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"Once Saved, Always Saved"? The fifth point of the Calvinistic "TULIP" is the "perseverance of the saints" and it asserts that those sovereignly selected, elected, atoned for, and mystically called cannot "fall from grace." However, you'll never get all of that from the rare New Testament passages that actually employ the phrase (Revelation 13:10; 14:12). In popular jargon, this doctrine of Calvinistic philosophy is better known as "once saved, always saved." Calvinists deal with the problem of "apostasy" or "falling away" as either being temporary (if it is someone they like) or evidence that the person wasn't really a member of the "elect" (saved) to begin with (if they weren't that attached to them anyway). In other words, you can never really be sure you are “in” until you finish the course and die as a believer. Of course, the unspoken fear of all who hold this doctrine is “Can I really be sure that I’m in? Because if I ever turn away in the future, then it will prove I wasn’t really “in” when I thought I was!!!” Because this view is rooted in philosophical determinism rather than Scripture and covenant thinking (where both parties bear real choice and participation), Calvinists have created an unnecessary problem for themselves. If we are going to “second-guess” everyone’s salvation, we must doubt our own as well. This “if you fall, you were never really in” argument has to create a nagging fear in every one that believes it – prior to the day of death, how can anyone ever be sure about themselves, for they could still fall away someday and, thus, prove that they were never really “saved” either.
Like every false teaching, this notion creates problems with the Biblical material. The very notion of “falling away” becomes distorted. Some Calvinists deny the very possibility of "falling away," although the terminology is Biblical. On the other hand, how can you “fall away” if you were never really “in” to begin with? The very term “fall away” suggests that one WAS a Christian before - you cannot “fall away” from something you never embraced to begin with, you can’t leave a place you never were at! Also, if that is how it really is, then nobody can have an “assurance of salvation” – but the Hebrews writer said that Christians COULD have such assurance (Hebrews 10:22). Second, if true Christians cannot “fall away” from the faith, why did Jesus and the New Testament writers repeatedly warn about it? "And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another.” (Matthew 24:10) LUK 8:13 "And those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. (Luke 8:13) It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:1-4) But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, (1Timothy 4:1) For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6) My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, (James 5:19) You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, (2Peter 3:17) Why warn true believers of something that cannot really happen anyway? Better to accept what Scripture does teach - that true believers, if they just maintain the relationship with Christ, can have a true “assurance of faith,” although “falling away” is a possibility to be avoided!
Consider these things. John did say (1John 2:19) that the “antichrists” who had departed from the body and were demonstrating that they had never really been a part of the church. However, John implies that no human could have known that prior to their leaving, unless the people he is discussing were always a bit rebellious and self-willed and gave signs that might have raised questions. Paul later described Demas’ defection as simply being the result of his choosing to love the world more than Christ and he went back to it (2Timothy 4:10). People hear the gospel, are convicted of their need, and choose to embrace it, but they don’t become puppets and still have the power to turn away at some point. On the other hand, no NT writer suggests that we should keep a suspicious eye on everyone else and wait to see if they fall/depart. Instead, Christians are to “accept one another” (Romans 14:1-6) upon the outward requirements of the Gospels and then continually teach, encourage, and do all in our power to see to it that “no one falls short of the grace of God” (Hebrews 12:15)! I began in the Calvinist camp and rejected it as Greek deterministic philosophy masquerading as “Christian theology.” Rather than play this “wait and see” approach to “who’s saved and who isn’t,” let’s follow Paul’s instruction about Christian love toward others who embrace the Gospel, Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1Corinthians 13:4-7) The Biblical Evidence Another angle on this, which I believe is powerful refutation of this erroneous doctrine, is to simply gather and ponder the numerous New Testament passages which make absolutely no sense if the “once saved, always saved” and “if you ever fall, you were never saved” notions are true. Although membership in national Israel's Mosaic covenant was sealed with the fairly permanent[1] mark of circumcision in the flesh, it was possible to be "cut off" from the covenant people by certain acts of unfaithfulness.[2] John and Jesus both warned Jews from this background who over-confidently trusted that they already had salvation irrevocably "in the bag" (Matthew 3:9; 5:20; 7:21-23; 8:10-12). It should be evident that membership in the Mosaic covenant required the maintenance of an on-going relationship and was often portrayed as a choice between two paths that one had to choose and then continue to walk to its destination (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). It was a “covenant” relationship (which you choose to enter in or not, continue in or not, violate and repent, or violate and abandon). Jesus mediated a “new covenant” (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 8:6; 9:15; 12:24) and we find several lines of evidence in the New Testament that indicate the same kind of "covenant relationship" to maintain and this refutes the Calvinist view of "eternal security." In the first place, we affirm that salvation is “assured” to those who continue in faithfulness and no third party (Pope, Satan, etc.) can remove a person from God's family against their will (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:31-39). However, neither Jesus nor Paul said that salvation was so irrevocable that the person himself could not walk away from it, one of several reactions/situations that would arise as the message is proclaimed (Matthew 13:18-23). Such an idea (entrance, then irrevocable membership) is foreign to "covenant relationships," which are always sealed by the willful acceptance of both parties and can be violated and/or abandoned if one or both parties choose