Revelation 7:15
“Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.”
People often wonder why a person would still serve the LORD if once they get saved they are always saved. Let me first address that the eternal security of the believer has nothing to do with how good or bad a person may live. If that were the case, salvation would be acquired through works instead of grace. Second, God chose to save us because He loved us. God didn’t love us when we were good, but He loved us when we were bad. That is why Jesus had to die to pay for our sins because we could do nothing to save ourselves. Salvation is a gift from God that once you receive it you can never lose it. With this established, what would cause a Christian to still serve the LORD after salvation?
First, we serve Him because He knew what we were like, and yet He still saved us. Verse 14 says, “…thou knowest…” God knew exactly what we were before we got saved, and He knew what we would be like after we got saved. The answer to those who would wonder why we would serve the LORD is that we understand the privilege that He would offer salvation to us even though He knew what we were like.
Second, we serve Him because He lightened our load. Verse 14 continues to say, “…These are they which came out of great tribulation…” Many of the burdens we carried before we got saved were a direct result of sin. It was the grace of God that lifted the burden of sin from our back. Why would a person not want to serve the LORD after He lifted this heavy burden? Every person who has been saved understands the burden sin caused and the freedom God’s gift of salvation gave us. The reason we serve the LORD is because He lifted our burdens.
Third, we serve Him because He cleansed us from our sin. Verse 14 continues to say, “These…washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” If their robes were washed, that means they were soiled beforehand by sin. When a person gets saved, they realize that their past is gone. We serve the LORD because we realize that every sin has been placed under the blood of Jesus Christ; our sins are paid for eternally. Why would we not want to serve the LORD when we realize that our past, present and future sins were paid for at salvation? My friend, we serve the LORD because He gave us hope. We serve the LORD because He gave us a new outlook on life. We serve the LORD because he rewrote our past and gave us a promising future.
Fourth, we serve Him because He provides for our every need. Verse 16 says, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.” If it wasn’t good enough for the LORD to save us, He added the blessing of providing for our every need. He still provided for our needs even when we didn’t deserve it. It is a blessing for those who are saved to know that every need has already been supplied by the LORD.
You ask me why I still serve the LORD after He gave me eternal security? My answer to you is, why would we not serve the LORD after all that He did and continues to do for us. We don’t serve the LORD to pay penance, but to show Him appreciation. Christian, you have a reason to serve the LORD. No, you don’t serve Him to stay saved, but you serve Him out of thankfulness for all that He has done for you.