But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we speak thus. Hebrews 6:9
You probably have heard some of the same arguments as I have from the poor misguided souls who believe that a saved person can lose their salvation. One of their favourite arguments is to ask those who believe in eternal security, ‘So you can do anything you want and you will still be OK?’ The answer is obviously yes, but the question is based on a false premise. Yes, we can do anything we want and still be saved, but we now have the ability and desire to have a new set of ‘whatever I want’. Before we were saved, ‘whatever I want’ was nothing but sinful rebellion. We wanted to do what the devil wanted us to do. Now that we are saved, ‘whatever I want’ includes faithful service and worship to the Lord. We want to do what the Lord wants us to do. It’s one of the things that accompany salvation, as our text puts it.
Our salvation is so much more than a fire escape from hell and a ladder to Heaven! Salvation is a wonderful package that includes deliverance from the wrath that we deserve, joyful anticipation of an eternity in our Saviour’s glorious presence, and everything in between. The greatest thing that accompanies salvation is the new nature that we have, resulting from the presence of the Holy Spirit within. He is everything that we need for our spiritual growth and development, our comfort in trials, our encouragement in challenges, and our hope amid the world’s losses and disappointments. If a person is saved, that person will display the proof of the Spirit’s presence. The Bible calls it ‘the fruit of the Spirit (which) is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law’ (Galatians 5:22-23). If someone claims to have the Holy Spirit but does not display this fruit, maybe they are making a false claim.
Another of the things that accompany salvation is sanctification. That simply means being set apart for God. God does not call us to blend in with the world, but to be distinct from it and all its false ways. This is what Paul had in mind with his plea to the Christians in Rome: ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service’ (Romans 12:1). Another of the things that accompany salvation is an interest in the Gospel. It will become a priority to us that other folks will hear and receive the glad message that delivered us from our sins and their consequence.
Come to think of it, we could talk all day about the things that accompany our salvation. What a thrilling topic! – Jim MacIntosh