ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED?
-Introduction
-Just a couple of weeks ago, the Sunday evening lesson focused on the Restoration
Movement.
-In that lesson we briefly addressed the Reformation Movement that first took place.
-One of the individuals I referred to as being involved in the Reformation Movement
was John Calvin.
-John Calvin’s teachings still have a large impact upon the beliefs and teachings of many
denominations.
-T – total depravity, U – unconditional election, L – limited atonement, I – irresistible
grace, P – perseverance of the saints
-Tonight, we’ll focus on the “perseverance of the saints.” We usually don’t here it
referred to in that manner anymore. We know it as “Once saved, always saved.”
-This approach says that once a person has been saved he/she will always be saved.
-Side note:
-I do not want to give the impression that all those who believe and teach such are trying
to justify/promote sinful lifestyles.
-Most are not saying, “Ok, I’ve been saved. Now that I have that out of the way, I’ll
get back to living a sinful lifestyle.”
-We can see this in the fact that, on Sundays, there are still cars in the parking lots of
churches who believe and teach such.
-Yet, here’s a difficulty. If you teach the importance of continuing to live a good life,
what are the consequences of not doing so? Once saved always saved teaches that there
are no consequences.
-So, in regards to those that go off into sinful lifestyles and commit deplorable acts,
supporters of once saved always saved commonly say, “Well, they weren’t saved
in the first place.”
-So, let’s look at the scriptures and see what they say about the matter.
-The Galatians
-Let’s first note who Paul was writing this letter to – “the churches of Galatia” (vs 2).
-Would these be saved or unsaved individuals? Of course, the church is the body of
the saved. (see Acts 2:47)
-Gal 1:6-7 – Paul marveled that they were so soon removed (“deserting” – NASB, NIV)
from the One (God – 2 Thess 2:13-14) who had called them.
-To be removed from a situation, a person would have to first be in that situation.
-examples: You can’t remove a box from a truck that wasn’t first in the truck.
A soldier cannot desert from an army that he was never in.
-“into the grace of Christ” – see Rom 5:1-2
-Gal 3:1-2 – The Galatians had received the Spirit. Did they receive it by faith or by the
works of the Law of Moses?
-These were Christians. They had obeyed the Gospel. They were saved. They were
in receipt of the Spirit. They were not counterfeits.
-vs 15 – Paul referred to them as “brethren” (vs 15), “children of Abraham” (vs 7, see
also vs 16 – seed = Christ).
-vs 26 – They were children of God, “heirs according to the promise” (vs 29).
-Gal 4:4-9 – “sons of God,” “heir of God through Christ”
-vs 9 – “after ye have known God,” “known of God,” – “how turn ye...”
-Gal 5
vs 1 - “Stand fast...be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage”
-They had escaped the bondage but were in the danger of going back into it.
-vs 4 – Those who had turned away from the Gospel back into the Law had
“fallen from grace.” These are the words of an inspired apostle.
-vs 7 - They “were running well” (NASB). Along the way, they had been hindered
in their obedience to the truth.
-Gal 6:1 – A person can be overtaken in a fault. That person is in need of restoration.
Such simply wouldn’t be the case if once saved always saved were true.
-Notice the word of caution to “ye who are spiritual.” Be careful that the process
doesn’t work in reverse and you be led away through temptation.
-James 5:19-20
-This passage shows that it is indeed possible for “brethren” to “err from the truth.”
-“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back” (vs 19,
NASB, emp add); “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone
should bring him back” (vs 19, NIV, emp add)
-Notice, this person who errs (strays, wanders from the truth) is described by James as a
“sinner” in vs 20.
-By turning this person back to the truth, a soul is saved from death.
-A saved individual’s soul is not headed toward death but life. Therefore, we can know
conclusively that this person had reached the point of no longer being saved.
-2 Peter 2:18-22
-vs 20 – These had escaped the pollutions of the world. They had been obedient – saved.
-2 Pet 1:1-4 – notice vs 4 – “having escaped the corruption that is in this world...”
-“had/having escaped” – Peter uses the same word in both passages.
-Also note, 2 Pet 1:10. What would be the purpose of such a statement if a saved person
cannot fall?
-It is possible for those who have “obtained like precious faith” (2 Pet 1:1) to turn away from
the truth to false doctrine. As a result, a person can be entangled in sin once again, overcome
by it and once again in bondage – “the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.”
-latter end – condition of one who has turned away
-beginning – their original unsaved condition
-What would be between? – a period in which they were saved – but not anymore
-The process of a saved person turning away back into sin is digusting in the sight of God.
-Summary and Invitation
-There are other passages that could also be considered that continue to show that “once saved
always saved” is a non-scriptural concept.
-It is evident that we as Christians have a responsibility to remain faithful. If we do not, there
are dreadful consequences.
-What about you this evening? Have you obeyed the Gospel, thereby entering into a saved
condition? If you have, have you remained faithful?
-If not, make the necessary changes tonight.
Date: 12/11/05