One of the sayings that often causes debate in the Church is “Once Saved, Always Saved”. I believe that it is true that once we are saved we are always saved, but that exact statement is not in the Bible. There are those who argue that to believe that once a person is saved they are always saved is to give Christians a license to sin. They assume that those who believe in eternal security intend to accept salvation, and then continue to willingly sin. That doesn’t make any sense, because anyone who has been truly saved is a new creature, has been convicted by the Holy Spirit, and wants to live for Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (HCSB)17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, ⌊he is⌋ a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
John 14:26 (HCSB)26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.
1 Thessalonians 4:8 (HCSB)8 Therefore, the person who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who also gives you His Holy Spirit.
Galatians 2:19-20 (HCSB)19 For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
If a person continues to willingly sin that person has probably not truly accepted Christ with saving faith (see my post Saving Faith)
1 John 2:19 (HCSB)19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.
1 John 3:6 (HCSB)6 Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.
James 1:26 (HCSB)26 If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself.
Here is what the Apostle Paul said about those people who claim that those of us who believe in eternal salvation want to continue to willfully sin.
Romans 3:5-8 (HCSB)5 But if our unrighteousness highlights God’s righteousness, what are we to say? I use a human argument: Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath?6 Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world?7 But if by my lie God’s truth is amplified to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?8 And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”? Their condemnation is deserved!
I do agree that just saying "once saved,always saved", in a vacuum, without any other comment is regrettable because it results in it being supported or denounced not on the basis of truth, but only as a slogan. I will provide evidence for the truth of the statement in this post.
It’s likely that this statement like many others that I have written about in this series was created for a very particular purpose, but has outgrown that purpose. “Once Saved , Always Saved” is based upon the doctrine of the eternally secure salvation but distorts it by only representing part of it. The saying, by itself, doesn't give enough information to make a real judgement to its truth.
When I talk about eternally secure salvation, I’m not talking about any power or ability of a human being, but about the power of God's redemptive work through Jesus Christ. We are saved by grace not by anything that we do or don’t do.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift--9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
Since what we do has no bearing on our salvation it is God’s decision and His alone to save us and recreate us into the image of His Son. Eternally secure salvation is based on God's faithfulness not ours.
Romans 8:28-29 (HCSB)28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (HCSB)17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, ⌊he is⌋ a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)6 I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
While the Bible calls for our confession, salvation is not based on that confession it is based on God's grace and obtained by faith.
Romans 10:9-10 (HCSB)9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
Salvation is the result of God's work of grace
Anyone can make a profession of faith and live for a while with external evidence of the work of redemption in their lives and yet not have acted in “Saving Faith”. They may appear to have been saved but the evidence of their fruit, over time, is that they are anything but saved. As the old folks use to say, “it will all come out in the wash”.
Matthew 7:16-20 (HCSB)16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (HCSB)17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, ⌊he is⌋ a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
John 14:26 (HCSB)26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.
1 Thessalonians 4:8 (HCSB)8 Therefore, the person who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who also gives you His Holy Spirit.
Galatians 2:19-20 (HCSB)19 For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
If a person continues to willingly sin that person has probably not truly accepted Christ with saving faith (see my post Saving Faith)
1 John 2:19 (HCSB)19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.
1 John 3:6 (HCSB)6 Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.
James 1:26 (HCSB)26 If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself.
Here is what the Apostle Paul said about those people who claim that those of us who believe in eternal salvation want to continue to willfully sin.
Romans 3:5-8 (HCSB)5 But if our unrighteousness highlights God’s righteousness, what are we to say? I use a human argument: Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath?6 Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world?7 But if by my lie God’s truth is amplified to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?8 And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”? Their condemnation is deserved!
I do agree that just saying "once saved,always saved", in a vacuum, without any other comment is regrettable because it results in it being supported or denounced not on the basis of truth, but only as a slogan. I will provide evidence for the truth of the statement in this post.
It’s likely that this statement like many others that I have written about in this series was created for a very particular purpose, but has outgrown that purpose. “Once Saved , Always Saved” is based upon the doctrine of the eternally secure salvation but distorts it by only representing part of it. The saying, by itself, doesn't give enough information to make a real judgement to its truth.
When I talk about eternally secure salvation, I’m not talking about any power or ability of a human being, but about the power of God's redemptive work through Jesus Christ. We are saved by grace not by anything that we do or don’t do.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift--9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
Since what we do has no bearing on our salvation it is God’s decision and His alone to save us and recreate us into the image of His Son. Eternally secure salvation is based on God's faithfulness not ours.
