Once Saved, Always Saved?
“Once-saved-always-saved” is a true doctrine – once you are indeed “saved”. Question is: When are you "saved”?
POPULAR CHURCHIANITY and TELEVANGELISM generally teach that upon “receiving the Lord Jesus Christ” at some evangelistic campaign and uttering some meaningless formula of “believing and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins" the confessants are “saved”. The incongruity of this entire charade is that the confessors 1) do not know what sin is 2) do not know what true repentance is and 3) do not know what being “saved” means, because: a) it has not been explained by the preacher-evangelists and b) because these preachers themselves do not fully know what the bible teaches about these critically important eternal issues!
In some circles the televangelistic heresies are compounded by people being duped via the additional error of ensuring confessors that their salvation is eternally secured in Christ. They are assured that once they are "saved" they are forever "saved". And, they will “go to heaven” upon death, or at the return of Christ, whichever occurs first.
However, is it true that "justified" Christians cannot lose out on their “salvation”? Is it really “once-saved-always-saved” after accepting Christ as Savior? Are you saved upon acceptance of Christ, or justified?
Paul explains that truly spiritually regenerated Christians are always facing the real danger of losing their hope of eternal life, or as some would prefer to call it, lose their “salvation”.
Paul, writing to the believers among the Hebrews, addresses them as “holy brethren”. These are people who responded to the calling and election of the Father; they are specially set aside from this present evil world by the Eternal and made a part of the spiritual body of Christ. They were enabled as “brethren... to enter [boldly] into the holiest by the blood of Yeshua.” They fellowshipped with the Father and Christ. They had the divine calling and had experienced “all spiritual blessings in heaven”.
To such “saved” people Paul issues a strong warning: “Take heed brethren,” he says, “lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” [See Hebrews 3:1; 10:19; 3:12; Eph 1:3]. [Author's emphases throughout.]
According to Paul, converted Christians, in whom Christ dwells, can become “evil hearted” after having been begotten of the holy spirit.
Paul further states that justified, forgiven, spirit-begotten children of God can “depart from the living God”. That means there is no unconditional guarantee of eternal salvation for any believer!
Christians do become affected by Satan, Society and the Sin-Self to become “evil hearted” and then “depart from the living God!” The departure may be gradual [it usually is], and culminates, as the root word in the Greek text indicates, in an instigated revolt against the Eternal, His Law, and His way of truth – as was the case with Satan.
Yes, true Christians can and do “fall away” into perdition by their own choice or decisions. Otherwise, why warn true Christians to “take heed” if the danger of “falling away” does not exist?
Paul continues in Hebrews 3 to explain the Christian corruption process, or the falling away process, which leads to revolt against God after having repented, after being baptized, and after having hands laid upon them for receiving the power of the holy spirit, and even after having served in the ministry of Christ! [Such was the case with Demas, a minister serving with Paul, 2Ti 4:10].
The corruption process of converted Christians, Paul declares, occurs when they are “hardened [Greek: “rendered stubborn”] through the deceitfulness [delusion] of sin” [Hebrews 3:13].
We can only “make it” into the everlasting kingdom of the Eternal by His grace and our active, positive, overcoming participation in the redemptive process. We cannot decouple from our faith the responsibility of living sanctified lives, that is, living by the law of God, the Ten Commandments. This does not represent “salvation by works”. It is faith-obedience. Obedience that issues forth from absolute faith in the sacrifice of Christ and binding covenant commitment to his teachings, inter alia, obedience to the law! His laws are just and good and holy and absolute and eternal! Whilst obedience does not save us, obedience to the Law of God, in conjunction with the faith acceptance of the salvific work of Christ, is an absolute requirement for salvation! [See Rom 7:12, Mark 13:31, Matt 5:17-18, Eph 2:8, 1 Jn 3:22, 1 Jn 5:3, Rev 12:17 and Rev 14:12.]
Whilst "believe in him [Christ] for eternal life" [1Tim 1:16], it is also plain that that that faith is not enough for salvation. Nowhere in the bible does it state that we are justified unto salvation by "faith alone". In fact, quite the opposite is true. James 2:24 declares: "You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only [alone]." Churchians have a serious decision to make: Do they believe the unadulterated word of God or that uncontrolled beer-swigging protester, Luther, who had the gall to declare that man is 'Justified by faith alone!" and demeaned the epistle of James stating it was an "epistle of straw". Luther and James shall soon stand at the judgment seat of Christ. Where will you stand?
