"Once Saved Always Saved"?
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In this writing I want to examine this doctrine of “Once Saved Always Saved” Are Christians always saved no matter what they do? I am going to present scriptures that show that Christians can lose their salvation and also disprove the arguments that proponents of this doctrine use to justify their beliefs. In looking at the book of Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 we can see that The Father is writing to His people: He says in v. 4 of Chapter 2 that He would remove the candle stick of the church at Ephesus if they would not repent. He also said in v. 16 to the church at Pergamos that He would fight against them with the sword of His mouth if they would not repent. He said to the church at Sardis in Chapter 3 v. 3 that He would come on them as a thief if they would not remember where they had fallen and repent. He also said in v. 16 to the church at Laodicea that He would “spue them out of His mouth” because they were lukewarm! These scriptures don’t sound like His people are always to be saved no matter what they do. Here are some other scriptures that disprove that a person who is saved can always be saved no matter what they do:
1. Matt.7 v. 19-23- Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he 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 perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
2. Matt. 10: 22 - All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
3. Matt.24 v. 9-13- “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 he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
4. Luke 12:46- The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
5. Luke 13 v.6-9- Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
6. John 8 v.31-32- To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
7. John 15 v. 1-6- “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, and I will 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 a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”
8. Romans 11 v. 20-22- But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 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.
9. 1 Cor. 9:27 - No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
10. Col. 1 v. 21-23- 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, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
11. 1 Tim. 1 v. 18-20- 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. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
12. 1 Tim. 4:1- The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
13. Heb. 3:6- But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
14. Heb. 3 v. 12-14- See to it, brothers, 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 we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
15. Heb. 6 v. 4-6- 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.
16. Heb. 10 v.26-31- 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 a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
17. 2 Pet.2 v. 20-22- 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.
18. 2 Pet 3:17- Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.
19. 1 Jn. 2:24- See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.
20. Rev. 3:5- He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
21. Rev. 22:19- And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Here are some more scriptures that refute the doctrine of “Once Saved Always Saved”-
1.) Parable of
sower
• Mark 4:16 (Luke 8:13) “And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed
was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately
receive it with joy; (they believe for a while) and they have no firm root in
themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises
because of the word, immediately they fall away.
2.) Fallen from grace passage: • Galatians 5:4 “You have been severed
from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from
grace.”
This verse alone disproves "Once Saved Always Saved" fairly well, because if
you can fall from grace, it means you had grace to begin with. Unless OSAS
believers want to try and explain how a person can fall from grace with Christ
being of no effect, and yet still be saved? If we can be saved while fallen from
grace, then why need grace in the first place?
3.) 2 John 8-9 “Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have
accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far
and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who
abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.”
4.) Another Revelation passage:
• 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.
5.) Old
Testament passages
• Ezekiel 18:24-26 “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness,
commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man
does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be
remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has
committed; for them he will die. “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not
right.’ Hear now, O house of Israel! Is My way not right? Is it not your ways
that are not right? “When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness,
commits iniquity, and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has
committed he will die.”
Other scriptural arguments that refute "Once Saved Always Saved:”
1. be steadfast immovable: 1 Cor. 15:58
2. If these qualities are yours...2 Pet. 1:5-11
3. we will reap if we do not grow weary: Gal. 6:9
4. be faithful unto death and I will give crown of life: Rev. 2:10
5. practice these things and God will be with you: Phil. 4:9
Reasons Why “Once Saved Always Saved” Is False:
It cheapens Gods estimate of sin
It is not taught in scripture
It renders all exhortations to holiness to be irrelevant
It must “explain away” the vast majority of scripture
It encourages sinful living and false assurance
It results in false conversions that weaken the true church
It is the most destructive and deceptive lie of Satan
TWENTY LIES NOT FOUND IN SCRIPTURE
1. Once saved always saved.
2. Christians are no different than other sinners, except they are saved.
3. God cannot see the Christians sin because they are covered by the blood of
Christ.
4. We can be filthy as a barnyard in body and still be saved and holy in spirit.
5. We all sin in word, thought and deed, every moment and every day.
6. All who have ever fallen away were never saved in the first place.
7. That when one comes to Christ, their sins are paid for past, present and
future.
8. You can only lose fellowship with God and not salvation.
9. God would never disown one of His own children.
10. A sheep cannot become a goat.
11. If we sin we only lose fellowship and not relationship with God.
12. Salvation is unconditional.
13. If salvation cannot be earned it cannot be lost.
14. God will not begin a work that he will not finish.
15. Repentance is not required for salvation.
16. Christians who say we must remain faithful to stay saved preach a works
salvation.
17. We can be “Sinning Saints” or “Backslidden Christians” and still be saved.
18. Only at death can we ultimately be saved from sin.
19. Christians are still sinners.
20. I am secure because Jesus paid my sin debt in full.
These are just some of the scriptural proof that the doctrine of "Once Saved Always Saved" is not biblical,but that it is demonically inspired. Please pray earnestly about this message and share with others who may believe in this doctrine of "Once Saved Always Saved." Paul's last prayer was that he would be preserved into the heavenly kingdom of Yahshua. (2 Tim 4:18)