Perseverance of the Saints:
Perseverance of the saints simply means that if anyone comes to faith in Christ, he will always be in a saved position, no matter what he does.
Much of the debate comes from the basic difference between the beliefs of the majority of those who approve and those who object to this doctrine, especially from the extreme poles of the camps. Calvinists hold to a phrase that says, “once saved, always saved,” that is, once you become a Christian, you cannot lose your salvation.
This belief is expressed in a range of ways. Some say that a true Christian will become more and more holy as time progresses, and he will not depart from the road toward holiness, though he will never become completely righteous until he goes to heaven (I have not yet met a Calvinist who believe in the ability to live a sinless life while alive on the earth). Some Calvinists believe that a person who once makes a profession of faith and then falls into a pattern of sin likely was never saved at all. It is difficult, if not impossible, for these Calvinists to draw a line to say how much sin is required before they would claim that such a person was never saved.
Other Calvinists believe that even the vilest sinners are saved simply because they once made a profession of faith. They believe that sin and righteousness are not to be used at all as a sign of salvation.
On the anti-Calvinist side, most believe that a person can “lose” or perhaps forfeit his salvation if he turns from his faith and returns to his former manner of life, that is, a life of sin, though some hold to a hybrid position I will explain soon.
On the anti-Calvinist side, we have a similar range of opinion. Some use the “once saved, always saved” phrase and its acronym (OSAS) as a symbol of heresy, almost as a litmus test to determine a person’s standing in theology. To them, if you believe this doctrine, you are heretical. There is no other option. And it seems to them, when shown any example of a person who once professed faith and then fell into sin, whether in the Bible or in modern times, that person must have lost their salvation. The idea that such a person might not have ever been saved is often foreign.
Other anti-Calvinists allow for the idea that perseverance can be a viable option, believing that real Christians simply won’t fall into sin and that those who once professed faith and fell into sin weren’t ever real Christians, that is, they were never saved. They believe in the theoretical possibility that a real Christian could sin and forfeit salvation, but in practice, they would identify a falling-away person as one who was never saved. This is the hybrid position, a belief in once saved always saved that is lived out in holiness.
And, as in the Calvinist camp, there are people who believe ideas that fall somewhere within the wide range.
There are Scripture passages that might lead a person to believe either one, and we could examine every one of them in detail and still not settle the issue to everyone’s satisfaction. We see several examples of people who claim to have faith and then abandon it, making us think they might have lost salvation, and we also see passages that teach us that perhaps this kind of person never had true faith at all.
This is often the crux of the issue for anti-Calvinists. Was a formerly faith-professing sinner ever saved? We see Jesus saying to those who claim faith, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. (Matthew 7:23). And John says, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19).
At the same time, we see examples in which the text speaks plainly of a fallen believer, and I will give an example in a moment.
I think, therefore, our goal should not be to prove the past spiritual condition of any particular sinner who once professed faith. It simply isn’t important. The important fact is that a sinning person is not currently saved, whether they ever were saved or not. And it is this proposition we will explore, because the Calvinist system has spread more danger through their perseverance tenet than through any other, guaranteeing eternal security to people who have no good reason to possess such assurance.
Why is this issue important? People want to have assurance of salvation, evidence that what is invisible is real. We can’t see our internal salvation with our eyes, so it gives us comfort to have some kind of knowledge that our faith has substance, that God has indeed responded to our cry of faith.
How does a person know he is saved? Is having assurance of salvation important? What does the Bible say?
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you (2 Peter 1:10).
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13)
And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments (1 John 2:3).
These verses give us reason to believe that knowledge of our salvation (or of our choosing, which isn’t necessarily the same thing) is important. Many Calvinists agree that it’s important to know, as Dr. Sproul says:
Such a person might say, “I don’t know if I am elect or not and I am not the least bit concerned about it.” There can hardly be any greater folly. If you do not yet know if you are elect, I can think of no more urgent question to answer.[1]
Dr. Sproul gives three ways to have assurance, and we’ll discuss each one.
True assurance is grounded in the promises of God for our salvation. Our assurance comes first of all from our trust in the God who makes these promises.[2]
The problem with this point is that it lends nothing to gaining personal assurance. Yes, God’s promises are sure; they never fail. But His promise to save someone doesn’t apply to someone who is not truly in the state of salvation. You can’t say to someone, “You can be sure you’re saved, because God’s promises to save never fail.” The person you’re speaking with may not be truly saved. Therefore, this is not a valid way to gain assurance.
