Eternal inSecurity
A news article in 2001 shows that it is not just the liberal churches that are compromising and apostatizing, but also Baptist churches.
A local association of the Southern Baptists in Georgia decided not to expel two churches because of their acceptance of gays.
The Atlanta Baptist Association recently voted 253-164 to keep the Oakhurst and Virginia-Highland churches in its fold even though the two congregations were expelled two years ago by the Georgia Baptist Convention for their pro-homosexual policy, the Associated Press (AP) reported…. (Atlanta Baptists Rekindle Gay Controversy, Charisma newsletter, 2-12-2001)
This is one of the first official reports of Baptists accepting homosexuals and lesbians, but it was not be the last. Broadway Baptist in Fort Worth, Texas also accepts gays. The reason they are doing so is the doctrine of Eternal Security (ES), or once saved always saved.
A whole book could be written on Eternal Security (ES) but I will only discuss the main points and Scripture passages. Not only will I correct the faulty reasoning and Scripture twisting of those who advocate the ES position, I will also explain the passages that in fact show that we can loose our salvation, which the ES teachers cavalierly dismiss.
The ES doctrine was developed and promoted by people who needed to have some kind of assurance of salvation which they did not have, because they were not in a close relationship with God. Even today it is believed and promoted to help people sleep at night for wondering if they are going to hell or not, but they would not have that problem if they knew God intimately. If you have a relationship with someone you do not have to wonder if you are loved or not, you know. Christians who do not believe in Eternal Security are confident in their faith in Christ because they are in a relationship with God; they rely upon their relationship with God, not upon a doctrine.
I have already presented lots of evidence in previous chapters that shows there is no such thing as Eternal Security (ES), such as (Matt. 25:32-46). Many people pray and read the Bible and preach and teach and heal the sick, but they will be sent to hell on the Day of Judgment because they did not feed the poor or clothe the naked. The passage did not say people will be sent to hell because they did not believe in Jesus, it said they did not help the poor. People who are practitioners of other religions will not be sent to hell because they do not help the poor, they will be sent to hell because they do not believe in Jesus. Only those who believe in Jesus and are practicing the Christian faith will be sent to hell for not helping the poor.
Another bit of evidence is an illustration given by Jesus. Jesus gave a parable in which the seed of the Word of God fell on different kinds of ground, the ground representing the hearts of men and women. The condition of the heart determined whether the seed was able to sprout and grow. Jesus said:
“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” (Matthew 13:20-21) (ESV)
This man is an illustration of one who hears the gospel message and shouts, “Praise God I’ve been saved!” But in this case, the man has no root, which means he does not grow deep in the Christian faith. Perhaps he was not properly discipled into a fully grown Christian, so when he faced persecution for being a Christian he was not able to stand up against it and fell away. You have heard that what goes up must come down, well in this case, if he fell then he had to have been up. You cannot fall away from faith you never had! The passage clearly says that this person “endures for a while,” which means he was in fact a Christian. He did not merely believe he was a Christian. The ES preachers would have you believe that the man who heard the word did not really receive it, even though Jesus said he did.
The ES advocates fail to believe the clear teaching of this parable, which refers to the Word of salvation. Those who accept it must grow roots and a strong stalk. You do not become a fully mature adult, spiritually speaking, at the moment you become born-again any more than a new baby is fully grown. You are fully born-again, just as the new baby is fully whole, but you are still weak and not able to stand on your own feet.
“And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” (Matthew 5:30) (ESV)
This passage clearly says that if you sin, you will go to hell, therefore you should take steps to remove from your life things that cause you to give into temptation. If Jesus is speaking to people who are already on their way to hell, then there would be no point in saying what he said, he would merely tell them to repent and believe. No, it refers to those will go to heaven unless they sin; therefore it refers to believers. The doctrine of ES says that no sin will separate you from God or keep you out of heaven, so this passage is just a meaningless story, if ES is true.
Jesus gave a parable of a shepherd who lost a sheep and went out to find it. Baptists use this verse all the time but are blinded to what is says.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? . . . 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15: 4, 7) (ESV)
In this parable a sheep was in the fold but wandered off, which tells us that the person is not someone who has never been saved but was saved but is now lost. Jesus called him a “sinner” who needs to repent. It does not say that every sheep who is lost will be found, that is making the passage say more than what it actually does say. There is no Eternal Security in this parable.
