Once Saved, Always Saved?

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
John 15:4

The doctrine of “once saved, always saved” was a part of John Calvin’s system of thought. It is widely believed today because it has become a part of the tradition of Protestantism. But we need to go back beyond the traditions of men and accept the Bible only.

Abide in Me Jesus said to His disciples, “Abide in Me ...” (John 15:6). If they could not fall, why did He tell them to abide? “Abide” suggests a continuing relationship; “to stay in, remain”. Only by abiding in Christ can one bear fruit to God and be pleasing to Him. Continue reading the same verse and you will see that the one who does not abide in Him will be cast into the fire and burned (read John 15:6 and Revelation 2:10).

Continual Belief Jesus said. “Truly , truly, I say to you, he who hears My words, and believes in Him Who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from out of death into life” (John 5:24). This belief must be continuous. When we no longer believe, we no longer have eternal life.

“If You Continue”God will cut off those who no longer believe, just as the Israelites were cut off due to unbelief. “Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off” (Romans 11:22). Notice the “if” (meaning:“in the event that; on condition that”) in this verse!

Willful Sin It is possible for us to receive the truth and then turn from it and be lost. “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:26). If we willfully continue in sin, Christ stops being the sacrifice for our sins!

Never Saved? Sometimes it is argued that the one who falls was never really saved. Please note that Peter wrote of those who were saved and who were overcome again by this world: “For if after they have escaped the defilement’s of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them” (2 Peter 2:20-21).

An Apostle Could FallThe apostle Paul did not consider himself so secure that he could not be lost. He wrote, “but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). If the apostle Paul thought he could be “disqualified”, should we not also have the same concern?

Apostasy ForetoldApostasy: “The abandonment of what one has believed in, as to one’s religious faith.” Paul prophesied apostasy, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will fall away from the faith ...” (1 Timothy 4:1). This falling away did occur. It could not have occurred if the saved could not have fallen.

“Live By Faith”It is necessary to continue to live by faith. One may at any time shrink back and be lost. “But My righteous ones shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My Soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:38-39).

“Lest He Fall”Each believer should take heed lest he fall into temptation and sin, and continuing in the sin, be lost. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). When we think we cannot fall we are most vulnerable. Satan would like for us to overconfident and believe that we cannot fall.

“You Have Fallen”The church at Ephesus was commended for their perseverance, but rebuked for leaving the love they had at first. They were saved, but they had fallen. “Remember, therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at the first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of it’s place --- unless you repent” (Revelation 2:5). If they were saved never to fall, why did Christ tell them they had fallen and require repentance once again?

“Fall Away From God”If it is impossible to fall away, then the following warning is without purpose: “Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).

“Have Fallen Away”Some of those who were saved did fall away, and because of the hardness of heart it was impossible to renew them to repentance, “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened, and have trusted the heavenly gift ... and then have fallen away, it is possible to renew them again to repentance ...” (Hebrews 6:4-6). Note! They had repented and were enlightened and then fell away, but through repentance and confession could be renewed again.

Secure In ChristJesus said, “... no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:29). No one else can remove the believer from God’s hand. But the one who strays removes himself. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me” (John 10:27). When we no longer hear His voice nor follow Him, we no longer “abide” in Him. But we will not fall away if we are careful to continually obey the voice of the Good Shepherd (Revelation 2:10).

WHAT CAN YOU DO? You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).

WE WELCOME YOUFollowing the instructions of the Scriptures, members of Christ’s body assemble as congregations for worship, encouragement, and Bible study. The congregation in your community welcomes you to investigate the Bible with us. With a spirit of brotherly love we would seek to reconcile any differences by following the Bible ONLY. We recognize the Bible as God’s inspired word, the ONLY reliable standard of faith and practice. We desire the unity for which Christ prayed and which the Bible emphasizes in the expression, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Together we seek to maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your questions and we want to be of encouragement.

Please contact me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruths@hotmail.com or 253-396-0290 (cell) for comments or further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.