ONCE SAVED ALWAYS
SAVED - A LIE
Many in the denominational world who are following the false teachings of John
Calvin believe that once a person is saved he can never be lost, or in other
words, ONE CAN NEVER FALL FROM GRACE! Does the Bible really teach this doctrine?
NO, the Bible DOES NOT teach this FALSE DOCTRINE! Please read the context of
each of the below passages in your Bible.
The Bible plainly teaches that A CHILD OF GOD can so sin as to be eternally
lost, because SIN can cause one to FALL into condemnation (Jam. 5:12). Judas,
a CHOSEN Apostle of Christ, "by transgression FELL" (Acts 1:25). The
Apostle Paul said it WAS POSSIBLE for he himself to be "A CASTAWAY."
So to prevent it, he buffeted his body (1 Cor. 9:27).
Christians CAN SO SIN as to be ETERNALLY LOST, because they can become so ENTANGLED
in sin that "the latter end is worse with them than the beginning"
(2 Pet. 2:20-22). The church at Ephesus HAD FALLEN and was in danger of losing
its candlestick (Rev. 2:5).
A CHILD OF GOD CAN BE LOST, because he can lie and die in that SIN (Acts 5:1-11).
The FATE of those who die in that condition is seen in Rev. 21:8: "...all
liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone..."
Friends, the Holy Spirit says THAT SOME CHRISTIANS "shall depart from the
faith" (1 Tim. 4:1-3). "An evil heart of unbelief" can cause
them to depart (Heb. 3:12). Those who depart will have "DAMNATION"
(1 Tim. 5:12), and be "DELIVERED UNTO SATAN" (l Tim. 1:19-20).
The Galatians were told that THEY HAD "fallen from grace" by attempting
to be justified by the law of Moses (Gal. 5:4). Thus, not only is it POSSIBLE
for Christians TO FALL FROM GRACE, but in this instance it ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
Even so, the FALSE TEACHERS say it is impossible.
NOTE THIS UNDENIABLE SYLLOGISM: 1) Man is saved by grace through faith (Eph.
2:8). 2) A Christian may fall from grace (Gal. 5:4). 3) Therefore, a Christian
may be lost ETERNALLY.
2 Peter 1:10 declares there are THINGS for the Christian TO DO to keep from
falling (vs 5-9). This unmistakably implies that if one does not do these things
HE WILL FALL. Paul admonished the Corinthian Christians to "take heed"
LEST THEY FALL (1 Cor. 10:12). If one cannot fall, WHY was this command given?
The parable of the sower emphatically refutes the FALSE DOCTRINE of "ONCE
SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED" (Read Matt. 13:3:8, 18-23; Luke 8:4-15). The stony
and thorny ground Christians BELIEVED FOR AWHILE, but due to sin THEY FAILED
TO PRODUCE FRUIT. Their appointed lot is to be "cast into the fire"
(Matt. 7:19).
The parable of the vine and the branches IS MORE PROOF that a branch in the
vine, a CHRISTIAN, can be burned (John 15:1-6). We also learn from the parable
of the talents that a SERVANT OF THE LORD CAN BE LOST (Matt. 25:24-30). Jesus
even said that His angels would gather certain ones out of HIS KINGDOM and "CAST
THEM INTO a furnace of fire" (Matt. 13:41-42).
Loved ones, the FALSE DOCTRINE that a child of God CANNOT SO SIN as to be eternally
lost BEGAN IN THE MIND OF SATAN! He is the author of it and first preached it
to Adam and Eve in the garden (READ Gen. 3:3-4). In current language, Satan
was saying, "You shall not be condemned because you are a child of God,
and it is impossible for you to fall and be lost."
Many more passages could be cited which plainly teach that a saved soul can
be lost (Please READ Heb. 4:11; 6:4-6; 12:15; 2 Pet. 3:17; Jam. 5:19-20; Matt.
25:41-46; Luke 9:62; Gal. 5:19-21 ), BUT THINK ABOUT THIS: If a child of God
cannot be lost, the devil is a fool. He has been laboring for about 6,000 years
to damn the souls of the children of God; and if he has never succeeded in damning
the soul OF EVEN ONE CHILD OF GOD, he is a simpleton for continuing.
Those who teach the false doctrine of ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED are confused about
the following scriptures: John 5:24; Rom. 8:35-39; I John 3:9; Rom. 7:15-25;
1 Cor. 3:15; 10:13; and John 10:27-28. We therefore will now shed a little light
on these passages.
