Once Saved, Always Saved

Once Saved, Always Saved?

Exposing The Misconception of Eternal Security

Introduction

In 1517 French theologian John Calvin was eight years old when German monk, scholar, priest, and professor of Catholic theology, Martin Luther, posted his famed  Ninety-five Thesis on the door of All Saints Chapel in Wittenberg, Germany. This epic moment marked the beginning of the Reformation and birth of Protestant theology. To understand Calvin’s teaching on the “Perseverance of the Saints,” also know as “eternal security” and “once saved always saved,” requires some understanding of the 16^th. century’s theological climate and Luther’s major objection that began the Reformation. Luther’s Thesis rejected the selling of papal indulgences to raise money for rebuilding St. Peter’s Basilica while declaring that repentance and forgiveness of all sins were between the believer and Christ alone. Luther argued that the pope had no authority to forgive sins much less go about selling forgiveness certificates to the people. Luther’s Thesis went viral and was published throughout Germany and Europe in a short period of time.

A Dominican monk, John Tetzel, was the chief fundraiser selling these papal indulgence certificates that provided the purchaser forgiveness of all sins, exemption from purgatory, and a get-out-of-purgatory pass for dead relatives suffering in the fires of purgatory. Luther’s central argument focused on who has the authority to forgive mankind’s sins. Is it Christ or the pope? Luther declared that repentance and faith in Christ alone activates our complete forgiveness. No clergy on any level can remove or forgive sin. Those who study the Scriptures will discover this to be an absolute fact.

Luther was not the only Catholic theologian seeking to reform the church’s teachings. Luther was preceded by others like John Wycliffe, Jan Huss, Girolamo Savonarola, and Huldrych Zwingli, and William Tyndale who were contemporaries. Decades later, John Calvin, a Catholic and law student embraces the Reformation and flees from the Catholic church and its theology to become a distinguished 2^nd. generation reformer. He composes the Institutes of Christian Religion, a massive 944-page treatise on the theology of God and religion.

There were a growing number of leaders questioning the unbiblical doctrines (Catholic traditions and teaching) that were increasingly being rejected, e.g., transubstantiation, infant baptism, veneration of statues and relics, papal primacy, celibacy, priesthood, tradition vs. scripture, and other traditions. Clearly, the selling of these papal indulgence certificates was the final insult to Luther and the other reformers.

The Protestant Reformation was distinctly marked by 5 cardinal doctrines known as the 5 Solas (Latin, “only or alone”). These key doctrines served as the fundamental declaration and corrective teaching against Catholic theology that had become darkened by hundreds of years of traditions that sadly strayed far from the Scriptures.

1. Sola scriptura: “Scripture alone”
2. Sola fide: “faith alone”
3. Sola gratia: “grace alone”
4. Solo Christo: “Christ alone”
5. Soli Deo gloria: “to the glory of God alone”

Using “sola scriptura” (Scripture alone) as the basis for his teaching, John Calvin wrote his reformed theology which included the doctrine of predestination, and what has become known as the 5 points of Calvinism represented by the acronym TULIP.

1. Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability and Original Sin)
2. Unconditional Election
3. Limited Atonement (also known as Particular Atonement)
4. Irresistible Grace
5. Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved Always Saved and eternal security)

These questionable TULIP doctrines serve as the foundation for believing the doctrine of “eternal security” or “once saved always saved.” Point 5 of the TULIP acronym, “Perseverance of the Saints,” teaches that once we are saved we can not become unsaved. The problem with Calvin’s ES teaching is exposed when you consider all of the Scripture and not just the ones that seem to support his ES teaching. Using only the Scripture, Calvin makes his case for once saved always saved but fails to consider all of the Scriptures. The ES doctrine is built upon a limited inclusion of scriptures and collapses under the full weight of all relevant scriptures. All doctrines require that the full counsel of God’s word be carefully examined to discover God’s truth on any subject. It is unfortunate that some of history’s notable theologians and contemporary ministers have succumbed to this sectarian bias and shut out the full light of God’s word.  It is not possible to see the complete truth with partial light. Doctrinal positions that contradict the written word of God must be abandoned without exception. Paul instructed Timothy to study and correctly handle the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15). Therefore, we must consider all Scripture as it relates to any doctrine.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God^[ a]may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The most common explanation of ES is that once a person has repented and is cleansed by Christ’s blood, their name recorded in the book of life, and genuinely born again it is impossible to ever lose, turn from, or in any way ever be separated from salvation. The saved person cannot become unsaved or turn away from God even if they want to. Therefore, once you are saved, you are always saved no matter what you say, do, or believe. Sadly, this belief contributes to a false sense of security for those who have fallen away and abandoned their faith in Christ but continue to cling to a false belief that reassures them they are saved and on the path to heaven. It also contributes to and fosters a life of compromise and ungodliness that leads some believers to justify their unholy lifestyles.

