Bible Class: Lesson 35

What is once saved always saved?

• It is the doctrine promoted by the French religious reformer, John Calvin, in the sixteenth century. The doctrine says, once a person is saved, he is always saved. He cannot fall from grace and lose his salvation. This doctrine is believed by many religious protestants and denominational churches.

What is Calvinism?

• Calvinism is built on five doctrinal pillars. These five doctrines they support each other. Total Depravity -All human beings are born in sin and totally depraved or lost. They inherit the sin of Adam at conception. Unconditional Election – God has predestined, pre-ordained, pre-selected and chosen some persons to be saved. Limited Atonement – Jesus did not die for all men. He only died for those whom God pre-ordained to be saved. Irrisitable Grace – The sinner God pre-ordained to be saved, he cannot resist or disobey God. He has no choice but to obey. Perseverance of the Saints – The sinner God predestined to be saved cannot fall from grace. He cannot lose his salvation. This doctrine is known as, once saved always saved.

The bible, once saved always saved

• This doctrine is false. It is contrary to what is taught in the bible. The doctrine is spiritually dangerous and gives people a false sense of spiritual security. It encourages people to live sinful lives, because they believe that they are predestined to be saved. They will not be held accountable for their sinful actions and lives.

Christians can depart from God

• God did not create man a robot. He gave man the freedom to choose. The Hebrew Christians were on the verge of departing from God. That was their choice. They were warned of the dangers and possibility of them leaving God.
• Hebrews 3:12
  Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.

Israel was not always saved

• God called Israel out of Egypt. Those who did not believe and obey God, they lose their salvation. We can leave Egypt (sin), we can walk the long and tedious road of salvation for forty years, and at the end, we may not make it to the Promised Land (heaven).
• Hebrews 3:15-19
  Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So, we see that they could not enter, because of their unbelief.

The example of Lot’s wife

• Lot’s wife left Sodom on her way to safety. She looked back. She did not make it. Jesus reminded us to remember Lot’s wife. This is a powerful lesson. We are not once saved always saved.
• Luke 17:32
  Remember Lot’s wife!
• Genesis 19:17
  As soon as the men had brought them out, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”
• Genesis 19:26
  But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Hebrew Christians had to maintain their salvation

• Salvation and our faithfulness to God must be maintained to the very end of our lives. If not, we will lose it.
• Hebrews 3:14
  We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

Christians can depart from the faith

• Man has a choice to stay or depart. God will not chain him in the faith against his will. Persons who teach, once saved always saved, say if persons leave, they were never in the faith. If a person leaves the faith, he must have been in it to leave it.
• 1 Timothy 4:1
  Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons

Departure from the faith is dangerous

• We are not predestined to be saved. If we depart from God. We will lose our salvation. When we start our journey, we must complete it.
• Hebrews 10:38-39
  Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
• Luke 9:62
  But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The difficulty of winning those who have departed

• Persons who were once saved, if they depart from God, they cannot remain saved. Also, if they depart from God, it is difficult to win them. If they die in that state of departure, they will not save. Why is it difficult to win those who have left the faith?
• Hebrews 6:4-6
  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Judas was saved but lost his salvation

• Judas was chosen by Jesus to be an apostle. Satan entered his life. He sinned. He fell from grace. He lost his salvation. Persons who hold the teaching, once saved always saved, teach that Judas was a fake. He was never predestined to be saved. What part does the devil play in our salvation?
• Luke 6:12-16
  One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
• John 13:27
  As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered him. So, Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
• Luke 22:1-3
  Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.
• Acts 1:15-17
  In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
• Acts 1:24-25
  And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”

Simon the sorcerer was saved but fell from grace

• Simon heard the gospel, he obeyed and he was saved. Shortly after, he sinned and fell from grace. He was instructed to repent to restore his salvation. Persons who hold to the teaching, once saved always saved, say persons like Simon and Judas were not predestined to be saved. They were fakes. Who determines and decides who is saved and not saved? What are the criteria?
• Acts 8:13
  Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
• Acts 8:18-25
  When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
• Mark 16:15-16
  He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.