Secondly, our assurance is enhanced by the inward evidence of our own faith. We know that we could never have any true affection for Christ if we were not reborn. We know that we could not be reborn if we were not elect. … I know inwardly that I do not love Christ totally. But at the same time I do know that I love him. I rejoice inwardly at the thought of his triumph. I rejoice inwardly at the thought of his coming. I will his exultation. I know that none of these sentiments that I find in myself could possibly be there if it were not fore grace.[3]
Is that so? Can someone have internal good feelings about Christ without being saved? What does the Bible say?
“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but 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 cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. (Matthew 7:18-23)
These whom Jesus commands to depart seem to have an internal attachment to Christ, yet they are rejected because they don’t obey. We’ll come back to this passage in a moment.
Jesus also says something else about loving Him, “If you love me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15). Having an emotional response to Christ is not a way to gain assurance of salvation, for feelings are fleeting; they change every day. It is only obedience that proves love, or in Sproul’s words, “affection for Christ.”
Dr. Sproul continues, now giving a hint of the true way to gain assurance:
In addition to the inward evidence of grace there is also outward evidence. We should be able to see visible fruit of our conversion. The outward evidence, however, may also cause our lack of assurance. We can see the abiding sin in our lives. Such sin does not do much for our assurance. We see ourselves sinning and we ask ourselves, “How can I do these things if I really love Christ?”[4]
Good question, but Dr. Sproul doesn’t give an adequate answer.
We must ask ourselves if we see any real change in our behavior, any real outward evidence of grace. This is a precarious process because we can lie to ourselves. It is a difficult task to perform, but by no means impossible.[5]
Does the Bible say that we are to be assured by a change in our behavior? Yes, but how much change? Dr. Sproul wishes to allow the possibility of daily, ongoing sin, but how much sin is allowed before our assurance is dashed? With his system, Dr. Sproul can give no answer. There is no definitive line that can be drawn. If we change somewhat, yet go back and forth between sin and obedience, is that real change? How much change is necessary? If I used to sin twenty times a day before salvation and reduce it to nine times, does that mean I am saved? What if I mess up and go back to eleven times for a few days and then back to six the next? Is that evidence of change?
A change in behavior that allows for sin draws a wavy, jumping line. It is useless.
But the Bible does draw an absolute, definitive line.
And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. (1 John 2:3-6)
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1 John 3:9-10)
We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him. (1 John 5:18)
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:14)
Notice in the 1 John 3 passage, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. Allowance for any sin makes the decision “not manifest,” for who can draw an adequate line that says how much sin is too much. And John, in the verse immediately preceding verse 10, says that a true Christian does not commit sin at all, as we saw in the Matthew 7 passage that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.
Simply put, the Bible leaves no room for the commission of sin in a true Christian. In fact, it gives a foreboding warning about what happens if a person who knows the truth should ever sin.
26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)
This takes us to our next question, “Can a person “lose” his salvation? We have said that a true Christian does not commit sin, and some theologians have agreed. “A Christian is so far perfect as not to commit sin. This is the glorious privilege of every Christian, yes, though he be but a babe in Christ.”[6]
But the question remains, can a person have true salvation and then lose it? The Hebrews passage seems to say so, at the very least providing the theoretical possibility. The writer of Hebrews somewhat hedges on the practicality for his particular audience in verse 39, “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” The same writer repeats the message back in chapter 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 6:4-6)
But he again states that he believes better of his readers and real salvation, “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way (Hebrews 6:9). This hedging can make a reader wonder if this forfeiture of salvation is merely hypothetical.
Again, I propose that making the distinction of whether or not a sinner was ever saved is unimportant, practically speaking. If obedience is our only way to gain assurance, then it is our divining rod by which we determine whether a person is or is not saved currently, not whether a person has ever been saved. Our concern is with present condition and not in wrangling over a previous position in Christ. We should deal with the current problem at hand.
The “once saved, always saved” doctrine of the Calvinist is offensive, but not because it gives assurance of salvation; it is offensive because it has been used to give license to sin. In other words, as I indicated earlier, many people stretch it to say that if a person is saved, he is always saved, no matter how much he sins. This gives false security, providing people with a reason to believe they can do anything they want and still enjoy the assurance of going to heaven. This false assurance is surely leading a host of millions into eternal condemnation, and they will say with those in Matthew 7, “Lord! Lord!” And Jesus will say, “Depart from me!” They will be shocked at His response, but it will too late to repent.
