Perseverance of the Saints: True Faith Always Endures

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Perseverance of the saints is not just a theological idea—it’s a powerful reminder that true saving faith always endures. Learn what it means to persevere as a believer, even in the face of trials and failures. The perseverance of the saints is a work of Christ in us. Though we may stumble, true believers rise again and walk in repentance, proving the genuineness of their faith.

A long-time friend of mine shared a testimony with me. He was one of my closest friends when we were in California, and I knew him to be a committed Christian. Around 2015, he relocated to Los Angeles and began working for a large, well-known company. He didn’t want me to mention the company’s name. I knew this friend as a responsible and hard worker, so I wasn’t surprised when he told me that he had advanced to upper management in the company.

He said he regularly worked 12 to 20-hour days. When I asked how you work 20-hour days consistently, he said, and I quote, “That’s what I want to talk to you about. A select group of senior-level management chose to use cocaine, and I started using it too, and became addicted. I would use it throughout the day to keep going, and when I returned home, I would drink half a gallon of whiskey and take sleeping pills to come off the cocaine so I could fall asleep. Then I would wake up four or five hours later and use more cocaine to have the energy to make it through the day. This went on for years.

I knew I was going to kill myself and leave my wife and children without a husband and father, so one night, God heavily convicted me, and I called a Christian rehab facility and said they had to come pick me up. My wife knew something was wrong with me, but she didn’t know what it was. She never gave up praying for me or loving me, and before I left the house, I confessed to her what was happening and informed her that she wouldn’t be able to communicate with me while I was in the facility. I also told her where she could find the stashes of cocaine around the house, because I didn’t want to stumble upon them when I returned home.

When I left the facility, I went to work one more time, and that was to quit. I didn’t give them two weeks’ notice because I didn’t want to create further temptation. I have been sober since then. I moved my family to Wyoming, where we found healing, and the Lord redeemed our family. We experienced this victory because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The cross can help us defeat anything.” End quote.

It blessed me to hear this because I’m sure there were many sacrifices and much suffering on his part to see the positive changes in his life and family. Most of you know our familiarity with addiction: my brother died of a drug overdose, my dad was an alcoholic, and Katie’s mother died of alcoholism. Sadly, there are not many success stories in the addiction world. Some of you know this firsthand. But instead of looking at what he had done, he looked at what Christ had done for him.

I don’t think my friend became a Christian during this time. I knew him from 2005 through 2010, and I was confident in his salvation. I believe Christ was with him through this season, praying for him and strengthening his faith, just as He described doing for Peter:

Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus said He would pray for Peter’s faith so that it would not fail. Just as He did so with Peter, I believe He did so with my friend, and He does so for us.

Jesus Is the Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith in the ESV, or in the NKJV, the author and finisher of our faith. Regardless of the translation you’re using the point is the same: our faith begins with Christ and is maintained by Him.

This brings up an obvious question: Jesus said He prayed for Peter’s faith not to fail. So, when other people’s faith fails, does that mean Jesus didn’t pray for them, or would their faith have survived if He had prayed a little more? No, that’s not it at all. Jesus prays for believers’ faith because believers have faith. That’s why He can pray for it. Unbelievers don’t have faith. Jesus can’t pray for, or strengthen faith that people don’t have. The point is that if you are a believer, Jesus prays for and maintains your faith. If you are not a believer, Jesus does not pray for and maintain your faith, because you don’t have any.

Jesus Already Prayed for Our Perseverance

Jesus said, “I have prayed.” It is past tense. Peter’s faith hadn’t even been tested yet. It wouldn’t be tested until the servant girl says Peter was with Jesus. But Jesus had already prayed for it.

Jesus is praying for our faith, too. This is one of His primary ministries as our great high priest:

Romans 8:34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who diedmore than that, who was raisedwho is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Hebrews 7:24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

As believers, Jesus is interceding on our behalf at the right hand of the Father. We experience the same grace that Peter experienced.

Encouraged When We Doubt

Every believer experiences doubt. Unbelievers experience unbelief, but believers experience doubt. Sin has affected every area of our Christian lives, including our faith. No part of us is perfect, not even our faith.

When we experience doubt, I hope we can be encouraged that Jesus is praying for our faith not to fail, or, as was the case with Peter, Jesus had already prayed that our faith would not fail.

