Christians: Do you believe in "once saved always saved" or not? Why?

Answer 1

Absolutely not.

Scripture teaches that one’s final salvation depends on the state of the soul at death. As Jesus himself tells us, "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Matt. 24:13; cf. 25:31–46). One who dies in the state of friendship with God (the state of grace) will go to heaven. The one who dies in a state of enmity and rebellion against God (the state of mortal sin) will go to hell.


Certainly, Christ did die on the cross once for all and has entered into the holy place in heaven to appear before God on our behalf. Christ has abundantly provided for our salvation, but that does not mean that there is no process by which this is applied to us as individuals. Obviously, there is, or we would have been saved and justified from all eternity, with no need to repent or have faith or anything else. We would have been born "saved," with no need to be born again. Since we were not, since it is necessary for those who hear the gospel to repent and embrace it, there is a time at which we come to be reconciled to God. And if so, then we, like Adam and Eve, can become unreconciled with God and, like the prodigal son, need to come back and be reconciled again with God, after having left his family.

The New Testament teaches us that genuine assurance is possible and desirable, but it also warns us that we can be deceived through a false assurance. Jesus declared: ‘Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord" shall enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt. 7:21)

One can be confident of one’s present salvation. This is one of the chief reasons why God gave us the sacraments—to provide visible assurances that he is invisibly providing us with his grace. And one can be confident that one has not thrown away that grace by simply examining one’s life and seeing whether one has committed mortal sin. Indeed, the tests that John sets forth in his first epistle to help us know whether we are abiding in grace are, in essence, tests of whether we are dwelling in grave sin. For example, "By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:10), "If any one says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen" (1 John 4:20), "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).

Likewise, by looking at the course of one’s life in grace and the resolution of one’s heart to keep following God, one can also have an assurance of future salvation. It is this Paul speaks of when he writes to the Philippians and says, "And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). This is not a promise for all Christians, or even necessarily all in the church at Philippi, but it is a confidence that the Philippian Christians in general would make it. The basis of this is their spiritual performance to date, and Paul feels a need to explain to them that there is a basis for his confidence in them. Thus he says, immediately, "It is right for me to feel thus about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel" (1:7). The fact that the Philippians performed spiritually by assisting Paul in his imprisonment and ministry showed that their hearts were with God and that it could be expected that they, at least in general, would persevere and remain with God.

Paul, writing at the end of his life, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day" (2 Tim. 4:7-8). But earlier in life, even Paul did not claim an infallible assurance, either of his present justification or of his remaining in grace in the future. Concerning his present state, he wrote, "I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby justified [Gk., dedikaiomai]. It is the Lord who judges me" (1 Cor. 4:4). Concerning his remaining life, Paul was frank in admitting that even he could fall away: "I pummel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified" (1 Cor. 9:27). Of course, for a spiritual giant such as Paul, it would be quite unexpected and out of character for him to fall from God’s grace. Nevertheless, he points out that, however much confidence in his own salvation he may be warranted in feeling, even he cannot be infallibly sure either of his own present state or of his future course.

The same is true of us. We can, if our lives display a pattern of perseverance and spiritual fruit, have not only a confidence in our present state of grace but also of our future perseverance with God. Yet we cannot have an infallible certitude of our own salvation, as many Protestants will admit. There is the possibility of self-deception (cf. Matt. 7:22-23). As Jeremiah expressed it, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9). There is also the possibility of falling from grace through mortal sin, and even of falling away from the faith entirely, for as Jesus told us, there are those who "believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away" (Luke 8:13). It is in the light of these warnings and admonitions that we must understand Scripture’s positive statements concerning our ability to know and have confidence in our salvation. Assurance we may have; infallible certitude we may not.

For example, Philippians 2:12 says, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." This is not the language of self-confident assurance. Our salvation is something that remains to be worked out.

Answer 2

Once saved, always saved. Why, well, for one, Jesus talked about true and false converts quite a few times, with the parables of the wheat and the tares, good fish and bad fish, the sheep and the goats. Those are the parables talking about separating them. In the parable of the sower and the see, you get to see the characteristics of the false converts, and well as a true convert. I can tell you from my own observations, as well as many years as a false convert, that anyone that says that they used to be a christian, or that they are just backsliding, or those that go to church every Sunday, but sin like you wouldn't believe, all exhibit the characteristics of a false convert.

