ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED - A LIE

Many in the denominational world who are following the false teachings of John Calvin believe that once a person is saved he can never be lost, or in other words, ONE CAN NEVER FALL FROM GRACE! Does the Bible really teach this doctrine? NO, the Bible DOES NOT teach this FALSE DOCTRINE! Please read the context of each of the below passages in your Bible.

The Bible plainly teaches that A CHILD OF GOD can so sin as to be eternally lost, because SIN can cause one to FALL into condemnation (Jam. 5:12). Judas, a CHOSEN Apostle of Christ, "by transgression FELL" (Acts 1:25). The Apostle Paul said it WAS POSSIBLE for he himself to be "A CASTAWAY." So to prevent it, he buffeted his body (1 Cor. 9:27).

Christians CAN SO SIN as to be ETERNALLY LOST, because they can become so ENTANGLED in sin that "the latter end is worse with them than the beginning" (2 Pet. 2:20-22). The church at Ephesus HAD FALLEN and was in danger of losing its candlestick (Rev. 2:5).

A CHILD OF GOD CAN BE LOST, because he can lie and die in that SIN (Acts 5:1-11). The FATE of those who die in that condition is seen in Rev. 21:8: "...all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone..."

Friends, the Holy Spirit says THAT SOME CHRISTIANS "shall depart from the faith" (1 Tim. 4:1-3). "An evil heart of unbelief" can cause them to depart (Heb. 3:12). Those who depart will have "DAMNATION" (1 Tim. 5:12), and be "DELIVERED UNTO SATAN" (l Tim. 1:19-20).

The Galatians were told that THEY HAD "fallen from grace" by attempting to be justified by the law of Moses (Gal. 5:4). Thus, not only is it POSSIBLE for Christians TO FALL FROM GRACE, but in this instance it ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Even so, the FALSE TEACHERS say it is impossible.

NOTE THIS UNDENIABLE SYLLOGISM: 1) Man is saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). 2) A Christian may fall from grace (Gal. 5:4). 3) Therefore, a Christian may be lost ETERNALLY. 2 Peter 1:10 declares there are THINGS for the Christian TO DO to keep from falling (vs 5-9). This unmistakably implies that if one does not do these things HE WILL FALL. Paul admonished the Corinthian Christians to "take heed" LEST THEY FALL (1 Cor. 10:12). If one cannot fall, WHY was this command given?

The parable of the sower emphatically refutes the FALSE DOCTRINE of "ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED" (Read Matt. 13:3:8, 18-23; Luke 8:4-15). The stony and thorny ground Christians BELIEVED FOR AWHILE, but due to sin THEY FAILED TO PRODUCE FRUIT. Their appointed lot is to be "cast into the fire" (Matt. 7:19).

The parable of the vine and the branches IS MORE PROOF that a branch in the vine, a CHRISTIAN, can be burned (John 15:1-6). We also learn from the parable of the talents that a SERVANT OF THE LORD CAN BE LOST (Matt. 25:24-30). Jesus even said that His angels would gather certain ones out of HIS KINGDOM and "CAST THEM INTO a furnace of fire" (Matt. 13:41-42).

Loved ones, the FALSE DOCTRINE that a child of God CANNOT SO SIN as to be eternally lost BEGAN IN THE MIND OF SATAN! He is the author of it and first preached it to Adam and Eve in the garden (READ Gen. 3:3-4). In current language, Satan was saying, "You shall not be condemned because you are a child of God, and it is impossible for you to fall and be lost."

Many more passages could be cited which plainly teach that a saved soul can be lost (Please READ Heb. 4:11; 6:4-6; 12:15; 2 Pet. 3:17; Jam. 5:19-20; Matt. 25:41-46; Luke 9:62; Gal. 5:19-21 ), BUT THINK ABOUT THIS: If a child of God cannot be lost, the devil is a fool. He has been laboring for about 6,000 years to damn the souls of the children of God; and if he has never succeeded in damning the soul OF EVEN ONE CHILD OF GOD, he is a simpleton for continuing.

Those who teach the false doctrine of ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED are confused about the following scriptures: John 5:24; Rom. 8:35-39; I John 3:9; Rom. 7:15-25; 1 Cor. 3:15; 10:13; and John 10:27-28. We therefore will now shed a little light on these passages.

