Once Saved, Always Saved?

There are many issues in Christian theology that fall outside the bounds of what we would consider to be the core. That is to say, there are certain issues that are “non-negotiable”; the Trinity, the nature of Jesus, his work of redemption, etc. and yet there are other issues that even within the orthodox camp we may agree to disagree on. These are the “negotiables.” One of these issues is the idea of eternal security. When a person is saved by Jesus are they then forever and always saved, or is there the possibility of them becoming unsaved? (sometimes the unhelpful language of losing one’s salvation is employed. I will explain later why this language simply doesn’t fit.) Practically this question is often played out in the following. Observe an individual who spends several years within the church giving all outward appearances of being “all-in.” Then something changes, they reject the faith verbally and by their lifestyle and live the rest of their life in denial of the gospel. Did they move from being saved to being unsaved or were they never truly saved in the first place? No one would deny that an individual can give the outward appearance of salvation without any genuine change taking place in their heart, but is that what happens every time someone walks away from the faith?

It is my contention that biblically speaking it is at least possible for someone who once was saved to reject that salvation and became unsaved. Let me be clear of two things right off the bat however. 1) I do not think that anyone “loses” their salvation. The word lose carries with it some connotation of unwillingness; “I know I had my salvation around here somewhere, I just can’t for the life of me remember where I put it.” 2) I do not believe that God removes or takes back salvation from anyone who desires to remain saved. The loss of salvation is and only is the intentional rejection of a gift from the receiver of that gift. Furthermore I will add (as I began this piece) that there are solid, Bible-believing Christians on both sides of this fence and your salvation is not contingent upon what you believe about this. Regardless of what you believe there will be “difficult” scripture passages that you will have to deal with. I am fully aware of these and though I will not be addressing the “difficult” passages for my view in this piece, I would be happy to do so at a later time. Nor is it my intention here to list every scriptural proof I can think of for my belief, rather I would like to focus on just one that has come up recently at Liberty as we study 1 Thessalonians.

Paul begins 1 Thessalonians giving thanks for the faith of the individuals there. I feel that I am on safe ground here when I assume that Paul is referencing genuine, salvific faith, especially when he writes, “For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction;” (1 Thess. 1:4-5a). So I am assuming (and again I feel safe doing so) that Paul is writing to saved individuals and not simply individuals who are putting on a good act. Paul continues on from here extolling the Thessalonians, their lived out faith, and expressing his love and great desire to see them once again. He references multiple times the persecution that they are facing and the real obstacles they have to overcome to follow Jesus. I read 1 Thessalonians and I am fully convinced that being a Christian in Thessalonica in the 1st century was hard work!

And then we see Paul’s fear. Fear that the persecution may prove to be too much. “I was afraid that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor had been in vain,” Paul writes in 1 Thess. 3:5b. These are strong words! He expresses concern that temptation (I imagine to abandon the faith and choose an easier path) may prove too much and that the Thessalonians might make a decision that would render Paul’s labor among them to have been “in vain.” In vain? Could Paul’s labor really be in vain? Or put another way, what would make his labor in vain? The only answer I can come up with is that there would be no salvations. Earlier in his letter (2:19) Paul mentions Christ’s parousia and says that at that time his boast will be the Thessalonians – presumably the fact that they have received the gospel. So in my mind the only thing that could move Paul’s labor from being something to boast about to something that was in vain, would be the rejection of the gospel by those who had already believed in it. Thoughts? Push back? I’d love to hear it!