Steadfast, coming from the Old English word stedefæst, joins stede, referencing “place,” and fæst, signifying “fixed.” A warrior who was stedefæst in battle “stood fast” or remained “fixed in place” as the combat raged around him. Transposed to a description of a person’s character, steadfastness became the virtue of fierce loyalty, unswerving devotion, and staunch faithfulness.
We Christians are exhorted to “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard” (Col 1:23). As the warrior of old stood “fixed in place” in battle, so too should we, with this promise if we do: “Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (Jas 1:12 CSB).
Sometimes it’s hard to be steadfast. Not only do trials disturb us, but so do temptations that loom large and distractions that waylay our attention from God and his ways. Doubts may rise as we wonder if God really loves us (when we’ve lost a job or had a health scare), forgives us (after the umpteenth time we’ve committed that same sin), and providentially cares for us (when our world seems out of control and our culture pressures us to conform to its craziness). Perhaps we look for security in financial stability or by chasing after more things to minimize the uncertainties and fears.
There is a better solution: Christian doctrine provides unity, clarity, and steadfastness for Christian faith in the midst of doubt and insecurity. Specifically, important doctrines—election, union with Christ, justification, adoption, perseverance, aspects of the doctrine of Christ, aspects of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, and aspects of the doctrine of Scripture—cohere together and thus provide the foundation for our assurance of salvation. If we ground our assurance of belonging to Christ now and forever in key truths—about God, his work in our life, and his words of promise in Scripture—then we will stand our ground when we battle trials, temptations, doubts, and fears.
Steadfastness in faith and assurance of salvation await us.
Election
God has chosen us in Christ “before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:3). This is his gracious election, by which the Father marked us out eternally, “according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph 1:11). Based on his sovereign plan and grace, election has nothing to do with our good works or merits. Not being dependent on us, his choice endures forever and cannot be reversed; we can’t undo what he has declared. How we rightly respond is two-fold: we live lives that are holy and blameless (Eph 1:4), and we engage in “the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Eph 1:6).
Union with Christ
God has united us with Christ, which is his mighty work to join us in eternal covenant with his Son, who has accomplished our salvation. Through this union with Christ (Rom 6:1–11), the Father grants us every benefit of salvation: grace, regeneration, redemption, eternal life, justification, sanctification, and glorification. As Christ dwells in us, and we dwell in him (John 15:1–5; Gal 2:20), this union is unshakeable and everlasting; we never have to fear that the bond will be broken.
Justification
God has justified us, which is his declaration that we are not guilty but righteous instead. Through the atoning sacrifice of Christ—he died in our place, bearing the penalty of sin for us—we are forgiven, never having to fear condemnation (Rom 8:1). Through his perfect obedience—he lived a holy life under God’s law—we are considered righteous before God because Christ’s righteousness is credited to us. Such justification has nothing to do with merit or earning God’s favor by good works; rather, it is received by faith in him (Rom 3–8; Gal 2:15–3:29). This divine declaration stands forever.
Adoption
God has adopted us so that he is our Father and we are his children. Through adoption, God has taken us as sinful people—enemies who were alienated from him—and joined us as beloved children into his family forever. As children of God, we “were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” through believing in Jesus (John 1:12–13). This means that our adoption cannot be undone but endures forever.
Perseverance
God steadfastly holds us in Christ throughout our entire life. Perseverance is God’s mighty act of constantly guarding us by his power, through our ongoing faith, until our salvation is complete. This promised inheritance “is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven” (1 Pet 1:4); thus, it is absolutely secure and guaranteed. Divine power dependably protects us from overwhelming sin, temptation, demonic attack, and persecution; thus, we cannot ultimately abandon the faith and lose our salvation.
Aspects of the Doctrine of Christ: Pledges and Prayers
Jesus Christ engages in two ongoing works that contribute to the steadfastness we desire. First, he unfailingly pledges to hold on to us, never lose us, never cast us out, and give us eternal life. This is the purpose for which the Father sent the Son. As Jesus urged, “this is the will of him [the Father] who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:37–40; cf. 10:27–30). Second, Jesus unceasing prayers for our ongoing salvation. This is a function of Jesus the High Priest: because “he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 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” (Heb 7:23–25; cf. John 17:24). Jesus will fulfill his pledge and continue to pray for us, so we can be confident that we will experience eternal salvation.
Aspects of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: Sanctification and Sealing
The Holy Spirit also engages in ongoing works that foster our steadfastness. The first is his role in sanctification, which is the continuing work by which we undergo progressive transformation into Christlikeness. Crucially, this development features a cooperation between the Spirit and us, as Scripture urges: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Our role in sanctification—working out our salvation—entails understanding and applying Scripture (Ps 1:2–3), praying (1 Thess 5:16–18; Phil 4:6), worshiping regularly with other believers (Heb 10:24–25), mortifying sin (Rom 6:12–14), and yielding to the Spirit (Gal 5:16–26; Eph 5:18). As the divine agent in our sanctification, the Spirit’s role entails guiding us (Rom 8:1–17), praying for us (Rom 8:26–27), producing Christlike character (Gal 5:22–23), stimulating unity among us (Eph 4:3), and kindling hope (Rom 15:13). Importantly, the work of the Spirit is the source of and empowerment for our work in sanctification. Thus, though our feeble efforts and troublesome failures may result in halting and uneven progress toward conformity to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will never abandon us but will eventually bring about the fullness of our salvation.
The Spirit’s second work is sealing by which he marks us as belonging to God forever (Eph 1:13). Specifically, this work is described as (1) a downpayment, similar to earnest money that a homebuyer gives as a pledge that the remainder of the purchase price will be eventually paid (Eph 1:14); (2) the firstfruits, like the initial measure of a harvest collected in anticipation of the remainder still to be reaped (2 Thess 2:13); and (3) the guarantee of salvation that will be completed at Christ’s return (2 Cor 1:22). These pledges offer us great confidence. The Spirit’s second work is the assurance of salvation, as “the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom 8:16). Deep down in our core, we know that we are and will remain Jesus’s disciples.
Aspects of the Doctrine of Scripture: Promises
The Word of God further promotes our steadfastness. Specifically, Scripture offers us many promises of eternal life, such as the following: “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11–13). By faith, then, we trust the promises of God’s Word and receive assurance. As we rely by faith on God’s oath and unchangeableness, we know with certainty that his purpose for us is unfailing, and thus we receive “strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us” (Heb 6:17–18).
In this regard, it is not just a matter of telling ourselves or others, “just believe” or “just trust God.” Often, we and others truly desire to believe but find it difficult to do so. So here is another promise from Scripture: “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). Through consistent and constant attention to God’s Word for ourselves—and by our encouragement of others to do likewise—faith in his promises will be ignited and assurance of his ongoing work will exponentially grow.
Conclusion
Like the warriors of old who stood “fixed in place” in battle, so too can we be steadfast. A significant contributing factor to such ongoing dedication to the Lord and continuous devotion to his will for our lives is Christian doctrine; it dissipates doubt and arouses assurance of salvation. Even more significantly than grounding our human steadfastness in doctrines such as election, justification, the pledges and prayers of Christ, and the promises of Scripture, God himself, who is perfectly steadfast, is our unshakeable foundation. He is steadfast in love and unwavering in faithfulness (Ps 25:10), even to the point that “if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim 2:13). These divine attributes prompt us to trust him and be thankful (Ps 13:5), and to rely on his constancy and power to strengthen our resolve to stand fast in the faith (Heb 12:1–3).