As I have stated before, you cannot take one verse to the exclusion of the overall teaching of the Bible. Some passages are not clear by themselves so they must be looked at in light of the entire New Testament. God does not contradict himself. The only way to come to the Eternal Security (ES) view is to ignore many clear passages and parables in favor of the most simplistic reading of the simplest verses. Jesus did indeed say:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24) (ESV)
For this to refer to Eternal Security you must accept a simplistic interpretation while ignoring the overall teaching of the entire Bible. The main reason people lose their salvation is they do not become fully grown spiritually, because they stop reading the Bible and receiving teaching. But you also must obey the truth. Believing is just the first step; John the Baptist knew the true Gospel and stated it clearly:
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36) (ESV)
There you have it; we must first believe, then we must obey his commands. If we believe but do not obey we will receive the wrath of God. This passage is what is commonly referred to as a smoking gun; it actually states in clear words that believing is not enough and that we must believe then obey. This passage by itself proves the true Gospel in this book, and that there is no such thing as Eternal Security, but there are many more:
“Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? . . . The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.” (Luke 12:42, 46) (NIV)
The servant represents people who profess to be Christians, especially pastors who are supposed to give spiritual food to God’s other servants. If the servant is an unbeliever, there would be no purpose for the parable or in the statement that he will be sent to the same place as unbelievers, so the servant must be a believer! The servant is clearly not an unbeliever.
About free will, the ES preachers expect us to believe that no one who is born again would ever rebel against God and so loose their salvation. Satan and one-third of the angels knew God face to face and yet rebelled against Him. Therefore, that argument is nonsense! People do lots of things that they should not do, that are harmful to them. Only those who remain in the truth will receive salvation. It is more than an intellectual belief; it is a way of living.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28) (NIV)
This passage is a favorite of the ES believers. What this passage says is that we do not have to worry that Satan can come and take us away from God against our will; Satan is not more powerful than God. But it does not mean that we lose the ability to choose which path to walk; we can walk away from God if we so choose. God never removes freedom of choice from us. We do not loose our freewill when we are born-again. Also, it does not mean that God cannot judge you to be an unfaithful servant and send you to hell, as clearly illustrated in the verses already explained in this chapter.
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23) (NIV)
Did it say those who love Jesus will believe? No, it says those who love Jesus will obey his teaching. Only those who obey will have a home with God. It literally says “keep my word” which is the same as obey.
“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 so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:1-2) (NIV)
The ES doctrine blinds people to the truth as badly as the wealth gospel. They cannot even see and believe this clear passage. Every person who accepts Christ but does not eventually bear the fruit of Holy Spirit, will be cut off. This can only mean one thing, that the Holy Spirit will remove himself from that individual. Any reasonable analysis of this passage requires that conclusion. Nor does it say that the people who are cut off were never really part of the vine, they are on the vine, they don’t merely think they are on the vine! Here is another example of how the blind teachers try to reason away this clear passage:
The branch must be in Him. To take away can be misunderstood easily and a narrow meaning can be placed upon it. What this is, is the practice of a vinedresser to lift up a branch that is not bearing so that it can get more light or come off the ground. While it can mean that he destroys it, the meaning here is not definite. (Too indefinite to build a doctrine on.) This is a different term than is used in Ro 11:17 where the branches are broken off. (from a private email)
This man’s analysis of the passage is wishful thinking and typical twisting. It literally says “He takes it away” which is the same thing as cut off. If the branch is taken away from the vine then it cannot be merely raised up to get more light.
People who do bear fruit will be put through situations and circumstances designed to bring out even more fruit. They may not know it, but many of life’s hardships are designed to make us better people. Many people openly declare that getting cancer was the best thing that ever happened to them because it forced them to re-evaluate what they were doing with their lives. They often have much better relationships with those around them and are happier people after fighting cancer than before. This is just one way that God prunes us.
“If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (John 15:6) (NIV)
Here Jesus goes on to say that any person who does not remain in him will end up in hell. How can you not remain in Christ? The only way to not remain in Christ is to have once been in Christ. Clearly, we can be in Christ and then not be in Christ, which proves beyond question that the ES doctrine is false.
More misinterpreted verses are Ephesians 1:13-14 and 4:30. The Baptists and other ES advocates read these passages to mean that when God seals us unto the day of redemption, he is thereby guaranteeing us eternal life. In other words, we are sealed up or secured in God, and therefore cannot loose our salvation. Referring to this passage, Charles Stanley said, “It’s not conduct, its relationship.” Wow! What happened to obey? That is the whole problem with the ES doctrine, passages that tell us to obey are ignored in favor of those that say we must believe, but both are required.