It would really take a long time to explain everything here, so I suggest that if you want to learn more about what I'm talking about you can go to http://www.livingwaters.com/listenwatch2.shtml and there you can watch, listen, or even read the transcript to a message by Ray Comfort called "True and False Conversion"

Answer 3

So, some of you believe that if someone is really, really saved, he is always saved- and if someone falls away, they may have really, really thought they were saved, but the fact that they fell away proves that they were never really saved to begin with?

Q: how many people are walking around, who really, really think they are saved are really going to Hell?

Q: When one gets to Heaven, does he lose his free will? Most of the angels, who were in God's presence, decided they did not want to be slaves to God any longer.... The price for that is going to be annihilation. IF you get to Heaven, you had better make sure that it's what you want (streets made of gold, mansions, 24 hour praise & worship).

What is just about that? Are Christians no more than automatons? Robots? Slaves?

Answer 4

--It is not a Christian teaching. Judas was born again, in that he was baptized & a Christian supposedly saved, by those who believe in the once saved idea, he was called "son of destruction" by Christ!--No other reference is made to him after his cowardice suicide!

--Paul stated this:

(Philippians 3:12-16) “12 Not that I have already received it or am already made perfect, but I am pursuing to see if I may also lay hold on that for which I have also been laid hold on by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I DO NOT YET CONSIDER(my caps) myself as having laid hold on [it]; but there is one thing about it: Forgetting the things behind and stretching forward to the things ahead, 14 I am pursuing down toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God by means of Christ Jesus..."
--Did you notice that he did not express any great surety in being saved beyond question?

--Note that even the Apostles lacked in their qualities and never had the so-called sealed--"once saved always saved" status:

(Luke 17:5-6) “5 Now the apostles said to the Lord: “Give us more faith.” 6 Then the Lord said: “If YOU had faith the size of a mustard grain, YOU would say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea!’ and it would obey YOU.”

--When the apostles fled at the inquisition on Jesus--they certainly did not have that overly sure attitude that some born againers have.

Answer 5

1. Only God knows the heart of man.
2. Some who have "prayed the sinner's prayer" may have had a false conversion if they never truly repent and turn away from a habitual sinful lifestyle.
3. We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. This does not mean that we work for salvation, it means that once saved we are to submit to God's will in our lives and daily take up our cross and follow Him.

Answer 6

No, because human beings always sin and will always continue to sin. That is what sets us apart from sacred figures of Christianity like God, Jesus, and Mary the mother of God.

If we were saved only once, then we would fall right back into sin afterwards. That is why people need to go to confession. Also if God's love wasn't everlasting, then he/she wouldn't be able to do this. He saves us everyday.

There are some main times when he saves us, such as Baptism, but he saves us in small ways everyday.

Answer 7

I believe that once a person exercises 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 8

This is a hot topic. I say no. I believe there are enough scriptures that indicate this. I am going to do a paper on this. But one is that"not everyone that says 'Lord,Lord' will be saved as Jesus said 'I never knew you'". Also if one would blaspheme the Holy Spirit after they are "saved", since this sin can't be forgiven. (In this case I would question their salvation in the first place).

Answer 9

This is an elaborate excuse devised by "born agains" and other christians in order for them to be able to justify their judgemental ways and sins.

I had a friend in high school who claimed that it didn't matter if she sinned because she could just ask God to forgive her.

In my eyes all Christians have that sort of holier than thou attitude and reign their "saved" status above us normal spiritualists like a trophy at a cheerleading contest.

Answer 10

I dont believe in once saved always saved. God gave us free will and due to the original sin of Adam and Eve we are sinful by nature. God can't save us from ourselves. I do believe in living my life to the best of my ability and knowing when I have sinned, repenting and praying to better myself, my belief and my relationship with Christ.

Answer 11

Yes and no ... If you believe in Christ today and have eternal life, but lose it tomorrow, then it was never "eternal" at all. Once you are part of the family of God you are always part of it with the exception of those who blaspemy the Holy Spirit, then you're out.