Once saved always saved is a popular Christian doctrine, but is it Biblical?
It's time to UNLEARN the lies.
UNLEARN
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My name is Lex, and I'd like to invite you to join us each week as we UNLEARN the lies
and dig deeper into the truth of God's Word.
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The doctrine of once saved always saved, also known as the Perseverance of the saints, or
eternal security, is a Christian teaching that says once a person is truly saved, they
cannot lose their salvation.
It’s important to point out that there are two main forms in which this doctrine takes
place.
The original understanding of this doctrine was that those who are truly saved will live
a life of righteousness leading to sanctification, and will never fall away from the faith.
Those who adhere to this doctrine claim that if a person falls away, they were never truly
saved to begin with.
A more modern form of this doctrine says that once you are saved, you cannot become unsaved,
even if you live like an unbeliever, and even if you stop believing.
I see no good qualities in this understanding, and I believe it’s a perversion of the Gospel
that leads people into lawless behavior, and I do not see any Scriptural support for their
claims.
In fact, I believe Peter warns against this type of false security that leads to lawlessness.
“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, BEWARE LEST YOU ALSO FALL
FROM YOUR OWN STEADFASTNESS, being LED AWAY with the error of the LAWLESS”
- 2 Peter 3:17
In contrast, I see some very good qualities in the original understanding of the perseverance
of the saints doctrine, which says those who are truly saved will live a life that reflects
it, they will be sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they will abide in Messiah.
However, I believe they are ignoring certain verses in Scripture that indicate that people
can fall away and losing their salvation.
For example, the book of Hebrews says if we fall away, we cannot be renewed to repentance.
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly
gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God
and the powers of the age to come, 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.”
- Hebrews 6:4-6
To fall away from the faith implies that you were once part of the faith.
You can’t fall away from something you were not part of to begin with.
The once saved always saved crowd says those who fall away were never really saved to begin
with, but this verse says otherwise.
It speaks about them being partakers of the Holy Spirit, which indicates they were saved
and given the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but it says “if they fall away”, which
indicates it is possible to fall away even after being enlightened and receiving the
Holy Spirit.
How is this possible?
How could someone who is truly saved fall away?
Our Messiah said that we must remain in Him, or else we will be cut off.
“REMAIN IN ME, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it REMAINS in the vine, neither can
you, unless you REMAIN IN ME.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who REMAINS IN ME, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not REMAIN IN ME, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they
gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
- John 15:4-6
To remain in Him indicates that those who are broken off were once in Him, but did not
remain.
They were believers but didn’t hold on to their faith in Messiah.
They fell away and were broken off, withered, and cast into the fire.
This shows that some start out in the faith but do not keep the faith, and as a result
they lose their salvation.
Now, listen to the warning that was given by the Holy Spirit to Paul about believers
departing from the faith.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving
heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons”
- 1 Timothy 4:1
To depart from the faith means you had faith to begin with.
Salvation is conditioned on faith.
We are saved by having faith in Messiah.
So, it stands to reason that if we lose our faith in Messiah, we lose the salvation He
gives to those who have faith.
Consider what Paul said about those who are broken off because of unbelief.
“Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith.
Do not be haughty, but fear.
For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.
Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward
you, goodness, IF YOU CONTINUE in His goodness.
Otherwise you also WILL BE CUT OFF.
And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able
to graft them in again.”
- Romans 11:20-23
Paul is saying that we must remain, we must continue, we must persevere in our faith,
or else we will be cut off.
One must have faith to begin with if they are expected to persevere in it.
He is writing about people who are already grafted into the tree, they already have faith
in Messiah, they are joined with God’s people, and He said they will be cut off because of
unbelief.
Peter also writes about those who have received salvation but turn back to a life of sin.
“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.
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.
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.”
- 2 Peter 2:20-22
He is showing us that it is possible for someone who has escaped sin and found salvation to
once again return to sin and lose his salvation.
The proverbial dog returning to his own vomit.
Ultimately, I believe the once saved always saved argument is based on a faulty premise.
The premise is that we can’t lose something we’ve already attained.
However, the Bible indicates that we have not fully attained salvation yet.
Yeshua said,
“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
- Matthew 24:13
Our salvation has not been completed yet.
When we believe on Yeshua, when we come to faith in Him, we start the salvation process.
We are in the process of being saved.
The book of Acts refers new converts as those who are “being saved”.
“…the Lord added to the church daily those who were BEING SAVED.”
- Acts 2:47
Paul says the message of the Gospel is powerful to those who are “being saved”.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who
are being saved it is the power of God.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:18
He also speaks about those who are being saved in contrast with those who are perishing.
“For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are BEING SAVED and among
those who are perishing.”
- 2 Corinthians 2:15
The Bible speaks about salvation in past, present, and future tense.
We have been saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved.
Paul explains that we have already been justified by the blood of Messiah, but our salvation
from wrath has not yet happened.
“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we SHALL BE SAVED from wrath
through Him.
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much
more, having been reconciled, we SHALL BE SAVED by His life.”
- Romans 5:9-10
Notice he said we shall be saved through Messiah.
It is only through Him that we will be able to attain salvation.
If we remain in Yeshua and endure to the end we shall be saved.
We have been saved by grace through faith, and we are being saved by remaining in Messsiah,
and we will be saved when He returns, if we endure in our faith to the end.
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