“Continue in the faith” (Acts 14:22)  

Perseverance is the mark of a saint. The Christian doesn’t return to sin when things get tough. “Justification” is the theological word for God making you holy immediately by a supernatural act of God, but salvation doesn’t stop there. Yes, God calls you a “saint” (which just means “holy”) because Christ took the punishment for your sin, so God sees the perfection of Christ when He looks at you. But He also started a process theologians call “sanctification”, whereby you cooperate with the Holy Spirit to become more like Christ. You were “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). 

 Satan will tempt you to deny Christ. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:9). 

 The world will tempt you to abandon God. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-17). 

 Your Old man will tempt you to go back to sin. “Put off, concerning your former conduct, the Old Man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the New Man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). 

 Your flesh will tempt you to grieve the indwelling Holy Spirit. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:25). “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16-17). 

 But take courage. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).