Eternal Security

What is salvation (to be saved)? To provide a concise answer to this question, let us consider the purpose for which Jesus Christ came into this world. We can do this by referencing the words spoken by God through the angel of the Lord in a dream to Joseph of Nazareth:

Matthew 1:20-21 | KJV [book]

²⁰ But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Jesus Christ came into this world to save us from our sins. The penalty for sin is death, and by saving us from that dreadful penalty, we may have eternal life. Death through sin is not only physical (when the body dies) but also spiritual. To be dead in sin means to be spiritually cut off from God and unable to discern the things of God. The Scriptures speak of “having the eyes and ears closed” (John 12:40, Matthew 13:50, Acts 28:27), as if being spiritually blind and deaf. Salvation from sin, therefore, is not just the revival of the physical body but also that of the soul; which the Scriptures refer to as “having the eyes and ears opened,” meaning becoming spiritually alive and able to fellowship with God (hence many miracles in the flesh involved healing the blind and deaf).

Because we know that the body, however “made alive,” is mortal, we can also understand that salvation is a process; multiple things happen over a specific period of time. The physical body that dies in Christ will be resurrected, and then the entire process will be completed.

Salvation is solely given by the grace of God; it is an unearned gift received by His sovereign will:

Ephesians 2:5 | KJV [book]

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved; )

Ephesians 2:8-9 | KJV [book]

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Salvation is of the Lord; it is by His grace that we may be saved.

When we were “dead in sin,” we were unable to hear the Gospel (the good news) and respond. To say this bluntly: dead people don’t hear, dead people don’t respond on their own. The analogy of “dead in sin” is carefully chosen; God uses this description to convey what it means in just a few words.

If we look into the passages where death is defeated and a person is brought to life, we can learn what it truly means to become spiritually alive — always in light of what is written in the Scriptures. For example, consider this event in the Gospel according to John:

John 11:38-44 | KJV [book]

³⁸ Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. ³⁹ Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. ⁴⁰ Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? ⁴¹ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. ⁴² And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. ⁴³ And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. ⁴⁴ And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

In this passage about the resurrection of Lazarus (the brother of Martha and Mary), we see that it is Jesus who commands the tombstone to be rolled away and calls Lazarus, who was dead and his body decaying. There was nothing in this man that could make him hear sound or move his body at all. God put his spirit back into that lifeless “shell,” causing him to come back to life. Even the process of physical decay was reversed, and the body was restored. Only after these magnificent works of the Lord was Lazarus able to do what Jesus had commanded — to come walking out of the tomb toward Him.

Romans 8:11 | KJV [book]

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

God has to “quicken us,” which means He must put life into us so that we are able to hear His voice and respond.

This initial work belongs entirely to God and is by grace. Grace is something you cannot request or earn; it is granted solely by the sovereign will of God. We had no say in whether God would do this work in us, nor can we do anything or make requests to influence Him to act.

A certain “gospel” that is often preached to unbelievers today states: “Receive Jesus Christ into your heart and be saved.” However, when we consider the example of Lazarus and confirm this with Paul’s message to the Romans, we should conclude that this is not the same Gospel preached by Jesus and His disciples. Dead people (spiritually) cannot receive anyone, and it is very unlikely that someone who is dead in sin can receive Christ in their heart if they do not first have spiritual life. Furthermore, those who are dead in sin are unable to discern spiritually and do not understand the spiritual things of God—including the Gospel. I will show you this through His Word, as you who are spiritual are able to understand.

Ephesians 2:1 | KJV [book]

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Ephesians 2:5 | KJV [book]

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Just as God must put a spirit into a person to make them physically alive, so too He must put His Spirit (the Person of the Trinity) into man to make him spiritually alive.

1 John 4:6 | KJV [book]

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

And only when a man is spiritually alive by the Spirit of God (quickened) can he be able to (spiritually) “hear” the Gospel, which is the Gospel of the Cross (1 Corinthians 1:17-18).

Matthew 13:9-11 | KJV [book]

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

By the sovereign will of God, a man may receive His Spirit and be quickened (made alive) to “see” and to “hear.” This is a gift of God because man, in his fallen state, cannot receive anything spiritual. Therefore, a man is saved by the grace of God.

Many of you readers may say, “We’re saved by faith alone!” I would agree partly; when an unbeliever comes to Christ in faith, he or she has nothing to offer and comes empty-handed. The doctrine of “Faith Alone” (Sola Fide) was introduced by the Protestant reformer Martin Luther. I will address this in detail throughout this extensive study, so please have patience with me!

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

What is it that the Lord lets us hear, so that we may be saved by His grace through faith in the words that are spoken or read?

1 Corinthians 1:17-18 | KJV [book]

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. Christ the Wisdom and Power of God For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

The Gospel (the Good News) is here called “the preaching of the Cross” and “the power of God.” In many contemporary Evangelical denominations today, there is confusion regarding the Gospel that the early church actually preached. Paul gives us one facet of the definition: the “Good News” of Jesus Christ is the “Gospel of the Cross.”

The Cross of Jesus Christ has many facets, and it would be overwhelming to include them all in this study about eternal salvation. What I want to highlight is the cross we all need to carry ourselves. The works on the Cross of Jesus are finished; there is nothing more to do there — nothing we can contribute to our justification. Yet, the Lord commands us to take up our crosses daily:

Luke 9:23 | KJV [book]

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Matthew 16:24-25 | KJV [book]

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Christ commands us to pick up the cross daily if we are to walk after Him. This instrument of torture and death indicates that someone must die; it is not Jesus Christ who needs to die again, but the believer walking with Him. The crucifixion of our flesh on the cross is a necessary condition for walking in the Light (Jesus is that light — John 8:12). Jesus issues requirements for those who follow Him: “deny yourself” and “take up your own cross.” As He continues in Matthew’s account: “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it,” making clear that our own crucifixion is a condition for receiving eternal life.

The preaching of the cross includes proclaiming “to do” and “don’t do” certain things.

Luke 14:27 | KJV [book]

And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Jesus even states in Luke that failing to obey means one cannot be His disciple. This is a clear command to “do” something, and if not done, there are consequences. Keep in mind that a person must first be saved in order to obey this command; a dead person does not perceive or receive. Therefore, obedience to Christ (working) is not a requirement for justification of the unbeliever, but rather a response driven by being already saved.

Obeying Jesus Christ in picking up the cross has nothing to do with obedience to the Law of Moses:

Mark 10:17-21 | KJV [book]

¹⁷ And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? ¹⁸ And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
¹⁹ Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. ²⁰ And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. ²¹ Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Jesus summarizes the commandments as a quick reference for the young rich man who comes to Him (in faith), asking how to obtain eternal life. Remember, “eternal life” here means salvation; there is no other way to attain it except by grace through faith. However, the conditions the Lord requires of this man involve actions such as picking up the cross and following Him.

By carefully examining what Jesus is saying, we can understand what it means to “pick up the cross” in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus further explains that, for this individual, the cross involved selling his riches and giving to those in need. The core of “taking up the cross” to obtain salvation in this case was charity — which is love.

1John 3:23 | KJV [book]

And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

God not only commands us to “believe” in His Son but also to “love.” Love is not optional; it is clearly commanded that we must have faith (belief) and love. Only then does the Spirit of God dwell in a person:

1John 3:24 | KJV [book]

And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Faith and love cannot be separated, as both are commanded; without them, the Spirit of God will not abide. When the Spirit does not dwell in a person, and he is not in Christ, can he truly be saved?

Philippians 3:9 | KJV [book]

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

We must be found in Christ, having His righteousness through faith. Faith and love are not works of the Mosaic Law but are conditions for salvation. Since faith and love are equal to “picking up the cross” and “following Jesus” (denying oneself), disobedience to His commandments in this regard is being an enemy of the Cross of Jesus Christ!

Philippians 3:18 | KJV [book]

¹⁷ Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. ¹⁸ (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

Since this Bible study is intended for established believers, I will not delve too deeply into the subject of faith. However, to clarify some points discussed in this article, it is helpful to examine the definitions and the direct connections it has with other topics. Faith is also the primary condition for salvation; therefore, we must look at it from a certain perspective to understand its significance and the “how.”

In the New Testament, we can distinguish two kinds of faith: the personal, variable faith that every believer has, and “The Faith,” which, according to Jude, was delivered unto the saints and is unchangeable:

Jude 1:3 | KJV [book]

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

“The Faith” refers to the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John, which were given by the Holy Spirit and written down for all saints. “The Faith” is built upon four pillars, which form the foundation of our personal faith and are laid once and for all.

Jude reminds us, the saints, that we need to contend for “The Faith,” also known as “The Gospel,” which indicates an active and ongoing process. It also directly links “faith” with the word of God.

In the previous part, we looked at the “Gospel of the Cross.” Let us now consider what Paul says about it to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 1:17-18 | KJV [book]

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. Christ the Wisdom and Power of God For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

The Gospel, which is the word of God, is called “the power.” Faith is a requirement for obtaining salvation, and one must have the word of God in order to have faith:

Romans 10:17 | KJV [book]

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

From James, we learn that merely hearing is not enough; we need to actually do the things we perceive. Hearing and doing together become “hearkening.”

James 1:22 | KJV [book]

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

The opposite of faith is unbelief:

Hebrews 3:14-19 | KJV [book]

¹⁴ For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; ¹⁵ While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. ¹⁶ For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. ¹⁷ But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? ¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief [G543] .

G543 | “unbelief”

Original: ἀπείθεια
Transliteration: apeitheia
Phonetic: ap-i’-thi-ah

Thayer Definition: obstinacy, obstinate opposition to the divine will

Strong’s Definition: From G545; disbelief (obstinate and rebellious): – disobedience, unbelief.

Paul clearly states (in verse 14) that we are only partakers of Christ if we keep the faith (confidence) until the end. To be a partaker of Christ is to abide in Him. Faith has a beginning — that moment when we first believe — but it also has an end. If there is an interruption, such as a loss of confidence, then there is no true partaking, and one does not abide in Him.

When the Israelites left Egypt with Moses, they believed God at first when they partook of the Passover lamb, and its blood covered their doorposts to escape God’s wrath. Their faith in God was a condition for deliverance from the Egyptians. However, in the desert, many fell away. Ultimately, when they reached the “promised land” — a foreshadowing of the Kingdom of God — most did not enter in because of “unbelief.”

Jude 1:5 | KJV [book]

I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

If we look at the word “unbelief” in the passage of Hebrews in the Greek language ( G543 ), we see it’s defined as being obstinate, rebellious, and going against the will of God. This underlines that faith comes by the word of God, as His word are the commandments which are His will. Faith is directly interwoven with God’s will and the obedience to His will by the believer.

Note that the will of God does not mean one has to observe the law of Moses, like those in the desert, but what is presently applicable. Also, be very cautious not to see this as legalism; God gives the start of one’s faith — the beginning of salvation — and obedience is the response of that faith. Without faith to start with, one cannot perceive God’s word and be obedient to it.