John 5:24 is used by the FALSE TEACHERS of the "Once Saved Always Saved" doctrine to prove that Christians have eternal life NOW, and hence, it is impossible for them to be lost. However, a close study of this passage reveals that Jesus carried Himself forward to the judgment day, and spoke these words as if it were present (cf. Matt. 26:28).

The New Testament teaches in many places that the Christian does not NOW have eternal life in actuality (Matt. 25:46; Rom. 2:6-7; 6:22; 8:24-25). The Christian has eternal life NOW ONLY IN PROMISE (1 John 2:25) and HOPE (Tit. 1:2). Eternal life IN ACTUALITY is to be received "IN THE WORLD TO COME" (Mark 10:30). Remember, one passage of Scripture NEVER contradicts another!

Romans 8:35-39 simply teaches that external things CANNOT SEPARATE US from the love of God. However, the Bible plainly teaches that WE CAN SEPARATE OURSELVES from the love of God (John 15:9-10; Jude 21). The fact that God loves man IS NO PROOF OF MAN'S ETERNAL SALVATION, for God loves the whole world (John 3:16), yet most of the world will be lost (Matt. 7:13-14).

In 1 John 3:9, John is NOT teaching that it is impossible for a Christian to EVER sin, because he teaches in other plain verses that he can (1 John 1:8-9; 2:1 ). The person who places an interpretation on one passage that contradicts other plain passages has surely misinterpreted it. John IS SAYING that the Christian will not "sin habitually" (Greek present tense) because "HIS SEED REMAINETH in him." The seed is the Word of God (Luke 8:11). The Word, WHEN ADHERED TO, will not allow a life of HABITUAL SIN (cf. Ps. 119:11). Remember, unrepented sin will result in death (1 John 5:16), so a Christian CAN SO SIN AS TO BE LOST (Jam. 5:19-20).

Romans 7:15-25 is used by the FALSE TEACHERS in an effort to prove that it is the BODY of the Christian which sins and NOT his SPIRIT. If so - THEY REASON - and if what a man sows he shall reap (Gal. 6:6-7), then his BODY will be cast into hell while his SPIRIT will go to heaven! ABSURD!! The TRUTH OF THE MATTER is as follows: 1) The SPIRIT OF MAN lets sin reign in the body (Rom. 6:12). 2) It is THE SPIRIT instead of the body that knows ( 1 Cor. 2:11). 3) Some sins are committed to gratify the flesh, but they are first committed in the heart and proceed from the heart (Mark 7:21-23). Thus, the soul of man can be lost (Matt. 16:26).

The WORK which may be burned in 1 Corinthians 3:15 are the PEOPLE converted by the teacher. This would be a loss, but the teacher himself could still be saved. The Corinthians were Paul's work and HE FEARED THAT SOME MIGHT BE LOST. Thus, this verse DISPROVES rather than proves the impossibility of apostasy.

We learn from 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God is faithful to make an OPPORTUNITY OF ESCAPE for the Christian, BUT the Christian must seize the opportunity or HE WILL FALL; for the preceding verse says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

The promises contained in John 10:27-28 are CONDITIONAL and dependent upon the person FOLLOWING Christ: "they follow me." Jesus teaches in the twelfth verse of this chapter that the sheep can be caught and scattered.

Friends, after being born into the family of God (John 3:3-5), a child of God CAN so conduct himself as TO FORFEIT all privileges and blessings pertaining to sonship. This is illustrated in the story of "The Prodigal Son" (Luke 15:11-32). The younger son BECAME LOST when he DESPISED his sonship and WASTED his substance in riotous living; yet he was still a son! When he REPENTED and RETURNED home, all the blessings of sonship were restored to him. But he would have REMAINED “A LOST SON” if he had died in his IMPENITENT state.

Conclusion: To become a Christian one must hear the Word of God (Rom. 10:17), believe with all his heart (Rom. 10:9-10), confess Christ as the Son of God (Matt. 10:32-33), and “repent and be baptized...for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). The person who obeys these commands becomes a Christian. He then must continue to walk in the light (1 John 1:7) or be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10), and then he will receive the crown of life.