Conditional and Unconditional Salvation

It is not necessary to expose every single misinterpretation of the Scriptures to refute ES, only that the belief is clearly inconsistent with the Bible and that the Scriptures teach otherwise. Calvin’s teaching on predestination, the TULIP acronym, and once saved always saved are extremely complex intellectual propositions that in order to unscramble each and every misconception we would need at least the space of a 944-page treatise as Calvin employed to muddy the hermeneutical waters of exegetical interpretation. Therefore, we will not attempt to unscramble their doctrinal error but instead, look at what God’s word clearly teaches on the subject of abandoning Christ and your salvation which clearly depends upon a believer remaining in an active relationship with Christ. The idea that a Christian cannot reject Christ and abandon their faith in God after being saved is not taught or suggested in the Scriptures. On the contrary, we are warned to be careful about our relationship with Christ so as to not drift away from the truth and abandon or reject Christ.

The following scripture verses speak of a Christian who was once enlightened, clearly saved, blood washed, and filled with the Holy Spirit as falling away and forfeiting their salvation. In this particular case, all efforts to turn this person back to repentance are not possible because of unbelief that has led them to reject Christ as God’s Son and Savior. The Greek word anastauroō means to re-crucify or crucify afresh. In rejecting Christ they are assenting to the legitimacy of the crucifixion of a blaspheming false prophet named Jesus. In their minds, Jesus got what he deserved and is not God’s son—putting Jesus to an open shame. Each time they share their conviction it is like re-crucifying Jesus. Unfortunately, I saw this happen to a former born-again brother in Christ who after 40 years of authentic salvation told me to my face that God, Jesus, and the Bible were not true. He concluded that it was like living one gigantic delusion. In his mind, he is now delusion free and it is not possible to win him back to what he concluded was a 40-year delusion.

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, ⁵ And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, ⁶ If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

In the following passage, we see a saved, sanctified, born-again Christian that has willfully and “deliberately” turned back to their sinful way of life and is actively treating Christ and His blood as unholy and with contempt. The imagery of the precious and holy life-giving blood of our Lord and Savior being trampled underfoot is evidence of this believer’s departure from Christ. This formerly sanctified and now unsanctified person has rejected Christ and his heart has turned back to the ungodly lifestyle from which he was once sanctified and washed clean. Herein is the danger of the once saved always saved doctrine that teaches salvation can never be lost. While it is unequivocally stated that “no sacrifice for sins is left,” this person is thinking “nothing that I say, do, or believe will ever cost me my salvation and eternal life.”

Please hear what the Spirit is saying, “no sacrifice for sins is left” because they have rejected Christ and are engaging in a deliberate disregard for Christ and His sanctifying blood wherewith they were sanctified (past tense). All that is left is “a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” 

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷ but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. ²⁸ Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[a] and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”^[b] 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)

In Hebrews 3:12-14 we have “brothers and sisters” in Christ being admonished to guard against turning away from Christ because of the sin of unbelief. The phrase “turns away” (NIV) and rendered “departing” (KJV) are from the Gr. aphistēmi meaning just that, a believer that turns away from Christ because their heart becomes filled with unbelief. We are first drawn to Christ as the Holy Spirit brings conviction in our hearts and minds that Jesus is the Savior. Before anyone can repent and be saved they must first believe Jesus Christ is God’s Son and our Savior. If we cease to believe Jesus is the Savior we are rejecting Him. A former believer will not share in eternal life when they depart from God. We must remain in Him and He in us. Our conviction must be a living and active faith from the first day to our last. The sin of unbelief is the unpardonable sin because it removes a believer from believing that Jesus is our Savior and Lord. To reject the testimony of the Spirit that first convicted and convinced us that Jesus is the Lord is blasphemy. This sin of “unbelief,” will not be forgiven.