The KJV says, “ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption” (1:13-14). It usually helps to get a better understanding of what a passage means by reading it in several different translations, as it does in this case:
. . . you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. (NAS)
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (ESV)
Barnes Notes says, “The meaning here is, we have the Holy Spirit as the pledge that that shall be ours, and the Holy Spirit will be imparted to us until we enter on that inheritance.” Therefore, this passage is saying that when we are born again, the Holy Spirit is given as a deposit of God’s promise to redeem us totally at the resurrection. If there is a day of redemption coming, then we are not yet totally redeemed; “we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23) (ESV). So the passage in no way says that we are some how enclosed or protected in such a way that we have ES. It in no way infers that God will redeem us on that day if we choose to sin. A very similar passage is found in 2 Corinthians:
He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (1:22) (NIV)
A deposit of what is to come means we do not yet have it. But there is more:
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise you believed in vain. (1 Cor. 15:2)
Paul did not say if they believed the word he preached, but if they continue to believe what he preached. Paul here says that you can believe in vain by believing, and then later you stop believing the truth. This is totally contrary to the ES doctrine. The NIV Study Bible, with notes written by ES believers, says:
If you are not persevering in the Christian faith, this is an evidence that you did not have saving faith in the first place (cf. Judas Iscariot, who eventually showed that he was not a true believer).
The above statement is the glaring abomination of the ES doctrine. ES preachers say that if you have trouble along the way and fall away from the faith, that it proves you were never actually saved in the first place; that you did not have “saving faith.” What they are saying is, that you can make a profession of faith, read the Bible daily, pray daily, even get baptized in water, but if your daughter dies of cancer and you become bitter and angry at God and turn away from God and the Christian walk, that you were never actually saved in the first place. This belief is beyond stupidity, it is total lunacy! If this is true, then every professing Christian in the world will not know whether they are really saved unless they face a horrible crisis to test their faith.
An example is given of a church in China; the police raided the church and demanded that each person deny Christ. Half the congregation denied Christ but half did not. The ES preachers say the half that apostatized were never really saved. So, according to the ES belief, unless a gun is actually put to your head, you will not know whether you are actually saved or not. That is not Eternal Security, that is Eternal inSecurity.
Believing alone is not the criteria to judge whether we are holding to the truth or not, it is relationship and how we live. The Bible says many times that only those who “obey” will see God.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you– unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5) (NIV)
What was the test? Was it, “do you really believe?” No. There are three areas to the test: Whether they were in relationship, bearing fruit, and not badly sinning. Paul and the other apostles acknowledge that Christians will occasionally sin, and some have a problem with one sin or another, but the question is whether you accept your sin or whether you acknowledge your sin and trust God to forgive you. People who knowingly accept their sin, such as the present trend to condone homosexuality, will burn in hell because unless they confess their sin as sin and ask forgiveness, it is not forgiven.
This brings up another false doctrine that results from the ES doctrine, which is that Jesus has already forgiven all the sins you will ever commit, so there is no need to even ask for forgiveness. This goes counter to the clear teachings of the Bible and results in people not being concerned with sinning. They do not even take thought about whether they have sinned or not. This is very bad for your relationship with God and will ultimately lead to hell. Jesus plainly stated in the Lord’s Prayer that if we do not forgive those who sin against us, that our sins will not be forgiven. I choose to believe the Bible rather than doctrines of men. It is also found in another place:
25 “Whenever you stand up to pray, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins. 26 But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.” (Mark 11:25-26) (ISV)
So you can see how flawed the ES doctrine really is. It is probable that at least some of the modern text critics believe the ES doctrine, which is why they removed verse 26 from almost all the modern translations!
Now we will continue with the main subject of this chapter.
You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:4) (ESV)
Here is an example of those who have not held to the truth and have backslidden. How can you fall away from grace if you were never in grace? They started to perform religious rites thinking that by doing such things they were making themselves acceptable to God; they were trying to earn their salvation with religious rituals. It does not refer to people who were keeping the Ten Commandments or doing good works. No, that is not the subject of this passage. Nor does it mean that people were trying to live right, which brings up another false doctrine resulting from the ES doctrine. Teachers of ES say that those who make an effort to live right are trying to be justified by living right, and so they are not really saved.
