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Once saved always saved?
Many believe that once you are saved you are always saved and that you cannot lose your salvation or be rejected by God.
What is the scriptural basis for “Once saved always saved”? Does not the responsibility lie with the believer how he/she conduct themselves after initially being saved?
I see many scriptures that say/imply other than once saved always saved:
Old Testament:
Num 14:11 Then the LORD said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?
Num 14:12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them..."
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king."
1Sa 28:6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.
1Sa 28:7 Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her…"
Pro 2:13 …From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness…
New Testament:
Joh 17:12 …Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition…
Act 8:9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery…
Act 8:13 …Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done…
Act 8:20 …But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
Act 8:21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.
Act 8:22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
Act 8:23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."
1Pe 4:17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18 Now "IF THE RIGHTEOUS ONE IS SCARCELY SAVED, WHERE WILL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR?"
Jas 5:19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,
Jas 5:20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
2Ti 2:17 …Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,
2Ti 2:18 who have strayed concerning the truth…
2Ti 2:24 …And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,
2Ti 2:25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
2Ti 2:26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
2Pe 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
2Pe 2:22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A DOG RETURNS TO HIS OWN VOMIT," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
Heb 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Heb 10:29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
Heb 6:6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by ScribeD on
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Royal, you need to be careful not to mix your scripture out of context. Deuteronomy and Hebrews have a radically different context, yet you throw them together.
Read Hebrews 10 in context and you will see that the "sin" spoken of in Hebrews 10:26 is the sin of rejecting the Holy Savior, the Only Begotten Son of God and the Only Mediator of the Eternal Covenant. You cannot have "Full Assurance of faith" spoken in v 10:22 and you cannot "hold fast... (trusting in) His eternal promise" if you are fearing that you can lose your salvation by your own weakness. The entire point of this scripture is to show you that you have assurance in Christ! Not assurance in your own attempts at self-righteousness.
If you are trusting in anything other than the saving grace of Christ, you are going to be either miserable in your attempts to fulfill the righteous standard of God, or you are going to be a Pharisee who believes you have some standing in your own strength.
Rather, it is in Christ - and Christ alone - that you can have assurance. Go back and read the book of Hebrews again, do an exegesis of the book in context. The entire point of the book is that the believer has assurance in Christ and can trust in no other system; especially not in the system of Law.
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Permalink Reply by Sharon Theresa Theil on
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Why Once Saved Always Saved? Read the fine print. When you are asked to subscribe to OSAS what you are really being asked to believe is the Calvinist doctrine of Predestination, (which is also referred to as double-predestination)
The most important theological position that Calvin took was his formulation of the doctrine of predestination. The early church had struggled with this issue. Since God knew the future, did that mean that salvation was predestined? That is, do human beings have any choice in the matter, or did God make the salvation decision for each of us at the beginning of time? The early church, and the moderate Protestant churches, had decided that God had not predestined salvation for individuals. Salvation was in part the product of human choice. Calvin, on the other hand, built his reformed church on the concept that salvation was not a choice, but was rather pre-decided by God from the beginning of time. This mean that individuals were "elected" for salvation by God; this "elect" would form the population of the Calvinist church. *
Once Saved Always Saved only means that some people ‘the elect’ are chosen by God to eternal salvation and therefore they cannot earn their salvation and they cannot lose their salvation. Everyone who is not ‘the elect’ is damned. No matter what they do. No matter what they believe. Jesus only died for the elect and He had nothing to offer those who were chosen for damnation.
*from Reformation; John Calvin on www.wsu.edu
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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Sharon,
I am not a Calvinist and I believe in eternal security.
Lord Bless,
LT
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LT,
Your belief comes from John Calvin. Not from God's Chosen People. Not from Sacred Scripture. Not from the Early Church. And certainly not from Jesus the Christ.
Just be aware of what and whom you are believing
"....but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"
(Josh. 24: 15).
Sharon.
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Sharon,
My belief comes from personal study of the sacred Scripture and I clearly see the assurance of one's salvation as guaranteed by Jesus' work on our behalf. My heart breaks for you and all those who live life in fear of losing that which has been entrusted to Jesus to keep for you.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Sharon, if I believe the same things as you, it does not mean that my beliefs come from you. I have some beliefs that John Calvin also held - however I have great disagreement with Calvin on other beliefs.
The security of Salvation for the believer is something that God promises in His word and that has nothing to do with any one person's theological construct.
I believe that it is imperative for Christians to strongly distinguish the New Covenant from the Old Covenant. There are numerous places in Scripture that make this clear, not the least of which is Jesus own words, as well as the words of the prophets and also the very clear statements of the books of Galatians and Hebrews.
I would highly encourage you to do a full exegetical study of Hebrews. Take each topic and study the original words, in context. When you do, it is very clear that the author is making it very clear that the Old Covenant has passed away. This cannot be stated too much.
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Permalink Reply by Yael Levi-Bénédict on
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Scribe and Lt,
I think what Sharon was trying to say is that the Doctrine of Once Saved Always Saved was FIRST formulated by John Calvin in the 1600's. Before that NO Christians held such a believe.
Therefore, Calvin did inaugurate the OSAS, and all who came to believe in OSAS after his doctrinal formulation are most definitely inheriting a Calvinistic Believe, even if they would like to think they came up with it on their own.
I see that many people here are nervous to admit they follow a particular theologian's lead. I wonder if it has to do with the the fact that Paul condemns it in one his letter 1Cor 3:4.
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Yael,
You may want to read the following before you stand on Calvin being the originator of eternal security:
"A Treatsie on the Predestination of the Saints." by Aurelius Augustin
Lord Bless,
LT
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Yael,
You crack me up sometimes ....
You said ... "I see that many people here are nervous to admit they follow a particular theologian's lead. I wonder if it has to do with the the fact that Paul condemns it in one his letter 1Cor 3:4."
I want even dignify such foolishness, except to chuckle ....
Lord Bless,
LT
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Yael, I am confident that Paul the Apostle was utterly convinced of the security of the believer. I am confident that John the Apostle never doubted his assurance. Peter probably struggled with doubt, but I'm confident that he knew his salvation was held securely in Jesus' hand.
What others may have come to believe in the centuries after that does matter. But do you imagine that Polycarp doubted his assurance? Do you imagine that the 2nd Century fathers who were fed to the lions would have stood faithfully and confidently if they doubted their salvation? Are you serious?
It is precisely the problem that in the later centuries, the church became institutionalized and began to reconstruct their own doctrines and philosophies that is the problem. It is precisely that the institution discouraged the "Berean Attitude" of knowing and studying scripture for yourself and coming to a conviction that led to the dark ages.
I can tell you this, if it were possible to lose my salvation, then I have done so. For I will tell you this without any doubt: I am unable to keep the law. I am unable to live a perfect life.
Yet, I have assurance. I have confidence. Because I know that there is no way to be confident apart from the Blood of Christ. If Christ's blood is insufficient to redeem me, for once and for all, then I am a miserable fool.
However, I know that God reminds me that the only fool is the one who trusts in anything but the complete and total saving work of Christ on the Cross. If His blood cannot keep me, then it could not save me in the first place.
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