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ¹⁴ We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. (Hebrews 3:12-14)

Thus far we have reviewed 3 passages that speak of saved and sanctified believers departing, abandoning, or falling away from Christ because of unbelief. They are clearly outside of Christ and His sanctifying blood. Because the promise of eternal life is in Christ we can not reject the Son and turn away from the Father, thinking we are still saved. Christ and eternal life are inseparable; “this life is in his son.” Through an active living relationship with Christ, all the promises of the New Covenant are ours. We are commanded to remain in Him. Those who fall into unbelief and choose to abandon Christ will have their names removed from the “Book of Life” (Revelation 3:5). To suggest that it is impossible for a saved person to embrace unbelief, turn away, and reject Christ is not taught in the Scripture—the opposite is taught.

 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11)

In Revelation 3:1-6, Jesus rebukes the believers at Sardis for their sinful behavior and warns them to change “holdfast and repent” or else their name will be removed from the Book of Life.  “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die” is not an empty warning, but a crystal clear message to believers that are on the verge of turning away or abandoning their faith in Christ. Their names will be removed from the Book of Life. Those who remain in Christ have no fear of their name ever being blotted out of the Book of Life. However, anyone’s name that is not found written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; ^f you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. ² Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. ³ Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. ⁴ Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. ⁶ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 3:1-6) 

Salvation is both an event and a relationship. It begins with an event that must continue in a relationship with Christ. Calvin’s ES doctrine focuses only on a one-time event that believers cling to as their ticket to heaven—once saved, always saved. In their limited search of select scriptures, they view salvation as an unalterable, irreversible, and never to be forfeited event. Calvinist believe that nothing can reverse a saved person’s eternal destination, not sin, not unbelief, not themselves, and not even God. However, God’s perspective moves beyond the initial event of repentance and forgiveness to an active relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The new believer is charged with the responsibility of continuing in an active holy (1 Peter 1:15-16; Hebrews 12:14) relationship with Christ. Although salvation cannot be earned or obtained through a believer’s good works, salvation is not without conditions, it is clearly conditional. There are 3 aspects that are necessary:

1. BELIEVE Jesus is Lord.
2. REPENT and receive Christ.
3. REMAIN or continue in Christ.

It is here in point 3 that Calvin erred in his ES doctrine. We have already read that Christians are warned not to fall away, depart, stop believing, turn away, or abandon Christ and faith in Christ. If a believer yields to the sin of unbelief he will eventually reject Christ. All born-again believers must remain in Christ and continue to live by faith. It is our believing faith that connects us to God’s grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith…” an active living faith is required to receive God’s grace and to continue in His grace. To have “faith” (Gr. pistis) is to continually believe, not just once upon a time but daily. God’s undeserved grace is received “through faith.” Without a living active faith, God’s grace cannot be received and without the same living active faith in Christ, we will fall into unbelief. Therefore, we understand that God’s word teaches this: 

Those who were once saved, and remain in Christ, will always be saved.

Remaining or abiding in Christ is evidenced by personal spiritual growth. Jesus teaching on the vine and branches stresses the necessity of remaining in Him. The believer is attached to Christ (the vine) and will produce spiritual fruit (good works). All believers need a bit of pruning to remove unproductive things growing in our lives and God knows just how to trim us to make us more productive. Branches that are baren of fruit are cut off and cast into the fire. These branches are clearly “in me [Christ]” but have died (departed inwardly) and no longer producing fruit. Some ES teachers will argue that these are people who were never really saved. But this thinking violates what Jesus is teaching—believers must remain in Him and not depart from Him.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also 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. ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:1-8)