to (although there may be penalties for doing so). Our second line of evidence comes from the numerous warnings in the NT writings that only make sense if it were a real possibility that salvation could be lost. Why is "endurance" so important (conditional?) if "once you're in, you're in for good" (Matthew 24:13)? Jesus said that some actually "receive the word," yet later fall away (Luke 8:13) and that one could "put their hand to the plow, but then look back" and become unfit for kingdom service (Luke 9:62). Ananias and Sapphira were not "outsiders" (Acts 5:1-10) and this is why people both within and outside the church were sobered by their sudden deaths (Acts 5:11,13). Simon had "believed and been baptized" prior to demonstrating a bad attitude (Acts 8:13ff), but his wrong desire for Apostolic power did not mean that he had lost his salvation (or never had it) – instead, he was urged to repent. The apostle Paul asserted in four passages that saints who continued in sinful actions would not inherit the kingdom of God (Romans 2:1-11; 1Corinthians 6:9,10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5). One’s standing with God is based on their ongoing relationship with Him, such that eventually "believing" would graft Jews back in and failing to continue in belief (falling away?) would bring pruning (Romans 11:17-24). Paul said a brother could be "destroyed" by a misuse of our freedom and criticism of his opinions (Romans 14:15). Paul seemed to think that it was possible to be "disqualified" (1Corinthians 9:27). The Corinthian brethren were also reminded of a generation of Israelites who were delivered and "baptized into their deliverer," but failed to make it to the Promised Land for not continuing in faith (1Corinthians 10:1-12). The Gospel saves us IF we "hold it fast" (1Corinthians 15:1,2). In writing to the Galatian believers, Paul was concerned that they were "deserting" Christ (Galatians 1:6) and warned them that accepting the Judaizer's emphasis on circumcision and the Mosaic Law would mean that Christ would become "of no value" to them, they would be "severed from Christ" and "fallen from grace" (Galatians 5:2,4). If Calvinism says that you can't "fall from grace" and Paul says you can, who are you going to believe? Our reconciliation to God through Christ depends on "continuing in the faith" (Colossians 1:21-23). Paul wrote to Timothy that some believers had already suffered spiritual "shipwreck" (1Timothy 1:19) and that more would "abandon the faith" (1Timothy 4:1) in the future. Paul warned the Thessalonians that a great “apostasy” (a falling away from the faith) would occur in the future (2Thessalonians 2:1-12). Of course, if Calvinism is true, then all of these comments are ridiculous, if no true saint can fall away and none of these things could really happen. The writer of Hebrews was concerned that people could "drift away" (2:1) from the faith and warned of "no escape" for those who "neglect" their salvation (2:2,3). Again we find concern over the possibility of "brethren . . . falling away from God" (3:12) and that we are "partakers of Christ, if we hold fast" (3:14) illustrated by another reference to ancient Israel's "unbelief" between their deliverance under Moses and entrance into the Promised Land (Hebrews 3:12 - 4:11). The letter contains two more warnings about apostasy after enlightenment (6:4-6) and continued sin after receiving a knowledge of the truth (10:26-29). The message of Hebrews clearly emphasizes the "assurance" of salvation that the faithful should have, but it is rooted in the "endurance" (10:19-22,35-39 & 11:1) of the faithful as much as in God's faithfulness (Deuteronomy 7:9; Romans 3:3-5; 1Corinthians 1:9; 10:13), rather than something that is one-directional and irrevocable. James taught that the “ongoing” works or outward expressions of faith were what made faith “alive” or real (2:14-26). Thus, it is in our ongoing walk that our faith either stands or falls. In his closing, James warned of the possibility of one of “you/brethren strays from the truth” (5:19ff) – it must be a real possibility for a “brother” (one who is “in God’s family/saved”) to stray and need to be turned back. Peter wrote of the need for diligence to avoid stumbling (2Peter 1:10) and the danger of becoming "entangled in the world again" after escaping it (2Peter 2:20-22). Vigilance is required so as to avoid the false teachers who could cause a person to "fall from their own steadfastness" (2Peter 3:17). Jude warned people to "keep themselves in God's love" as though we are, at least partially, responsible for continuing the relationship (Jude 21). Finally, the Apocalypse warns those who had "left their first love" and needed to repent (Revelation 2:4,5) as well as the "lukewarm" who were in danger of being "spit out" of the Lord's mouth (Revelation 3:16). I don't know how you could read these verses and hold the doctrine of "eternal security" apart from understanding that believers must maintain their relationship with God. These comments are all addressed to “saints, brethren, etc.” – those who are considered “in” the family of God at the time of writing. Apart from Paul's comment in Romans 15:5 to the effect that "God gives perseverance," the vast majority of "perseverance" passages speak as though it is something we bring to the relationship![3] According to Scripture, our salvation is very secure if we just continue in it! Calvinistic determinism is, simply, false theology and it brings confusion to the table. No third party can remove you from the Lord’s family against your will, but it is possible to “fall away” from the faith in which you were once a legitimate partaker and this danger is why saints need to be aware of and concerned about “keeping themselves in the love of God“ (Jude 21) and “enduring to the end” in order to receive the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). --------------------------------------- Charles E. McCoy December 5, 2005 Notes: [1] It is reported (1Macc.1:14,15) that some Jewish youths underwent a surgical procedure of "uncircumcision" in the days of Antiochus IV (175-163 B.C.) so that they could participate naked in the Greek gymnasium sports and not be recognized as Jewish. [2] Exodus 12:15,19; 30:33,38; 31:14; Leviticus 7:20,21,25,27; 17:4,9,10,14; 18:29; 19:8; 20:3,5,6,18; 22:3; 23:29; Numbers 9:13; 15:30,31; 19:13,20; etc. [3] Lk.8:15; Romans2:7; 5:3,4; 8:25; 15:4; Ephesians6:18; 2Th.1:4; 1Timothy4:16; 6:11; 2Timothy3:10; Tit.2:2; Jas.1:2; 2Pet.1:6; Rev.2:2,3,19 A Ministry of Severn Christian Church (Severn, Maryland) Unless otherwise noted, all material produced by Charles E. McCoy All Scripture citations/quotations from New American Standard Bible To send a question to Chuck: chuck@severnchristian.org
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