Does the Bible teach once saved always saved?
Salvation is more than saying a prayer or “making a decision” for Christ. Many argue that we can obtain our salvation because of our faith but when we fall short and/or remain in unrepentant sin we lose our salvation.
There is no Biblically context that will explain you losing your eternal security. But we will look at some passages today that will help us refute this false teaching that you can lose your salvation.
To start, we must understand that salvation is not obtained by our works. It is the gift of God.
Table of Contents
How is Salvation Obtained?
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
To understand these verses properly, we need to dissect them grammatically.
Paul says we were saved by grace.
Sometimes you may hear someone say that Christians are saved by faith, but this is not correct.
WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE.
This is important because it changes the location of action completely. If we say we are saved by faith, then the action is on our part.
The believer is the one who has faith and if having faith obtains salvation, then we could say we saved ourselves.
But Paul makes it clear that this is not accurate. Rather, salvation is by grace and grace comes from God. God gives us grace and by His grace He made us alive while we were dead. By grace He predestined us to receive salvation and by grace we were saved.
God manifests His grace to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Through faith, God’s grace becomes evident, both to us and
to the world.
Faith is still the essential requirement for salvation, but faith is the result of God’s grace, not the way we gain God’s grace.
And just to make sure we understand the relationship between grace and faith, Paul adds that the faith we possess is “not of yourselves”. Your saving faith in Jesus Christ did not originate inside you. Paul says at the end of v.8 that it is a gift of God.
God gave you the faith, so that you would show evidence of His grace. Because God did everything with respect to our salvation, Paul adds in v.9 that our salvation is not the result of works. Works refers to anything a human being can accomplish.
Did you know that thoughts and emotions are works as well?
Do you remember when Jesus said that anger is equivalent to murder and lust is equivalent to adultery? Jesus’ statement establishes the principle that what we do in our thoughts is just as real as what we may do with our bodies (actions).
And our thoughts or feelings did not save us either.
Paul says that our salvation came apart from any human involvement whatsoever. Even the things we do like believing and confessing were themselves the products of God’s grace working in our hearts. It was God Who produced faith in us causing us to confess.
So that when all is said and done, God’s children will have no reason to boast in themselves. We will by necessity give the Lord all credit for our salvation.
Paul’s teaching unequivocally refutes every false teaching proposing that works are a way to reach Heaven.
But the Lord will have no such boasting, for how can dead people boast about becoming alive?
Could Lazarus boast that he raised himself from the dead? Could he have said, “I heard the Lord’s voice so I decided to sit up and walk out of the tomb?” If Lazarus had dared to say this, wouldn’t the onlookers have responded, “Yes Lazarus, but who caused you to come to life so that you could hear Jesus’ call?”
To which the only answer would be “God made you alive so you could respond.”
And the same is true for you and me. We may say we were saved because we responded to the call of the Gospel and we believed. To which scripture asks, “Yes, but who caused you to come to life so you could hear Jesus’ calling and obey it?”
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.
John 6:44
Isn’t Faith Without Works Dead? How Does That Apply to Once Saved Always Saved?
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:14-17
Many like to recite verse 17 and disregard the rest of the chapter. So let’s dissect this too.
James asks what use is it to have faith but no works? The word for use is ophelos, which means advantage or profit. So James is asking, “how can faith without works profit a believer?”
There is no reward on our judgment day for simply having faith (read Ephesians 2:8-9 again). So we can’t expect to receive the Lord’s “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT” merely for believing. That was a work He did on our behalf.
Our faith must yield works if we expect to profit or receive eternal praise and rewards.
James then asks if a believer has faith but no works, can that faith save him?
This question has led countless Christians to two conclusions, both of which miss James’ point.
First, some have thought that James is teaching that works are a necessary component for salvation. That we must have faith and works to obtain the righteousness necessary for salvation.
But Paul explained concerning himself in Phil 3:8-9.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
Philippians 3:8-9
The second misinterpretation is that James is describing a non Christian or a person who has made a false confession.
That when someone confesses Christ, they will always have works. And if they lack works, it must mean they lack true faith, so can that “faith” save him?
This second view is equally wrong based on the context in James.
James hasn’t been discussing true faith vs. false faith. James was discussing the failure of believers to live according to the royal law. Check out the next preceding verses, James introduces the subject of judgment fire that will test each believer’s work.
To be true to the context, James is asking if a faith has has no works will save a believer. He’s not discussing unbelievers facing the judgment fires of hell…. that’s not the context.
