You will abide

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us... If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us eternal life. - 1 John 2v19-25

The question of the permanency of our salvation is one that has been the topic of many discussions, more than one of them heated. For me however it is one of those questions that I have never been able to see the point of view that differs from where I stand.

As I look at this passage a couple of things stick out. ‘If they were of us they would not have gone out from us’ and ‘If what you have heard from the beginning abides in you, you will also abide in the Son and in the Father.’ These are both used in the context of – ‘This is the promise that He has promised us eternal life.’

To me the key phrase is this – ‘If what you heard from the beginning abides in you will abide.’ Looking at the entire context it seems obvious that God is saying that if the truth of the gospel truly abides in us we will continue to abide in Him. The abiding is based on His great promise of eternal life.

It is not a matter of eternal security meaning that a person can do whatever he wants because he is saved anyway. The great truth is that true Christians are not going to wander away from the truth. That sounds tough, but I just can’t see any other explanation for this passage. “If they were of us they would not have gone out from us…if what you heard abides in you, you will abide.’
From the rest of 1 John it is obvious that this does not mean that Christians are never going to sin. That is a constant battle. I think the idea is that true Christians are not going to quit the battle. When one quits the battle and gives in to the sin it evidences the fact that the Truth was never abiding in the first place. It proves that the person never was ‘of us’ in the first place.