Once Saved,
Always Saved: Fact
or Fiction?
By
Pete Rose
There is an
ongoing controversy
in churches today
and between certain
denominations as to
whether or not once
a person is born
again he can ever be
lost again—or is he
saved for eternity?
This document will
attempt to clear the
air and determine
the truth of this
matter.
First, there is the
matter of how to
interpret the Bible
and how doctrines
come about.
The Bible is the
final authority in
all matters
concerning the
Christian faith. It
must be properly
interpreted. It is
to be taken at face
value, as written,
with words given
their normal,
ordinary meaning
unless the context
indicates otherwise.
Scripture should be
read in its
context—that is, in
the light of what
precedes and what
follows the
particular passage
you are reading. You
need also to
consider to whom is
the passage written,
who and what it is
talking about, where
they are, and what
they are doing. The
law of first use
says that how a
particular word is
used the first time
it appears in
Scripture usually
sets the correct
usage of that word
throughout the rest
of the Bible. Never
use a passage of
weak or uncertain
meaning to overrule
a passage whose
meaning is obvious.
If the language is
symbolic, try to
determine what it
symbolizes. Using a
concordance or a
Bible reference
program to look up
passages matching
the symbols spoken
of will help you
find the correct
meaning.
Doctrines usually
come about in one of
two ways—either
through an honest
study of the
Scriptures, or by
human reasoning.
Sound doctrine is
always based on
Scripture taken in
its proper context,
and never on human
wisdom or logic.
False doctrine is
based on human
reasoning,
frequently with
"proof texts,"
Scripture quotations
taken out of context
and twisted to fit
the doctrine.
That said, let's get
to the heart of the
matter.
It is Jesus'
sacrifice on the
cross and our
relationship with
Him that gets us to
heaven, not anything
on our part beyond
putting our whole
trust in Jesus as
our Savior and Lord.
He alone paid the
penalty for our
sins, and it is
through Him alone
that we have hope of
going to heaven and
avoiding hell.
Ephesians 2:8–9
says, "For by grace
are you saved, and
that not of
yourselves, it is
the gift of God, not
of works lest any
man should boast."
Titus 3:5 says, "Not
by works of
righteousness that
we have done, but
according to his
mercy he saved us,
by the washing of
regeneration and the
renewing of the Holy
Ghost." You can't
get saved by joining
a church, giving
money to charity, or
doing good deeds,
though Jesus expects
us to do such things
once we are saved.
You can't save
yourself by right
living, apart from
Jesus. The prophet
Isaiah says, "All
our [human]
righteousnesses are
as filthy rags" in
the sight of God
(64:6). Jesus is our
only hope of
salvation, and it is
Jesus and His
righteousness living
in us and through us
that are our ticket
to heaven.
I intend to examine
this subject from
several angles:
1. The words of
Jesus and the
apostles, the Word
of God.
2. Our Father-son
relationship with
God.
3. The problem of
salvation by works.
4. What the Bible
really says about
falling from grace.
5. Jesus' sacrifice
on the cross.
6. The body of
Christ.
1. The words of
Jesus and the
apostles, the Word
of God. We have
the plain words of
Jesus Himself: "My
sheep hear my voice,
and I know them and
they follow me. I
give to them eternal
life and they shall
never perish,
neither shall anyone
snatch them out of
my hand. My Father
who gave them to me
is greater than all,
and no one is able
to snatch them out
of His hand. I and
my father are one"
(John 10:27–30).
He plainly says we
have eternal life,
He knows us, we will
never perish, and no
one is able to
snatch us from His
hand. And since
Jesus and the Father
are one and the
same, anyone trying
to snatch us out of
His hand is also
trying to snatch us
out of the Father's
hand, and Jesus
flatly says no one
can do that.
In Jesus' high
priestly prayer
(John 17), He has
this to say: "Holy
Father, keep through
your own name those
whom you have given
me, that they may be
one, as we are.
