Scriptures:
Matt 7:21 - Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Back to text.
John 15:6 - If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Back to text.
1 John 2:1-2 - My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Back to text.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Back to text.
John 6:28-29 - Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” Back to text.
Heb 13:5-6 - Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Back to text.
Phil 2:13 - it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Back to text.
Isa 1:19-20 - "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; 20but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Back to text.
1 John 2:1 - My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. Back to text.
John 15:6 - If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Back to text.
Ezek 33:12-13 - Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to fall when he turns from it. The righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former righteousness.’ 13If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. Back to text.
Rom 8:35-39 - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Back to text.
Luke 12:42-46 - The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. Back to text.
John 15:1-6 - I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Back to text.
Heb 3:7-14 - So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ “12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. Back to text.
Matt 7:21 - Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Back to text.
John 15:6 - If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Back to text.
1 John 2:1-2 - My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Back to text.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Back to text.
John 6:28-29 - Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” Back to text.
Heb 13:5-6 - Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Back to text.
Phil 2:13 - it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Back to text.
Isa 1:19-20 - "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; 20but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Back to text.
1 John 2:1 - My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. Back to text.
John 15:6 - If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Back to text.
Ezek 33:12-13 - Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to fall when he turns from it. The righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former righteousness.’ 13If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. Back to text.
Rom 8:35-39 - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Back to text.
Luke 12:42-46 - The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. Back to text.
John 15:1-6 - I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Back to text.
Heb 3:7-14 - So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ “12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. Back to text.
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Those who believe the Eternal Security doctrine (Once Saved Always Saved) say that once an individual has been genuinely saved he cannot, under any circumstances, lose his salvation. That is, he is eternally secure because all of his sins, both past and future, have been forgiven. They say that, once saved, even if they enter into a sinful lifestyle then they won't lose their salvation but simply lose fellowship with Jesus. This is despite the fact that Heb 12:14 says that "without holiness no one will see the Lord". The Once Saved doctrine makes holiness (sanctification) nothing more than an optional extra.
The following verses refute the idea entirely.
In Matt 7:21, Jesus said that only those who do His Father's will will enter heaven.
What is God's will? 1 Thess 4:3 tells us that "it is God's will that you should be sanctified."
Then 2 Thess 2:13 inextricably links salvation to believing and sanctification where it says that "God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth."
The following examples are among many which can be used to clearly show that a believer can lose his salvation.
THE CONDITIONAL WORD ‘IF’
Jesus Christ brought us the New Covenant and, like all covenants, conditions must be met if the benefits are to be received. Throughout the New Testament, the word 'if' is used many times in association with salvation. When the conditions God sets by these 'ifs' are not met then an individual can't expect to receive the rewards as God never makes idle claims.
Rom 8:12-14 clearly state that Christians have an obligation to keep from a sinful lifestyle, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the penalty for not doing so is death ..."Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live ..." Jesus also made it very clear that obedience is the condition for salvation. In John 15:10 He said, "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love ...". Plainly, if we are not obedient to the Spirit's leading then we will not remain in Jesus' love but will be cut out of the Vine, just as it says in John 15:6.
Some say the word 'if' doesn't mean 'if' all the time but can sometimes mean 'since'. If we substitute 'since' for 'if,' then:
Rom 8:13 would read, "since you live according to your sinful nature, you will die; but since by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of your body, you will live." The verse no longer makes sense.
Heb 10:38 would say, "my righteous one will live by faith. And since he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."
Clearly, only 'if' makes sense in these two examples and both deny the eternal security of believers.
THE WISE AND FAITHFUL SERVANT IN LUKE 12:42-46
Please read Luke 12:42-46 and note that in this parable there is only ONE faithful and wise manager mentioned.
Looking at the verses, we have:
V.42 - The faithful and wise manager (obviously a saved man) is put in charge while the Master (Jesus) is away.
V. 43-44 - He will be put in charge of all the Master's possessions if the Master returns and finds that he has been faithful.
V. 45-46 - The SAME servant will be assigned a place with the unbelievers if the Master returns and finds that he has fallen into sin and mistreated the other servants.
