But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Matthew 24:13)
Here Jesus teaches that the believer must persevere in faith to receive complete salvation. Salvation is a gift that cannot be earned or maintained by our own works. It has to be received by faith, and there is effort on our part to maintain that faith.
Holiness will not produce relationship with God, nor will a lack of holiness make God turn away from us. He deals with us according to our faith in Jesus, not our performance. Holiness will keep Satan from stealing our faith, while a lack of holiness is an open invitation for the devil to do his worst. A person who wants to endure to the end cannot live a lifestyle that permits Satan free access to them.
Although God is not imputing our sins unto us, we cannot afford the luxury of sin because it allows Satan to have access to us. When a Christian does sin and allows the devil an opportunity to produce death in their life, the way to stop this is to confess the sin. God is faithful and just to take the forgiveness that is already present in our born-again spirits and release it in our flesh (1 John 1:9), thereby removing Satan and his strongholds.
Holiness is a byproduct of an intimate relationship with God; it does not produce relationship with God. It is the nature of a Christian to want to do right. If I were to ask you, “Do you really want to sin?” You would say no because you are living from your new nature of God’s righteousness within. Remember this truth today whenever the devil comes to tempt you, and keep the faith!
