“Once saved, always saved?”
Not according to the Bible!
Although we have many great
assurances in our faith, it is possible to lose your salvation. Contrary
to denominational teaching, the Scriptures warn us in many places against
falling away. Jesus explained in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Look
at verses 20-21:
The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
Does this mean we are
promoting “salvation by works”? Not by
any means!
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and
this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one
can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
It is by God’s grace
that mankind has a plan of salvation available! Can you imagine if we
didn’t, and we were hopelessly doomed to hell with no possibility of
redemption? Just because we are not saved by works, does not mean we must not
still be faithful to God in our daily lives. Many use the false doctrine of
“once saved, always saved” as a license to sin and justify their immorality and
rebellion. But the Word of God warns
against this:
Galatians 5:19-21
The
acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and
debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage,
selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the
like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not
inherit the
Could it be any clearer?
Paul told Timothy of those
who had turned from the Truth:
1 Timothy 1:18-19
Timothy,
my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made
about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on
to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked
their faith.
1 Timothy 4:1
"But
the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the
faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons"
1 Timothy 6:9-10
"But those who want to get rich fall into
temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men
into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of
evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced
themselves with many a pang."
1 Timothy 6:20-21
"O
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty
chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called
"knowledge"-which some have professed and thus gone astray from
the faith."
2 Timothy 2:16-18
But avoid
worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their
talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are HYMENAEUS and Philetus, men who
have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already
taken place, and thus they upset the faith of some.
The apostle Peter warned us
too:
2 Peter 2:1
"But
false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false
teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even
denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon
themselves."
2 Peter 3:17
"You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand,
be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you
fall from your own steadfastness"
2 Peter 2:20-22
"For if after they have escaped the defilements
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 be 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. It has happened to them according to the true proverb,
"A dog returns to its own vomit," and, "A sow, after washing,
returns to wallowing in the mire.""
Hebrews warns us:
Hebrews 6:4-6
For in the case of those who have once been
enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers
of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the
age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to
repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him
to open shame.
Hebrews 10:26-27
For if we
go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no
longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of
judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries."
Hebrews 10:38-39
"But
My righteous one 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."
James and John warn us:
James 5:19-20
"My brethren, if any among you strays from the
truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the
error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude
of sins."
2 John 8-9
“Watch
out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be
rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not
continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the
teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
Jesus Himself warned us
through John:
Revelation 2:4-5
"'But I have this against you, that you have left
your first love. 'Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and
do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your
lampstand out of its place-unless you repent."
Revelation 3:5
"'He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white
garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will
confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.
Revelation 3:16-17
'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor
cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 'Because you say, "I am rich, and
have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that
you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked"
The whole New Testament is
chock full and overflowing with warnings and admonitions to lead a life worthy
of the calling to which we have received.
Galatians 5:4
You who
are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have
fallen away from grace.
Ephesians 4:1
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Colossians 1:10
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may
please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the
knowledge of God,
If we were saved with no possibility of falling away, then there would be
hardly any reason for the majority of the New Testament. Most of it is to
exhort Christians to holy living so they do not loose their crown:
►Be steadfast and immovable-- 1 Corinthians 15:58
►We will reap if we do not give up-- Galatians 6:9
►Be faithful unto death and I will give crown of life-- Revelation
2:10
►Practice these things and God will be with you-- Phil 4:9
…and on and on…
2Peter 5:5-11
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Page last updated: November
24, 2005