My Thoughts

 

On my website of Eternal Security I put my reason why I started questioning this doctrine of Once Saved Always Save (OSAS). See Why?

I notice there is a common tactic used when someone with a different view is posted. When verses are quoted that would not support the OSAS doctrine, they are simply ignored. When there are verses used to defend the OSAS doctrine, the explanations behind it doesn't make sense and in some cases conflicts with other passages of Scripture. When these Scriptures are posted that shows a conditional security, the OSAS believer becomes frustrated and usually resort to another tactic which involves name calling or insults. It's unfortunate that it should happen at all.

Then there are those who only seek to debate. I believe that one does not have to debate the truths of God. The Lord simply wants us to contend for the faith, not debate it. I know when God reveals truth through His word to me, my intention is to share that truth with other believers, never looking for a debate just to be the victor. As someone has aptly said, "God's truth does not require a victory in order to receive it. It requires an open heart to hear it. And those whose hearts are not open only makes you want to pray for them to receive this knowledge. Knowledge that has to be forced, is not knowledge of God. For did Christ ever engage in argumentative debates to prove Himself right? Christ knew He was right, so the affairs of the flesh did not concern Him." I had come to the same conclusion about two years ago concerning the false doctrine of one being born a sinner. (See Sinful Nature Page)

There are many questions ignored when directed to Scripture that disproves an unconditional security. There are parts of Scriptures that are just not discussed, even in the Pauline letters. I will give a few examples:

 Col. 1:21-23

 "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister."

1 Cor. 15:1-2

 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

1 Cor. 10:12

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Acts 14:21-22

And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God

Romans 11:18-21

Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

Php 2:12

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Notice the last verse. Nowhere does the verse say that one must work "for" salvation, but he is to WORK OUT his own salvation with fear and trembling. If the doctrine of OSAS is true, what is there to work out? It's a done deal! One might point to the next verse after that and say verse 12 should not be isolated, as Peter S. Ruckman says in his book on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. He quotes verse 13 "For it is God WHICH WORKETH IN YOU....." and then uses the cross reference of Gal. 3:11 and Eph. 2:8-9. That doesn't even explain verse 12! "For it is God which worketh in you." Are we to say that we are robots! There's no free will in there to live a godly life in this present world? (Titus 2:11,12). Yes, God works in our life as long as we abide in Christ. "Abide in me and I in you." Abiding in Jesus is not automatic. Abiding in Him is a human responsibility. As long as you abide in Him, He will abide in you. Abiding in Jesus, the True Vine, is a matter of personal commitment on the part of the believer. If a believer fails to abide, there is no prospect of a fruitful life. Failure to abide in Christ has serious consequences:

• The Father takes away branches that are not fruitful.
  

• The unfruitful branches are cast out and cut off from Christ and His children.
  
• The unfruitful branches wither and are thrown into the fire, perishing forever.

Let's go over the verses that were used as cross references to verse 13.

"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith." -Gal. 3:11

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." -Eph. 2:8-9.

A believer knows he is not saved by works. Mr. Ruckman still needs to explain Phil. 2:12 where it explicitly says, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Phil. 2:12 is speaking to SAVED people and there is nothing in there about HOW we are saved, so quoting such cross references was futile in trying to wiggle his way out of trying to defend this pet doctrine of OSAS.

I was checking Ruckman's book on 1 Corinthians. Here is his explanation of 1 Cor. 15:2 after he gives about 3 pages explaining all the gospels, the Jews, the tribulation and other rantings. He finally gets to verse 2 which he says, "Now, back to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. In verse 2, some of our Arminian brethren like to use the conditional clause that starts with 'if' to try and prove that you can lose your salvation."

Now watch, because now he's going to worm his way out of this one by saying, "But what Paul is doing there is writing to the Corinthian church. In writing them he addresses not only the saved people in the church but also the unsaved people in the church. When he writes to a church as a group, he doesn't take for granted that everybody in the church is saved. He takes for granted that maybe some of them aren't saved." ⁽¹⁾

Can you believe that? Look at that verse again and tell me if you think verse 2 is addressed to unsaved people.

