When addressing our security in Christ, one of the analogies the Bible uses is mountains.
We read this in Psalm 125:1-2:
“Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, both now and forever.”
We, as believers in Jesus Christ, are as secure in our relationship with Him as the mountains surrounding Jerusalem where God chose to establish His special presence in Old Testament times.
Mount Zion is not the highest peak in the mountain range around Jerusalem.
To its east lies the Mount of Olives, to its north Mount Scopus, to the west and south are other hills, all of which are higher than Mount Zion.
Surrounded by mountains, Mount Zion was secure, by its natural defensibility, so the psalmist compares the Lord to the hills around Jerusalem and the people to Mount Zion.
The psalmist praised God that believers are secure in their salvation and that God will keep temptation from overwhelming them in this life.
The Lord forever surrounds believers as a protective army, keeping overwhelming forces from defeating them (1 Cor.10:13).
However, even though believers are secure, they have a choice concerning how they will live while here on earth.
We can either live by the flesh or by the Spirit.
We, who trust in Christ as their Savior, are eternally secure, but we can choose to let Him live His life through us and experience His blessing, or depart from Him and suffer His discipline.
Believing in our eternal security will lead to us to security in our lives here. We know that grace is the basis of our relationship with the Lord.
Just as we are saved by grace, so we grow spiritually and have victory over sin by grace.
When we, as believers, know that our relationship is secured by Christ, it will motivate us to develop an intimate relationship with Him by grace.
Why is knowing we are secure so important?
Security promotes the atmosphere that produces real growth.
May we trust in our eternal security in Christ, and then, we will have a true sense of security in this life, because we are intimate with Christ and consistently let Him live through us.
Blessings!
Pastor Ken Keeler, Director of Church Ministries