DEFINING TERMS

"Once saved, Always saved" is one way people summarize the belief that once someone has truly put their faith in Christ and received the free gift of salvation, they can not lose their salvation.  This teaching is also referred to as Perseverance of the Saints or Eternal Security.

While each of these terms includes the idea that once someone has received salvation they' can't lose it, the terms are not fully inter-changable.  

Perseverance of the Saints is an official theological term associated with Calvinism/Reformed theology. In addition to teaching that you can not lose your salvation, it also includes the idea that if someone places their faith in Christ they will show evidence of a true faith (they will persevere in their faith in this life time). This doesn't mean we won't fall into sin or have periods where we drift from God.

"Once Saved, Always Saved" is a less official term used to specifically refer to the belief that one can't lose their salvation. Some people who believe in "Once Saved, Always Saved" would say that someone can have a moment in their life where they truly believe and trust in God (thus receive salvation), but they never demonstrate any life-change.  Someone who believes in this form of "Once Saved, Always Saved" would say that that person is going to Heaven based on that moment of true belief. However, someone who believes in Perseverence of the Saints would argue that the person never truly had faith or else there would have been evidense.  

As a church we do not believe you can lose your salvation.  We believe that if you have put your faith in Christ, then your salvation is secure.  My personal belief is more in life with Perseverence of the Saints, but many in our church and association believe in "Once Saved, Always Saved."  

BIBLICAL SUPPORT

I personally believe the New Testament is explicitly clear that we can't lose our salvation. I believe this for two reasons: (1) My understanding of salvation, (2) multiple verses seem to clearly state you can't lose your salvation.

MY UNDERSTANDING OF SALVATION

Prior to our salvation we were all dead in our sin (Ephesians 2:1). Spiritually speaking we were unable to do good. Then God made us spiritually alive (Eph 2:5) and applied Christ's death on the cross to us. Therefore, all of our sins were "justified" so that we have peace with God (Romans 5:1-2).  The word "Justified" is very important. It is a legal term which means to declare not guilty. When we put our faith in Christ, all of our sins are declared not guilty.

So we are made alive and forgiven of all of our sin, but our relationship to God changes entirely.

Romans 5

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Paul is emphasizing that Christ died for us WHILE WE WERE SINNERS. Now we've been adopted into his family (Eph 1:5) and sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). If Christ died for us when we were dead in sin rebelling against Him, how much more so will He show us His love, mercy, and grace now that we are forgiven, adopted into his family, and filled with the Holy Spirit?

He is our Heavenly Father.

If we fall into sin. He is still our Father.  

If we rebel, He is still our Father.

The most important part of all of this is that is driven by God's grace. It's something we do not earn. It is a gift or it is not grace. This gift is activated by faith and not works.  If faith is something I do or I have to maintain, then I have turned faith into a work which saves us.  

You didn't work your way into your salvation, and you can't sin your way out of it.  

It is all about His grace.

From my perspective, this doesn't leave room for the idea that someone can lose their faith. Their sins are forgiven. They are adopted into God's family.  No matter what they do, his mercy and grace have already been applied.  Salvation is an act of a loving Father. It is not based on the actions of rebellious children.

BIBLE PASSAGES

I hesistate to simply list off verses which support what we believe. Quoting verses out of context is what is called "Proof Texting." This involves search the Bible for verses which support what you believe and quoting those verses out of context.  The problem is that the Bible is a very large book. You can find a verse which says anything if removed from it's context.  Psalm 14:1 clearly says, "'There is no God.'" Of course, the full quote is, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Context is very important when it comes to interpeting Bible verses.

So while I am going to give you some verses, I'm going to try to give you the context and explain why I believe they teach what they clearly state. When quoting verses I will emphasize the key phrase.

Jesus Speaks On Salvation

John 6:35-37:

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."

 Paul on Condemnation for Believers

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

This verse is very important.  In chapters 3-5 of Romans, Paul described our salvation. Then in chapters 6-7, he describes the Christian life. In chapter 7 he even says he does the things he hates (he struggles with sin) and doesn't do what he knows he should do (he's not perfect at the Christian life). 

In other words, Paul was just as bad at the Christian life as you and me. He knows fully well we're not going to be perfect in this life.

