Every Wednesday we’ll post something having to do with doctrine and purity. Hope it helps.
—
Eternally Secure, Perpetually Striving
One of Christianity’s longest running arguments has to do with the believer’s security. If one has been born again, can he ever lose his salvation? If so, how? And, once lost, can it ever be retrieved?
I’m not entirely settled on the issue myself. Some of my favorite scriptures (and indeed, ones I draw no small comfort from) bolster the “once saved, always saved” position. “No man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hands” (John 10:29) for example, and “There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”(Romans 8:1) Ditto for “He is able to save to the uttermost” (Hebrews 7:25) and “ye who are kept by the power of God.” (1 Peter 1:5) Indeed, if we’re saved, as Paul told Titus, “not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy” (Titus 3:5) then my works, righteous or not, don’t figure into the salvation equation. But I’m also sobered to consider Christ’s warning that if a man does not abide in him he is “cast forth as a withered branch and thrown into the fire” (John 15:6) and Paul’s description of some as “having damnation because they’ve cast off their faith.” (1 Timothy 5:12) Save it; I’ve heard all the pro and con interpretations of these verses, so I know exactly how both Calvinist and Arminianist would explain them. All of which leaves me preferring the idea of eternal security (who wouldn’t?) while not being entirely convinced of it.
Follow Joe