Romans 8:28-29 (HCSB)28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (HCSB)17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, ⌊he is⌋ a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)6 I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
While the Bible calls for our confession, salvation is not based on that confession it is based on God's grace and obtained by faith.
Romans 10:9-10 (HCSB)9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
Salvation is the result of God's work of grace
Anyone can make a profession of faith and live for a while with external evidence of the work of redemption in their lives and yet not have acted in “Saving Faith”. They may appear to have been saved but the evidence of their fruit, over time, is that they are anything but saved. As the old folks use to say, “it will all come out in the wash”.
Matthew 7:16-20 (HCSB)16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.
Scriptural Evidence of Eternally Secure Salvation
From the moment God chooses us, it is as if we are glorified in His presence in heaven. There is nothing that can prevent a believer from one day being glorified because God has already decided it in heaven. Once a person is justified, his salvation is guaranteed - he is as secure as if he is already glorified in heaven.
Romans 8:30 (HCSB)30 And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.
It is God who justifies. Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life, and is interceding for us. Who will bring a charge against God's elect? No one can bring a charge against a believer, and make it stick, because Christ is our advocate. Who will condemn us? No one will, because Christ, the One who died for us, is the one who condemns. The believer has both the advocate and judge on their side.
Romans 8:33-34 (HCSB)33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies.34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
More Evidence
Being “born again” means being made brand new. The Bible gives no evidence that the new birth can be taken away.
John 3:3 (HCSB)3 Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Titus 3:5 (HCSB)5 He saved us— not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit indwells all believers. If the Holy Spirit leaves a believer then that person would become unsaved. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that the Holy Spirit will ever leave a believer. (Yes I know that there are Old Testament examples of the Spirit leaving people but that was before the New Covenant ratified by the blood of Jesus Hebrews 8:7-10, which guarantees salvation. I'll address the Old and New Covenants in a future post)
Acts 2:38 (HCSB)38 “Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:17 (HCSB)17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you.
Ephesians 1:13-14 (HCSB)13 When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.14 He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.
2 Corinthians 5:5 (HCSB)5 And the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.
From the moment God chooses us, it is as if we are glorified in His presence in heaven. There is nothing that can prevent a believer from one day being glorified because God has already decided it in heaven. Once a person is justified, his salvation is guaranteed - he is as secure as if he is already glorified in heaven.
Romans 8:30 (HCSB)30 And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.
It is God who justifies. Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life, and is interceding for us. Who will bring a charge against God's elect? No one can bring a charge against a believer, and make it stick, because Christ is our advocate. Who will condemn us? No one will, because Christ, the One who died for us, is the one who condemns. The believer has both the advocate and judge on their side.
Romans 8:33-34 (HCSB)33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies.34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
More Evidence
Being “born again” means being made brand new. The Bible gives no evidence that the new birth can be taken away.
John 3:3 (HCSB)3 Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Titus 3:5 (HCSB)5 He saved us— not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit indwells all believers. If the Holy Spirit leaves a believer then that person would become unsaved. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that the Holy Spirit will ever leave a believer. (Yes I know that there are Old Testament examples of the Spirit leaving people but that was before the New Covenant ratified by the blood of Jesus Hebrews 8:7-10, which guarantees salvation. I'll address the Old and New Covenants in a future post)
Acts 2:38 (HCSB)38 “Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:17 (HCSB)17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you.
Ephesians 1:13-14 (HCSB)13 When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.14 He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.
2 Corinthians 5:5 (HCSB)5 And the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.
The Logical Evidence of Eternally Secure Salvation
If you believe in Christ today and have eternal life, but can lose it tomorrow, then it was never "eternal" at all. If you can lose your salvation, the promises of eternal life in the Bible would be an error or a lie. Eternal security is consistent with everything else the Bible teaches about mankind, and God. The idea of losing our salvation is not only unscriptural, but it creates problems with other doctrines, including salvation by faith, the sin nature of man, and the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice.
Faith Alone
If we could do anything to undo what God did by grace that would mean that our salvation required more than just our faith but must include works. That is completely contrary to scripture which says that we are saved by grace through faith and only faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift--9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
The doctrines of “eternal security” and “saved by faith alone” work together. To deny eternal security is to say that to be saved you must have works in addition to faith.
Man’s Sin Nature
The Bible teaches that man is inherently sinful. This means that even after being saved, every single believer is going to sin from time to time. Thinking that we can live a perfect, sinless life after our salvation is not only unscriptural, but arrogant.
Romans 3:10 (HCSB)10 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.