Jesus Doesn’t Pray Exactly Like Us

Jesus is the God man: fully God and fully man. As a man, there are ways He is like us. But the danger is believing He is like us in every respect. He is also God in the flesh, and He didn’t pray for Peter the way we pray for people.

We pray for people and wonder what will happen. We wonder if they will be saved, healed, get that job, or repent.

But Jesus never prayed like this. He didn’t wonder if His prayers would be answered. He didn’t pray for Peter and think, “Is Peter going to make it or not. I sure hope so.” Instead, Jesus told Peter that even though his faith would falter, it would not fail because Jesus prayed for him.

And the same is true for us: we falter. We will betray Christ at times; if not verbally, as Peter did, we will betray Him through our actions. But if we are believers, our faith will not fail because Jesus maintains it for us. This is known as the perseverance of the saints.

A Saint’s Faith Perseveres

John 10:28 I give [My sheep] eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

This emphasizes our security in Christ, and we can only be secure in Christ, if our faith in Christ is maintained:

John 3:16 God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

It couldn’t be called eternal life if we could lose it. Then it would be called possible life. Jesus wouldn’t say His sheep will never perish if we could later perish.

Philippians 1:6 I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Paul couldn’t write this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit if we could lose our salvation. That would mean God could start working in our lives, but then stop.

1 Peter 1:5 [Believers] who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

This describes God’s protective power over us as believers, ensuring our salvation is secure. For us to lose our salvation, we would mean we overcame God’s protective power. We might be wretched sinners, but we are not big enough sinners that we can overcome God’s power. As Romans 5:20 says, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”

Eternal Security and Once Saved Always Saved

When you’re saved you can’t be unsaved. If you could be unsaved it couldn’t be said that you were saved. The possibility of being unsaved would prevent you from ever being called saved. When you’re born again, you can’t be unborn. Just as you can’t be unborn physically, you can’t be unborn spiritually. The Holy Spirit indwells us, regenerates us, and then seals us. We can’t be un-regenerated and unsealed.

Revelation 13:10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

I like the ESV, but it uses the word steadfast. Most translations, such as the NIV and NKJV, read perseverance. This is the Greek word hypomonē, which is also translated as patience or endurance. In other words, this is referring to the perseverance of the saints.

The context of this verse is the Great Tribulation: a time of intense persecution. The antichrist will be murdering everyone who doesn’t pledge their loyalty to him by receiving the mark of the beast. Most believers will be, as the verse says, slain by the sword, but their faith will endure, or persevere.

Revelation 14:12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

Again, the ESV reads ‘endurance of the saints,’ but most other translations read ‘perseverance of the saints.’ This verse succinctly defines the perseverance of the saints as keeping faith in Jesus. Keeping God’s commandments doesn’t save us, but it is evidence of being saved. For these saints, it will mean obeying unto death.

Trials Reveal the Genuineness of Our Faith

During the Tribulation God encourages believers about their faith enduring. Why would He do that? Because that’s when our faith is most tested.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

This is what trials do: test our faith.

1 Peter 1:6 You rejoice, though…you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faithmore precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by firemay be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Nobody likes trials, but one of the blessings of them, aside from maturing us, is that they reveal to us that our faith is genuine.

Jesus preached the parable of the sower and He said the seed that fell on rocky ground would spring up quickly. It looked saved:

Matthew 13:5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,

The phrase ‘immediately they sprang up’ portrays people who receive God’s Word with enthusiasm. They’re excited. They seem to be unable to get enough of church. They appear to love the Word genuinely. But they don’t have roots. Their faith doesn’t go deep. It won’t last. The interest and enthusiasm will fade. When Jesus explained this soil, He said:

Matthew 13:20 [The seed] sown on rocky ground…is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root…[and only] endures for a while…when tribulation or persecution arises…immediately he falls away.

Trials reveal this person is an unbeliever —a Judas rather than a Peter, a Saul rather than a David, an ain’t rather than a saint.

Job Is the Premier Example of a Persevering Saint

Because our faith is most tested during trials, who is the best example of a persevering saint? Job!

