Eternal Security: Not Just Once Saved, Always Saved But Also It Means Enduring to the End by God's Grace!
- Salvation is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone
- You cannot save yourself from your sin
- Salvation is by faith, not by works
What was listed above indeed is true. However the problem is that eternal security suffers so much from the idea of just being once saved, always saved. The demonic idea that has invaded OSAS is this, "You can get saved and live the way you want. Not being able to live the way you want equals work salvation." Sad to say but half of the point, Arminians are true when they say that teaching OSAS can lead to a life of sin and unbelief but the whole truth of the matter is, a wrong idea of OSAS is just as dangerous as believing you must contribute your good works to stay saved rather than because you are saved.
Whether these true converts are Calvinists or not, there is always the point in common. Now, David W. Cloud is a non-Calvinist, he is convinced of himself that Calvinism is mostly serious error but he definitely adheres to the perseverance of the saints. Harry Allen Ironside didn't accept Calvinism but he believed in the perseverance of the saints which he stressed in his sermon called "Eternal Security". Vernon McGee opposed Calvinism but he believed in the perseverance of the saints. John F. Macarthur a strong Calvinist still honored non-Calvinist preachers who adhred to sound doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Although Charles Spurgeon was a Calvinistic Baptist, he is still being upheld by non-Calvinistic Christians as a great preacher. Even some Christians who opposed Calvinism still have a huge respect for Calvinist Christian preachers.
Now why is eternal security not just OSAS? Let's think of the following:
1.) True faith means to be equipped with good works. Ephesians 2:10 cannot be missed out nor misrepresented to support both Arminianism and Antinomianism. If I am truly saved, there should a huge change in my life. If you are truly saved, God equips every believer with good works as the result of salvation.
2.) Being saved means a changed lifestyle. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 is clear... before a person was saved, they are unrighteous and immoral. Thieves, adulterers, drunkards, homosexuals... that was the lifestyle before a person get saved. Verse 11 is clear saying with the statement of "Such were some of you..." and it continues, "But you were sanctified and justified by the Spirit of our God." The Holy Spirit is a life changing Person. If you claim to be saved and have no change whatsoever, such a conversion is a sham!
3.) Faith without works is a sham faith. Genuine faith produces good works. James 2:14-26 is clear with this, true faith generates works. While James does not say salvation is by faith plus works but certainly faith generates works. When we think of it, Abraham believed God and was imputed unto him righteousness by believing. The result of faith was works. Hebrews 11 shows that faith results to good works.
4.) The grace of God is not a license for immorality but promotes righteous living. Titus 2:11-14 shows that the grace of God is a life changing force. It teaches a Christian to deny ungodly desires, worldly lusts... to teach them to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the world of wickedness to make them a PECULIAR people zealous unto good works. Christians become unusual and zealous unto good works.
5.) Christians do not belong to the world. John 15:18-19 and James 4:4 gives the distinction of the Christian vs the unbeliever. Unbelievers are friends of the world and they are enemies of God. The Christian does not belong to the world and are enemies of the world. A true Christian cannot love the world because they love God.
6.) God chastises the believer for their sins. John 10 and Hebrews 12:5-6 show the principle. John 10 shows the personal relationship between Jesus and the Christian. The Christian hears the voice, they follow Him... that is a real, radical personal relationship. When a Christian backslides, God does not leave the believer but pulls the person back and chastises them. A shepherd has a cane to pull the sheep back... likewise Jesus does the same when Christians backslide. To say you lose your salvation every time you sin is wrong and it's just as wrong to say God saves you and lets you sin all you want. Not being able to live the way you want does not equal works salvation... instead it means because I'm saved, by God's grace I can no longer live the way I want.
7.) The Christian endures to the very end vs. the apostates who just pretended to be saved. Matthew 24:13 says, "He that shall endure to the end shall be saved. At first, it sounds like you need to work your way to be saved right? But taking in context, why are they who endure to the end shall be saved? 1 John 2:19 makes a huge distinction between Christians and apostates. A Christian endures to the end, the apostate only stays for a short time they leave. It's impossible to once believe and be saved after that even if you no longer believe. If you are truly saved, you will continue in the faith because you are saved, you are being saved and you will be saved. A salvation you cannot lose is three tenses- was saved, am being saved and will be saved. True Christians would choose to die than renounce their faith so... it becomes impossible to stop believing in Jesus. I used to believe it's possible to willingly believe in Jesus yesterday then trust works tomorrow until I realized that true Christians don't only stay saved but they will certainly endure to the end.