Romans 12:3 | KJV [book]

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

There is a measure of faith received as God’s gracious gift. Just as Lazarus was raised from the dead by the work of God, it was followed by the command given by Christ to come out of the cave and to walk towards Him. The quickening of the spirit is the first gift, but it must be followed by further obedience. Just as Lazarus was commanded to walk toward Christ, we are likewise commanded to walk with Him; as discussed earlier, this involves picking up the cross and denying oneself.

Each time we hear the word of God and hearken, we grow in faith:

Romans 1:16-17 | KJV [book]

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The Gospel is the word of God and His will. The word of God is His power unto salvation for those who believe it. Those who are saved display God’s righteousness “from faith to faith”; this is a process: there is a beginning and continuous progress. Those who are justified live by faith. When one “first believed”, he began to live and continues to live, but only by faith. The absence of faith is death.

Romans 13:11 | KJV [book]

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Salvation has been coming closer each day since the moment we first believed. Paul tells us that the end of this process is approaching nearer and nearer.

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

With God, there is no such thing as blind faith, but one must have faith in something that brings hope. The word of God gives hope, and hope leads to faith (according to the Word!):

Hebrews 11:1 | KJV [book]

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hoping is actually doing something; it’s a verb and calls for action. This hope functions as an anchor, creating a strong bond between Jesus Christ, who has already gone behind the veil into the Holy Place as our High Priest:

Hebrews 6:18-19 | KJV [book]

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

It is “sure” and “steadfast,” something that should not be moved. We learned in the previous part that we need to hold fast in the partition of Christ until the end, and also, our soul needs to be kept this way, according to the writer to the Hebrews. It is clear that it can be moved; hence, the warning from Paul to them and us. However, by hope, we can hold fast and be unmovable.

Do not be surprised that we have to “obtain” salvation by the “hope of salvation.” “Obtaining” is a verb, which means it is something we actually need to do:

1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 | KJV [book]

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

When Paul addresses the Church in Thessalonica, he addresses believers in Christ. We can make out from his words that we haven’t obtained salvation (eternal life) yet, but we have the hope in something God has promised:

Titus 1:2 | KJV [book]

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Eternal life is a promise, a blessing yet to be received, and believers put their hope in this promise of God.

We look for that “blessed hope,” Jesus Christ Himself, because there is eternal life only in Him. “Looking” is a verb, something one actually does:

Titus 2:13 | KJV [book]

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

Hoping and believing are both verbs. These are things one should do. Doing something is working. Doing something that God has commanded to do, and doing something that pleases God, are good works.

John 6:28-29 | KJV [book]

Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

We see here in the Gospel according to John that Jesus explicitly says that the work to be done is to believe in Jesus Christ. Earlier, we observed that faith (to believe) comes by hearing the word of God. Therefore, one must actively engage with the word to fulfill this condition.

I want to revisit the passage of John 11 with Lazarus, as it reveals much about salvation and obedience:

John 11:38-44 | KJV [book]

³⁸ Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. ³⁹ Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. ⁴⁰ Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? ⁴¹ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. ⁴² And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. ⁴³ And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. ⁴⁴ And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Lazarus was dead and unable to hear, see, or respond. Jesus took the initiative, had Lazarus’ tomb opened, and called him to come out. Lazarus woke up at the voice of God, and it was now up to him to respond to that call. Lazarus had to obey or disobey the command to come out of the cave and walk to Jesus. It was not Lazarus’s free will to be “quickened” nor his free will to hear the voice of God. However, the action to walk toward Jesus was certainly his own choice. This is how our salvation process begins: God takes the initiative, and we are called to respond obediently.

James 2:19-20 | KJV [book]

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

So now we can see what James is writing to us: faith in God without obedience is impossible. It begins by obeying the words of God concerning faith, hope, and repentance. But the word is much more than that. Charity toward one another is a great example. Faith in God must be rooted in the entire Word, not just bits and parts that someone prefers for themselves. Faith without good works is a dead faith; it is the same as Lazarus being unresponsive, lying in his grave, not coming out or walking toward Jesus.

1 Peter 3:20-21 | KJV [book]

Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

It’s not the works of the Mosaic Law that save us, but answering God by obedience in the Spirit. We aren’t sanctified because we wash ourselves with water our sins away, but we are washed in the word of God:

Ephesians 5:26 | KJV [book]

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

John 17:17 | KJV [book]

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Remember that faith comes by hearing the word of God, so even our justification is closely tied to this:

Galatians 2:16 | KJV [book]

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Note the underlined word “might” in Ephesians 5:26 and Galatians 2:16 above. “Might” indicates a possibility to look forward to, but it does not necessarily mean an absolute certainty. Jesus prayed to the Father to sanctify us through His word (the truth) in John 17, and this is, therefore, an absolute; the will of Jesus Christ is the will of God the Father. God’s will is always accomplished; thus, the saints are sanctified by the word — no question about it! However, not all believe the Gospel; not everyone desires to believe the word of God; therefore, not all are washed by it, and not all are justified and sanctified.

Romans 10:13-18 | KJV [book]

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

Calling upon the name of the Lord does bring salvation! “Hallelujah!” we will shout. But we see Paul explaining to the Romans (and to us) that we must believe before we can call on Him. And before one believes, the word of God must be preached and heard. Furthermore, Paul emphasizes that the Gospel must be obeyed. Not everyone obeys the Gospel when it is heard.

In Romans 10:13-18, we see that “Hearing,” “Believing,” “Calling,” and “Obeying” are all verbs — actions to be taken. These are the mandatory “works” that are not of the Mosaic Law but lead to salvation. How do we know that these works are not of the Law?

Romans 3:20 | KJV [book]

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Many scholars in the past, and even now, have attempted to explain this, and have failed. I am not a scholar, so I will undoubtedly fail as well, but if you are still reading (and haven’t dismissed me as a false teacher), I will try; that is at least what I can do!

The (Mosaic) Law exists to point us to sin. The works of the Law must be fulfilled and commanded, but they only expose our sin. Because we “break the Law,” we cannot be justified; we are not righteous. The works of the Gospel, on the other hand, do not point to sin as the Law does. Instead, they do not expose sin but enable us to attain the righteousness of Christ. These works are not about observing rituals; there is no “religion” involved. They are the result of obedience to God — our answer to His calling. We respond as Lazarus did when he emerged from the cave — faithfully and with a good conscience.

It is as a new law, which Paul described as the “law of faith”:

Romans 3:27 | KJV [book]

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

There is a common notion within the Church that the words “works” and “law” mean the same thing throughout all the books of the New Testament. However, as seen in the passage above, this is an incorrect understanding. We also see in John 6:29, at the beginning of this section, that Jesus states the “works” we must do to be saved is to “believe,” and as Paul emphasizes, this is part of the “law of faith.”

The book of James is often misunderstood in this regard. As he describes, faith without “works” cannot justify a person:

James 2:14-26 | KJV [book]

¹⁴ What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. ¹⁸ Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. ¹⁹ Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. ²⁰ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? ²² Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. ²⁴ Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. ²⁵ Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? ²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

You have likely debated this passage before; it is one of the most frequently cited (and often misused) parts of Scripture regarding working in light of salvation. Within the Protestant Church, it is often avoided because it appears to contradict the doctrine presented in the rest of the New Testament, especially the epistles of Apostle Paul. Conversely, some within the Church believe that performing religious works is necessary for salvation, and they use this passage to support their doctrines. It should be obvious (and needless to write) that both approaches are incorrect. Both involve taking Scripture out of context and leaving out key parts of the message, which is damaging.

James is emphasizing that faith without works is “dead.” A “dead faith” is faith that stands alone without the corresponding response that should naturally follow according to the Word of God. When a person has genuine faith that they are alive in Christ, it will lead to works. James clearly states that a “dead faith” indicates no real process leading toward salvation.

When Paul wrote to the Romans that a person is not justified by works, he made it clear that justification cannot be earned through human effort. It is by the grace of God that a man receives the gift of faith and salvation, because of the works of Jesus Christ. If we attempt to fulfill the works of the Mosaic Law to earn salvation, Christ’s work becomes of no effect for us, and we would be judged by the Law — leading to death and condemnation.

James is not contradicting Paul when he states that a man is justified by works; he is clarifying that faith without works is not the true faith Paul was describing, nor the faith proclaimed in the Gospels. Instead, James emphasizes that genuine faith manifests in works— it’s the living faith that produces fruit.

Please allow me to present another passage that further distinguishes between “dead” and “living” faith, highlighting some similarities with the passage in James:

Matthew 25:31-46 | KJV [book]

³¹ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: ³² And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: ³³ And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: ³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? ³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? ³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? ⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: ⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? ⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. ⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

The Son of Man coming in His glory refers to Jesus Christ. This passage describes His return, accompanied by the angels. It depicts a separation of sheep and goats (which represent individual people) from all the nations of the world. Jesus makes it very clear that, upon His return in glory, He will judge those within the fold. This fold includes both sheep and goats, and He will use a specific law to distinguish between them.

The goats are those who did not show any charity (acts of love) toward others; they are placed on His left hand and sent to hell for the things they did not do. Conversely, the sheep are those who demonstrated charity (acts of love), and they are placed on His right hand, receiving eternal life. In this passage, there is no mention of faith, nor are the sheep and goats being judged or receiving their eternal reward based on their faith.

This passage clearly indicates that “love” is decisive for the judgment Christ will make at His return, not faith.

Let’s look again what James wrote:

James 2:12-15 | KJV [book]

¹² So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. ¹⁴ What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Being judged based on charity instead of faith highlights the striking similarity with the Matthew 25 parable and what James, the brother of Jesus, wrote in his epistle.

So then, is Paul wrong in his doctrine? The following verse should provide the answer:

Galatians 5:6 | KJV [book]

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Faith works by love! Without love, whatever “faith” a person has is not active. James provided several examples of faith accompanied by works, and when we seek love, we see that sending a brother in need away without providing for him is loveless. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son because of his love for God and his faith, while Rahab demonstrated her faith by showing charity toward the two spies, risking her life and that of her household. Jesus will judge His house (the fold) based on faith and love. A faith that lacks love is a dead faith and cannot save. That is why James states that demons believe and even tremble, but this does not bring salvation — they do not love God, nor Christ, nor man.

The justification by works of love has nothing to do with justification through the works of the Law. Additionally, the works of the flesh are opposed to those of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:19-23 | KJV [book]

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, ²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Even Paul states that those who do the works of the flesh will not inherit the Kingdom, that is to say: will not be saved. Yet those that show the fruit of the Spirit, which are good works of love, shall not be judged by “the law of death”; and are therefore saved.

The passages we’ve discussed here are not about unbelievers, but about those who are within the household of God. The following parable of Jesus Himself, found in the accounts of Matthew and Luke, may provide even more clarification on this highly debated topic:

Matthew 24:48-51 | KJV [book]

⁴⁵ Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. ⁴⁷ Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. ⁴⁸ But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; ⁴⁹ And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; ⁵⁰ The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, ⁵¹ And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 12:42-48 | KJV [book]

⁴² And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. ⁴⁴ Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. ⁴⁵ But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; ⁴⁶ The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. ⁴⁸ But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Jesus describes two kinds of servants in His household: the “wise” one and the “evil” one. The wise one distributes the “meat” (which could be both physical & spiritual food) to the other servants of the household because he has been entrusted with the task of leadership. The wise servant gives away what he has to those that need it (due season: when the crop is not harvested).

