Southern Baptists and Once Saved Always Saved

[FaithfulPilgrim]

Greetings! I am a Southern Baptist and attend a Southern Baptist church. Where I live, 90% of the churches are Baptists and all of the churches my parents took me to were Baptist., so growing up, I had a very narrow taste of what Christianity was like and was unaware that there were other kinds of Christians. I was familiar with Mormonism, but never considered them Christian.

I first became aware of denominations when I attended a Seventh Day Adventists private school in the sixth and seventh grade. This is where I started learning about other groups like Adventists, Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics, etc.

The SDA taught that you could lose your salvation and eating non-kosher foods would send you to hell. I did make good friends there, though.

I had discussed the differences between Baptists and Adventists with my family and they told me that Baptists believe that you cannot lose your salvation. I was told that if you are saved, you will go to heaven no matter what, and that if you were saved in the past but go on later to commit murder, you would still go to heaven, but God would be upset but keep His promise, or that you were never saved to begin with.

I took this the wrong way and thought it meant that I could sin and it would not really matter, so I started experimenting with other religions such as Buddhism and Deism. Of course, I repented and started to study the Bible more.

To me, it seems that perseverance of saints is biblical as I believe God saves you and it is not of any works you do, and that the true believers hold on until the very end. Eternal security seems to teach that when you are saved, even if you fall away or give up your faith, you will still be saved and still go to heaven.

Southern Baptists believe salvation is through faith alone, but they do believe good works are important. They are a result of salvation, and a true believer will have a changed lifestyle as evidence that his repentance is sincere. They also teach that if you sin willingly or show no change after claiming to be saved, you were never really saved. This sounds like perseverance of saints to me.

In Southern Baptist churches, I think eternal security and perseverance of saints are used synonymously, and "Once saved, always saved, is just an oversimplified definition of it. I am sure most of them would say that true believers are eternally secure and will remain believers until the end, but still believe that avoiding sin is important. My church talks about "fake Christians" all the time. They are referring to those who claim to be saved but do nothing with their faith or live worldly lives.

What do you think? Do Southern Baptists really teach eternal security as in no matter what you do, you will never lose your salvation?

 

[JAM2b]

I know this was posted years ago, but I wanted to respond.

I grew up attending Southern Baptist Church and this is what was always taught.

It was said that you could backslide, but that doesn't mean you're not saved. There could be consequences and conviction but that God would forgive you.

If anyone truly fell away or renounced their faith, they weren't saved to begin with.

The teaching was that salvation is a by faith through grace, and that you can't be snatched out of the hand of God.

 

[98cwitr]

Not necessarily an SBC thing, but a Reformed Theology thing. SBC just so happens to only recently be shedding Reformed Theology for more Armenian tenants.

 

[Learning & Growing]

I know this was posted years ago, but I wanted to respond.

I grew up attending Southern Baptist Church and this is what was always taught.

It was said that you could backslide, but that doesn't mean you're not saved. There could be consequences and conviction but that God would forgive you.

If anyone truly fell away or renounced their faith, they weren't saved to begin with.

The teaching was that salvation is a by faith through grace, and that you can't be snatched out of the hand of God.

Coming from an SBC background starting as a teenager and my husband was always SBC (from birth, LOL)... we met in youth group go-figure, but I agree with this narrative. It's what we both have understood as well in regards to once-saved-always-saved

 

[BobRyan]

I first became aware of denominations when I attended a Seventh Day Adventists private school in the sixth and seventh grade. This is where I started learning about other groups like Adventists, Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics, etc.

The SDA taught that you could lose your salvation and eating non-kosher foods would send you to hell. I did make good friends there, though.
...

What do you think? Do Southern Baptists really teach eternal security as in no matter what you do, you will never lose your salvation?