What nonsense! As a result of this false view, the ES people have begun teaching that you are not even saved unless you believe in the doctrine of ES! Yes, it is true, they actually teach that. The logic being that if you do not believe in ES, then you are trying to earn your salvation by not sinning! The ES doctrine just keeps growing more and more awful, like boils and puss on a diseased person. God commands us to live right, therefore we must make an effort to please God in this area. Sin separates us from God, so if you want a close relationship with God you must avoid sin as much as possible. People who do not believe in ES know that they will sin, and that God will forgive them as long as they forgive others their trespasses, so their faith is in God words that he will forgive us.
ES teachers do not understand that God’s moral law is not something we must do, “do this, do that,” God’s moral law is something wemust not do; we don’t commit adultery, we don’t murder, we don’t lie, we don’t steal, and so forth. Therefore, their argument is filled with faulty reasoning. So Baptists are not making any effort to resist temptation? Maybe this explains why there is so much fornication and adultery among Baptists, and now even homosexuality. When a Christian keeps the moral law it is not legalism because they cannot keep God’s moral law in their own strength, but only with the help of the Holy Spirit.
The only commands that we must do is to love our brothers and sisters, and we prove our love by helping them when they need help. Feeding the hungry and clothing the naked are not acts of religious ritual; praying a certain length of time is religious ritual, as is attending church every time the doors are open, and so forth. Paul continues:
For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. (1 Thessalonians 3:5) (ESV)
How clear can it get? Do the apostles have to push your face into it before you will acknowledge that it is there in front of you? This passage is another example of Paul checking and testing people to find out whether they continue in the way of truth or have departed from the truth and therefore have departed from salvation.
. . . holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. (1 Timothy 1:19) (NIV)
This refers to having correct doctrine and behavior. In this passage, Paul was referring to people who may have been teaching ES; notice the reference to “a good conscience” and some rejecting it refers to the fact that some people taught that they did not have to live right. So there were probably Eternal Security believers back then too, but it was not Paul. How can you shipwreck if you were never on the sea to begin with? The only way to shipwreck your faith in Christ is to have had genuine faith that became polluted by false doctrine and so it will no longer get you to heaven.
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (1 Timothy 4:1) (NIV)
To abandon the true faith for false doctrine, you must have once believed the truth. It literally says “depart,” and you cannot depart from some place you were never at! How blind can these ES people be? Notice that this verse refers to what will happen in the “later times” which is where we are today.
Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10) (NIV)
Here it is again! How can you wander from the true faith if you were never in the true faith? It literally says “were seduced from the faith” because it refers to the false prosperity gospel. I am utterly amazed that people can read passages such as these and still teach that once a person becomes born again that he can never be lost. There are so many passages that clearly show that Christians can loose their salvation, that to not believe we can loose our salvation can only be the result of willful spiritual blindness; self deception. ES teachers are truly blind guides. Stop following blind guides and believe what the Bible says!
People want ES to be true so they don’t have to be concerned about going to hell, but it only leads to people not being careful to obey God’s commands, and as a result, many will go to hell. The doctrine of Eternal Security is as ear ticking as you can get.
. . . if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. (2 Timothy 2:5) (NIV)
Here again, right doctrine is important. A boxer who does not follow the rules will be disqualified. God has given us rules to live by, and if we do not obey those rules then God will disqualify us. Only by obeying the rules will we make heaven.
He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9) (NIV)
It literally says “clinging to the faithful Word” which means it is possible to release your hold on the truth. Paul was the first official defender of the faith. He argued for truth. He insisted on right doctrine. So it is completely biblical to refute false doctrine and explain what the correct teaching is on subject or verse.
But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. (Hebrews 3:6) (NIV)
There’s that word again, “if” we hold to that which is true, means we could stop holding to the truth by believing a lie such as, “no sin can keep you out of heaven,” or “you are saved by faith alone. We are part of the household of God “if” we hold to what is right. It literally says we must hold “firm to the end.” But most of the modern translations leave out those words.
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. . . . Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. (Hebrews 3:12-14; 4:1) (ESV)
Wow! Verse after verse destroys the ES false doctrine. The author of Hebrews was speaking to people who were believers in Jesus, they were followers of the truth, but they were being warned that they could “fall away from the living God.” We will attain eternal life if we hold on to our faith to the end. We should be careful to hold on to the truth, because if we are deceived by false doctrine or sin, we can fall away and no longer share in Christ.
