Fifty
Reasons Why A Saved Person
Can NEVER be Lost
And
A Brief rebuttal of Each Point
By Jeff Paton
Each point is a statement of proof by one who believes that these verses establish that a saved person can never be lost. My response in kind will be brief and concise. This will not answer every question someone has about these proof-texts. In most cases, these assertions of Eternal Security are answered in greater detail in other articles on this site. Because of this, I leave the reader to research the issue further on their own.
As you read each "proof passage," ask yourself, "Does this say that a believer cannot lose their salvation?" "Does one have to presuppose that Once Saved Always Saved is true in order to make the passage say that 'A saved person can NEVER be lost?' " "Does one have to read Eternal Security into each verse in order to get Eternal Security "out of" each verse?"
1. ETERNAL LIFE
IS ETERNAL! John 3:15, 10:28, Romans 6:23, 1 John 2:25, 5:11, 5:13,
etc.; By definition eternal means never ending. Once a believer has
eternal life it can never be taken away. If it could be it would not be
eternal!
Eternal also means that it has no beginning! If
you had to gain it, you don’t have eternal life according to this
argument! This argument ignores the conditions of present tense
belief (John 3:15), and present tense hearing and following (John
10:25-28), in these verses. It fails to understand that the
“life” is eternal, and not our possession of it.
2. EVERLASTING LIFE IS EVERLASTING! Daniel 12:2; John 3:16, 3:36, 5:24,
6:40, 6:47; Romans 6:22; etc.; Likewise, everlasting life can never end.
It is everlasting regardless of the believer’s behavior.
Regardless of behavior? This is rank
antinomianism! It renders all exhortations to holiness in the Scriptures
to be absolutely useless. This is the same error as is noted in point
#1.
3. IT IS GOD’S WILL! John 6:39; It is God’s will that Christ lose
none of those who come to Him.
Don’t confuse God’s will with God’s decree.
God is not willing that ANY should perish, but some will. Jesus said
that it was not God’s will for Him to lose any; but yet, he admits to losing
Judas (Jn. 17:12). Keep in mind, one must have something in order
to lose it!
4. HEAVEN IS RESERVED FOR HIM! 1 Peter 1:4; An inheritance in heaven is
reserved for the believer.
For
the BELIEVER, not the one who once believed, or presently has a
fruitless, non-saving faith. The Scriptures never promise
these things to those who cease to remain, abide, and continue in the
faith, or to those who cease to believe!
5. SALVATION (INHERITANCE) IS INCORRUPTIBLE! 1 Peter 1:4; No one can
corrupt something God has made incorruptible.
Thank
God that the inheritance is imperishable! We know that it will be there
for genuine believers! But don’t miss it! It is there through
faith (v.5), not unbelief! The inheritance is incorruptible, not
our possession of it!
6. SALVATION (INHERITANCE) CANNOT BE DEFILED! 1 Peter 1:4; No one can
defile something which God says cannot be defiled.
It won’t be defiled or fade away! It will be
there in heaven as surely as there is a God! It is no promise that every
believer will endure to the end to receive it! Even if someone fails the
grace of God, this would have no impact whatsoever on the inheritance.
(Which is not salvation, but rewards in heaven.)
7. HE IS SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT! Ephesians 1:13; No power in Heaven
or earth can break God’s seal.
There
is no Scripture verse in Heaven or Earth that says that we cannot break
God’s seal! Must they prey on the ignorance of their readers to get
them to believe something the Scriptures never say in
order to prove their point? Ephesians 4:30 warns us not to grieve the
Holy Spirit, the very One who is our Seal. There is no purpose to a
warning if there is no danger!
Maybe
they should take off their theological glasses long enough so they can
stop seeing things that are just not there!
8. HE IS SEALED UNTO THE DAY OF REDEMPTION! Ephesians 4:30; The believer
is sealed until the day God redeems his body.
Hogwash!
There is not a single reputable translation of Scripture that says “until
the day God redeems His body." There is no meaning of sealing
"until" the day of redemption!