The “evil” servant, however, takes the food for himself and begins to sin by getting drunk and abusing (beating) the other household members. This servant, who not only lacks the fruit of the Spirit but also indulges in the works of the flesh, is ultimately killed by the Lord Himself and cast into hell, receiving the same judgment as unbelievers.

This indicates that the evil servant has some faith—he calls Jesus “Lord” and is part of the household of God, being given gifts and responsibilities. However, because of the absence of love that produces fruit, this person is cut down—not only physically but also spiritually.

Do not be surprised that there is judgment within the house of God:

1 Peter 4:17 | KJV [book]

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

If the judgment starts with us, what will happen to those that do not bare the fruit of the Spirit, who don’t show the works of love:

Mattthew 3:10 | KJV [book]

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Do our good works save us? Nay, but neither are we saved without them!

The “good works” always evolve around love, and it is possible to have a change in the love of a believer:

Mattthew 24:12 | KJV [book]

¹² And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

In Matthew 24, Jesus describes the events of the “last days,” one of which is that the “love shall wax cold.” If love can grow cold, it means it was present in a genuine form before, indicating that some believers who once loved sincerely may stop doing so. The verse explains the reason: because of iniquity abounding. The works of the flesh — such as hatred, wrath, strife, envy, and even murder — increase so much that they spread and “infect” many believers. When these are practiced within communities, the effect is devastating. Offenses must be answered with love, as Jesus teaches, but we all know this is not an easy task. If we don’t watch, pray, and remain quick to forgive, our hearts may grow cold. This is a grave danger that can significantly affect our salvation, as also shown in this verse.

After mentioning that love will grow cold, Jesus states in verse 13: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Here, “endurance” is emphasized, and the word “but” indicates a reference to past events, including love growing cold. The verse also states that this endurance must be maintained until “the end,” which should be understood as the return of Jesus Christ. Note that the word “shall” is future tense; only when this condition is fulfilled — remaining faithful until the Lord’s return — will the person be saved through these events.

Jesus describes love growing cold as akin to a person who has fallen away:

Revelation 2:2-5 | KJV [book]

² I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: ³ And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. ⁴ Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. ⁵ Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Also look at these other verses in the letters to the seven churches, in where Jesus addresses the works the believers are doing. These letters were written to the churches at that time, but also for us as well:

Revelation 2:9  | KJV [book]
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 2:13  | KJV [book]
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Revelation 2:19  | KJV [book]
I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

Revelation 3:1  | KJV [book]
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Revelation 3:8  | KJV [book]
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Revelation 3:15  | KJV [book]
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

With so many witnesses in the Scriptures, I sincerely hope we are all convinced and convicted. Many times, we may have read these passages, but the importance of good works has not always been fully evident to most Protestant believers. “Salvation through faith alone” is not a false doctrine if you are solely pointing to an unbeliever coming to Christ with empty hands (no good works), but we know that love & obedience after coming to faith, are often overlooked. In my humble opinion, it is crucial to understand this deeply, to study the Scriptures thoroughly, and to search introspectively within ourselves.

We are justified by the blood of Jesus Christ, through our faith in His works on the Cross of Calvary. He is the firstfruits before the Father; yet it is ordained that we should also be presented as fruits — completely conformed to the image of His Son. Therefore, faith must be a living faith that works and bears fruit over time. We do not know the scope of the time granted to us, so we live each day with urgency. We ought to pray that the Lord works within us — transforming our hearts and minds.

Despite the many words of encouragement and warning, we must remain proactive and remember what is most important: to love God and to love one another.

John 13:34 | KJV [book]

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

A commandment is the will of God. This commandment has been given by Jesus Christ to all His disciples — including us, the whole Church. While we may try to come up with various doctrines about how we may be saved, under what conditions, and in what circumstances, the primary goal should always be to do the will of God. By doing His will, we demonstrate our love for Him, which is explicitly and implicitly emphasized many times throughout the Scriptures:

John 15:10 | KJV
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

1 John 5:3 | KJV
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1 John 5:2 | KJV
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

John 14:15 | KJV
If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Exodus 20:6 | KJV
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 11:22 | KJV
For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;

Deuteronomy 7:9 | KJV
Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

Daniel 9:4 | KJV
And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

John 14:23 | KJV
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Without doing the will of God, no man will enter into the Kingdom of God:

Matthew 7:18-24 | KJV [book]

¹⁸ A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ²⁰ Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. ²¹ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. ²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Only a person with faith that works by love shall be truly saved. Faith without the works of love is dead and cannot save. We are not the judges of ourselves or others, but we are able to discern, edify, and be edified — reminding one another to do the will of the Father and never preach against it. Those who claim that a person is saved and shall be glorified without bearing fruit are ignorant of the truth and are teaching a false Gospel. Equally, those who preach that salvation requires performing religious works are also spreading a false Gospel. As James wrote to us: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27)

Furthermore, a person abiding in Christ is like a branch, never a tree on its own. The branch derives life from the root, which is the Lord. Only a branch that remains in the true Tree (Jesus Christ) can grow and bear fruit. Everything that this fruit consists of comes from the Lord and is given by grace:

John 15:3-9 | KJV [book]

³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. ⁸ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. ⁹ As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

It is common for a believer in Christ to say, “I am saved,” or more recently, “I got saved.” When speaking in the past tense, we refer to a moment in our personal history when we began to believe that Christ died for our sins, and because of that belief, “we are saved.” If we read the New Testament, we notice that Jesus and the Apostles use not just one tense regarding salvation; in fact, past, present, and future tenses are used throughout, indicating a particular scope — a time period with a specific start and an end. The end of this period is mainly marked by the return of Christ, the Day of the Lord, and God’s wrath being poured out on the world before creating a new heaven and a new earth. During this period, events occur on a micro scale, within ourselves, and on a macro scale, throughout the world and heaven. On the micro scale, when a person believes, he is born again, starts to walk, and is justified; yet, there are still things that work and continue working until his body stops functioning or when the Lord returns. We need to recognize that salvation is a process that doesn’t end with justification; other works still need to be completed. If we condense this into three simple “steps,” we see the following:

1. Justification (we are saved): immediately ↓
2. Sanctification (we are being saved): a lifetime process ↓
3. Glorification (we will be saved): at the resurrection

These things happen on a micro scale, but also on the macro scale. The wrath of God, for example, is a macro event, and so is keeping us from the coming wrath as part of the micro (our personal salvation), as we read in Romans:

Romans 5:9 | KJV [book]

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Those who have been justified are in the process of being saved and are part of the household of God. Various titles are given to define this relationship, and one of them is “servant.” In Greek, this term suggests more of a “slave.” A “servant” in the house of God can never be an unbeliever; this title is reserved for those who belong to the Kingdom of God. Servants of God are His “property” and should be servants of righteousness — doing His will. Everyone who is outside the Kingdom of God is a servant of sin and obeys the will of their father, the devil (John 8:44).

In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 12, we read that the Lord requires us to be obedient. As we saw previously, if we are not obedient, it may have severe consequences for that particular servant:

Luke 12:45-46 | KJV [book]

But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

In this parable, we see a servant who calls his Lord “My Lord” and, after a certain time, falls into sin: he becomes drunken (with the wine of false doctrine and idolatry), turns against his fellow servants, and neglects his watch duty. The result is that his Lord will cut him in half (a graphic image) and take away his portion. This “portion” refers to his inheritance—the eternal life and rulership with Christ. A person who does not have an inheritance with God is not saved, as it pertains to eternal life in Christ. The final part makes this absolutely clear: Jesus Himself states that the disobedient servant will be treated as an unbeliever and will face the judgment of death and hell. Such a person is no longer saved from wrath at the Lord’s return but is instead receiving it, although he remains part of the household until that day.

Another example of a seemingly good beginning but a disastrous ending can be seen in this passage:

Matthew 13:47-50 | KJV [book]

⁴⁷ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: ⁴⁸ Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. ⁴⁹ So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, ⁵⁰ And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The Kingdom is like a net that catches both the good and the bad from the sea, which symbolizes the world (Revelation 17:15). When the net is full—representing the fullness of the harvest—only then does a separation take place. Note that the net is even brought to shore, illustrating some form of “saving” from one nature to another. The fish symbolize believers (Matthew 4:19), who are caught by the Gospel of the Kingdom out of the sea, the world. No fish are thrown back before the end of time; they belong to the Kingdom until that moment.

The wailing and gnashing of teeth show great desperation and anger. Unbelievers will not gnash their teeth towards Christ for being cast into hell—they may be angry at their situation or at themselves, but they cannot be angry with someone they never heard of or believed in.

Gnashing of teeth was a common reaction during Jesus’ days among the Pharisees and the religious elites; they were wrathful with Jesus because He challenged their traditions and claims to righteousness. Their anger stemmed from the false confidence that, as God’s elect, they would inherit the Kingdom regardless of their true condition, even if their hearts were opposed to God’s way.

Luke 3:7-11 | KJV [book]

⁷ Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. ⁹ And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ¹⁰ And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? ¹¹ He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

John the Baptist clarified to the people of God that merely being a seed of Abraham was not a guarantee of salvation or eternal life. No one is saved without repentance and the corresponding works — fruit that demonstrates true conversion. Every tree that does not produce good fruit (such as sharing food and clothing, as mentioned in verses 10-11), will be cut down and thrown into the fire. The emphasis here is on “every tree,” which is significant in this context: Israel, before the cross, was the representation of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Baptism was not introduced by John himself, but it was the common practice for proselytes entering the Kingdom of God — symbolizing a form of spiritual conversion. For Israel, the ritual washing was part of the process of turning toward God. All of Israel believed they were the true Kingdom of God, but that belief alone would not save them from God’s wrath unless they met certain conditions.

When they asked John what those conditions were, he replied that they involved acts of love — charity being the good fruit. Without this fruit, they would be cast into the fire.

To be cast into the fire without producing good fruit is a clear and urgent warning from the Lord:

Luke 3:7-11 | KJV [book]

³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Jesus states that a person must abide in Him as a branch abides in a tree. Only then can good fruit emerge, as the tree provides its sap — symbolizing the Holy Spirit — to the branches. Without Jesus Christ, one does not have the Spirit of God abiding in them; without the Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit cannot be produced. A branch that is not abiding is cut off, and when it is outside the tree, it cannot draw sap; it withers and dries up. The branches that have withered, once part of the tree, are gathered and cast into the fire.

The Lord states (verse 3) that believers are made clean through His word before continuing to discuss abiding and the judgment of casting into hell. To be clean is to be sanctified. By “through the word,” He means that they believe, for faith comes through the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Jesus is making it clear that He is addressing believers: those who are justified and in the process of sanctification. Everyone must continue to abide in Him and bear fruit; failure to do so will lead to suffering His judgment (cutting) and ending up in hell (fire).

