How to Endure until the End

If you’ve been following along in this course, you should now understand the first four requirements the Bible gives us for salvation: believe, repent, confess, and be baptized. Now, we’ll cover the final requirement—enduring until the end.

Salvation is for those who endure in the faith until the end of their lives. But notice—some draw back unto perdition. Yes, it is possible to fall away and not endure. We’ll explore that in more detail later.

For now, let’s focus on how we can endure, and what challenges we will face. Following Jesus isn’t always easy—sometimes there’s a cross involved.

Be aware: despite the well-intentioned preaching of some, the devil isn’t afraid of you. He doesn’t flee at the mere mention of the name of Jesus. He isn’t tied up, and he certainly isn’t toothless.

Even in just these few verses, we see Satan approaching Jesus Himself. If he can approach God, why would we think he’s afraid of us? No—he has plans to destroy us.

Make no mistake, Satan trembles before Jesus, but he is not afraid of a battle against the saints (Revelation 12:17). He is not intimidated by rituals or cliché phrases. You can’t just say “I rebuke you” or “I plead the blood” and expect him to flee.

In fact, Jude 9 tells us that even the angels won’t rebuke him. So be aware: he is real, and he’s on a mission—looking for those he can tear apart. It isn’t your earthly life or comfort that he’s after.

It’s your life in Jesus.

Satan Is a Roaring Lion

Let’s look at 1 Peter 5:8 again:

The roar of a lion is meant to strike fear into the heart of its prey. The prey becomes fearful and clumsy. They begin to make errors in judgment. Then the lion pounces and sinks his teeth into them.

What does this mean for us? It means Satan will use whatever he can to strike fear and doubt into your heart. He’ll point out supposed “contradictions” in the Bible. He’ll question the morality of God. And, if God permits, he will even try to make you feel like God is cruel.

But it’s when you begin to fear and doubt God that you’re in danger. It’s when you start leaning on your own understanding that you become unstable. Eventually, you trip over your own legs—and you don’t get back up. That’s when he sinks in his teeth and destroys your faith.

This is why we are told to be sober and vigilant. We need to be wise and aware. That means we must know the Word of God ourselves. We can’t rely on clichés or half-truths. And we certainly can’t rely on our own ignorance to protect us.

Being Sober-Minded

If you’re not grounded in the truth, you’re the one Satan is seeking to devour. That’s why it’s so important to know God for yourself. And the best way to get to know Him is through the Scriptures—they’re called the Word of God for a reason.

Too many people have walked away from the faith because they believed things that weren’t true. They thought the Bible said things it didn’t. They believed people had discovered proof that the Bible was in error. Whatever the case, they were drawn away by the so-called “wisdom” of the world.

This is one of my favorite verses because it acts as a safeguard—grounding us against the lies of the enemy. When you hear something that challenges your faith, make sure the first thing you question isn’t God.

If something can rock your faith, then you are not walking soberly. You need to become grounded and steady in the truth. Jesus is your rock. He does not fail. If you truly believe that, then your first instinct will not be to question Him.

That rock stands firm against the oppositions of “science falsely so called,” against cunning craftiness, worthless philosophies, and even the profane mockery of the enemy. If you’re planted on that rock, you will not be shaken.

The first thing you should question is not your faith—it’s the challenge of the enemy. Having it settled in your heart that God is always true will help you stay on your feet when those challenges come.

I’m not saying you should never ask God questions—that would be dishonest. What I am saying is this: consider God innocent until proven guilty. Make sure your heart is in the right place. Seek the truth. Defend your faith.

Don’t be like the world, which believes the lies of the enemy. Don’t be like those who treat God as guilty until proven innocent. That isn’t justice—and it isn’t honest, either.

Hold on to your faith. Endure the trial of it. Know that God will not fail. He can give you the wisdom to see through the lies—but you must search for that wisdom.

There are many reasons people fail to grow in wisdom and knowledge. One reason is that they aren’t seeking it properly. Seeking out wisdom and knowledge must be done in truth and in faith. As the old saying goes: You will find what you seek.