Even though this passage says the same thing in the King James Version, it is not as clear, like most of the KJV, but it is there nonetheless. Perhaps, if the original Baptists had been able to read a clear translation, they would have seen the truth and never developed the doctrine of ES to begin with. But now that they have developed this false doctrine, they will never reform as a group; they are too comfortable in their imaginary security.
You can see how reading through the New Testament and writing down every passage that refers to a particular subject is very helpful in coming to see that subject more clearly. You can see how many times the apostles refer to holding to the truth and falling away from Christ; so it must have been uppermost in their minds.
And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him . . . (Hebrews 5:9) (ESV)
The Eternal Security people spend lots of time reasoning away all the above passages, trying to make them say something other than what they clearly do say, that we must “obey” God’s commands to be saved. They even reason away this passage:
For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. (Hebrews 6:4-6) (ESV)
According to this passage, a person who converts to Christianity from paganism, but turns back to the worship of idols again, cannot be brought back to salvation again. How can you be restored to repentance “again” if you never had repentance in the first place? And how can you “fall away” from a place where you have never been? Anyone who says this passage does not refer to Christians loosing their salvation is a blind guide and has no business preaching or teaching from the Bible.
It says that God will not forgive anyone who has gone back to idol worship, but I do not believe that God would not forgive in every case. Only God knows the circumstances which caused a person to revert to paganism, perhaps it was to save the life of a child during a time of persecution. God will judge each individual case, so we should not make such judgments ourselves.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder. (James 2:19) (NIV)
James was preaching to people who believed the truth but were not living according to the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. Demons know what the truth is, but they choose not to follow what they know to be true, and so they are eternally condemned. This means it is not enough to merely believe the truth.
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20) (ESV)
Even a child can understand this clear wording. To wander from the truth means you must have once had the truth. Why is that so difficult to understand? The false ES teachers will tell you that this passage does not refer to loosing your salvation, but those who sin will die a physical death. Really? Why would God kill people who wander from the truth? To take them to heaven sooner than others? Nonsense! I can assure you that the apostles were not concerned with physical death, they all died as martyrs, but one, and expected many others to die early for believing the truth, no, their concern was eternal death. That is why it calls a person who wonders from the truth a “sinner” who’s soul will have spiritual death. It does not say his body will be saved from death, but his soul.
And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:18) (NIV)
Hard to be saved? I thought all we had to do is believe? This passage clearly states that it is difficult even for those who believe in Jesus to ultimately attain to eternal life. There are over 2 billion professing Christians; how can this be the narrow Way? Jesus said the Way is narrow that leads to life and few will find it!
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14) (ESV)
“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” (Luke 13:24) (NIV)
How can someone try to believe in Jesus, but is not able to believe even though he wants too? No, this statement does not refer to belief, but to what is required of us after we believe. In 2 Peter we find another passage that the ES people claim supports their doctrine:
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:10-11) (ESV)
If the doctrine of ES is correct, then this verse and many others have no purpose and make no sense. The clear meaning is that if you are careful to follow Peter’s instructions, you will not fall. Therefore, if you do not follow his instructions, you will fall and will not enter the Kingdom. This is another easy to understand passage. Stop listening to the blind guides! Verses proving that Christians can fall from grace are in almost every book of the NT.
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. (2 Peter 2:13) (NIV)
Are these passages like the pounding of a hammer? Some people must be very hardheaded! How can you leave the straight way if you have never been on it? No, they were on the straight way, which means they were on their way to entering the eternal Kingdom, but they left the road to heaven for the road to hell. So, they lost their salvation! And because it makes reference to Balaam, it is likely that they started believing in the prosperity gospel.
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “a sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” (2 Peter 2:20-22)
This passage is similar to the one in Hebrews and refers to people who had been born again, because they had “escaped” idol worship and were on the righteous road. Even though it is clear in what it says, the ES teachers still say that it cannot mean what it says. They cannot see the truth because they filter everything through their ES doctrine. Here is what the NIV Study Bible says about this passage:
Some point to this passage as clear proof that a genuinely saved person may lose his salvation. He knows the Lord; he escapes the world’s corruption; he knows the way of righteousness. Then he turns away from the message and goes back to his old way of life. His knowledge is said to have been genuine; his change of life was real; and his return to his old way of life was not superficial. Others insist that the knowledge of the Lord and the way of righteousness could not have been genuine. If the person had been truly regenerated, he would have persevered in his faith. It is argued that the teaching of Jn. 10:27-30 (especially v. 28) and Ro 8:28-39 makes it clear that no genuinely saved person can be lost. Thus, according to this view, the persons described here could not have been genuinely saved.
