Is Once Saved Always Saved Biblical?

flowergirl67

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I have heard both sides of this discussion and would like to hear others opinions on this subject. I agree with both sides of the argument but I kind of lean towards the side that's says that you can lose salvation. Here's why: Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26. However, I feel like these verses line up with OSAS: Philippians 1:6, John 10:28, and Ephesians 4:30. I could also see why OSAS is biblical because of John 6:37 and the story of the prodigal son. Can someone give their opinion on whether or not OSAS is true? Thanks in advance!
 

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I have heard both sides of this discussion and would like to hear others opinions on this subject. I agree with both sides of the argument but I kind of lean towards the side that's says that you can lose salvation. Here's why: Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26. However, I feel like these verses line up with OSAS: Philippians 1:6, John 10:28, and Ephesians 4:30. I could also see why OSAS is biblical because of John 6:37 and the story of the prodigal son. Can someone give their opinion on whether or not OSAS is true? Thanks in advance!
If you read the New Testament, you will see Jesus and the Apostles warning the people who were already regenerated of not falling away.
 
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Der Alte

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I have heard both sides of this discussion and would like to hear others opinions on this subject. I agree with both sides of the argument but I kind of lean towards the side that's says that you can lose salvation. Here's why: Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26. However, I feel like these verses line up with OSAS: Philippians 1:6, John 10:28, and Ephesians 4:30. I could also see why OSAS is biblical because of John 6:37 and the story of the prodigal son. Can someone give their opinion on whether or not OSAS is true? Thanks in advance!
A few days ago I lost my favorite "mask" I searched high and low for it. After switching to one of the paper ones. When I next did the wash I found that I had left the mask in a pants pocket.
What in the world am I taking about what does this have to do with OSAS?
Salvation cannot be lost in the sense my mask was, but...

Romans 11:21-22
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
If one does not continue in God’s goodness they will be cut off.
John 15:6
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Speaks for itself.
1 Corinthians 15:2
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
If one does not keep in memory what was preached they are not saved.
Galatians 6:9
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
If one faints they will not reap.
Hebrews 3:6
6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
If one does not hold fast they are not part of Jesus’ house.
Hebrews 3:14
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
If one is not steadfast until the end they are not partakers of Christ.
Hebrews 10:38-39
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
If one draws back Jesus will have no pleasure in him.
Colossians 1:22-23
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
If one does not continue in the faith and is moved away from the hope of the gospel, they will not be presented holy, unblameable and unreproveable in God’s sight
Hebrews 3:6
6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
If we do not hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end we are not God’s house.
Hebrews 3:14
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
If we do not hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end, we are not made partakers of Christ;
To abide in, one must first be in.


 
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Friedrich Rubinstein

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There are indeed quite a few verses that state that nobody can grab you out of God's hand, and that He'll make sure the elect keep their faith to the very end.
Yet I know people who believed in Jesus, accepted him into their heart, lived a holy life, understood very much about God and everything, only to then decide one day that they got enough of it. They turned their backs on Jesus and walked away, starting to live in sin and unrighteousness. So how is that possible?

I believe the answer to that is the word "saved" in OSAS. When is a person saved? Is it enough to believe in Jesus for 3 seconds and then you can go on with your life as before? When you believe that Jesus died for your sins, can you become "cold" and stop caring?

Hebrews 3:14 says:
"We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end."

Note that it says IF. We have been saved if we keep our faith to the very end. Only at the very end you will see whether you had been saved.

Also take a look at 1 John 2:19. It says there
"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."

This is talking about people considered "Christians", who were suggestive of being true followers of Christ until they went a different path. Then it became apparent that they never belonged to the elect, the saved ones.

So yes, OSAS as in "do what you want once you believed" is not true. You don't lose your free will by accepting Jesus. You can still make the willful decision to turn away, to give up your faith.

OSAS is true only in the way that you cannot be "forced" to turn away. The devil has no power over you and can't make you turn away. God keeps you secure as long as you are willing yourself to keep believing.
 
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lismore

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I agree with both sides of the argument but I kind of lean towards the side that's says that you can lose salvation. Here's why: Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26.

Hebrews was written to people of Jewish background, many still sacrificing animals as sin offerings, confused about salvation, hence the certain progression in it, making the case that the Son is superior to Angels, Jesus is Superior to Moses, the New Covenant is Superior to the Old Covenant, the sacrifice of Jesus is superior to animal sacrifice. I take the opposite conclusion to Hebrews ch6 from yourself.

