Apologetic & Other Free Essays

Introduction

The idea that one can't lose ones salvation is connected with the error that one is saved by faith alone, sola fide. If good works are rejected as necessary for salvation, it might seem logical that bad works can't cause one to forfeit ones salvation.

Calvin taught the absolute impossibility of losing justification. Luther said it could be lost only through the sin of unbelief, that is, by undoing the act of faith and rejecting Christ, but not by what Catholics and the Bible call Mortal Sin.

Presbyterians and most Baptists, and those who have been influenced by Presbyterians and Baptists, such as the many so-called non-denominational churches teach once saved, always saved. On the other side Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Methodist, Pentecostals, Church of Christ members, Lutherans, and a host of others teach that it is possible for Christians to lose their salvation. This essay will examine passages in Sacred Scripture that firmly establish the truth that Christians can lose their salvation.

Sacred Scripture

Mt 7:21-23

"Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to then, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers'."

• Not every one - Jesus opens with the idea of loss. Some won't make the grade.
• Lord, Lord - In Matthew's Gospel only believers address Jesus as Lord.
• But he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven - Jesus makes it clear that the criteria of his judgment will be obedience.
• On that day - This refers to the Day of Judgment.
• Prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name - The New International Version translates "mighty works" as "miracles." Clearly only believers prophesy, cast out demons and do mighty works in Christ's name.
• I never knew you - This is covenental language. It's knowing by experiencing, sharing, and becoming one. John uses similar language in his first letter. "And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says 'I know him' but disobeys his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him" (1 Jn 1:3-4).
• Depart from me - This is the condemnation, eternal condemnation.
• You evildoers - This is the reason for the verdict. They were disobedient.

• "Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize?" - Paul begins his instruction by using the training of athletes to demonstrate the discipline that is required of the Christian. Note that in this opening sentence he introduces the idea of loss.
• "So run that you may obtain it." - Why is this command necessary? Isn't Paul writing to Christians? Hasn't Paul heard of sola fide and once saved-always saved?
• "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable." - What's the relevancy of self-control for Christians if they are already assured of their salvation?
• "Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." St. Paul emphasizes his point by using himself as an example. The Greek word that is translated as "disqualified" is adokimos. This word means "not standing the test," "rejected," "condemned." Paul is certainly a Christian, yet he understands that he can fail and lose his salvation.
• "I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ." - Paul sees these Old Testament events as types of Baptism and the Eucharist.
• "Nevertheless with most of them God was not pleased;" - God was displeased because their deeds were not righteous.
• "for they were overthrown [condemned] in the wilderness [a place which symbolizes death and punishment]."
• "Now these things are warnings for us." - Why are warnings necessary or even meaningful unless one can loose ones salvation?
• "not to desire evil as they did." - Clearly, Paul understands that desiring evil is sinful, an act that can cause Christians to suffer damnation. He then specifies specific sins that must be avoided.
• "Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to dance [Ex 32:4, 6 - Golden Calf].' We must not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-tree thousand fell in a single day [The worship of Baal of Peor with the Moabite women. - Num 25:1-18]. We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents [Num 21: 5-6]; nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer [Num 16:41,49 - The revolt of Korah, Dathan and Abiram - 14,700 died from the plague. God, of course, is the Destroyer.]."
• "Now these things happened to them as a warning [a repeat of v. 6], but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come." - The biblical perspective is that Christ's coming ushered in the last of the age.
• "Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." - Paul draws his conclusion. He explicitly rejects the false security of once saved-always saved.

"If you see your brother or sister committing what is not a mortal sin, you will ask [pray], and God will give life to such a one - to those whose sin is not mortal. There is a sin that is mortal; I do not say that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not mortal [Catholics have given it the name of venial sin.]." - John is making a clear distinction between sins that kill the life of grace in the soul, called mortal sin, and sins which do not kill the life of grace in the soul. This teaching presupposes that there is a life of grace in the soul that can be killed. Mortal sin kills the life of grace in the soul that comes from Jesus' atoning death. The very idea of mortal sin becomes meaningless unless it endangers one's eternal salvation.

Jn 3:16

Before citing the passage a pertinent discussion of Greek grammer is important. Specifically, one needs to understand the aorist and present tenses that are used in New Testament Greek. Aorist tense - It describes something that occured at one point in time. Present tense - describes a current, ongoing action, like a line in comparison to a past point of time on a line.

"For God so loved [aorist, a past point in time] the world, that he gave [aorist, a past point in tome] his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes [present, current ongoing action, that is, is believing] in him should not perish [aorist, a past point in time, but have [present, current ongoing action] everlasting life."

The switch from the aorist to the present tense in this passage was significant. It clarified Jesus' exact meaning, namely, that the faith necessary for salvation is an acting, continual belief and not just a past act of faith as the aorist tense would express.

Lastly the word "believe," pisteuo in Greek, as used in the New Testament does not mean a mere mental assent, but rather the obedience and reliance of faith. Kittel in his Theological Dictionary of the New Testament states that "pisteuo means "to trust" also "to obey." Vine's An Expository Dictionary of the New Testament Words makes a similar claim: "Reliance upon, not mere credence." This understanding is confirmed in verse 36: "He who believes [pisteuo - present] in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey [apeitheo, the antonym of pisteuo - present] the Son shall not see [future indicative] life, but the wrath of God rests [present] upon him. Kittle defines apeitheo to mean "to be disobedient." Strong in his Greek and Hebrew Lexicon, also shows the connection between disobedience and unbelief in his treatment of apeitheo.

In addition there are many passages in Sacred Scripture which affirm that God judges us on what we do or don't do. Some example are 1 Peter 1:17; 2 Cor 5:10; Rom 2:6; Rev 22:12; Matt 10:42, 16:27; 25:31-46; 1 Cor 3:8.

How should a Bible-believing Christian respond to the question, "Are you saved?" "I'm redeemed by the infinite merits of Jesus Christ. However, like St. Paul in Philippians 2:12, I am working out my salvation in 'fear and trembling' with a hopeful confidence - but not with a false guarantee. This is what Christians have believed since the time of Christ."

December 5, 1998