Saying that the servant will be assigned a place with unbelievers makes it abundantly clear that he was a believer initially. This parable clearly shows that a saved soul can lose his salvation.
THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES OF JOHN 15
During the Last Supper, in John 15:1-6, Judas had left and Jesus was speaking to the eleven remaining Apostles and addressed them as Branches. Examining these verses we see that -
V.1 - There is only one Vine mentioned, which is Jesus, and God is the Gardener.
V.2-3 - God cuts out the fruitless Branches and prunes (cleans) the fruit-bearing Branches.
Vs.4-5 - The Branches (Apostles) are told that they must remain in the Vine in order to bear fruit.
V.6 - A Branch that fails to abide is thrown away, withers, picked up and burned in the fire.
Only saved souls can be Branches in the Vine Jesus and from this parable we can readily see that a saved soul can be cut out of the Vine and end up in hell.
RECONCILED, SANCTIFIED & IN GRACE
If an individual is reconciled, sanctified or 'in grace' then he is unquestionably saved. The following verses give examples of such individuals who were in these saved states but face or may face judgment because of sin.
Reconciled: Col 1:21-23 says, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - if you continue in your faith..." Here we are told of ex-enemies of God who are reconciled, born again believers and will be presented to God only if they continue in their faith. These individuals are clearly saved. A false profession of faith cannot bring about reconciliation with the Lord. Once reconciled, believers must continue in the faith in order to get to heaven.
Sanctified: Heb 10:26-29 says "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire ... a man deserves to be punished ... who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him ..." In these verses we see that a saved man (sanctified by the blood) will face judgment if he continues to deliberately sin. If a believer fails to repent of his ongoing sin then his heart will harden against the Spirit’s conviction. Over time it gets more and more difficult to repent and may lead to eventual salvation loss ... See Heb 3:7-14.
In Grace: Gal 5:4 says "You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace." The Jews spoken of here, having reverted to the Law of Moses, have been alienated from the Lord; they have fallen from Grace. Obviously they were once 'in Grace,' that is, they were once saved.
A COUPLE OF OTHER VERSES
Jam 5:19-20 says, "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." Christian brothers are urged to restore fallen brothers in order to save them from hell.
1 Tim 4:16 says, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." Obviously, had Timothy failed to persevere then he would have lost his salvation.
PERSEVERANCE - WHAT IS IT?
There is a clear distinction between occasional sin and a wilfully sinful lifestyle. 1 John 2:1 tells us that Christians may sin occasionally and this sin is to be addressed as 1 John 1:9 tells us ... if the sinner confesses then he is forgiven. However, living a lifestyle of habitual sin puts a believer's salvation at stake. Some believers struggle with sin, even for a long period, but the fact that he is struggling shows that he has a repentant heart and God will deliver him in time. This struggle can’t be compared with having a sinful lifestyle and saying, “Well, that’s me. I’m just human”. The wages of (unconfessed) sin is death.
Persevering is not salvation by works: To be saved in the first place, a person must believe and repent of their sin and this is not considered to be works - it is an internal act of their will. Perseverance is nothing more than ongoing confession, repentance and believing in Jesus. If perseverance is considered to be works then our initial confession and repentance to be saved must also be works, and it is not. The Bible continually urges us to repent of all sin and to walk in the Spirit in order to remain in Jesus. We are saved as we remain IN Christ (note John 15:1-6). God’s Spirit works within us to convict, bring about repentance and empower us to resist sin. In order to walk in holiness we must choose to persevere and abide in Jesus (note John 6:28-29 regarding the work of God).
See 'How Do We Know If We Are Saved?' at http://www.christianissues.biz/saved.html
Rom 8:35-39 say that nothing in Creation can separate us from God's love, neither famine, sword, angels nor demons etc. These things are all external to us and things over which we have no control. God promises to keep us through these trials as clearly stated in Heb 13:5-6. However, these verses don't speak of the internal perseverance (our control of our will) required to walk in holiness through the Spirit. We have freedom of will to do this. God never controls our will, He wills us to act according to His good purpose ... Phil 2:13.
