The Race Set Before Us

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The Race Set Before Us
Chapter 7
Running with
Confidence
Being Assured
that We Shall
Win the Prize
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Running with Confidence
Being Assured That We
Shall Win the Prize

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We have insisted throughout this book that the New
Testament directs its admonitions and warnings to
believers. We have also argued that these warnings
do not merely threaten believers with losing
rewards but that eternal life itself is at stake.
Biblical writers frequently warn believers that if they
turn away from Jesus Christ they will experience
eternal judgment. If believers apostatize their
destiny is the lake of fire, the second death, hell.
These warnings cannot be waved aside and
relegated to those who are not genuine Christians.
They are directed to believers and must be headed
for us to be saved on the last day. We will win the
prize of eternal life if we run the race to the end. If
we quit during the middle of the race, we will not
receive eternal life (TRSBU, p. 268).
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If we are correct in saying that the
warnings and admonitions of Scripture
are for believers, and if we are right in
saying that eternal life is at stake, then
how can believers have any assurance
of salvation in the present? (TRSBU, p.
268).

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Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope
without wavering, for he who has promised
is faithful. . . . Therefore, do not cast aside
your confidence, which possesses a great
reward. For you have need of perseverance
in order that, after you have done God’s will,
you may receive the promise (Hebrews
10:23, 35-36).

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Warnings!
2:1-4 3:5-4:13 6:4-12 10:26-31 12:14-29

Five Warnings in Hebrews

 Five Warnings
in Hebrews

12:14-29 Lest we refuse to hear & be punished

10:26-31 Lest we sin willfully & be consumed by God

6:4-12 Lest we fall away & not be able to repent

3:5-4:13 Lest we harden our hearts & fail to enter God’s rest
2:1-4 Lest we drift away & not escape God’s punishment
 4 Views on Warnings in Hebrews:
Warnings!
Who is Being Addressed?
 False Believers who never were saved: People who have heard the
gospel and may even profess faith in Jesus Christ but who really are
not saved, these are the ones being addressed.
 Genuine Believers who lose salvation: Ones who may sin by ignoring
the gospel and salvation to such an extent that they lose salvation.
 Real Believers who lose only “rewards”: Ones who are warned
against the possible loss of “rewards,” not the possible loss of
salvation.
 Authentic Believers who must persevere in order to be saved: Being
“saved” is not a static existence; it is dynamic and growing. The
warning does not imply uncertainty or doubt concerning the outcome
of those who are warned. Rather, the warning serves to avoid the
horrible outcome from which we are warned. Warnings serve as one
of God’s means by which he secures the final salvation of his people.
 4 Views on Assurance in Hebrews:
Warnings!
How do Warnings & Assurance Correlate?

 False Believers who never were saved: Tests of Genuineness View. Assurance is not
integral to saving faith. It is possible that we have been deluded to think we are saved, so
in order to feel the impact of the warnings, we need to suspend assurance. So, we can be
confident today that we have salvation today. We cannot be assured today about salvation
tomorrow or the Last Day.
 Genuine Believers who lose salvation: Loss of Salvation View. Assurance is not integral to
saving faith. The warnings of the gospel are given to make it clear to us that it is possible
that we can sin and thus lose our salvation. So, we can be confident today that we have
salvation today. We cannot be assured today about salvation tomorrow or the Last Day.
 Real Believers who lose only “rewards”: Loss of Rewards View. Assurance is integral to
saving faith. The warnings are given to make it clear to us that it is possible that we can sin
and thus lose our rewards which have nothing to do with salvation. So, even if we live in
sin and fail to persevere in faith, we can be sure that we are saved today and will be saved
for eternity.
 Authentic Believers who must persevere in order to be saved: Means of Salvation View.
Assurance is integral to saving faith. The warnings of the gospel do not imply uncertainty
or doubt but rather they warn us to avoid the horrible and invariable consequence of
failing to persevere in obedience to Christ. The gospel’s warnings serve God’s promise;
they function as one of God’s means by which he secures the final salvation of his people.
Because warnings and promise function together to the same end, assurance of salvation
is not merely confidence that we have salvation today but that we shall receive salvation in
the Last Day.
Therefore, brothers, since we have
confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by
the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way
opened for us through the curtain, that is, his
body, and since we have a great high priest
over the house of God, let us draw near to
God with a sincere heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse
us from a guilty conscience and having our
bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews
10:19-22 NIV).

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Assurance of our inheritance does not nullify the force of
the admonitions and warnings in Scripture. The
admonitions and warnings of the Scriptures threaten
believers with eternal judgment for apostasy, but these
warnings do not violate assurance and confidence
regarding final salvation. Our thesis is that the warnings
do not cancel out assurance for believers. The
exhortations and admonitions are, in fact, compatible
with assurance regarding the final salvation We would go
further. The warnings, admonitions and exhortations are
a means of producing a firm and assured confidence in
believers. The warnings do not rob us of assurance. They
are signposts along the marathon runner’s pathway that
help us maintain our confidence. Our confidence in our
future inheritance increases when we pay heed to the
exhortations delivered in the Scriptures (TRSBU, p. 269).
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 Our assurance of
salvation entails a three-
legged stool.
Why a three-legged stool?
Stability.
An imperfect illustration, for
the promises of God are
central.
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Assurance of
Salvation

Holy Spirit’s Fruit

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