James 5:11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

The word for steadfastness is hypomonē. The same word is used in James for patience and in Revelation for perseverance. Most Bibles, such as the NKJV, NIV, and NASB, read perseverance or endurance. This verse is similar to the verses in Revelation, but instead of referring to the perseverance of all the saints, it refers to the perseverance of one specific saint: Job.

I hope it’s obvious why Job is the example of a persevering saint. If anyone could have gone through enough trials or suffering to lose their faith, it was Job, but he persevered. And how did he persevere? In the same way that everyone perseveres by maintaining faith.

Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

The devil said Job was only faithful to God because of the absence of trials and the abundance of blessings in his life. If God added trials and removed the blessings, Job’s faith would not have persevered. And then again:

Job 2:5“But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”

Again, Satan thought that in the face of trials and affliction, Job would curse God. His faith wouldn’t persevere.

Satan is the Accuser, so this is what we expect him to say. What we probably wouldn’t expect is for his wife to say the same thing:

Job 2:9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”

What a wonderful woman! I have no idea how one of the greatest men in history ended up with her as a wife, but when you read what she said, you learn why the devil killed everyone in Job’s life, but let her live! She was Satan’s servant. Job rebuked her:

Job 2:10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

He said, “As readily as we accept God’s blessings, we must also accept the trials.”

Peter and Job Demonstrate That Perseverance Does Not Require Perfection

A few chapters later, Job succinctly described what it means to persevere when he said:

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.

Now, this is an interesting verse. It isn’t often we get to see someone say something so good and bad in the same sentence. The good: no matter how much Job suffered, he would continue to trust the Lord. The bad: Job thinks he can argue with God to His face. It doesn’t go well for him when he gets to do this.

This should be very encouraging to us because it teaches us that perseverance doesn’t mean being perfect. Peter denied Christ three times, but we know he was saved. Job teaches us the same thing. Let me draw your attention to a few of the things Job said:

Job 9:23 When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.

This is a strong accusation. Job said God mocks the pleas of those killed.

Job 21:4 As for me, is my complaint against man? Why should I not be impatient?

Job said his argument was with God and that he had every reason to be upset. Skip to verse 9:

Job 21:9 [The wicked’s] houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them.

Job said God is unjust because He does not punish evildoers.

Job 21:17 “How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains in his anger?

Job said the wicked live long lives and do not experience the suffering that God inflicts on others.

Job 24:12 From out of the city the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help; yet God charges no one with wrong.

Job brought two accusations against God in this verse. First, he claimed God was unconcerned with people’s suffering. Second, he maintained that God did not punish those responsible.

Peter and Job Demonstrate That Perseverance Does Involve Repentance

God loved Job enough that He would not let him remain accusing. He questioned Job in chapters 38 and 39, and after that:

Job 40:3 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 4 “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”

Job spent much of the book wanting an audience with God, but when that opportunity arose, it did not unfold as he had anticipated. Things have changed considerably: Job went from criticizing God to covering his mouth with his hand.

Perhaps we are like Job, yearning for an audience with God. Maybe our suffering or loss has made us feel mistreated, and we want to bring accusations against God. If we start to feel that way, we should recall the account of Job. If we were given our day in court with God, our experience would be no different than his. We would move from accusations to wishing we had remained silent.

God asked Job more questions in chapters 40 and 41. Then Job spoke again in Job 42:1:

Job 42:1 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Job’s example is encouraging and instructive. First, it’s encouraging because, as already mentioned, he questioned, criticized, and accused. We didn’t read the verses, but he was also proud. He boasted about his goodness. Yet he remained a persevering saint. I’m not trying to make us feel comfortable sinning, but we will sin, so I want to be clear that persevering doesn’t mean being perfect.

Second, Job’s example is instructive. When we sin while persevering, we should also repent. And isn’t this precisely what Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:32? “When you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus told Peter that his faith would not fail, meaning he would persevere, but he would still sin and deny Christ. Then, he would turn again or repent.

Comparing ourselves to great heroes of the faith, such as Job and Peter, can be discouraging. Who wants to think they must be as great as them? But we can take great encouragement from their examples. They demonstrate that we don’t have to be perfect to persevere. And when we do persevere, it’s not because of what we did. It’s because of what Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, is doing for us: praying that our faith will not fail.