What Is the Meaning of the Perseverance of the Saints?
The tug-of-war between the Arminian and Calvinist viewpoints of Scripture’s teaching on salvation will never be resolved this side of heaven. That doesn’t mean we should approach this discussion as if battle lines have been drawn. Rather, we should understand this is the result of imperfect people trying to harmonize two truths that Scripture holds in tension:human free will and God’s foreknowledge. One does not have to subscribe to hard Calvinism to benefit from the discussion regarding their TULIP theology. The P in TULIP stands for the Perseverance of the saints. This may seem like it refers to our efforts to keep the faith, but in reality, it refers to God’s hand in our salvation. It points to God’s work of salvation as an irreversible, inescapable work that He alone will faithfully bring to completion on the final day (Ephesians 1:13-14). The saving faith we possess will be preserved by God Himself just as He promised. That means God’s elect cannot lose their salvation.
Is 'Once Saved Always Saved' True?
The phrase once saved always saved is indeed biblical; however, it is best to attach an addendum for clarity. This phrase presents the assurance we have because God has promised to complete His salvific work in the life of all His children (Ephesians 1:13-14). On the other hand, it can easily be used as a slogan by false converts who want to live under cheap grace in this life while attaining the hope of escaping hell. Many profess the name of Christ and find comfort in this phrase because, in their mind, they’re free to sin all they want, and God will save them no matter what. With this distorted and false sense of security, they are content to live in complete, unrepentant sin. The Apostle Paul destroyed this wicked, presumptuous view of God’s grace in Romans 6 when he explained the believer’s new relationship with their own sinful nature.
To avoid tangling with the belief espoused by cheap grace, a better statement is, once saved always saved, IF saved.Scripture is clear: true believers will pursue repentance and holiness because they are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is impossible to come under the saving power of Jesus Christ and not be changed. Does this mean Christians will stop sinning? Of course not! (1 John 1:8-10). However, there will be a demonstrable change in the way a Christian lives and they will continue to walk (or stumble, albeit forward) in their sanctification because the power of the Gospel is at work in their life (Romans 6:10-12).
There are two crucial passages in Scripture that seem to challenge the perseverance of the saints. Both passages—sometimes called the warning passages—are found in the letter of Hebrews. This article will not be able to address each passage extensively, but it will at least make an effort to establish its intended meaning. It should also be noted there are others of greater knowledge who disagree with the conclusions of this article. We must remember, one should always be like the Bereans and investigate the Scriptures themselves (Acts 17:11), and consult multiple sources, especially for the more difficult passages such as these.
Hebrews 6:1-8: The most unsettling statement of this passage is found in verse 6, which proclaims it is impossible to renew those who have fallen away since they again crucify the Son of God. At a glance, it may appear this passage teaches that genuine believers who have rejected their faith can lose their salvation. However, when we examine both this passage and its context, the author seems to be referring to false converts who never possessed a saving faith in Christ.
First, it should be noted the entire theme of Hebrews is the superiority of Jesus Christ, especially in relation to the Old Covenant. Throughout the whole letter, the author encourages faith in Jesus Christ. Even though the division of the Bible into chapters and verses has been extremely helpful for studying the sacred Scriptures, there are times when it can cause confusion. It’s common for many people to read a couple of chapters or verses a day and then pick up where they left off the next day, thus forgetting the train of thought the author carried from the previous chapters. It’s extremely important to remember the Epistles are letters that contain continuous streams of thought. There are times when the author carries a concept throughout large portions of a letter, but we lose sight of this when we chop our reading up from chapter to chapter (or verse to verse). Before this passage, the author established the peril and danger of unbelief in God by pointing to the rebellious generation of Israelites in the Old Testament who were prohibited from entering the Promised Land because of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:12-19). He then continues the argument, telling the reader it is only through belief in Christ we can enter the rest of God (Hebrews 4:1-3), and shows how Christ is our High Priest Who is able to help us(Hebrews 4:14-16).
