Even though believers can stumble and become barren and unfruitful, God never abandons them. God might deliver them “to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” Saints may go so far astray as to be delivered to Satan, yet the spirit is saved. We are told that Jonah “cried out of the belly of hell,” and yet he was not lost. So, men may fall so low as to be in the power of Satan, and even “in hell”, and yet not be finally lost.
The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
Psalm 37:23-24 NLT
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
In Luke 15, three parables show our Savior’s care for us. He never abandons, rejects, or forgets His children.
God Does Not Abandon the Lost Sheep
In a flock of one hundred, one goes astray. Christ is the shepherd; He does not wait for it to return, or abandon it to the harsh elements, but pursues it, and brings it upon His shoulders to His flock again. Then there is joy among His friends when they see the wanderer delivered from his lost state. He was Christ’s sheep while wandering, and, although he was lost, the shepherd’s eye was upon him. And thus God watches you, dear Christian, and will not suffer you to wander beyond His grace and care.
God Does Not Abandon the Lost Coin
The next is that of the ten pieces of silver, which a woman had. She lost one of them; she lighted a candle, swept her house, and diligently sought until she found it. She does not abandon the coin to ill fate. Now, consider it was silver all the while, both before and after it was lost, and had it remained among the dirt eternally, it would still have been silver, and this is true of God’s children; they are born of incorruptible seed, and therefore cannot be corrupted. They are partakers of the divine nature, and Christ has said, “Because I live, you shall live also.”
This shows that the life of Christ and His people are equally secure. They are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. They are all fitly framed together, growing into a holy temple as living stones. They are built on Christ and in Him, and if built in Him, they are equally secure with Him.
God Does Not Abandon The Prodigal Son
The prodigal son, by riotous living, wasted all his wealth. He left his father’s house and went into a far country, and there experienced a grievous famine; he became desperately hungry and would have eaten with the swine, but no man allowed him. But, when he came to himself, he spoke of the abundance at his father’s house and of his perishing with hunger. He still remembered his father, his house, and plenty, and said, “I’ll arise and go to him; I’ll tell him how I have sinned, and confess all to my father.” When he was a great way off his father saw him, loved him, ran to him, and kissed him.
Now, let us consider some things about this parable. He was the son while in the strange land; and if a son, then an heir — heir of God, and joint heir with Christ. He said, “My father,” while in this strange land, and when his father saw him a great way off, he said, “My son.” The relationship between the father and son was not destroyed. Though the son had done badly and wandered far away into a strange land, he was still the son. He was received as a son.
If he had fallen from grace, that relation would have been destroyed; but we know it is impossible to destroy the natural relationship between parent and child. Your son may disobey you, go astray, and even be hung; yet he is your son, and yet you will love him. So, with our Savior; He will visit their transgressions with a rod, and their iniquities with stripes, yet He will not take His loving kindness from His children, or suffer His faithfulness to fail; having loved His own which were in the world, He will love them to the end.
God Remains Faithful Even When Believers Are Unfaithful
There is no thought more cheering than that our Savior will never abandon, leave, or forsake us. When you are sad, dejected, and cast down, ask yourself, “Was God ever precious to me; is there one spot in my life where I did love God?” If so, I know that all things will work for good to me; for this I know, that if He ever loved me as a child, He does yet, and always will.
Though His countenance is hidden now, and every sense of His love is clean gone, and I am left as a chattering sparrow on a roof, a pelican in the wilderness, or a wrecked sailor on a dark and stormy sea; yet I can in the dim distance remember when He was my friend, and when I did love Him and sweetly sing His praise. I remember the first time God forgave my sins, and felt I knew He was mine. Know that He is yours yet; though you may have forgotten and lost sight of Him, He remembers you, and the eye that keeps you never slumbers nor sleeps.
Oh, how desirable is faith that binds us to our Savior, with an anchor sure and steadfast. How valuable is that inheritance that God secures for us so that nothing can take it from us. How precious is that Savior and His love, that nothing in earth or hell, or even in our poor sinful selves, can turn from us. Dear reader, is such a Savior yours? If so, reverence, oh, reverence Him.
Consider that the saints are God’s workmanship; He fashioned their hearts. The saints are trees of His planting, plants set by His hand, that shall never be rooted up — their names are written in Heaven, not to be erased; even written in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world.
The saints are saved and called with a holy calling, not according to their works, but according to His purpose and grace given them in Christ before the foundation of the world; chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame before Him in love; have received an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will; sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption (see Ephesians).
Jesus died to save His people, remove their sins, and secure, not abandon, their hearts for Him. If all this provision will not infallibly save us, then tell us what will. Every attribute of God employed, and His unchangeableness pledged to that end; all this being true, apostasy cannot be true. God is faithfully committed to those He chose to be His children for eternity.
This is post 17 in a series; you can read the previous post. This post started as the public domain works of J. H. Oliphant. While sections are the same in many ways, I modernized the language and added my thoughts to provide greater clarity for my readers.
Image by TRANG NGUYEN from Pixabay
Matt Pavlik is a professional counselor, author, and devoted follower of Christ. With decades of experience in Christian counseling, he writes with theological depth and everyday clarity. His resources—centered on salvation, identity, marriage, and emotional healing—are anchored in Scripture and guide believers to discover the freedom of their identity in Christ and the security of their salvation in Him. He and his wife Georgette, married since 1999, live in Centerville, Ohio, and have four adult children.
[…] is post 18 in a series; you can read the previous post. This post started as the public domain works of J. H. Oliphant. While sections are the same in many […]