We have security as real Christians because we obey God, because we follow in the footsteps of Christ. But this is a conditional security. If we ever begin sinning, then we no longer have assurance, for no one who is born of God sins. At this point, knowing whether salvation is lost or never held is of no practical value.
But what about Hebrews 6:4-6 where it says that it’s impossible for them to be renewed to repentance? Doesn’t that make it important? Not really. It doesn’t change the fact that we will still call such people to repent; we will still call them to be reconciled to God. Since we can’t know their true previous position, we will not fail to beseech them. Therefore, in practicality, it still makes no difference.
Calvinists use several passages in an attempt to prove their views. For example, the following is a passage I hear most often with regard to this topic:
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor 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. (Romans 8:38-39)
This is certainly true, but it in no way proves perseverance. It proves that we cannot be separated from God's love, but it doesn't say that we cannot be separated from salvation. Salvation isn't the topic.
Then there is this passage:
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:37-40)
Yet, later, Jesus gives an exception:
I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 17:11-12)
Jesus says that one of the disciples God gave was ultimately lost. Why? Because he turned his back on Jesus and betrayed Him.
The solution is simple. It is the Father's will that none would be lost, but the Father's will is not always done. God's will is thwarted here on earth on a daily basis. God doesn't want anyone to fall away, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.
Of course, Calvinists can't bear the thought that God's will might not be done. Few can even think in those terms.
Here is another:
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. (John 10:27-29)
Supposedly, since no one is able to take a sheep from the hand of Jesus or out of the Father's hand, a saved person can never be lost. Yet, this passage is referring to someone on the outside taking a sheep away, that is, an enemy forcefully removing a sheep from God. This, of course, could never happen. But the passage says nothing about the sheep leaving voluntarily or about God sending the sheep away because of rebellion. Therefore, this passage provides no evidence that a Christian cannot lose salvation.
Here is another:
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)
According to the Calvinist, this proves that God can keep us from the stumbling that would cause loss of salvation.
Well, of course God can do that, but that doesn't mean that everyone will follow the course God sets to prevent that stumbling.
And finally:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
This passage says that the inheritance is imperishable and won't fade away. Of course it won't perish. Heaven and its blessings will always be there, but it doesn't say that an individual's ability to partake in it will always be guaranteed. Still, it does say that the reservation is protected by the power of God, but by what? By faith. If our faith continues, then the reservation is secure. What happens if the faith doesn't continue? We can assume only that the reservation no longer is protected.
I write these rebuttals to show that the Calvinists look at these passages through their Calvinist filters. They come to the Bible with presumptions that make the verses say things they don't actually say.
My own view is the hybrid one I mentioned earlier. I believe that true Christians will persevere and that they won't sin. If I see someone who claims Christianity and still sins, I first assume that he or she was never actually saved and did not lose salvation. I think God's cleansing power and the presence of His Spirit are overwhelming factors in making us and keeping us holy. I can't see how someone could be truly crucified with Christ, have his flesh crucified and removed, be cleansed of all sin, be raised to new life and indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and still turn to sin. It makes much more sense to me that anyone in sin was likely never saved, regardless of their history. I don't doubt the theoretical possibility, just the practical application.
In any case, we should be able to agree, as I stated before, that no one who is in sin can have assurance of salvation. The Calvinistic form of perseverance is not true, and it endangers people's souls.
In Conclusion:
God’s sovereignty is not damaged by the free will of man. God is not rendered powerless by the fact that man can operate outside of His absolute control. Yes, God can step in and prevent an act by erecting insurmountable obstacles or guide someone into an act by creating desirable or alluring incentives. If God, however, were to force people to worship Him by infusing faith into those He chooses unconditionally, He has created false adoration, for only true free will can induce true worship.
If God drags people to their knees by an irresistible call, He has merely designed robots, programmed to bow at the push of a button. In this there is no glory. Are these true praises, the voices of those who have been forced to sing hymns of worship? Or is this Calvinist God more eloquently described by those consigned to hell who were condemned simply for being born sons of Adam?
Let us who understand this great gift of free will respond according to its awesome responsibility. We speak to the lost as though God Himself were beseeching through us. “Come! Be reconciled to God! He has given you a choice. Which will you choose? Life, or death? I beg you to choose life!”
[1] Ibid, P. 169.
[2] Ibid. P. 169-170.
[3] Ibid, P. 170.
[4] Ibid, P. 170.
[5] Ibid. P. 171.
[6] John Wesley, "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection", The Works of John Wesley, 11:376.
