Christians- Who believes in the once saved always saved policy?

Question

A lot of Christians think that once you are saved you are always saved. I think that is bulldust. Me personaly I believe once saved not always saved. I mean what happens if a person gets saved, and then straight after that or a few years later murders someone then dies. Me personaly I believe that person will end up in Hell. Say a person becomes a Christian and them goes and lives a double life of drinking, partying, etc and dies. I believe that person will end up in hell. Christians why do so many Christians believe in the once saved always saved theory? Jesus said not everyone who calls me Lord will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only those that do the will of my Father who is in Heaven. Jesus will declare depart from me, I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness. I believe if a christians gets saved and them turns their backs on Jesus, they will end up in Hell. It is a tough journey to keep your salvation. Bible says blessed at the pure in heart, as they will see God.

Before I die or get raptured alive(I like the second one better) I want to make sure that I have forgiven people that were nasty to me. It is hard, but the bible says that if you do not forgive others God will not forgive you. You can land in Hell if you do not forgive people. There will be a lot of Christians or so called ones landing in Hell. I make sure that I repent of my sins daily. I have given up my main ones of drinking, clubbing, etc as I were not a christian then. The only things I struggle with is swearing and my temper sometimes, but I want to have that under control before Jesus returns or before I die. And I am working on it. Some Christians do not care about their sinning. Jesus did speak about the wide gate and the narrow gate, and I plan to go through the narrow door, how about you?

Answer 1

I believe that you are eternally saved. God promises that once you are saved, there is nothing that you can do that would cause him to go back on his promise. Salvation is eternal, not temporary.

John 6:37-39
New International Version (NIV)

37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

John also states that no one can take someone who has been saved away from God.

John 10:27-30
New International Version (NIV)

27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one."

So, it would seem that no matter how hard we try to run away from God, he will never go back on his promise of salvation and eternal life with him.

This is reiterated in 2 Timothy 2:13
New International Version (NIV)

13if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.

God will not break his promise, even if we do not keep our end of the deal. I am sure that He is saddened by our behavior, but he is merciful and faithful, and does not give us what we deserve.

So even if a Christian murders someone later in life, God will still forgive them, because they were forgiven for all eternity when they accepted Christ in the first place. This may seem odd, but God cannot tolerate sin. So even the seemingly innocent lies that we commit daily would bar us from entering heaven. God cannot tolerate a liar, or gossip, or someone with unpure thoughts, just as he cannot tolerate murder. You mention that it is a tough journey to keep your salvation, but that is not true. Check out Ephesians 2:8-9
New International Version (NIV)

8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

You see, the salvation is a gift, but out of love for our Savior, we follow his teachings and try to keep to his path that he laid out for us. Yes, this path is difficult, but it is also rewarding. I would say that the works that we do are not for ourselves, and they are not so we can go to heaven, they are simply showing our love and devotion to God.

The example you give from Matthew 7:21-23
New International Version (NIV)

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

can be quite confusing as well. Some argue that this proves that you can lose your salvation, but I believe that this verse is talking more about those individuals who use the Lord's name for their own benefit, but were never truly Christians. Perhaps someone like a televangelist "selling" faith, who is more interested in getting into people's wallets than giving them the truth. I think that the verse makes a lot more sense in that context. Jesus is saying that even if we seem to be doing good on the outside, he knows our true hearts and cannot be fooled.

I hope that this helps you understand why I believe that once you are saved, it is impossible to be unsaved. God cannot break his promises.

Kyle Little

Answer 2

I do not believe once saved always saved. Why would Paul "die daily" or repent every day for new sins that he committed if that was true. It would not have been necessary. I also don't believe that they were never ready to meet the Lord. I think good people fall prey to the devil for whatever reason. I know that sometimes when things are on an even keel and nothing is wrong that I sometimes don't keep Him in the forefront of my mind. I sincerely love God. It is not an instantaneous thing where suddenly we are all good. Even on days when I think I am doing well sometimes I do something not quite right. I may think or say something I shouldn't. I am just thankful that He deals with us over those things and allows us a space for repentance. If I were not to repent then I would be in danger of Hell all over again. We can walk away from God sometimes without even realizing it. It's the little foxes that spoil the vine. A well meaning person may find themselves right back out into the world by letting a little thing here (like being judgmental) or a little thing there (like being jealous) pile up until you are in the same place where you started. I am so thankful that His grace is sufficient and He will bring us back to Him if we want to come back.

Answer 3

Friend Predestination is mentioned throughout the bible, I can not give you all the scriptures, because of time & space, I am sure you have heard some of these verses before, therefore, you can look them up, Jesus said all that the Father hath(pass tense) given to me will come unto me, & I lose none of them, Also Read Romans 6:1-6 Romans 8:1, Read Ephesians 1:4-14 Read Eph. 4:30 also, This is Very Good, And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God where by ye are sealed unto the day(you backslide,NO) Until the day of your redemption. Friend, there is only one kind of eternal life & that life is the Holy Ghost, & once we received the True Holy Ghost we are sealed unto the day of our redemption, Yes Predestination is True, Now I know what you are thinking But let me say this, we are born only ONE time into this natural life, & we will be Born again only One time in the Spiritual term, I am not one of those Once saved always saved & you can do whatever you want to, I am one of those Christians that Believes that once we are Truely born again we will never have that desire to go back into the world, That is a true seed that is planet upon good ground, & not a seed that is planeted on bad ground. Yes, I have known many that claimed to be saved & went back to the world, But that also showed me that they only profess salvation & never did receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, They only had the conception part of salvation & not the NEW BIRTH EXPERINCE.