When we come to our passage in chapter six, the author continues his train of thought regarding obedient faith in Jesus Christ. Notice how those who have fallen away are described in verses 4 and 5. They were once enlightened; they only tasted of the heavenly gift; and they only tasted the good word of God (the Gospel). This does not sound like someone who has made a genuine profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Rather, it seems to refer to a person who hung around the Christian community and was exposed to the teachings of the faith and blessings of the Church Body but never possessed a genuine faith in Christ. When these people are exposed to the Gospel message, they understand it but still choose to reject it, and they again crucify the Son of God. So, those who have fallen away refer to people who at one time expressed interest in the Gospel, but eventually turn away and reject it, embracing the sin of unbelief.
Hebrews 10:26-27: This passage reads, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving a knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin but a terrifying expectation of judgment…” It’s not uncommon for people to interpret the phrase sinning willfully to mean any deliberate, conscious act of sinning, especially habitual sins. The context of this passage, however, seems to refer to the specific sin of unbelief in Christ. As mentioned earlier, the author of Hebrews was primarily concerned with encouraging faith in Jesus Christ, Who is superior to the Mosaic Law. When we come to this passage, the author has just shown us how Jesus’ sacrifice is the only perfect work that can take away our sin (Hebrews 10:3-4, 10:10-12) and His priesthood is superior to the Levitical priesthood of the Old Testament because it allows us to enter before the very presence of God (Hebrews 10:19-22) and not merely into the Tabernacle of the Old Testament that served as a shadow (representation) of heaven (Hebrews 8:4-5). The Old Covenant served as a placeholder, which cast foreshadows of the things Christ would come to fulfill when He established the New Covenant at the right time (Hebrews 10:1-4). The target audience of Hebrews was Jews who felt pressured to reject their faith in Christ and give in to the pressures of the surrounding Jewish community. With Christ’s establishment of the New Covenant, He alone stands as the sole means of salvation which God grants through faith (Hebrews 10:19-23). That is why the author says in verse 26, “…there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” The person who continues to reject Jesus as their means of salvation after coming to a knowledge of who He is willfully committing the sin of unbelief. The author, in verse 29, then describes the horrifying implications for one who rejects Christ, saying how (through their unbelief) they insult God because they regard the blood of Christ as unclean (that means unfit to save).
Why Should All Christians Know about the Perseverance of the Saints?
All believers should know about the perseverance of the saints because we need to always look to God, Who alone is the Author of salvation. It does not depend on us! What a comfort that is. We can rest assured God will complete His work of salvation in us and there is nothing we can do to stop Him (Philippians 1:6). We all go through our valleys and seasons of doubt and sin. But the difference is, true believers are never at peace with their sin. They will come to their senses and undergo godly grief over their sin, and they will inevitably seek repentance because it is the unavoidable nature of our God-given faith to seek after Him in this life. Even though we stumble, our faith in Jesus Christ will continue because true faith perseveres.
Even after committing the same sin and repenting for the thousandth time, we must ask ourselves if God meant what He tells us, that Jesus’ perfect sacrifice covered all sin through all time (Hebrews 10:12; 1 Peter 3:18). Notice none of these passages exclude habitual sin. Jesus died for all sin; whether it’s habitual or not.
As established before, I’m not advocating cheap grace. True believers will struggle and fight to be holy because they love God and are concerned with obedience. They will have victories over their sin, but we must remember our salvation hinges on Christ alone and not our feeble attempts at obedience in this life. All believers will continue to fall into sin (sometimes very serious sin like King David did) and fight against their sinful nature because that is what happens when the Holy Spirit—given as the seal of our promise—enters our hearts (Romans 7:14-25; Galatians 5:16-17). We take on a hostile relationship with our sinful nature and we war against the flesh because we are struggling to put off the old self and put on the new (Colossians 3:5-10). As we battle, we can rest with full confidence that Jesus will uphold His promise to deliver all those who call on His name (John 10:27-30).
Further Reading
Is Perseverance of the Saints a Biblical Concept?
Is the Perseverance of the Saints Biblical
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