The Doctrine of Eternal Security
I am not looking to debunk once saved always saved. There are plenty of verses in the Bible that give us the assurance of Salvation. The problem with many who teaches this doctrine does not give it justice because of there extreme teachings on this topic. I will do my best to bring balance via a Pentecostal perspective.
This doctrine asserts that once a person is saved, they cannot lose their salvation regardless of their actions or lifestyle, even if they deny Jesus and turn away from Him (this is extreme I am referring to). This belief is supported by passages like Romans 8 and John 10, which emphasize that nothing can separate us from God’s love and that Jesus’ followers have eternal life and cannot be taken from His hand.
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified…neither 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.”
(Romans 8:29-30, 39)
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
(John 10:28-29)
This doctrine also highlights the perseverance of the saints, suggesting that true believers will not turn away from the Lord. If someone abandons their faith, it indicates they were never truly saved. This perspective is based on 1 John 2, which explains that those who left the church were never really part of it.
“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”
(1 John 2:19)
This theological stance is controversial among Christians, with respected theologians and pastors on both sides of the issue. Personal relationships can also be affected by differing views on this topic.
Biblical Teachings on Salvation
1. Salvation by Grace
The Bible teaches that salvation is a gift of grace, not a result of our works.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. “Our salvation is not maintained by good works but by God’s grace, which also instructs us to renounce sin.
(Ephesians 2:8 )
We are not saved by our good works, nor do we keep our salvation through them. It is God’s divine grace that both saves and sustains us. God’s grace not only saves us but also instructs us to reject sin.
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” Although we are not saved by good works, we are saved for good works.
(Titus 2:11-12)
Paul, known for his teachings on grace, explains that although good works don’t save us, we are saved in order to do good works.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
(Ephesians 2:10)
Good works don’t save you. You are saved to do good works.
2. Assurance of Salvation
Assurance of salvation is different from the evidence of salvation, which is seen in a transformed life. We are confident of our salvation based on God’s promises, not our subjective experiences.
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
(1 John 5:11-13)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16)
God grants us the freedom to either accept or reject Him, as highlighted by the phrase “whoever believes” in John 3:16. Even after we surrender to the Gospel’s message and the Holy Spirit’s guidance to repent and turn to Christ, we retain our free will. Salvation is not a decision that cannot be undone. Choosing to follow Christ is not like joining a cartel where there’s no way out. Just as you can renounce your citizenship in the USA or dissolve a marriage covenant, you can also choose to renounce your salvation. While you may not want to, the option remains available. You are not trapped.
3. Possibility of Apostasy
Some scriptures suggest that believers can willfully turn away from their faith.
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
(Hebrews 6:4-6)
The epistle of Hebrews was addressed to Jewish believers who had accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Savior. These believers faced pressure and persecution to revert to the synagogue and their former Jewish practices. Some succumbed to this pressure and turned away from Christ, reverting to Judaism, which denies the Gospel’s message of salvation through faith in Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. This particular passage speaks directly to them.
They had:
- Once been enlightened by the gospel.
- Tasted the heavenly gift of eternal life.
- Tasted the good Word of God about New Covenant truths.
- Tasted the powers of the age to come–the future kingdom age when Christ returns.
- Been partakers of the Holy Spirit.
They had abandoned their faith, succumbing to pressure to revert to Judaism and denying Christ. This act of apostasy brought shame to Jesus and represented a complete renunciation of their faith. Once they did this, it became impossible for them to repent again. It’s evident from these verses that this is referring to believers.
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
(1 Timothy 4:1)
You can’t abandon the faith if you were never truly part of it. It’s evident that some will turn away in the last days. Just consider the many prominent Christians who have renounced their faith and become atheists in the past decade, which is well-documented on social media. Claiming they were never true believers or that they remain saved despite rejecting their faith is highly questionable.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
(Matthew 24:9-13)
It was Jesus who said that when times get hard people will turn away from their faith. This was evident during the persecution in the communist Soviet Union. The Soviet police would offer to spare your life if you would openly deny Christianity and report your Christian brothers to the communist party. Even to this day, the Chinese and other communist governments persecute Christian believers in the same way.
If you can remain saved after denying Jesus, then why did Jesus ask us to stand firm until the end?
“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, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.”
(Colossians 1:21-23)
Did you notice the word “if” in Paul’s statement? This verse urges us to remain steadfast and unwavering in our faith, grounded in the hope of the gospel. Some choose to abandon their faith, which is why Paul included the conditional “if” after explaining our reconciliation through Christ’s physical body.
“Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.”
(Romans 11:20-22)
Paul uses the example of the Israelites, who were cut off due to unbelief, to illustrate that non-Jews are also saved by faith and must continue in God’s kindness to avoid being cut off. This warning suggests that it is indeed possible for believers to be cut off if they do not persist in their faith.
“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.”
(Hebrews 3:12-14)
The writer of Hebrews warns believers about the risk of having sinful, unbelieving hearts that could lead them away from God. He reassures them that they can share in the security of Christ if they remain steadfast in their faith until the end.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He 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. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also 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. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”
(John 15:1-6)
The Passion translation of the second verse states that He lifts up every barren branch. In verse 6, the branches discarded are those not abiding in the vine. Although it might seem illogical to think branches can choose not to abide, Jesus indicates it is possible. Verse 5 clarifies that we, as human beings with free will, are the branches. We should let God’s Word shape our understanding rather than relying on human logic to interpret spiritual truths.