FINALLY
The 'ifs' in many verses and the simplicity of passages such as John 15:1-6 and Luke 12:42-46 cannot simply be ignored. Like the Israelites of old, obedience (following God's laws) is required to reap the benefits of a promise as stated in Isa 1:19-20. Note the clear warning to the righteous in Ezek 33:12-13. We are saved by Grace through faith and to remain saved we must persevere in that faith and be kept from a lifestyle of deliberate, ongoing sin or face a Christless eternity.
No one can live a sinless life. We all sin occasionally but we will be condemned if we continue to habitually sin. 1 John 2:1-2 says that Christians should not sin but if we do we are to take it to Jesus in repentance and He will forgive us and cleanse us of it as stated in 1 John 1:9. The word 'if' in this verse is critical ... if we don't confess, we won't be forgiven. The choice is ours. If anyone reading this has asked Jesus to save them but has unconfessed sin then please get on your knees and take it to Him in heartfelt repentance. He loves you and is waiting to cleanse you of all unrighteousness.
Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
There are many other verses which can be used to disprove the Once Saved doctrine but this article is only meant to be a limited discussion. Robert Shank's book, Life In The Son, is very detailed and probes the Greek texts to show clearly that the doctrine of Eternal Security is a false doctrine. While firmly believing in the Once Saved doctrine, Mr. Shank set out to prove it from the Greek texts but his belief was turned around. Even though it is an in-depth study, there is no need to have a knowledge of Greek to see the biblical truth of a believer's need to persevere in order to inherit eternal life.
Click here to download this article as a PDF.
Click here to download as a PDF in a printable booklet format (print on both sides of paper).
Click here for some short videos on the Once Saved doctrine.
For articles closely related to this discussion, please go to:
Grieving The Spirit
Sinless Perfection
Paul The Sinner?
Saved? How Do We Know?
Are You A Saved Or An Unsaved Believer?
The Power Of Sin.
For answers to some objections to this argument against Eternal Security (Once Saved, Always Saved)
go to Eternal Security Arguments and Proof Texts, by Dan Corner.
See Lordship Salvation regarding the vital need of having Jesus as both Saviour and Lord of our life.
Return to previous page Mick Alexander
Email: leeandmick@gmail.com
Skype: mickandlee
http://www.christianissues.biz/
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Those who believe the Eternal Security doctrine (Once Saved Always Saved) say that once an individual has been genuinely saved he cannot, under any circumstances, lose his salvation. That is, he is eternally secure because all of his sins, both past and future, have been forgiven. They say that, once saved, even if they enter into a sinful lifestyle then they won't lose their salvation but simply lose fellowship with Jesus. This is despite the fact that Heb 12:14 says that "without holiness no one will see the Lord". The Once Saved doctrine makes holiness (sanctification) nothing more than an optional extra.
The following verses refute the idea entirely.
In Matt 7:21, Jesus said that only those who do His Father's will will enter heaven.
What is God's will? 1 Thess 4:3 tells us that "it is God's will that you should be sanctified."
Then 2 Thess 2:13 inextricably links salvation to believing and sanctification where it says that "God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth."
The following examples are among many which can be used to clearly show that a believer can lose his salvation.
THE CONDITIONAL WORD ‘IF’
Jesus Christ brought us the New Covenant and, like all covenants, conditions must be met if the benefits are to be received. Throughout the New Testament, the word 'if' is used many times in association with salvation. When the conditions God sets by these 'ifs' are not met then an individual can't expect to receive the rewards as God never makes idle claims.
Rom 8:12-14 clearly state that Christians have an obligation to keep from a sinful lifestyle, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the penalty for not doing so is death ..."Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live ..." Jesus also made it very clear that obedience is the condition for salvation. In John 15:10 He said, "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love ...". Plainly, if we are not obedient to the Spirit's leading then we will not remain in Jesus' love but will be cut out of the Vine, just as it says in John 15:6.
Some say the word 'if' doesn't mean 'if' all the time but can sometimes mean 'since'. If we substitute 'since' for 'if,' then:
Rom 8:13 would read, "since you live according to your sinful nature, you will die; but since by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of your body, you will live." The verse no longer makes sense.