There's a giant clue that we must take into account when reading the book of Hebrews, a reminder to read it in context. In any book if passages are taken out of their context pretty odd conclusions can be drawn. God Bless :)
 
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Albion

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I have never decided which of these views is correct. And it may not matter. However, I am persuaded that the OSAS verses already cited are more emphatic and definite than the opposite ones and also that the logic of the two views lends support to the one we're calling OSAS here.

It reflects the idea that God is in charge in his universe while the freewill position supposes that Satan contests against "Almighty God" who "would have all to be saved" but who nevertheless loses most of the time in the struggle for the souls of men.
 
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Friedrich Rubinstein

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I have never decided which of these views is correct. And it may not matter. However, I am persuaded that the OSAS verses already cited are more emphatic and definite than the opposite ones and also that the logic of the two views lends support to the one we're calling OSAS here.

It reflects the idea that God is in charge in his universe while the freewill position supposes that Satan contests against "Almighty God" who "would have all to be saved" but who nevertheless loses most of the time in the struggle for the souls of men.

The Bible is absolutely clear on the fact that only few will be saved, so I am not sure where the issue with the free will is? God didn't intend everyone to be saved when He created the world - that's why there is "the elect".
 
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I have heard both sides of this discussion and would like to hear others opinions on this subject. I agree with both sides of the argument but I kind of lean towards the side that's says that you can lose salvation. Here's why: Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26. However, I feel like these verses line up with OSAS: Philippians 1:6, John 10:28, and Ephesians 4:30. I could also see why OSAS is biblical because of John 6:37 and the story of the prodigal son. Can someone give their opinion on whether or not OSAS is true? Thanks in advance!

When you read Philippians 1:6, you also have to read Philippians 2:12 that says, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

When you read John 10:28, you have to also read John 10:27 that says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” So the kind of sheep that cannot be snatched out of Christ's hand are the kind of sheep that follow Jesus and they know Jesus. Keeping God's commands is an assurance that a person knows the Lord (See: 1 John 2:3). For the person who says they know the Lord and they do not keep His commandments, they are a liar and the truth is not in them (See: 1 John 2:4).

As for Ephesians 4:30:

Check out this article here:

Sealed UNTO the day of redemption, but a seal can be broken Eph. 4:30

As for John 6:37:

John 6:37-40 says,

37 "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."​

First, what does Jesus mean by,

“All that the Father giveth me come to me?”

Well, we have to understand that the Father elects those based on His future foreknowledge of our free will choice concerning Him (1 Peter 1:2) (Deuteronomy 30:19). Also, we also have to understand that not everyone is going to be saved; However, it is God's will that all people should be saved, though (1 Timothy 2:4) (2 Peter 3:9) (Revelation 22:17). This is why we read in Scripture about how many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 20:16).

Same meanings since all are given the chance to have life through Jesus. But those who are His have come so willingly in faith, repenting and turning with a sincere heart; forever to the submission of God’s commandments and desires.

Verse 39 implies that it is possible for Jesus to lose some of the flock. If it were not so, He would have said so. But if what you say is true, then Jesus would have said,

"I WILL lose nothing."

However, that is not what Jesus said. Jesus says,

"I SHOULD lose nothing."

John 6:39 (KJV) says,

"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day."

Second, eternal life here is not a guarantee. Jesus says in verse 40

"MAY have everlasting life".

John 6:40
"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

In other words, Jesus should lose none and all who are His should be raised, because they should all continue in the righteousness God gave them through the sacrifice of Jesus. It’s not that Jesus isn’t capable of keeping up with His sheep; it’s that He never keeps His sheep against their wills. How so?

Well, we see in Scripture that the Father gave all of the disciples to Jesus; However, Jesus kept them all except Judas, though.

John 17:12 says:

"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."​

Now, allow me to rephrase this in modern-terminology:

While I was with the marbles in the world, I kept them. Those marbles that you gave me I kept, and none are lost, but the green marble.​

And OSAS terminology:

While I was with the marbles in the world, I kept them. Those marbles that you gave me I kept, and none are lost, except for the green marble that you never gave me.​

Do you see now how OSAS doesn't make any sense?
 
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Albion

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OSAS is easy way salvation, brought to you by the one and only, Satan.
If a person takes the view that he is home free because he believes, he obviously does not have saving Faith. For an even more respected authority on that subject, consult the epistle of James. ;)
 
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I have heard both sides of this discussion and would like to hear others opinions on this subject. I agree with both sides of the argument but I kind of lean towards the side that's says that you can lose salvation. Here's why: Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26. However, I feel like these verses line up with OSAS: Philippians 1:6, John 10:28, and Ephesians 4:30. I could also see why OSAS is biblical because of John 6:37 and the story of the prodigal son. Can someone give their opinion on whether or not OSAS is true? Thanks in advance!

