Back in 1997 I spoke with a pastor and the subject of the eternal security of the believer came up. This pastor is a lovely, gracious man and is doing many things to reach people in the community with the gospel. He obviously loves the Lord and loves people. When I questioned him regarding the contents of one of the theological books he was reading, it came out that he believed in the doctrine that a truly born again believer is eternally secure, no matter what he may do from that time on. In other words, if a person was truly born again of the Spirit of God, even if he or she backslides and gets into open wilful sin of any kind - even to the point of becoming an atheist, a witch, a Christ-hater, and a bitter opponent of the gospel - that person will go to heaven when they die, even if they never repent in this life and come back to Christ. All this because they at one point became part of God’s family through a real spiritual birth. I asked this pastor about this kind of example, and I assure you that I am not misrepresenting his point of view. Doubtless many other spiritual leaders in North America believe the same way as he does (though others may not be willing to go that far).

All this is so different to what I have read in the writings of so many revival leaders. It is a 20th century doctrine. Even Calvinist leaders of the past such as Whitefield and Spurgeon would never have embraced this doctrine. I thought that it would be worth writing an article to explore the issue. I would like us to consider the Scriptural evidence for the various points of view, the testimonies of various prominent Christians, and consider various theological possibilities. It needs also to be stated that this issue is not merely a theoretical issue. There are huge numbers of people who believe this doctrine. There are huge numbers of people who say with confidence that they are born again Christians, and yet demonstrate by the way they live that they do not believe their eternal salvation depends in any way on their willingness to turn from sin and live for God.

The purpose of this article is by no means to put anyone under a cloud of hopelessness. The good news of the gospel is that God is merciful to those who fear him! He freely forgives those who confess their sin and repent, and He wants us to have victory. We don't have to be perfect to be right with God. Its just that a true born again Christian really wants to please God.
 

"Koo-chi-koo-chi-koo-chi-koo
God loves me and God loves you
Smile sinner, don't be sad,
God's not angry, he's not mad,
And even if you leave the path,
there's no hell and there's no wrath!
God sees your heart, and that's enough.
The judgment seat won't be that tough.
You can't sin away His grace,
Or take that smile from His face.
Trust me, sinner, to the end,
My name is Satan, I'm your friend".
 

Scriptural Arguments and Evidence for this Doctrine

a. Eternal life is just that - eternal or everlasting.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Some teach that since what is being offered to the believer is eternal life, that once this gift is received, it is impossible for this gift of life ever to cease or be lost, since it is eternal or everlasting. It is not a temporary life but an eternal life which is offered.

Problems with this View

There are other ways of considering this phrase - "to have eternal life" which would not guarantee eternal security to a born again person who later denies the Lord and never turns back to Him.

The kind of life that God is gives to the believer is eternal. It belongs to the eternal, spiritual realm. It is a quality of divine life imparted to the believer's spirit. However, the fact that the life is eternal does not mean that the possession of it is necessarily eternal. For example, one could have a diamond that will last for a million years. But that does not imply that the owner of that durable diamond will not lose it next week! Believers have a precious gift when they receive eternal life. They must not throw that gift away.

A Christian loving God need not fear that he will easily lose eternal life. God is a good Father and delights in showing mercy. He has prepared our salvation for a long time and does not want us to lose it. God promises a way of escape for every temptation. If we sin we can come to Jesus, confess, repent and be cleansed. If we don't know our sin we can still be justified before God because of the blood. And if we walk away from God He will do all He can to draw us back. But the possibility is still there that a backslider may die in his sins - having refused to come back to the Lord, and possibly even having blasphemed Christ and the gospel.

God tells us that we are God's house "if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm to the end" (Hebrews 3:6). Should that "if" be there or not? Is it misleading?

This verse tells us that we need to keep trusting God to the end. If not, there may come a point where God no longer lives in us because we persistently reject His presence in our lives.

It is worth noting that the true faith which leads to justification is more than mere "mental assent" that certain doctrines are true. Neither is it believing in a Jesus of our own imagination, who would not say the kinds of things that are recorded for us in the four gospels.

The nature of Eternal Life

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3)

The "knowing" here speaks of a personal relationship with Christ. The measure of eternal life we enjoy depends on our intimacy with God and with Christ. There is a big difference between knowing the Lord and knowing about Him. If a person gets to the point where they no longer want to know God and don't want to do His will, do they still know Him? Allow the Scriptures to speak on this point:

"We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, 'I know Him', but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in Him." (1 John 2:3,4)

There are other Scriptures which would indicate that caution is wise before we make too much out of the word "eternal". For example God's words to Eli, the priest:

" 'I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before me forever.' But now the Lord says: 'Far be it from Me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.' " (1 Samuel 2:30)

Instead of seeing all of Scripture through our presuppositions we would do well to consider that there may be other possible meanings to the phrase 'having eternal life' which do not imply eternal security. Perhaps we would be wise to look at the whole counsel of Scripture before we decide what the Scripture must be saying.

b. God will make sure that a born again believer is not lost. Even the believer can do nothing to stop God's will in the matter, because the believer belongs to Jesus now.

"And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day." (John 6:39)

"I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life." (John 6:47; John 3:36).

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:27-29)

Using these Scriptures, it is taught as follows: Anyone who believes in Jesus has everlasting life (which as stated before, can never cease). These people who believe are given to Jesus by the Father. They no longer belong to themselves. The verse in John 6:39 teaches that it is that will of God that Jesus lose none of these people that God has given Him.