This is a classic example of spiritual blindness, they twist the meaning to fit their desired interpretation. Here again, they are giving simplistic meaning to the stated passages. Romans 8 says all things work together for our good, so how could you be tempted beyond your ability to resist? And John 10 says no one can take you out of God’s hands. I have already explained that we are fully regenerated at new birth but not fully grown, and we have already seen that the parables of Jesus clearly show that a person can receive the Word of truth but fall away because of persecution. Therefore, the simplistic interpretations of John 10 and Romans 8 are false.
For those who have a hard time understanding it, I will examine 2 Peter 2:20-22 in detail. The Greek words for “know” in this passage are epignosko (1921) and epignosis (1922) in Strong’s numbering system. Green’s Literal Translation reflects the more accurate meaning of these Greek words:
For if by a full knowledge (1922) of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, they have escaped the defilements of the world, and again being entangled they have been overcome by these, . . . For it is better for them not to have fully known (1921) the way of righteousness, than fully knowing (1921) to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. (LIT)
The Complete Word Study Dictionary (CWD) confirms the meaning given in the literal translation (listed using Strong’s numbering system).
(1921) To know fully, as an inceptive verb, to come to know, to gain or receive full knowledge of, become fully acquainted with.
(1922) It is more intense than gnosis (1108), knowledge, because it expresses a more thorough participation in the acquiring of knowledge on the part of the learner.
The Greek for overcome, as in “are again entangled in it and overcome,” is hettaomai (2274) and means “to be overcome as in battle or in a lawsuit” (CWD). If people with training in dissecting a sentence or legal analysis, but with no knowledge of the doctrine of ES, were to analyze 2 Peter 2:20-22 with an aim to arrive at its meaning, they would all come away with the same view, because it is so clearly presented. Of course the ES people must say that they were never really saved; they have to say that or their ES doctrine falls apart!
Peter said that it is like a pig that has been washed and goes back to the mud. For ES to be true, the pig would not actually be clean, but would merely think it was clean. But Peter said the pig was clean! There can be no doubt that this passage refers to people who were washed clean of paganism but went back to it, becoming dirty again. Peter continues:
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. (2 Peter 3:17) (NIV)
Why would we need to be on our guard if we cannot fall? How can you fall if your position is secure? We are secure in the sense that the foundation on which we stand is solid. The only way we can fall is for us to be carried off the edge of the foundation “by error” because our feet are not chained to the foundation. There is only one conclusion; Christians can be carried away by false doctrines and loose their salvation.
We must be careful to seek truth and only truth. To push a denominational position merely because it is a doctrine that the denomination has taught for a hundred years, or four hundred years, is not wise. Nor is it wise to teach what people want to hear; seek truth.
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:4-6) (ESV)
John is speaking out against what we commonly call hypocrites, people who calm to be Christians but do not live the life. John said we can know if we are saved if we obey God’s commandments. We just cannot escape the obedience requirement. The ES believers say the people John spoke about were not even saved, but the non-ES believers say the people need to repent of their sins and seek to live right. The true test of who is a Christian and who is not is how we live. Many people claim to be Christians but they do not live right. Though baby Christians will sin often until they come to full maturity, God expects us to grow in grace and knowledge until we are able to live mostly without sin, with the help of the Holy Spirit. But keeping his commandments includes doing good works.
ES advocates say that non ES believers do not understand that when we are born-again we no longer desire to sin, because our hearts are changed. This is not entirely true, because our flesh has not yet been regenerated. As long as we are in the flesh we will have fleshly desires:
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (Romans 7:15) (NIV)
If the ES doctrine were correct, then we would never have to resist temptation, because we would never be tempted. Resisting temptation is an act of the will to purposely not commit a sin, which would be outwardly endeavoring to live right, which is against the total philosophy of the ES doctrine. According to ES, being righteous is automatic; otherwise it involves outward effort, which is trying to live right, which is trying to earn your salvation. So anyone who does not live a perfect life must not be saved. Apparently, there are a lot of Baptists who believe they are living sinless lives! Of course they will deny that they believe this. This is one of the reasons the ES doctrine does not make good sense, so you will find that they say one thing, but then another. If you think about everything they teach, it just does not add up; 1+2 = 2.4. Their reasoning is flawed.
