They, whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved. (Phil. 1:6, 2 Pet. 1:10, 1 John 3:9, 1 Pet. 1:5,9) — Westminster Confession of Faith 17.1

There exist both the visible church and the invisible church.

The visible church consists of all who profess Christ as their savior.

Yet, Jesus states,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21)

Jesus also tells us what the Father wills:

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40)

Professing to be a Christian does not necessarily mean that a person has been regenerated to new life by the Holy Spirit.

The invisible church consists of all who are regenerated to new life in Christ by the Spirit. Professing Christ does not mean one will endure to the end; having new life in Christ by the Spirit does mean one will endure to the end because the Spirit does not come and go depending on our level of faithfulness (Eph. 1:23-24). Once the Spirit has regenerated you and given you a new life, he keeps your life and preserves you forever.

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