Eternal Security - Once Saved Always Saved

Doctrine Article - D.0113

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To the church:

.....think on these things (Phil 4:8)

Eternal Security ("Once-Saved-Always-Saved")

This article is supplementary to an article entitled "He's_a_Carnal_Christian?" in which we proved that there is no such thing as a "Carnal Christian".

In this article, we provide additional scriptural proof against the carnal Christian lifestyle/doctrine and it's sister doctrine Eternal Security, or Once-Saved-Always-Saved (OSAS), by way of an email mailed to one of our daughters.

The letter has been edited.

* * *

[Name withheld],

1. The doctrine of Eternal Security is so important to many people that they effectively link their belief in Eternal Security to "the grace of God" and to the gift of Salvation itself. Dr. Charles Stanley is one of these. (He is the man who wrote the book called, "Eternal Security - Can You Be Sure".)

2. In his book, Charles Stanley says, "The very gospel itself comes under attack when the Eternal Security of the believer is questioned. "(pg 192)

3. Is Charles Stanley's gospel "another gospel" from what we have been taught? (Gal 1:6,7) Consider these other statements:

a. In that same book, Charles Stanley says, "Even if a believer for all practical purposes becomes an unbeliever, his salvation is not in jeopardy." (pg 93)

But the Bible says that those who do not believe, "the unbelieving" will have their part in the Lake of Fire. (Rev 21:8)

b. In that same book, Charles Stanley says, "... there are Christians who show no evidence of their Christianity as well."(pg 71).

But the bible says, the tree is known by his fruit (Matt 12:33)

c. In that same book, Charles Stanley says, "... a Christian who at no point in his entire life bore any eternal fruit ...yet his salvation is never jeopardized."(pg 121)

But the Bible says, every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (Matt 7:19) and (Matt 3:10, 7:17, 7:18).

4. These are just a very few of the statements Charles Stanley makes regarding Eternal Security, that are in direct contradiction to the Bible. It is difficult to explain why/how they would continue to cling to this belief against, what I see as being, clear scriptural teaching to the contrary. But, for some reason, they do.

5. The doctrine of the "Carnal Christian" is a foundational teaching for belief in Eternal Security. Here is the core passage:

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

6. Those who adhere to OSAS (Once-Saved-Always-Saved), Eternal Security doctrine, teach that there are three categories of people: Unsaved people, Christians, and carnal Christians.

7. By creating this third category of people (carnal Christians), this teaching allows for people to be "Christians" but still live like the world (carnal). So, by this teaching, a person can live a wicked life (after making a one-time profession of faith in Christ) and still be saved. Now, they rarely teach outright that a person should live a wicked life, but they do allow that a person could live a wicked life and still be saved. The only loss, they claim, is the loss of rewards for that person, once he/she is in heaven.

8. But the Bible teaches that there are two resurrections, one for the just unto life, and one for the unjust unto death. There is no such thing as a resurrection for the unjust unto life. There is no "third" category of people.

9. Understanding what it means to be a "Christian" and how to become a Christian, is basic, fundamental gospel doctrine (Christianity 101, so to speak).

The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto Salvation to everyone that believeth (Rom 1:16).

10. So, ... wouldn't teaching that a person can be a "carnal" Christian (and still have salvation) be in conflict with the message of the gospel itself?

11. Jesus said that his sheep not only hear his voice, but follow him (Jn 10:27). To "follow" is an act of the will and of the body. It is something that we do, not just something that we say at one time in our lives (like a one-time profession of faith).

12. What is a "carnal Christian"? The word "carnal" appears to be a direct opposite of the word "spiritual", and in its narrowest application is not only just "natural, earthly, and materialistic," as it seems to connote in some verses, but it is outright fleshly, wicked and abhorrent to God. It is clearly not a desirable adjective to apply in describing our character.

13. Consider, for example:

a. Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

b. Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

14. We are expected to put on the mind of Christ (Phil 2:5) and we are NOT to be conformed to this world (carnal, carnally minded) but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2) so that we do not have carnal minds (which is death, enmity against God).