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness. . . . See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us– even eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. (1 John 2:9, 24-26) (NIV)
There is that word again, “if,” and in none of the verses does it say “if you believe, you have eternal life,” they say if you continue to believe, and obey, you will have eternal life. That is the overall teaching of the New Testament. So it is no surprise that the ES people also do not believe this passage. Let’s look at a couple of other translations of this passage:
So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will continue to live in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us. . . . (New Living Translation)
For yourselves I beg you to stick to the original teaching. If you do, you will be living in . . . (Phillips Translation)
Here is another way to word the passage, “if you do not continue to believe the doctrine that was originally taught to you, you will stop being in fellowship with the Father and the Son, and you will cease to share in eternal life.” The doctrine John was speaking about was belief in both the Father and the Son, because some people were denying that Jesus was the Son of God. Therefore, if they stopped believing that Jesus was the Son of God, then they would no longer be in fellowship with them, which means they would loose their salvation. Therefore, John refers to having right doctrine. Now to the next NT book:
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy . . . (Jude :25) (ESV)
This is a favorite of the ES believers, as if it said God will keep you from turning away from him, even if you want to turn from God. Yes, God is able to keep us from falling, if we are trying hard to hold onto him. But as we have already seen, there is a danger that we can be deceived if we listen to false teachers, and we can choose to stop believing the truth. To suggest that God is going to keep you from believing false doctrine against your will is not backed up by the many passages we have just examined. God is stronger than Satan, and we will not permanently fall as long as we hold onto the truth, but God does not remove from us the ability to make our own decisions.
Neither does God make everyone who becomes a Christian into a person with great wisdom; as a result, many Christians have listened to false teachers and have been deceived by them and have wondered from the faith. Just look at all those who believe the get-rich gospel; greed is the same as idolatry and those who are guilty of it will go to hell.
I have gone through the New Testament book by book and expounded upon the Scripture passages that show there is no such thing as Eternal Security and that we do have free will. Lucifer and the angels in heaven knew God face to face and yet they made the decision to reject God. Were they predestined to rebel? No. Did they have free will? Yes. That alone settles it, but there is much more, such as Adam and Eve. It should be clear to everyone that Adam and Eve had freewill. They did not eat of the forbidden tree because of a brain malfunction or demonic possession, or anything else but a conscious decision. If Adam and Eve and the angels could fall from salvation, so can you!
Of course there are many people who think they are saved but are not, but only because they do not believe or practice the truth. If you believe and practice the truth, then you are saved, you don’t have to have a gun put to your head to find out. But if you do have a gun put to your head, and you deny Christ, it is not because you were not saved; it is because you had no roots, which is a deep personal relationship with God. Anyone who has a deep personal relationship with God is not likely to ever fall away. But that is not Eternal Security, because ES says no one who believes can fall away. It was clearly developed to make people feel secure when in reality they should be teaching people to get close to God, which will give people a solid foundation they can stand on; false hope is not a firm foundation. Truth followed by a growing personal relationship with God is the only firm foundation, not the doctrine of Eternal Insecurity.
Another argument the Eternal Security believers make is that God will never put us in over our heads; that God would never allow you to be tested beyond your ability to endure, therefore, if you deny under pressure then you were never saved to begin with. But that theological mumbo jumbo does not agree with all the many passages that warn us to hold onto the truth and not let go. We can walk into the devil’s den by our own free choice. We can decide to read books on witchcraft or astrology or fortune telling which will open us up to demon spirits who can influence us to walk the crooked path. Or we can decide to watch hardcore pornographic movies that open the door to demonic.
There are many people who are willing to follow Jesus as long as they don’t have to suffer anything in this life. Many people become Christians because they think that God is going to give them a happy fulfilling life or even make them rich, and as a result, they do not have a firm foundation. If they suffer something horrible they are likely to fall away because they have not been taught the truth. They do not fall because they were never really saved; they fall because they do not have a firm foundation of truth and relationship to stand on.
There is a reason why Jesus gave us the parable of the man who built his house on the sand and the other man who built his house on the rock. Jesus knew that we will all have storms that will threaten our salvation.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. (Matthew 7:26) (NIV)
Some people can be church-going Christians for many years, but because they were deceived by false doctrine, they will not be able to weather a storm. Many people depend on their church to tell them what is true, but we must come to know God for ourselves, not merely trust in a doctrine that says you cannot loose your salvation. That is not enough to keep you when the storm comes.