The verse says,

 "Moreover, brethren,[does that sound like Paul is talking to lost people?] I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, [does that sound like Paul is talking to lost people?]and wherein ye stand; [does that sound like Paul is talking to lost people?]By which also ye are saved,[does that sound like Paul is talking to lost people?] if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.[does that sound like Paul is talking to lost people?]

I'm not going to list them here, but I would like the reader to look up how many times the word "if" appears in the New Testament. Especially notice how many times the word "if" appears in connection with salvation. The word "if" means "On the supposition or condition that." Look up some verses like Matt. 6:14,15; 18:12,13; 18:35; 24:24; Luke 13:9; 14:34,35; John 15:6; Rom. 8:13; 11:21-23; 1 Cor. 15:2; Gal. 5:2; 6:8,9; Phil. 3:11; Col. 1:23; 1 Thess. 3:8; 1 Tim. 5:8; Heb. 2:3, etc. etc. etc.

I would like to ask some questions to those who believe in unconditional eternal security. If one cannot lose salvation:

1. Why should I ask forgiveness?
   

2. Why should I repent?
   
3. Why should I do any works for the kingdom of God?

What if someone you know gradually turns away from Christ and decides to live a sinners life? Would your answer be, "Well, he was never truly saved to begin with." Really? Where did you gain enough wisdom to make the same judgments as God, with authority, that the person was never truly saved? You say, "A true believer will not depart from the faith." Really? Many in the Bible did! The Bible is clear that saved people depart from the faith (1 Tim. 4:1). Demas, once a traveling companion of Paul (Col. 4:14; Phm. 1:24), went back to loving the world. Paul talked about widows who turned from Christ and started following after Satan (1 Tim. 5:11-15). Are these people in heaven? Are these, what you call carnal Christians, still make it but simply lose some rewards? What rewards did they lose?

And then there's the matter of dispensations. It's drilled in the mind that only Paul's epistles apply to the church today and such epistles from Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter and the books of John do not apply to us today. This cannot be proven from Scripture.

Now I'm wondering something. Didn't Paul say that the church is built upon the apostles (Plural) and prophets, and not just upon Paul? (Eph. 2:20) Peter, James and John were just as much apostles as Paul, and we are to disregard what Peter, James and John have to say? What they say is not for the church? What they say is not binding to us as well?

Furthermore, Peter talked about the writings of Paul and never made a distinction between Paul's teachings and that of the other apostles (2 Peter 3:1-2, 15-16). How do they explain all that?

We are told the Gospels, most of Acts, and Hebrews through Revelation are for a future dispensation and therefore not binding on us today. There can be only one conclusion to all this. That is, if only Paul's epistle apply to us directly, then we are not bound at all by the teachings of Christ! If we are going to relegate Jesus' words to another dispensation, then what we have are Christians who do not keep Jesus' words. (John 14:23)

John said if we did not abide in the doctrine of Christ, we do not have God. (2 John 1:9) Are we to believe John's books only applies to "Tribulation saints"? We don't have to abide in the doctrine of Christ? We don't have to keep Jesus' commandments? Nothing Jesus said anywhere in the Gospels applies to us? We simply choose what we want applied to us?

Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments...."

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him....

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

John reinforces Jesus' words:

I John 2:3-6 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

I John 3: 22-24 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

I John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

2 John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

These are not binding on us?

We are told when the Tribulation begins, it goes back to a "works + faith" salvation. Really? What kind of works? We are told they have to keep the commandments of God plus the testimony of Jesus. However, it's not explained what "commandments" are to be obeyed. We know it can't be the Law of Moses, because OSAS advocates will certainly run into problems with that.

It is amazing what one would do to for the doctrine of OSAS. And let's not forget Revelation 22:19, "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." It is clear that anyone altering the word of God who had an opportunity to enter the holy city may end up barred from that place.

Note, "If any man...God shall...his part." The Holy Spirit renders null and void all the fatalistic doctrines of unconditional eternal security.

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(1) First and Second Corinthians by Peter. S. Ruckman [BB Bookstore P.O. Box 7135 Pensacola, Fl. 32534] p. 312,313

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