This is where many skeptics go wrong. Many of them search the Scriptures—but not to find wisdom or truth. They search for reasons to deny God. They search to test Him. And because of that mindset, they find what they were looking for. They find reason to doubt.

But if you search with a different heart, you won’t be disappointed. You’re looking for truth in faith. Eventually, you’ll find what they missed. They are distracted by supposed Bible “contradictions” or science falsely so called. But you can see through it.

It’s important to know that the enemy uses trickery and deceit. He’ll tell you half-truths. He’ll distract you like a magician—making you focus on one hand while the real trick is happening in the other.

Don’t fall for it.

Itching Ears

There is a warning that comes with all of this. The call to be vigilant in 1 Peter 5:8 applies here. It means we must keep our eyes and ears open. If you shut your eyes and ears, you become unable to grow and learn.

People often shut others out the moment they hear something they don’t immediately agree with. They label them as false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, heretics, and more. It isn’t always easy to share the deeper things found in God’s Word.

There are many who will only listen to doctrine that matches what they already believe. They seek out churches and teachers that agree with them. They close their eyes and ears to anyone who suggests they might be wrong.

Notice that 2 Timothy doesn’t say they will stop listening to teachers altogether. It says they will heap teachers to themselves. They love being students of the Word—as long as they already think they know it.

There are two main reasons people do this:

Pride – They believe they know better and refuse to learn from anyone else.

Fear – They’re afraid that listening to other perspectives might lead them astray, so they avoid challenges completely.

Pride

One of the reasons many are weak in the faith isn’t because they don’t read the Bible—it’s because they don’t close their mouths and listen. They speak confidently about what they think the Bible says and try to teach others. But when someone with greater understanding comes along, they attempt to teach them as well.

They hear just enough to respond, eager to instruct the teacher. As the Bible says, they hear but do not understand. They have been “made fat” with the things they think they know. They can accept no more, because they must first be purged of their own false beliefs.

If you cannot be quiet and listen when someone is trying to explain something to you, then—even if they are wrong—you’ve still proven yourself to be unwise. Why? Because you’re not in a position to properly test whether they are correct or in need of correction.

So here is my advice to help you endure to the end: know the Bible for yourself. Understand what you believe and why you believe it. And don’t be afraid to hear something that may be false. If your foundation is solid, you’ll be able to recognize the difference. Test every doctrine—including your own.

Fear

I once heard someone say, “People have more faith in the devil’s ability to deceive them than in the Holy Spirit’s ability to teach them and preserve them.” That’s absolutely true. Many are so afraid of being deceived that they won’t risk hearing anything that challenges their beliefs.

But living in fear of deception shows that you’re not confident in your own faith. It reveals a weak spot. Maybe you need to study more to strengthen your understanding?

You need to be confident that your faith can withstand a challenge or two.

So don’t be afraid of questions. Find answers. Don’t fear looking deeper into a subject. Learn to see things from all angles. You don’t have to fear being deceived if you are already grounded in the truth.

Let God be true.

There are many resources available to help you handle challenges—whether from science falsely so called, so-called contradictions, or worldly philosophy. I provide some of those resources for you on this site. There’s no reason you can’t overcome these trials.

Keep the Faith

My point is simple: You must keep the faith you began with. That faith is not complicated. It’s believing in the work of Jesus and accepting Him as your own. Trust Jesus and follow Him.

Let me give you Paul’s advice:

This isn’t a call to be closed-minded—it’s a call to fear no lie of Satan. It’s a call to stand firm and resist him. He can only destroy your faith if you doubt God.

This final requirement for salvation—enduring in faith—still leaves many details to be explored. These are things you need to know, and they’ll help you stand strong. So continue learning in the next unit. There are many things that may confuse you—and I want to help.

Unit 3:9 – What Does Being “Saved” Mean OR

Return To Christianity 101 Unit 3 To Review What You Have Gone Over