Perseverance of the saints simply means that if anyone comes to faith in Christ, he will always be in a saved position, no matter what he does.
Much of the debate comes from the basic difference between the beliefs of the majority of those who approve and those who object to this doctrine, especially from the extreme poles of the camps. Calvinists hold to a phrase that says, “once saved, always saved,” that is, once you become a Christian, you cannot lose your salvation.
This belief is expressed in a range of ways. Some say that a true Christian will become more and more holy as time progresses, and he will not depart from the road toward holiness, though he will never become completely righteous until he goes to heaven (I have not yet met a Calvinist who believe in the ability to live a sinless life while alive on the earth). Some Calvinists believe that a person who once makes a profession of faith and then falls into a pattern of sin likely was never saved at all. It is difficult, if not impossible, for these Calvinists to draw a line to say how much sin is required before they would claim that such a person was never saved.
Other Calvinists believe that even the vilest sinners are saved simply because they once made a profession of faith. They believe that sin and righteousness are not to be used at all as a sign of salvation.
On the anti-Calvinist side, most believe that a person can “lose” or perhaps forfeit his salvation if he turns from his faith and returns to his former manner of life, that is, a life of sin, though some hold to a hybrid position I will explain soon.
On the anti-Calvinist side, we have a similar range of opinion. Some use the “once saved, always saved” phrase and its acronym (OSAS) as a symbol of heresy, almost as a litmus test to determine a person’s standing in theology. To them, if you believe this doctrine, you are heretical. There is no other option. And it seems to them, when shown any example of a person who once professed faith and then fell into sin, whether in the Bible or in modern times, that person must have lost their salvation. The idea that such a person might not have ever been saved is often foreign.
Other anti-Calvinists allow for the idea that perseverance can be a viable option, believing that real Christians simply won’t fall into sin and that those who once professed faith and fell into sin weren’t ever real Christians, that is, they were never saved. They believe in the theoretical possibility that a real Christian could sin and forfeit salvation, but in practice, they would identify a falling-away person as one who was never saved. This is the hybrid position, a belief in once saved always saved that is lived out in holiness.
And, as in the Calvinist camp, there are people who believe ideas that fall somewhere within the wide range.
There are Scripture passages that might lead a person to believe either one, and we could examine every one of them in detail and still not settle the issue to everyone’s satisfaction. We see several examples of people who claim to have faith and then abandon it, making us think they might have lost salvation, and we also see passages that teach us that perhaps this kind of person never had true faith at all.
This is often the crux of the issue for anti-Calvinists. Was a formerly faith-professing sinner ever saved? We see Jesus saying to those who claim faith, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. (Matthew 7:23). And John says, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19).
At the same time, we see examples in which the text speaks plainly of a fallen believer, and I will give an example in a moment.
I think, therefore, our goal should not be to prove the past spiritual condition of any particular sinner who once professed faith. It simply isn’t important. The important fact is that a sinning person is not currently saved, whether they ever were saved or not. And it is this proposition we will explore, because the Calvinist system has spread more danger through their perseverance tenet than through any other, guaranteeing eternal security to people who have no good reason to possess such assurance.
Why is this issue important? People want to have assurance of salvation, evidence that what is invisible is real. We can’t see our internal salvation with our eyes, so it gives us comfort to have some kind of knowledge that our faith has substance, that God has indeed responded to our cry of faith.
How does a person know he is saved? Is having assurance of salvation important? What does the Bible say?
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you (2 Peter 1:10).
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13)
And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments (1 John 2:3).
These verses give us reason to believe that knowledge of our salvation (or of our choosing, which isn’t necessarily the same thing) is important. Many Calvinists agree that it’s important to know, as Dr. Sproul says:
Such a person might say, “I don’t know if I am elect or not and I am not the least bit concerned about it.” There can hardly be any greater folly. If you do not yet know if you are elect, I can think of no more urgent question to answer.[1]
Dr. Sproul gives three ways to have assurance, and we’ll discuss each one.
True assurance is grounded in the promises of God for our salvation. Our assurance comes first of all from our trust in the God who makes these promises.[2]
The problem with this point is that it lends nothing to gaining personal assurance. Yes, God’s promises are sure; they never fail. But His promise to save someone doesn’t apply to someone who is not truly in the state of salvation. You can’t say to someone, “You can be sure you’re saved, because God’s promises to save never fail.” The person you’re speaking with may not be truly saved. Therefore, this is not a valid way to gain assurance.
