Join Pastors Patrick Hines (Bridwell Heights Presbyterian Church, Kingsport, TN), Jim Thornton (Reformed Faith Presbyterian Church, Clarksville, TN), & Henry Johnson (Trinity Presbyterian Church, Tazwell, VA) as they discuss chapter 17 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, "Of the Perseverance of the Saints" - the entire text of which follows here: CHAP. XVII.—Of the Perseverance of the Saints. I. THEY, whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved (Phil. 1:6; 2 Peter 1:10 10 Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: ; John 10:28-29 28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who hath given `them' unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch `them' out of the Father's hand. ; 1 John 3:9 9 Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because his seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God. ; 1 Peter 1:5 5 who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. , 9). II. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father (2 Tim. 2:18-19; Jer. 31:3); upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ (Heb. 10:10, 14; 13:20-21; 9:12-15; Rom. 8:33-39; John 17:11 11 And I am no more in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we `are'. , 24; Luke 22:32 32 but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren. ; Heb. 7:25), the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them ( John 14:16-17 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, 17 `even' the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you. ; 1 John 2:27 27 And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you; concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him. ; 3:9), and the nature of the covenant of grace (Jer. 32:40): from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof ( John 10:28 28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. ; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 John 2:19 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but `they went out', that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us. ). III. Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins (Matt. 26:70, 72, 74); and, for a time, continue therein (Ps. 51: Title, 14): whereby they incur God’s displeasure (Isa. 64:5, 7, 9; 2 Sam. 11:27), and grieve His Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30), come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts (Ps. 51:8, 10, 12; Rev. 2:4; Song of Solomon 5:2-4 2 I was asleep, but my heart waked: It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, `saying', Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night. 3 I have put off my garment; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole `of the door', And my heart was moved for him. , 6), have their hearts hardened (Isa. 63:17; Mark 6:52 52 for they understood not concerning the loaves, but their heart was hardened. ; 16:14), and their consciences wounded (Ps. 32:3-4; 51:8); hurt and scandalize others (2 Sam. 12:14), and bring temporal judgments upon themselves (Ps. 89:31-32; 1 Cor. 11:32).