Debunking "Once-saved-always-saved"

How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

-Hebrews 2:3

The full loss of one's salvation is called apostasy.  Apostasy is when a person no longer believes.  Backsliding is different.  Backsliding  refers to 'losing ground' in your relationship with God, and may lead to apostasy.

Salvation is not merely transactional, as in you make the transaction and then you are in no matter what.  Salvation does start with a transaction but then it is a relationship to be maintained that can be lost.  It is like the saying, 'the wedding is not the marriage'.  The wedding is the transaction: "we are married!"  But then comes the marriage relationship.

Becoming saved and remaining saved involve faith in Jesus, followed by obedience to Him and a life of following Him which means to obey Him.  In John chapter 10, verse 27, for example, His sheep hear His voice, He knows them, and they follow Him, and verse 28 says that He gives them eternal life.  Simply put, when people who were "once saved" stop following Him, their eternal salvation is in jeopardy.

Jesus teaches in John chapter 15 that we must remain connected to him or our eternal salvation will be in jeopardy.  And Apostle John teaches that eternal life is found in the Son and that the person "who has the Son has life; (and) he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life." (1 John 5:12)  Eternal life is in Christ and if a person who once was, is no longer residing, abiding, and following Christ, then they no longer have eternal life.  They have lost their salvation or at least are in great jeopardy of losing it.

We are not saved by works and salvation is completely God's work, but as James wrote, "faith without works is dead (faith)."  We are secure in our salvation as long as we continue to "do the Father's will" (Matthew 7:21).  

We are not in jeopardy when we do not live a perfect (sinless) life.  Believers do stumble and even fall, but can always come back (repent) and re-follow Christ again.  We can become prodigal sons and finally come to our senses and repent.  

It is a whole different situation when someone renounces Christ, saying "I don't believe that anymore."  When a Christian starts living in unrepentant sin, they are in jeopardy of losing their salvation.  They are heading down a road that ends up at them saying "I don't believe anymore", because their actions of no longer following Christ reveal the belief of their heart.

One valid argument that the 'once saved always saved' camp makes is that there are people who claim to be Christians who seemed to never have been.  This would be the case in Matthew 7:22-23:

“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.’

When Jesus says, "I never knew you", the idea is that the 'many' in verse 22 have not been remaining in Him, and closely following Him in their lives through obedience.  

There are many people who claim to be Christians who never have been.  Perhaps they have become Christians in their own minds and on their own terms.  In the verses before (vss. 15-20), Jesus likens false believers to the false prophets who bear bad fruit.  The bad fruits are listed by Paul: 

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

-Galatians 5:19-21

The Pharisees are an example of religious people who thought they were saved, but were not.  Here are some examples of the 'bad fruit' the Pharisees displayed:

"“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

      "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

-Matthew 23:25-28

Hypocrisy, legalism, greed, and self-indulgence.  Their 'bad fruit' stemmed from their inner character that was completely out of touch with God.

Back to Matthew 7.  Wrapping up the collection of Jesus' sayings we call 'The Sermon on The Mount', right after Jesus says to the many, "I never knew you" (7:23), He then says, "therefore...  We know that the word 'therefore' means, "in light of what I have just said."  He then teaches us, if we would be His disciples, true Christians who follow and obey Him, that we must hear His words (pay attention) and then act on them (obey).  He then says that those who hear Him but do not obey Him are headed for destruction:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

-Matthew 7:24-27

Jesus gives this great set of teachings in Matthew chapters five through seven to all who would come and listen to Him.  But at the end of all His teaching, He says that just coming to hear Him is not enough.  A person can learn all the teachings of Jesus contained here, but that is not enough to inherit eternal life.  We must do what He says to do or we are lost and headed for destruction.

Only God can give the final judgement on if a person was saved or not.  There are people who attend church who have risen up into positions of authority, such as teachers for example, who seem to have never been saved.  These are then false teachers.  John gives an example of this in his first letter:

"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, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us."

