Once Saved, Always Saved?
by Tad Morris
OUR ONLY HOPE
In a world of so much change and instability, the uncertainties of this life can be
overwhelming and completely debilitating.
Sometimes it seems nothing is a sure thing.
Our bodies fail us, friends forsake us, family
members pass away, we lose our jobs, our
hearts are broken and our endurance is tested
over and over again. We can never be certain
that tomorrow will be anything like today.
When our world is falling apart all around us,
what can we hold on to? What can we trust to
never change and never fail us?
Our only hope is in the Lord and his
abundant grace. Jesus Christ himself makes
this promise in Revelation 2:10: "Do not fear
any of those things which you are about to
suffer...Be faithful until death, and I will give
you the crown of life." When every comfort
and commodity of this life is taken away, our
confidence in the Lord's salvation can always
remain with this one condition-be faithful
until death. Our Lord assures us that God's
salvation is ours to keep, so long as we never
let go of it.
"IF"
As the Scriptures often convey, God offers
his grace with both a promise and warning.
The Apostle Paul explains in Colossians
1:21-23: "And you, who once were alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works,
yet now He has reconciled in the body of
His flesh through death, to present you holy,
and blameless, and above reproach in His
sight-if indeed you continue in the faith,
grounded and steadfast, and are not moved
away from the hope of the gospel." Like Jesus,
Paul reminds the church that our salvation
depends on our faithfulness. His admonition
is that for the sake of our salvation we must
remain steadfast and grounded, not going
astray from the gospel which saves us from
our sins. Paul reiterates this message in 1
Corinthians 15:1-2: "Moreover, brethren, I
declare to you the gospel which I preached to
you, which also you received and in which
you stand, by which also you are saved, if you
hold fast that word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain." Hebrews 3:14
also emphasizes the necessity of obedience
to the end: "For we have become partakers
of Christ if we hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast to the end." This must
be why the writer says later in the book, "For
you have need of endurance, so that after you
have done the will of God, you may receive the
promise..." (Hebrews 10:36).
In each of these passages, the Lord's caution
to the church is the same: God has extended
to us the precious gift us his grace, yet we
must be careful to keep it through diligence,
obedience, and faithfulness to the end of
our lives. God promises his salvation, if we
remain faithful. While this is the message
found consistently in the word of God, too
often this is not the message preached in many
denominations and congregations around
the world. This dangerous misconception
has come to be known by a number of names
through the ages. First called Perseverance of
the Saints, today most pastors and preachers
refer to the teaching as Eternal Security or
Once Saved Always Saved. Through a series of
misinterpretations, advocates of this doctrine
have effectively diluted God's command for
obedience and entirely dismissed the Lord's
calling to persevere unto the end. Their
message is plain: if you are saved, you can
never fall away. This teaching is very appealing
to individuals seeking some measure of
stability in their lives; however, the Scriptures
are emphatic that such is not the case.
WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY
While we might find this teaching of Eternal
Security in many churches, we won't find it
in the Bible. In fact, just the opposite is true.
Many times the New Testament describes
situations in which Christians are lost after
having once been saved. The church in
Galatia, for example, after their original
conversion, was subjected to a barrage of
false teaching. They were being taught, and
many believed, that obedience to the Mosaic
Law was still necessary for their salvation.
Evidently, this doctrine was so fundamentally
against the gospel of Christ that Paul remarks
in Galatians 5:4: "You have become estranged
from Christ, you who attempt to be justified
by law; you have fallen from grace." Their
confidence in the Law of Moses had removed
them from the saving grace of their Lord
Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul even speaks
of himself in this way, explaining that not
even he is insulated from the consequences of
sin. He says, "I discipline my body and bring
it into subjection, lest, when I have preached
to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27). The Apostle Peter
adds even more clarity to this issue. After speaking at length about false teaching within
the church he says this about those who taint
the Lord's body with such doctrines: "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).
REPENTANCE, RENEWAL, REWARD
In each of these cases there is no denying
the implication-the promise of eternal
salvation is reserved for those that remain
true to the Lord. God's salvation requires a
lifetime of commitment. This is not to say,
though, that once an individual wanders
from the truth all hope is lost. No, even after
rejecting the Lord's salvation through a life
of debauchery God also promises that his
arms are ever open to receive us again into
his grace. James 5:19-20 explains: "Brethren,
if anyone among you wanders from the truth,
and someone turns him back, 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." This passage reaffirms
the real potential for any Christian to fall
away, but also reminds us of the Lord's
mercy. Through repentance and renewed
commitment to the truth, our sins are
covered and our souls are restored to the
safety of God's salvation!
This is our hope and confidence in our
God-at all times and in every situation the
promise of his salvation remains! "Be faithful
until death, and I will give you the crown of
life." When we have answered his call through
obedience to the gospel and received his
salvation, we should never, ever let go!