It is also important to note that, according to this passage, justification and sanctification are through faith, not by the fruit itself. However, fruit can only grow when the believer is already justified and sanctified in Jesus Christ, through faith in His Word, covered by His blood, and by the grace of God. With this understanding, let’s look at the following passage once more:

Romans 5:9 | KJV [book]

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

To be saved from His wrath, one must be in Him — abiding in Him and covered by His blood. Not abiding in Him is equivalent to not being covered by His blood. Those who are covered now shall be saved, but those who are not will face judgment. The destiny of each person is directly connected to their position — whether in Christ or outside of Him. This position is not fixed; if it were, the Lord would not warn His branches, those already abiding, not to depart.

No word of Jesus Christ was spoken in vain, nor was every warning an impossibility. Believing otherwise is dangerous, as John the Baptist also warned us. Today, through the Scriptures, we are reminded: do not think that simply being born into the Kingdom of God exempts you from being cast out.

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

We saw in the previous part that everyone in Christ is warned to keep on abiding in Him, or else it will have eternal consequences. As the believer abides through faith, this faith is one of the decisive factors for salvation. Faith is the noun, and believing is the verb; a believer is one who has faith. In the New Testament, there is also something called “The Faith”:

Jude 1:3 | KJV [book]

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

“The Faith” is the Gospel given to the apostles by Christ through the Holy Spirit, and they preserved and transmitted it to us through their inspired writings (the Word of God). The Gospels form the core of every believer’s personal faith, and anyone who ceases to believe “The Faith” will automatically lose their personal faith. The following passages will demonstrate that it is indeed possible to stop believing:

1 Timothy 4:1-2 | KJV [book]

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

This passage explicitly states that the Holy Spirit expressly warns us that people are falling away from the faith. To depart from something is to be in it initially; without first believing the Gospel, it is impossible to move away from it. As we saw earlier, one can only abide in Christ when a person is justified, and justification can only occur through faith by grace. The one who abides in Christ but then departs will no longer be justified or sanctified.

The Holy Spirit also warns us that such individuals will depart while giving heed to seduction and false doctrines. They will speak lies in hypocrisy, meaning they know the truth but deliberately suppress and distort it. Even though their conscience warns them, they will refuse to listen and will act contrary to the will of God. These have willfully rejected the truth, and we know that God’s Word is “The Truth”:

John 17:17 | KJV [book]

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Romans 10:17 | KJV [book]

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We have learned in the previous parts of this biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine that faith comes by “hearkening” to the word of God. Departing from the faith is the opposite of that. As “hearkening” involves hearing and obeying, “departing” is disobedience to God’s word, including disobedience to His commandments.

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

As we learned earlier, the salvation process exists out of 3 “steps”:

1. Justification (we are saved) :  immediately
   ↓
2. Sanctification (we are being saved) :  a lifetime process
   ↓
3. Glorification (we will be saved) :  at the resurrection

We aren’t fully saved yet; many verses put salvation in the future tense, like:

Mark 13:13 | KJV [book]

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

See that one must “endure” to the end to be saved. As in Mark 13:13 (above), Romans 5:9, and many other verses, the word “shall” is used, which is a future tense — indicating what is yet to come.

Romans 5:9 | KJV [book]

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Even though we are already justified in Christ, we “shall” be saved from wrath.

The reward is eternal life, and it hasn’t been given to anyone yet, but will be given at the Lord’s return:

1 Peter 5:4 | KJV [book]

And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

The crown of glory is received at glorification. Eternal life (Tree of Life) is that reward that is only given when He has returned already:

Revelation 2:7 | KJV [book]

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

See that one needs to “overcome” to eat from the Tree of Life. Believers in Christ have the “hope” of eternal life, that they “should” be made heirs. “Hope” in something is not having it already in possession, and “should” is not something already achieved.

Titus 3:7 | KJV [book]

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Eternal life is something one needs to lay a hold on; even the word “may” indicates it still needs to take place.

1 Timothy | KJV [book]

Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life are things that we must continuously seek for; and the word “patient” indicates it takes time.

Romans 2:7 | KJV [book]

To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

One must conclude that salvation is not complete until glorification. Although a believer may be justified and sanctified, without the reward that comes from patiently laying hold, enduring, and overcoming, eternal life is not yet received.

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

Some use the argument that believers cannot lose their salvation because no man can pluck God’s children out of His hands, since it was stated in the following passage:

John 10:27-29 | KJV [book]

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

The sheep must first hear and follow Christ. As we saw in previous parts, faith comes by hearkening to the word of God. The sheep spoken of here learn the truth, recognize Christ, and obey Him — these are the conditions to receive eternal life. We also saw earlier that eternal life is given at the Lord’s return. To never perish again, one must first be made immortal.

Then Jesus proceeds to say that no one will be able to pluck His sheep out of God’s hand. It is important to clarify whether this occurs before or after receiving eternal life; nevertheless, this statement does not directly speak about the sheep themselves. A believer in Christ is shielded by “a wall of fire” against any adversary. Those in Christ are protected, and if God allows them to be martyred, they will not see death but will rather be asleep. Any believer abiding in Christ cannot die as an unbeliever, so life is never truly taken away by another human. This passage does not say anything about the believer walking away from Christ. The sheep need to follow the shepherd to remain under His protection, but if they wander off, they are not obeying and do not meet the conditions set. Of course, God pursues His sheep when they wander, but Christ makes it clear that His sheep are His because they hear and follow Him. The sheep are never forcibly placed into the fold.

Some argue that believers cannot lose their salvation because Christ does not “lose” anyone, citing this statement:

John 17:12 | KJV [book]

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

The Father had given the apostles in the care of Jesus Christ with the promise not to lose anyone, and at the end of His ministry, He did lose none, except for one: Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus and left Him; so he was the first one who went into “perdition”.

Losing none of the apostles except Judas Iscariot was ordained that it had to be fulfilled by Christ, and it was fulfilled when Jesus’s arrest came:

John 18:7-9 | KJV [book]

⁷ Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. ⁸ Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way: ⁹ That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

If this part of scripture has been fulfilled we should only apply it to the time hereafter if it is clearly stated it has multiple fulfillments (which at this time it is not known to be so). We can look for patterns, though, as we do with a bigger part of the canon; and understand the relationship between Christ and any disciple (sheep) without being dogmatic.

Judas was the first one who went into “perdition”. The day is coming (or is already here) when there will be a great “falling away”, reveling the “son of perdition” (as in the image of Judas):

2 Thessalonians 2:3 | KJV [book]

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

“Falling away” is the Greek word apostasia [G646], which means “defection”: Once belonging to a group or individual but then separated. It is derived from the word apoostasion [G647], which means “divorce”.

Hebrews 10:36-39 | KJV [book]

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

The writer states in Hebrews 10 that we need to have patience and have done the will of God, so we may then receive the promise afterward. There are those who draw back and fall into perdition, but the writer also states that we won’t if we keep on living by faith.

2 Peter 3:7 | KJV [book]

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Those who fall away / draw back / go into perdition will end up in the lake of fire, and therefore, the salvation process is not fulfilled. Without glorification, a person does not receive eternal life. 2 Thessalonians, Hebrews, and 2 Peter were written after the cross and to believers. We are clearly not talking to unbelievers in all cases; unbelievers can’t go into perdition, as their current position, if remain to be unchanged, will always lead to destruction.

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

We have seen a lot of passages and verses in the previous parts that show us clearly that salvation is “conditional” and that besides justification through faith by the grace of God, without the fruit of the Spirit, nobody will be glorified. We have also seen that the process from justification to glorification is marked by sanctification; a process that can be interrupted, which will lead to no longer being sanctified and, therefore, not glorified (not receiving eternal life in a glorified body).

These passages may have shown strong evidence and should convince most believers if treated with all readiness of mind and open eyes & ears to what is genuinely written; Though there is no passage as strong as that of Hebrews chapter 6, in which the writer explains to us in plain & clear wording that someone can fall away from the faith:

Hebrews 6:4-6 | KJV [book]

⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, ⁵ And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, ⁶ If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Some argue that the passage of Hebrews 6, which literally talks about “falling away, ” does not describe people who are saved but “false converts”. Let us look closer, breaking down the passage, and see if it’s truly so…

Hebrews 6:4-5 | KJV [book]

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened ^G5461, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

Let us first look at what it means to be “enlightened”:

G5461 | “enlightened”

Original: φωτίζω
Transliteration: phōtizō
Phonetic: fo-tid’-zo

Thayer Definition:
– to give light, to shine
– to enlighten, light up, illumine
– to bring to light, render evident
– to cause something to exist and thus come to light and become clear to all
– to enlighten, spiritually, imbue with saving knowledge
– to instruct, to inform, teach
– to give understanding to

Strong’s Definition: From G5457; to shed rays, that is, to shine or (transitively) to brighten up (literally or figuratively): – enlighten, illuminate, (bring to, give) light, make to see.

And then see how this word is used this word elsewhere in the epistles, this time to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:15-18 | KJV [book]

¹⁵ Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, ¹⁶ Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; ¹⁷ That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: ¹⁸ The eyes of your understanding being enlightened ^G5461; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Note that Paul is mentioning the faith in Jesus Christ the Ephesians already have and the love they showed unto all the saints; which is a clear sign of fruit of the Spirit. With this in mind, Paul is praying that the Holy Spirit (spirit of wisdom) may give them wisdom and revelation, which mark these believers to be genuine; And to “enlighten” them to let them truly know (strong word) the hope of their calling and the glory to be received. All these can only be present in a true believer who has received the Holy Spirit and has a saving faith & the love of God.

Only those who are in Christ through faith can be enlightened:

Mark 4:11-12 | KJV [book]

And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Jesus spoke in parables so that only who are “enlightened” (seeing & hearing) may be converted and have their sins forgiven. Those who are “partakers of the Holy Ghost” have received the Holy Spirit. Receiving the Holy Spirit is only reserved for believers in Jesus Christ, and therefore are converted. Anyone who believes, is converted, and received the Holy Spirit, is in the process of being saved. He is justified, being sanctified, and at the Lord’s return may be glorified.

Now we have a better understanding of who are “enlightened”, let’s look again at this part of the passage in Hebrews:

Hebrews 6:4-5 | KJV [book]

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened ^G5461, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

Paul refers to believers who have their eyes &  ears opened, are justified through faith, and have received the Holy Spirit. Those who are spiritually enlightened partake in the same things as the Ephesians. To “taste” is to experience, so this means to have fellowship with God and receive His power through faith by His grace.

Hebrews 6:6 | KJV [book]

If they shall fall_away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

It is impossible for those who were enlightened and went into perdition to renew them again on their own. The fact that they were “renewed” in the first place proves that they had received the Holy Spirit. Nobody is “renewed” without the Holy Spirit, because this is the work of God in a person. A renewal marks fruit growth, and without the Spirit of God, His fruit can’t exist. This sanctification process is evidence of a saving faith in a person. So Paul is telling us loud and clear that a man can fall away from a saving faith, going into perdition.

Judas went into perdition and regretted it afterward, and hanged himself because he knew he was condemned:

Matthew 27:3-5 | KJV [book]

Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

When we observe Judas in the Gospels after his betrayal, we see that he departed the temple and then hanged himself, making any form of restoration impossible by his actions. He left “the house of God” and slipped into eternal damnation by his own will.

