Taking a biblical look at the debate over eternal security.

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Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2Corinthians 13: 5 (ESV)

The debate rages on in Christian circles. Once we are saved by the unbelievable grace of God, is it possible to then lose that salvation? Theologians through the ages have weighed in on one side or another only to see self-professed Christians line up on one side or another hurling stones at the other side. The "Once Saved Always Saved" (OSAS) crowd screams legalism while those that believe salvation can be lost scream license to sin. As is usually the case when there is such diametric yet biblically supported opposing positions, the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle of the extreme nature of our hearts. Remember beloved that God is never the author of confusion. I do not pretend to answer what the previous 2000 years has not been able to. I merely think it is time to consider both sides, see what the Bible actually says, and see what positions are still Scripturally standing when the dust settles.

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.I and the Father are one." - John 10: 24-30 (ESV)

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 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: 35-40 (ESV)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. - Ephesians 4: 30 (ESV)

I find these the three best Scriptures for the support of the OSAS position. Many have referred to Romans 8:38-39 but I can see how someone could interpret those passages to be referring to the love of God and not necessarily our personal salvation, especially when you consider the overall chapter context. This verse from Ephesians however seems pretty clear to me. Granted the better translation would by sealed in as opposed to seal by, but I think the overall point remains the same, as illustrated in the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary:

"whereby ye are sealed--rather, "wherein (or 'in whom') ye were sealed." As in Eph 1:13, believers are said to be sealed "in" Christ, so here "in the Holy Spirit," who is one with Christ, and who reveals Christ in the soul: the Greek implies that the sealing was done already once for all. It is the Father "BY" whom believers, as well as the Son Himself, were sealed (Joh 6:27). The Spirit is represented as itself the seal (Eph 1:13, for the image employed, see on [2370]Eph 1:13). Here the Spirit is the element IN which the believer is sealed, His gracious influences being the seal itself.

unto--kept safely against the day of redemption, namely, of the completion of redemption in the deliverance of the body as well as the soul from all sin and sorrow (Eph 1:14; Lu 21:28; Ro 8:23).

I think it is important at this point to consider the entire canon of Scripture. What God do we serve? How weak is the work of the cross that we arrogantly believe we can undo it so frivolously? Are we sealed or not? Jude 1:24 declares we serve a God who is able to keep us from stumbling to present us unto Himself blameless. Not because of anything we can do but because of what Jesus Christ has already done. Well then beloved- can He keep us from stumbling or not? Not in terms of perfect sinlessness because the Bible is clear in many places that is not attainable. Can He keep us however from somehow washing away the blood of Jesus which covers us with His righteousness? More importantly, who is God in that scenario? If we, through our own sinful actions can undo the work of Calvary - who is God? We are! In that scenario there is no power in the blood that cannot be overruled by the flesh. I just do not see that supported by the overall message of the Gospel.

It is certainly not supported by the words of Jesus Himself from the cited verses in John's Gospel account. My sheep know my voice. I know them. They follow me. I give them eternal life. They will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. Whoever comes to me I will never cast out. I should lose nothing of all He has given me. I will raise him up on the last day. That all sounds pretty definitive to me. I do not see another possible interpretation. I do not see any out clauses in these promises. Let us also consider the obvious result of believing that we could be snatched out of His hand due to our own sinful behavior. We know from the Bible that we all will sin. Do how much is enough to be snatched out of His hand? How much is enough to "lose" our salvation? The elephant in the room no one ever wants to talk about is that this line of reasoning logically results in a works based salvation. We know from Ephesians 2 that our salvation has nothing to do with our works yet to disbelieve OSAS, all we are left with is our works. We enter into this perpetual game of spiritual "gotchya!" Saved, unsaved, repent, repeat. If we happen to die at the moment between unsaved and repent however we must conclude that we are destined to hell? Once again, that kind of cosmic chess match does not line up with the God of Scripture. So then what of the argument against OSAS?

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. - Hebrews 6: 1-8 (ESV)

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. - Hebrews 10: 26-27 (ESV)

Now, there are other Scriptures often offered up to refute OSAS but these two sets seem to stand out as the most compelling. In reviewing the others I found many wrongful interpretations of parables and trying to read into the salvation status of characters mentioned in historical narratives. As for these Hebrew verses I am unsure if they are referring to believers or unbelievers and therein lies the rub. The Hebrews 10 verses can easily be interpreted as dealing with someone who hears the Word yet remains unchanged. What lies ahead for such people but the judgment of God which is coming? This seems supported by the closing verse in the chapter:

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. - Hebrews 10: 39 (ESV)

Ironically, opponents of OSAS believe this verse supports their view but I remain unconvinced. Those who shrink back to me seem to be those who refuse Christ. Those who are found in Him are those who have faith. The issue that preserves their soul is their faith in Him. As for the verses in Hebrews 6, they begin with the tacit understanding that we are leaving the elementary doctrines when we delve into these matters. Again however are we dealing with the saved or unsaved? In order for these verses to oppose OSAS then one must admit that not only can you lose your salvation but once you have it is impossible to get it back! That flies in the face of multiple Scriptures that are far clearer than these. What would be the point of confessing our sins if we have no chance to regain our lost salvation? Not to mention if it was lost due to works of unrighteousness does it not stand to reason the way to get it back would be with works of righteousness? In that scenario our initial salvation is based on faith but any reclaiming of it is works based? There are too many unambiguous Scriptures that say otherwise.