Those theological glasses that they are wearing are putting words
and meaning where there is none! We are sealed “for” the day of
redemption. Any Greek Lexicon will prove it, and any reputable English
version will too!
9. HOLY SPIRIT WILL ABIDE FOREVER! John 14:16-17; The indwelling of the
Holy Spirit is permanent.
The
context of the passage is to the twelve disciples and not to the whole
world. It was written to believers, not to those who cease to believe.
To apply a promise to those the passage never intended to include is the
only way to rescue this false doctrine! Nothing in this
passage guarantees or states the impossibility of falling from the
faith. Another theological interjection!
10. HE IS PRESERVED FOREVER! Psalm 37:28; God preserves the saint
forever.
“For
the Lord loves justice, And does not forsake His godly ones” (NASB).
“Saints,” or “godly ones” is who the promise is for. He
preserves the faithful, not the unfaithful! There is no promise in
Scripture that God preserves the unfaithful!
11. HE IS BORN OF GOD! John 1:12-13 The believer actually becomes
God’s child and cannot be “unborn.”
Of
course, this passage says nothing of the sort! No child in life or
spirit is ever “unborn.” Such language is not in anybodies
vocabulary except for those who wish to invent a pathetic argument!
People do not become “unborn,” they die! They can die both
physically, and spiritually!
12. HE IS A NEW CREATURE! 2 Corinthians 5:17; God has made the believer
a new creature and no one can “uncreate” him.
Where?
Must the whole argument for Eternal Security rest in what the Scriptures
do not say? Apparently so! Nothing within this passage speaks to
the issue at hand! Foolish theological interjection!
13. HE IS CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS! Ephesians 2:10; The saint was created
in his Saviour.
And
as the verse continues, "to good works!" Not for
sin and unbelief! This proves more for the cause of holiness and the
power of God, and nothing for some invented theory of Eternal Security!
14. HE IS PRESERVED UNTO THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM! 2 Timothy 4:18; The
believer is preserved like Paul since God is no respecter of persons.
You seem to miss the statement that goes before this! “The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed.” Paul’s hope was not based on faith in some false doctrine, but in the fact of the power of God to continue to deliver him from evil deeds. This passage is personal, and not a universal promise to all who ever had a scrape with grace! We can apply this to genuine believers who have the holiness that is wrought by God. No universal promise of Eternal Security here… except in the minds of those who read it into it!
15. HE IS KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD! 1 Peter 1:5; Since God is keeping
him, the believer cannot fall from salvation.
And
as the passage continues with a condition ....... "THROUGH
FAITH!" It is astonishing how Eternal Security advocates
conveniently leave off the condition! Rebellion and continued sinning is
not faith! God only "keeps" as long as the condition is met.
16. CHRIST HAS PRAYED FOR HIM! John 17:11; Jesus prayed that God would
keep all who He had given Him.
And
he lost Judas anyway! (Jn. 17:12). God will not violate the freedom that
He has given man!
17. WORKS CANNOT AFFECT HIS SALVATION! Romans 11:6; Salvation is not
gained by works, so it cannot be lost by works.
“Even
so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” James 2:17.
Paul is arguing the point that works cannot merit salvation, and James
is arguing that one cannot be saved by a fruitless faith. They are not
in opposition in any way. Nowhere is it said by Paul, or the Scriptures,
that works cannot affect salvation! You have the choice; you can believe
your theories, or you can believe the Bible!
18. HIS FAITH IS
COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS! Romans 4:5; It is faith which brings
salvation to a believer.
And,
it was not a fruitless faith, for, “Was not Abraham our father
justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?”
James 2:21. True faith brings forth good fruit. A faith that brings
forth bad fruit is not a saving faith (John 15). Works, or working for
the purpose of gaining salvation voids grace. Works that result from the
fruit of salvation validate faith, but do not attempt in anyway to merit
salvation.
19. NOTHING CAN SEPARATE HIM FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST! Romans 8:38-39;
Nothing material, immaterial, past, present, or future can separate a
believer from Christ’s love.