In Romans, the apostle Paul uses a similar analogy of the olive tree to illustrate how unbelief caused the Jews to be cut off and faith in Christ allowed the Gentile believers to be grafted into the olive tree. Believers are warned not to fall into unbelief or else they also will be cut off. The Jews were the original branches that sprouted from believing in God through the Old Covenant. When Abraham “believed God” (Romans 4:3) he received a righteous standing. This righteousness comes from Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and was credited in advance of His actual crucifixion by faith looking forward. By faith, the Jews sacrificed animals and sprinkled blood in the temple and most Holy Place as a shadow of the good things to come through Christ. We believers today are looking back to the cross as the Jews through faith were looking forward, though they failed to understand that Jesus was the Savior when he actually appeared. What attached Abraham and all the Jews (the natural branches) to the olive tree was their belief and faith. What caused them to be broken off was unbelief. What attaches all Christians (the grafted branches) to the olive tree is believing faith. What will cause them to be broken off is unbelief.

If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸ do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. ²² 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. ²³ And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.²⁴ After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! (Romans 11:17-24)

The apostle Paul analogies his Christian journey and relationship with Christ to an athlete who must live a strict self-disciplined life in order to finish the race. Paul is determined to keep his sinful nature under strict control so that he remains in Christ. His concern is to avoid being “disqualified for the prize,” (Gr. adokimos, rejected, castaway). He is well aware of the consequences of turning away. Paul spent his life preaching salvation and eternal life were only attainable in Christ. He lives a self-disciplined and holy life— “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). His concern here is being disqualified from the eternal life only found in the Christ he preached to others.  The”crown that will last forever” is metaphoric of the Olympian who received a crown-shaped wreath (Gr. stephanos) for winning the contest. It is the crown of life in James 1:12, the crown of righteousness in 2 Timothy 4:8, and the crown of glory in 1 Peter 5:4 that all believers will receive if they continue and remain in Christ until the end of this race. These are not literal crowns but metaphors of life eternal that await all that do not abandon Christ but remain in Him.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:27)

Next, we find in James 5:19-20 the importance of reaching out to former believers that have drifted away from Christ and gone down the path of death and destruction. Converting them back to the truth is likened to saving a soul “from death.” They need to turn back to Christ and avoid death. To “wander from the truth“ involves deception, delusion, and false teaching that causes a saved person to reject the truth that Jesus is Lord. They are on the wrong path again and must be turned back from the path of death and destruction. The Christian that reaches out to their once saved and now lost brother or sister in Christ “will save them from death“—eternal separation from God.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)

In Colossians, the apostle Paul speaks of a sanctified believer’s salvation being conditional to the person remaining and continuing in faith. Born-again believers must remain in Christ and “continue in your faith,” an active living faith in Christ, and do not “move from the hope” of the gospel. It is the responsibility of every Christian to continue to believe, cling to, hold onto, abide, or remain in Christ. Turning away and rejecting the Lord is to abandon Christ and all the benefits of salvation.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²² 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, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. (Colosians 1:21-23)

Calvinist place great emphasis on their ES being an irreversible state of salvation, but here we have a clear message from the Spirit that some believers will abandon and turn away. The Holy Spirit has made known that in the last days some believers will “abandon the faith.” “Abandon” (Gr. aphistēmi) is translated “turns away” in Hebrews 3:12 where Christians are warned not to fall into the sin of unbelief and turn from the living God. You can’t follow deceiving spirits and the living God. Not possible to serve two masters.

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. ² Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith…” Active living faith is required to receive God’s grace and to continue in His grace. The Christians at Galatia were taught by the circumcision moment that faith in the law, more specifically circumcision, was needed for salvation. The apostle Paul warns that those who put their faith in the law to save them have actually “fallen away from grace” and “Christ will be of no value.” We must not abandon our active faith in Christ, and place our faith in works, laws, or good deeds.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ² Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Security of the Believer  