Yet Peter also denied Jesus. After Peter returned to the world (back fishing) and Jesus came to Him, he repented and restored Peter. We see that Peter did not go into perdition, but without Jesus His mercy & grace, he would be lost just like Judas Iscariot.

We know that also Esau sought repentance, but God didn’t grant him the grace, so he lost his birthright; Which was the inheritance of the (physical) Kingdom of God.

Hebrews 12:14-16 | KJV [book]

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Paul clearly states in Hebrews 12 that a believer may “fail of the grace of God” like Esau; by being ungodly until a certain point of no return. Not seeing the Lord (verse 14) means not partaking in the glorification. Not being glorified means not being saved! Being “defiled” means that a person was holy before. A person who is not holy cannot be defiled; only believers in Christ are holy because the blood of Christ cleanses them; unbelievers never are because they’re never cleansed (sanctified).

Hebrews 6:6 | KJV [book]

If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

A person that has fallen away after the blood of Christ has cleansed him through faith, cannot repent on his own again. Repentance would mean that after he rejected the blood of Christ, he would still call upon the grace of God to wash him again, since he defiled himself to a state equal to that of an unbeliever. The grace of God cannot be claimed, and only by His providence and His will perfect will it is given.

Judas and Esau didn’t receive God’s grace; they most likely regretted the outcome of their actions, but didn’t love God. Peter went into perdition, but he loved God; even before Peter’s fall, the Lord Jesus Christ prayed for him, and by the grace & mercy of God, he was restored. We saw in previous parts how love plays a crucial role, and without it, there is a great danger of perdition.

Hebrews 6:8 | KJV [book]

But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Without love, one may fall into sin that may lead to a severe outcome, being rejected by God and to be cast in hell. Paul is describing those who go into perdition as having “thorns & briers”, behaving as antichrists, as John describes it in his letters:

2 John 1:7 | KJV [book]

⁶ And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. ⁷ For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. ⁸ Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. ⁹ Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.

John states that love is equivalent to walking in God’s commandments. Walking in something signifies it is a person’s reality — the identity they clothe themselves with. Just as Jesus walked in His Father’s commandments, we should also walk in them. Love and God’s will are intertwined; similarly, God’s will, His commandments, and the truth are merged into one. The truth and love are united in essence. He who does not do the Father’s will is one who does not love God; this is described by John as lacking the doctrine of Christ — doing the will of the Father.

We also saw in previous parts how faith is directly linked to love and God’s commandments. You can see how John addresses all these concepts in just a few sentences.

John warns us to examine ourselves and not to lose those things that have been “wrought,” meaning painstakingly achieved. Many, perhaps including you, are absolutely sure that a believer in Christ cannot lose anything. They might point to verse 8 and declare, “See, those who believe that Christ came in the flesh are saved!” but then ignore the preceding and following verses. Can we take Scripture out of context and make doctrines from it? Most certainly not. Notably, verse 9 warns about doctrine, not about abiding and walking in the truth — God’s commandments. When we look at the passage in context, we see how a person can lose the full reward: eternal life. Losing the reward in heaven means eternal damnation in hell.

Many believers today have been deceived into thinking that “antichrist” refers to a specific person from the past or a single future individual. It is truly impossible to interpret that passage (or any of John’s letters) as referring to one individual. An antichrist is anyone who denies Christ, whether an unbeliever or someone who has believed before but has fallen away; in other words, someone who has walked away from the faith, God’s commandments, and the love of God. To “deny” does not simply mean to accept His existence; even demons know of God the Father and the Son and tremble in His presence. To deny Christ is to reject His authority — rejecting the Son of God, who has received all the kingdoms of the earth, all power, all glory, and all authority over us. He is the one who saves or casts into hell. He is our supreme King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When we disobey any of God’s commandments, we are disobeying Christ, thereby denying His authority over us — and in doing so, we deny Him, as well as the Father and the Holy Spirit (who testifies of Christ).

Who are we to think that having faith in Christ exempts us from obeying Him? Who are those claiming that obedience is working for salvation—thus putting ourselves under condemnation? The works of the Law (such as sacrifices, temple services, tithing, circumcision, keeping feasts and Sabbaths) are indeed in vain and will lead to judgment if they are done for righteousness. However, today’s will of God is not about keeping the Law of Moses. The first and greatest commandment is to love and follow Christ with faith, remaining in the truth. Even faith is commanded — so is faith a work? Satan has deceived many into believing that faith as an action is entirely different from love and obedience.

In previous parts of this study (Biblical Perspective on the “Once Saved, Always Saved” Doctrine), we saw that without love, a servant in the house of God faces punishment in hell for the “thorns and briers” — the result of lacking love. Those who are disobedient and do not show the fruit of the Spirit (such as love) because they do not walk in the Spirit will not receive the final reward of eternal life but will be cast into hell and the lake of fire. Saying “Lord” to Christ is not enough to be saved:

Matthew 7:19-24 | KJV [book]

¹⁹ Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. ²¹ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. ²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Some will say “You see, it says here ‘I never knew you’; which would imply that Christ only rejects false believers because there is a personal relationship.” But then I ask you again, are the preceding and following verses not providing the context of the matter? Is the passage not saying “every tree not having good fruit,” and “not everyone proclaiming Jesus as Lord,” and “those who are disobedient”? When looking at the context of this passage, isn’t it clear that to “know” Christ is to be obedient to His word and His will? That those who keep His sayings (His commandments) are the ones building on the rock — Jesus Christ Himself?

To “know” Christ is to know God’s word and to keep His commandments written therein, and by doing so, to love Him. Because, brethren, if we love Christ, we keep His commands!

Deuteronomy 30:14-18 | KJV [book]

¹⁴ But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. ¹⁵ See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; ¹⁶ In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. ¹⁷ But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; ¹⁸ I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

When we do not keep God’s word in our hearts, we will fall away and no longer love Him; the result of this will be that we start to serve other gods like Mammon, Satan, and ourselves. It then becomes no longer God whom we worship, but rather ourselves, which is equivalent to worshiping the devil and his demons.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 | KJV [book]

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

A person is depicted in this passage that sits in the Temple of God; let us discern the passage from here, leaving behind all the popular doctrines of “the antichrist” or the “beast of Revelation” for a moment. Let us first ask the question: what & where is the temple of God? We can answer this with a single verse (though there are many more):

1 Corinthians 3:17 | KJV [book]

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

It is clear that the temple of God is us; the Church, which is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12). He is the first stone (Matthew 21:42), and we are the living stones (1 Peter 2:5), building up the spiritual house of God, made without hands (Mark 14:58). This is the temple where God dwells, because His Spirit resides within every born-again believer in Christ. Just as there was the mercy seat in the Tabernacle in the desert and in the Temple in Jerusalem, in the most holy place, so is the mercy seat placed in our hearts. The Lord, our God, should be the only One sitting here and ruling it, since He is a jealous God and does not tolerate any god or idol within His presence; the temple of God is holy because He is holy.

We also see that anyone who defiles the temple of God will be destroyed. Can an unbeliever come in if the temple of God is a spiritual building? Can Satan or any other unclean being enter this temple? The answer is a firm “No!”. God is Holy and a consuming fire; nothing unclean can come within His presence without being destroyed. The born-again believer is covered with the Blood of the Lamb, cloaked in the righteousness of Christ, and therefore is not consumed nor destroyed. But if one defiles the temple, it means he was in it at first.

So when a believer in the temple of God begins to rule his own heart again, he “dethrones” God from the mercy seat. Instead of God being the Lord and Master of the believer’s heart, now a little god has taken His place and exalts himself. Instead of God deciding what is right and wrong, this little god creates his own laws and commandments; hence, he falls away from the truth:

2 Timothy 4:4 | KJV [book]

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

And so the writer is warning the believers in the letter to the Hebrews:

Hebrews 3:9-15 | KJV [book]

⁹ When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. ¹⁰ Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. ¹¹ So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) ¹² Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; ¹⁵ While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

If the words “departing from the living God” do not conclude the matter, then what can? Would the writer warn us with such a clear exhortation, “Take heed, brethren,” when departing from God wouldn’t be possible? No, God is not a God of confusion but of a clear and sound mind! Believers can fall away from the faith, and when they do, God sees their hearts as evil. These hearts will defile the temple of God, and therefore God will destroy them with His consuming fire. Harsh words indeed; but this is the absolute truth written to you with love and care!

1 John 2:18 | KJV [book]

¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. ¹⁸ Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. ¹⁹ 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.

Verse 19 of 1 John chapter 2 is widely used as an attempt to prove the doctrine that “only false converts will fall away” as the truth. When it’s isolated from the preceding verses, it may appear as if it could be correct. “Those that fall away were never of the body of Christ; these are those that never truly believed.” However, it is not written that way: The word “never” is not used! Those who “went out” did not belong to the believing body of Christ as John was referencing, but they certainly could have been part of it before. The passage does not exclude the possibility that those who depart were never in Christ, to begin with.

Furthermore, does John not define “those of us,” meaning “those in Christ through faith”? Or perhaps “those who do the will of God”? We see in verse 17 that the context is set: “he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” Those who will not depart are those who do the will of God. Anyone who does not do the will of God cannot abide at all; everyone who stops doing the will of God will no longer be part of the body and will depart from it. These are antichrists because they deny Jesus Christ in their hearts.

Titus 1:15-16 | KJV [book]

¹⁵ Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. ¹⁶ They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

So how can we deny Christ when we have faith?

― “in works they deny him” (Titus 1:15)

Matthew 10:33 | KJV [book]

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Old Israel is an example for us, the Church:

Isaiah 63:7-11 | KJV [book]

⁷ I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. ⁸ For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. ⁹ In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. ¹⁰ But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. ¹¹ Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?

At first, the house of Israel was “saved,” the Lord their “Savior,” and they were “redeemed” by Him. But when they rebelled and vexed His Spirit, He started to fight against them as if they were His enemy. Although He turned from being their enemy at a certain point, great devastation was the result, with many who perished in the hands of the Romans.

So, is the Church after the cross warned not to turn into the ways of Israel:

Revelation 2:14-17 | KJV [book]

¹⁴ But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. ¹⁵ So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. ¹⁶ Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

That when, despite God’s loving kindness, longsuffering, and patience, He will at some point fight those who rebel against Him. Israel always thought they were safe and that God wouldn’t do such things, so today, many are at ease in God’s house, not fearing His wrath.

All those in God’s house were brought in by His grace and mercy, through faith. These are the children of God by adoption and were converted. What some do not understand, or do not know, is that also the house of God shall be judged:

1 Peter 4:17-18 | KJV [book]

¹⁷ For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

We truly need to learn to fear God and walk in obedience and love to Him, alongside walking in faith. If we disobey Him and become rebellious in His House, which is being built by His own blood, what great risk do we take for ourselves — provoking Him to anger and facing judgment without the covering of Christ? All these passages we have seen so far should greatly arouse us to act without delay. The Lord is not delaying His return, and if He arrives with His angels and we are found as the evil servant in the parable of Matthew in rebellion, or as the foolish virgins without oil in our lamps, what great devastation it will be to be cast out into outer darkness and the lake of fire?

