Arguments FOR "once saved always saved"?

Question

Not trying to be controversial, which is why I am asking only for arguments FOR this doctrine. My friend has given me several arguments AGAINST it, but I was raised to believe in eternal security. The problem is I don't have a solid defense. Verses are fine but solid reasoning would be best. Thanks!

No criticisms, no flame wars, no rude answers, pretty please!

Answer 1

That's a great question. Who casts the final vote in one's salvation. us or God? It is God's gospel, God's salvation, and God's plan of redemption. Don't let anyone tell you God starts the process but you keep it. That is works salvation and perverts the pure gospel of grace. Paul warns against this in the book of Galatians. I read these answers and they talk about our "free will" Ok, does God have free will? He is the only Being Who is truly free, the rest of us are in bondage to sin and in desperate need of grace. John 8:32 Jesus said the truth shall set you free (implying that we are in bondage). Ephesians 2:8-9 - "for you are saved by grace through faith and that NOT OF YOURSELVES" Philippians 1:6 - "He who began a good work in you WILL complete it."
John 1:13 - the children of God were born, not of blood, NOR THE WILL OF THE FLESH, NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN, but of God. God casts the final vote.
Romans 9:16 - "it depends NOT ON HUMAN WILL or exertion but on God Who shows mercy."
Romans 8:39 - "NOTHING shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
II Timothy 1:9 -"God saved us and called us to a holy calling, not according to our works but according to HIS OWN purpose and grace which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began."
John 10:27-28 - "MY sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they will NEVER perish, and no one will snatch them out of My Father's hand."
If one truly possesses the faith and embraces Christ as Lord and Savior, He will endure to the end and be eternally saved. God does not renig on His promises and work. He loves His children and has given the Holy Spirit into His children's hearts as a guarantee (Ephesians 1:14).
How does one know when he has lost his/her salvation? How does one know when he/she gets it back? I Jphn 5:13 - "these things I have written to you that you may KNOW that you have eternal life." He that has the Son has life, He that does not have the Son does not have life.

Answer 2

There can be no "argument" for (or against) this (or any other) religeous belief system.

The basis for believing "once saved always saved", if I understand it correctly can be described as follows;

The Bible is the word of God.
John: 1234 says "once saved always saved"
John: 1234 is in the Bible.

Conclusion "once saved always saved", must be true.

"Believers" who basically agree that the above is a reasonable approximation of the process, might also see that if applied to any other subject they would have problems accepting the outcome.

In order to promote and maintain any group of individuals a shared experience/identity is needed, this could be described as a tribal identity.
Being inside or outside of that tribe infinately affects how information validating or contradicting tribal core values will be interpreted.
This is a personal matter, seek your own councel, accept that not fitting in 100% is a valid option..
Personally though raised a good Catholic boy I rebelled against the church, by the values I was taught as a child I guess I would be condemmed to everlasting torment in hell. I'd probably be in a hotter spot than all the Protestants and Jews, (we never discussed the Asians and Africans were given the benefit of the doubt) but the Jesus my heart tells me walked this earth humbly and lovingly would never do such a thing, so I'll take my chances.

Answer 3

Ok,

Can a Believer "Lose" His Salvation?

Or Stated More Accurately, Can He Forfeit It?



Has God indeed said...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)


the scripture clearly teaches BOTH the sovereignty of God AND the free will of men. To deny this is irrational, and must be caused by something other than reason based on scriptural precepts.

The scriptural position is that a person who is saved can forfeit that salvation. The bible teaches those at highest risk of forfeiting their salvation are those who are newly saved, and those who continue on in known disobedience, after being born again.

The elect are those whom God chose, whom God foresaw would both trust in His Son AND who would endure or persevere in the faith given them until the end of their physical life, or the return of Jesus.

Those whose hearts are seeking the Lord with all that is in them, should have no concern about "losing" their salvation. Nor should they have any concern about forfeiting their salvation.

Salvation cannot be lost, but it can be forfeited - this is the nature of covenants in the bible. The bible no where guarantee's someone that salvation once received cannot be turned away from or forfeited by the individual that possesses it.

Receiving salvation involves man's will, and not works. Forfeiting salvation involves man's will, and not works. In the same way the Lord did not force His salvation on anyone, He neither forces anyone to remain in the covenant.