Shinning examples of relying on the doctrine of Eternal Security, and therefore not developing a firm foundation, are people like Shirley Maclaine who grew up in a Baptist home but became a leader in the New Age movement. Then there was pop singer Britney Spears who spun out of control in 2008 and ended up in a mental hospital, and of course former president Bill Clinton. Perhaps the highest New Age priestess of them all is Oprah Winfrey who grew up Baptist but now promotes the New Age movement with large meetings of hundreds of thousands, and on TV.
(2) Early Church Literature
Now that we have established what the Bible says about Eternal Security, what did the Early Church Fathers say? Though I cannot agree with everything the Early Church fathers taught, they do make statements that show they did not believe in the doctrine of ES. Barnabas said:
Do not withdraw yourselves from others, as if you were already justified; but coming altogether into one place, inquire what is agreeable to and profitable for the beloved of God. For the Scripture says, “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their sight.” 12 Let us become spiritual, a perfect temple to God. As much as in us lies let us meditate upon the fear of God; and strive to the utmost of our power to keep his commandments; that we may rejoice in his righteous judgments.
13 For God will judge the world without respect of persons: and every one shall receive according to his works. 14 If a man shall be good, his righteousness shall go before him; if wicked, the reward of his wickedness shall follow him. 15 Take heed therefore lest sitting still, now that we are called, we fall asleep in our sins; and the wicked one getting the dominion over us, stir us up, and shut us out of the kingdom of the Lord.
16 Consider this also: although you have seen so great signs and wonders done among the people of the Jews, yet this notwithstanding the Lord hath forsaken them. 17 Beware therefore, lest it happen to us; as it is written. There may be many called, but few chosen. (Barnabas 3:12-17)
This he spoke, because a man will justly perish, if having the knowledge of the way of truth, he shall nevertheless not refrain himself from the way of darkness. (Barnabas 4:6)
Be you taught of God; seeking what it is the Lord requires of you, and doing it; that you may be saved in the Day of Judgment. (Barnabas 15:13)
No Eternal Security here! Justin Martyr said:
I must admit it is the object of all my prayers and earnest endeavors to be found a Christian. … (Justin Martyr, Second Apology chapter 13)
Irenaeus said:
Rather, now that we have recognized the Messiah, we should take care not to do anything that does not please God. Otherwise we would have no forgiveness of sins anymore and would be excluded from his kingdom. . . . (Irenaeus, Against Heresies)
I am sure there are many more passages besides these, but I have not been able yet to read all their many volumes.
(3) Revelation
Finally, there are passages in Revelation that actually say that your name can be blotted out of the Book of Life, but the blind theologians cannot accept the truth of these two statements:
The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. (Rev 3:5) (ESV)
If Jesus promises to not remove your name from the Book of Life, it means your name can be removed. To say otherwise is absolute stupidity.
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. . . . Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:16, 19) (ESV)
Being cold does not mean unsaved, as cold water or food can be very desirable, lukewarm is not. Jesus is here urging them to repent, which means they are presently still saved. But if they do not repent, they will be vomited out, which means they will no longer be in Christ. If they were then were not really Christians, then Christ is addressing sinners as though they were his followers and his entire letter to them is pointless. To say that they were not in Christ is to ignore the whole meaning of the illustration which Jesus presents to us. Barnes Notes says:
The image is intensely strong, and denotes deep disgust and loathing at the indifference which prevailed in the church at Laodicea. The idea is, that they would be utterly rejected and cast off as a church – a threatening of which there has been an abundant fulfillment in subsequent times. It may be remarked, also, that what was threatened to that church may be expected to occur to all churches, if they are in the same condition; and that all professing Christians, and Christian churches, that are lukewarm, have special reason to dread the indignation of the Saviour.
Next is Rev. 22:
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Rev 22:19) (ESV)
How can someone who has never been born again have any share in the tree of life and the holy city? No, these people must have been given a share in the tree of life, but it can be taken away!
The doctrine of Eternal Security can be traced back to John Calvin. Calvin was not infallible, like the churches today, he did not have perfect doctrine. Anyone who believed in persecuting all those who disagreed with any of his doctrines was not a wise, or Spirit led, man. Calvin even murdered a man named Michael and his killing was carried out while Calvin was preaching a sermon, no doubt the sermon was condemning the man to hell for disagreeing with him.