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

Some argue that salvation can’t be “lost” because of the seal of the Holy Spirit, that if God has placed this upon a person, he will have eternal life in heaven. This doctrine is based on the following verse:

Ephesians 4:30 | KJV [book]

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

First, we have to note that this passage clearly says: “unto the day of redemption”. As we have seen in the previous parts, salvation is a process that is not finished until the Lord returns; which is the day of redemption. When a believer has genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the savior of his sins and the redeemer of his soul, he is sealed with the Holy Spirit as a token of promise until redemption occurs. Paul the Apostle declared this doctrine to the Ephesians at the beginning of his letter to them, so that when he writes about it in the 4th chapter (Ephesians 4:30), they knew what it meant:

Ephesians 1:11-14 | KJV [book]

¹¹ In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: ¹² That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. ¹³ 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, ¹⁴ Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The day of redemption of the believers in Jesus Christ does not precede the judgment of the house of God; we saw in the previous parts how the whole house of God is going to be judged, yet I’ll repeat this verse for the sake of clarity:

1 Peter 4:17 | KJV [book]

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

When Paul writes “us” it should be clear that he is talking about the church, which is the house of God, and those adopted as sons are part of that house and serve Him as servants.

From the letter to the Ephesians, we can learn that the Holy Spirit will not leave us, but in light of the rest of the scriptures, He will not leave until we are judged by our Lord Jesus Christ when He returns to redeem those who are His. If we are found in perdition like the evil servant in this parable (we have covered in the previous parts), we are not redeemed and glorified for a place in heaven but are cast into hell instead:

Matthew 24:48-51 | KJV [book]

But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

A servant is a believer in the house of God, who is his Lord. The “day not looked for” is the day which comes as a “thief in the night”; that is, “the day of the Lord,” also known as the day of Jesus Christ. We understand that this servant is not being judged for his deeds until the Lord returns.

It is the goodness and patience of God to wait for the servant to repent from his deeds, even when the brethren of this evil servant are suffering because of his actions. It is great and extremely good news to learn that God will not withdraw His Holy Spirit immediately after we have wronged a brother or sister, but it is also a clear warning not to fall away into perdition.

Philippians 1:6 KJV | KJV [book]

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

It’s not the Lord Jesus Christ who goes into perdition; The Lord is faithful and will do His work until the day He returns. This does not mean that we cannot go into perdition. We have seen numerous examples in the previous parts that we can depart ourselves regardless if the Lord is willing to save us.

It does, however, give us great hope and comfort, that even when we fail, the Lord always keeps on working, and the Holy Spirit will not depart from us until the very end ― that day when we are judged. We are called not to let it go that far, and that we do not enter into perdition ― not even close! The mechanism of salvation is ordained; when we are judged, we are saved from God’s wrath if we are found in Jesus Christ through faith; and faith works by love, and is based on truth.

Nowhere in scripture does it say we are lost in an instant when we sin, but up to a certain point; I have shown you many examples where salvation may not come to a good end. Yet with every passage, God also assures us; He works us so that we may not fall away; unless we rebel and become utterly unholy in His sight again, we have the full assurance of salvation by the hope we have in us.

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

Some use the argument that, because of the love of God, one cannot ever “lose” his salvation, and, commonly, verses like the following are used to prove this doctrine:

Romans 8:39 | KJV [book]

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.

To use this verse to claim that a believer is always saved regardless of any circumstance or state of that person is incorrect since the context of this verse is about persecution and suffering of the Church:

Romans 8:36-39 | KJV [book]

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 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.

We can see clearly by the two preceding verses that it is not talking about salvation. Paul always used precise wording in his writings that applies to the context; in this case, he is writing about the love of God for us in the context of suffering. Though, of course, God’s love has to do with everything regarding the Church and the faith, His love is not equal to salvation for every person who ever lived.

John 3:16-17 | KJV [book]

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

The love of God has been displayed through the cross, unto where His only begotten Son was punished for the sins of those who will be saved from that wrath they deserved. Obviously, not the whole world is saved, and whosoever is not covered by the blood of Christ on the day he is judged will not escape from it.

John 3:15 | KJV [book]

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Those who do not have faith in Christ shall perish and will not have eternal life.

The love of God does not prevent people from going to hell; Jesus loved the rich young ruler, but because of his riches, he refused Jesus, and his end would be hell (if he did not repent later):

Mark 10:21-22 | KJV [book]

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

The love of Christ for this person is expressed in the commandments He gives to him: denial of self and earthly riches, followed by charity towards others. Jesus loved this person and showed him the truth; he is asked to have faith in what Jesus commands him personally: to truly love Christ by loving others in this world. Jesus requires faith and obedience, which are shown in works that should follow: do away with self-reliance (selling & giving away) and prove the genuineness of his faith through suffering & death (picking up the cross).

God may love us immensely (beyond our imagination), but He is also and remains our Judge. As a Holy God, He needs to judge according to His word. Most certainly, He may show mercy & grace, but these cannot be taken for granted. God’s sovereignty is unlimited yet constrained by His own law. Anyone who chooses to be judged by His law will not be overruled by His sovereignty and dragged into heaven. Jesus Christ offered the rich young ruler the opportunity to be saved by faith; this faith was immediately tested when it was given. The man came in faith to Him, and in faith, He declared that Jesus was the way to be saved. Yet we see that this faith was insufficient, and by the decision of the young man to disobey Jesus’ commandments, he could not be saved, even though the declaration of God’s love for him has been written down forever.

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}

We have learned in this study, “Biblical Perspective on the ‘Once Saved Always Saved’ Doctrine,” that salvation has different stages; it starts with justification by grace through faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the cross, and we ought to keep the faith until the day of redemption. When we are justified, it is written in the New Testament as “saved” (past tense). It is an immediate state, and Jesus Christ has done all the work on the cross of Calvary. We cannot add anything to it; there is nothing we can do to make ourselves justified.

Those who are justified are also sanctified. Sanctification is a continual lifetime process, and it is written in the NT as “being saved” (present tense). In short, sanctification is the cleansing (washing) of the believer through God’s word. It is the work done by the Holy Spirit, and the believer needs to cooperate. Without exposure to the truth of God’s word, sanctification cannot take place in the manner God requires. Every believer in Christ is predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. At the time of justification, a believer begins this process to be conformed, but is far from Christ-like at first. By walking in the Spirit and being immersed in the Word, a believer is increasingly conformed to the image of Christ. Lord Jesus was perfectly obedient and obeyed His Father in everything and in all. So, the believer needs to be on a path of obedience, learning, and keeping the commandments of God, whatever they may be.

Glorification will happen at the resurrection. Salvation is not complete until a believer is glorified; that’s why it’s written in the NT as “will be saved” (future tense). During the period of sanctification, the believer is still bound to his earthly and temporal body, and at the moment of glorification, he will receive a new eternal body; the glorified body that has eternal life. Only then is salvation complete.

1. Justification: we are saved
2. Sanctification: we are being saved
3. Glorification: we will be saved

Note

The term “justification” is not strictly used throughout the New Testament. Paul uses the term for “the ungodly” (unbelievers dead in sin) who shall be counted as righteous when he comes to faith in Christ without the works of the Mosaic Law (Romans, Galatians). James uses the term for believers who ought to have works, a living faith that keeps the Royal Law of Christ (Law of Liberty). A walk with Christ starts with justification (Paul) and needs to be finished while remaining to be justified (James). For the sake of clarity in this study have I put James his “justification” in the category of “sanctification”, keeping in mind that the present justification is a part of the sanctification.

Falling away

We saw multiple examples of believers falling away and not being glorified, and, therefore, not saved. Because a believer is justified through faith by the grace of God, is the absence of faith a state called “unbelief” and this results in not being justified. Unbelief is regarded as evil by God because one is deemed to be guilty of all sin ever committed (without faith, a person is judged by the law):

Hebrews 3:12 | KJV [book]

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

The writer of Hebrews warns believers that unbelief is equivalent to departing from God. Though that, once a believer was justified through faith, he is no longer justified when he stops believing. We saw several examples and many warnings; the greatest is the falling away of the Israelites after coming out of Egypt. Though through faith, they were obedient and held the Passover, and thus were spared by the blood of the lamb; when they were in the desert, most of them fell and could not be saved. Israel, with Moses, became an example for us so that we should take great heed and not make the same mistake.

Many Protestants, especially those in Reformed denominations, strongly believe that one cannot fall away from the faith. The examples we saw in this study and the countless warnings should be convicting enough; the truth of God’s word is plainly before us: We can depart from the living God with a heart of unbelief.

Love

We also saw that faith works through love. Without love, faith is dead and prevents the Holy Spirit from doing His work. A hardened heart not only leads to selfishness, but also obstructs the growth of the Fruit of the Spirit—good fruit. Instead of good fruit, the believer will produce bad fruit, causing sanctification to come to a halt. The evil servant in the house of God, as an example, started by not believing in the Lord’s imminent return. He turned the truth he once held into a lie and believed a new “self-made truth” rather than God’s word. This lie was the first bad fruit that appeared, followed by more: abusing God’s resources and responsibilities, and causing suffering to the brethren. Unbelief was a seed that grew into a bad tree full of thorns and thistles. When the Lord returns, He will completely remove his salvation; although he was in the house of God all this time, being adopted as a son into God’s family through faith by grace.

Perhaps it should have become somewhat clear that godly love (agape) consists of multiple “components” (a difficult term to find the perfect word for), merged into one. If we were to make an equation (which is not ideal, but for clarity’s sake), it might look like this:

love (agape) = truth + obedience + charity

Godly love (agape) is not like the love understood by the world. The love that God has for us, and that He requires of us, has parallels with the love of a parent for a child, a child for their parents, a good king for his people, and obedient subjects for their king. A good mother will love her child so much that she might risk her life for them. She nurtures and feeds the child even at the expense of her own hunger, and stays awake to watch over and protect it. Parents understand their responsibilities and will exert all their might to raise the child well. A child reciprocates this love, recognizing the unconditional care and respect demonstrated, feeling protected, nurtured, and valued. They feel secure and happy in their parents’ presence.

The same applies to a king who loves his people: he sets laws and provisions to keep peace and order, ensuring safety, resources like food and water, and building infrastructure evenly across the land. He rules righteously and judges justly. He creates an army and erects walls to defend against outsiders—those who wish harm, theft, and destruction. Citizens respect and trust their king; they gladly pay tribute, knowing it supports their security. They obey unconditionally because they recognize his love and efforts. The king, in return, dedicates himself to serving his people. He would even sacrifice his life to protect them, and the people are willing to die for him and the land.

John 15:10 | KJV
If ye keep^G5083 my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

According to Jesus Christ, love has everything to do with keeping the commandments of God. Commandments are His will, the truth, and the word of God. Jesus was perfectly obedient to His Father, and so does the believer who ought to be obedient to Christ. This obedience is not limited to keeping ordinances, but is grounded in the truth (so that, for example, the commandments are not distorted or changed) and in charity. Keeping the commandments is ultimately loving God, and loving God by loving one’s neighbor.