The
Bible says otherwise! “Keep yourselves in the love of
God!” (Jude 21). The passage from Romans 8 deals with the security of
the believer who remains “in” Christ, and no other. It speaks of
external forces that attack the believer, but some may see these
afflictions as giving the impression that God is punishing them, or that
they have fallen out of the grace of God. Paul is saying that the love
of Christ is with the believer regardless of the great persecution that
they may suffer. Nothing is said about an impossibility of being
separated from Christ because of rebellion and sin! It is not speaking
of loss of salvation, but the separation from Christ’s love! Sin
is not an external force, it is a personal choice. Nothing in this verse
promises the apostate any security!
20. SALVATION IS OF THE LORD! Jonah 2:9; Salvation is all God’s work.
He bought it and provided it.
And
sin is the work of man! So what?!!!! This proves nothing! God does not
force salvation on anyone!
21. GOD IS ABLE TO KEEP HIM! 2 Timothy 1:12; The believer’s salvation
rests on God’s omnipotent ability to keep him.
God
is able. This does not promise in any way that God will
keep an apostate against their choice! I have nothing to fear, God is
all-powerful, and will not lose His grip on me, or His promises to me as
long as I do not cease to trust Him. This promise is to believers,
and not to those who once believed.
22. HE IS PROMISED NOT TO COME INTO CONDEMNATION! John 5:24; This
promise would be broken if even one believer fell into eternal
condemnation.
The
promise is only to those who have a present tense “belief.” It is
not to those who started in the faith, and thereafter faltered. Only the
one who believes right now has the promise of "no
condemnation."
23. HE IS PROMISED TO NEVER PERISH! John 10:27-28; Every saint has an
unconditional promise to never perish.
The
promise is only to the “sheep.” The sheep are defined by the verse.
They (present tense) hear and follow the
Shepard. Those that continue in sin are not hearing, and
are certainly not following the sinless Shepard! They are
not by definition what Jesus calls “sheep.” They are not sheep, and
they are not benefactors of the promise that they shall never perish!
They are only secure in as far as they continue hearing and following,
that is what the text says!
24. HE WILL NEVER BE CAST OUT! John 6:37; Under no condition will any
believer be cast out from Christ or Heaven.
The
verse is dealing with people coming to Him, not believers staying in
Him! All this is saying is that no one who comes to Him should have any
fear that they would be turned away. No mysterious lucky lotto of fate
that leaves the majority of people abandoned without hope. The Gospel is
truly to whosoever will.
25. ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO HIM! Romans 8:28; It would not
be good for one to lose his salvation.
To
him "WHO LOVES GOD!" As the passage says. Not to
those who abandon, forsake, or continue in rebellion. Willfully walking
in sin is not loving God!
26. HE IS IN CHRIST’S HAND! John 10:28; The believer is in his
Saviours hand.
Who
is a believer? See
#23.
27. HE IS IN THE FATHER’S HAND! John 10:29-30; The saint is in his
heavenly Father’s hand.
Who
is in His hand? The sheep! Who are the sheep? See #23.
28. HE IS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, A SHEEP! John 10:27-28; A sheep
represents a saved person and cannot change from being one.
Really?
So your saying that no one can get saved? If a sheep cannot become a
goat, then a goat cannot become a sheep! This passage says NOTHING
about it being impossible to revert back to their old state. It speaks
only of the security of those who are hearing and following
right now.
29. GOD’S MERCY NEVER ENDS! Titus 3:5; The believer is saved by
God’s mercy and it endures forever (Psalm 136).
Do
you really believe that this statement is teaching Eternal Security? God
is always merciful, but that has nothing to do with any mythical
doctrine of irrevocable assurance, or salvation without faith! God's
mercy was there before anyone ever had faith, but that doesn't mean they
were saved before faith just because God's mercy endures forever!
Nothing of irrevocable salvation is stated, or even implied in this
verse.