15. In common usage, the term "carnal Christian" is just as ridiculous as are the terms "ungodly Christian", "rebellious Christian", and "Christian rock".

16. So, what was Paul saying then in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 about them being carnal? The answer, I believe, is found quite a few verses later, because the context of this letter goes on and on, chapter after chapter. The answer is - he is warning them.

I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. (1 Cor 4:14)

17. He is warning them against being carnal, because of its ultimate consequence - death (Rom 8:6). He even tells them not to be deceived by those who teach that you can live your life however you want to live it and still be assured of being saved (Eternal Security) - because presumably there were people teaching that doctrine there too.

18. Read his warning against this doctrine yourself in that next chapter (1 Cor 6: 9-10). Do you notice that it says those who commit these sins shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

19. It does not say that "Christians" who commit those sins will be excused. It even uses the past tense verb "were" in saying, "And such were some of you..." but no longer are. He is calling them to repentance, where necessary, and to godliness in all cases.

20. He not only warned them against being carnal themselves, he warned them not to keep company with men who are fornicators (1 Cor 5:9-10).

21. But he did more than that. He tightened the warning further, by saying,

"But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat." (1 Cor 5:11)

22. Notice, that this doesn't say a brother can be a fornicator ("carnal Christian").

23. What it says is, that we are not to even keep company with those who are "called" a brother and who commit these abominable sins. These are people who "call" themselves Christians, but who live their lives according to their own law, according to their own lusts, and according to their own "final authority". They will claim to be "Christians" ("brother") and will promote the doctrine of Eternal Security, as if it were a license to sin, because they are really fornicators, covetous, idolaters, railers, etc .... about whom Paul continues in chapter six verse nine to say "shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

24. Are all who teach Eternal Security living these ungodly lifestyles? No. Many good people have bought into this false doctrine for whatever reasons - it certainly appears to be a comforting doctrine to many - but they still live a very godly life, despite their belief that they don't need to. But, others use the doctrine as a "license" to sin, and worse, they teach others that it's OK too. Woe unto them.

How does one lose his salvation…?

25. In many places throughout the bible, our Salvation is CONDITIONAL upon our faith (Not our works; faith is not a work). We have Eternal Security if we satisfy the many "if" conditions that preface the promises. Until our redemption is attained, "eternal" life is conditionally available to us based on our continuing to believe. Even in John 3:16 salvation is conditional. (Conditional upon whosoever "believeth").

26. If someone stops believing, they can't be saved because they no longer "believeth". Revelation 21:8 says that the unbelievers will have their part in the lake of fire. (A picture of this is given to us in the story of Peter walking on the water. When he began to lose faith in Jesus, he began to sink into the 'lake' and had to cry out to Jesus, "Lord, save me".)

27. Therefore, for good reason, we are exhorted to endure, continue, abide - and like words – in him, in grace, in the faith, until a certain time. The reason is that, if we don't, we shall lose something – and it's not just rewards that we would lose. Here are some examples:

a. Gen 19:26

1) "Remember Lot's wife", as Jesus commanded the Jews in Judea to remember during the Great Tribulation – be faithful, continue to believe, don't look back (Luke 17:32)

2) Lot's wife was 'saved' from Sodom (type of the world), but was not faithful in continuing to believe the word of God (or else she would have kept it to the end). Consequently, she lost her salvation (which happened to her for an ensample, as a 'type', and was written for our admonition (I Cor 10:11).

b. Ez 18:24-26

24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

25 Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

c. John 15:1,2

1) Jesus said that he is the vine and we are the branches. Is every branch "in me" therefore a saved person who has eternal life and 'Eternal Security'?

2) If that person does have 'Eternal Security', then how can the husbandman 'taketh away' (to be burned) that person who at one time was "eternally secure"?

3) My answer is that, of course, he can't. The conclusion is wrong because the initial premise was wrong – the person never had "Eternal Security" in the first place. (i.e. Those who are "in Christ" only have life if they "ABIDE" in him. Otherwise, they will be cut off and burned.)

d. I Cor 9:27

1) Even the Apostle Paul kept his body in subjection lest he be a castaway, despite having preached to many.

e. Eph 1:13-14

1) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

f. Hebrews 3:14-19

1) "For we are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;" (verse 14 - emphasis added).