While I was with
them in the world, I
kept them in your
name; and of those
you gave me I have
kept, and none of
them is lost but the
son of perdition
[Judas]; that the
scripture might be
fulfilled." Jesus
specifically asks
the Father to keep
those who were with
Him during His time
on earth, as He,
Jesus, had kept them
while He was here,
and not for those
only but for all who
would believe on Him
through their word
(v. 12, 20). He also
makes the point that
none was lost except
for Judas Iscariot,
who betrayed Him.
Nothing in the Bible
indicates that Judas
was truly saved,
even though he had
walked with Jesus
and had part in His
ministry. He was a
thief as well as a
traitor.
We have also the
words of the
apostles.
The apostle John
tells us, "These
things I write unto
you that you sin
not. And if any man
sin we have an
advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous, And
he is the
propitiation for our
sins, and not for
ours only, but also
for the sins of the
whole world" (1 John
1:1-2.) Jesus has
paid God's just
penalty for all our
sins, and they can
never be held
against us.
Moreover, Jesus
stands at God's
right hand making
intercession for us
when we do sin. He
is our lawyer, our
defense attorney
before God the
Father. When Satan
comes accusing us
before God, Jesus
says, "Father, my
blood has already
paid for that sin,"
and instantly it is
erased. When we
confess our sin, we
are forgiven and
cleansed from the
effects of that sin
(1 John 1:9). Paul
tells us of God's
love in Romans
8:37–39: "Nay, in
all these things we
are more than
conquerers through
him who loved us.
For I am persuaded
that neither death,
nor life, nor
angels, nor
principalities, nor
powers, nor things
present, nor things
to come, neither
height, nor depth,
nor any other
creature, shall be
able to separate us
from the love of
God, which is in
Christ Jesus our
Lord."
Again in 2 Timothy
1:12, "For which
cause I also suffer
these things;
nevertheless I am
not ashamed, for I
know whom I have
believed, and am
persuaded that he is
able to keep that
which I have
committed unto him
against that day."
Paul tells us in 1
Corinthians 3:10–15
that our works of
whatever sort they
are will be judged,
tried by fire. Our
works are
represented as gold,
silver, precious
stones, wood, hay,
and stubble. Gold,
silver, and precious
stones will survive
the fire; wood, hay,
and stubble will be
burned up. This
judgment is only for
Christians. The
unsaved will face a
much different
judgment later on.
"Now if any man
builds upon this
foundation [Jesus
Christ] gold,
silver, precious
stones, wood, hay,
stubble, Every man's
work shall be made
manifest, for the
day shall declare
it, because it shall
be revealed by fire;
and the fire shall
try every man's work
of what sort it is.
If any man's work
abides which he has
built thereupon, he
shall receive a
reward. If any man's
work shall be
burned, he shall
suffer loss, but he
himself shall be
saved, yet so as by
fire." In other
words, in the latter
case it will be like
he escaped out of a
burning house. Even
though he lost
everything, still he
is saved.
2. Our Father-son
relationship with
God. God is our
Father and we are
His children. When a
person is saved, he
is adopted into
God's family. See
Romans 8:15,
Galatians 4:5, and
Ephesians 1:5. In
the ancient Roman
culture, when a
child was adopted
into a family, he
received all the
rights, privileges,
and responsibilities
of the new family,
and all ties and
relationships with
the old family were
broken off. The
adopted child had
the same status in
the adoptive family
as a natural-born
child. And so it is
when we are adopted
into God's family.
God has become our
Father and we are
His children. He
cares for us,
corrects us, and
disciplines us as a
natural father would
do for his own
children. Would we
disown our children
every time they
disobeyed us? If we
would not, how much
less would God?
3. The problem of
salvation by works.
Some teach that if
you sin, you lose
your salvation.
There are various
degrees of
disagreement among
those who teach this
as to how much you
can sin before you
lose your salvation.
Some say that you
lose your salvation
every time you sin;
some believe only
willful sin will
cause you to lose
it; yet others
believe there are
varying degrees in
between. The big
problem with this
teaching is it
ignores the keeping
power of God.
Throughout Romans
and Galatians, we
are told that we
cannot be saved by
keeping the law—in
other words, by
works. First Peter
1:3–5 tells us we
have an inheritance
stored up for us in
heaven, and we are
kept by the power of
God. We are not our
own, and we don't
keep ourselves saved
by being good. Jesus
and the Father keep
us.
