that this rulership with Christ is eternal. It will never end. And they base it on verses like Hebrews 1-9, where it says that he is going to experience the oil of gladness, what does it say, more than all his companions?
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s right. Oil of gladness more than your companions.
SPEAKER 01 :
more than your companions. And the word companions is the Greek word metakoi in the plural, or metakos in the singular. Metakoi is used a number of times throughout Hebrews to refer to Christ’s partners in the life to come. Not all believers will be his partners. The co-heirs, the ones who are inheriting the kingdom with him, Romans 8, 17b, the co-heirs with Christ, They will be the ones who rule. And he says in Hebrews 5, 9, it’s an eternal salvation. It’s an eternal partnership.
SPEAKER 02 :
Please plan to join us at Camp Copas in Denton, Texas. The Grace Evangelical Society’s 2025 National Conference is May 19th through 22nd. Good fun, wonderful fellowship, recreational opportunities for the younger ones and the older ones, great teaching. Our theme this year is Dispensationalism and Rewards. VBS for Kids, too. More information and early bird registration now at faithalone.org slash events. That’s faithalone.org slash events. Please come and join us.
SPEAKER 01 :
And by the way, this ties in with verses like 1 Corinthians 9.25. They strive for a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. The crown of ruling with Christ is imperishable. It goes on forever. The same thing here. It’s an eternal salvation. But notice in Hebrews 5.9, it’s not eternal salvation to those who believe in him.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right, it’s obey him.
SPEAKER 01 :
And the obedience is pretty clear in context that the obedience includes sufferings. Notice, having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him. Perfected basically here means brought to completion in his physical life. He’s always been perfect, but he did not fulfill… the finished work of the Father, the Father sent him to do until he died on the cross. Remember, he says, I have this work to do, and then remember what he says on the cross? It is finished. Tetelestai, and that could be paid in full. It could be, but I like the translation, it is finished, because he finished the work the Father sent him. And notice in the previous verse, verse 8, though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things he suffered. that theme of suffering is also found in romans 8 17 and 18 and co-heirs with christ if indeed we suffer with him that we may be glorified together with him and then verse 18 says in romans 8 the suffering of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed well that glory is for the partners of christ the co-heirs with christ And so here, what he’s saying is, he is the author of eternal partnership to all who obey him on the path of suffering. And that’s the same thing the Lord taught in Matthew 16, 24 to 28. When he says, I’m going to Jerusalem, I’m going to be killed, I’m going to rise on the third day. And Peter says, oh, God forbid, that’ll never happen to you. And Jesus says, get behind me, Satan. And he says, if anyone wishes to come after me, that is in discipleship. Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. And this following means laying down our lives for Christ. And it does involve suffering. And so, yeah, I’m right with Amy. I think we should stick with the words of Scripture. I do use this occasionally because I want to make sure that the salvation of John 3, 17, what did you call it? Secure. It’s a forever salvation. A forever salvation. Yeah. Yeah, maybe it’d be better if we talked about forever instead of eternal.
SPEAKER 03 :
Or irrevocable salvation.
SPEAKER 01 :
Pick some word that doesn’t occur in the New Testament so people aren’t going to go to Hebrews 5-9 and get confused. But yeah, I like forever or irrevocable.
SPEAKER 03 :
Because in like Acts 16.31, that’s what you’re trying to address. You don’t want people to misunderstand, oh, this is some sort of temporary salvation or probationary salvation that I can be lost. So you clarify to say, yes, it’s eternally secure salvation.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, I remember reading an article, I believe it was Roy Aldrich, and it was from Bibsack Journal of Dallas Seminary from like 1940 or something, very early. And Roy Aldrich was one of the first graduates. And I actually taught one year at Multnomah. Roy’s brother was former president, and now his nephew, Joe Aldrich, was president at the time I was there. But anyway, Roy’s article was on salvation is not probationary. It’s not temporary. And if we think somehow that we’re given a salvation that can be lost, we don’t yet believe what God has said. That’s why we’re big here in Grace and Focus with the fact that in order to be born again, a person needs to believe in Jesus for what he promises, for what he guarantees. He doesn’t guarantee probation. He guarantees an irrevocable, secure salvation or everlasting life. Dr. Ryrie, one of my professors at Dallas Seminary, always liked to say, well, if everlasting life could be lost, it’s got the wrong name. Right. Because doesn’t everlasting life imply that it’s everlasting? And in fact, commentators on the Gospel of John often point out there are two aspects to everlasting life in John’s Gospel. One, it’s everlasting. You’ll never hunger, you’ll never thirst, you’ll never die, you’ll never perish, you’ll never be cast out. But two, it’s the life of Jesus and it’s therefore capable of great fullness. That’s why he said, I came that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly. So it’s not only quantitatively a life that goes on forever, but qualitatively it’s a life that can be fully realized or more fully realized, and our greatest fullness of that life will be in the life to come.
SPEAKER 03 :
And you can, with that life, get an eternal salvation, which is ruling and reigning with Christ.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yes, that eternal salvation is ruling and reigning with Christ. And so, Amy, I’m with you. Let’s stick with the words of Scripture. Probably we ought to reserve eternal salvation for eternal ruling with Christ and irrevocable or permanent salvation to explain John 3.17. All right. Thank you, Amy. And let’s keep grace in focus.
SPEAKER 02 :
We invite you to check out our Monday, Wednesday and Friday five-minute YouTube videos at YouTube Grace Evangelical Society. You will love the content and learn a lot. Maybe you’ve got a question or comment or feedback. If so, please send us a message. Here’s our email address. It’s radio at faithalone.org. That’s radio at faithalone.org. Please make sure your question is as succinct and clear as possible. That would be a great big help. On our next episode, as believers, what are the requirements for staying in fellowship with God? Please join us, and until then, let’s keep grace in focus.
SPEAKER 03 :
The preceding has been a listener-supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.