Secondly, our assurance is enhanced by the inward evidence of our own faith. We know that we could never have any true affection for Christ if we were not reborn. We know that we could not be reborn if we were not elect. … I know inwardly that I do not love Christ totally. But at the same time I do know that I love him. I rejoice inwardly at the thought of his triumph. I rejoice inwardly at the thought of his coming. I will his exultation. I know that none of these sentiments that I find in myself could possibly be there if it were not fore grace.[3]
Is that so? Can someone have internal good feelings about Christ without being saved? What does the Bible say?
“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but 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 cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. (Matthew 7:18-23)
These whom Jesus commands to depart seem to have an internal attachment to Christ, yet they are rejected because they don’t obey. We’ll come back to this passage in a moment.
Jesus also says something else about loving Him, “If you love me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15). Having an emotional response to Christ is not a way to gain assurance of salvation, for feelings are fleeting; they change every day. It is only obedience that proves love, or in Sproul’s words, “affection for Christ.”
Dr. Sproul continues, now giving a hint of the true way to gain assurance:
In addition to the inward evidence of grace there is also outward evidence. We should be able to see visible fruit of our conversion. The outward evidence, however, may also cause our lack of assurance. We can see the abiding sin in our lives. Such sin does not do much for our assurance. We see ourselves sinning and we ask ourselves, “How can I do these things if I really love Christ?”[4]
Good question, but Dr. Sproul doesn’t give an adequate answer.
We must ask ourselves if we see any real change in our behavior, any real outward evidence of grace. This is a precarious process because we can lie to ourselves. It is a difficult task to perform, but by no means impossible.[5]
Does the Bible say that we are to be assured by a change in our behavior? Yes, but how much change? Dr. Sproul wishes to allow the possibility of daily, ongoing sin, but how much sin is allowed before our assurance is dashed? With his system, Dr. Sproul can give no answer. There is no definitive line that can be drawn. If we change somewhat, yet go back and forth between sin and obedience, is that real change? How much change is necessary? If I used to sin twenty times a day before salvation and reduce it to nine times, does that mean I am saved? What if I mess up and go back to eleven times for a few days and then back to six the next? Is that evidence of change?
A change in behavior that allows for sin draws a wavy, jumping line. It is useless.
But the Bible does draw an absolute, definitive line.
And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. (1 John 2:3-6)
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1 John 3:9-10)
We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him. (1 John 5:18)
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:14)
Notice in the 1 John 3 passage, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. Allowance for any sin makes the decision “not manifest,” for who can draw an adequate line that says how much sin is too much. And John, in the verse immediately preceding verse 10, says that a true Christian does not commit sin at all, as we saw in the Matthew 7 passage that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.
Simply put, the Bible leaves no room for the commission of sin in a true Christian. In fact, it gives a foreboding warning about what happens if a person who knows the truth should ever sin.
26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)
This takes us to our next question, “Can a person “lose” his salvation? We have said that a true Christian does not commit sin, and some theologians have agreed. “A Christian is so far perfect as not to commit sin. This is the glorious privilege of every Christian, yes, though he be but a babe in Christ.”[6]
But the question remains, can a person have true salvation and then lose it? The Hebrews passage seems to say so, at the very least providing the theoretical possibility. The writer of Hebrews somewhat hedges on the practicality for his particular audience in verse 39, “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” The same writer repeats the message back in chapter 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 6:4-6)
But he again states that he believes better of his readers and real salvation, “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way (Hebrews 6:9). This hedging can make a reader wonder if this forfeiture of salvation is merely hypothetical.
Again, I propose that making the distinction of whether or not a sinner was ever saved is unimportant, practically speaking. If obedience is our only way to gain assurance, then it is our divining rod by which we determine whether a person is or is not saved currently, not whether a person has ever been saved. Our concern is with present condition and not in wrangling over a previous position in Christ. We should deal with the current problem at hand.
The “once saved, always saved” doctrine of the Calvinist is offensive, but not because it gives assurance of salvation; it is offensive because it has been used to give license to sin. In other words, as I indicated earlier, many people stretch it to say that if a person is saved, he is always saved, no matter how much he sins. This gives false security, providing people with a reason to believe they can do anything they want and still enjoy the assurance of going to heaven. This false assurance is surely leading a host of millions into eternal condemnation, and they will say with those in Matthew 7, “Lord! Lord!” And Jesus will say, “Depart from me!” They will be shocked at His response, but it will too late to repent.
