Do Lutherans believe in Once Saved Always Saved?

[rd151]

I believe he LCMS does believe in once saved always saved doctrine. Yet a friend of mine says they don't. If the LCMS believes in salvation by justification by faith alone, how then can they not believe in OSAS?

 

[Plutonius]

Faith alone and OSAS are two separate theological doctrines. Why must they exist together? If one falls from faith , by doing so rejects the gift of God, and will be thrown into the fire. To my knowledge most, if not, all Lutherans do not believe in Once Saved, Always Saved.

I found the official LCMS link
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2648

 

[porterross]

The Book of Concord contains our full confessions and addresses this and your other queries quite clearly. Reading it might help you more than you think. It's really good stuff!

Start with The Augsburg Confession.

http://www.bookofconcord.org/

 

[LilLamb219]

Lutherans believe we can fall from faith as scriptures show in Luke 8:13
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]And those on the rock are they who, when they have heard, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.[/FONT]

 

[Aibrean]

Those who fall didn't really have a foundation. They built their house on the sand. For those that fall of course there is always the ability to seek forgiveness and renew their faith. But if they fall so hard, did they ever truly believe in the first place? Like those children who come into the church at a young age and say they believe but their heart is not there and they are doing it because people around them expect them to but they falter later in life. This is why we should be continually an example to both Christians and non-Christians.

Hello Pluto my brother

 

[LilLamb219]

By saying, did they ever really believe in the first place, you're turning believing into a work that merits salvation. We can only believe BECAUSE God gives us faith to believe. It's all gift talk.

 

[DaRev]

I believe he LCMS does believe in once saved always saved doctrine. Yet a friend of mine says they don't. If the LCMS believes in salvation by justification by faith alone, how then can they not believe in OSAS?

Your friend is right. Lutherans do not believe in OSAS, and never have.

Salvation is by grace through faith is is wholly a gift from God. One can reject that gift of faith and thereby lose their salvation.

Our salvation is wholly God's work. Our damnation is wholly our work.

 

[Plutonius]