As for the story of the prodigal son: Actually this story actually disproves OSAS big time.

In Luke 15:24, and Luke 15:32, we learn that when the prodigal son came home and sought forgiveness with his father, we know that his father said his son was “dead” and he is “alive AGAIN.” The parable is speaking in spiritual terms. So when the prodigal son was living it up with prostitutes (Luke 15:30), he was “dead” spiritually, but when he came back home and sought forgiveness with his father, he became “alive AGAIN” spiritually. The only way a person can be “alive AGAIN” is if they were once alive a first time spiritually. James 5:19-20 expresses a similar truth, as well. So yeah. This parable actually demolishes OSAS.
 
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Carl Emerson

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The elect are those who don't loose their salvation.

Among them can be those who have appeared to have fallen away, yet have have or will be given a second chance.

There is also a group who have learned to live a 'Christian life' yet don't know Him intimately.

And there are the meek who inherit the earth...

Then there's the poor in spirit and those who experience righteous persecution who inherit the Kingdom.

Take heart - Jesus said “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

So work out your own salvation with fear and trembling - who gets there is not really a theological matter, it is about if Jesus is allowed to reign in your heart.

And He is rather jealous of His own so no need for concern in His embrace.
 
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I have heard both sides of this discussion and would like to hear others opinions on this subject. I agree with both sides of the argument but I kind of lean towards the side that's says that you can lose salvation. Here's why: Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26. However, I feel like these verses line up with OSAS: Philippians 1:6, John 10:28, and Ephesians 4:30. I could also see why OSAS is biblical because of John 6:37 and the story of the prodigal son. Can someone give their opinion on whether or not OSAS is true? Thanks in advance!

Also, OSAS is untrue because...

We are told:

“...We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.” (Hebrews 3:13-14).

"Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." (Jude 1:21).

"...be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." (Revelation 2:10).​


We are told to:

  1. Continue in the grace of God (Acts of the Apostles 13:43).

  2. Continue in the faith (Acts of the Apostles 14:22) (Colossians 1:23).

  3. Continue in his goodness, otherwise we can be cut off (just like the Jews were cut off) (Romans 11:21-22).

Anyways, I hope this helps, and may God bless you.
 
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Carl Emerson

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As for the story of the prodigal son: Actually this story actually disproves OSAS big time.

In Luke 15:24, and Luke 15:32, we learn that when the prodigal son came home and sought forgiveness with his father, we know that his father said his son was “dead” and he is “alive AGAIN.” The parable is speaking in spiritual terms. So when the prodigal son was living it up with prostitutes (Luke 15:30), he was “dead” spiritually, but when he came back home and sought forgiveness with his father, he became “alive AGAIN” spiritually. The only way a person can be “alive AGAIN” is if they were once alive a first time spiritually. James 5:19-20 expresses a similar truth, as well. So yeah. This parable actually demolishes OSAS.

Strange - as I read what you say I conclude the opposite.

Being a prodigal myself...
 
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Strange - as I read what you say I conclude the opposite.

Being a prodigal myself...

Did you not read Luke 15:24, and Luke 15:32?
The son was said to be dead and alive AGAIN.
The son obviously did not physically die, so the parable is speaking in spiritual terms.
Also see James 5:19-20. It teaches the same exact truth.
This truth is that a person can die spiritually because of sin, and they can be made alive AGAIN if they repent of their sin (i.e. they seek forgiveness with the Lord Jesus Christ).
 
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Carl Emerson

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So... the final outcome is salvation.

I was born again at 13 (made spiritually alive), fell away into sin and drugs for 11 years, sought God again and was given a second chance.

My condition deteriorated, folks thought I was beyond grace, but my sonship remained.
 
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So... the final outcome is salvation.

I was born again at 13 (made spiritually alive), fell away into sin and drugs for 11 years, sought God again and was given a second chance.

My condition deteriorated, folks thought I was beyond grace, but my sonship remained.

I also went prodigal, but I don't believe I was saved while I was prodigal. Why? Again, the Bible says so. Not only in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but in many other places. Serious sin that is not repented of leads to spiritual death.
 
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The prodigal son was never not a son.

But dead sons do not partake in family picnics, and or family reunions. Dead sons are in the grave.
 
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The prodigal son was never not a son.

Scripture talks about how the children of the kingdom were cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12).
Another translation says “sons of the kingdom” instead of the “children of the kingdom.”
So being a son did not save them! For gnashing of teeth is what wolves do.
 
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