Because these people no longer belong to themselves (1 Corinthians 6:19,20), they can no longer decide who they belong to. They (the truly born again ones) belong to Jesus, and cannot choose not to belong to Jesus anymore. They cannot snatch themselves out of Jesus' hand, or the Father's hand. Nothing they do can change the fact that they belong to Jesus. And for this reason, it is argued that they will go to heaven and not be lost.

Problems with This

Jesus said that his sheep listen to his voice (John 10:27). So if a person is either cannot hear the voice of God or gets to the point where they never want to listen to the voice of Jesus, how can they be sure that they are His sheep? It is these ones who are listening to the voice of Jesus that cannot be snatched out of the Father's hand. They are choosing to listen - God will not allow anyone or anything to destroy them. God has made provision for everyone who listens to Jesus to overcome any assault of the enemy directed against them with the purpose of shipwrecking their faith.

Can people who are not wanting to listen to God's voice be sure that they are Jesus' sheep? Can a person who no longer believes or trusts in Jesus truly claim that they have eternal life?

How could a person who no longer wishes to listen to Jesus or believe in Him be confident that in fact they are "given by the Father to Jesus"? How can such a person be confident of their election to eternal life, when their unbelief and attitude so flagrantly opposes the demands of the gospel to repent and believe (trust) in Jesus. Can they be sure they ever believed with true saving faith if they arrive at such a condition of heart? If not, do they have any "eternal security" in their sins?

c. Once you are born again - you cannot be unborn again. Its a done deal.

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3)

"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:23)

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26)

From these Scriptures it is taught as follows: A truly born again person has the imperishable seed of God's word in them. That seed or that life can never die within them. And since through faith they are sons of God by birth, they can never lose that status of being a son or a child of God. It is argued that if a man has a son, the bad things that son does do not take away the fact that he is still that man's son. He is his son by birth, and will remain so forever. So, in the spiritual realm, believers are spiritually sons of God by a real spiritual birth, and therefore will always be God's sons, no matter what they do. Furthermore, God will receive these sons into eternal bliss because all their sins - past, present and future, were all forgiven in advance when Jesus died on the cross for them.

Problems with This

This argument from the nature of sonship "goes beyond what is written" in the Scriptures and argues from a natural viewpoint "once a son, always a son". However, our sonship is not physical, but spiritual. Even fallen angels are referred to as sons of God (Genesis 6:2). If they were not there would be nothing wrong in these sons of God marrying daughters of men, would there? Job 1:6 could mean that Satan himself is counted among the sons of God. Adam is called a son of God in Luke 3:38. If this be true then the argument from sonship is no guarantee against the fires of hell. Is there biblical proof that Adam is in heaven now?

Jesus said that being born of water and the Spirit (or the new birth) was necessary to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but He did not say in those verses that it was all that was necessary. He did not say in John 3, "If you are born again you will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.".

We are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. But if we no longer have faith in Christ Jesus, are we true sons of God justified by faith?

The seed of God may be imperishable, but does that imply that the seed cannot be deliberately rejected and cast out of our lives? The Word of God is also imperishable and eternal. How is it then that in Mark 4:15 that "Satan comes and immediately takes away the word that was sown in their hearts"? If some of the imperishable word can be stolen by Satan even in the believer's life, what guarantee is the word "imperishable" against the possibility of totally rejecting the gospel that was sown in the heart?

All this does not mean that one loses the relationship with the Father by just one deliberate sin. However, we are told that we stand only by faith. "Because of unbelief they [the Jews] were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he may not spare you either. Therefore, consider the goodness and the 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." (Romans 11:20-22)

Wilful unbelief is very dangerous, and if we embrace such unbelief thinking we are eternally secure, we could be in for a rude and terrifying shock at the end of our lives. Will it be enough to appeal to our doctrines and interpretations when we stand before the Lord?

According to Jesus, "He who commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever." (John 8:31). This seems to say at the very least that one who continues in sin is a slave of sin and will not remain in God's house.

While this verse could be used to argue that a true son will always remain in God's house, it cannot be denied that it is also describing who is a true son and who is not, in terms of the kind of choices they go on making. Even Paul, writing to the church in Rome said,

"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16)

Paul should have added, "unless you are a born again Christian, in which case if you present yourselves as a slave to obey sin you will not surely die, but you are righteous anyway" if the teachers of eternal security are right. Should we believe that the death mentioned in verse 16 is somehow only physical, while the death in verse 23 ("the wages of sin is death") is spiritual? For what reason, if not simply to defend a doctrine we have already chosen to believe no matter what?

So then, if the true sons won't fall away and die in unbelief, how can you be sure you are a true son if you go into wilful unbelief? But if some people truly born again do fall and die in their sin and unbelief, where is the Scriptural guarantee that heaven awaits them? Are there not warnings seeking to discourage exactly that kind of presumption?

d. Nothing Can Separate Us from the Love of God

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38,39)

It is taught that not only can no demonic power or other trouble separate us from the love of God - but that not even we ourselves can separate ourselves from the love of God. The phrase, anything else in all creation , it is argued, must surely include ourselves. Therefore, since we cannot be separated from the love of God, we will most assuredly go to heaven and not to hell, which, we are often told, means "eternal separation from God".

Problems with This

These verses were written to encourage believers, not those who were considering apostacy as an easy way out

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