Does keeping the commandments mean we obey 100% and if we fail, we end up in hell? It is a common perception within the Church, and keeping commandments is often compared to keeping the law of Moses. To understand this, let us take a closer look at the verb “keep” ^G5083 in the Greek language:

G5083 | “keep”

Original: τηρέω
Transliteration: tēreō
Phonetic: tay-reh’-o

Thayer Definition:

1. to attend to carefully, take care of
― a. to guard
― b. metaphorically to keep, one in the state in which he is
― c. to observe
― d. to reserve: to undergo something

Origin: from teros (a watch, perhaps akin to G2334)
TDNT entry: 10:20,1
Part(s) of speech: Verb

Strong’s Definition: From τηρός teros (a watch ; perhaps akin to G2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from G5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from G2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), that is, to note (a prophecy; figuratively to fulfil a command); by implication to detain (in custody; figuratively to maintain); by extension to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively to keep unmarried): – hold fast, keep (-er), (ob-, pre-, re) serve, watch.

Keeping the commandments is to keep them in the heart and to guard them; preventing them from being lost. As we saw in the definition of love (agape), it is the reality of what is going on inside a person that matters, as it is written: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” The expression of our love towards God is to know the commandments and to keep them in our hearts and minds with zeal, and to bring them into practice in our daily lives.

We saw in this study that not keeping the commandments will have serious consequences for every believer. The evil servant who is beating his fellow servants will be thrown into hell at the Lord’s return. Going into perdition as a son in the house of God does not end well; there will be no glorification and, therefore, no eternal life — only eternity in hell instead. There are other negative outcomes, though:

Luke 12:45-48 | KJV [book]

⁴⁵ But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; ⁴⁶ The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. ⁴⁸ But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

A believer who doesn’t keep the commandments of God without going into perdition seems to be only receiving a form of punishment. Those who know the commandments but don’t keep them receive a greater punishment than those who don’t know them (ignorance is not an excuse to get off the hook). In any case, it is absolutely clear that the Lord requires His servants to know and keep His commandments. Those who do not keep the commandments of God and go into perdition will (likely) lose their salvation on the day of judgment.

Then you may still say: “This is working for salvation!” Not quite! We know that by the works of the law nobody will be saved. Neither will we be saved by keeping the commandments of God because of our obedience. We are saved through faith by the grace of God. Yet, keep in mind that faith needs to work, or else it is not genuine faith; faith without fruit (good works) does not come from the Holy Spirit. Faith works by love, so therefore it is not faith alone that saves, but faith accompanied by love (agape). This godly love springs forth from truth, obedience, and charity. There is no law for love, nor for truth, obedience, and charity. No believer in Christ can escape the commandment to love; without love, nobody will be saved!

The Law

The law of Moses and the Ten Commandments written on stone were given by God to point us to the fact that we are sinners and in need of salvation from our sins. The works of the law, in and of themselves, cannot save anyone because the law brings awareness of sin (Romans 3:20). Since Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved from our sins, the law ultimately leads us to Him; the Lamb of God is the fulfillment of the Mosaic Law (Matthew 5:17) and sets you free from the law of sin & death.

However, we have seen that Jesus brought new commandments which are not the law of Moses, nor are they the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone. These commandments are called “The Royal Law”:

James 2:8 | KJV
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

Also called “The Law of Christ”:

Galatians 6:2 | KJV
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

And we see that the works of the Royal Law of Christ are based on love. This law, which is contrary to the law of sin and death, is fulfilled in the heart of a believer. Do not think these are entirely new commandments, but those that have been known from the beginning (1 John 2:7). The law that will be written on the heart (and not in stone) has been promised by God from the beginning, and it has been declared multiple times that it will be instituted by God Himself, for example, Ezekiel prophesying to the people of Israel:

Ezekiel 36:24-27 | KJV [book]

²⁴ For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. ²⁵ Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. ²⁶ A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

James explains to us clearly what the result will be when we don’t obey the Royal Law of Christ:

James 2:8-13 | KJV

⁸ If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: ⁹ But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. ¹¹ For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

First works

If we don’t love one another with deeds like “mercy” but also the taking care of basic needs of one another, such as caring for the needy (James chapter 2), God will not have mercy on us, and we shall be judged according to the law of sin and death; of which we have become guilty by not keeping. In this, faith cannot save us because faith without charity (good works) is a dead faith, as James has made clear.

So has Jesus forewarned us about what happens if we don’t keep His Royal Law:

Matthew 24:12-13 | KJV

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Iniquity is not keeping His commandments, and the result will be love growing cold. Only those who endure, meaning to keep His commandments (Royal Law), will remain in love and be saved. One begins being justified through faith, and through His mercy and grace in the love of God. But only those who stay in that love until the end (glorification) will have eternal life with God. Those who fall into iniquity (unrepentant), even if justified at first, risk being rejected by the Lord:

Matthew 7:21-23 | KJV

²¹ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The will of the Father is to love Him and one another indeed. Faith needs to be accompanied by good works (charity: love expressed in deeds); without this, faith is a dead faith, and all the works done will be regarded as iniquity.

We see this also in the letter to Ephesians in the Book of Revelation:

Revelation 2:1-5 | KJV

¹ Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; ² I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: ³ And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. ⁴ Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. ⁵ Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Even when having done all the works showing faith in Christ and His Gospel, without the first works — acts of love — Jesus requires all of us to do, He will remove the lampstand (Holy Spirit). Without the light of God, one cannot be saved but will remain in outer darkness forever. The Lord repeats twice in this passage alone that we need to repent from the lack of love and the works thereof, or else it will have severe consequences.

Never saved?

It’s common among Reformed / Calvinist denominations to state that if one is not saved at the end, he was never truly saved in the first place. To refute this concept I would like to quote* John Wesley about this very topic, which for a bigger part repeats what we have seen throughout this study:

Calvinists, who deny that salvation can ever be lost, reason on the subject in a marvelous way. They tell us, that no virgin’s lamp can go out; no promising harvest be choked with thorns; no branch in Christ can ever be cut off from unfruitfulness; no pardon can ever be forfeited, and no name blotted out of God’s book! They insist that no salt can ever lose its savor; nobody can ever “receive the grace of God in vain”; “bury his talents”; “neglect such great salvation”; trifle away “a day of grace”; “look back” after putting his hand to the gospel plow. Nobody can “grieve the Spirit” till He is “quenched,” and strives no more, nor “deny the Lord that bought them”; nor “bring upon themselves swift destruction.” Nobody, or body of believers, can ever get so lukewarm that Jesus will spew them out of His mouth.

They use reams of paper to argue that if one ever got lost he was never found; that if one falls, he never stood and if one was ever “cast forth,” he was never in, and “if one ever withered,” he was never green; and that “if any man draws back,” it proves that he never had anything to draw back from; that if one ever “falls away into spiritual darkness,” he was never enlightened; that if you “again get entangled in the pollutions of the world,” it shows that you never escaped; that if you “put salvation away” you never had it to put away, and if you make shipwreck of faith, there was no ship of faith there!! In short they say: If you get it, you can’t lose it; and if you lose it you never had it. May God save us from accepting a doctrine, that must be defended by such fallacious reasoning!”

― John Westley 1703-1791

* Note

I am not a “Wesleyan”, nor do I personally endorse any Wesleyan or Methodist denominations

Let us break this down and understand what this respected theologian & evangelist was trying to show us, which is fully in line with this study and the conclusion of it:

― “no virgin’s lamp can go out”

Matthew 25:1-13 | KJV

¹ Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ² And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: ⁴ But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶ And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. ⁷ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. ¹² But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. ¹³ Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

A lamp is a vessel that can contain oil to be burned so it gives light. There is a lot of typology regarding lamps, oil and light but in short: the lamp is the word of God, the oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and the light is The Truth (Jesus Christ & The Gospel). As Psalms 119:105 says: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.“. You can have the word of God (lamp) without the Holy Spirit (oil) and it will not bring revelation of The Truth (light) – see John 16:13.

All the virgins have lamps, so they all have God’s word at their disposal. The foolish virgins say in verse 8: “for our lamps are gone out“, if the lamp goes out it was burning at first, so we can conclude that all virgins had oil in their lamps and therefore all had the Holy Spirit at a certain time. Only born again believers will have the Spirit of God dwelling in them, so this means that the 5 foolish virgins were made enlightened and justified in Chris at one moment, but were no longer at a later time.

― “no promising harvest be choked with thorns”

Mark 4:18-19 | KJV

¹⁸ And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, ¹⁹ And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

The seed was planted and it started to grow. Unbelievers will not ever grow because there’s no seed, since the seed is the word of God. The thorns chocked the word, which indicates that the word was having an effect and therefore The Holy Spirit was at work. When Jesus states that it “becometh unfruitful” it clearly means that it was to be fruitful at first. To be (potentially) fruitful one has to abide in Christ and therefore justified at a certain point in time.

― “no branch in Christ can ever be cut off from unfruitfulness”

John 15:1-6 | KJV

¹ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. ² Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. ³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Nobody can abide in Christ without being justified. Only through faith by the grace of God a person may abide in the vine (Christ) as branch (believer). Branches need the sap/oil of the plant/tree to stay alive. Here we see believers that abided at first but at a certain point do no longer. As they’re unable to receive the life-giving sap these are cast off and dry up; no longer having the Holy Spirit and are no longer justified.

― “no pardon can ever be forfeited”

Numbers 14:34 | KJV

After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

Isaiah 63:8-10 | KJV

⁸ For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. ⁹ In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. ¹⁰ But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

After a long period of rebellion, God made it clear that the promises He made made were no longer for that particular generation. The “breach of promise” is never a withdrawal of something that God has promised to the world, but and individual one. All of Israel was and is going to saved but it’s not fulfilled yet, most who wandered for 40 years in the desert with Moses after being saved out of Egypt, saw the promises not fulfilled in them but were regarded as an enemy of God at a certain point instead.

― “and no name blotted out of God’s book!”

Revelation 3:5 | KJV

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Revelation 22:19 | KJV

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

To be blotted out of the Book of Life means one was written in it at first. No unbeliever is written in the Book of Life, so therefore only believers in Christ can be blotted out. One has eternal life through faith by grace at first and may no longer have it the next. To be blotted out the Book of Life means eternal damnation in hell. Note that the believer needs to “overcome”, which indicates there is a process that needs to be completed.

― “no salt can ever lose its savor”

Matthew 5:13-16 | KJV

¹³ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. ¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Believers in Christ who are justified through faith by the grace of God, are the salt and the light in the world. We saw with the foolish virgins what happens if the light goes out, the same here is stated by Jesus Christ that all those who “loose its savour” will be cast out. Many Evangelicals believe that “being salt” is an option but not necessary for salvation; but being cast out by The Savior Himself does not lead to a positive outcome, does it? The warnings of our Lord Jesus Christ are never vain!!!

― “nobody can ever receive the grace of God in vain”

2 Corinthians 6:1 | KJV

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Galatians 2:21 | KJV

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Galatians 5:4 | KJV

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

God is warning us through Paul not to receive His grace in vain, nor to fall from it. God does not give warnings in vain!