30. GOD CANNOT LIE! Titus 1:2; Once God has saved a believer, he cannot
go back on His word.
God
says, “He who sins is of the devil” (1 Jn. 3:9). “The wages of sin
is death” (Romans 6:23). “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel
18:4). GOD CANNOT LIE! This passage has nothing to do with a
doctrine of Eternal Security!
31. HIS SINS ARE GONE FOREVER! Psalm 103:12; Micah 7:19; Isaiah 38:17,
44:22; Hebrews 10:17; The saints sins are gone.
There
is not a single passage in all of Scripture that says all future
sins of the believer are gone! The Bible tells us that only sins past
are atoned for (Romans 3:25; 2 Peter 1:9). The atonement is a provision
that is available through our Advocate if we sin.
32. HE SHALL BE LIKE CHRIST! 1 John 3:2; It is a certainty that the
believer will be like Christ.
This
again, has nothing to do with any promise that all believers will never
fall away! Those that are believers, or died as believers, will see Him
in all His glory.
33. GOD SEES HIM AS ALREADY GLORIFIED! Romans 8:30; The saint is as good
as glorified in God’s sight.
This
passage has nothing to do with the individual believer apart from their
participation in the Body, the Church. The Body, the Bride of Christ is
glorified and predestined. If one fails to continue in the faith and the
Body of Christ, this verse has no application to them.
34. HE IS BORN OF INCORRUPTIBLE SEED! 1 Peter 1:23; The Christian’s
new birth was from incorruptible seed.
The
seed is incorruptible, not the persons possession of that seed! See the
previous verse to see who this applies to! “ Seeing ye have PURIFIED
your souls in OBEYING the truth through the Spirit unto UNFEIGNED LOVE
of the brethren, see that ye LOVE ANOTHER with a PURE HEART
fervently.” This cannot possibly describe those that continue in sin
and rebellion. They are not pure, they are not obeying, they demonstrate
that they do not love the brethren nor God. They do not have a pure
heart, and are thereby excluded from being possessors of this
incorruptible seed.
35. HE WILL APPEAR WITH CHRIST IN GLORY! Colossians 3:4; The saint is
promised to appear with Christ when He returns.
The
“saint,” and not the “sinner.” You finally got one right!
36. HE IS HIDDEN IN CHRIST! Colossians 3:3; The believer is dead to the
world and alive in Christ.
Colossians
3:4 says this applies only to those who have made Christ their life, not
excuses and sin! Security is “in” Christ. One cannot live in
rebellion and be “in” Christ at the same time.
37. HE IS DEAD TO AND FREED FROM SIN! Romans 6:2-7; Sin can no longer
affect the saint’s destiny. He is freed from it.
More
hogwash! The passage says nothing of the sort! It is speaking about
freedom from the power of sin. Freedom from the oppressive
slavery to sinning! Paul describes this further, “But now being made
free FROM sin, and BECOME SERVANTS to God, ye have your FRUIT UNTO
HOLINESS, and the END everlasting life” (6:22). And, “Know ye not,
that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants
ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness” (6:16).
38. THE LORD IS NOW PRAYING FOR HIM! Hebrews 7:25; The Lord is presently
interceding in the believer’s behalf.
Jesus
prays for the believer, He does not believe and repent for the
unbeliever! Jesus prayed for Judas, and Judas was still lost. (You
can’t lose that which you never had!) (Jn. 17:12).
39. GOD WILL FINISH WHAT HE STARTED! Philippians 1:6; God began the work
of salvation and will finish it.
This
is not a promise but a statement towards those who “fellowship in the
gospel FROM THE FIRST DAY UNTIL NOW” (v.5). Because of their faithfulness,
Paul thought it was “meet” for him to think this of
them! (v.7). No Eternal Security here, or anywhere else in Scripture!
40. HE HAS ETERNAL REDEMPTION! Hebrews 9:12; Every believer has been
eternally redeemed from his sins.
The
provision of redemption is eternal. There is no promise here that any
man is guaranteed to have eternal possession of it. The redemption of
Christ would be eternal whether anyone ever believed it, or accepted it,
or was ever saved by it!
