The Promises of God are Conditional.
THE grand error of Universalism is, to suppose that the promises of eternal salvation have no conditions. Yet there is nothing more certain than that every promise in the Bible that holds out the offer of salvation to fallen man, has certain conditions, either expressed, or implied. Doubtless there are the strongest assurances in the Scriptures, that the righteous, as a class, shall certainly be saved. But there are no such assurances to any of us as individuals. In order to be saved we must become righteous and remain such. All the promises of the Bible involve this condition. And so Paul, speaking of the promises of God in the singular, says: “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” Heb. iv, 1. It is certain, therefore, that the promise of God relating to future inheritance is conditional, and that there is danger of our coming short by not fulfilling the conditions.