1 John 1:8-10 (HCSB)8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say, “We don’t have any sin,” we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Romans 8:38-39 (HCSB)38 For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, ⌊hostile⌋ powers,39 height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
The same God who saved you is the same God who will keep you. Once we are saved we are always saved. Our salvation is most definitely eternally secure!
Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)6 I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 1:5 (HCSB) 5 You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Jude 1:24-25 (HCSB) 24 Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy,25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.
The Sacrifice
Christ only died once and that was enough to take care of all sin past, present, and future.
Hebrews 9:28 (HCSB)28 so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
1 Peter 3:18 (HCSB)18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm.
Hebrews 7:27 (HCSB)27 He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all when He offered Himself.
If we are not eternally secure, this sinning will cause us to lose our salvation, but how much sin is too much? There is no scriptural “yardstick” given to tell us how many or what kind of sins are enough to void our salvation. Without eternal security, the Bible would describe a situation where Christianity is a perpetual game of Russian Roulette; a life in which condemnation and salvation alternate every time we sin and confess, and we never know if we’re saved or not. Got Questions Ministries
If we could lose our salvation, then it would be lost forever. The following is a much misunderstood scripture and one which the opponents os eternally secure salvation use to try to make their point.
Hebrews 6:4-6 (HCSB)4 For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit,5 tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age,6 and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt.
This passage actually supports eternal security in two ways. It implies that Christ’s sacrifice must be sufficient for all sins, and states that if it were possible for a person to lose their salvation, it would be forever lost. According to this passage, if a person could do something that cost them their salvation (which they cannot), then it would be “impossible” for them to be redeemed again.
No, “once saved, always saved” is not in the Bible, but it is true. Salvation really does result in eternal life. When a person willingly, humbly, repents of sin and turns towards the cross, trusting Christ as their Savior, they will be eternally saved.
If you believe in Christ today and have eternal life, but can lose it tomorrow, then it was never "eternal" at all. If you can lose your salvation, the promises of eternal life in the Bible would be an error or a lie. Eternal security is consistent with everything else the Bible teaches about mankind, and God. The idea of losing our salvation is not only unscriptural, but it creates problems with other doctrines, including salvation by faith, the sin nature of man, and the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice.
Faith Alone
If we could do anything to undo what God did by grace that would mean that our salvation required more than just our faith but must include works. That is completely contrary to scripture which says that we are saved by grace through faith and only faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift--9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
The doctrines of “eternal security” and “saved by faith alone” work together. To deny eternal security is to say that to be saved you must have works in addition to faith.
Man’s Sin Nature
The Bible teaches that man is inherently sinful. This means that even after being saved, every single believer is going to sin from time to time. Thinking that we can live a perfect, sinless life after our salvation is not only unscriptural, but arrogant.
Romans 3:10 (HCSB)10 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.
1 John 1:8-10 (HCSB)8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say, “We don’t have any sin,” we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Romans 8:38-39 (HCSB)38 For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, ⌊hostile⌋ powers,39 height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
The same God who saved you is the same God who will keep you. Once we are saved we are always saved. Our salvation is most definitely eternally secure!
Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)6 I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 1:5 (HCSB) 5 You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Jude 1:24-25 (HCSB) 24 Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy,25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.
The Sacrifice
Christ only died once and that was enough to take care of all sin past, present, and future.
Hebrews 9:28 (HCSB)28 so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
1 Peter 3:18 (HCSB)18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm.
Hebrews 7:27 (HCSB)27 He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all when He offered Himself.
If we are not eternally secure, this sinning will cause us to lose our salvation, but how much sin is too much? There is no scriptural “yardstick” given to tell us how many or what kind of sins are enough to void our salvation. Without eternal security, the Bible would describe a situation where Christianity is a perpetual game of Russian Roulette; a life in which condemnation and salvation alternate every time we sin and confess, and we never know if we’re saved or not. Got Questions Ministries
If we could lose our salvation, then it would be lost forever. The following is a much misunderstood scripture and one which the opponents os eternally secure salvation use to try to make their point.
Hebrews 6:4-6 (HCSB)4 For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit,5 tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age,6 and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt.
This passage actually supports eternal security in two ways. It implies that Christ’s sacrifice must be sufficient for all sins, and states that if it were possible for a person to lose their salvation, it would be forever lost. According to this passage, if a person could do something that cost them their salvation (which they cannot), then it would be “impossible” for them to be redeemed again.
No, “once saved, always saved” is not in the Bible, but it is true. Salvation really does result in eternal life. When a person willingly, humbly, repents of sin and turns towards the cross, trusting Christ as their Savior, they will be eternally saved.
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