Is the idea of “once saved, always saved” Biblical? This catchy phrase sounds comforting, but is it true?
This idea is the logical outworking of the Calvinist doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Today, that idea turned up in the devotional in the Bible reading plan I am doing with some people from our church.
We were in 2 Peter 2, a passage that teaches the opposite. That must have made the author of the devo really uncomfortable, up to the point that instead of reiterating what the text actually teaches, she started hiding behind the doctrine her theologians must have taught her.
The idea that a believer can never fall away once united to Christ is directly refuted in 2 Peter 2:20–22:
“And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.””
~ 2 Peter 2:20-22 (NLT)
Peter describes people who had genuinely escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of Jesus Christ, but later became entangled again and overcome by the sinful lifestyles they had escaped from. He says their final condition is worse than if they had never known the truth. This is clear scriptural evidence that falling away after a real experience of salvation is possible.
Salvation is a covenant relationship that requires ongoing faithfulness. Just as Israel could be part of God’s covenant and later fall through disobedience, Peter warns us to remain steadfast. Romans 11:22 shows that believers will remain in God’s kindness only if they continue in it, otherwise, they too can be cut off.
Peter’s illustration of the washed sow returning to the mud shows the tragedy of falling away: even after you have been cleansed, you can return to a life of sin. This is not a picture of someone who was never saved, but someone who turned back from holiness after experiencing it.
Peter clearly shows in this passage that the Calvinist doctrine of “perseverance of the saints” is in direct opposition to the warnings in 2 Peter. Salvation must be lived out through continued trust and obedience. The belief that you’re “once saved, always saved” is therefore extremely dangerous.
Does this mean we have to fear we lose our salvation every time we make a mistake? This is where believing loyalty comes in. The struggle against sin is real. Do you allow it to pull you away from a life of believing loyalty to Jesus? Or, when you have erred, do you come back in true repentance and a desire to no longer fall back into these old issues?
King David made some big mistakes, yet repented and was restored. The New Testament calls him a “man after God’s own heart” in spite of these mistakes. Yet the list of people that used to walk with the Apostle Paul, but then ended up backsliding, seems endless…
Here is the point: our lives should be all about living as close to Jesus as we can, instead of living as close as you can to the abyss (sin and the world) to still be saved.
Thank God he has given us the Holy Spirit who helps us persevere when we are tempted! We just need to give him room!
Featured image by Brett Sayles from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/piglets-grazing-in-paddock-in-daytime-7865580/
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