For more on this go to:
http://www.jesusfamilies.org/Articles/ForfeitSalvation.htm

Answer 4

I believe it IF YOU LIVE IT. Freedom in Christ does not give us the right to sin. To keep committing sin is to crucify Him anew. We must try to be like Him, and though we fall short we shouldn't stop trying to reach the end. It's not enough to believe Jesus' is real, even satan knows He's real. You must accept His teachings and follow them. So to say your saved and keep living a sin filled life is WRONG. Just because you once knew Him, doesn't mean He still "knows" you, again satan knows Him. True repentance means you are actually sorry and you do your best and let God help you from not doing it again. He doesn't give us more then we can stand.
If you truly believe you will follow Him and I don't think He would be out every weekend drinking, having sex outside of marriage,etc... His example is for everyday of the week not just Sunday, and an occasional Wed. No one can take you from the Fathers grasp, but free will does allow you to pull away. I'm not saying you are comminting these or any other sins, but I know several people who use "once saved always saved" as an excuse to live an "alternitve" life style, (drinking, and wife swapping just to name a couple) Jesus went to the sinners He didn't partake of their sin.

Answer 5

Once a person is saved, is he always saved?

Jude 5 : “I desire to remind you, though you were once for all fully informed, that he who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.”

Matt. 24:13 : “He who endures to the end will be saved.” (So a person’s final salvation is not determined at the moment that he begins to put faith in Jesus.)

Phil. 2:12: “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 was addressed to “the saints,” or holy ones, at Philippi, as stated in Philippians 1:1. Paul urged them not to be overly confident but to realize that their final salvation was not yet assured.)

Heb. 10:26, 27: “If we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries.” (Thus the Bible does not go along with the idea that no matter what sins a person may commit after he is “saved” he will not lose his salvation. It encourages faithfulness. See also Hebrews 6:4-6, where it is shown that even a person anointed with holy spirit can lose his hope of salvation.)

Answer 6

You cannot lose your salvation when you have truly repented and claimed the benefits of the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Your salvation is assured from the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.

Falling from grace:

This taught that a saved man could fall finally from salvation. It is, of course, the logical and natural outcome of the system. If man must take the initiative in his salvation, he must retain responsibility for the final outcome.

But we know from the bible that no man can save himself. If he could, then Christ's death was in vain. We are called to repentence through the workings of the Holy Spirit. God's elect were chosen before the world was created.

God's gifts and his call are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son . . . And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (Romans 8:29-30). All of those God justifies are glorified.

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand (John 10:28).

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-- if that were possible (Matthew 24:24). This implies it is not possible to deceive the elect and cause them to fall away.

I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me (Jeremiah 32:40).

Answer 7

First off it isn't OUR salvation it's God's salvation and once he gives it he doesn't take it back. We don't earn God's salvation by being good so how would we loose it by being bad? The Bible says that when we believe in Jesus we receive ETERNAL life; Life EVERLASTING. What do the words ETERNAL and EVERLASTING mean to you? To say that we can loose our salvation suggests that we did something to earn our salvation which we didn't. We can't work our way into Heaven or buy our way into Heaven, or pray our way into heaven. We are saved by believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins and by accepting him as our personal savior and asking him to come into our heart and stay with us forever.

_________

The verse quoted above that it is by faith and by works is a misinterpretation. Our works show other people that we are saved.....as Christians we should do our best to be a good testimony for Jesus Christ by not sinning. Our faith saves us but our works show that we are saved.

Answer 8

John 3:15 says that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will "have eternal life." If you believe in Christ today and have eternal life, but lose it tomorrow, then it was never "eternal" at all and the promises in the bible would be in error.

But if you blaphemy the holy spirit you're probably doomed.

Answer 9

John 10:28 I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish!

Eternal means eternal, not until the first time we sin or "walk away from salvation" like the Salvation army teaches.

We are sealed unto the day of redemption.

David asked to have his joy returned to him after committing adultery and murder. He did not ask to get his salvation back.

Answer 10

"Once saved always saved?" Wow talk about a way to prevent conflict. Become saved, join every other religion afterwards and no need to worry, because you're always saved, and at the same time you could appease those of different religions by joining them, because once you're saved it can't hurt you. Yes very logical.