Heb 10:38 would say, "my righteous one will live by faith. And since he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."
Clearly, only 'if' makes sense in these two examples and both deny the eternal security of believers.
THE WISE AND FAITHFUL SERVANT IN LUKE 12:42-46
Please read Luke 12:42-46 and note that in this parable there is only ONE faithful and wise manager mentioned.
Looking at the verses, we have:
V.42 - The faithful and wise manager (obviously a saved man) is put in charge while the Master (Jesus) is away.
V. 43-44 - He will be put in charge of all the Master's possessions if the Master returns and finds that he has been faithful.
V. 45-46 - The SAME servant will be assigned a place with the unbelievers if the Master returns and finds that he has fallen into sin and mistreated the other servants.
Saying that the servant will be assigned a place with unbelievers makes it abundantly clear that he was a believer initially. This parable clearly shows that a saved soul can lose his salvation.
THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES OF JOHN 15
During the Last Supper, in John 15:1-6, Judas had left and Jesus was speaking to the eleven remaining Apostles and addressed them as Branches. Examining these verses we see that -
V.1 - There is only one Vine mentioned, which is Jesus, and God is the Gardener.
V.2-3 - God cuts out the fruitless Branches and prunes (cleans) the fruit-bearing Branches.
Vs.4-5 - The Branches (Apostles) are told that they must remain in the Vine in order to bear fruit.
V.6 - A Branch that fails to abide is thrown away, withers, picked up and burned in the fire.
Only saved souls can be Branches in the Vine Jesus and from this parable we can readily see that a saved soul can be cut out of the Vine and end up in hell.
RECONCILED, SANCTIFIED & IN GRACE
If an individual is reconciled, sanctified or 'in grace' then he is unquestionably saved. The following verses give examples of such individuals who were in these saved states but face or may face judgment because of sin.
Reconciled: Col 1:21-23 says, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - if you continue in your faith..." Here we are told of ex-enemies of God who are reconciled, born again believers and will be presented to God only if they continue in their faith. These individuals are clearly saved. A false profession of faith cannot bring about reconciliation with the Lord. Once reconciled, believers must continue in the faith in order to get to heaven.
Sanctified: Heb 10:26-29 says "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire ... a man deserves to be punished ... who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him ..." In these verses we see that a saved man (sanctified by the blood) will face judgment if he continues to deliberately sin. If a believer fails to repent of his ongoing sin then his heart will harden against the Spirit’s conviction. Over time it gets more and more difficult to repent and may lead to eventual salvation loss ... See Heb 3:7-14.
In Grace: Gal 5:4 says "You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace." The Jews spoken of here, having reverted to the Law of Moses, have been alienated from the Lord; they have fallen from Grace. Obviously they were once 'in Grace,' that is, they were once saved.
A COUPLE OF OTHER VERSES
Jam 5:19-20 says, "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." Christian brothers are urged to restore fallen brothers in order to save them from hell.
1 Tim 4:16 says, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." Obviously, had Timothy failed to persevere then he would have lost his salvation.
PERSEVERANCE - WHAT IS IT?
There is a clear distinction between occasional sin and a wilfully sinful lifestyle. 1 John 2:1 tells us that Christians may sin occasionally and this sin is to be addressed as 1 John 1:9 tells us ... if the sinner confesses then he is forgiven. However, living a lifestyle of habitual sin puts a believer's salvation at stake. Some believers struggle with sin, even for a long period, but the fact that he is struggling shows that he has a repentant heart and God will deliver him in time. This struggle can’t be compared with having a sinful lifestyle and saying, “Well, that’s me. I’m just human”. The wages of (unconfessed) sin is death.
Persevering is not salvation by works: To be saved in the first place, a person must believe and repent of their sin and this is not considered to be works - it is an internal act of their will. Perseverance is nothing more than ongoing confession, repentance and believing in Jesus. If perseverance is considered to be works then our initial confession and repentance to be saved must also be works, and it is not. The Bible continually urges us to repent of all sin and to walk in the Spirit in order to remain in Jesus. We are saved as we remain IN Christ (note John 15:1-6). God’s Spirit works within us to convict, bring about repentance and empower us to resist sin. In order to walk in holiness we must choose to persevere and abide in Jesus (note John 6:28-29 regarding the work of God).
