Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, other self-proclaimed ‘Christian’ groups, and Arminian Protestants deny the eternal security of the believer. They believe that a truly justified Christian can lose his salvation through apostasy or some other heinous sin and that no one can know if they are going to Heaven with any certainty until they get there.
On the other hand, many Protestants hold that if a believer is truly justified, then he can never lose his salvation. No truly justified Christian will continue in sin, and if they sin, then God will merely chastise him as a remedial action. Also, no truly justified person will ever commit apostasy, and those who continue in sin or leave the church (i.e. commit apostasy) are shown never to have been truly justified in the first place. One can know that they are one of God’s elect with a high certainty by examining themselves spiritually. Once a Christian is justified, he or she will persevere in righteousness by the power of God for the rest of their lives and on into eternity. This article will establish the latter position, the Calvinist position, from the Scriptures. What will follow are numerous Scripture quotes followed by commentary.
Quotes are taken from the NASB:
Jeremiah 31:33-34
“They will not teach again, each
man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest
of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Commentary:
God clearly states that He will remember the sins of his people no more. However, those who deny eternal security believe that if a believer commits a ‘bad’ sin, then God will remember their past sins and undo the justification of original sin.
Jeremiah
32:38-40
“They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me
always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that
I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from
Me.”
Commentary:
The LORD says that He will place the fear of Him in the hearts of believers so that they will not turn from Him. However, those who deny eternal security believe that even if God has placed the fear of Him in their hearts and given them a new heart (i.e. regenerated and justified) they can still turn from Him.
Ezekiel 36:25-27
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness
and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart
of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes,
and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”
Commentary:
The LORD speaking through Ezekiel states that those whom He gives a new heart (i.e. regeneration) will be caused to walk in His commandments (which would include being faithful to the end). However, those who deny eternal security believe that God cannot cause believers to walk in His commandments because that would violate the creature’s libertarian free-will.
Matthew 7:17-20
“So every good tree
bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 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.”
Commentary:
Jesus said that a good tree (i.e. a true believer) cannot produce bad fruit (i.e. evil deeds). However, those who deny eternal
security believe that a true believer can produce bad fruit and, as a result, lose their salvation. They may reply that in verse
19, Jesus says that every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down. Of course, they are assuming that the ‘trees’
being spoken of were true believers and not just false believers or mankind as a whole. Either way, what He said in verse 19
cannot contradict what He said in verse 18.
Matthew 18:12-14 (directed against Roman Catholics who believe in Augustinian predestination)
“What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine
on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices
over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that
one of these little ones perish.”
Commentary:
The Lord Jesus clearly states that if one of God’s true believers goes astray, then it is the will of God that he should not perish. However, Roman Catholics who hold to Augustinian predestination believe that God does not predestine all to glory (i.e. go to Heaven) that He has predestined to grace (i.e. to be justified). They believe (as I understand it) that it is God’s will that He should allow one of “these little ones” to perish if they go astray.
John 3:18
“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe
has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Commentary:
Christ states that those that believe in him will not be judged (for sin). However, those who deny eternal security believe
that those who commit ‘mortal’ sins will be judged. They may counter and say, “The verse says that those who currently believe
in Him are not judged, but what about those who believed before but don’t believe now. They can be judged.” Then, those
who deny eternal security would have to admit that ‘mortal sin’ is destroyed by this passage and apostasy would be the only way around
this verse. Next, the second half of the verse says that those who don’t believe have already been judged. How can one
not be judged for a time if he has been judged already? The only belief that fits this verse is the Calvinist doctrine of election.
John
5:24
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment,
but has passed out of death into life.”
Commentary:
(Same as above)
John
6:37
“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.”
Commentary:
Jesus states that all that the Father gives Him will come to Him, and He will never cast them out. However, those who deny eternal
security believe that those who are given to Christ can be cast out. They may reply, “That doesn’t mean that they can’t leave
if they commit apostasy or commit a mortal sin.” However, Jesus says in verse 39 that He will lose none of those that the Father
has given Him, and those who deny eternal security believe that Jesus will lose some due to mortal sin or apostasy.
John 10:27-29
“But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 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.”
Commentary:
Here, Jesus states that those who disbelieve do so because they are not His sheep. Then, He states that he gives His sheep (i.e.
true believers) eternal life and will never let them perish. However, those who deny eternal security believe that Jesus will let
true believers perish through ‘mortal’ sin or apostasy.
Acts
“When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing
and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.”
Commentary:
Luke states that those who “had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Many of these people were probably still living at the time, and yet, Luke said that they had been appointed by God to have eternal life (i.e. they were of the elect). However, those who deny eternal security believe that Luke could not have known that these people were elect because they were still living and could have committed a mortal sin at any time.
Second, it states that only those who had been appointed to eternal life believed. However, those who deny eternal security believe that those who are not appointed to eternal life can believe but then fall away.
Romans 4:6-8
“…just
as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS
DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.””
Commentary:
Here, Paul quotes David in the Psalms which say that the LORD will not impute sin to those whom He justifies. However, those
who deny eternal security believe that if a truly justified man commits a mortal sin, then the LORD will impute that sin to his account
and the sinner will lose his salvation.
Romans 8:1
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Commentary:
Paul states that there is no condemnation for true believers. However, those who deny eternal security believe that if a true
Christian commits a mortal sin, then he will be condemned for doing that action and lose his salvation.
Romans 8:29-30
“For those
whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and
these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
Commentary:
In the context of talking about all true believers (Romans 8:1-2, 9-11, 14-19, 23-28), Paul states that all who are justified are
also glorified (i.e. will go to Heaven). However, those who deny eternal security believe that not all who are justified will
be glorified.
Romans 8:33-34
“Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who
condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
Commentary:
Paul states that no one can bring a charge (i.e. a legal action for sin) against God’s elect. The reason he gives is that God
has justified them. Thus, all those who are justified are God’s elect. However, those who deny eternal security believe
that a truly justified Christian who commits a ‘mortal’ sin will have a charge brought against them, lose their salvation, and not
be one of the elect.
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ
Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ
was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into
fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Commentary:
Paul is very clear that all true Christians, those who were called into fellowship with Jesus, will be confirmed to the end so that
they will be blameless in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason he gives is that God is faithful. However, those
who deny eternal security believe that one can be called into fellowship with the Son and not be confirmed to the end.
Galatians
3:12-13
However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM.” Christ redeemed us from
the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE…”
Commentary:
Paul states that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law (i.e. every time one sins he/she must pay the penalty for that sin)
that was placed on us by becoming a curse Himself. However, those who deny eternal security believe that any true believer that
commits a heinous sin was not redeemed from the curse of the Law but must pay the penalty for that sin (i.e. eternal damnation). [It must also be noted that Roman Catholics believe that every sin that is committed by a true believer after baptism must also be
satisfied or the believer will pay the penalty for their action.]
Philippians 1:3-6
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until
now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Commentary:
Paul states that Christ, who began a good work in the Christians Paul is writing to (i.e. regeneration and justification), will perfect
it until the Second Advent. However, those who deny eternal security believe that Christ will not perfect it in some.
The Perseverance of the Saints
(Eternal Security)
(Part 1)