One of our church family asked the question, “When you are “saved” – are you always saved? Can You fall from the grace of God?” Here is Pastor Steven’s reply.
On the Perseverance of the Saints
The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is a long attacked biblical doctrine that needs to be affirmed continuously by the church. The Baptist Faith and Message explains the doctrine this way:
All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
While whole volumes could be (and have been) written about this very subject, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints can be clearly seen in a few passages of Scripture. First, however, let’s define what we mean by perseverance of the saints. The doctrine simply means that those who are united to Christ in a saving relationship will, by God’s grace, continue in a state of grace and attain eternal life. This does not mean that a true believer will never sin, nor does it even mean that a true believer will never enter a period of his life that would be characterized by sin. It does mean that a true believer will experience the conviction of sin and will ultimately turn back in confession, repentance, and faith to God.
The primary reason that we can hold, with assurance, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is that salvation is from beginning to end a work of God. If salvation were something I could gain on my own then it would also be something I could lose. However, salvation is a work wrought by God. Paul writes, “I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6, ESV). Paul clearly indicates that it is God who began the work and it is God who will complete the work.
The confusion comes when some look at this and say that if salvation is completely a work of God, then I have no responsibility for my actions. However, Paul later dispels any such mistaken thought when he instructs the Philippians to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil 2:12-13, ESV). While it is God who is ultimately responsible for saving us, we are responsible to work with Him in our salvation. This means it is not an “either/or” but a “both/and” when it comes to our transformation.
In other words, if we are not working together with the One who is working in us then we are giving evidence that God never began the good work in us. This is what John is directly addressing in 1 John 2:19 when he states, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” John is addressing those who have fallen away and clearly states that those who have fallen away (went out from us) were never believers in the first place. This means that those who turn their back on Christ did so to reveal that they never really placed faith in Christ to begin with.
One final word: Jesus’ promise to us in John 10 offers great hope to those of us who strive to live by faith and bring glory and honor to the One who gave His life that we might live. Jesus says,
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. –John 10:27-29
When we are walking as a family in a crowded mall or across a parking lot I will often look down at Caleb and tell him to hold my hand. When I do, I put my index finger out for him to grab on to. It is just the right size for his little hand to wrap around and hold with all his might. It didn’t take me long to find out that even though my finger fits perfectly in his hand, he doesn’t always have the strength to hold on when I want to change directions and walk a different way. Therefore, when he grabs my finger I wrap the rest of my hand around his hand and I can pick him up if I sense there is danger or if I need to change directions. It is the same way with our Savior. In our salvation we grab hold of the only hope we have, but we are utterly incapable of holding on to the Holy One. Therefore, he wraps his hand around us and holds us. Then the Father takes his mighty hand and wraps it around us to hold us. This is the picture in John 10. Yes, I am holding on. But it is He and the Father who are really holding me. If it were dependent on me, I would let go because my strength would fail. Praise the Lord it is not dependent on me. His mighty power saves and sustains me. Therefore, I have hope for eternal life. It is all Him. Praise His name!