While the Scriptures do not teach ES, they do teach the “Security of the Believer” or “Assurance of Salvation.” Every born-again child of God is secure in Christ. It is not possible that our salvation hangs in the balance of some sin of commission or omission. It is not possible that any sanctified believer abiding in Christ can wake up tomorrow and discover their salvation lost or invalidated because of some evil thought or ungodly and sinful act committed. The sanctifying work of Christ is always active and continually providing life to all born-again believers that abide in Christ. Our position in Christ connects us to God’s mercy, grace and forgiveness found only in Jesus Christ. This relationship provides complete and absolute forgiveness for all authentic members of Christ’s body, His Church. The apostle Paul speaks to those who are in Christ, “those who love him,” of God’s keeping power that is impenetrable and protects every believer from all other things, people, forces or powers that would seek to conquer and separate a believer from their salvation. In Christ, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us,” and nothing in all creation will be able to “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The things mentioned in Romans 8:33-39 below are external forces acting upon the believer that cannot separate a believer from salvation and the love of God. Neither can anyone ever come along and “snatch” (Gr. to seize by force and carry away) a believer away from Christ (John 10:27-29). Moreover, God is for us and gave His Son who died in our place to purchase our salvation. Is He now going to shake his head in disgust, throw up his hands, and cast us out because we failed to live in Him a flawless sinless life? No! We have the full assurance of God’s word and Christ atoning sacrificial death that in Christ our sins are covered by the body and blood sacrifice of Jesus. Those living outside of Christ and those who abandon their faith and reject Christ will have no part of God’s salvation plan. Born again believers that willfully and deliberately turn away from Christ, refuse to remain, and continue in a covenant relationship with Him will discover that “no sacrifice for sins is left” Hebrews 10:26-31. The mistaken belief that it is impossible for a believer to turn away and abandon their faith and salvation after being saved is not supported by the Scriptures. Therefore, as the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 11:22: “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.”

Those who were once saved, and remain in Christ, will always be saved.

Let’s talk about God’s foreknowledge and its effects upon His decision-making process (Romans 8:29). God is omniscient and not limited in any way. He is not bound by time as we know and understand time. The apostle Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:8, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” In the supernatural realm, time is thought to be neither past nor future but only present. God, being eternal, created time for all creation to exist in and has full knowledge about our future. He sees and knows our complete lives even before we are born and therefore has foreknowledge of all things. There is nothing about us that God does not know—”the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7). God already knows who will repent and who will not. Therefore, Hebrews 12:2 says “…For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame…” What joy? The joy of seeing (foreknowledge) the lost falling on their knees in true repentance. It is because of God’s incomprehensible foreknowledge He predetermined that the born-again believer should be conformed to the image of His Son. Those God foreknew (Gr. proginōskō: to have knowledge before), He predestined (Gr, proorizō:  predetermine and decided beforehand), that they should be conformed to the image of His Son. Christ died for all mankind and the invitation to be saved in John 3:16 is to all, “whoever believes in him,” and continues to believe in Him, (Romans 11:22).

What God did not do is sovereignly predetermine without first considering his foreknowledge of who should be saved and who should be damned which is the foundational teaching of Calvin’s doctrine that led him to conclude “once saved always saved.” Therefore, in Calvin’s thinking, God sovereignly predetermined and decreed long ago which of us should be saved and which of us should receive eternal damnation, not based on his foreknowledge of our lives, but only God’s own pleasure. Calvin taught that our salvation is based on God’s election and not our freewill choice to repent and be saved. If God did not pick you as one of his elect, you were assigned to eternal death and separation. No level of repentance or faith in Christ could save you because you were not selected to receive eternal life. This is why Calvin believed that once a person (only the secret elect of God) turned to Christ their salvation could never be lost.  While many of the ES proponents disagree with Calvin on this point, they still cling to his ES belief that, as we have demonstrated, falls completely apart under the weight of all relevant Scripture.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[i] have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. ³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us,who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28-39)

Every born-again believer receives the promised Holy Spirit when they truly repent and are born-again. The presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside every believer’s life is metaphorically characterized as God’s seal that identifies all who are in Christ. To those who have received salvation, the work of God’s Spirit focuses on leading teaching, guiding, comforting, and helping us in every way possible (John 16:13; 14:26 16:7-11). To those living outside of God’s salvation and in need of turning to God, the primary focus of God’s Spirit is to convict and convince the unsaved that God loves them, that they are unsaved sinners, that Jesus is the only Savior, and they must repent and turn to Him. Through Christ and in Christ we are restored to a right relationship with God our Father.

