Once Saved Always Saved
“Once saved, always saved” is the way Baptists commonly refer to the doctrine of eternal security. This truth of God’s Word has caused much discomfort in the body of Christ.
It very simply means that once a person receives Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, he cannot become unsaved again. The objection to this biblical reality is the inability to conceive of anyone being allowed into heaven who is walking in sin at the point of death. Rejection of eternal security is the acceptance of works righteousness. If I can lose my salvation by sin and regain it by repentance (repeatedly?), then eternal life is based on human effort. The truth of Scripture is that salvation is wholly of God’s doing. The Father reached out to human sinners by sending His Son to pay the death penalty for sin (John 3:16). And He chose to do it while we were still in our sin (Romans 5:8). Salvation and eternal life are a gift of God’s grace that we could never earn by good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). In fact, that verse indicates that even the faith to receive the gift is from God. When an unbeliever accepts Christ’s sacrifice for salvation by faith, he is born again spiritually (John 3:3-8). Once born, the process cannot be reversed—neither physically nor spiritually! The Lord God makes our hope of heaven sure by giving us the Holy Spirit as His guarantee (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Father gave all who would believe to Jesus Christ; and no one can snatch us from His hand (John 10:28-30). The apostle Paul wrote that absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God once we are saved (Romans 8:38-39). Let me give a couple of words of counsel: (a) don’t build doctrine on difficult passages in opposition to clear biblical truth; and (b) don’t form your beliefs on the foundation of human experience. Seek the whole counsel of God’s Word and trust Him when things don’t make sense.
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.