So many would rightly conclude that I at the least ascribe to OSAS and that would be a fair assessment. I do so however acknowledging fully the inherent problems within this theology and the abuses that continue to result from it. There are reasons why many sound theologians oppose OSAS but most of those reasons are rooted in how man has twisted it to ignore sin. The Joseph Prince's of the world make millions by teaching people that they do not have to worry about sin anymore, the Ten Commandments are useless for believers and that God is never angry with them. They can claim they do not encourage a license to sin but that is exactly what they do. The first problem is in the confusion of eternal matters with temporal matters. No one is suggesting the revival of the law when it comes to salvation. Galatians makes it clear that to do so is to render Christ useless to us. When it comes to eternal matters of salvation we rely on our faith in the work and person of Jesus Christ. His blood saves us. That does not however discard the law from our temporal lives. To do so is pure folly. The Bible teaches us that the law is good and holy. It is not a set of punishments for us but guardrails on the highway that is our life, ensuring we do not run ourselves off a cliff. Beloved, the law is not our basis for salvation but striving to keep it should be a result of it. Now that we are in relationship with God we know how sin offends Him and we ought to want to keep His ordinances. Just consider when John the Baptist saw the hypocritical Pharisees coming to get baptized:

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. - Matthew 3: 7-8 (ESV)

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance? Yes beloved. There ought to be fruit as a result of our repentance. The Bible says those that are born again are a new creation and the old has passed away. We are supposed to be obedient. Jesus Himself lamented why we bother calling Him Lord when we will not do as He says? What about those people who will stand before Him on the last day saying "Lord Lord?"

"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.On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' - Matthew 7: 21-23 (ESV)

What does He call them? Workers of lawlessness. This eradicates the teachings of Joseph Prince and the greasy grace peddlers. These were clearly "churched" people. They did mighty works, cast out demons, and prophesied in the name of Jesus yet He never knew them. Do not let that little nugget slip by either. Jesus does not say to these people I no longer know you. He says that He never knew them. Not that they lost their salvation but rather that they were never saved to begin with. Now we start to get closer to the heart of the problem and the best solution for these evil days.

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. - 1John 2: 3-6 (ESV)

Those that do not keep His commandments yet claim to know Him are liars. To themselves and to God. The question beloved is not whether we can lose our salvation but whether we are saved at all. Remember that narrow is the way and few find it. Heaven rejoices when one person comes to Christ. We have all grown up in the age of the mega church which spits in the face of traditional orthodoxy. Consider the explanation from Jesus regarding the Parable of the Sower:

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. - Luke 8: 11-15 (ESV)

I think all sides can agree that the first example is of someone unsaved and the fourth is clearly someone saved. The controversy is with the middle two groups of people. In my research I have seen many opponents of OSAS point to these middle two groups of people as examples of people who were saved yet fell away for the reasons provided. That is simply not how I read this explanation at all. First of all, if the first three groups are all saved, then the way does not appear as narrow as the Bible claims. OSAS opponents will point to the fact that group two people received the Word with great joy and thus they conclude they must have been genuinely converted. Once again, I disagree. I am sure we all know people who receive the initial Word with great joy, especially considering how poorly it is being preached today! But they have no root and though they believe for a while they fall away when they are tested. That does not mean they fall away from salvation but rather from their belief. The Bible says it is possible to believe in vain. To believe in a false gospel. To be led astray. Jesus addressed this:

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. - Luke 14: 27-33 (ESV)

So are the ones who fail to count the cost saved and then lost? Not according to this explanation. According to this, they were never disciples to begin with. As for the third group the opponents of OSAS will say that the fact that fruit not maturing somehow equals they were in fact saved. That somehow immature fruit or rotting fruit is somehow indicative of salvation. I respectfully again would disagree. One might be able to convince themselves they are saved but notice that these folks have the seed choked out by things that remain more important to them. The cares of this world and the pleasures of this life. Let us not lose sight of the fact that in the first three groups we are only dealing with seed. Group two has no root and group three is choked out before it can grow. No beloved, it seems to me that the only group that is bearing fruit in keeping with their salvation is group four.

So where does this leave us beloved? The Bible commands us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. It is not something to be taken lightly as so many do today. I am not advocating for such. What I am advocating for is to work out our salvation as the key verse teaches us. This is a verse that is rarely preached on anymore. It cannot be clearer however. We are to test ourselves to see whether we are in the faith at all. Not whether we have lost our salvation but whether we were saved to begin with. There are only two possibilities. Either Jesus Christ is in us or we have failed the test! Who is Paul writing this to? The people in the church at Corinth! These were self-professing believers! The implication is clear. Not everyone who says Lord Lord is actually saved. Sitting in a church does not make you a Christian anymore than sitting in a garage make you a car. The human heart is wickedly deceptive above all else. It can convince us that our works prove our salvation when our salvation should result in our works. I understand the arguments on the other side. I understand the abuses we see in the church today. I also understand that I could be wrong. I think there are good people of good intent on both sides of the debate. I am hopeful we can agree on one thing at least. We ought to test ourselves to see if we are in fact in Christ. Whether we fell away or were never part of Him is not going to matter when we stand before Him. All that will matter is it will be too late.

Reverend Anthony Wade - July 5, 2015

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.