We have security as real Christians because we obey God, because we follow in the footsteps of Christ. But this is a conditional security. If we ever begin sinning, then we no longer have assurance, for no one who is born of God sins. At this point, knowing whether salvation is lost or never held is of no practical value.
But what about Hebrews 6:4-6 where it says that it’s impossible for them to be renewed to repentance? Doesn’t that make it important? Not really. It doesn’t change the fact that we will still call such people to repent; we will still call them to be reconciled to God. Since we can’t know their true previous position, we will not fail to beseech them. Therefore, in practicality, it still makes no difference.
Calvinists use several passages in an attempt to prove their views. For example, the following is a passage I hear most often with regard to this topic:
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor 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. (Romans 8:38-39)
This is certainly true, but it in no way proves perseverance. It proves that we cannot be separated from God's love, but it doesn't say that we cannot be separated from salvation. Salvation isn't the topic.
Then there is this passage:
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:37-40)
Yet, later, Jesus gives an exception:
I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 17:11-12)
Jesus says that one of the disciples God gave was ultimately lost. Why? Because he turned his back on Jesus and betrayed Him.
The solution is simple. It is the Father's will that none would be lost, but the Father's will is not always done. God's will is thwarted here on earth on a daily basis. God doesn't want anyone to fall away, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.
Of course, Calvinists can't bear the thought that God's will might not be done. Few can even think in those terms.
Here is another:
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. (John 10:27-29)
Supposedly, since no one is able to take a sheep from the hand of Jesus or out of the Father's hand, a saved person can never be lost. Yet, this passage is referring to someone on the outside taking a sheep away, that is, an enemy forcefully removing a sheep from God. This, of course, could never happen. But the passage says nothing about the sheep leaving voluntarily or about God sending the sheep away because of rebellion. Therefore, this passage provides no evidence that a Christian cannot lose salvation.
Here is another:
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)
According to the Calvinist, this proves that God can keep us from the stumbling that would cause loss of salvation.
Well, of course God can do that, but that doesn't mean that everyone will follow the course God sets to prevent that stumbling.
And finally:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
This passage says that the inheritance is imperishable and won't fade away. Of course it won't perish. Heaven and its blessings will always be there, but it doesn't say that an individual's ability to partake in it will always be guaranteed. Still, it does say that the reservation is protected by the power of God, but by what? By faith. If our faith continues, then the reservation is secure. What happens if the faith doesn't continue? We can assume only that the reservation no longer is protected.
I write these rebuttals to show that the Calvinists look at these passages through their Calvinist filters. They come to the Bible with presumptions that make the verses say things they don't actually say.
My own view is the hybrid one I mentioned earlier. I believe that true Christians will persevere and that they won't sin. If I see someone who claims Christianity and still sins, I first assume that he or she was never actually saved and did not lose salvation. I think God's cleansing power and the presence of His Spirit are overwhelming factors in making us and keeping us holy. I can't see how someone could be truly crucified with Christ, have his flesh crucified and removed, be cleansed of all sin, be raised to new life and indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and still turn to sin. It makes much more sense to me that anyone in sin was likely never saved, regardless of their history. I don't doubt the theoretical possibility, just the practical application.
In any case, we should be able to agree, as I stated before, that no one who is in sin can have assurance of salvation. The Calvinistic form of perseverance is not true, and it endangers people's souls.
In Conclusion:
God’s sovereignty is not damaged by the free will of man. God is not rendered powerless by the fact that man can operate outside of His absolute control. Yes, God can step in and prevent an act by erecting insurmountable obstacles or guide someone into an act by creating desirable or alluring incentives. If God, however, were to force people to worship Him by infusing faith into those He chooses unconditionally, He has created false adoration, for only true free will can induce true worship.
If God drags people to their knees by an irresistible call, He has merely designed robots, programmed to bow at the push of a button. In this there is no glory. Are these true praises, the voices of those who have been forced to sing hymns of worship? Or is this Calvinist God more eloquently described by those consigned to hell who were condemned simply for being born sons of Adam?
Let us who understand this great gift of free will respond according to its awesome responsibility. We speak to the lost as though God Himself were beseeching through us. “Come! Be reconciled to God! He has given you a choice. Which will you choose? Life, or death? I beg you to choose life!”
[1] Ibid, P. 169.
[2] Ibid. P. 169-170.
[3] Ibid, P. 170.
[4] Ibid, P. 170.
[5] Ibid. P. 171.
[6] John Wesley, "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection", The Works of John Wesley, 11:376.
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