John 5:24 is used by the FALSE TEACHERS of the "Once Saved Always Saved"
doctrine to prove that Christians have eternal life NOW, and hence, it is impossible
for them to be lost. However, a close study of this passage reveals that Jesus
carried Himself forward to the judgment day, and spoke these words as if it
were present (cf. Matt. 26:28).
The New Testament teaches in many places that the Christian does not NOW have
eternal life in actuality (Matt. 25:46; Rom. 2:6-7; 6:22; 8:24-25). The Christian
has eternal life NOW ONLY IN PROMISE (1 John 2:25) and HOPE (Tit. 1:2). Eternal
life IN ACTUALITY is to be received "IN THE WORLD TO COME" (Mark 10:30).
Remember, one passage of Scripture NEVER contradicts another!
Romans 8:35-39 simply teaches that external things CANNOT SEPARATE US from the
love of God. However, the Bible plainly teaches that WE CAN SEPARATE OURSELVES
from the love of God (John 15:9-10; Jude 21). The fact that God loves man IS
NO PROOF OF MAN'S ETERNAL SALVATION, for God loves the whole world (John 3:16),
yet most of the world will be lost (Matt. 7:13-14).
In 1 John 3:9, John is NOT teaching that it is impossible for a Christian to
EVER sin, because he teaches in other plain verses that he can (1 John 1:8-9;
2:1 ). The person who places an interpretation on one passage that contradicts
other plain passages has surely misinterpreted it. John IS SAYING that the Christian
will not "sin habitually" (Greek present tense) because "HIS
SEED REMAINETH in him." The seed is the Word of God (Luke 8:11). The Word,
WHEN ADHERED TO, will not allow a life of HABITUAL SIN (cf. Ps. 119:11). Remember,
unrepented sin will result in death (1 John 5:16), so a Christian CAN SO SIN
AS TO BE LOST (Jam. 5:19-20).
Romans 7:15-25 is used by the FALSE TEACHERS in an effort to prove that it is
the BODY of the Christian which sins and NOT his SPIRIT. If so - THEY REASON
- and if what a man sows he shall reap (Gal. 6:6-7), then his BODY will be cast
into hell while his SPIRIT will go to heaven! ABSURD!! The TRUTH OF THE MATTER
is as follows: 1) The SPIRIT OF MAN lets sin reign in the body (Rom. 6:12).
2) It is THE SPIRIT instead of the body that knows ( 1 Cor. 2:11). 3) Some sins
are committed to gratify the flesh, but they are first committed in the heart
and proceed from the heart (Mark 7:21-23). Thus, the soul of man can be lost
(Matt. 16:26).
The WORK which may be burned in 1 Corinthians 3:15 are the PEOPLE converted
by the teacher. This would be a loss, but the teacher himself could still be
saved. The Corinthians were Paul's work and HE FEARED THAT SOME MIGHT BE LOST.
Thus, this verse DISPROVES rather than proves the impossibility of apostasy.
We learn from 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God is faithful to make an OPPORTUNITY
OF ESCAPE for the Christian, BUT the Christian must seize the opportunity or
HE WILL FALL; for the preceding verse says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed lest he fall."
The promises contained in John 10:27-28 are CONDITIONAL and dependent upon the
person FOLLOWING Christ: "they follow me." Jesus teaches in the twelfth
verse of this chapter that the sheep can be caught and scattered.
Friends, after being born into the family of God (John 3:3-5), a child of God
CAN so conduct himself as TO FORFEIT all privileges and blessings pertaining
to sonship. This is illustrated in the story of "The Prodigal Son"
(Luke 15:11-32). The younger son BECAME LOST when he DESPISED his sonship and
WASTED his substance in riotous living; yet he was still a son! When he REPENTED
and RETURNED home, all the blessings of sonship were restored to him. But he
would have REMAINED “A LOST SON” if he had died in his IMPENITENT
state.
Conclusion: To become a Christian one must hear the Word of God (Rom. 10:17),
believe with all his heart (Rom. 10:9-10), confess Christ as the Son of God
(Matt. 10:32-33), and “repent and be baptized...for the remission of sins”
(Acts 2:38). The person who obeys these commands becomes a Christian. He then
must continue to walk in the light (1 John 1:7) or be faithful unto death (Rev.
2:10), and then he will receive the crown of life.
By unknown author
Return to the Question/Answer Index page
Return to the General Articles page
Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /