Sunday, July 3, 2011 am
COMFORT DOCTRINES – 3
Is the doctrine, “Once Saved, Always Saved” scriptural?
Today we continue our study of comfort doctrines.
A comfort doctrine is a teaching designed to give comfort to one
who does not want to be held accountable for sinful activity. You don’t
have to turn very far into scripture to finds an example of this.
In Genesis 3, we find Satan (the serpent) approaching Eve and
asking her if God had said they could not eat of any trees in the
garden. Eve’s reply was, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not
eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You
will not surely die. For
God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and
you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:1-5).
The very first lie was a comfort doctrine.
Satan denied God’s penalty for sin.
Ever since that time man has sought for a way to God without
completely surrendering to Him.
Sadly, they will usually find someone who will tell them they are
fine the way they are.
Justification is bundled in these comfort doctrines.
Last week we examined those who deny the existence of hell.
Today we want to talk about another very prevalent comfort
doctrine in the religious world, “Once saved, always saved.”
a.
Defined, a belief that
once someone is saved by God through the blood of Jesus Christ (how one
is saved is another question), his salvation is eternally secure.
No matter what he does, he cannot be lost or fall from grace.
This doctrine is sometimes called, “Eternal security” or
“Perseverance of the saints” (i.e. TULIP in Calvinism).
b.
This doctrine was
developed and promoted by John Calvin as it was part of his system of
theology, known as Calvinism in the 1530-40s.
It is worthy of note that prior to this, the doctrine was not
prominently advocated.
c.
The degree to which this
doctrine is taught is seen in the following quotes:
i.
Baptist preacher Sam
Morris, in an article on this subject said, “We take the position that a
Christian's sins do not damn his soul. The way a Christian lives, what
he says, his character, his conduct, or his attitude toward other people
have nothing whatsoever to do with the salvation of his soul. That is
settled in Christ and Christ alone .. All the prayers a man may pray,
all the Bibles he may read, all the churches he may belong to, all the
services he may attend, all the sermons he may practice, all the debts
he may pay, all the ordinances he may observe, all the laws he may keep,
all the benevolent acts he may perform will not make his soul one whit
safer; and all the sins he may commit from idolatry to murder will not
make his soul in any more danger.”
ii.
In 1959, another Baptist
preacher, Bill Foster wrote, “If I killed my wife and mother and
debauched a thousand women, I couldn't go to hell -- in fact, I couldn't
go to hell if I wanted to. If on the judgment day, I should find that my
loved ones are lost and should lose all desire to be saved, and should
beg God to send me to hell with them, He couldn't do it"
iii.
While these are extreme
sayings, they demonstrate the true convictions of those who believe in
this doctrine.
II.
What does the Bible
teach
a.
Rom. 11:22,
“Therefore consider the goodness
and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you,
goodness, if you continue in His
goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.”
b.
1 Cor. 9:27,
“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I
have preached to others, I myself
should become disqualified.”
c.
1 Cor. 15:1-2,
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to
you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in
which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved,
if you hold fast that word which I preached to you — unless you
believed in vain.”
d.
Gal. 5:4,
“You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified
by law; you have fallen from
grace.”
e.
Col. 1:21-23, “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death,
to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight —
if
indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are
not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was
preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a
minister.”
f.
1 Tim. 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”
g.
Heb. 3:12-14, “Beware,
brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in
departing from the living God;
but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of
you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become
partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,”
h.
Heb. 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.”
i.
Heb. 10:26-27, “For
if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful
expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the
adversaries.”
j.
James 5:19-20, “Brethren,
if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and
someone turns him back, let
him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way
will save a soul from death
and cover a multitude of sins.”
k.
2 Peter 2:20-22, “For
if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the
knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the
beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the
way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to
the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having
washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
l.
Rev. 2:10, “Be
faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
m.
Rev. 14:13, “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write:
'Blessed are the dead who die in
the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest
from their labors, and their works follow them."
n.
Many other verses could
be added to these discussing the importance of faithfulness, the need to
obey God and consequences of failing to obey, the dangers of apostasy,
various conditional passages, and many other texts.
The Bible is so filled with such passages, it is impossible to
miss the need for a faithful life to ensure a home in heaven when this
life is over.
III.
Answering those who
teach “Once Saved, Always Saved.”
a.
God’s love and grace.
Many of the passages used to justify this doctrine are passages
about the grace and love of God.
It is argued that if we are saved by grace, than there is nothing
we can do to save ourselves.
Passages like Romans 8:31-39 which speaks of if God being for us, who
can be against us. It also
notes that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God and Christ AND
Ephesians 2:8-9 which says, “For
by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God.”
Answer: What these
passages teach is absolutely true.