James is talking about a believer facing the judgment fire of the Bema Seat, the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3). So when James asks can that faith “save him”, he is asking if a faith lived without works will save the believer when he stands at the judgement seat of Christ. This is the judgement fire that tests our work and reveals our reward, as Paul described to us.
And of course, a believer who enters that judgement moment without works should not expect to be “saved” from that judgement. Our works will be put through the fiery fire.
On that contrary, for that Christian the judgement seat of Christ will be terrifying experience as the writer of Hebrews mentions that such a believer lived a life of stubborn disobedience to the Spirit’s call. He has transgressed the Royal Law, the Law of Liberty. Being so, he will not be saved from the consequences of those choices.
He will face a merciless judgment, as James states.
Faith without works is dead, being by itself. By “dead’ James means its lifeless, without benefit to men or God or even to himself. With the fame having gone out, it appears lifeless and it offers little to no value to anyone.
We should examine ourselves in light of these scriptures.
Reflect On Yourself In Light of These Passages
- Are you thinking about your actions and priorities with an eye toward the Bema Seat Judgement.
- Are you considering how you are impacting that day when making decisions about where you spend your time or money or talents?
- Do you remember the Royal Law (Law of Liberty) when you consider your actions at work and in your home or in the Body of Christ.
- Are you ready to meet the Lord right now? Or do you have some work to do to show the Lord that your faith is not a dead faith?
Let’s recommit to living out our faith outwardly, intending to show the love and grace of Christ and how much we profit from it.
What About The Famous Puritan Writings; No Works, No Salvation?
Sadly, I am not an expert in Puritan writings but what is true is that Christians are not to search for the truth of our faith in the writings of other men, even other Christian men. Rather, we test all things according to scripture and search out the truth within the pages of scripture.
On this authority, I can assure that salvation is not obtained by human works nor do human works “keep” or ensure salvation. Paul rebuked the Galatian church for thinking they could maintain their salvation or be “perfected” by their works.
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Galatians 3:1-3
Paul calls the Galatian church “foolish” for believing that their flesh (their works) contribute to their salvation that is by grace alone.
To those that believe that a Christian can lose salvation do not understand the nature of salvation itself. When a man is saved by God’s grace, he is given the gift of faith as we have read in Ephesians 2:8-9 earlier in this post.
God delivers the faith to the heart and prompts our confession of faith by His Spirit. Paul says,
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Galatians 4:6
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Romans 8:15
When the Spirit of God enters a man, He changes that man’s whole nature, forever. Making him alive with the indwelling of God’s spirit causing him to be Born Again.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.
Ephesians 1:3
Paul says this New Spirit within us is permanent and forever part of being. The Holy Spirit is pledge, seal from God that He will complete the work He has begun in us.
And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
I love the caterpillar analogy. Like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, a person’s nature is changed into something entirely different by the works of the Holy Spirit and that change can never be reversed.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.2 The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Notice how Paul says the Lord “controls” us and we are no longer recognized as someone in our flesh nature. We are a new creature. Like the butterfly that emerges from its cocoon, it can never return to its old nature.
Our salvation is a supernatural, personal miracle, spiritual change, not something that can be obtained by our thoughts in our head or by the works of our flesh, but by almighty power of God.
Are you Born Again? Check out our YouTube Series ARE YOU BORN AGAIN?
Want to know more about the Flesh vs. Spirit, check out our post on The Heart of Stone vs. The Heart of Flesh.
Until next post, God bless you and may He complete the work He has begun in your life.
Be Blessed, -Anda.
Citations:
Thru the Bible Ministries– Vernon McGeee
Verse by Verse Ministries
Hi! I’d love to see your thoughts on Act chapter two when the Jews ask Peter, “What must we do to be saved?”
Thank you!
Hi Morgan,
That is a great question.
We need to read ALL of the book to understand who it’s for and when because there are transitions in the Bible and the book of ACTS is a transitional book and what we got to understand is where we are at and we are under the Ministry of Paul today (Ephesians 3:1-12). As you progress into the book of ACTS, you get to chapter 16 and you will see how the salvation gospel transitions. The early book of ACTS is for Israel, not gentiles…yet….So many use ACTS 2:38 preaching that this is the gospel and our way to obtain salvation but what they are doing is proving they have not read the Bible, and more so haven’t read ACTS. Because later in ACTS, we are seeing a change take place from what Peter is preaching to what Paul preaches. So who is a liar? Peter or Paul? Is this a contradiction? Not at all when you are rightly dividing the word of God. From Israel to the church, from jews to gentiles.
Hope that helps! Here is great VERSE by VERSE study on the Book of Acts, https://versebyverseministry.org/bible-studies/acts-of-the-apostles.
Be blessed,
Anda.