― nobody “bury his talents”

Matthew 25:24-:30 | KJV

²⁴ Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. ²⁶ His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: ²⁷ Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. ²⁸ Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. ²⁹ For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. ³⁰ And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Lord of a servant is the master of that person who He has taken into His household to fulfil a task. This servant can clearly only be a believer in Christ who has been adopted into the family of God through faith by grace. He has been bought with a price and receives a precious gift that has to be used for the benefit of the household, just as spiritual gifts are there to edify the body of Christ. The distribution of spiritual is done by the Holy Spirit and only to those who are in Christ. Even while this particular servant is adopted into the family of God, he is still thrown into hell (outer darkness) for his neglection of the work of the Holy Spirit.

― none “neglect such great salvation”

Hebrews 2:1-3 | KJV

¹ Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. ² For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; ³ How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.

God warns us again to not be judged for transgressions and disobedience by neglecting our salvation. He makes it absolutely clear that one can fall away from His grace, which is most instances in scripture is the result of not taking heed, not watching, but being slothful and/or withdrawing from the duties & responsibilities.

― none “trifle away a day of grace”

Galatians 5:4 | KJV

¹ We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. ² (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) ³ Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

Hebrews 3:7-15 | KJV

⁷ Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, ⁸ Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: ⁹ When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. ¹⁰ Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. ¹¹ So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) ¹² Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; ¹⁵ While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

The day for action is today, the Lord our God has stated many times to the Church before and after the cross, that salvation is today; but if we harden our hearts we may not seek His salvation tomorrow but fall like those in the wilderness. As they were an example for us and suffered great loss after having received His grace for 40 years, will it truly be a lesson for us to learn and take it to heart? Or was the wrath of God on them in vain and we will also not enter into His rest?

“Confidence steadfast unto the end” indicates a continual process that has needs to keep on taking place until a certain point in time, would you agree?

― none “look back after putting his hand to the gospel plow”

Luke 9:62 | KJV

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

The warning given by Jesus Christ not to look back is clear; those that do go back to their former lives will not inherit the Kingdom of God. A born again believer is yoked together with Christ and as a servant laboring (preaching the Gospel). It obvious it is possible to look back and not be saved, if it weren’t so, God would not warn us for this.

― “Nobody can grieve the Spirit till He is quenched”

Luke 9:62 | KJV

Quench not the Spirit.

We have seen in this study that a born again believer remains to be sealed by the Holy Spirit until the return of Christ. The moment of judgment is the ultimate point in where we may receive eternal life with Him or eternal damnation in hell. Until judgment, the Spirit of God does not leave a person, but still can He be grieved or quenched. This in itself is not condemning a person, but obviously is potentially devastating; as we saw that the foolish virgins were rejected when the lamps did go out by the lack of oil (type of the Holy Spirit) or the branches were cut off and thrown into the fire.

― “… and strives no more “

Genesis 6:3 | KJV

And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

So we see that the Holy Spirit can stop convicting the believer for his sins; Without conviction there will be no repentance, without the fruit of repentance one is cut off and thrown into the fire. It is eminent that God warns us not to let it come this far. We can’t take the grace of God for granted.

― Nobody can “deny the Lord that bought them; nor bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

2 Peter 2:1-3 | KJV

¹ But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. ³ And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Jesus Christ payed with His blood for all the servants in the House of God. Those in Christ are bought with a high price, but if they fall away from the truth and deny Him, He will bring judgment and allows destruction of those who apostatized. Whosoever denies Christ, he will be denied by Him before the Father Who’s judgment is eminent (Matthew 10:33, 2 Timothy 2:11)

― “Nobody, or body of believers, can ever get so lukewarm that Jesus will spew them out of His mouth.”

Revelation 3:16 | KJV

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

This is one of the most negative comments Jesus made to the church. While started off as something that looks good (taking it in the mouth) but becoming so repulsive to The Lord that He would spit them out. To abide in His body (mouth) is to have eternal life, but to be rejected and expelled (spit) from His body is eternal damnation in hell.

― “if one ever got lost he was never found”

John 17:12 | KJV

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

It’s a common argument among Reformed Christians that those who get lost never truly abode in Christ to begin with. When Jesus says He lost one person (Judas Iscariot) He doesn’t mean He actually did lose Him? When it is written Jesus did lose a person, but we are denying this is possible because of our doctrines, we have to to deny Jesus’s words. Denying the word of God is a first sin that got us all in great trouble in the first place.

Then many will quote “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5) and say, ‘you see, God has said!’. But unawares that this quote is cut out of a full sentence, so that the context becomes completely free to whatever interpretation one prefers to have. Why not adding the first part of it: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:” and see that this is not related to salvation but to the care of God for His children; Not to covet but to be content, because the Lord is faithful and will take care of all our needs.

― “that if one falls, he never stood”

John 17:12 | KJV

¹⁶ For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷ And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; ¹⁸ Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. ¹⁹ Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. ²⁰ Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: ²¹ For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. ²² Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Hebrews 6:4-6 | KJV

⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, ⁵ And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, ⁶ If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

It should be needless to write that all those that stand are standing in Jesus Christ; All those that fall were standing in the first place. We stand by faith (2 Corinthians 1:24, Romans 5:2) and in The Faith (1 Corinthians 16:13), so therefore if we fall, we fall away from The Faith as well.

― “if one was ever cast forth, he was never in, and if one ever withered, he was never green”

John 17:12 | KJV

¹ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. ² Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. ³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

This passage has been covered multiple times within this study. It’s indeed obvious that if a branch withers away, it was alive before; which can only be so when truly abiding in Christ. Those that do not have faith are not alive but dead in sin; those that do abide in Christ by faith are alive by the Holy Spirit. As the vine/tree is the body of Christ, every branch that is cut off will be cut off from Christ and will no longer have life.

― “and that if any man draws back, it proves that he never had anything to draw back from”

Hebrews 10:38-39 | KJV

³⁸ Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. ³⁹ But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

We are alive because of faith in Christ. We see that God shows us trough Paul that a person can draw back from that faith and his soul will not be saved, but will go into perdition. God’s word does not have vain warnings, and the warnings in the epistles are written down for the Church. It should be eminent that without faith nobody can be saved, which is not a single event but a process that takes time. “Drawing back” means that there is a change in the position after a certain time. Paul is writing that we should hold on to The Faith for a certain period, and in this our souls will be saved.

― “that if one ever falls away into spiritual darkness, he was never enlightened”

Hebrews 6:4-6 | KJV

⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, ⁵ And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, ⁶ If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

This passage also has been covered multiple times within this study. Jesus is The Light, those who fall away from this light do not abide in Him and simply cannot be saved.

― “that if you again get entangled in the pollutions of the world, it shows that you never escaped”

2 Peter 2:20 | KJV

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

Christ called us out of the world into His Kingdom (John 15:19); to go back to the world is to leave The Kingdom of God and no longer be covered by the saving blood of Jesus Christ. We even see that the person who falls away is worse of than before. How much of a clear warning a believer needs to have not to fall away? Not to love the word? Since if we fall away from the love of the Father, we would be better off not to have been born again at all (1 John 2:15).

― “that if you “put salvation away” you never had it to put away, and if you make shipwreck of faith, there was no ship of faith there!!”

1 Timothy 1:19 | KJV

Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

In unbelief, our minds would depict a small boat, stranded on a deserted beach, all sound & quiet; somehow a bit stuck in the sand and not quite able to continue as before. But what if we see a ship on the open sea, being torn apart by the waves and the raging storm; the would splintered into pieces and everything on board perishing and drowning; a complete destruction of the vessel that brought safety and a passage to eternal life in the Kingdom of God, now sinking into the darkness of the sea forever? The shipwrecking of faith is losing the Blessed Hope and the swallowing up by eternal damnation in hell, an outer darkness which separates us from the love of God forever and ever. How much has Satan us deceived that losing the Ark is not a big deal, and nothing to be greatly concerned about? How many warnings do we need before we finally grasp the seriousness of outcomes when we don’t take heed to God’s word in the full?

Have you come to the final conclusion yet?

What this does & doesn’t mean

When you have come this far into the study and are still reading, you have seen many statements and accompanying scripture passages that are often considered provocative in most churches; they may even be labeled as false doctrines or signs of apostasy. You have done well to reach this point, and I will respect you for that. Whether you are recognizing the importance of the message or preparing a case against me, the time and effort you have invested herein mean something.

You have likely drawn some conclusions by now, but before we conclude, I want to press a few points into your heart.

First and foremost, always remember that it is God who is saving us. While we were dead in our sins, the Lord Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for sin on the cross; He was the Lamb of God slain for our transgressions, and His blood cleanses us from all sin. The work He accomplished is perfect and complete; there is nothing we can add, and there is nothing we can do to justify ourselves before God. All righteousness is found in Christ; no one can be righteous and have eternal life outside or apart from the Son of God. Those who seek to justify themselves by the works of the law will be condemned by the law, because only Jesus Christ is able to fulfill it perfectly. If we attempt to keep the law to earn righteousness, we will always fail and transgress it. To keep the law for justification is also a great insult to the Son of God, as it renders His suffering and death meaningless; it disrespects the one perfect sacrifice made once and for all time.

Secondly, sanctification is also the work of God. Although He commands us to be set apart and not to defile ourselves, we often fail miserably. While Jesus Christ should be our Lord, we constantly stumble in keeping His commandments, which number over fourteen hundred in the New Testament, every single day. Since sanctification is a process, most of us don’t see continuous progress and experience ups and downs, highs and lows. When we try harder, sometimes we even feel more miserable and wretched. Rest assured, sanctification is not a linear process (not a straight line), and we have limited control over it. God has sent His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to do a work in us that we cannot do ourselves. Without His help, we are incapable of sanctification—it’s impossible without Him. Just like justification, sanctification is a work that can only be accomplished through His enablement.

Thus, only a small part of our responsibility remains on us. All the work of God is a gift of grace; we did not request it, we cannot work for it, nor do we deserve it. Because of our sins, all we deserve is death and eternal punishment in hell. But this gift of grace still needs to be received by us. The Lord, our God, does not force these gifts upon us but requires us to be willing and cooperative. Just as a great physician knows how to circumcise our hearts, so that we may ultimately be saved and glorified as the perfect Bride, we must humble ourselves and accept His work.

Like Israel, the people of God who came out of Egypt — an Old Testament type of the church before the cross — we, the church after the cross, can also harden our hearts and not make it into the promised land. Heart-hardening can happen for many reasons — deceitfulness of sin, bitterness, pride, money, and others. Yet, the end result is always the same: devastation and great loss. “Not hardening” your heart is not a matter of earning salvation by works; it simply prevents you from falling away from the living God, who was gracious and merciful enough to offer everything of Himself so that you might be saved. If you reject and refuse that gift — if it cannot be received into your heart — then there remains no sacrifice for you, and eternal separation in hell is the alternative. While our responsibility may be small, it is nonetheless crucial, as this study has demonstrated.

With brotherly love,

Nils Eikelenboom

^{Biblical perspective on the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine.}