17But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
If Paul’s statement about being “rescued out of the lion’s mouth” is a reference to Satan, there may be more to his closing comments than first meets the eye. We are reminded of what Peter wrote: “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). That has been the devil’s objective since the beginning.
We see from the very beginning the lion’s deceptive roar. His first recorded act in Scripture has him subtly murmuring to Eve, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1). He followed with what seems an increase in volume, “You surely will not die,” a direct contradiction of God’s statement. And then no more sound from him was needed—the spoil had begun.
We see him again, having put into the heart of Judas the thoughts of betrayal (John 13:2), the lion’s murmur this time leading to the roar of crucifixion. The psalmist pictures the Messiah crying out, “Save me from the lion’s mouth . . .” (Ps. 22:21). And indeed, as the verse ends, “You have rescued me . . . ,” words similar to what the apostle Paul wrote.
Satan refuses to accept defeat. He continues to prowl for Christians whom he can cause to shrink back, to waver in the face of opposition, to desert the faith, to run away to the world, to abandon those who are standing firm—any number of things. He will use every means possible: false doctrine, unprofitable debates over doctrinal trivia, perceived youthfulness, excuses about lack of gifting, etc.
Human opposition, like Alexander’s, is simply a tool of the lion, Satan. But Paul stands as our example of trusting God for His strength, keeping a clear vision of our goal: to follow the course God has laid out for each of us. And Paul gives us an example of unwavering faith that God will protect us from anything that would hinder our arrival in heaven. We are reminded of what he wrote the Philippians: “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).
Lord, without You working in and through me, I can do nothing. But because You always keep Your promises, I believe I will be fully saved from the lion!
What could be the “anything “ that would “hinder “ my “arrival in heaven “? That doesn’t sound like my eternity is secure!
Terry, yes, our eternity is secure. The statement in this post, though, is not about security but about assurance of our security. The specific wording is that “Paul gives us an example of unwavering faith that God will protect us from anything that would hinder our arrival in heaven.” We are secure, and Paul wants us to be assured of that. Our security is not based on our faith. But our assurance is a matter of faith. A true believer is saved securely and eternally, and nothing will “hinder” that. A believer may doubt his security, but this does not affect the fact that he is secure. That is the issue of assurance, we need to know and trust that we are secure in Christ. I hope this helps clarify things.
Blessings,
Chuck
So … I am “saved securely and eternally, and NOTHING will “hinder” that. “ Therefore unwavering faith assures me that God will protect us from NOTHING…. because NOTHING will hinder our arrival in heaven.” That’s what I can get from this statement. I find it possibly misleading.
I’m afraid your comments are confusing. You are using the word “nothing” as a substantive noun to represent a “thing,” and trying to make my sentence covey something that is not there. The point of the statement is that there is not any “thing” that will hinder our salvation, so don’t believe the lie of Satan. The entire blog is about assurance, that the “lion” is trying to knock us off of believing that we are secure. Thanks for your feedback.