It is the
righteousness of
Jesus that makes us
acceptable in God's
sight, and our
"badness" has no
effect on Jesus'
righteousness. It is
our relationship
with Jesus, not our
goodness, that keeps
us saved.
Let's assume for a
few minutes, just
for the sake of
argument, that we
have to keep
ourselves saved by
our good works. What
then? First of all,
we know this
contradicts what
Jesus Himself said.
But if you can lose
your salvation
through sin, how
much sin does it
take to take us out
of God's hand? What
does James say? "If
you keep the whole
law, but offend in
only one point, you
are guilty of all"
(James 2:10).
What was that? You
mess up just one
time, and you're
out? That's what he
says. Then there's
another problem.
There are two
passages in Hebrews
(6:4–6 and 10:26–31)
that indicate that
if a saved person
falls away (loses
his salvation), it
is impossible for
him ever to be saved
again. According to
this reasoning, if
we lose our
salvation when we
sin, and if the
foregoing is true,
we're all lost and
on our way to
hell—with no hope of
ever getting saved
again. But that
would defeat God's
whole purpose of
Jesus offering
Himself as the
perfect sacrifice
for our sins. God is
able to keep us from
falling (Jude
24–25).
4. What the Bible
really says about
falling from grace.
Galatians (5:4) uses
the words, "You have
fallen from grace."
This is about a
third of verse 4,
which is sometimes
quoted by those who
believe one can fall
from grace.
The whole verse
reads, "Christ has
become of no effect
to you, whosoever of
you are justified by
the law; you have
fallen from grace."
Big difference. Paul
makes it very plain
throughout the book
of Galatians, and
also in Romans, that
no one can be saved
by keeping the law.
The purpose of the
law is to show us we
are sinners and
drive us to Jesus
for the remedy. It
is those who are
trying to justify
themselves by
keeping the law—not
Christians who have
sinned—who have
fallen from grace.
5. Jesus’
sacrifice on the
cross. Hebrews
10:9–18 indicates
that Jesus offered
Himself, one
sacrifice, one time,
as the full and
sufficient sacrifice
for all men for all
time. Does this mean
we are saved
automatically? No.
We must still
receive the Lamb of
God, Jesus, into our
hearts in order for
that sacrifice to be
effective for us.
Once we have done
that, Jesus lives
inside us, and it is
He that keeps us,
and not ourselves.
If once we've truly
been saved, we can
lose our salvation
by sinning, then
Jesus' sacrifice was
not enough to take
away our sins, and
we have to keep
ourselves saved by
our own efforts.
Saying that Jesus'
sacrifice is not
sufficient to keep
us saved, to me, is
little short of
blasphemy, if not in
fact. Plus, it
contradicts the
plain words of Jesus
Himself, "They will
never perish."
6. The body of
Christ. When we
are born again by
faith in Jesus, He
comes to live in us
and we become a part
of the body of
Christ. If we lose
our salvation, we
are no longer a part
of the body of
Christ, and the body
would continually
have parts falling
off of it. Can you
imagine this scene?
"Whoops! There goes
his left index
finger." "Hey, his
ear just fell off."
"Uh-oh! His right
arm just
disappeared."
Ridiculous? Of
course it is. But
that's just what
would be happening
if we lost our
salvation every time
we sinned.
Now you may wonder,
in light of all the
foregoing, why
seemingly strong
Christians sometimes
go bad. Some
possibilities come
to mind:
Carnality.
Some Christians let
the flesh instead of
the Holy Spirit rule
their lives. Paul
had to deal with
this constantly with
people in the church
at Corinth—including
a man in bed with
his stepmother. But
he never told them
they were lost;
instead, he sought
to restore them.
Religion.
Many people are
religious but are
not really saved.
There is a big
difference between
religion and
salvation. Religion
has a form of
godliness, but lacks
the power of God.
Salvation is a
personal
relationship with
Jesus and is backed
up with the power of
the indwelling Holy
Spirit.
Satan's trap.
Satan is continually
seeking to trap
Christians into
compromising
situations.
