Westminster Confession, Chapter 17
Of the Perseverance of the Saints
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.
Scripture references for paragraph 1
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
John 10:28-2928I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.
29My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
Philippians 1:66being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 1:55who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:99now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
2 Peter 1:1010Therefore, brothers, strive to make your calling and election sure. For if you practice these things you will never stumble,
1 John 3:99Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
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; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.
Scripture references for paragraph 2
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Jeremiah 31:33The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.
2 Timothy 2:18-1918who have deviated from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already occurred, and they undermine the faith of some.
19Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
John 14:16-1716And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—
17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
1 John 2:2727And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.
1 John 3:99Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
Luke 22:3232But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
John 17:1111I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one.
John 17:2424Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Hebrews 7:2525Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
Hebrews 9:12-1512He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.
13For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean,
14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!
15Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Hebrews 10:1010And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:1414because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 13:20-2120Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
21equip you with every good thing to do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Romans 8:33-3933Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 10:2828I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.
2 Thessalonians 3:33But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
1 John 2:1919They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.
Jeremiah 32:4040I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never turn away from doing good to them, and I will put My fear in their hearts, so that they will never turn away from Me.
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; and for a time continue therein: whereby they incur God's displeasure, and grieve his Holy Spirit; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts; have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded; hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.
Scripture references for paragraph 3
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Matthew 26:7070But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.”
Matthew 26:7272And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man!”
Matthew 26:7474At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
2 Samuel 11:2727And when the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.
Isaiah 64:55You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?
Isaiah 64:77No one calls on Your name or strives to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
Isaiah 64:99Do not be angry, O LORD, beyond measure; do not remember our iniquity forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray; we are all Your people!
Psalms 51:1414Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
Psalms 51:88Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
Psalms 51:1010Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalms 51:1212Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
Song of Solomon 5:2-42I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”
3I have taken off my robe— must I put it back on? I have washed my feet— must I soil them again?
4My beloved put his hand to the latch; my heart pounded for him.
Song of Solomon 5:66I opened for my beloved, but he had turned and gone. My heart sank at his departure. I sought him, but did not find him. I called, but he did not answer.
Revelation 2:44But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love.
Ephesians 4:3030And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Psalms 32:3-43When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long.
4For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah
Isaiah 63:1717Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
Mark 6:5252for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.
Mark 16:1414Later, as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
Psalms 89:31-3231if they violate My statutes and fail to keep My commandments,
32I will attend to their transgression with the rod, and to their iniquity with stripes.
1 Corinthians 11:3232But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
2 Samuel 12:1414Nevertheless, because by this deed you have shown utter contempt for the word of the LORD, the son born to you will surely die.”
Source and edition
Westminster Confession. NonlinearFruit/Creeds.json, Unlicense. Creeds.json, English transcription
Unlicense. Source transcription.
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