Our salvation is only possible by the grace and love of God.
It is the PRIME factor in salvation.
And there is not a force in this world that can change that.
BUT how does that say it is impossible to reject His love or give
back that gift? How does
that say that we cannot lose our salvation?
b.
1 John 3:9 – He cannot
sin. Whoever is born of God
does not sin. The premise is
sometimes made that this verse means that if one sins as a child of God
it will not be counted against him.
Some argue that the blood of Christ would automatically cover
these sins.
Answer: The context
indicates that the point is one does not have the right to sin as a
Christian. We all know that
he WILL sin (John said that in the first chapter of this letter).
But such is contrary to God’s will and it needs to be taken care
of. Furthermore, the verb,
“cannot” which modifies sin in this verse, is present tense meaning
ongoing action. Thus it is
saying, he cannot continue in sin.
c.
Everlasting life – cf.
John 3:16, 3:36, etc. There
are several passages in NT that speak of eternal life.
If life given is eternal then it cannot be taken away.
Answer: Heaven is
everlasting (so is hell).
That is not debated. But
that does not say that you cannot give back God’s gift after you have
received it. We must hold
fast our confidence, steadfast to the end.
d.
Power of God – cf. My
sheep hear my voice, none snatches them – John 10:29, “My
Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is
able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”
Answer: This text sounds, at first glance, like that Jesus will
permanently keep those who come to Him.
But as always, read the context: NOTE the condition of the one
described = His sheep hear His voice, and follow Him.
Both are present tense verbs.
Furthermore, it is dealing with the overall true principle that God is
greater than Satan in every point.
Satan will NOT win against God!
But that doesn’t mean you cannot leave Him.
e.
1 John 2:19 – they were
never among us. This text is
sometimes used to say that one who falls away was never a true believer
in the first place.
Answer: Who is being a
judge now? There are plenty
of examples of faithful followers who become disheartened and abandon
God. What was the Hebrew
writer warning His audience about? Leaving God!
Who did Peter have in mind in 2 Pet. 2:20-22?
I will grant that some come to God with condition or without sincerity.
That is one of the points of this study, but you CANNOT say that
about every person who leaves God.
If you are honest, you know better.
IV.
The Dangers of this
Doctrine
a.
First, it gives a false
security. When weighed in
light of all scripture has to say about faithfulness to God, and the
numerous warnings found throughout scriptures, it is akin to Satan
saying, “you shall not surely die”.
b.
It takes away true
accountability. While one
might choose to obey God’s will (which is what those who teach this
doctrine want AND SO DO I), this doctrine teaches it is NOT necessary.
The result is that you set the terms of your service to God.
He has no choice but to accept it.
c.
It skews one’s
perspective of God’s character – including His love, grace, mercy AND
his justice and righteousness.
It makes Him responsible if you are condemned because you chose
to reject Him.
Recently on Facebook, one of my “friends”, a Baptist preacher, posted on
his wall a statement that led to a discussion of the subject of eternal
security. There were some
who disagreed with him. Shortly
after multiple responses, he made the following post, “I’d rather be an
atheist than believe in the description of God that *SOME* folks
confess.” That
summarizes the attitude that some have concerning REAL accountability
for our CHOICES after we become Christians.
NOTE: After this he said, “Fortunately, there is a third option.
I believe in the God revealed in the life, work, teachings and
ministry of Jesus Christ, God’s Son.”
To that I say, AMEN!
But wasn’t it Jesus who said, “Not
everyone who says to Me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but He who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21-23)
d.
It leads to ignorance
and complacency. What real
need is there to keep studying when such has no bearing on your
salvation?
V.
Comfort
a.
God does not want you to
perish. 2 Pet. 3:9 ought to
be a source of great comfort to us.
As His children it tells us He wants us to do right.
Understanding His grace, mercy and love ought to be a source of
comfort.
b.
Even when you do sin, no
matter how egregious, He has provided a path to return to Him.
Acts 8:22, 1 John 1:7-9 – if we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive…
Heb. 10:23 tells us that “He who promised is faithful.”
When Hebrews 12:5-11 speaks of the chastening of the Lord, it is
designed to encourage us to endure.
That He might chasten us shows that He cares and seeks our
devotion to Him.
c.
WE can live with hope,
but only if we are faithfully striving to serve Him – 1 John 1:5
d.
The point is to
understand that He will not tolerate rebellion or the one who sins.
And
thus we can see that this “comfort doctrine” is both false and
dangerous. Let us never seek
to diminish any sin that we might be guilty of.
If you have sinned – take care of it!
God is waiting. When
you do what He says, there is every reason for you to find real comfort.
But if you refuse to obey Him, BE AFRAID – BE VERY AFRAID!