The presence of God’s Holy Spirit is characterized as God’s mark, His identifying seal that we are His possession. The Greek word sphragizō means: “to set a seal upon” or “mark with a seal.” The presence of God’s promised Holy Spirit is our assurance or “guarantee” (Gr. arrabōn: “money which in purchases is given as a pledge or down payment that the full amount will subsequently be paid”) that all who are in Christ will absolutely enter into their promised eternal inheritance that is reserved for those in Christ. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:16 that God’s Spirit speaks to our spirit and testifies that indeed we are God’s Children. This assurance of salvation is evident to all true believers that remain in Christ. It is by His Spirit that we live and abide in Christ and know we are His (1 John 4:13). This is why we are warned again and again not to turn away, abandon or reject Christ and our relationship with Him. We, believers, are warned in Hebrews to pay careful attention to God’s word and not ignore or neglect our salvation, or else we will drift away from Christ the only means of escaping eternal damnation.

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. ² For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, ³ how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:1-3)

Born-again believers that willfully and deliberately turn away from Christ, refuse to remain, and continue in a covenant relationship with Him are warned that “no sacrifice for sins is left” (Hebrews 10:26-31). Their names will be removed from the Book of Life because having once been sanctified by His blood, filled with the promised Holy Spirit, and then turning away and rejecting Christ they are insulting the Spirit of grace and trampling on Christ and His blood as if they were unholy things. Please do not be deluded into believing that once you become a believer it is impossible to rebel, abandon and reject Christ and God’s salvation.

Calvinist have taken the word “sealed” (Gr. sphragizō) and attached to it the idea that believers are permanently locked into salvation and have forfeited their free will to ever turn away, abandon or reject Christ. In other words, once saved, there is absolutely no way to forfeit salvation, abandon faith, grace, Christ, or in any way whatsoever to reverse one’s personal decision to accept Christ as Savior. This mistaken belief is clearly refuted by God’s word that warns us not to abandon our faith and turn away (1 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 3:14; 6:4-6; 10:26-31; John 15:2; 6;). The immutable fact that God will never withdraw His Holy Spirit from anyone who remains in Christ is an absolute fact. However, those that do not remain in Christ but willfully turn away and reject Christ are no longer covered by His sanctifying blood (Hebrews 10:26). God is not desperate for worshipers as to hold captive those who willfully desire to turn away from His love. Only those who remain in Christ will possess the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:29-32)

Those who were once saved, and remain in Christ, will always be saved. 

Conclusion

The Assurance of Salvation or Security of the Believer is our undisputable position in Christ to all who are genuinely born again. Our relationship with God begins with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit bringing us to our senses and leading us toward repentance (John 16:8). The decision is ours to either open the door of our heart and let Christ in or ignore Him (Rev. 3:20). The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives bears witness in our inner beings that we are truly saved and in a right relationship with the Lord (Rom. 8:16). This relationship is made possible through God’s amazing love (Joh. 3:16) and Christ atoning sacrifice on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21). By faith, we believe that Christ died in our place and suffered our punishment for sin (Gal. 2:20). It is our faith that connects us to God’s grace. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you are saved through faith…” an active living faith is required to receive God’s grace and to continue in His grace. Faith is more than a one-time event, it is an ongoing relationship that requires that believers remain and continue in Christ (Rom. 11:22) and do not abandon (1 Tim. 4:1-2) or turn away (Heb. 3:12) from Christ as their Savior. As born-again believers we are instructed to pray to the Father, ask for forgiveness of sins (Luk. 11:2-4; 1 John 1:9), study and obey His word (2 Tim. 2:15), and mature in our relationship with God. God insists that we grow in the grace and knowledge of Him who loves us. That we conform to the image of his Son and are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 8:29; 12:2; Phil. 2:5). And finally, be filled with His Spirit:

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:15-20)

When we consider the whole counsel of God’s word it becomes abundantly clear that those who are saved must remain in Christ and not turn away or abandon their faith in Him but remain steadfast in the Lord or otherwise there will be “no sacrifice for sins left.”

Those who were once saved, and remain in Christ, will always be saved. 

You may be interested in this blog also: Are You Really Born Again?