Paul places another perspective on the issue: “... we are made partakers of Christ, if [Gr: ean, a conditional particle denoting uncertainty], “... if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end [i.e., until the final objective – i.e. salvation – has been reached]” [Heb 3:14].
Up to that point – that is, until that final objective is reached – salvation is not a “sure thing”. “Believing in” and having “accepted Jesus” in some misguided evangelist’s “soul saving” campaign, is no guarantee of eternal salvation! That is not how salvation is granted! [What salvation is and on what basis it is granted is addressed in our Blog: "SALVATION -- How Are You Saved?]
Paul continues: “But with whom was he grieved...? Was it not with them that had sinned...” [Heb 3:17]. The Greek for sinned is hamartano, meaning to miss the mark [fail to reach the target, or the final objective]. Due to this failure the failing Christians will not share in the prize of eternal salvation.
Paul is explicit in his analogous exposition. He unequivocally declares that such hardened, sinning professing pseudo-Christians who no longer believe, and consequently disobey, shall "not enter into [God’s] rest... [because they] ... believed not” [Heb 3:18].
Paul concludes this exposition at Hebrews 3:19 by stating categorically: “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief” [or, disobedience, as the Greek and the context allows, and as indicated in bible margins].
There are two more cases of “once saved” believers – possibly both ministers – who corrupted their once held “faith and good conscience” towards God and Christ, and had “put away" [Gr: shoved off or thrust away (from themselves)] their faith and “made shipwreck” of it. “Of whom,” says Paul, “is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered [given over] unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme” [1Ti 1:19-20].
Hebrews 10:26-29 declares dogmatically: “For if we sin [disobey the commandments, is lawless, or antinomian, 1 Jn 3:4] willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth [so it’s possible to willfully turn against the Eternal's grace and truth!], there remains no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries … Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified [yes, a blood-sanctified believer turned away from his sanctified status!], an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
It is clear from Paul that “once-saved-always-saved” is a deception. It is a deception with the worst possible outcome – the loss of eternal life! How ironic, the “once-save-always-saved” doctrine produce the exact opposite result of what is promised to its adherents – eternal damnation!
Driving this truth home to the self-assured, theologically error-riddled “once-saved-always-saved” proponents, Peter in reference to “once saved” but fallen believers – ministers! – explains uncompromisingly, clearly, bluntly, and harshly, in typical confrontational manner, their damnation.
He states at 2Peter 2:12: "But these [ministers who forsook the truth, cast away their faith, and returned to their previous life of disobedience to God’s law] as natural brute beasts… shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness… Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin [disobedience to the Ten Commandments]… heart[s] they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 15 Which have forsaken the right way [they once walked in faith and were considered "saved"], and are gone astray [they are no longer in the faith and therefore cannot be “saved”] … to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness [filthiness], those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption…”
The holy spirit inspired Peter to clearly state the fact that he is speaking of ministers who once believed and lived righteous ["saved"] lives, therefore should, on the premise of the “once-saved-always-saved” fallacy, be saved for all eternity. But, it is not the case! Peter continues at 2Pe 2:20:
“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world [they once lived clean Christian lives] through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ [having accepted and known Christ as Savior!], they are again entangled therein and overcome [totally re-corrupted and reconquered by the vile world!], the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness [yes, they were part of the very elect, living justified lives!], than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” [Vomit is a reference to doctrines of false teachers, Is 28:8. Read our Blog: "Are You Eating at the Wrong Table?"]
A question may be posed to the ‘once-saved-always-saved” Churchian cadres: Will a divine, morally pure God of eternal righteousness accept into his sinless, pure, unpolluted, unsullied kingdom a pack of doctrinal vomit-licking dogs and morally mud-wallowing pigs?
People who once believed and walked in the faith and then turn away end up in a worse state than before they were called into the light of the gospel. They can never return to a state of salvation, having trampled underfoot the sacrifice of Christ. They were "once saved" but did not remain "always saved"!
Christ stated: “For without [outside the kingdom, outside the holy city, outside of salvation] are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie” [Rev 22:15].
Therefore, “take heed!” Your salvation is not secured because a devilishly duped Calvin and a myriad of his minions over half a millennium maintain this delusion. The scriptures teach differently.
[Reviewed 19/06/2022.]