41. HIS LIFE IS CHRIST’S LIFE! Colossians 3:4; The saints life is
Christ’s very own life, so how could it be lost?
You
said it! The SAINTS life! Not the unbelieving REBELS
life! Christ is not the Author of sin!
42. HE HAS AN EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH GOD! Hebrews 13:20; God made a
covenant to give the saint everlasting life.
Notice
that He also shows what proof that one is a believer in the following
verse. “Make you PERFECT IN EVERY GOOD WORK to DO HIS WILL, WORKING IN
YOU that which is WELL-PLEASING IN HIS SIGHT, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST” (Heb.
13:21). God does not covenant with so-called “sinning saints.”
43. HE IS KEPT FROM FALLING BY CHRIST! Jude 24; A Christian cannot fall
from grace because Christ is keeping him.
“Keep
yourselves in the love of God” (v.21). The verse says that Jesus is “able”
to keep you from falling, not that He is going to force it upon
you! Christ is able, if you continue to “Keep yourselves
in the love of God.”
44. SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT! Romans 6:23; A free gift is given with no
conditions.
One
verse does not speak for the whole of Scripture. This passage shows the
contrast between the wages of sin and the gift of eternal life. It says
nothing of how to get saved, and it has no conditions, because it is not
an appeal to repent or believe. It
does not void the Scriptures that assert that one must have faith
in order to be saved; it has a condition. A gift is free,
but it can be thrown out, trampled, and disowned. Being a gift has no
bearing on an unconditional Eternal Security.
45. HE HAS IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS! Romans 4:6-7; The righteousness the
saint has is Christ’s perfect righteousness.
No
passage in Scripture says this. There is no transfer of character. The
word “recon” or “counts” as righteous is a better translation
and meaning. You can no more impute wisdom to a fool than you can impute
bravery to a coward. God does not work in myths, but in realities.
46. HE IS A PART OF CHRIST! Ephesians 5:30; Every believer is a part of
Christ’s body. “Bone of His bone....”
And….
What does that have to do with proving Eternal Security? A leach sucks
off the life of the body, and a cancer eats away at it. It may appear to
be part of the body, but it is a destroyer, and invader. Christ's body
is not a putrid mass of rotting sinful cancer called unbelief! Jesus
said, "Wherefore if thy hand or foot offend thee, cut them off"
(Matthew 18:8).
47. CHRIST IS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF HIS SALVATION! Hebrews 12:2;
Christ began and will finish his salvation.
In
those that repent and believe, and continue in the faith, enduring to
the end. This passage says nothing about Christ having to finish the
salvation that someone had a start in, and chooses to abandon along the
way. Eternal Security must be assumed in order to make the
passage say that Jesus must finish that which He began.
48. HE HAS BEEN PREDESTINATED TO BE CONFORMED TO CHRIST’S IMAGE!
Romans 8:29; After salvation the believer is predestinated.
Predestinated
to holiness/conformity to Christ’s image, and not to heaven! (A
person has a free will before salvation, and none after?
Foolish, and unbiblical logic!) See
#33.
49. CHRIST’S BLOOD HAS MADE PEACE FOR HIM! Colossians 1:20; The saint
has peace with God through the blood.
Peace
with God; no promise that they could never be lost!
50. THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN SO HE COULD BELIEVE AND KNOW! 1 John 5:13; The
saint can know he HAS ETERNAL SALVATION
This is without a doubt true, but this verse is no foundation to teach the lie that one cannot lose their salvation! See point #1.
None of the passages that are given as proof state that salvation cannot be lost. If such a doctrine were true, why would God shroud it so well that no one could see it? Wouldn't He have at least two or three passages that state this proposition overtly? I encourage those that have an interest in investigating this subject in greater detail to pursue the issue further on the Eternal Security web site.
For a more thorough examination of the errors of the false doctrine of Eternal Security, see:
ETERNAL SECURITY: A Biblical perspective