I am an Adventist - but I always thought that OSAS (once saved always saved) had two versions and that Southern Baptists are most often one or the other. Either they believe in "perseverance of the saints" and so reject the idea of "no matter what you do" -- rather the ones I know teach that if you start "living like the devil" ten years from today - then whatever assurance you think you have today is deleted... you were never saved to begin with. I think John MacArthur and Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley (who was president of the SBC at one time as I recall) are in that group.

In the past I have attended SBC churches for a few years (while still attending the Adventist church) and so some of my impression about what they teach comes from that and from "the Baptist Faith and Message"

The other version is as you say - it does not hold to "perseverance" and argues that once in , no matter what you do later in life you are still in.

I am interested to watch this thread thread and see what they say about it.

But one thing is for sure - I don't think I have met any that reject OSAS entirely.

 

[GodLovesCats]

This is my concern with the "once saved, always saved" idea: People can and do change their minds when they fall away from Jesus and decide not to believe he is God anymore. Just like people become Christian, they can become anything else after choosing God over man. If this happens and you do not change your mind to be a Christian again, I believe you go to hell.

 

[enoob57]

For the truly converted we have God's seal

Ephesians 1:13 (KJV)

[13] In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

John 14:16 (KJV)

[16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

the dependency is upon God's presence within us...

 

[actionsub]

There's a slight difference between the Reformed doctrine of "perseverance of the saints" and OSAS (which some Reformed wags call "preservation of the sinners"). Theoretically, they're supposed to be the same thing. In time the Reformed perseverance doctrine, which states that the saint only authenticates himself or herself by persevering in the faith until death, was given a populist spin by various revivalists which took the focus from the saint's fidelity to the faith to the idea that salvation cannot be lost because God preserves the saint.

 

[Dan Perez]

Greetings! I am a Southern Baptist and attend a Southern Baptist church. Where I live, 90% of the churches are Baptists and all of the churches my parents took me to were Baptist., so growing up, I had a very narrow taste of what Christianity was like and was unaware that there were other kinds of Christians. I was familiar with Mormonism, but never considered them Christian.

I first became aware of denominations when I attended a Seventh Day Adventists private school in the sixth and seventh grade. This is where I started learning about other groups like Adventists, Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics, etc.

The SDA taught that you could lose your salvation and eating non-kosher foods would send you to hell. I did make good friends there, though.

I had discussed the differences between Baptists and Adventists with my family and they told me that Baptists believe that you cannot lose your salvation. I was told that if you are saved, you will go to heaven no matter what, and that if you were saved in the past but go on later to commit murder, you would still go to heaven, but God would be upset but keep His promise, or that you were never saved to begin with.

I took this the wrong way and thought it meant that I could sin and it would not really matter, so I started experimenting with other religions such as Buddhism and Deism. Of course, I repented and started to study the Bible more.

To me, it seems that perseverance of saints is biblical as I believe God saves you and it is not of any works you do, and that the true believers hold on until the very end. Eternal security seems to teach that when you are saved, even if you fall away or give up your faith, you will still be saved and still go to heaven.

Southern Baptists believe salvation is through faith alone, but they do believe good works are important. They are a result of salvation, and a true believer will have a changed lifestyle as evidence that his repentance is sincere. They also teach that if you sin willingly or show no change after claiming to be saved, you were never really saved. This sounds like perseverance of saints to me.

In Southern Baptist churches, I think eternal security and perseverance of saints are used synonymously, and "Once saved, always saved, is just an oversimplified definition of it. I am sure most of them would say that true believers are eternally secure and will remain believers until the end, but still believe that avoiding sin is important. My church talks about "fake Christians" all the time. They are referring to those who claim to be saved but do nothing with their faith or live worldly lives.

What do you think? Do Southern Baptists really teach eternal security as in no matter what you do, you will never lose your salvation?

Yes they do teach OSAS as I was a SO BAPIST for many years .

This is just one verse that teaches OSAS , in Gal 3:28 .

ARE // ESTE , is in the Greek , PRESENT TENSE , in the INDICATIVE MOOD and means you better believe verse 28 , in the PLURAL.