See 'How Do We Know If We Are Saved?' at http://www.christianissues.biz/saved.html
Rom 8:35-39 say that nothing in Creation can separate us from God's love, neither famine, sword, angels nor demons etc. These things are all external to us and things over which we have no control. God promises to keep us through these trials as clearly stated in Heb 13:5-6. However, these verses don't speak of the internal perseverance (our control of our will) required to walk in holiness through the Spirit. We have freedom of will to do this. God never controls our will, He wills us to act according to His good purpose ... Phil 2:13.
FINALLY
The 'ifs' in many verses and the simplicity of passages such as John 15:1-6 and Luke 12:42-46 cannot simply be ignored. Like the Israelites of old, obedience (following God's laws) is required to reap the benefits of a promise as stated in Isa 1:19-20. Note the clear warning to the righteous in Ezek 33:12-13. We are saved by Grace through faith and to remain saved we must persevere in that faith and be kept from a lifestyle of deliberate, ongoing sin or face a Christless eternity.
No one can live a sinless life. We all sin occasionally but we will be condemned if we continue to habitually sin. 1 John 2:1-2 says that Christians should not sin but if we do we are to take it to Jesus in repentance and He will forgive us and cleanse us of it as stated in 1 John 1:9. The word 'if' in this verse is critical ... if we don't confess, we won't be forgiven. The choice is ours. If anyone reading this has asked Jesus to save them but has unconfessed sin then please get on your knees and take it to Him in heartfelt repentance. He loves you and is waiting to cleanse you of all unrighteousness.
Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
There are many other verses which can be used to disprove the Once Saved doctrine but this article is only meant to be a limited discussion. Robert Shank's book, Life In The Son, is very detailed and probes the Greek texts to show clearly that the doctrine of Eternal Security is a false doctrine. While firmly believing in the Once Saved doctrine, Mr. Shank set out to prove it from the Greek texts but his belief was turned around. Even though it is an in-depth study, there is no need to have a knowledge of Greek to see the biblical truth of a believer's need to persevere in order to inherit eternal life.
Click here to download this article as a PDF.
Click here to download as a PDF in a printable booklet format (print on both sides of paper).
Click here for some short videos on the Once Saved doctrine.
For articles closely related to this discussion, please go to:
Grieving The Spirit
Sinless Perfection
Paul The Sinner?
Saved? How Do We Know?
Are You A Saved Or An Unsaved Believer?
The Power Of Sin.
For answers to some objections to this argument against Eternal Security (Once Saved, Always Saved)
go to Eternal Security Arguments and Proof Texts, by Dan Corner.
See Lordship Salvation regarding the vital need of having Jesus as both Saviour and Lord of our life.
Return to previous page Mick Alexander
Email: leeandmick@gmail.com
Skype: mickandlee
http://www.christianissues.biz/
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Perseverance Of The Saints
Eternal Security - Once Saved Always Saved
Click here for my YouTube videos on Once Saved, Always Saved.
(Updated 20 Sept 08)
Eternal Security - Once Saved Always Saved
Click here for my YouTube videos on Once Saved, Always Saved.
(Updated 20 Sept 08)
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[Christians & Demons]
[Contact Information]
[Endtimes Prophecy]
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[Free Bible Course]
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[Free Downloads - PDFs And MP3s]
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[Jesus - The Only Way]
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[Online Videos]
[Paul The Sinner?]
[Perseverance Of The Saints]
[Prophecy]
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[Revival]
[Roman Catholicism]
[Sanctification]
[Saved - How Do We Know?]
[Sin - What It Is]
[Speaking In Tongues]
[The Christian & Spiritual Warfare]
[The Ecumenical Movement]
[The Judge Of All The Earth]
[The Love Of God]
[The Power Of Sin]
[Today's Tongues]
[Tongues Summary]
[Will You Be Left Behind?]
[Witnessing To Jehovah's Witnesses]
[YWAM]