2) The Israelites were 'saved' from Egypt, (type of the world), but many were not faithful in continuing to believe, so they were denied entry to the promised land (type of heaven). Therefore, "we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."(verse 19) (i.e. they were saved, and then lost.)

g. Hebrews 6:4-6

1) If a person is "enlightened" and is a "partaker of the Holy Ghost" and has "tasted the good word of God" and "the powers of the world to come", then he is a saved person. (Rom 8:9)

2) But in verse 6, this person 'falls away' to the end that it is impossible to renew him/her again unto repentance. If a person is unrepentant, he can't be saved, let alone be renewed unto salvation. So he/she is again in a lost state. He lost the salvation that he once had. So in the common usage of the term "eternally secure" he couldn't have been "eternally secure" in the first place. He would only have been truly "eternally secure" if he had remained faithful, believing, and waiting for the redemption, the redemption that draweth nigh (but that has not yet come).

h. II Peter 2:20-23

1) Upon their escape from "the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" are people considered to be saved? Do they have eternal life and hence, "Eternal Security"? (I believe that they are saved, but that they only have Eternal Security if they continue to believe).

2) If they are 'eternally secure' (by the common definition of that term), how can they become "entangled again therein, and overcome", so that "the latter end is worse with them than the beginning"? The "latter end" must at least be the state of being lost; unsaved, or else it couldn't be worse for them than the beginning was.

3) If they are not 'eternally secure' (for the reason that they are not considered to be saved), then:

a) What value is there in Peter's writing to us? He would simply be saying that a lost person is more lost after cleaning up his life for a while with "Christian" living. So what?

b) Is this motivation for a lost person? No. Is this motivation for a Christian? No again. But, if he were warning Christians that they can lose salvation by ceasing to believe (and hence by becoming entangled again in the pollutions of this world) then Peter's writings make sense.

i. Jude verses 3-7.

1) The book of Jude was written to people who had "certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness..."

2) Some people frequently use the word "Grace." It appears to mean even more to them than it does to us. To us, it is by God's Grace that we are saved through (our) faith (Eph 2:8,9). But to them, God's Grace is a security blanket that covers every sin they commit (wilfully or not) (Heb 10:26) so that they can live a wicked life (if they wish to) and still be saved (doctrine of Eternal Security). But that is not what the bible teaches. Paul said in Romans 6:15, What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

3) Jude verses 5-7 also totally destroys this idea that we can have a "free" sin ride after becoming saved. We are not to turn the Grace of God into lasciviousness, and he gives us examples in this passage of when he has destroyed his people/creation after having "saved" them. That's very clear.

j. Rev 3:5

1) How can God blot out a person's name from the book of life, if "Eternal Security" means that one cannot lose his salvation?

2) How could the person's name be in the book of life in the first place, in order to be blotted out, if he didn't have eternal life to start with?

3) Isn't the promise in this verse offered ONLY to "He that overcometh," proving that we have a part to play in acquiring (and keeping) the benefits of the promise?

28. Of course these are only a few of the verses that teach that we can lose salvation by not continuing in his word, not abiding in him, not enduring to the end, not holding fast….etc. We are called to be faithful. Those of us who are alive and remain shall be caught up together to meet him. (remain what?) I believe this means remain faithful, believing in him. (When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?) This is the blessed hope – that we who "believeth on him" shall be saved.

29. We are Canadians, but when we bought a house in Muncie, Indiana, ten years ago, we learned that Americans use the term "earnest" to represent what we call "down payment" on the purchase. If the holy Spirit of promise is the earnest (down payment) of our inheritance, then God has promised to keep his end of the agreement, but we can still break our end of the agreement before the closing date (the day of redemption) and tell the Holy Spirit to leave (and thereby grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom we are sealed unto the day of redemption).

30. Don't buy Charles Stanley's false doctrine of "Eternal Security". Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (I Thess 5:21)