“You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”
(Galatians 5:4)
“My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
(James 5:19-20)
James addresses his audience as “brothers and sister,” in this translation, “brethren” in most, indicating he is speaking to fellow Christians. He emphasizes that a believer can stray from the truth. If someone among them turns a backsliding Christian back to God, they rescue a soul from spiritual death, not physical death. This challenges the “Once Saved, Always Saved” theory, prompting reflection on the nature of salvation and the possibility of spiritual decline.
4. Warnings from John Wesley
John Wesley warned against the notion of “once saved, always saved,” emphasizing that various scriptures indicate that it is possible to fall away from grace.
Matthew 25:8 – Virgins’ lamps going out
Matthew 13:7 – Harvest choked by thorns
John 15:6 – Branches cut off for not abiding
Matthew 18:32 – Forgiveness forfeited
Revelation 3:5; Exodus 32:33 – Names blotted out of the book
Matthew 5:13 – Salt losing its flavor
“Once Saved, Always Saved,” says that nobody can ever:
2 Corinthians 6:1 – Receiving God’s grace in vain
Matthew 25:18 – Burying talents
Hebrews 2:3 – Neglecting salvation
Luke 9:62 – Looking back after putting a hand to the plow
2 Peter 2:1 – Denying the Lord
Revelation 3:16 – Being lukewarm
“Once Saved, Always Saved” will argue that:
If you are lost, you were never found (John 17:12)
If one falls, he was never standing (Romans 11:16-22; Hebrews 6:4-6)
If one was ever “cast forth,” he was never in, and “if one ever withered,” he was never attached to the vine and once green (John 15:1-6)
“If any man draws back,” proves that he never had anything to draw back from (Hebrews 10:38,39)
If one ever “falls away into spiritual darkness,” he was never enlightened (Hebrews 6:4-6)
If you “again get entangled in the pollution of the world,” it shows that you never escaped (2 Peter 2:20)
If you “put salvation away” you never truly had it (Hebrews 10:35; Psalms 51:11)
If you make a shipwreck of your faith, there was no ship of faith there, to begin with!! (1 Timothy 1:19)
5. 1 John 2, which addresses antichrists rather than backsliders, is often used to argue that losing salvation indicates it was never possessed in the first place.
“Dear children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”
(1 John 2:18-19)
There are indeed false conversions involving people with the spirit of the antichrist. Likewise, when the sower planted seeds, only one out of four types of soil yielded a good harvest.
Not everyone who responds to an altar call or prays the sinner’s prayer is truly born again. However, to label everyone who departs from Christ as an antichrist who was never saved is a major overreach. Many scriptures we’ve examined demonstrate otherwise.
6. The concept of “once saved, always saved” has significant logical flaws.
For instance, proponents argue that once you are born again, you cannot be “unborn,” hence you cannot lose your salvation. However, many spiritual beings, such as Lucifer and other rebellious angels, were once considered children of God but are now excluded from His family. The Bible often uses the imagery of family and marriage to depict belonging to God, yet it is common knowledge that one can disown family members or divorce a spouse.
Another argument is that salvation, being eternal, cannot be lost without implying it was only temporary. However, the Bible never suggests it is impossible to renounce or abandon our salvation once received. Scripture is clear that believers can backslide, a coin can be lost, sheep can go astray, and a son can become prodigal. A backslider is in danger and needs to be urged to repent to avoid apostasy. Consider Judas Iscariot, who was part of Jesus’ inner circle but ended up betraying Him and committing suicide.
7. Christians cannot lose their salvation, but they can choose to abandon it by walking away from the Lord.
True believers can be assured of their salvation. We shouldn’t fear losing it like misplacing a wallet. The Scriptures assure us of God’s provision and the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit. Recognizing the danger of backsliding and the possibility of abandoning salvation does not mean we should live in constant fear of doing so.
For example, a passenger on a plane is guaranteed to reach their destination unless they choose to do something drastic like opening the cabin door and jumping out. Forfeiting salvation is akin to jumping out of an airplane.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
(John 10:27)
The promise of eternal security is conditional, not unconditional. Those promised eternal life are those who “hear His voice and follow.” No one can snatch them from Jesus’ hand, but they can choose to leave His hand.
8. Christians don’t lose their salvation by struggling with temptation and sin, but by living in persistent lawlessness. There is a significant difference between struggling with sin and practicing sin.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”
(Matthew 7:21-23)
Here, Jesus refers to those He never knew; they are not former believers who walked away. They were never saved, as evidenced by their ongoing practice of lawlessness. Practice, like our church’s worship team improving their singing, indicates a desire to become proficient at something.
Christians do not practice sin; they struggle with it.
“If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.”
(2 Peter 2:20-21)
A believer who continually and willfully practices a sinful lifestyle places themselves on dangerous ground.
“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 that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?”
(Hebrews 10:26-31)
9. If a Christian can lose their salvation, it implies that the Holy Spirit can be withdrawn.
God removed His Spirit from King Saul, who initially was among the prophets and prophesied (see 1 Samuel 10:9-13 & 16:14). Another scripture shows King David, in repentance, pleading with God not to take His Spirit from him.
“Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”
(Psalms 51:11)
Paul writes in Ephesians 1 that after we believed in Christ, God sealed us with the Holy Spirit of promise.
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”
(Ephesians 1:13-14)
The term “sealed” signifies being marked or stamped with a signet, indicating ownership. However, Paul also writes in Ephesians,
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
(Ephesians 4:30)
Final Thought:
Scripture consistently teaches that humans have the free choice between life and death, and God respects that freedom. A true believer can choose to apostatize, reject God’s grace, and forfeit their salvation. We are secure in Jesus, but if we ultimately reject Him, we forfeit our secure standing in Him. Nonetheless, we can be confident that God’s grace, which saved us initially, is always present to warn, encourage, and sustain us.
