5 He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

6 This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

— Titus 3:5-6

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love.

— 1 John 4:18

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.

— 2 Corinthians 5:14

13 Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

15 By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise.

17 After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

— 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

The believers’ salvation is everlasting. If we could lose our salvation, we would need to be honest when sharing the gospel with an unbeliever, explaining that salvation is not actually guaranteed and heaven will ultimately depend on one’s own efforts. This would not be good news. If we could lose our salvation, we would need to present the fear of hell as the motivation for living. But God’s Word tells us that there is no fear in love and perfect love casts out fear. Fear of the Lake of Fire is not a valid motivator for the Christian.

If we could lose our salvation, Christ’s love would be conditional. Uncertainty of this kind is debilitating, but Christ’s love is a motivator. The Bible tells us that the love of Christ compels us. If we could lose our salvation, we would grow old, and even go to our deathbed, with paralyzing doubts. How could we ever know for sure if we were truly saved if salvation depended, even in part, on our works or conduct? We should be clear that it is not up to us to keep our own salvation by working good enough to deserve God’s favor. If this what we believe, we are saying ultimately we can save ourselves. Our salvation is eternally secure because of Christ’s redemption work is finished.