He knew that Christians were going to struggle with the sin in their life and question their salvation. So he affirms them and tells them, "There is therefore now NO CONDEMENATION for those who are in Christi Jesus."

Later in the chapter he elaborates on Christ's love for us.

Romans 8

35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

38-39: For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

 In Philippians Paul gives one of the best verses on eternal security (in particular in light of my description of salvation)

Philippians 1

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

If Christ is the author and sustainer of salvation, He will be faithful to complete it.

DIFFICULT PASSAGES

There are many Christians who do believe you can lose your salvation. Typically they either believe (1) You can sin enough (or big enough) that you lose your salvation, (2) You can't sin your way out of salvation, but you can choose to leave the faith.

The first of these options I have a very hard time reconciling in any way with the teachings of Jesus, Romans, Ephesians, and well the entire New Testament.  To believe you can sin your way out of your salvation means you have a deeply different view of salvation than me.

There are a handful of passages in the New Testament which seem to teach you can choose to leave the faith or be cut off by rejecting truth. These include:

• Romans 11:22
• Galatians 5:4
• 2 Peter 2:20
• Hebrews 6:4-6
• John 15:1-6

I can't walk through each of these passages and intpret them because that would take too long (and this post is already far too long). But I will give you some principles for intreptation.

Interpret Unclear Passages In Light of Clear Passages

Let's be honest, some parts of the Bible are confusing and weird.  Other's are very complicated.  I always try to build a theology around explicitly clear passages and interpret unclear passages in light of clear teaching.

So what does the Bible clearly teach:

• Nothing can seperate us from the love of the Father (Romans 8)
• There is no condmenation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)
• He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it (Philippians 1)
• We are justified (Romans 5:1-10)
• We are adopted into his family (Ephesians 1:5)
• We are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)
• We have peace with God (Romans 5:2) 

 Those teachings are so explicitly clear.  So when I come to passages about being "Cut off" or removed from the branch or disqualified or falling from grace, I intrept what those could mean in light of clear teaching.

Interpret Metaphoric Passages in Light of Clear Teaching

Several of the passages which seem to indicate you can lose your salvation use metaphoric language. Metaphors intherently require interpretation.  Being "Cut off" could mean many things. Let clear, non-metaphor passages be the guide to interpretting metaphors.

Understand the Purpose of a Passage

Not all passages of the Bible are written with the same intent.  Some passages are written to explain theology and salvation. Other passages are intended to tell us how to live.  Most of the passages I quoted to explain salvation and eternal security are passages from Romans and Ephesians. Both of those books were written to explicitly teach on salvation.

Many of the passages which seem to indicate you can lose your salvation are from passages on how to live. They're warnings about the consequences of living in sin, but they aren't really explorations of salvation.  

What Do We Do When Someone We Know Leaves the Faith?

Usually when people ask about eternal security it is directly related to an indivual. A friend or family member left the faith, and they are trying to understand what that means.  I typically think it is unwise to try and apply one answer to all people in the situation.  I also don't think it is our place to make guesses as to the spiritual state of other people.

People who were once "believers" and who no longer can fall into two categories: (1) They're still saved but they are living a life very far from God, (2) They never truly believed and therefore are not saved.

As for the first group, I believe that even believers can fall into very dark sin. Consider that some of the greatest heroes of the Bible have committed murder (Moses, David, Paul).  Peter denied Jesus 3 times.  People believe what they want to believe so they can do what they want to do. Often times people will surpress their true believes so they can justify the sin in their lives. Sometimes people will spend years running from God.

As for the second group, I believe that many people who consider themselves Christians are not actually saved. In the United States something like 80% of people consider themselves Christian, but many of those people don't define "Christian" the same way scripture does.  Many of these people simply believe in God and if they're were to go to church would go to a Christian church.

We are saved through FAITH, not acknowledging it is true there is a God. The analogy I frequently use is of a chair.  You can look at a chair and say, "I believe that that chair can hold me up." However, you haven't truly put your faith in the chair until you sit in the chair.  I believe a saving faith isn't one where you simply believe some facts about God and the Bible. I believe a saving faith involves trusting those truths. A saving faith involves trusting God with your life and salvation.

This is the hard truth. Many people believe there is a God. Many people embrace the community at church.  But there are also a lot of people who never truly put their FAITH in Christ. 

1 John 2

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.