All // PAS , is and Adjective in the NOMINATIVE CASE , is the subject , in the PLURAL , meaning all the saved .

ONE // HEIS in the NOMINATIVE CASE and in the Greek SINGULAR

CHRIST // CHRISTOS , in the DATIVE CASE , in the SINGULAR .

JESUS // IESOUS also in the DATIVE CASE , in the SINGULAR .

I have since have moved on and follow IMITATE Paul as Paul IMITATES Christ in 1 Cor 11:1

And teach what the apostle Paul says that we teach , Eph 3:9 and will see me in the DISPESATIONAL FORUM

dan p

 

[A_JAY]

What do you think? Do Southern Baptists really teach eternal security as in no matter what you do, you will never lose your salvation?

I don't think the SBC (their Arminian and Reformed followers) believe that.

I've seen a couple of people on this forum, and I don't know whether they are Baptists, say you can have a dead faith and still be "saved".
In other words after going forward to accept Christ when you are young you lead a life of profligy, ignoring Christ for 30,40,50 years, and then die-- some believe you would be saved.

I do not like the phrase "once saved always saved' at all. If you follow the Lord with all your heart, even though some times you slip up, God will preserve you to the end.

I saw a section on that in the MacArthur Study Bible, and he ties all of it together very nicely using Reformed Terminology.

I attended a Baptist Church (not SBC) for 45 years (and still a Baptist at heart) and never once heard the term "once saved always saved". I am positive they would be shocked if they were told you could live like the devil and still be saved.

 

[actionsub]

I don't think the SBC (their Arminian and Reformed followers) believe that.

I've seen a couple of people on this forum, and I don't know whether they are Baptists, say you can have a dead faith and still be "saved".
In other words after going forward to accept Christ when you are young you lead a life of profligy, ignoring Christ for 30,40,50 years, and then die-- some believe you would be saved.

I do not like the phrase "once saved always saved' at all. If you follow the Lord with all your heart, even though some times you slip up, God will preserve you to the end.

I saw a section on that in the MacArthur Study Bible, and he ties all of it together very nicely using Reformed Terminology.

I attended a Baptist Church (not SBC) for 45 years (and still a Baptist at heart) and never once heard the term "once saved always saved". I am positive they would be shocked if they were told you could live like the devil and still be saved.

Grew up SBC. Their response to such a hypothetical case would be "well they weren't saved in the first place."
That said, they do teach "Once Saved Always Saved" in no uncertain terms.

There are only two divisions of Baptists who do not teach some version of OSAS: Free Will Baptists and General Baptists. Both these groups teach that a Christian can reject God up to a point where their heart becomes hardened and there is no turning back from that point.

 

[Armchair Apologist]

Grew up SBC. Their response to such a hypothetical case would be "well they weren't saved in the first place."
That said, they do teach "Once Saved Always Saved" in no uncertain terms.

There are only two divisions of Baptists who do not teach some version of OSAS: Free Will Baptists and General Baptists. Both these groups teach that a Christian can reject God up to a point where their heart becomes hardened and there is no turning back from that point.

I dislike the phrase "Once Saved, Always Saved" although I hold firmly to the doctrine of eternal security.

Firstly, because our salvation is firmly grounded upon the finished work of Christ never again to be repeated and according to Heb 6:1-6, if it were even possible for us to fall away from our salvation, it would be impossible to ever return unless Christ performed a second work of redemption (returned and died upon the cross once again) which will not happen. Christ's work of redemption is finished, complete, perfect, and is "once for all." We are therefore secure in Christ!

Now, there are those who say that when you "pray to receive Christ," you can go out and live however you want because you are "Once Saved, Always Saved" and this is the main argument that many use against OSAS and to be perfectly honest, I do not blame you! I find such a matter quite repugnant as should anyone who is in Christ!

