IS ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED A LEGITIMATE DOCTRINE?

 

  People who believe in “Once Saved Always Saved” (OSAS) teach that, once a person has accepted Jesus as Savior, they are forever saved and can never lose that salvation. One of the favorite verses those who believe this is John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

  The appeal of this is obvious. To believe in the doctrine of OSAS helps folks deal with the worry that an “unrepented” sin might rob them of heaven. And I’ve met many people who have struggled with that fear. The very idea that they might commit a sin (or a lot of sins) just before they die and then perish in hell because they hadn’t had time to repent, is a very real and disturbing fear for many people.

  However, the problem with the OSAS doctrine is that it flies in the face of other verses like John 15:6 where Jesus said, “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” In other words, Jesus said there would be people who would be “in” Him, but who wouldn’t “abide” in Him. And because these people didn’t abide (or remain) in Christ they’d end up in the fires of hell.

   Then there’s 1 Timothy 4:1 where Paul writes that “the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” In other words, Paul said there would be people who were “in the faith” (Christians) who would “depart from the faith” (leave Christ) by devoting themselves to false teachings.

   So, how do we sort all this out?

  Well, first, we need to address verses like John 10:28 where Jesus said “no one will snatch (us) out of (Christ’s) hand”? What does that mean? It means that we are safe as long as we “abide” in Jesus. As long as we “abide” in Christ (as John 15:6 says) no one can take us away from Him.

   But that does not mean we can’t walk away from Christ of our own volition.

   Years ago, I owned a home on the other side of town. As long as I “abided” there, no one could take it away from me. But next door, there was a house that (I was told) siding companies wouldn’t even contract to put siding on because it was in such bad shape. Ultimately, the family moved out and never came back. After a couple years the city put the abandoned house up for auction. How could they do that? The owners stopped “abiding” in the home and ultimately lost it. That’s what John 15:6 is talking about. As long as you “abide” in Christ no one can take your salvation away from you. You are secure.

   An OSAS believer once challenged my rejection of OSAS with this question: “Do you have any children? If so and one of those children were to disobey you sometime, would you disown that child? Then you must Love with a greater Love than God Loves with. You have told people that if they are a child of God and disobey him he will disown them and send them to Hell. Does this mean that Gods love is not an everlasting love? Is God not capable of loving greater than you?”

  In essence, he was saying that a good father would never disown his children, and thus, God (being the ultimate Father) wouldn’t disown us either. Once we were His children we’d always be His children (OSAS).

  I replied to him: “Yes, I have two children. And you’re asking, if they were to disobey me, would I ever disown them? Your question presumes an absurdity, so let's take this matter to the extreme.”

  Then I told him this story: I once knew a couple in my first congregation who had adopted two children (we're talking real life here, not presumption). Both of the kids had had difficulties in their lives and were “problem children”, but they were deeply loved by their adoptive parents.

  Even after adoption, they continued to be “difficult”. The daughter struggled with immorality and even lied about the preacher of their church (saying he had made advances against her) thus destroying the preacher’s reputation and getting him fired. By the time I was hired at the church she had married and was a member of that congregation but, as you can imagine, I never quite trusted her.

  However, it was her brother that troubled me most. This young man was a constant danger to the family, and he repeatedly threatened to kill the adoptive parents if they didn't do as he asked.

   Now... these were real people... true situations. And you might ask: if I’d been the adoptive father, what would I have done with the daughter who destroyed that preacher? Well, I would have horse-whipped her. What kind of father would stand back and “understand” her as she lied and demolished another man's reputation and ministry? I might not have kicked her out of the house... but I'd make sure she couldn't sit down for a couple of weeks. Proverbs 15:10 says “Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.” This is in keeping with much of what God did with the Israelites in the wilderness.”

   By contrast, her brother was a threat to the home. If I’d been his adoptive father (and if the police wouldn't help) I would have shot him… at least with buckshot. And I would have made sure he stayed away from that home until he had repented - which might have been forever.

  This is what a good father would do. If these children refused to “abide” as my children, I’d show them the door and they'd not get back in until they'd repented.

   Romans 11 addresses this issue in a different way. That chapter makes it quite clear that Christians can push God too far and that there can come a time when God will cut people off from salvation. Romans 11 tells the Gentile Christians in Rome that – when they became Christians – they were grafted into the “tree” in place of the natural branches (the Israelites) who refused to believe.

   Then Paul wrote in Romans 11:20-23 “they (Israelites) were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.”

   This passage tells me two things:

1) Christians CAN be cut off from salvation (which is what Jesus said in John 15:6).

2) But they ARE NOT cut off because of indiscretions or momentary moral lapses. The issue addressed in Romans 11 is "belief" vs. "unbelief." Those who were “cut off” had already made up their minds that they are going to “move out” of the house of belief. They had decided they didn't want to believe in God anymore. The choice was made by them, and God simply gave them the result of their decision – eternal separation from His presence. However, if they did not persist in their unbelief, God was able and willing to graft them back in again.

   Thus, as long as Christians “abide” in Christ - even if they die with an unforgiven sin or moral lapse - they are secure. And if someone has left Christ because they abandoned their faith, they can return IN faith and regain the security of heaven.