The Canons of Dort Part 11: Perseverance

Today we come to the Canons of Dort’s fifth and final main point of doctrine: the perseverance of the saints. Here is a summary.

The Sinfulness of the Elect

1. Those who have been saved by God’s grace, the elect, are set free from slavery to sin “though in this life not entirely from the flesh and the body of sin.”
2. Because of this, “sins of weakness arise, and blemishes cling to even the best works of God’s people.”
3. This causes us to humble ourselves and return to God regularly for help in overcoming sin.

God’s Preservation of the Elect

1. “Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in them…those who have been converted could not remain standing in his grace if left to their own resources,” but God preserves them.

Falling into Serious Sin

1. Despite God’s preservation, the elect may be carried away by the flesh, the world, and Satan into sin, even serious sin (i.e. David, Peter).
2. These sins are serious enough that they “offend God, deserve the sentence of death, grieve the Holy Spirit, suspend the exercise of faith, severely wound the conscience, and sometimes lose the awareness of grace for a time.”
3. Despite this serious sin, God will never forsake his elect and he will bring them back to him through “his Word and Spirit” so that they “have a heartfelt and godly sorrow for the sins they have committed; seek and obtain, through faith and with a contrite heart, forgiveness in the blood of the Mediator.”

The Assurance of God’s Preservation

1. If salvation were left in the hands of sinful humans (“by their own merits or strength”), they would lose their salvation.  However, because salvation is in the hands of God this is not possible.  It is not possible because they promise of God, the work of Christ, and the sealing of the Spirit “can neither be invalidated nor wiped out.”
2. The elect will eventually be given assurance of their salvation, which is faith in the promises of God.
3. Although some do not yet have full assurance and experience doubts, God will not let them be tempted beyond what they can bear (1 Cor. 10:13)
4. This assurance of salvation will result in humility and Godliness.  This assurance should not result in an “inducement to carelessness.”

God’s Preservation of the Elect

1. Just as God begins the process of salvation by his grace, God completes the process of salvation by his grace.
2. God completes his work “by the hearing and reading of the gospel, by meditation on it, by its exhortations, threats, and promises, and also by the use of the sacraments.”