Our salvation was not just some "Decision" that we made - a "Fire Insurance" policy that we have laid up for when we die, etc. If one is saved they have a NEW LIFE in Christ where all is changed, everything becomes new, and your worldview and personal affections will reflect this (2 Cor 5:17; Col 3:1-4) God will be at work in your life transforming and conforming you into his image (Rom 8:29-30; Phi 1:6; 2:12-13). This will be evident to all of whom you are living around as well (Psa 40:1-3).

And yes, there are those who seem to us that they were "saved" talking the talk, going through the motions, and later falling away and forsaking the faith. It is clear that such were not saved and if one who previously professed Christ comes forward and renounces their faith, I will believe them that they are no longer a Christian. Jesus warned of false converts throughout his teaching of the parables (Mt 7:21-23)! John said "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us" (1 Jn 2:19).

Therefore yes, we are eternally secure in Christ but we are also admonished to make our calling and election sure (2 Pet 1:10).

 

[lismore]

John said "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us" (1 Jn 2:19).

Hello. Thanks for your interesting post! I agree, those who are truly born again will endure, what else can they do? Like this parable the Lord told:

Matthew 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Compared to the Kingdom of God there is nothing of importance. Those who have found that pearl of great price, nothing else will do. They won't leave, they want the prize. God Bless You

 

[Markie Boy]

All of Jesus' warnings about falling away or apostasy would make no sense, if one could not fall away. Even the parable of the sower states that some "believed for a while, but fell away."

We have free will to choose God. The only way OSAS would work, is if you lost your free will once you choose to believe.

 

[BNR32FAN]

All of Jesus' warnings about falling away or apostasy would make no sense, if one could not fall away. Even the parable of the sower states that some "believed for a while, but fell away."

We have free will to choose God. The only way OSAS would work, is if you lost your free will once you choose to believe.

Agreed and the way most people interpret 1 John 2:19 contradicts James 5:19-20. 1 John 2:19 was written about a specific group of people who were antichrists. James 5:19-20 is written specifically and exclusively about true believers. Hence if they turn BACK they will save their soul from death.

 

[Markie Boy]

Agreed and the way most people interpret 1 John 2:19 contradicts James 5:19-20. 1 John 2:19 was written about a specific group of people who were antichrists. James 5:19-20 is written specifically and exclusively about true believers. Hence if they turn BACK they will save their soul from death.

Well put! I have never looked at the James passage like that, but it's another great one to show people can turn away. I think the big mistake is thinking too black and white - like there is only one kind of person or situation.

There are surely both - people that were in church yet were never really converted, so they were never really with us. And people that were with us, but for some reason left. It's not just one or the other.

 

[Jude1:3Contendforthefaith]

I mean, for the most part I kind of believe this in the case of true Christians that you are saved always and have the seal of The Holy Spirit ....

But, if you blaspheme The Holy Spirit or take the mark of the beast You Can't / Won't be saved Ever. I don't care how many Billy Graham Crusade alter calls you went up for.

 

[Michael Z]

I think scripture clearly teaches that those Born Again would not be exempt from temptation to sin and we would be in constant spiritual struggle. But also, we are commanded to live holy lives. We live with our choices. A woman has an affair and her husband divorces her. A man becomes addicted to pornography, and loses respect of others and respect for himself. God gives us what we desire, and when all joy is gone and we are at bottom, we hopefully repent and rebuild what is left so we can enter His Glory with some joy in our life. The devil would love us to believe otherwise.

 

[Mike McK]

Not necessarily an SBC thing, but a Reformed Theology thing. SBC just so happens to only recently be shedding Reformed Theology for more Armenian tenants.

I find it to be the opposite.

Historically, Baptists were Calvinists. This began to change in the 50s, but began to change back in the 2000s, and now I find that more and more Baptists are identifying as reformed.

 

[actionsub]

shedding Reformed Theology for more Arminian tenets.

Corrected some spelling for you...Armenian is an Oriental Orthodox church. Arminian is the non-Calvinistic theology.
At any rate, if they're going to shed the Reformed theology, they could go all the way and become Free Will Baptists!