ONCE SAVED, FOREVER SAVED?
There have been increasing debates in the body of Christ about the phrase, “Once Saved, Forever Saved.”
One camp says that Christians can lose their salvation if they stop believing in Jesus Christ. Another camp says that Christians cannot lose the salvation which they got through faith in Jesus Christ.
But what does the Bible say about “One Saved, Forever Saved?”
“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
— 1 John 2:19 (KJV)
The event that John wrote about featured some people who were part of the company of Christians. They “once believed” in Jesus and would apparently have been called Christians. But they did not continue with the brethren and that was proof that they were never brethren when the Church thought that they were.
To continue with the brethren as used in the scripture above meant to uphold belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To go out of the Church meant to deny (disbelieve) the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ after professing once to have believed it.
The prophetic conclusion on these people is that they were never born again. For if they were born again, they would have continued in the truth.
Having a faith that endures to the end is evidence that you possess salvation you can never lose.
Not enduring to the end is evidence that you never had salvation to begin with.
When people say that once saved is not forever saved, they hold such an opinion because of people like those Apostle John talked about.
We have a lot of such people who in words and works have denied the Lord despite having once professed faith in the Lord.
But the biblical truth about their state is that their case is not that of one who once had salvation and lost it, their case is that of one who never had salvation and they only made it obvious to everyone that they never had salvation through their unrepentant evil works and blasphemy against the Lord Jesus.
But for a genuine Christian, one whose belief in Jesus Christ is not for selfish gain like Simon the Sorcerer, and who against all odds uphold the faith in words and works, it should never be told them that they can lose their salvation which they got from believing the gospel.
Here are the reasons.
- Possession of eternal life.
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
— John 3:15 (KJV)
The reception of eternal life is the salvation from sin and the consequence of sin which is eternal death.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
— Romans 6:23 (KJV)
We passed from eternal death to eternal life when we believed the gospel.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
— John 5:24 (KJV)
The eternal life we received is eternal redemption from eternal death.
“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
— Hebrews 9:12 (KJV)
- Jesus keeps us in him.
John 10 (KJV)
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²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
²⁸ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
I need to add at this point that the proof of being a Christian is following Jesus in faith, words, and works.
If this is missing in the life of a professing “Christian,” then such a person is not a sheep of Jesus, and by implication, has not been saved.
Kindly note that it is not the believer that keeps himself in the Lord; it is Jesus who keeps the believer in him.
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith. . .”
— 1 Peter 1:5 (KJV)
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,”
— Jude 1:24 (KJV)
Noah’s ark, which is a prophetic depiction of salvation through Christ Jesus shows us clearly how it is God who keeps the believer permanently in Christ.
The Bible accounts that when Noah entered the Ark, God shut the door behind them.
“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.”
— Genesis 7:16 (KJV)
This made it impossible for Noah and his family, or anyone inside the Ark to leave whenever they wanted to.
When we entered into Christ through the belief of the gospel, God closed the door behind us. This is what is referred to as being sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
— Ephesians 1:13 (KJV)
2 Corinthians 1 (KJV)
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²¹ Now he which establishes us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
²² Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Nothing from outside Christ can separate us from God; nothing inside Christ can separate us from God.
Romans 8 (KJV)
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³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
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³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So, the phrase, “Once Saved, Forever Saved” is only applicable to genuine Christians because we know from scripture that they will believe in the Lord until the end.
It is for this reason that a genuine believer does not need an exhortation to keep on believing Jesus so that they will not lose their salvation, for their genuineness is in their constant belief in Jesus.
For example, I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ. I need no one to encourage me to continue believing in Jesus with the message “Once Saved is not forever saved.” My belief in Jesus is supported by my readiness to die for Jesus – what greater proof of my commitment to Jesus Christ than this can I give?
So, there is no such thing as losing salvation in the Christian faith as those you would have pointed to as proof that they lost their salvation never had it in the first place according to the scripture, and everyone who believes in Jesus Christ is stuck with him for life.
I hope this brought clarity.
Apostle Destiny Kingston