Answer 4

I believe once saved always saved because Jesus said He will never leave us nor forsake us. When one is truly "born from above" and starts a new life with Jesus, he becomes a child of God. If he happens to walk a little astray, the Spirit will draw him back; he doesn't become "not a child of God" but his actions may grieve the Father. If he is truly saved, then the progress will be ultimately towards Godliness and Father God. From glory to glory he will be changed as he works out his salvation with fear and trembling. But if a person is truly saved, they have cast their anchor inside heaven's gate and they have everlasting life. If this were not true, then how would you draw the line at which sin or group of sins would be too much or not too much? Salvation is a gift of God, not something to be worked for.

Answer 5

I believe that once a person exercises GENUINE saving faith in Jesus Christ, he or she is forever in the family of God. God never kicks anyone our of his forever family. A number of Scripture passages support this view. For example, in 1 Corinthians 12:13 we are told that at the moment of salvation the Holy Spirit places us in the body of Christ. Once we are infused into the body of Christ, we are never excised from the body. In fact, Ephesians 1:12 and 4:30 indicate that at the moment of believing in Jesus Christ for salvation, we are permanently "sealed" by the Holy Spirit. At that point, we are God's everlasting property. That seal guarantees that we'll make it to heaven.
Moreover, we read in John 10:28-30 that it is the Father's purpose to keep us secure despite anything that might happen once we have trusted in Christ. Nothing can snatch us out of His hands. God's plans cannot be thwarted (Isaiah 14:24). Further, Romans 8:29-30 portrays an unbroken chain that spans from the predestination of believers to their glorification in heaven.
Another fact we need to keep in mind is that Christ regularly prays for each Christian (Hewbews 7:25). With Jesus interceding for us, we are sucure. (His prayers are always answered!)
Of course, the fact that a believer is secure in his salvation does not mean he is free to sin. If the Christian sins and remains in that sin, Scripture says that God will discipline him or her just as a father disciplines his children (see Hebrews 12:7-11).
Source(s):
The Complete Book of Bible Answers by Ron Rhodes

Answer 6

I believe in both, actually.
"No one can pluck you from my Father's hand."
If someone gets saved and then goes out and murders someone, I don't think they were ever really saved to begin with.
Now I also think this is different from the concept of "back sliding" or "falling away." You can get saved and walked away for a moment, but God will eventually "rubber band" you back to His side.
It's a very good question you raise and we in the Christian community will continue to debate the issue, but I'd rather not get into too many details here, because arguing minor points of scripture in front of non-believers may be stumbling blocks to them.

As to your second point, I agree with you. Improving ourselves is a process, and one we should be daily working on. As Paul said, "Should we sin and let grace abound? God forbid!"
Out of love we should be motivated to make ourselves like Christ more and more each day. God Bless!

Answer 7

You are presenting a non sequitur argument. Those saved do not wish to gravitate toward sin any longer. The Holy Spirit produces a change of heart, with a foundation of rock, not sand. Once saved, the God I worship has the power to keep me.

Another way to look at your sheep & goats theory is that a goat is a goat is a goat, God knows what sheep look like, he gathers them unto Himself and keeps His flock secure. He never knew the goats in the first place, and they can't decide to become sheep. The shepherd is in charge.

Answer 8

I'm sorry, but I just have to ask. You posted a question....more like a rant on here the other day and I answered your question, My question to you is, have you told this other person all the bad things you said about them. Have you forgiven each other? This is what you are speaking of, yes? God does not like for his children to speak ill of each other.

I agree totally with you though, I think one can loose his salvation. It is a hard job to do right by God and live by the bible, but you have to want it bad enough, and love God enough to succeed.

Answer 9

You are saved only if you follow the ways of God. Once a person is saved they usually get convicted every time they stumble. I know I do. The only time a person is not saved is if a saved person continually goes out and deliberately sins, knowing well what they are doing is wrong, such as getting drunk and committing adultery.

Answer 10

Right On Brother!----sure sounds like you got it goin on there-----I too am a sinner saved only by his mercy and his grace--------The Bible says Liars and Adulterers will have no place in the kingdom of God-------so EVERY DAY-----I have to get my sins under the blood-------I have quite a temper and prone to swear when temper flairs up--also am very carnal-minded------have to get these sins under the blood daily--. His mercy endures.

Answer 11

I would guess if you are motivated by sin and then commit mortal sin than were you ever cleansed of your sins and sinful life in the first place???? Of course that would mean that you originally came to God without open heart and mind.The weakness obviously being man and of course not God?