Sometimes they let
down their guard,
and Satan snares
them. That doesn't
mean they're lost,
but they're
definitely out of
God's favor. Paul
says to restore such
a one with a spirit
of meekness [or,
gently, as in some
translations],
considering
yourself, lest you
also be tempted
(Galatians 6:1).
Fear. Some
may fear
persecution, or fear
what someone might
do or think, and so
turn aside to avoid
it. Remember
Galatians 2:11–14,
where Paul rebuked
Peter for playing
the hypocrite when
certain of the Jews
came around,
separating himself
from the Gentiles?
Now to the flip side
of eternal
salvation. Does the
fact that Jesus
keeps us saved even
when we sin give us
a license to sin?
Absolutely not!
Paul says in Romans
6:20–21 that where
sin abounded, grace
did much more
abound. Then in
6:1-2 he asks, "What
shall we say then?
Shall we continue in
sin, that grace may
abound?" then
answers, "God
forbid! How shall we
that are dead to sin
live any longer
therein?" Sin never
pleases God. And
there are lots of
other reasons to
avoid sin.
When we sin, we
invite the
chastisement of God.
God as our Father
has the
responsibility of
correcting us when
we do wrong, and if
we insist on
sinning, His
corrections can be
very unpleasant.
Remember how it felt
when your dad or
your mom paddled you
when you were a kid?
Didn't feel very
good, did it? But he
or she did it for
your ultimate good,
and you're the
better for it.
Likewise, God as our
Father will
discipline us when
we disobey, and His
discipline can be
quite unpleasant
(see Hebrews
12:4–11). If you do
sin, and you repent
(turn away from it,
forsake it), God may
turn away His
chastisement (see 1
John 1:9). If God
doesn't discipline
you when you sin,
you’d better make
sure you're really
saved.
Hebrews 10:7–8 says
God disciplines all
whom He receives,
and if you are
without
chastisement, you
are a bastard and
not a son. In other
words, you’re not
saved.
When you sin, you
grieve the Holy
Spirit, break
fellowship with God,
and open yourself up
to all sorts of
satanic attack.
You can lose your
reward. Rewards and
salvation are two
different things.
Salvation is a free
gift from God given
at no cost for you,
and it will never be
taken away. Rewards
are perks (extra
benefits) you earn
through good works
you do while on
earth, which you
will receive in
heaven. They can be
lost.
The ultimate price:
If you insist on
continuing in sin
after God has
repeatedly corrected
you, He may take you
to an early grave.
It has happened. You
will still be saved,
but you will see
your works—which are
the basis for your
rewards—all go up in
smoke at the
judgment seat of
Christ, and you will
enter heaven as one
who escaped from a
burning house with
nothing but the
smell of smoke on
you (1 Corinthians
3:10–17).
What about good
works?
If we don't work to
get saved or stay
saved, should we
still do good works?
Absolutely. God
commands it.
Ephesians 2:10 says
we "are God's
workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus to
do good works, which
he has before
ordained that we
should walk in
them." We do good
works because we're
saved, not to be
saved or stay saved.
It's a matter of
cause and effect.
Good works please
God, and are the
basis for our
rewards when we get
to heaven. Further,
maintaining a good
testimony through
good works and
staying out of sin
will glorify God and
help bring others to
salvation.
To sum up, we are
saved by faith, and
we are kept saved by
the power of God in
Jesus living in us.
We can never lose
our salvation; the
Word of God says so.
We do good works not
to be saved or to
stay saved, but
because we are saved
and we want to
please and glorify
God. Salvation is a
gift that can never
be lost; rewards are
earned and can be
lost. Living in sin
as a Christian will
bring only misery
and the chastisement
of God, and may
bring you to an
early grave. If you
do sin as a
Christian, ask God
to forgive you, and
turn away from that
sin (see 1 John
1:9). If you think
you can earn your
way to heaven in any
manner, by any
capacity, watch out.
You can't. Thinking
you can is a
manifestation of
pride, the worst sin
of all because it
leads into so many
other sins.
Bottom line:
Fact: Eternal
salvation can never
be lost; it is
powered by Jesus
Himself.
Fiction: Salvation
is lost when you
sin, and you have to
work to keep
yourself saved.
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