⁶For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith; ⁸ in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who long for His appearing (2Tim4:6-8).

I have written before about assurance of salvation, making the point that it is only when Paul was virtually on his death bed that he could speak with the confidence he shows in this passage. If with Paul you can also say (if you spoke biblical Greek) “ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἀναλύσεώς μου ἐφέστηκεν”  – then accept my condolences. You are very ill and about to die. Or as translated above: “the time of my departure has arrived” (v6). As he also affirmed: I have finished the race, I have kept the Faith (v7). It’s over – completed. Paul was no ordinary man, he was an apostle. He may well have been given insights concerning his life, its course and its end. Almost like Jesus on the cross he  is virtually saying to His Father in Heaven “Into your hands I commend my spirit”. For most of us, even if we are very ill we do not know  for certain that our death is at hand.

Perseverance not guaranteed

I labour this point to demonstrate that Paul is not affirming “assured perseverance of the saints”. That is a component of the all-of-grace theology that I am  necessarily deconstructing. “Necessarily”, because Paul frequently makes statements that challenge that hypothesis (including in my recent 2Tim posts). But so did Jesus in His parable of the sower. Seed that fell on stoney ground sprung into life, resulted in joy until hardships came and the person fell away – the point being the individual and those who observed him would regard him as a Christian. Likewise seed that falls on thorny ground reflecting individuals who respond positively to the gospel but “the deceitfulness of riches” detracts them such that they become unfruitful. Paul gives as example  of such a few verses after our passage – Demas “who has forsaken me having loved the things of this present world” (v10).

 It could be argued that the above are examples of Christians who become unfruitful or useless rather than those who lose their salvation, but in other cases Paul speaks of  baptized believers who clearly departed from the Faith altogether – they have reprobated (2Tim3:8) or been “ruined” (1Cor8:11). And as he says of himself, “I have kept the Faith”, indicating that such was not inevitable.

God IS fair

I make an issue of this  also to demonstrate God’s goodness, fairness and providential justice in His dealings with everyone. If salvation were all of grace, that could never be the case. Whatever else God was, He could never be said to be fair. But fairness is an essential component of love, as any good parent knows. Reformation theology implies otherwise, but our heavenly Parent is fair to all as I have consistently demonstrated from Scripture. This will be more evident once it is understood that assurance of salvation and election does not pertain to souls going to heaven but to what happens to the living and dead at the end of the age (cf. Jn6:54; 2Tim4:8).

The Mt25 “sheep” clearly had no such assurance (vv37-40) but were  to their surprise accepted into Christ’s Kingdom. “Assurance” pertains to the attainment of glory.  In earlier writing Paul had stated:  I do not regard myself as having achieved it as yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil3:13-14). That “prize”, “goal” and “high calling” was not merely to go to heaven but at due time to receive the glory that goes with being a joint-heir with Christ as a member of God’s elect (Rom8:17).

WHEN Paul receives his crown

For, note from the 2Timothy passage when he expected to receive his “crown of righteousness”. It was not at the point of death (which he describes elsewhere as falling asleep) but some time in the future (v8). It would not be on his day (of death) but on “that day” which is clearly referring to Christ’s return: “the Day of His appearing”  – the day he knew he would be resurrected. “For I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed! (1Cor15:51-52).

A measure of assurance IS attainable

So having insisted and demonstrated from Scripture that perseverance in the path to glory is not guaranteed, a measure of peace and assurance is attainable, even if we are not like Paul on our deathbed. It is ultimately communicated by the Holy Spirit witnessing with our spirit (Rom8:16); the Holy Spirit being given to us to enable our hearts to become filled with love for God, and others (Rom5:5).  Paul’s reference to the “love of God poured out in the heart” is a genitive of origin. It refers not so much to God’s love for us or ours for Him but to the impartation of the divine quality of love engrafted by the Spirit such that we come to love others more as God loves them.

This is in the context of partaking of the divine nature by which we come to possess more of what God possesses: especially holiness aligned with love; God being love and thrice holy. Loving the Lord in our hearts, thrilled by His goodness and coming ourselves to possess the love of the Father towards the rest of humanity, we may be confident we are being saved and heading for victory.

Practical evidence

Yet even this can be subjective; assurance of salvation in Scripture is more often expressed in terms of actions rather than feelings:

We know we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother remains in death (1Jn3:14).

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know we are in (Christ) (1Jn2:3-5).

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