-I John 2:19

There are also many people who fall away or who 'backslide' from their faith, who are in jeopardy of apostatizing:

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

-1 Timothy 4:1

Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 

-Hebrews 3:12

'Brethren' (believers?) can fall away.  I put the question mark there because some would say that the people the author of Hebrews is writing to contain some people who are not saved, and they would say that this is illustrated (proven) by the following verses that talk about the children of Israel who died in the desert and failed to enter the promised land due to their disobedience.  Therefore, the 'once saved always saved' adherent says that the 'brethren' spoken to in Hebrews 3:12, who can have an 'unbelieving heart that falls away', are not-yet-saved people like the 'never saved' people who died in the desert.

But, the author of Hebrews calls the people he is talking to in Hebrews chapter 3 verse 1, 'holy brethren.'  These are believers that he is writing to who he says can become like the children of Israel, having an 'evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.'

Hebrews 13:5 is an example of a 'proof text' given for eternal security (one saved always saved):

"Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”"

-Hebrews 13:5

The simple answer is that this verse and passage of scripture is only applied to believers.  When a former believer no longer believes, this verse does not apply to them.

2nd Timothy 2:12 states this principle:

"If we endure, we will also reign with Him;

            If we deny Him, He also will deny us;"

Losing your salvation is called apostasy and apostasy is when a person says, or their life's actions say, "I no longer believe."  It is very different to struggle with your faith and backslide in your life.  Warnings about apostatizing are not guaranteed to stop a believer from shipwrecking their faith, because these warnings tell us to keep obeying these warnings.  'Eternal security' in one's salvation is conditional upon our obedience and continuing in the saving faith that saved us in the first place.

What about Hebrews 6:4-6?

"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

The subject here are former Christians who have apostatized.  They have shut themselves out of salvation.  God is ready to forgive them and restore them, but they are not willing.  Their cavalier attitude toward sin, and their unbelief, puts them in an impossible position.  Their hearts are rock-hard, like useless farmland.

The original audience of Hebrews 6 were fully initiated Christians who were baptized in water and had received the Holy Spirit and have been recipients of The Lord's Supper.  They have had a full Christian experience, with nothing missing.  The author is warning the Jewish Christians here not to apostatize and come into damnation.  This warning comes with a description of completely apostatized former Christians.

What is Hebrews 6, verse 4 and following saying in a nutshell?  That if fully initiated Christians turn their backs on Christ, there is nothing anyone can do to bring them to repentance, and their end result will be eternal damnation.  This is a dire warning and not a hypothetical one, nor something that can never happen to us one day.

The context of the letter of Hebrews is that some of the recipients were on the verge of apostasy and losing their salvation.  They may be getting close, and for that reason Hebrews contains these warnings, but they have not gone too far yet.  That is why verse nine of chapter six says, "But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way."

The message of the the New Testament is the gospel of the grace of Christ with the deep and unwavering belief in our inheritance of eternal life after death.  But alongside of that, the authors make the issue of apostasy and forfeiting this inheritance.  The message is that we can have confidence in our salvation as long as we are following Christ.  The message is clear that those who stop following Christ and do not live under His kingship any longer and do not repent, will not enter heaven.

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Appendix

A list of New Testament scriptures that indicate that Christians can lose their salvation:

“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

-Matthew 7:19

“You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

-Matthew 10:22

“Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.

-Luke 8:13

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 

-John 15:1-6

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

-Romans 8:12-14

"but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." 

-1 Corinthians 9:27

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

-1 Corinthians 15:1-2

And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—

-2 Corinthians 6:1

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;

-Galatians 1:6

You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

-Galatians 5:4

This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

-1 Timothy 1:18-19

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

-1 Timothy 4:1

But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge.

-1 Timothy 5:11-12

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

-1 Timothy 6:10

O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge “— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.

-1 Timothy 6:20-21

Men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.

-2 Timothy 2:18

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.

-Hebrews 2:1

But Christ was faithful as a Son over His house— whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

-Hebrews 3:6

Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

-Hebrews 3:12

Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

-Hebrews 4:11

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

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 

-Hebrews 10:26

BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH;

            AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

-Hebrews 10:38-39

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

-James 5:19-20

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.  It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

-2 Peter 2:20-22

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 

-2 Peter 3:17

"If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death." 

-1 John 5:16-17

Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 

-2 John 1:9

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Bibliography

Hard Sayings of The Bible, Hebrews 6:4-6, pp. 681-2; Peter H. Davids, 1996

For further study:

Mike Mazzalongo, Once Saved, Always Saved?