SCRIPTURE 2 Corinthians 1:21-24 “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth. Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.”
COMMENTARY Here in this passage it clearly states that “he” which is God stablish us with you in Christ. Stablish here is Greek bebaioĊ and means “will so confirm you that ye may be unreprovable.” Unreprovable is one who is not to be reprimanded.
However having said this, there is the sense of confirming one in Christ. God does serve to do this. However to read any type of eternal security in this is not consistent with the context of the passage nor the breadth of Scripture. Note in v24 who does the Greek say is responsible for standing? It is man. We know this because of the active verb. We are the possessors of the faith that saves us. Again, God will help us. We can see other passages that suggest the same (ex. 1 Peter 1:5). This is why our faith is “being much more precious than of gold.” Yet the Bible speaks clearly to the possibility of losing our faith. Again, God is there to help us, but in the end, we can refuse to follow where our God leads. We can abandon His shelter.
Sometimes when those who believe in eternal security look at passages like this, they can only see the two extremes – either God does everything or we do everything. Neither end of the spectrum is consistent with Scripture. In this case, v24 clarifies who actually stands. Anyone should be look at Scripture, the large numbers of writings to men, and the active verbs commanding things that man is to do to quickly determine it is not an all-or-nothing proposition.
Finally, this as with all promises of God, is dependent on the faith of the one to whom the promises are given (ex. Hebrews 6:12, 11:33). We receive the promises of God through a true and living faith.